In Season- Asparagus

This week I wanted to feature the beautiful and healthy veggie- asparagus!  A wonderful source of antioxidants, plus fiber and folate, asparagus is considered a disease-fighting veggie.  It's been available in our stores and farmer's markets for about a month, get some now before the supply dwindles and becomes more expensive.

Most of the time I fix asparagus on the grill; I trim the end, place them in a dish or a zipper bag, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with a combo of salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Then when I've nearly finished grilling whatever protein we are having, I place the asparagus on and let them grill a couple minutes, gently roll them to get the other side grilled and that's all!

But, here is a fabulous gluten free and Paleo recipe for an asparagus salad.  So easy to fix some for dinner and save it for lunch the next day.  The recipe is written as a single serving, but it's so easy to increase to serve more.  But it's also very easy to have all the ingredients prepped to just fix yourself a single serving each time you want some.

Asparagus Egg and Bacon Salad
219 calories per serving

Ingredients:

• 1 large hard boiled egg, peeled and sliced
• 1 2/3 cups chopped asparagus
• 2 slices cooked and crumbled center cut bacon
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• pinch salt and pepper, to taste

View the rest of the recipe on Skinnytaste

Read more about asparagus and it's important nutritional properties- 5 Powerful Health Benefits of Asparagus You Probably Didn't Know.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Our Main Mama with her Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili!

At a recent Make Ahead Meal Session we prepped a delicious and healthy meal that is so easy.  Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili.  It's really good!  You could eat it in a bowl just like any other chili, you could serve it over brown rice, you could also scoop it up with a slotted spoon to remove some liquid and wrap it in a tortilla.  Like any chili, you can adjust the heat to your own liking to make it mild or spicy.  To prep this ahead of time like you see in the photo, place the chicken into a freezer safe zipper bag or wrap with plastic wrap.  In a separate zipper bag add all the other ingredients.  Then place that bag and the chicken into another freezer safe zipper bag.  The night before you want to cook it, place in the refrigerator to begin the defrost.  The next day, put everything into your slow cooker, even if it's still frozen.  When it's cooked you can stir it all together and if you need to, pull out the chicken to shred it.

Recipe:  Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

I also highly recommend using this homemade taco seasoning mix to use in the recipe.  It's very easy to make and tastes great.  Plus it's clean eating!  Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe

A Quick and Easy Weeknight Meal

This is a recipe where it's really just about the method; the ingredients should be whatever lean protein and healthy green veggies you want to use.  Increase the nutrition with super-veggies like spinach and kale.  Make it meatless using tofu or cooked quinoa.  It's easy to just increase the quantities of everything to feed more people or to ensure you have plenty of leftovers for lunch.

The basic recipe with photos can be found here- e-mealplanning Recipes or you can copy it from below.


Cheap and Easy Turkey Stir Fry

Ingredients

2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vegetable or canola oil
2-3 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 green onion, diced
1 lb ground turkey
1 zucchini sliced and then cut into match stick size pieces (julienne)
1 carrot julienne sliced
½ lb French green beans (these are the thin kind, fresh or Trader Joe’s sells them frozen and they’re great)
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tbl fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbl hoisin  or teriyaki sauce (flavors are different, just use what you prefer)


Directions
In large skillet or wok, heat oils and crushed garlic over medium heat until fragrant.  Add turkey, thoroughly break up and cook until browned.  Remove from pan and set aside.
Turn heat up slightly to medium-high, add vegetables and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add turkey back, combine thoroughly, add onion and hoisin or soy sauce, continue to stir to incorporate keeping heat up so a slight bit of carmelization occurs.  Add parsely and soy sauce, stir for one more minute and then serve with steamed brown rice with extra soy sauce on the side.

 Serves 4- Recipe as written has 274 calories per serving, 13g of fat

Slow Cooking

The slow cooker, aka the Crock Pot can be such a helpful tool in your kitchen.  Especially if you are very busy and have little time to spend cooking.  But here's the thing, there are so many recipes out there for using the slow cooker that are not clean, healthy eating.  Also, there are many recipes that require some pre-cooking like browning meat on the stove first.  As someone who understands food and the science of cooking, I completely understand why a recipe will yield better results with that method.  As a busy mom, who hates dishes, I feel like it defeats the convenience of the slow cooker.  So this week I wanted to bring you some great recipes that are very easy to assemble and they are healthy. 

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken- This recipe suggests eating the cooked chicken over chunks of raw zucchini.  But there are plenty of options for serving this.  It would also be easy to eat it over brown rice.  Or in butter lettuce cups or with tortillas as filling in a wrap.

Chicken Fajitas- This is a simple recipe for chicken fajitas that you can prep in advance, put in a freezer bag to freeze and then just defrost the night before you want to cook it.

Ingredients
2 peppers, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 pound chicken breast
1/2 cup chicken broth
1  taco seasoning packet (or 1 tablespoon of Homemade Taco Seasoning)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt

Directions
1.    Put all the ingredients in a large freezer bag. (Make sure you label the bag with instructions.)
2.    When it’s time to cook it, dump it all in your slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
3.    When it’s cooked, shred the meat and add it back to the pepper mixture and serve on warm tortillas and your favorite toppings.


