I've been searching studiously for healthy, easy, single-serving recipes lately and have discovered a few things, and I wanted to share them with you!
My favorite snack, especially for between ballet classes, has become a pint-sized mason jar of nuts and raisins. It's so easy, it's protein, and it makes sure I'm getting my good fats (did you know fat feeds your brain, and if you don't eat any GOOD fats that's very bad? so don't avoid oil - just certain oils. end rant.). Yes, it's high in calories: that's why I don't eat too much. Snacks, not meal replacements. And with a pint-sized jar I know that if I eat 1/4 of the jar I've had 1/2 a cup. And I love to keep it varied. I've currently got a mix of peanuts, raisins, a few hazelnuts (not recommended: very hard nuts, those), cashews, and chopped walnuts. I buy a bag of "Black and White" trail mix from Target to add a little sweetness. It's "yogurt"-covered raisins and peanuts. I say "yogurt" because that's what I thought it was until I read the ingredients and discovered that the only yogurt in that mix is yogurt powder - just two little words in a whole football field of others that are mostly variations of the words "sugar" and "preservative." But they're SO yummy and they make the whole thing SUPER fun! :)
Wow. I had a lot to say about peanuts and raisins.
I have been loving this "Double Delicious" cookbook I randomly found at Walmart for $4!! Everything is SO easy and SO delicious and SO healthy! I'm SO excited about it! Can you tell!! She uses purees in a lot of her foods, so the freezer currently has sweet potato, broccoli, and spinach purees in it. I used up all the carrot and cauliflower.
My most recent favorite of hers is "Hueros Rancheros." Now I am not one of those cooking blogs who include pictures and fun lettering and perfectly-photographed food. Heck, I don't even provide a recipe. But I'll tell you how to make it so you get the idea. You can ask if you really want the recipe. Or, if you don't like recipes anyway (I am not good at following the directions), you can just make it from this haphazard list:
I froze a can of black beans on a cookie sheet for an hour and the put them in a zipploc bag in the freezer. (That was my own idea, aren't you proud of me? No more wasting half a can of beans.) I put a bit of oil in a small pan and throw a handful of beans, corn, chopped onion, frozen cooked chicken breast (something I always keep on hand), and some cauliflower or carrot (or broccoli if you're out, like me) puree in the pan. Use a pastry brush to brush oil onto some corn tortillas. Whole wheat is what she used, but I'm trying to avoid grains. Corn is SO good anyway. Fry the tortillas. Half-way through the frying, push them to the side of the pan and scramble an egg or two. Throw some Pace salsa on the bean mixture. Toss the tortillas on a plate and let them cool, then tear them up. Throw the salsa mix on top, egg on that, bit of cheese and sour cream. YUM! Feel proud of yourself for eating so many vegetables and no grains! Yay!
On purees: I recently heard about "scoring" a puree. Just run a knife over the bagged puree in a criss-cross pattern and freeze flat. Makes it easier to break off. This sounds SO perfect.
I also love chicken canelloni from that book. Boil some lasagna noodles. Toss frozen chicken, cauliflower puree, parmesan, garlic, and salt together. Cool the noodles in cold water. Lay on a cutting board. Put a bit of the mix on and roll up. Put in a pan. Pour spagetti sauce (without soybean oil - Prego Traditional is the only tasty one I've found!) around it but not on top. Motz. cheese on top. 25" on 350 degrees. It'll look like it took hours. :)
I've come to a dead stand-still about yogurt. I read about "normal yogurt" (the flavored kind) and how bad it is for you, so I bought some Greek yogurt and it IS TERRIBLE. I would put a teaspoon in a two-cup smoothie and that was all I could handle. (I had the plain kind.) Basically all yogurt that's not plain has sugar as one of the first couple ingredients. But I wonder whether I really care. ugh.
I made Mixed Berry Cobbler the other day and it was so easy and SO good!
I am trying not to use the microwave. It kills the nutrients in your food. So I bought a toaster oven and I've been using my Mom's tiny saucepan and skillet a lot recently. But it makes some things hard, like defrosting. yep. And I always forget to think ahead and take it out the day before. Meal plans, guys. They are amazing. I am just learning how valuable they are! Which is why I feel so excited for this week. I found healthy meal ideas, made a very specific list, bought it after church today, and will think ahead for the next day's meal so things are defrosted on time. I'm learning how much planning ahead really saves stress later. It's worth it. So worth it to me.
I'm making a few meals I already have on hand (like the frozen Quinoa, corn, bean, and bag of veggies stir fry meal. did you know you can cook and freeze quinoa? Makes for the easiest meal ever and no grains). I'm also making a couple new meals that I'm really excited about, like kabob chicken with a peanut-soy sauce-lime sauce. So excited to try it! I didn't break my budget and most of the meals have little to no grains. I'm so proud of myself for keeping at this for so long! :) I've got beets, sweet potatoes, and corn on hand for sides (lucky me I actually like these) and I'm starting to try fish as well! I'm so far just on the per-seasoned variety, but I plan to branch out to buying in more bulk and seasoning myself, as well as trying different kinds of fish (just tilapia so far). I can't decide whether to try to cook shrimp or not - I've only had a bite and it's so rubbery. I'd probably wreck it and get grossed out.
I've had a lot of things NOT turn out, but little by little I'm building a list of easy single serving recipes I can make anytime. My goal is to eat flavorful, healthy food without breaking the bank or taking forever to prepare each meal.
