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Low Carb + Gluten Free Egg & Ham Breakfast Casserole

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i currently could work up a sweat while bowling. that’s how out of shape i am. or feel. i get winded just from breathing alone.

what amazes me most is that i have consistently worked out five days a week for the last few years or so (before that my version of working out was any sort of movement that my finger made on the remote) and when i recently stopped working out for three weeks due to feeling like a bag of poo, it’s like i reverted to my former coach potato self.

WHYyyyyyyyy is this a thing.

well it really shouldn’t be, if it is a thing. and it’s a thing with me. which is also sort of expected. i just look at cottage cheese and it’s like,’ let’s be best friends, and can we chill on your thighs… k thanks bye’.

wompsicle.

but since i am no longer living on a diet staple of premium crackers, chicken broth & some ‘canada dry’, i am back in the kitchen, ready to taste something other than a cardboard box and meat flavored water.

and i started with one of my favorite comfort foods, egg casserole.

usually i shy away from making anything with the word ‘casserole’ because i instantly think of heavy cream and mayonnaise being key ingredients. which don’t get me wrong, i love me some mayo and extra heavy cream, however, this doesn’t work for me on a day to day basis. i need to reserve those special meals with those scale tilting ingredients, for well, special events. or days where i just don’t give a flying rats arse.

so instead i wanted to develop a comfort food staple but completely lightened up, without totally sacrificing everything i usually love about the guilty pleasure (think fluffy texture, heavy flavor, creamy goodness). though this definitely isn’t as indulgent as the classic, it definitely comes in close, and it does the trick. really well. paul agreed. he liked it a lot. or at least he told me he did so i would keep making him food. who knows. we’ll go with the first one. Low Carb + Gluten Free Egg & Ham Breakfast Casserole

also: what’s your favorite comfort food meal? especially in the spring! i’d love to try and recreate a healthier version 🙂 one of my favorite kitchen challenges (that doesn’t always work, but when it does, it good).

 

Recipe Notes:

You may pre bake your spaghetti squash ahead of time, if you’d like. I did two days before because, well, I got sidetracked. But then this made putting this meal together super last minute and under 10 minutes. Total win. If you have never baked spaghetti squash check out this recipe with a little insight on how to do it.

The great thing about a casserole is that you can literally throw whatever you want inside it. So if you don’t have the ingredients I list below on hand, feel free to improvise. Though I highly recommend ham as your meat ingredient because I mean… ham and eggs. need i say more?

I use whole milk instead of heavy cream. This really helps in terms of calorie and fat content. And you don’t want to slim down too much in fat (like non fat milk) because you want this to be moist and fluffy!

I use 1/2 tbsp of butter, so barely any. You may use oil as a substitute, though I don’t think butter is bad for you. And 1/2 tbsp for this ENTIRE casserole is pretty much nothing.

ALSO THIS DISH NEEDS TO SET OVERNIGHT. Just like the classic! This will help flavor and develop that fluffy texture that you WANT. You honestly will have hardly any idea spaghetti squash was used in this.

Low Carb + Gluten Free Egg & Ham Breakfast Casserole
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 6-8
  • Serving size: ⅛ of dish
  • Calories: 210
  • Fat: 13g
  • Carbohydrates: 10.4g
  • Fiber: 1.3g
  • Protein: 13.9g
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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A healthy low carb and gluten free spin on a classic egg & ham breakfast casserole. Incredibly flavorful and light and fluffy in texture. You'll have no idea that it's healthy!
Ingredients
  • 1 Baked Spaghetti Squash, scooped
  • ½ tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp minced onion
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup torn low sodium ham (deli sliced, or chunks work as well)
  • 8 eggs
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (mexican blend preferred or cheddar)
Instructions
  1. In a medium skillet over medium heat add your butter and melt.
  2. Next add your minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
  3. Add your green pepper & onion and cook until onions are almost translucent, about 6 minutes.
  4. Set aside.
  5. Next in a casserole dish add your spaghetti squash, pepper & onion mix, and ham. Mix together so they are evenly distributed throughout the dish. Set aside.
  6. In a large mixing bowl add your eggs, milk and all spices. Whisk together until blended.
  7. Pour egg mixture over casserole dish.
  8. Top with cheese.
  9. Cover with foil and place into the fridge and allow to dish to set overnight.
  10. Once dish has set, remove from fridge and preheat oven to 375 (allow dish to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before placing into oven to ensure better and more even cooking time).
  11. Poke tiny holes into the foil and place casserole into oven on a middle rack.
  12. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake another 15 minutes, or until dish has set.
  13. Set oven to broil and broil casserole dish for about 3 minutes or until eggs develop a little bit of golden color in spots.
  14. Remove, let cool for five minutes before serving.
  15. Top with whatever you want (spices, fresh herbs, plain yogurt). Eat!