Vegan Crock Pot Polenta Lasagna- Instead of layers of noodles, this recipe uses polenta.  Because it is vegan, it includes a recipe for a vegan cheese sauce to layer with the vegetables and polenta.  You can easily just use shredded part skim mozzarella and ricotta cheeses.

May Recipe- Get Grilling

Hello, it's your Food Coach, Erika.  As I'm sure you probably (correctly) assume, in my house I do most of the cooking and that also includes the grilling.  Grilling is not a duty that I wrestled away from my husband and that doesn't mean he isn't capable of grilling; he is and back in the early days of courtship he cooked and grilled for me.  He actually does most of the laundry (washing and folding) in our house, so I'm quite happy to do the cooking and I really enjoy grilling.  So this month I am sharing a grilled chicken recipe and I'm also letting you know that I don't believe grilling should be "the man's job" when it comes to cooking in your home.  Mama's can grill too!  To me, everything tastes better grilled and it doesn't even have to be covered in sauce, all by itself it brings flavor to food.  So go out there and get grilling!  Try this very simple recipe and you will get hooked and want to grill all the time.  :)
The recipe also includes a very easy vegetable stir fry, which I guess is technically not stir fry as it's not with Asian flavors, it's a saute, but it goes well with the chicken and can be prepared on the stove, or in a pan you place on the grill.  The recipe is linked below.

Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Glaze and Vegetable Stir Fry

Weekly Challenge #48: Easy Meal for Busy Weeknight

It's a bit of a coincidence that this week you are challenged to make a healthy dish using turkey.  You could use leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but the original recipe uses inexpensive and naturally lean ground turkey.  Your challenge this week is to make this recipe and hopefully it will become something you keep in your cooking arsenal as a go-to dish for a busy weeknight.  This is a recipe where it's really just about the method; the ingredients should be whatever lean protein and healthy green veggies you want to use.  Increase the nutrition with super-veggies like spinach and kale.  Make it meatless using tofu or cooked quinoa.  It's easy to just increase the quantities of everything to feed more people or to ensure you have plenty of leftovers for lunch.
The basic recipe with photos can be found here- e-mealplanning Recipes or you can copy it from below.


Cheap and Easy Turkey Stir Fry

Ingredients

2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vegetable or canola oil
2-3 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 green onion, diced
1 lb ground turkey
1 zucchini sliced and then cut into match stick size pieces (julienne)
1 carrot julienne sliced
½ lb French green beans (these are the thin kind, fresh or Trader Joe’s sells them frozen and they’re great)
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tbl fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbl hoisin  or teriyaki sauce (flavors are different, just use what you prefer)


Directions
In large skillet or wok, heat oils and crushed garlic over medium heat until fragrant.  Add turkey, thoroughly break up and cook until browned.  Remove from pan and set aside.
Turn heat up slightly to medium-high, add vegetables and sauté until just beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.  Add turkey back, combine thoroughly, add onion and hoisin sauce, continue to stir to incorporate keeping heat up so a slight bit of carmelization occurs.  Add parsely and soy sauce, stir for one more minute and then serve with steamed brown rice with extra soy sauce on the side.

 Serves 4- Recipe as written has 274 calories per serving, 13g of fat


Have a great week and get cooking!

Baked farro risotto

Risotto is one of those dishes that seems like a treat simply because it can be so time-consuming to make. If you have ever cooked risotto at home, you know it requires constant stirring for an extended period of time.

This risotto recipe from 101 Cookbooks is fabulous for a few reasons. First, it doesn't require all of that stirring! Secondly, it is made with farro which a fabulous and healthy grain. Finally, it is simple! The list of ingredients won't fill up your grocery cart or empty your wallet. You can find farro near the pasta or imported (Italian) foods in stores such as Whole Foods, Raley's, Bel Air, or Costco.

Recipe: 101 Cookbooks Baked Farro Risotto

Buon appetito!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Serves 4
Prep time: 8-10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
10 pitted kalamata olives, quartered
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of water. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
2. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl and add bell peppers, olives, onions, basil, mint, and parsley. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, make a dressing by whisking together red wine vinegar, oil, and mustard. Add dressing to quinoa mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Salad will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition info (per 1 1/2 cup serving):

221 calories, 7g fat, 33g carbohydrates, 6g protein, 5g fiber

*Tip: For extra protein, consider adding: cooked garbanzo beans, lentils, walnuts, almonds, cooked chicken, or shrimp.

Quinoa!

If you haven't ever eaten quinoa, give it a try this week! Quinoa (pronounced "keen-wa") is a grain that is high in protein (considered a "complete protein" because it contains all nine essential amino acids), iron, complex carbohydrates, B vitamins, zinc, and magnesium. Also, it cooks in only about 15 minutes! You can buy it at most grocery stores (in addition to boxed/bagged quinoa, it is also frequently available in bulk) or even at Costco.

