Crockpot Honey Almond Chicken

This was our first time trying it and the family talked about how much they liked it the whole meal. It is super easy too! I found this recipe here: http://healthyandyummymeals.blogspot.com/2012/01/honey-crock-pot-chicken.html  If you know me, you know I can never follow a recipe without changing a thing or two, I added Almonds, Water Chestnuts and Celery to give the Chicken more crunch. Here is my version to the recipe:

Super good for you, super tasty and super easy, this will be a repeat at our house for sure. It is packed with protein from the raw nuts, chicken and brown rice, it gets its sweetness from the honey...the only thing in it that is questionable as far as it being natural or nutritious is the ketchup, but I give it an A on the health-o-meter.

**Note: I had extra sauce in the crockpot, so if you added 1 or 2 more small chicken breasts to the pot, you would still have enough sauce. Though this fed my family of 4 as is and I had enough leftover to eat it for lunch the next day.  Also, my photo kind of sucks, sorry... I think my camera is on the fritz, it keeps making weird shadows half way through the shot! :(

Crockpot Broccoli Potato Soup

I know, I know...another soup- but we LOVE soup! Even my daughter who does not like potatoes LOVES this soup....

I like to change this up depending on what I have, this time I added broccoli -last time I made it I added chunks of ham leftovers that I had. It is a great potato soup recipe all by itself too. I got this recipe originally  from HERE and altered it to have less milk, less butter and less bacon with a few other adds. Any kind of potatoes work fine, just use more if the potatoes are small. This recipe gets a B on the Health-O-Meter because it does have a fair amount of cheese, plus the bacon, butter and milk even though I reduced it. It is a family favorite for sure though.


I also made THIS Honey Wheat Challah bread, I just put it all in the breadmaker, then braided it Challah style. It was extremely dense, I think it was way too much flour, next time I will try altering it to make it fluffier.


 I have also tried this recipe below:
Easy Bread Machine Challah:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 egg yoke with 1 tsp of water for the egg wash

Let rise in bread machine, then braid and rise again for 1-1.5 hours, do egg wash then bake

and it is VERY good, but it has a lot of butter in it and is an all white flour version, so I am on the hunt for a Healthier alternative. I think next time I will try using components of both recipes to try to create a healthy version that is still fluffy. Once I have perfected it I will post it for you.  I love Challah, it is so pretty and tasty,  the first time I made it, I taught myself how to do it by watching quick videos on youtube. It is actually really, really easy. Don't be afraid to try it! :)

Crockpot Tortellini & Spinach Soup

I have been a little behind in posting new healthy recipes, but I have been cooking them and taking pictures. So I have a few new ones to share from the last week or two. This recipe can be vegetarian or also tastes good with sausage, if I have extra bratwurst from a BBQ or something, I always slice it and freeze it and add it to soups or pasta dishes later on. This soup is good with or without the sausage addition and definitely healthier without it.  Click on the image to view close up, right click to save to your computer or print.

My hubby does not like the cabbage flavor in this soup, so that is optional too. I love cabbage, so go with what you like. I adapted this recipe from here:  http://www.food.com/recipe/tortellini-tomato-spinach-soup-35988   the recipe link is a much simpler version- less ingredients-so if you are in a hurry this recipe is good too. I just like it heartier, so I added this and that. If you leave out the sausage and Parmesan cheese, I think this is an A on the health-o-meter, the only thing that isn't totally good for you is the tortellini, but I think everything else makes up for it.  This soup is good with a roll or breadsticks, I was short on time so I just thawed frozen Rhodes Rolls to go with the soup, which is a great way to have hot fresh rolls in a pinch if you do not have time to make them yourself.

Also, a note on seasonings- I really hardly ever measure them out, I just sprinkle a generous amount across the pot or pan of what ever I am cooking as a general rule of thumb, so if I do not specify a measurement on spices, default to this same technique.  Happy Healthy Eating!

Low Cal/Low Fat Chicken Pot Pie

I was not going to list this recipe on here, but I guess it depends on what you consider healthy. In my opinion, I am more focused on nutritional value than I am on calories, fat, or carbs. I am more interested in cooking meals that have a good portion of fresh vegetables/fruit, a healthy source of protein and whole grains as well as limiting processed foods as much as possible.

So in my opinion, this meal does not quite make the Healthy dinner cut because it is lacking in these areas since it uses mostly frozen veggies (fresh is best), canned soup (processed food), sour cream (processed food), cheese(processed food), a pre-made pie crust (processed food) and white rice instead of brown (no longer a whole grain). BUT, if you are watching calories and fat...this recipe is not too shabby. At any rate, it is a delicious home cooked meal that does not have a lot of prep....and my kids have been begging me to make it.

So, how to make this recipe more healthy as far as it's nutritional value? Maybe make a whole wheat pie crust from scratch, sub out white rice for brown and find an alternative to canned cream of "X" soup that you can make yourself and cut out sour cream and cheese.....I have not found a version like this that also tasted good! Haha, but if I do I will share, until then we will have to settle for low calories/low fat and if you divide this pie into 6 servings, it is about 300 calories per slice including a 1/4c serving of rice.  As for the health-o-meter, this meal gets a B- by my standards.

