Fiesta Avocados w/ Eggs

If you like avocados you'll definitely want to read this post!  If you don't like avocados, skip this post and go to my "Healthy Recipes" tab to find something that strikes your fancy.  :-)  

I've seen similar recipes floating around on Pinterest and always wanted to try them, but for some unknown reason felt too intimidated to give them a shot...until today. I've been asking myself all morning "Why did you take so damn long to make these?!" It's a nice change from the same old breakfast sandwiches I eat almost every day. 

I'm slowly learning some of the best recipes are the simplest ones. This recipe has 4 main ingredients along with some spices and of course, hot sauce!  In my opinion you can't have eggs without hot sauce because they are two things that just go together.  It makes me think of that part in the movie Friday where Smokey gets all upset with Craig because he never has two things that match...daaaamn!  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about you can check it out here. I digress...

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• 2 tablespoons shredded Italian cheese
• 4 tablespoons salsa
• 4 egg yolks
• Salt & pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• HOT SAUCE, I always use Cholula

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut avocados in half and remove the pits.  If the avocados tilt to the side too much you can cut a small sliver off the bottom to keep them upright.  Using a small spoon, scoop out a little more avocado and put in a small bowl.  Mash up the extra avocado and set aside.  Sprinkle salt and cayenne pepper on to each avocado half.  Separate the egg yolk from the egg white and place yolk in the avocado.  Sprinkle each with half a tablespoon of cheese and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on how done you want the eggs.  Top each with a tablespoon of salsa, a small scoop of the reserved avocado, and hot sauce!

Note: My husband and I had no idea how to eat these and we learned by trial and error.  Take a large spoon and scoop around the edges of the skin until all of the inner deliciousness comes out.  It's much easier than trying to eat directly out of the avocado.

Simple to make and healthy. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Now that I've stepped outside my breakfast sandwich comfort zone, I want to know what YOU make for breakfast? Hook a sister up and give me some ideas!

{Taste Test Tuesday} Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

I remember my mouth watering when I saw this recipe on Everyday Italian over a year ago. 

Looks delicious, right?  When I took my first bite I was surprised by how incredibly plain it was.  How could something marinated in balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, etc... be plain?  The recipe said to marinate the chicken for 2 hours (which I did), but that obviously wasn't long enough.  I wonder if they would have been better sitting in the marinade overnight.  I also expected the marinade to turn into a glaze after cooking it.  Again, the recipe said it would be thick to brush on the drumsticks, but it was quite thin.  I think it's safe to say I was pretty disappointed with the end result. 

 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 5 sprigs of rosemary
• 5 garlic cloves, halved
• 10 to 12 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

 

Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves in a large, re-sealable bag.  Shake and squeeze the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar.  Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal with as little air as possible.  Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

 

Place the drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan.  Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria).  Reduce heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes.  Reserve.

 

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken.  Place the chicken on a serving platter.  Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and chopped parsley.

 

From the Food Network website.

 

I'm giving this recipe ☆☆

 

 

Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

Good nutrition starts with smart choices at the grocery store!  Cooking healthy meals can be challenging if you don't have the right ingredients in your kitchen.  Check out these simple tips to keep you on track while shopping.

Plan ahead.  To eat healthy, I've found it's ESSENTIAL to plan your meals for the week in advance.  It used to take me hours to plan an entire weeks' worth of meals until I came up with a base plan to narrow it down.  My base plan consists of at least:

1 fish recipe
1 crock pot recipe
1 clean eating recipe
1 chicken recipe
1 salad recipe
1 cheat meal

Since it's just me and my husband we almost always have leftovers so these six meals turn into ten or more meals.  From here all you have to do is fill in a couple meals and add your snacks.  DONE.

Create a shopping list.  It may take a few minutes, but it will prevent extra trips to the store for missing ingredients.  I highly suggest making a list that is grouped by: lean proteins and dairy, veggies and fruit, whole grains, and extras.  It will save time at the store so you're not going back and forth. 

LEAN PROTEINS & DAIRY	VEGGIES & FRUIT
EXTRAS	WHOLE GRAINS

Don't shop hungry.  People tend to make unhealthy impulse buys on empty stomachs, so make sure to eat a snack before you shop!

