Veggie-Stuffed Shells with Homemade Meat Sauce

This tomato sauce is similar to my standard recipe, but I made a few changes so I figured I would type it out again.  This sauce recipe does make a large quantity.  I made this is my 5 quart dutch oven.  It was full before I added the meat.  So I had to remove some tomato sauce (about 2 cups) , which I just put in the freezer for another day.  After adding the meat, the pot was full again.  So I will definitely be freezing some of the meat sauce as well (about 2 cups).  I do love having sauces in the freezer for a rainy day (or most likely a stayed-late-at-work day).

Tomato sauce can be really easy to make, but it can also be high maintenance.  You want to make sure the sauce isn't boiling tos much, so you might have to stir every one once in a while.  But its really easy and much less maintenance to put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and turn it on before you head to work in the morning.

The stuffing for the shells is pretty healthy, especially for a cheese mixture.  I use part-skim ricotta instead of full-fat.  I add a little pecorino-romano for added flavor.  If you don't like pecorino, you could add parmesan.  The added veggies help boost the fiber content, and work as a low-calorie filler.  Without the veggies in the mix, you would end up with more ricotta cheese in each shell and therefore more calories per shell.  The filling made enough to stuff 26 jumbo shells.

What you'll need:
Sauce:
- 2 can (28oz each) crushed tomato
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 oz semi dry white wine
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 4 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb lean ground beef

Stuffed Shells:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped zucchini
- 1/4 cup chopped spinach
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 cup shredded pecorino-romano cheese
- 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta
- 1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350.F.

1.  For the sauce: use a slow cooker.  OR Saute onions and garlic in olive oil for  4 minutes; add wine and simmer 3 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 30 minutes to an hour.

2.  For the shells: cook shells 3 minutes less than suggestion on the box.  Drain but do NOT rinse.  Saute onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat 4 minutes.  Let cool.  Mix together cooked veggies with the rest of the ingredients.  Stuff par-cooked shells.

3.  Cover the bottom of a large rectangle or square baking dish with meat sauce.  Lay stuffed shells tightly together in rows.  Cover shells with 1 1/2 - 2 cups meat sauce.  Bake at 350*F 25 - 30 minutes.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Warm Goat Cheese Steak Salad

I love using steak in salads.  It is really easy to use leftover chopped steak for a lunch salad.  I just pack the steak and goat cheese in one container, the veggies in another, and i put oil and vinegar in a small dressing container. Steak goes well with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, so this meal is quite yummy!  You can use sun-dried tomatoes canned in olive oil, or dried ones in a bag.  I used dry tomatoes, then soaked them in olive oil, garlic, and basil.

What you'll need:
- 2 petite sirloin steaks, grilled
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil, divided
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp garlic, divided
- 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 4 oz soft goat cheese
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup sliced white button mushroom (raw)
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch freshly ground pepper to taste

What to do:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tbsp fresh basil, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp minced garlic.  Let marinate 15 - 30 minutes.

2.  In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese, 1 tbsp fresh basil, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper.  Using your hands mold goat cheese mixture into 4 small discs.

3.  Pour bread crumbs in a shallow bowl.  Coat goat cheese discs with bread crumbs. Lay on parchment paper-cover baking sheet.  Set oven to a LOW broil and cook 3 to 4 minutes each side.  Breadcrumbs should start to brown, but cheese should not lose shape.

4.  Toss lettuce and spinach with onion, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes (with oil), and balsamic vinegar.  Top with goat cheese and freshly ground pepper.  Recipes makes 2 entree salads.


ina's vinaigrette:
2 tbsp champagne vinegar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt
pepper
sugar
raw egg yolk or mustard or mayo
1 cup olive oil- added to food processor slowly

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling.  It is usually made with mashed potato, flour, and some egg.  There are many different way to make gnocchi.  One healthier version is to use butternut squash.  Butternut squash has a lot more vitamins and minerals, and a lower glycemic load (has a better effect on blood sugars compared to potatoes).

Gnocchi is pretty easy to make.  Homemade gnocchi is so much better than store bought because it is so light and fluffy!  First cook the butternut squash.  You can roast it in the oven at 375*F for 25 minutes, until squash is soft all the way through.  Once cooled, add this to a food processor to puree it.  Add in the rest of the liquid ingredients.  Then mix this with the flour in a bowl.  You roll out the dough into rope, and cut 1 inch pieces of rope.


What you'll need:
Butternut Squash Gnocchi
1 cup plus 2 tbsp butternut squash puree puree
1 tsp water
2 tsp egg mixture, divided
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt

8oz baby bella
4oz white button
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
leaves from one sprig of Thyme
1/2 small garlic clove, minced

What to do:
 In a food processor, blend butternut squash puree, 1 tsp egg mixture, 1 tsp water.