Here are four ideas to get you started:

1. Add lightly toasted sesame seeds and sea salt to cooked quinoa and serve as a side dish.
2. Toss cooked and cooled quinoa with a bit of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, pepper, and your favorite veggies for a great grain salad or green salad topper.
3. Instead of oatmeal for breakfast, top warm cooked quinoa with the milk of your choice, fruit, and nuts or seeds.
4. For meals that are usually served over rice or noodles, use quinoa instead.

Originally published 8/2010

Carrot French "Fries"

Are you craving French fries but trying to stick to healthy veggies instead? This is a delicious way to cook carrots! They are similar to French fries but much more nutritious- and one serving has only about 155 calories!

Carrot French "Fries"
Serves 2

• 8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into fries
• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• Sea salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Place the carrots on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss them with your hands to coat. Spread carrots out in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt (optional). 
3. Bake at 425ºF for 18-25 minutes. Checking once or twice to toss to ensure even cooking.

You can get creative with the seasoning for the fries too! Consider adding cinnamon, chipotle chili powder, or cumin.

Split Pea Soup

Looking for healthy comfort food that's easy to make? Try this split pea soup from GetNatured!

Simple Split Pea Soup
1 1/2 cups split peas (green, yellow, or a mix), sorted and rinsed
6-8 cups of water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1-3 tsp liquid smoke (to taste, optional)
Sea salt (about 1 Tbsp) and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and add the onions and carrots. Saute until the onions are lightly browned.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, partially covered, for about an hour. Serve the soup topped with homemade croutons.

To make croutons, I chopped up the heals of a few loaves of bread that were lingering in my fridge for just such an occasion. I tossed them with olive oil, salt, fresh chopped parsley, and minced garlic and baked them at 300 degrees until they were crunchy (about 25 minutes, turning once or twice).

Tip: Double the recipe and portion out leftovers into single serving reheat contains for easy grab-and-go lunches!

Quinoa and apple salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup raw whole almonds
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 1 small McIntosh apple, cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop nuts.
2. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork; let cool.
3. Whisk together honey, shallot, curry powder, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until dressing is emulsified. Add quinoa, currants, apple, mint, and nuts; toss well. Garnish with mint.

Per serving: 304 calories, 14 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 38 g carbs, 154 mg sodium, 8 g protein, 5 g fiber

Source: Marthastewart.com: Quinoa-and-Apple Salad with Curry Dressing - Martha Stewart Recipes 

Crockpot lentil soup

You have better things to do that spend hours cooking dinner, right? Here's a quick and easy soup that you can put in the crockpot in the morning and have dinner waiting for you when you get home in the evening.

Crockpot Lentil Soup
Serves about 4
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
2 medium carrots, finely diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely diced
3 tablespoons uncooked brown rice (or other grain)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Stir together all ingredients except parsley in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Tip: Use a food processor to chop the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic together to make the prep super fast.
2. Optional: Remove some of the soup and puree in a blender then return it to the pot or use a stick blender to partially puree the soup. 
3. Serve topped with fresh parsley. Goes well with a hearty whole grain bread.

Recipe adapted from "French Lentil Rice Soup" in The Costco Connection, October 2010

Making a meal out of soup

Happy fall! It may still be warm outside but, as the evenings become cooler, you may soon be craving butternut squash soup and other cozy foods. To make a simple soup into a hearty meal, try these suggestions:

1. For creamier soups and chowders, puree the soup with cooked white beans for extra protein, iron, and fiber.
2. Serve soups over quinoa or another grain or with a slice of whole grain bread.
3. Enjoy a side salad with a light dressing along side your soup for extra veggie servings!

Here are some soup recipes from GetNatured. What are some of your favorite fall foods?

5 Ways to improve the digestibility of beans

Beans and other legumes are essential parts of a whole foods diet. They provide healthy amounts of protein, fiber, and iron. That being said, though, many people avoid them for fear of the gas and bloating that they can cause. Here are five ways to help improve their digestibility and minimize the gas factor:

1. Soak dry beans overnight before cooking. Replace the water with fresh water before cooking.
2. Be sure to thoroughly cook dry beans. Do not add any salt or vinegar until they have finished cooking as those may interfere with the softening of the beans.
3. Try adding a little vinegar or seasonings such as coriander or cumin to thoroughly cooked beans.
4. Thoroughly rinse canned beans or lentils before using.
5. Add a small strip of kombu seaweed (more on sea vegetables) to the pot when cooking beans to help break down the gas-causing sugars. This will also increase their nutritional value and improve their flavor.

Grilled pizza

Do you find yourself popping a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner on busy nights? Have you ever read the labels for those pizzas?? Even one serving is scary and the average pizza has many more than one serving!

Why not make a bunch of homemade pizzas and store them in the freezer so that you are in control of the ingredients? Summer is too hot for the oven anyway!

Once you try these grilled pizzas, you'll never go back!

Try this Grilled pizza recipe!