Spaghetti Squash with Chicken, Pears and Parmesean!

Even the title just makes it sound so good!!!  Who doesn't like a little alliteration to get the day going?

This dish is beautiful in its simplicity.  It took under 20 minutes to make and it's light and fresh and delicious.

 

 

 

I got the idea off of the Clean Eating Magazine website and of course, as per Kara, I made my own tweaks to it to make it better. 

 

Here's what you need to know...

 

Ingredients



-3 pound spaghetti squash
-1 tsp olive oil
-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1/2inch thick strips
-1 pear, cored and cut into chunks
-1 tsp savory seasoning (it's a green seasoning you buy in the spice aisle, or you can use some sage instead)
-1 tbsp. minced garlic
-1 tsp black pepper
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 tbsp. minced fresh chives (they look line green grass)
-3 oz parmesean cheese

Instructions
1. Poke holes in your squash so air can escape during cooking.  Place it on a plate and cook it in the microwave 10-14 minutes depending how big your squash is.  When it's done, let it cool for at least 5 minutes.  After it's cooled, cut it in half short ways, remove seeds, then use a fork to "spaghetti" it.

2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium.  Add chicken, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.  Flip chicken and add pear and savory seasoning.  Sauté, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  If your squash has been spaghetti-ed, transfer your chicken with drippings onto your bed of spaghetti.

3. Top with fresh chives and parmesean cheese.

4.  Toss to combine and ENJOY!




Yesterday, I literally spent my ENTIRE day cooking.  I do not always cook delicious things. I made a pumpkin mousse that turned out quite horribly that it went into the trash.  I tried to make a battered ginger orange tofu that didn't turn out well.  I had to wash the tofu off, re-season it, and cook it again to make it edible (I wasn't about to throw away 2 pounds of tofu!!!). But I did have a few successes...such as this recipe.  My re-invented orange and ginger tofu turned out pretty tasty considering its origins.  And I made some blueberry, apricot, cranberry granola bars. 

If you're busy, like me, and you're lazy, like me, pick a day of the week and just do it all.  I cook everything for the week on one day over the weekend.  It makes it easy to get up in the mornings and pack lunches and to come home and just heat up something healthy.  Yes, I'm exhausted after that day of cooking, but it is SO WORTH IT the rest of the week when I literally don't have to do anything. 

NOTE: you'll use fewer dishes and have to clean less if you cut, chop, mince, slice, ALL of your raw fruits and veggies first and do your meats last.  A lot of times, you can re-use a lot of the same mixing bowls and whatnot.

Plan menus.  Grocery shop to your menu.  Plan things that use a lot of the same ingredients during the week.  Keep things seasonal.

An example menu would look like this...I'll use today's menu since some of the food is sitting in front of me.
Breakfast: breakfast banana split
Snack: blueberry, apricot, cranberry granola bar
Lunch: orange ginger tofu over quinoa
Snack: cantaloupe
Dinner: spaghetti squash with chicken, pear, and parmesean
Dessert: 2 healthy pumpkin cookies


Eating clean can be as easy as you make it.  Prepare everything ahead of time.  Keep to your menu.  Allow yourself some tasty treats.  Especially when you're starting to eat clean, don't berate yourself over a cheat here and there, just make sure you're eating clean no less than 85% of the time.

You've got this!!!

Until next time...

Chile Lime Pork Tacos...we have a winner!!!!

Ladies and Gentleman,

I do believe we have a winner in the delicious food making department.  I decided to try these on a whim and man oh man did they turn out delicious!!!  Definitely a repeat recipe!!!!

I got this recipe off of the clean eating magazine website.

Chile Lime Pork Tacos with Papaya Avocado Salsa

Ingredients
-10 1/2 oz pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch thick strips
-1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
-2 tsp chile powder (I used a chipotle chile powder to give it a smokey, semi spicy flavor)
-2 tsp olive oil
-3/4 tsp sea salt, divided
-1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
-Juice of 1 lime, divided
-4 tomatillos, papery husks removed and flesh rinsed and chopped
-1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
-2 C peeled, seeded and cubed papaya
-4 tortillas

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, toss pork, onion, chile powder, oil and 1/2 tsp salt.  Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium.  Add pork mixture and cook, turning occasionally, until pork is almost cooked through, about 7 minutes.

2. Add pepper and garlic and saute, stirring often until pork is cooked through and pepper is tender-crisp.  Stir in half of lime juice and saute for one more minute.

3. Meanwhile, prepare salsa: in a medium bowl, combine tomatillos, avocado, papaya, remaining half of lime juice and 1/4 tsp salt.

4. Spoon pork into tortillas, serve with salsa.


My doctoring
I used southwestern flour tortillas.  I was planning to use corn so it would be a little healthier, but these just looked too good to pass up!

I also used chipotle chile powder instead of regular chile powder.  Chipotle is actually a smoke-dried jalapeno, so it has a slightly spicy, smokey flavor that is just divine.