 In a bowl, combine, squash mixture, 1 tsp egg, both flours, and salt. Mix with an electric mixture until combined. Mixture should be smooth, but not too wet.

With mixture, roll out on a floured surface to form a rope.  

Cut 1-inch long pieces of rope.  Press each gnocchi with flat side of

 surface to create lines.

 In a large pot, bring water to boil.  Add a batch of 10-15 gnocchi at a time.  When gnocchi floats, wait 1 minute, then remove from eat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms.  Cook 6 minutes.  Add parsley, thyme, and garlic.  cook 2 minutes.  Add gnocchi to mushrooms.  Cook 1-2 minutes.  Recipes makes 3 servings.


To add in more protein- add pieces of cooked chicken

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Pancakes

Some mornings I cannot figure out what to eat.  If I grab something like yogurt or an apple, I am always (and reasonably) hungry about an hour later.  So I wanted to make something that I can grab on my way out the door and it will keep me full, for at least the next 3 hours.  These pancakes are sweetened mostly with bananas.  There is minimal added sugar per pancake.  The combination of white and whole wheat flour adds a little fiber and protein without changing the texture too much.  The peanut butter help increase the protein and healthy fats.  Depending on how large you make the pancakes, 2 or 3 might be a good meal size.

These would be great for Easter brunch, served with fresh fruit.

What you'll need:
- 2 bananas (ripe)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup nonfat milk, plus 2 tbsp
- 1/8 tsp fine salt
- dark chocolate morsels

What to do:
1.  Mash bananas.  Mix in peanut butter, sugar, and egg, until mixture is smooth.  Add in both flours, vanilla, milk, and salt.

2.  Heat a flat pan over medium heat, or use a griddle.

3.  Make pancakes using ~ 1/4 cup mixture.  When the tops of the pancakes start to bubble, add 3 or 4 chocolate morsels per pancake.  Wait until the bottoms are golden brown to flip.

Healthy Vegetarian Fried Rice

This dish has quite a few colors in it: orange, red, light green, dark green.  Different colored vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals.  So this dish is packed with healthy essential vitamins and minerals.  Because of the the veggies, it also has a lot of fiber.  Combine that with the protein from the eggs, egg whites, and soy beans, to make a really filling (yes still low-calorie) meal!

If you don't love brown rice, try doing 50% white rice and 50% brown rice.  Using leftover rice work perfectly fine for this recipe.  Just make sure to add the water in Step 3, and cover with a lid for 2 minutes.

This dish is not spicy, just has a mild kick.  For more spice, add a little more chili-garlic sauce, or add in a teaspoon of hot sauce.

What you'll need:
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
- 1/4 cup chopped carrot
- 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 a zucchini, cut into 1" long strips
- 2/3 cup edamame, shelled (soy beans)
- 1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Mirin (sweetened sake)


What to do:
1.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrot, and bell pepper.  Cook 6 minutes.  Add zucchini and cook 4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add edamame (soy beans) and chili-garlic sauce and cook 1 minutes.

2.  In a small skillet, scramble the 2 egg and 2 egg whites.  Add cooked egg to the cooked vegetables.

3.  Add cooked rice, mirin, and soy sauce to cooked vegetables and stir.  (If using leftover rice, add 2 tbsp water, then cover for 2 minutes.)  Turn up the heat to medium and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Baked Hoisin Pork with Asian Slaw

I made hoisin pork sandwiches many many years ago.  Ever since, I have wanted to try another kind of hoisin recipe.  Here, I used hoisin sauce on the pork and in the slaw.  I try not to use too much because it does contain a good amount of added sugar.  You can make your own hoisin sauce at home, but since I had never done that I did not want to wing it this night.

This recipe is pretty easy.  After you're done chopping, there isn't much more to do but wait.

What you'll need:
Pork:
- 2 pork tenderloin, fat trimmed
- 1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1/8 tsp ground pepper

Asian Slaw:
- 1/4 head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot
- 1 package ramen noodles, raw, crushed
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 1/2 tsp garlic-chili sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce

What to do:
1.  Peel carrot.  Using the peeler, peel shavings off of as much of the carrot as possible.  Add to chopped cabbage and bell pepper.  Mix with ramen noodles, and the rest of the ingredients.  Stir to coat.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2.  Preheat oven to 350*F.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Place tenderloins on baking sheet.  Sprinkle with pepper. Top with 1/4 tbsp hoisin sauce on each.  Bake 15 minutes, then flip the tenderloins.  Coat tops with the remaining hoisin sauce.  Continue baking for 12 minutes, or until temperature reaches 160*F.  Let rest for 3-5 minutes after removing from the oven.  Recipe makes 2 servings.

