Kale Chips!

Simple, healthy and tasty snack!

2 cups fresh kale

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP parmesan cheese

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350F

I used baby kale this time, but if you're using full leaves, rip into small pieces and remove stems before starting.

Put kale into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, cheese and pepper and "massage" for a few minutes until kale is coated.

Spread onto a baking sheet and cook for about 10-15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes and flipping.

Cool on a baking rack and enjoy!

*if you don't eat them all in one go, you might want to re-heat them - I find they don't stay "crispy" in a container all evening.



Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Veggies and Pasta!

Another healthy recipe! Keep the carbs to a minimum and load up on veggies!

 

½ cup cooked whole wheat pasta

¾ cup shrimp

2 cups of vegetables (I used green and yellow beans and baby carrots)

1 lemon

Herbs and spices you like (I used some dill, basil, and black pepper)

½ tsp minced garlic

1 tsp margarine

 

While preparing and cooking the shrimp and vegetables, cook pasta according to package directions.

 

I used frozen shrimp and let it thaw in the fridge for the day, then removed tails before cooking.

 

Heat margarine and garlic in a frying pan on medium heat, and add shrimp once margarine is melted.  Cook for

 

While shrimp is starting to cook, put veggies and about 1 cup of water in a small covered pot and bring to a boil for about 3 minutes until vegetables are tender.  

 

Lower heat on your shrimp, then drain the vegetables and add to the pan. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan (I probably used about 1 TBSP), then sprinkle with the herbs you’ve chosen to your liking.  Mix everything up, cook for a few more minutes until the pasta is done then serve!

 

I squeezed a bit of fresh lemon juice over the whole dish when I was done and sprinkled with some fresh ground pepper! 


PS Brent and I were on different schedules this night and he ended up making his own supper - just finding out exactly what and I'll post it too :)

"Turkey" Cheeseball

Ok I just have to share this cute little cheese ball my mother in law made for Thanksgiving lol her fabulous Cheeseball recipe with red and yellow peppers and pecans to decorate!! My niece took a little scoop out for herself before I could get a picture lol but you get the idea!

Baked Chicken with Asparagus and Rice

I'm doing a little 21 day challenge to get back to being healthy, fit and toned! So this chicken rub recipe is from Beachbody and my sides to follow  along with my meal plan.



Smoky Southwestern Seasoning
1 TBSP chilli powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (I only had normal paprika!)
1 tsp sea salt



Drizzle chicken breast with 1 tsp olive oil and then season with some of the rub above! Cover and bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until cooked through! I'm not a real sauce lover, so only cooking with rubs and spices is not bothering me in the least but I just put a little bit of BBQ sauce on Brent's veggie chicken breast for a little extra something for him!

I cut some asparagus into small pieces, tossed with 1 tsp garlic and sprinkle of oregano and pepper and put in a frying pan with about 1/4 water, cooking, covered for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

And we served with a small portion of brown rice - cooked according to directions!

Greek Shrimp and Orzo Salad

From Beachbody!

1 oz orzo pasta
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar (I only had white wine vinegar so used it)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp olive oil
2 TBSP green onions (I used less because we're both not huge green onion fans)
6 cherry tomatoes
1/3 cucumber
3 oz cooked shrimp
1 oz low fat feta cheese

The recipe calls for black olives but we both don't like them so omitted  :)

Cook orzo according to package, drain and set aside. Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, pepper, oregano and olive oil. Chop onion, halve tomatoes, dice cucumbers. Toss all ingredients together and serve!

I doubled this recipe to feed Brent too :) and used his veggie beef in place of shrimp!

Maple Glazed Salmon

I marinated a piece of salmon for myself for the afternoon with about 3 TBSP maple syrup, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp dill and pepper.  I baked it for about 20 minutes at 350F (covered) and then also pan fried a little at the end, because I like it a little “crispy” – probably more than any normal person would want their salmon but whatever.

 

Since there doesn’t seem to be a vegetarian equivalent to salmon yet that I know of, I just cooked Brent one of his vegetarian scaloppini. A brushed a little maple syrup on both sides of his, and sprinkled with pepper and dill weed, then added some sriracha sauce to the top and baked, uncovered for about 20 mins.

 

We had cauliflower in the fridge and I found this recipe on Kitchen Treaty – SOOOOO good!! A little messy/sticky when baking but tasted awesome – Maple Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower!  Even though we had similar flavors on our protein, everything was still super tasty and different.

 

http://www.kitchentreaty.com/maple-sriracha-roasted-cauliflower/

 

And topped it off with a little side salad of spinach, grapes, goat cheese and my balsamic vinaigrette I made the other day:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp pomegranate juice

1 tsp dried dill weed

1/2 tsp minced garlic

                      

 

Thai Pumpkin Soup

I have seen quite a few versions of this recipe in some of our cook books, but took my own little spin on it today with what I had in the house!  It was… spicy - but really good!

 

14 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

14 oz can light coconut milk

1 Thai Red Pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

¼ cup red onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 red potato, peeled and chopped

1 tsp hot curry powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

2 tsp brown sugar

Pinches of salt and pepper

 

Combine all in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 hours then use immersion blender to make smooth! I garnished with a little more cayenne pepper and a little Thai red pepper - I’ve seen a few recipes garnished with pumpkin seeds which would be nice too!