Choose organic.  I realize organic food can be expensive, but try to choose it when you can.  You get the same benefits with fewer pesticides. 

 

Shop the perimeter.  This is where produce, dairy, meat, and whole grains are located.  Try to avoid the center aisles where junk food lurks.

Produce: This is the section you should spend the most time in and the majority of your shopping cart should be filled with colorful fruits and veggies.

 

Whole Grains: Choose whole wheat bread and pasta.  You can start with whole wheat blends and slowly transition to 100% whole wheat.  I personally can't stand whole wheat pasta, so I buy multigrain pasta instead.  Other grain options include: quinoa, brown rice, and barley.

 

Lean Proteins: Fish, skinless poultry, and lean cuts of meat such as top sirloin and tenderloin are good choices.  Be sure to watch your portion sizes!  One chicken breast isn't necessarily one serving.

Dairy: Low-fat and nonfat are the best options.

 

Frozen Foods: Frozen fruits and veggies are better than canned.  Canned fruits and veggies tend to be packaged in salt, sugar, and preservatives for taste and longevity. 

 

Canned Foods: When buying canned foods look for low sodium options, low-fat soups, and tuna or salmon packed in WATER instead of oil.

 

Foods to Avoid: Try to avoid foods that contain more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.



 

Healthy Snack Ideas

I've been eating the same three or four snacks every day for the past several months and need to change it up!  I have several books with healthy snack ideas and compiled a list of the best!

• Shakeology
• Low-fat cottage cheese with berries
• Banana or apple with peanut butter
• Plain popcorn topped with a pinch of salt
• Tuna stuffed inside a multigrain pita
• Sliced veggies with hummus
• Multigrain bagel with low-fat cream cheese
• Unsalted almonds, cashews, etc...
• Baked sweet potato topped with nonfat Greek yogurt and chives
• Whole wheat pita with hummus, smoked salmon, and dill
• Sliced kiwi with nonfat strawberry yogurt for dipping
• Fruit skewers
• Strawberries topped with light cream cheese
• Celery topped with peanut butter and raisins
• Whole wheat toast topped with turkey and reduced-fat cheese
• Hardboiled egg mashed and scooped onto a romaine lettuce leaf
• Guacamole with sliced red peppers
• Whole grain English muffin with strawberry preserves
• Protein bar
• Reduced-fat string cheese

Fruit Skewers

What's your favorite snack?

Smothered Chicken

I was digging through old recipes and found this hidden gem.  It's simple to make and the lemon marinade gives the chicken a nice tang.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

 

1.  In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.  Place chicken and marinade in a gallon size Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

 

2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with oregano, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.  Cook chicken 8-10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in the middle.

 

3. In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook bell pepper and onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.  Stir in mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

4. Sprinkle cheese and vegetables over chicken; remove from heat.  Cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

 

Serve with brown and wild rice.

{Taste Test Tuesday} Egg Frittata

It's about time I posted a breakfast recipe!  I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every single day, so I pushed myself outside my comfort zone to try something new.  My eyes locked on an Egg Frittata recipe I found in one of my workout nutritional guides.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon basil or oregano
• Pepper to taste

Directions

Whisk eggs with milk.  Add the spinach, basil or oregano, feta, & pepper.  Combine.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat an 8" by 8" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour egg mixture into dish and bake for 20 minutes or until eggs are set.  (Top may remain moist)  Let stand for 5 minutes.

I love basil and the feta cheese really boosted the flavor in this, BUT it just didn't hit the spot for me.  It was too bland and needed something else to make it worth eating.  Perhaps some diced ham or turkey sausage?  Maybe even just some tomatoes and mushrooms.  I added Cholula to this thinking it would enhance the taste, but it had the opposite effect.  It competed with the feta cheese and I immediately regretted it.  As it is...I probably wouldn't make it again.  If I made some of the adjustments I listed above, I think it would be much better....maybe I will give it another try after all.  ☆☆