Crab and Mushroom Pizza with Truffle Oil

To anything that has truffle oil as an ingredient, I say 'YUM!'  It has such an amazing fragrance and taste.  It is a strong taste, so you don't need to use much.  That's good, since its more expensive than other oils.  The combination of mushrooms, crab, pecorino cheese, and truffle oil is to die for.

This recipe is moderate on the healthy scale.  There isn't much cheese, but it does have some half and half.  It does contain some fiber from the mushrooms, onions, and arugula, and protein from the crab. So it is pretty filling, which helps to save some calories.

This recipe uses a dough recipe from The Italian Baker, which is a fabulous cookbook.    I made 1 1/2 times the recipe (written below) because I was making 3 medium pizzas.  For one large pizza or two small/medium, make half the recipe written below.  If you don't want to make dough, you can always buy store-made.

Crab Mushroom Mixture:
1/2 cup chopped baby Bella mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped Shitake mushrooms
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
1 cup shredded crab meat
1/4 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup half & half
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shredded Pecorino-Romano cheese
1 tsp truffle oil
1/2 cup chopped arugula

Dough:
5 2/3 cup
2 1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
To make the dough using a mixer:
In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt.  In the mixer bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar.  Stir, then let rest for 5 minutes.  Stir in oil using a paddle attachment.

Gradually add in flour (still using paddle attachment).  After adding most of the flour, switch attachment to the hook. Add the rest of the flour.  Continue to mix until all flour is incorporated, then mix another 3 minutes.  Finish kneading dough on lightly floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap in a bowl.  Let rise at room temp for 1 hour.

Cook mushrooms over medium high heat in a large pan. Cook 6 minutes.  Add onion and cook 3 minutes.  Add crab and butter, stir.  Add flour and stir 2 minutes until flour is cooked.  Add half and half, truffle oil, and 2 tbsp cheese,  and stir until mixture has thickened, about 1 - 2 minutes.  Turn off heat and set aside.

Roll out in a circle about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. Spread the crab mixture over the dough, leaving a half inch border.  Lightly coat the edge (crust) with olive oil.  Bake on parchment paper or on a cornmeal-covered surface.  Bake at 400* for about 12 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.  Top with chopped arugula and remaining cheese.

Parsley Pesto

I buy a bunch of fresh parsley for one or two recipes, and then am left with a large amount of parsley that I don't know what to do with.  Pesto is a great use for the excess parsley.  The key is to use good olive oil.  I used mostly pecorino-romano cheese instead of all parmesan, which made this extra yummy.

Pesto is lower in saturated fat than cheese, mayo, and butter, so it can be used as a healthy alternative to spread on rolls or use in a sandwich.  I made a chicken pesto sandwich using 1 tbsp pesto, 2 oz chicken, lettuce, onion, and ciabatta bread.  It was delicious!

Parsley Pesto

What you'll need:
- 1 cup parsley leaves
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp shredded pecorino-romano
- 1 tbsp shredded parmesan
- 1 large pinch ground white pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup olive oil

What to do:
Mix all ingredients in a food processor.

Healthy Breakfast Burrito

I have been trying to find some more filling breakfast foods.  For a while I was eating Greek yogurt for breakfast because it was available, but I was always starving by 10am.  Ben is a fan of breakfast burritos, but of course my dietitian conscience frowns up those.  So I decided to make healthy home-made breakfast burritos.

It's quite easy.  I chopped up veggies and sauted them.  Then I added eggs and egg whites.  After cooking that for a while, I added some seasonings, a bit of cheese, salsa, and black beans. I separated the mixture, and added ham to 1 mixture.  This way I had 2 meat and 2 vegetarian burritos.  I let the eggs cool, then portioned the mixture onto 4 separate whole wheat tortillas.  I folded them and wrapped them in plastic wrap.  To reheat I used the microwave for one and the oven (set to low broil) for the other.  Both turned out delicious and good texture.  The one in plastic wrap has a more moist tortilla, but it was not soggy.

Healthy Breakfast Burrito

What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1 glove garlic, minced
- 3 slices canadian bacon
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup black beans
- 1/3 cup mexican cheese
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp paprika

Cereal for Lunch

The first step to following a healthy meal plan is to actually have a meal plan.  The next step is to follow it.   I usually plan out meals once or twice per week.  This helps limit my trips to the grocery store.  And when I get home from work, I know what I am going to start cooking.

But this ideal habit does not always work out.  Sometimes you are busy, or are forgetful.  The bad part about not having a plan is that when people are hungry and don't know what to eat, they are likely to make  bad choices.

This cereal mix is a good back up if you don't have something else planned.  Cereal can often be high in simple carbohydrates.  This cereal mix focuses on using high-fiber carbs and getting plenty of protein.  Fiber and protein help to fill you up and keep you full.  You can make bags of the dry mix ahead of time, and then make a to-go cup of milk and a bag of fruit in the morning.

