Oatmeal Bake

Holy YUM!

This recipe is a meal prepper's dream!!! I had seen one of my absolutely amazing friends, Sarina, post photos of this over and over and finally I had to make it. Sarina is a sensational mom, Beachbody coach, Zumba instructor and a great friend. She is seriously the bees-knees and she knows her stuff!!! If you are interested in her coaching, etc check out her page: Sarina's Beachbody Page - what whaaaaat! This is not my brain child at all but I had to share given the ease of making this, the flexibility to make variations and how darn GOOD it was!!! This recipe is from Broke and Boujie, although I did modify the maple syrup a little (because you guys know how I feel about sugar).


Ingredients:

• 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats (or Steel Cut)
• 1/4 Cup Natural Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 Cup Raspberries
• 1 Cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 Cups unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 Banana, peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, syrup, cinnamon, baking powder, half of the raspberries and walnuts. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until the egg and vanilla are totally beaten in.

Spray a brownie pan with cooking spray or olive oil or coconut oil. Spread the oatmeal mixture out evenly in the pan.

Pour the milk-egg mixture over top of the oat mixture. Shake the pan gently to spread the liquid evenly.

Top it with the remaining raspberries, walnut and banana slices and throw it in the oven for 35-40 minutes and enjoy the amazing smell.

Let it cool before you eat it.

 

Alternate Toppings:

-      Blueberries, banana and cashew

-      Almonds, strawberry, blackberry

-      ½ cup pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice and pecans

Kale & White Bean Quesadilla

Who doesn't LOVE cheese? I know, I know, I am a dietitian and I know what cheese is and what it can do to your body. That being said- it's still amazing and delicious. If used correctly, you don't need a lot to make a flavor impact on your dish and still eat something super yummy.

I have been feeling a little uninspired as of late for some new recipes so I turned to old faithful, Pinterest. As always, I was diving through hoards of unhealthy recipes and looking for something special. Then I found the inspiration for these quesadillas from the blog Running to the Kitchen.
The original recipe looks so delicious but packs a whopping 2 cups of cheese! Now,for the purposes of my blog I knew I had to trim that don but boost up some other flavors so I didn't feel like I was missing out. After 2 attempts, I found what I was looking for! Here is my take on Kale & White Bean Quesadillas that are a high fiber, low fat, excellent source of plant protein and PACKED with yum!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well

4-5 leaves tuscan kale, stems removed and ripped into small leaves

8 tbsp. low shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese alternative)

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

3 whole wheat Flat Out Wraps or whole wheat wrap of your choice

 

1. In a medium skillet, brown onions, green peppers and garlic in olive oil for about 10 minutes on low. The onions should become somewhat clear in the middle and slightly browned on the edges.

2. Add cannellini beans, black pepper, onion & garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Cook beans in onion mixture until beans are tender, on medium for about 10 minutes.

3.Take a potato smasher or a large fork/knife and mash mixture thoroughly.

4. Place 1 wrap on a griddle pan set to medium. To one half of the wrap: add 2 tbsp. of cheddar cheese and 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of bean mixture. Then add kale leaves to cover top of bean mixture. Again top with 2 tbsp. cheddar cheese.

5. Carefully fold the empty half of the wrap over the top of the filling.

6. Using a spatula, carefully flip the quesadilla over to melt the cheese you added in the final step of #4.

7. Cook until cheese is melted and enjoy!!

 

This recipe makes 3 hearty, delicious quesadillas! Enjoy!!!

 

Chick Pea and Spinach Sauté

Recently I was in Atalntic City for a bachelorette party and we dined at a tapas restaurant in Revel Casino called Amada (a Jose Garces restaurant). The restaurant offered a pretty extensive menu of tapas or Spanish style appetizers, finger foods and snacks. This restaurant offered gourmet tapas and I was just in heaven! S many items were absolutely delicious but one in particular stood out, the "Espinacas con garbanzos". Let me say that my version was not anywhere as amazing as the version I had however, it is so delicious in a different way. Give it a whirl! 

Ingredients 

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 can garbanzo beans 

2 cups frozen spinach 

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes

4 heaping tbsp tomato sauce 

Salt and pepper

1) Heat olive oil in a large saucepan until hot. 

2) Add 1/2 can chickpeas to skillet carefully (the chickpeas will cause the oil to pop so be careful). 

3) Cook chickpeas on medium-high heat for ~10 minutes until crispy. Set aside. 

4) In a different skillet, cook spinach in a small amount of water until wilted. Drain water when spinach is completed. 

5) Add tomato sauce, spinach, seasonings and garlic to the 2nd skillet. Cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. 

6) Add other 1/2 can of chickpeas and lemon juice to spinach mixture. Cook for 5-7 minutes. 

7) Add original crispy chickpeas and fold into the spinach mixture. 

8) Allow to rest for a few minutes. 

This can be served alone, with a hearty Italian bread or over quinoa! 