I also ate some of the salsa on some tortilla chips and OH MAN!  It's so good!!!  It can definitely be used for other things besides going on tacos.

Also...what in the world is a TOMATILLO?!?!?!?!

A tomatillo is known as the Husk Tomato or Mexican Husk Tomato.  It is a plant of the nightshade family, related to the cape gooseberry.  Fruit should be firm and bright green for best tasting tomatillos.

As soon as I bit into my taco, I knew this recipe would need  a repeat performance.  I'm not even sure I would do any other kind of doctoring to it.  It's absolutely delicious as is.  Easy to make, less than $15 for ALL the ingredients and it made 6 tacos.  Absolutely delicious.

Let me know what you think!!!!!!

Until next time...eat, drink, laugh, and be merry!

The Great Cake Disaster of September 2014.

I thought to myself "healthy chocolate cake?  Why, sign me up!!!".  I love sweets.  Jacob loves sweets.  I had this grand idea that if I could make a healthier version of a chocolate cake, we could totally eat it and not feel guilty.

Right?

Wrong.

I made the Crockpot Chocolate Cake recipe from The Clean Eating Cookbook & Diet.  I was so excited.  I made it and the batter was a little funky, but I thought "what do I know about cooking healthy cake?  I'm sure it'll be great!".  So I put the batter in the crockpot and went about my evening.  What came out of the crock pot looked like a cow patty and tasted like old cardboard.

Now, usually when I encounter a failed recipe, I figure out ways to "doctor" it, make it mine and make it edible.  Unfortunately, there is nothing I could think of for this recipe.  I think this is just a 100% scrap it recipe that cannot be salvaged.

Much to both of our disappointments, the entire cake went into the trash.  I can't recall a time I've ever thrown an entire dish into the trash, not even when I began cooking at around age 8.

I shall post the recipe.  If anyone attempts it, please let me know.  If anyone attempts it and is successful PLEASE let me know!!!!

Slow Cooker Chocolate Cake

Extra virgin olive oil for the slow-cooker insert
1/2 C whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 C almond flour
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 C unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 C almond butter
1/2 C honey
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1. Cut a piece of parchment paper (if using) to fit the bottom of your slow cooker and press it in.  Very lightly coat the parchment and sides of the slow cooker with oil.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, cocoa powder, and baking powder until well blended.

3. In a medium bowl, beat together the apple sauce, almond butter, honey, egg whites, and vanilla until combined.

4. Add applesauce mixture to the dry ingredients and stir together well.

5.  Spoon the batter into the slow cooker and turn it on low heat.  Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. To remove the cake, simply run a knife around the edges, and allow the cake to cool about 10 minutes in the insert.  Then, using oven mitts cover the insert with a plate and turn it over; the cake will pop right now.  Peel off the parchment paper.

7. Cut the cake into squares and serve warm.


Until next time.....

Baked Ratatouille

Ratatouille?  What in the world is that?!?!?!?


Ratatouille is a traditional French Provincal stewed vegetable dish originating around Nice, France.

Since I am not a big fan of stews, and I have seen the movie Ratatouille, I wanted to try my hand at BAKED Ratatouille.  First attempt: Delicious.  Second attempt: Even Better!!!

The greatest part is that you can completely tailor it to what vegetables you prefer.  Traditionally, it's eggplant, squash(es), bell peppers, tomatoes, and various herbs.  I am not a huge tomato fan and Jacob is not a huge bell pepper fan, so I chose to use eggplant, squash, and cucumber.  I wanted to use zucchini, but we picked up a lot of cucumbers at the Farmers' Market and no zucchini.  I would definitely recommend using fresh, seasonal vegetables.  Not only will it taste better, but it tends to be cheaper and better for you overall.

4oz tomato paste

Sliced vegetables

Pinch of thyme

Pinch of Herbs de Provence

Pinch of garlic powder

Pinch of salt

Pinch of black pepper

-Preheat the oven to 350*F.

-Spread tomato paste in the bottom of your casserole dish.

-Start layering your vegetables in whatever design you choose.  My eggplant was huge, so I actually put the eggplant slices down first and then alternated the squash and cucumbers on top of the eggplant for uniformity.

-Sprinkle with your herbs and spices.

-Cover with either foil or parchment paper and back until tomato paste has started to bubble into the veggies and the veggies are firm but translucent-usually about 30-40 minutes.

You can serve this over rice, quinoa, or couscous.  You can serve this dish as a side dish or a main dish.  I like to serve it as a main dish over quinoa or saffron rice.  It has been a huge hit in my household and the WHOLE house smells absolutely delicious while it's cooking!!!

I also like the customization you can do.  If you don't like a veggie, substitute a different vegetable or just take it out as I have done.  It's such a great, easy dish.

Healthy Cookies?!?!?! Why Yes Please!!

I have never really been a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies...until now.

I bought this "Clean Eating Diet & Cookbook" on Amazon and have been experimenting with recipes out of it.  It's been an adventure, to say the least.  I've now made these cookies twice with much improvement from first try to second try.  I'll post the actual recipe, then I'll post my improvements after!!!