What you'll need:
- 1/4 cup wheat chex original cereal
- 1/4 cup Special K Protein Plus
- 2 tbsp chopped walnuts
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
- 1/2 packet instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tbsp nonfat milk

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

Nutrition Info:
Per recipe: 440 calories, 22g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 45g CHO, 10g fiber, 14g protein

Healthy Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I really wasn't sure what to call this.  It is kind of like beef stroganoff, but with chicken; and no pickles.  It is kind of like Chicken Marsala, but with Sherry instead of Marsala. Either way, it was delicious.

First, and most importantly, cook the mushroom in a hot pain withOUT any oil or butter.  Do not crowd the mushrooms.  You want to make sure the steam escapes from the mushrooms.  Stir frequently 6 - 8 minutes.

This creamy sauce is healthier than regular cream sauce because it is a combination of half-and-half, nonfat milk, and beef broth, instead of all cream.   Be careful not to boil the liquid mixture.

Health Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken breasts, cut into large bite-sized pieces

- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 Shitake mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped cremini mushrooms
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp buttery spread
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup nonfat milk
- 1/3 cup beef broth
- pinch salt and pepper

What to do:
1.  In a large saute pan, heat olive oil.  When oil is hot, cook chicken pieces over medium-high heat stirring frequently for ~8 minutes, until chicken is lightly browned.  Remove from heat, set aside.

2.  Cook egg noodles according to package directions.

3.  In a large saute pan, cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat stirring frequently 6 -8 minutes, until mushrooms are no longer sweating.  Add onion, garlic, paprika, and parsley and saute 4 more minutes.  Add buttery spread. When buttery spread is melted, add flour and stir 1 1/2 minutes.  Add half-and-half, milk, and broth.  Bring to a simmer.  Decrease heat slightly.  Add chicken pieces.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over egg noodles.  Recipe makes 4 servings.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Ben and I tried to make sweet and sour chicken back in college.  That was an interesting experience.   I realized the oil container in the cabinet was empty after already going to the grocery store.  For some reason, we refused to give up on the dinner project.  Needless to say, we made a mess of the kitchen and dinner didn't really taste great.  Since then, I have learned much more about making food, especially when a recipe just won't work.  Sometimes you really have to give up, and go back to the store or make something different.

Before going to the store, make sure you have enough oil to cook the pork.   Otherwise, this will not be a fun-to-make dinner.  You really do want to make sure the oil is extremely hot before adding the pork. This helps the outside be a bit crispy while the inside is still juicy.  It also helps cut back the greasiness. The hotter the oil, the less oil the pork will absorb.

Sweet and Sour Pork

What you'll need:
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, divided
- 1/2 tbsp ginger puree
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium white onion
-1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce, such as Sriracha
- 1/4 cup chopped pineapple, canned in its own juice
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice from can
- Cornstarch
- Canola oil

What to do:
1.  Cut pork into pieces (a little bigger than bite-sized).  Marinate in soy sauce, ginger puree, and garlic for 30 minutes.

2.  Chop bell peppers and onion into small squares.  Saute on high heat in 1 tbsp oil until barely browned.  Turn off heat.  Heat a heavy duty pot or Dutch Oven with enough canola oil to make a 1/3" layer of oil.

3.  Pour ~1/2 cup cornstarch in a bowl.  Dip pork pieces in cornstarch and shake off extra powder. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.  When oil has reached 300* F, add only enough pieces of pork to avoid overcrowding the pan.  After 1 minutes, flip pieces of pork and cook 45 more seconds.  Remove pieces and place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil.  If cooking pork in batches, let oil reheat to 250*.

4.  When all the pork is cooked, add to pan with peppers and onions.  Add in sweet and sour sauce, pineapple juice, Sriracha, chopped pineapple, and pineapple juice.  Cook over medium-high heat 3 - 5 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Turkey, Apple, Goat Cheese Sandwich

This is quite the yummy sandwich.  The secret ingredient is celery seed.  It adds a savory flavor that combines well with the sweet taste from the apple slices.  This can be made with a variety of different types of bread: ciabatta, whole wheat, cranberry walnut.  All would be tasty.  There really isn't much else to say about this sandwich.  Just try and enjoy the deliciousness!

Turkey, Apple, Goat Cheese Panini

What you'll need:
- 2 pieces bread (you pick!)
- 2 oz low-sodium turkey breast
- 3 tbsp soft spreadable goat cheese
- 1/8 tsp ground celery seed
- pinch of black pepper
- a few thin slices red onion
- 8 very thin slices apple (Gala, Pink Lady, or Honey Crisp)
- 2 lettuce leaves

What to do:
1.  Mix together the goat cheese, celery seed, and pepper.  Spread over one slice bread.

2.  Make sandwich and toast in the oven on Broil, or use a panini maker.