 

 

Sautéed Spinach + Yogurt + Dukkah ++ a Giveaway

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ya’ll. i get all zero dark thirty when i’m sick. anyone else in the same boat as myself? In fact, i started to look back on this blog at how many times i’ve been sick in the last two years, and it’s like A LOT.

the ONLY good thing is the binge eating of oyster crackers + ginger ale + lipton noodle soup. it’s funny what traditions stick well into your …. (i was about to say late twenties, but i’m thirty now, so i guess.. thirties. omg).

any who.

i’m here, still swallowed up by flu accompanied by the most wonderful sinus / chest infection that one could possibly hope for! and i have convinced myself that typing up this post will make me feel less miserable, and you guessed it. I was wrong.

but, heres to thinking more positively. because i at least gotta fake it until i make it out of this thing in one piece. I’m all doomsday whenever I’m ill which is LITERALLY the WORST trait EVER. I can’t seem to shake the bad thought habit, like julia. chill. c-h-i-l-l.

anyways. since i’ve been eating a staple of crackers and artificially flavored soda i decided to trick my body into eating something healthy. and it was TOTALLY worth it. like 100 percent worth it. eating good home cooked food actually made feel a little more human. total win!

so the lovely team from Americas Test Kitchen decided to bless me with their incredibly delicious (and nutritious, hehe, so what i did there) cookbook, Nutritious Delicious,  and asked that I cook from it and then GIVE a copy away to one of my readers! How could I resist? If you’ve been following this blog for a while you are WELL aware of my obsession of anything that comes out of ATK so I just couldn’t say no.

Anyways, I actually made several recipes from this book but chose to highlight one of my favorites of the bunch, the sauteed spinach and yogurt with dukkah.

Recipe Notes:

The recipes in this book are fairly easy to follow so are great for any level cook. However I DO have some notes in case you’ve never lets say… toasted chickpeas before!

When you rinse and drain your chickpeas, rub them with paper towels when drying because this will actually remove the outer most layer of the chickpea (basically the translucent skin) which can sometimes trap in moisture when toasting and so your chickpea just won’t crisp up as much as it could.

I used already shelled and roasted pistachios because that was easiest. I toasted chickpeas as per the instructions and toasted all the seeds in a pan (dry, no oil). Store your leftover dukkah in a sealed container in the fridge so you can reuse it all week! it’s the BEST.

I also added a tbsp of water to my yogurt sauce as i wanted it to be more of a dressing than a thicker sauce. This makes it easier for drizzling on. Just make sure you salt and pepper to taste, of course :).

I also had an onion that I chopped up, because I LOVE when spinach + onion + garlic are paired together and so added the onions when I added my garlic and sautéed them at the same time (and increased cooking time until onions were translucent in color).

I roasted this alongside some carrots and tomatoes, and made some brown rice so this was a main dish (and a filling one).

