Shepherd's Pie

This meal has proven to be another favorite at our house. It really was yummy and made great leftovers as well. It was easy to prepare.

Serves 6
Hands on time 25 minutes
Total time 1 hour

Shepherd's pie

1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (I left the skin on)
1 clove garlic, whole, plus 1 tsp garlic, minced, divided
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp chives, chopped
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb lean ground Turkey breast
1 yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into half moons (about 1 cup)
1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/3 cup)
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen peas

One: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Two: Bring potatoes and whole garlic clove to a boil in a pot of water set over high heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, then drain well. Mash potatoes and garlic with a potato masher, ricer or food mill until smooth. Add buttermilk and chives and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Three: Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring often and breaking meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains, about 8 minutes. Drain and discard fat; set turkey aside.

Four: Heat 2 tsp oil in skillet over same heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add reserved turkey, broth and tomato paste and continue to cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish and cover with mashed potatoes in a even layer. Run a fork over top of potatoes in a crosshatch patter or swirl with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Brush top with remaining 1 tsp oil and bake in over until filling is bubbling and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Found this in Clean Eating magazine January/February 2010 issue pg 37

Turkey loaf

I made a turkey loaf last night that took a lot longer to prepare than I thought it would and it needed to cook a lot longer then I thought it would. Needless to say it didn't turn out great and I ended up feeding my kids something else because it was taking FOREVER to cook. I didn't take pictures and I'm not going to add the recipe just yet. I'm going to take another shot at it another day. I'll see if it goes better the second time and if it does then I will post the recipe and pictures then. It looks so yummy and I was able to give it a little taste last night before running out the door and it tasted yummy, but like I said I'd rather give it another try before the true post.

Yummy potatoes and spinach

I just ate the yummiest lunch. I'm not able to post the recipe, but I'll add the link of where you can find it. If you follow the recipe it makes just enough for 2 to 4 people (I also used smaller potatoes) unless you add a side dish. I'm going to have to try it out on my family and see what they think.

Enjoy!!!

http://vegandad.blogspot.com/2009/04/indian-style-potatoes-and-spinach.html

Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Mini Quiches

These little things are SO yummy. I love to have them in my fridge as a snack. I have also been making them on Sunday mornings to make a tasty breakfast. Everyone in the household looks forward to these.

Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Mini Quiches

Olive oil cooking spray

1 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped

2/3 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

1 cup low-fat Greek-style yogurt

2 Tbsp low-fat milk

1 whole egg

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp sea salt

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

One- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10 cups of a muffin tray lightly with cooking spray.

Two- Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add broccoli and saute for 5 minutes. Distribute broccoli evenly among prepared muffin cups; then distribute 1/2 of the cheese evenly on top.

Three- In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, egg and seasonings, then distribute evenly over top of broccoli and cheese. Top with remaining cheese and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until quiches are set and lightly browned around the edges. Cool 5 minutes and serve or cool and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

These low-fat quiches come with an impressive amount of protein for a meat-free snack. Use them as snacks throughout the day to keep cravings at bay, or pair a couple of quiches with some fresh fruit and slice of multi grain bread or a bowl of oatmeal for a balanced start to your day.

Found these in Clean Eating magazine March/April 2009 pg 59

Feeling icky!

I have been eating clean now for almost 3 weeks and I have to say that I have felt SO good and had SO much energy.

Tonight while I was waiting in the car for one of my children I realized I felt very hungry. Of course I had forgotten to pack a snack just in case this happened. Well unfortunately for me there is a bakery that is right next door. I thought "Oh, I'll go in there and see what they have." I found a wonderful loaf of whole wheat bread that had only 5 ingredients in it and it is made locally. Both of those things are great qualities in a food. I also found a yummy donut. I was so hungry that I decided to buy one knowing that it had a chance of making me feel not so good. I bought my bread and my donut and went to the car to wait. I ate the donut.... I haven't felt this sick in a long time. I have never had a donut make me feel the way that I feel right now. My stomach hurts and I feel so drained and totally icky. I think it is a good thing that I feel this way! It makes me realize how good I feel when I feed my body good foods and how bad I can feel when I don't. I'm sure it will be a very long time before I eat another donut.

Healthy Squash and Chicken Casserole

Well, this one I need to work on a bit. It was good, but also really dry. I think I added WAY to much bread. I'll try it again soon and let you know how it turns out. My kids really like the squash and the bread so they ate it up.

Healthy Squash and Chicken Casserole

Serves 8

Hands on time 30 minutes

Total time 45 minutes.

10 slices whole-wheat bread

olive oil cooking spray

1 med. yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 med. yellow squash, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness and cubed

1 cup pre-shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

2 tsp Italian seasoning

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

One: Cut bread into cubes, then spread out into a cookie sheet and let air-dry overnight. (if you do not wish to dry the bread, toast it instead in an oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees)

Two: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Three: Heat large nonstick or cast iron skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low, mist with cooking spray and add onions. Saute for about 8 minutes or until caramelized. Add squash and garlic. Mist with more cooking spray, if needed, and saute until cooed, about 5 more minutes. Removed vegetables from pan. Mist pan with cooking spray again and cook chicken until golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes total.

Four: In a large bowl, mix together cooked vegetables, chicken and bread cubes. mix in mozzarella, seasoning, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a 8-cup casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is lightly browned on top.

