Stovetop Lasagna

- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
- 3/4 Green Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #3)
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup oat bran
- 1/2 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
- 9-ounce box uncooked lasagna noodles, roughly broken into strips
- 1 jar (24-26ounces) marinara sauce
- 1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella

Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or earthenware pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook until they are slightly translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the turkey or beef, stirring to break it up, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the meat is no longer red.

In a medium bowl, combine the Green Puree and tomato paste until mixture turns brownish in color.

Add to skillet, and stir in the oat bran, basil, and oregano. Add broken noodles on top of meat mixture, then top with tomato sauce.

Fill empty tomato sauce jar three-quarters full of water (about 2 1/2 cups) and add to skillet. Stir to combine. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add cheese on top, do not stir again; cover for 3 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve hot. 

So I stole this from the Sneaky Chef blog.  I added a half-cup of low-fat ricotta to the mix and used less mozzarella on top.  Also replaced oat bran with wheat germ, since that was what I had, and made some slight substitutions on the green puree.  It's like a healthy hamburger helper!

Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken Tacos

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Pinterest that was pretty good...but this version I came up with was better!!  Just made it for the second time tonight and everyone loved it.  This amount fed 4 adults and 1 child, plus we have some leftovers.  So good!

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can petite diced chipotle tomatoes (or Rotel)
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 oz. onion and chive cream cheese
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker (I put them in frozen). Cover with onion, corn, and beans.  In a bowl, mix together undrained tomatoes, cream cheese, garlic powder, cumin, cayennne, and salt.  Add to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Shred chicken and mix all together.  Serve on tortillas or tortilla chips with guacamole and shredded Mexican blend cheese.

Enjoy!

Yogurt Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. Chobani Vanilla 0% Greek Yogurt
1 egg
3/4 c. milk

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix. Pour 1/4 cup portions onto the griddle.

This recipe was on the side of my greek yogurt and just had to try. Must be the healthiest pancakes ever. I used whole wheat flour and replaced a little of it with some oatmeal and flax. :) Blueberries would make them awesome! I realized that, depending on the brand, Greek yogurt has a LOT of protein, so it makes them even more filling.

Melt in Your Mouth Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons seasoning salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. Mix mayonnaise, cheese and seasonings.
2. Spread mixture over chicken breast and place in baking dish.
3. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.

Another great Pinterest find! And you know me... I substituted plain yogurt for the mayo...and had to make my own seasoning salt...still yummy!! ;)

Quicker-Than-Take-Out Chinese Orange Chicken

Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet (about 1/3 cup) Instant Healthy Grain Original Cream of Wheat unsweetened
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup baby food carrot puree
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
Place chicken chunks in a plastic zip-top bag. Pour Cream of Wheat into the plastic bag, seal, and shake to coat chicken chunks evenly. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, garlic powder, and baby food carrot puree.

Add oil to large skillet and heat over medium. Add chicken, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes each side, until lightly browned. Add sauce mixture to skillet, stir to coat chicken, and increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cover, cooking for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving, if desired. This dish goes well served over brown or whole grain white rice.


I swiped this recipe from the Sneaky Chef online. It's really good and I served it with brown rice, steamed broccoli, and steam-in-the-bag edamame. Not bad for Asian night at the Barclays! I would recommend adding a bit of pepper to the sauce, maybe some salt (since I used reduced-sodium soy sauce).

My Favorite Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:
2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
1 1/2c water
4 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp pure maple syrup (depending on how acidic your sauce is)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until well combined. Heat through and serve warm. Add additional water if you want a thinner sauce.
Makes about 3 cups sauce.

DELICIOUS! Found this on Pinterest. Makes a ton, so you can freeze the leftovers.

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup raisins
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full.
In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed

I definitely made some adjustments to this (using more whole wheat flour and wheat germ than I did white, less sugar, and using some carrot/sweet potato puree I had instead of grating carrots all day!) but they are even healthier and good!