Healthier Homemade Pizza

Ok... Pizza is does not have a reputation for being healthy, BUT their are healthier ways to eat it and my kids enjoy making it. I use my wheat breadstick dough for my pizza dough: 

Directions for easy pizza dough using a breadmaker dough setting:

Ingredients

· 1 cup warm water

· 1 tsp. sugar

· 1 (1/4-oz). packet active dry yeast

· 3 tbsp. olive oil,

· 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

· 1 cup whole wheat flour

· 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Place 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water. Let the yeast float there for 1 minute, then stir it into the water. Let the yeast sit and "proof" for 10 minutes. It should bubble a bit; if it doesn't, the yeast is outdated and inactive.

2. While you wait for the yeast to activate, put flours, olive oil, and salt into a bread maker, Add yeast/water mixture when ready, select the dough or pizza dough setting on the machine. Let the machine do the stirring and rising for you. My dough setting is 50 minutes, I leave it in the breadmaker for another hour to keep rising, just leave the lid closed, it will do the rest.

3. Then preheat oven to 450, use a pizza stone if you have one or else a regular cookie sheet will do also. When dough has finished rising, shape into a long fat log, sprinkle flour and smooth onto the exterior  of dough so that it does not stick to your surface. Cut into 1 in slices (for personal pizza size- this makes 5-6 personal pizzas), sprinkle your surface with some corn meal then using a rolling pin, roll out into circular shape or get creative and make other shapes, I have found the thinner pizzas work best, so roll out thin. Now you are ready for your toppings, see below. When your pizza is ready, bake for 7-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the crust and pan you use. 

Healthier topping alternatives:

Veggie pizza:  Add a generous amount of pizza sauce (make your own or they sell pizza sauce jars at Walmart) Add Italian cheeses, less is more. Chop up what ever veggies you love! I do onions, red/green/yellow bell peppers, sliced olives and mushrooms and add to dough, lightly sprinkle a little more cheese and bake. 

Tomato Pesto: (My Favorite!) Spread pesto paste and minced garlic (instead of pizza sauce) on the dough , then add sliced roma tomatos or cherry tomatoes and pine nuts (and basil or spinach leafs if you have them)... sprinkle lightly with Italian cheeses and bake. 

Miso soup with shrimp and tofu

Here is another quick recipe that was requested in advance, I will add a picture and put it onto a "print out ready" recipe card when I make it again in the upcoming weeks. 

Miso soup with shrimp and tofu

• 2 teaspoons dashi granules... http://www.lafujimama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Dashi-Granules.jpg  I (found it at albertsons in the asian isle)
• 4-5 cups water
• 3 tablespoons miso paste- white or yellow like this  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sy5oWjxKCKg/Te56e6OO3tI/AAAAAAAAAa8/g7Ct1rRGD_E/s1600/miso+paste.jpg 
•  (or use the instant miso soup packets- http://teasphere.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/kikomantofumiso.jpg?w=450 )
• 1 (8 ounce) package firm silken tofu, cut into cubes
• 2-3 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen salad shrimp, rinsed and thawed
• garlic seasoning
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained, sliced in half
• Sliced mushrooms
• 
  

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine dashi granules, garlic and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and whisk in the miso paste or miso packet. Stir in tofu and shrimp. Separate the layers of the green onions, and add them to the soup, along with sliced mushrooms and water chestnuts. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.  (you could add rice noodles too to make it heartier. )

The shrimp, mushrooms and water chestnuts are not normally found in the typical miso soup, this is sort of a miso/wanton soup hybrid, minus the wantons. I added these to make this more into a meal than just an appetizer. The Miso paste/instant packets and dashi makes this meal a little higher on the sodium than what I typically cook, that is about the only negative thing I can say about this recipe, so it gets an A- on the health-o-meter. Serve this with a small Asian salad and you have a nice cozy meal!

Shrimp and Black Bean Quinoa

Here is another quick recipe that was requested in advance, I will add a picture and put it onto a "print out ready" recipe card once I make it again in the upcoming weeks. Kudos to my sister Tiffani Higbee for making this one up, I think I added a few changes from her original recipe, though I am sure she won't mind :) 

Shrimp and Black Bean Quinoa

1 to 1.5 cups Quinoa (measured raw, cooked according to pkg directions) 

1/2 onion, chopped

1 stock chopped celery (slice in half long ways, then chop for smaller pieces)

1 package of thawed salad size shrimp or 1-2 cups frozen salad shrimp, rinsed and thawed

Jerk Seasoning, Garlic powder

1/2 to 1 can blk beans, drained & rinsed

1/2c-1c shelled soy beans, thawed

1 can pineapple tidbits, with juices

1/4c sliced raw almonds

Sweet and Sour sauce- just buy a jar of it pre-made from the store

Cook Quinoa, meanwhile then saute onion and celery in minced garlic and coconut oil until translucent, add shrimp (season with garlic and Jerk) then add soy beans, blk beans, pineapple, almonds and sweet and sour sauce (a little sauce goes a long way so add a small blurp, stir and see if you need more, heat through- stir in quinoa and serve. 

 This one is a goody, it does have the store bought/pre-made full of sugar sweet and sour sauce though, but I'd say it gets an A- on the health-o-meter since it uses minimal sauce. It is packed full of healthy protein: shrimp, black beans, soy beans, raw almonds and quinoa (which is also a whole grain) as well as fresh veggies and that is some good nutrition!