What meals are you loving recently??
My favorite snack, especially for between ballet classes, has become a pint-sized mason jar of nuts and raisins. It's so easy, it's protein, and it makes sure I'm getting my good fats (did you know fat feeds your brain, and if you don't eat any GOOD fats that's very bad? so don't avoid oil - just certain oils. end rant.). Yes, it's high in calories: that's why I don't eat too much. Snacks, not meal replacements. And with a pint-sized jar I know that if I eat 1/4 of the jar I've had 1/2 a cup. And I love to keep it varied. I've currently got a mix of peanuts, raisins, a few hazelnuts (not recommended: very hard nuts, those), cashews, and chopped walnuts. I buy a bag of "Black and White" trail mix from Target to add a little sweetness. It's "yogurt"-covered raisins and peanuts. I say "yogurt" because that's what I thought it was until I read the ingredients and discovered that the only yogurt in that mix is yogurt powder - just two little words in a whole football field of others that are mostly variations of the words "sugar" and "preservative." But they're SO yummy and they make the whole thing SUPER fun! :)
Wow. I had a lot to say about peanuts and raisins.
I have been loving this "Double Delicious" cookbook I randomly found at Walmart for $4!! Everything is SO easy and SO delicious and SO healthy! I'm SO excited about it! Can you tell!! She uses purees in a lot of her foods, so the freezer currently has sweet potato, broccoli, and spinach purees in it. I used up all the carrot and cauliflower.
My most recent favorite of hers is "Hueros Rancheros." Now I am not one of those cooking blogs who include pictures and fun lettering and perfectly-photographed food. Heck, I don't even provide a recipe. But I'll tell you how to make it so you get the idea. You can ask if you really want the recipe. Or, if you don't like recipes anyway (I am not good at following the directions), you can just make it from this haphazard list:
I froze a can of black beans on a cookie sheet for an hour and the put them in a zipploc bag in the freezer. (That was my own idea, aren't you proud of me? No more wasting half a can of beans.) I put a bit of oil in a small pan and throw a handful of beans, corn, chopped onion, frozen cooked chicken breast (something I always keep on hand), and some cauliflower or carrot (or broccoli if you're out, like me) puree in the pan. Use a pastry brush to brush oil onto some corn tortillas. Whole wheat is what she used, but I'm trying to avoid grains. Corn is SO good anyway. Fry the tortillas. Half-way through the frying, push them to the side of the pan and scramble an egg or two. Throw some Pace salsa on the bean mixture. Toss the tortillas on a plate and let them cool, then tear them up. Throw the salsa mix on top, egg on that, bit of cheese and sour cream. YUM! Feel proud of yourself for eating so many vegetables and no grains! Yay!
On purees: I recently heard about "scoring" a puree. Just run a knife over the bagged puree in a criss-cross pattern and freeze flat. Makes it easier to break off. This sounds SO perfect.
I also love chicken canelloni from that book. Boil some lasagna noodles. Toss frozen chicken, cauliflower puree, parmesan, garlic, and salt together. Cool the noodles in cold water. Lay on a cutting board. Put a bit of the mix on and roll up. Put in a pan. Pour spagetti sauce (without soybean oil - Prego Traditional is the only tasty one I've found!) around it but not on top. Motz. cheese on top. 25" on 350 degrees. It'll look like it took hours. :)
I've come to a dead stand-still about yogurt. I read about "normal yogurt" (the flavored kind) and how bad it is for you, so I bought some Greek yogurt and it IS TERRIBLE. I would put a teaspoon in a two-cup smoothie and that was all I could handle. (I had the plain kind.) Basically all yogurt that's not plain has sugar as one of the first couple ingredients. But I wonder whether I really care. ugh.
I made Mixed Berry Cobbler the other day and it was so easy and SO good!
I am trying not to use the microwave. It kills the nutrients in your food. So I bought a toaster oven and I've been using my Mom's tiny saucepan and skillet a lot recently. But it makes some things hard, like defrosting. yep. And I always forget to think ahead and take it out the day before. Meal plans, guys. They are amazing. I am just learning how valuable they are! Which is why I feel so excited for this week. I found healthy meal ideas, made a very specific list, bought it after church today, and will think ahead for the next day's meal so things are defrosted on time. I'm learning how much planning ahead really saves stress later. It's worth it. So worth it to me.
I'm making a few meals I already have on hand (like the frozen Quinoa, corn, bean, and bag of veggies stir fry meal. did you know you can cook and freeze quinoa? Makes for the easiest meal ever and no grains). I'm also making a couple new meals that I'm really excited about, like kabob chicken with a peanut-soy sauce-lime sauce. So excited to try it! I didn't break my budget and most of the meals have little to no grains. I'm so proud of myself for keeping at this for so long! :) I've got beets, sweet potatoes, and corn on hand for sides (lucky me I actually like these) and I'm starting to try fish as well! I'm so far just on the per-seasoned variety, but I plan to branch out to buying in more bulk and seasoning myself, as well as trying different kinds of fish (just tilapia so far). I can't decide whether to try to cook shrimp or not - I've only had a bite and it's so rubbery. I'd probably wreck it and get grossed out.
I've had a lot of things NOT turn out, but little by little I'm building a list of easy single serving recipes I can make anytime. My goal is to eat flavorful, healthy food without breaking the bank or taking forever to prepare each meal.
What meals are you loving recently??