{Taste Test Tuesday} Fish Tacos w/ Chipotle Cream

It's been challenging to find new, healthy, and more importantly, tasty recipes.  I know they exist because I've found a few, but it seems like for every good one I do find, I've had to choke down four bad ones.  In my experience, they usually lack flavor and are boring.  I realize food is fuel for my body, but I want my "fuel" to taste good.  I tend to fall back on old favorites, so I've decided to try at least one new recipe a week...and it has to be healthy.  I will share these recipes with you and rate them so you'll know if they are keepers or not. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For Fish:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. white flaky fish (Tilapia or Halibut)

For Chipotle Cream:

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayo (I use mayo with olive oil because it has less calories and tastes just as good to me)
• 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1-1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• Diced tomato
• Sliced avocado
• Lime wedges
• Cholula hot sauce, to taste

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture over fish and let it marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and cook over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.  Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, mayo, and chipotle peppers.

Heat the tortillas on the pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork.  Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream.  Top with fish, cabbage, corn, tomato, avocado, cilantro, Cholula, and serve with lime wedges.  I also served refried black beans with these.

Adapted from the Food Network website.

Sometimes when I see a long list of ingredients I automatically think "This will be expensive," but these weren't.  I bought a pound of tilapia for $7.13 and as I'm sure you know, produce costs next to nothing.  These were simple to make, easy on the wallet, and packed a lot of flavor.  When I asked my husband how he'd rate them he immediately said "5 stars!"  ☆☆☆☆☆ 

 

Stuffed Bell Peppers

It's been awhile since I made these and as luck would have it, someone asked for a simple, affordable recipe.  You get protein, carbs, and a veggie all in one sitting...that's what I'm talking about!

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 oz. tomato sauce
• 4 oz. tomato soup
• 4 green bell peppers, tops cut & seeded
• 3/4 cup brown rice, cooked
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper 

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized skillet over medium heat, cook the turkey, onion, and garlic until the meat is cooked through. 

Add the tomato soup, tomato sauce, and chili powder. Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in the brown rice and cool. 

Cook the peppers in boiling, salted water and 1 teaspoon sugar until they are slightly tender. (About 3-5 minutes)  Drain.  Put the peppers in a baking dish.  Salt and pepper the insides. 

Add the Italian cheese to turkey and rice mixture.  Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and stuff the peppers.  Bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

 

 

 

Chicken & Spinach Salad w/ Raspberry-Balsamic Dressing

I tend to have a hard time getting in my fruit servings each day.  I've realized the only two ways to get them in are when I drink Shakeology or eat salads.  There's something about sweet and savory together that makes my mouth water.  It's no surprise this recipe caught my attention when I saw it on Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For dressing:

• 1/2 cup lite balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar

For salad:

• 8 cups spinach
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 4 chicken breasts, cooked & diced
• 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine vinaigrette, raspberries, and sugar in a blender.  Blend until smooth and pour through a strainer to get rid of excess seeds.  Set aside.

In a large bowl toss together the spinach, onions, raspberries, and tomatoes.  Divide mixture among 4 plates.  Add the diced chicken and garnish with goat cheese, pecans, and black pepper.

Adapted from the Food Network website. 

What Is Clean Eating?

When I started my fitness journey one of the things that continually came up was "Clean Eating."  I figured it just meant eating some more fruits and veggies, but there's a little more to it than that.

What is clean eating?

The core of eating clean is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible.  Most clean foods usually contain just one or two ingredients.  Eating clean is not a fad diet that promotes short-term weight loss.

1. Eat 5-6 times a day (3 meals and 2-3 small snacks) to keep your blood sugar stable and avoid overeating.

2. Drink your WATER!  A good rule thumb is to take your body weight and divide it by 2.  Drink that many ounces of water a day to stay properly hydrated.  (Example: 150 lbs. ÷ 2 = 75 oz. water)

3. Eat fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins instead of pre-packaged, processed, or fast food.  Choose organic or grass fed meats when possible and pick fruit over fruit juice.  If you have to buy processed vegetables, frozen is always better than canned.

4. Replace saturated fats with healthy fats.  You can reduce saturated fats by choosing lean meats and avoiding fast food.  Saturated fats: Butter, ice cream, and bacon.  Healthy fats: Olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish.