Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrows

Cilantro and lime come together for this perfect side dish that adds just the right amount of freshness to your Mexican inspired meal. I served it alongside this Key West Grilled Chicken and some steamed veggies. It was delicious!

Cook Time: 20-60 mins (depending on rice you use)

Prep Time: 10 mins

Servings: 4-8

Recipe from MarthaStewart.com 

Ingredients: 

1 cup uncooked Brown Rice, short grain

1-1/2 to 2 cups Water (according to rice directions)

Coarse Salt

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

2 TB Fresh Lime Juice, about 1-2 limes

1 Garlic Glove, minced

1 TB Olive Oil

Directions:

~ Cook rice according to package directions, adding the coarse salt, on the ingredients list, to the water.

~ Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients.

~ Once rice is completely cooked, remove from heat and add the cilantro-lime mixture.

~ Serve as a side dish, as part of a stir-fry, or inside burritos.

Enjoy!!

This is a fast, on-the-go breakfast that even the kids will enjoy! Oh, and did I mention it’s healthy too?! Yes, an on-the-go breakfast that is kid-friendly AND healthy! Woohoo!

Really you could eat this wrap for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I prefer breakfast.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Servings: 1-2

Calories: 323 for entire wrap

Ingredients:

1 Whole-Wheat Tortilla, *I used Flatout Wrap brand which is 90 calories per wrap

1 1/2 TB Peanut Butter, All Natural

1/2 TB Strawberry Preserves

1/2 Banana, sliced length-wise

2 Strawberries, each sliced into thirds

Directions:

~ Lay out the wrap and spread a thin layer of the peanut butter on it, leaving room for the preserves at the end. Spread on the preserves.

~ Place the banana on the wrap on one side and lay the strawberries slightly on top of the banana.

~ Roll the wrap up like a burrito. Cut in half.

Enjoy!!

Spring has sprung and strawberries are in full swing! This salad is so good that I got my husband to eat it and even request more! He’s a tough critic when it comes to raw veggies! I made this salad for our family’s Easter lunch. And I’ve made it many times before and since! This recipe came from my good friend, Hilary. She made this for me a couple years ago, and I’ve been in love ever since! The key is to get candied pecans and candied silvered almonds – that’s a must!

This is a fast salad to put together. Nothing to cook, just throw it all in a big bowl and ta-da!

Prep Time: 5 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1 (5 oz) container of Organic Mixed Baby Greens

1 1/2 cups Organic Strawberries, sliced into fourths or sixths (measure out the 1 1/2 cups before slicing)

1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup Candied Pecans and Silvered Almonds, *Naturally Fresh is my favorite! Find it near produce and salad toppers.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Poppy Seed Dressing

Directions:

~ Place ingredients in a large bowl in the order listed, leaving off the dressing. Toss gently. Serve dressing on the side.

Enjoy!!

Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Veggies

If you’re craving some buffalo chicken cheesy goodness, I’ve got you covered.  This is a delicious and healthy way to crush those cravings!  If you’re entertaining, try my Buffalo Chicken Dip, it’s absolutely amazing!  AMAZING!!  Enough about that, try this wrap!  You just throw your chicken in the oven, bake, and assemble the wraps – easy peasy!

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Psst…I ate two servings worth, so you might want to make extra!

Servings: 4

Calories: 210 per serving 

Prep Time: 15 mins

Bake Time: 20-25 mins

Ingredients: 

4 Whole Wheat Tortillas, Xtreme Wellness (71 calories each)

2 Skinless Chicken Breasts, All-Natural or Organic

1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, divided

2-4 Tablespoons Lite Ranch Dressing, *I like “Naturally Fresh” brand found in produce section

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

2 Green Onions, white and green parts, chopped

*Optional: Extra veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers.

Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Veggies

Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Directions: 

~ Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

~ Place chicken in a ceramic baking pan and top with hot sauce, enough to flavor the chicken.  Bake uncovered for 20-25 mins until completely cooked.  Let the chicken cool a bit, then shred the chicken with a fork.

~ Set out tortillas on plates and top evenly with the chicken and cheese.  Microwave each wrap, one or two at a time, for 1 minute to melt the cheese and warm the tortillas.

~ Meanwhile, mix ranch with two dashes of some more Frank’s Hot Sauce.  *Be careful, this can get really spicy, really fast. Build the heat by adding just a touch of hot sauce until you get the flavor you want.

~ Top wraps with ranch sauce, green onions, and extra veggies if you are using them. Roll the wraps like a burrito by tucking the sides in as you roll them up.  Slice in half.

Enjoy!!

This recipe made my list of all-time favorites that I’ve made!! I will definitely be making this again. I ate it as a burger with toasted bread and a side of my homemade Baked Sweet Potato Fries for dinner. The next morning I had a leftover bean burger with a fried egg and cheese on top, burger-style again, and it was nothing short of amazing!! Seriously, you have to try this!!

* I made the bean mixture the night before so that when I got home from work the next day all I had to do was cook them up! I also cut the sweet potatoes and put them into a sealed container in my fridge and just baked them the next day. Makes for an easy weeknight meal!

Prep Time: 10 mins

Chilling: 30 mins – 48 hours, if desired

Cook Time: 10 mins

Servings: 4

Calories: 145 per patty

Kidney Bean Burger Recipe adapted from Eating Well…Living Thin.

Ingredients:

1 can Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

2 TB Nutritional Yeast, find at health food stores like Whole Foods (or 1/4 cup pecans)

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

1 Garlic Clove, chopped

1 Egg White

2 TB flour (can use chickpea or oat flour)

2 TB chopped fresh parsley

1 TB Ketchup

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Yellow Curry Powder

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

~ In a food processor, pulse the beans until they’re all the same mashed-up consistency. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides when needed.

~ Transfer bean mixture to a plastic/glass container with a lid, and refrigerate for at least 30 mins

*You can stop here and refrigerate overnight if you want to make ahead of time for dinner the following evening.

~ Form four identical patties out of the bean mixture, set aside.

~ Heat up a large frying pan on medium to medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or cooking spray) in the pan. Place the four patties in the pan, and cook on each side until the edges start to get a little crispy. It should take about 5 or le

ss minutes on each side.

~ Serve burger style and enjoy!!

In our house, we too often let bananas go bad before we get a chance to eat them. I hate for them to go to waste, and they don’t! Those bananas you won’t eat because of their over-ripeness make for some perfect banana bread (you can find my Low-Fat Banana Bread recipe here). This time I wanted a little more flare and added peanut butter into the mix and then turned them into portion-controlled muffins! Best idea all week!! They’re delicious!  Plus, if you’re the muffins for breakfast type, they’re super-filling!

Servings: 16

Calories Per Muffin: 205

Ingredients:

3 Very Ripe Bananas

3 large Egg Whites

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup No Sugar Added Applesauce

2 tsp Vanilla

1 tbsp Water

2 cups of AP Flour, Whole Wheat or Unbleached

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 cup Peanut Butter, (I used Skippy All-Natural)

3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line (with paper baking cups) a regular sized 12 muffin cup pan.

- In a small bowl mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork until you get a smooth consistency. (It’s okay if there are small chunks in it.)

- In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs whites and brown sugar. Add in mashed bananas, vanilla, applesauce and water. Stir until well blended.

- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Slowly mix in the wet ingredients from the medium bowl until well blended.

- Microwave the peanut butter in a small glass dish for 30 seconds. Mix the peanut butter in with the batter thoroughly. Fold in the chocolate chips.

- Divide the batter into the 12 cups about 3/4 full. (Recipe makes 16 muffins so you will have batter leftover that you will have to bake once the other muffins are done.)

- Bake for about 25 mins until muffins are golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in a muffin.

Enjoy!!

Arugula, Chickpea & Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad sounds like a complicated dish, but trust me, this is so fast to make and incredibly delicious. Boiling the noodles takes the longest to prepare in this dish. If you like balsamic flavors in your salad, you’ll love this recipe!

Prep Time: 15 mins

Looking for a new movie snack? This is it. Chocolate. Drizzled. Popcorn. Need I say more? Okay, I will. I used Godiva Semisweet Dark Melting Chocolate (YUM!) and a 100 Calorie package of buttered popcorn.

If you’re in a movie night rut and want something chocolaty to snack on without packing on the mindless eating calories, then this is what you need! Also, it takes just 10 minutes to prepare! There’s so many good things about this salty, chocolaty snack!!

Prep Time: 10 mins

Servings: 2

Calories: 138 per serving

Ingredients:

3 TB of your favorite chocolate chips

1 Bag of 100-Calorie Popcorn

Directions: 

- Cook popcorn according to package directions. Carefully lay the popped popcorn out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.

- Melt the chocolate by heating in a microwave safe dish for 30 secs. Stir. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is melted completely. (about 1 min and 15 secs altogether)

- Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the popcorn with a spatula, spoon, or fork. Transfer to a serving dish.

Enjoy!!

These mini quiches are on-trend with all the mini foods going around in the blogosphere. What’s more, these little guys are low-carb, thanks to the wonton wrappers! How great is that?! You can basically fill them with whatever you want, just try not to overflow them. I used 1 egg for every two minis, and scrambled them with a little milk, then added cheese and bacon. Next time, I will probably try out some veggie variaties with goat cheese, spinach and tomatoes!

These would be cute for your next brunch with friends, or even for a kids-only brunch, as they are so small and cute like them. Try them out and tell me what additions you like in yours.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Calories: 105 per quiche

Servings: 2-3 Adults, or 6 Children 

Ingredients:

6 Wonton Wrappers (you can find these by the organic produce refrigerated section)

3 Raw Eggs, Organic

2 TB Skim Milk, Organic

2 1/2 slices American Cheese, 2% Milk

3 Slices of Bacon, All-Natural and Nitrate-Free

Salt and Pepper

Non-Stick Spray

Directions: 

- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon according to package directions.

- Spray 6 cups of a regular-sized muffin pan with non-stick spray and place a wonton wrapper into each cup.

- Divide the 2 1/2 slices of American Cheese into the 6 cups, so 1/4 slice of cheese per quiche. Top with half of the cooked bacon.

- Beat the eggs and milk together in separate bowl, then divide evenly between each quiche. Top with remaining bacon, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

- Bake for about 40 mins, until firm in the middle.

Enjoy!!

This sandwich is absolutely divine! One of my favorite sandwiches I’ve ever made. I wanted an avocado and grilled cheese sandwich at first, but it turned into this since I had the extras on hand. Man, am I glad I added the tomato and basil . You have to try it!! Not only does it taste phenomenal, but this sandwich is also a time-saving, and almost effortless, meal.

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 7 mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

2 slices Whole Wheat Bakery Bread

1/2 Avocado, sliced

2 Caprese Tomatoes, sliced

6 Basil Leaves

1 slice Gouda Cheese

1 slice (or 1/4 cup shredded) Mozzarella Cheese, low-fat

Sea Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

1 1/2 TB Butter

Oil Spray

* Optional: Thinly sliced Red Onions would probably be a good addition if you have it on hand.

Directions:

- Coat sauté pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Butter the outer sides of your bread with 3/4 TB of butter on each slice.

- Place one of the bread slices down on unheated pan, then layer on the ingredients in this order: mozzarella cheese, avocado, salt & pepper, tomatoes, salt & pepper (again), basil, gouda, and the other slice of bread (butter side up).

- Put the pan on preheated stove (medium/medium-low heat). Cook for a few minutes until outer slice is toasted to a golden crisp. Flip sandwich over. Cook again for a few minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

- Enjoy!!