 

Nutrition Information

285 calories per serving
34 gm carbohydrates
13gm fat
0 gm saturated fat10gm protein

62mg sodium
2gm sugar
8 gm fiber

1 Pan Vegetable Stew

Hi Everyone!
I just began the final leg of my nutrition internships yesterday! I am still going to try to post as much as a I can but make sure you keep an eye on my Facebook and Twitter accounts for  items as I make them. This stew was inspired by my friend Marielle. We share a lot of similar food interests; she is a more strict vegetarian than I am and has made her own version of this twice recently. She always sends me pictures and I decided that I was going to tackle it today! In total, this really only took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I happened to have all of these items on hand but this would make for a beautiful post-farmer's market meal! Not pictured, I enjoyed this with a nice triangle of ciabatta! Mmmm!

Ingredients
1 can crushed tomatoes (28oz)
1 can chick peas, drained (15oz)
4 stems kale, chopped & including stems
3 large portobello mushroon caps
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
~ 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4-5 stems scallions, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

1) On medium heat add olive oil, onion and garlic. Allow to brown slightly.
2) Add kale and tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes until becomes wilted.
3) Add chick peas, mushrooms, scallions and garlic. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Sauce will reduce slightly.
4) Zest the 1/2 lemon and squeeze juice into mixture. Add parsley.
5) Cook on medium low for 4-5 minutes more.
6) Rest for 2-3 minutes.
Enjoy!

It is really the easiest meal to make! The most time is spent chopping everything up!

Options:
1) If you are not a vegetarian simple add meat. Chicken or ground turkey would be fabulous.
2) If you don't have parsley, basil would be a great substitute. I would imagine dried herbs would also work well but not provide the fresh flavor.
3) If you don't have scallions they can be omitted entirely. They are a member of the onion family and mine were going to go bad if I didn't use them.

Healthy Hash Browns

Hi Everyone!
My schedule has been CRAZY lately but after getting a lot of requests, I had to post this super easy recipe for Healthy Hash Browns! It takes about an hour when everything is said and done but the result is a crispy, delicious version of a typically unhealthy breakfast option. I ended up eating almost the whole plate for dinner, so I guess it was brinner?? :)
The beauty is this recipe is how low in carbohydrates yet you get a nice serving of veggies and fiber! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 medium sweet potato
1 whole egg
2 tbsp almond meal
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp olive oil

1) Preheat oven to 400F.
2) Slice spaghetti squash in half and place cut sides down on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 minutes or until edges are browned.
3) Allow spaghetti squash to cool.
4) While squash is cooking, peel the sweet potato. Grate potato or slice potato into 6-8 sections and chop in a food processor.
5) Crack the egg into a large bowl and whip until fluffy. Set aside.
6) When squash is cooled, pull spaghetti strands with a fork. In a downward motion from the stem of the squash, scrape to pull strands.
7) When squash is "pulled", mix 1/2 into the egg bowl with sweet potato crumbles. Mix thoroughly.
8) Add almond meal and spices.
9) In a skillet, add olive oil and set to medium heat.
10) Using a spoon, drop the mixture onto the pan and smooth down. Cook until browned and flip.
11) Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Tips:
a) Feel free to double the recipe to use the entire spaghetti squash. If not, you can saute the remaining squash with vegetables, meat, or whatever you like.
b) If you have it, you can substitute olive oil with coconut oil.
c) Try cooking the spaghetti squash the night before if you have time.
d) If you mixture seems wet, add almond meal little by little to thicken it up.

Enjoy!

Paleo Pancakes!

So, one of my best friends asked me about the Paleo Diet recently. She was interested in the "clean eating" aspect and I started to look into it. The diet is basically a caveman diet, with foods consumed that are not processed, treated or filled with chemicals. It is mostly organic and low carbohydrate from the lack of breads allowed.

These pancakes are light and you won't think you will get full but all the protein makes this satisfying and so easy to make!

I started researching recipes, etc. and found an Instagram profile of a girl who follows it but also plates the food beautifully. I started following her profile and she is pretty awesome. So I took one of her pancake recipes and altered it slightly. She is pretty fantastic though and I suggest you check out her blog: www.liverightbehealthy.blogspot.com


Okay, here is my rendition of the pancakes:

Ingredients
1 banana
2 tbsp organic peanut butter
1 tbsp organic cashew butter
2 tbsp almond meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey
Crushed walnut optional
Maple syrup optional

In a food processor, purée banana, nut butters, almond meal, cinnamon and honey until well mixed (about 20 seconds).
Preheat a skillet and pour small saucer size amounts on to skillet.
When edges begin to bubble, carefully flip.

Cooks about 6-7 pancakes. 3= a serving

Sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle syrup if desired (not necessary though!).

So good and surprisingly filling!

Tips:
Make sure the pancakes are small because they are kind of hard to flip.
I cooked mine in an Orgreenic pan which allowed me to avoid using butter!
Next time ill cook up some apples and use that instead of syrup!

Enjoy & let me know if you make them!

Have a delicious day!