Extra virgin olive oil for the baking sheets
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup almond flour or whole-wheat flour (I used almond flour)
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.

2. Lightly coat two baking sheets with olive oil.

3. In a small bowl, combine the oats and almond flour.

4. In a large bowl, combine the almond butter, maple syrup, canola oil, vanilla, and apple juice until very well blended.

5. Add the oat mixture to the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Stir in the raisins and the coconut.

6. Drop the batter by tablespoons on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart and flatten the cookies with the back of a wet spoon.

7. Bake the cookies until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.  Store in airtight container.


This recipe seems all well and good, except my first attempt yielded dry, nearly inedible cookies!  Much to my dismay (I love cookies!).

After a little internet research and drawing on 20 years of cooking/baking experience, I found a few improvements...

1. Add more apple juice.  The mixture shouldn't feel dry.  At all.  If you suspect it's at all dry, it'll be even more dry after baking.  I ended up adding probably 2-2 1/3 cups of apple juice total.

2. DO NOT let the oats sit in the mixture.  I made this mistake my first time because the oven was in use.  Bake them immediately, or do not add in the oats.  Oats will soak up any moisture in the batter if they're allowed to sit for any period of time.

3.  Add cinnamon.  I added cinnamon until I could slightly taste it in the batter.  It gives them a little extra depth, otherwise they're a little boring.

4. Make sure you flatten them!  I missed this step my first time making these!!  Wet the spoon and flatten them a bit.  If you don't, the middle will not be fully baked and will be dry as a bone.

5. DO NOT bake them for 30 minutes!  If you're cooking anything with oats, it's generally good practice to undercook it by several minutes.  This will help prevent the cookies from drying out.  I cooked this last batch for 20 minutes and they turned out marvelously.  They're not dried out and they're fully cooked.

This is definitely in my favorite recipes box.  I like taking 2-3 for a snack every day.  I will definitely be doctoring the recipe further and trying out different variations on a theme, but for now, I think I've found some pretty yummy and HEALTHY cookies!!!!  I also really like cooking with almond flour.  It's different for me and way more exciting than whole wheat flour.  It has different properties and a slightly nutty taste.  I highly recommend trying it!!!

Drink more water!

The first step in a healthier lifestyle is making sure you drink water.  I know a lot of people who can't stand drinking just plain water.  Personally, I love water and I'd be perfectly happy if water were my only beverage option.

I am not, however, everyone.  So my advice to you is, if you are one of those people who hate water, buy a water infuser.  I bought an infuser bottle and I am absolutely in love with it.  You can do absolutely anything with it.  It doesn't leak.  It's easy to clean.  It's easy to use.  And it encourages you to drink yummy, flavored water without adding sugars or preservatives.  Amazing, right?

Which bottle should you choose?  Well, that's really up to you.  What are your personal preferences?  I was looking for a bottle that was sturdy, didn't leak, had the infuser almost the whole length of the bottle, and was big enough to make it worth it.  There are many bottles on the market.  Some have small infuser baskets.  Some have drinking spouts (though I've read reviews that these ones tend to leak).  I am always on the go and I wanted to make sure the bottle I purchased would stand up to my lifestyle. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L1WQFKU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This was the bottle I chose.  It had excellent reviews on amazon, it's from a small company and it seemed to meet my requirements.  I've now been using it about 2 weeks and I love it.  It doesn't leak, it's super easy to clean.  It can hold enough fruit and enough water for my liking.  It's sturdy and it's easy to clean.

But what can I put in the infuser?

ANYTHING!  You can google search different infuser recipes, or you can just make them up depending on your favorite fruits!

So far, I've tried plain strawberry, raspberry (as pictured above), strawberry kiwi, strawberry mint (can you tell I like strawberries?), raspberry mint, strawberry raspberry, and pineapple.  All have been excellent.  When I added mint, I lightly bruised the mint leaves as I put them into the infuser so they would release more flavor.  It seriously tasted like a strawberry mojito.  Absolutely delicious.

So go out and drink water!  Your body is almost 60% water and it cannot actually store water, therefore it is very important to consume enough water for cell growth, organ function, and more.  Don't miss this extremely important step in health eating!!!

Until next time...

Introduction...

My name is Kara.

 I love to cook.

 Recently, I have been focusing on cooking clean, whole, healthy foods. I've always wanted to eat healthily, but the biggest problem I've had is snacks and full meals. Yes, I can make a healthy chicken, but with what do you pair that chicken? I have discovered the joys of healthy cooking and I have been experimenting with full meals and different recipes. It's been an adventure.

 Thank goodness my boyfriend and my friends love being my guinea pigs!!!

 My goals are to post healthy recipes, talk about my experiences with these recipes, share some pictures, have some fun. Cooking is fun. In the words of Gusteau "Anyone Can Cook!".

Stayed tuned for my Kitchen Adventures.  I can't wait to share them!