Nutritional bonus; rich in beta-carotene, squash can help keep cholesterol from oxidizing and thus building up in your blood vessels.

This meal is not only good for you, but it is also good for your wallet. This is a low coat meal to make.

Found this one in Clean Eating Magazine January/February 2010 pg 68 Here is a link to their website http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

Vitamin booster smoothie

This smoothie is REALLY yummy. The alfalfa sprouts stand out the very most to me in flavor, but I like them so, therefore it is good. What's so nice about this smoothie is my kids like it as well. I find that you can hide things in smoothies that your kids won't eat, but are good for them and they end up loving the smoothie.

Vitamin booster smoothie

1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts

1/4 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen mixed berries

1/4 cup frozen mango (I didn't add the mango because I didn't have any and it was still yummy)

1 tsp flax oil (I was out of oil so I just ground up some flaxseeds and added them)

1 scoop Whey protein powder, vanilla or unflavored

1 Tbsp agave nectar or organic honey

1 cup cold water

Puree all ingredients.

Found this in The Eat-Clean Diet cookbook by Tosca Reno pg 37

Low-Carb Spaghetti Squash

The meal is YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY! My family LOVES this meal. It is so good that we try to have it at least once a week. It's not only good for you, but I found that it's also a lower cost meal.
Low-Carb Spaghetti Squash with spinach, garlic and pine nuts
Serves 2 (the squash fed my whole family, but I needed to have more spinach)

Olive oil cooking spray
1/2 3-lb spaghetti squash, seeds scooped out (I cooked the whole squash)
1 Tbsp olive oil divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided
pinch crushed red pepper (optional)
1 10oz bag spinach
1 1/2 tsp pine nuts, toasted, for garnish (I don't toast mine)

One- Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Two- Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place squash, flesh down, on sheet and bake until easily pierced with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes.

Three- When squash is about 10 minutes from being done, warm 1/2T oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, 1/8t salt and red pepper, if desired. Add spinach, handfuls at a time, stirring until it's all in the skillet and wilted. Cover to keep warm.

Four- When squash is done, use a fork to separate strands into a medium bowl. Add remaining oil and salt, and toss gently.

Five- Transfer "spaghetti" to plates or a platter, top with spinach mixture, garnish with pine nuts and serve.

recipe comes from Clean Eating magazine March/April 2009 pg 63

Not sure what to call it.

I've seen the Dr. Oz show a few times and I've heard about his "green drink" I was wondering what was in it. I found a recipe online (of course I can't find the website now) that is somewhat like his (no juicer needed). I whipped it up and it wasn't the best smoothie, but it wasn't the worst either. I have made a few time and I think it gets better with each time. I suggest playing with it and making it to suit your pallet. I also cut the recipe in half so there wasn't so much. When I had it as a snack it made me fill full for a long time, more time then I thought it would.

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
1 Cup Spinach
4 Celery Stalks
1 Cucumber
1 Large Apple (cored and peeled)
1 Lemon (juiced in a citrus juicer or by hand)
1 Lime (juiced in a citrus juicer or by hand)
1/2 Inch Piece of fresh Ginger (peeled)
(small handful of parsley)
water, to blend
ice cubes (optional)

Directions:
Mix everything in a blender and blend until smooth. If needed blend on high 2-3 times until fully blended. Pour into two tall glasses and serve with ice cubes if desired.

Carolina Vegetable Soup

Carolina Vegetable soup
Serves 6
Total time 1 hour (for me it took me a bit longer)

3 Tbsp Vegetable oil
2 cup chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup fresh, frozen, ro canned Lima beans
3/4 cups frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme (1/4 dried)
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
4 cup water
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce to taste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (optional)
chopped scallions

In a large soup pot, warm the oil on medium heat and saute the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, and celery and saute for 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, Lima beans, corn, tomatoes, thyme, and barbeque sauce. Stir for a minute and then add the water, salt, and black pepper.

Cover and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. About 5 minutes before serving, add the parsley, Tabasco sauce, and , if you wish, the basil.

Serve topped with chopped scallions

per 12-ounce serving: 189 calories, 4.5 G protein, 8, G fat, 27.5 G carbohydrates, 2 G saturated fatty acids. 0 MG cholesterol, 516.5 MG sodium, 5G total dietary fiber

This recipe and calorie information came from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics pg 71

My family (which I have two young children) really enjoyed this soup, especially my husband. If you decide to give it a try please tell me what you think.

starting something new

I’m starting this blog because I thought it might be fun to tell about the changes that we have decided to make in our house hold. Over the past 3 years I have tried to live a healthier life style. It has definitely had its ups and downs. Over the past few weeks I have become excited about “clean-eating” This means trying to avoid

• Over processed, refined foods.
• Chemicals and preservatives
• White flour
• White sugar
• Artificial sugars
• Saturated and trans fats.
• Calorie-dense foods with little or no nutritional food value.

So far the whole family has really enjoyed the foods that have been made. I personally feel the difference. I’m happier and I have more energy. I think the best part is I have really noticed a difference in my oldest child. He is a very high energy kid that would throw tantrums occasionally like many kids do, but we have noticed a reduction in those and he seems more grown up. We have yet to determine if it’s the food change or if he is simply going through a phase. Only time will tell.
So here’s to the beginning of something I’m hoping will be great.