I also think this could be paired very nicely with a juicy red steak, but that’s just me 🙂

Sautéed Spinach + Yogurt + Dukkah ++ an ATK Nutritiously Delicious Giveaway
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4
  • Serving size: 181
  • Fat: 14.5g
  • Fiber: 3.9g
  • Protein: 5.2g
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup organic low fat yogurt
  • 1½ tsp lemon zest plus 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1-2 tbsp water
  • Salt & pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 20 oz curly leaf spinach, stemmed
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup Dukkah (recipe follows)
Dukkah
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • ½ cup shelled pistachios, toasted
  • ⅓ cup black sesame seeds, toasted
  • 2½ tbsp coriander seeds, toasted
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
  • 1½ tsp pepper
  • 1¼ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Combine yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. whisk and add 1-2 tbsp of water to achieve more of a dressing consistency (this is optional).
  2. Set aside for serving.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a dutch oven over high heat until shimmering.
  4. Add spinach, 1 t handful at a time, and cook stirring constantly until wilted. About a minute or two.
  5. Transfer spinach to a colander and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Do this until all spinach is cooked.
  6. Wipe pot dry. Add remaining 2 tbsp of oil and garlic and cook over medium heat until garlic becomes fragrant.
  7. Next add chopped onions and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes.
  8. Add spinach and toss to coat with the garlic / onion oil.
  9. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Transfer spinach to a serving platter, drizzle with yogurt and sprinkle with dukkah. Serve
Dukkah:
  1. adjust one rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Toss chickpeas w/ oil and spread in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Roast until browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes stirring every 5-10 minutes. Cool completely.
  4. Process chickpeas in food processor until coarsely ground, about 10 seconds. Transfer to bowl.
  5. Pulse pistachios and sesame seeds in food processor until coarsely ground, 15 pulses.
  6. Transfer to bowl of chickpeas.
  7. Process coriander, cumin and fennel seeds in food processor until finely ground, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to bowl of chickpeas, pistachios and sesame seeds.
  8. Add pepper and salt and toss until well combined.

Kickin’ Shrimp Gumbo over Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Ready to Serve

Guys. This is the year! I refuse to be apart of the ‘February drop off’ and am feeling pretty optimistic about it. However…. I have a feeling I probably feel this way every year, so just really really hoping that this optimism will stick…. =D

I’ve been BIG into soups, stews, anything hot and jam packed with flavor this winter and am going to continue on with this trend until the first sign of spring. And with Mr. Jack Frost being a little late in attendance this winter, he sure is trying make up for his tardiness. In the worst way. I was 90 percent positive David was going to try and barrel roll out the car door the other day, car seat and all. I didn't start it before we got in and it was like we were sitting in an ice box for ten minutes. Awful. He told me his fingers didn’t like me anymore.

And naturally, I told him I didn’t like his fingers anyways. Because I’m an adult here.

So any who. The moral of this story? None, because there is zero chance of me running down to my car and starting it before getting off to work. Late enough as is. Ain’t no body have time for that.

But what I do have time for? Because I barely need any? Is Minute® Ready to Serve Brown Rice. It’s like they made this product specifically for humans like me. It’s a perfect solution for on the go grubbing, any time of the day. In less than a minute, wham. You’ve been served.

Another thing I love about Minute Ready to Serve is that it is packaged as single servings, which helps people like me, who lack all self control when it comes to eating.

I decided to make one of my all time favorite meals, gumbo! I was able to actually make the gumbo ahead of time in the morning. And when guests came over I was easily able to throw it on the stove, no mess and have the Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice waiting for each person that wanted to fill their bowl up! SO easy.

Also, did I mention that this rice is 100 percent whole grain & gluten free? It also has no preservatives and 57 grams of whole grain per serving.

Yep. A win-win. Every cook’s dream.

Recipe Notes:

I chose to use peeled & deveined shrimp as I wanted to lighten up this usually heavier dish, yet still no flavor was sacrificed! You may easily add a pound of sliced andouille sausage if you want more traditional gumbo. I also chose to leave the tails on my shrimp for aesthetic purposes HOWEVER you may remove them if you’d like (paul was totally weirded out by the tails, can’t hang).

They say you need onions, green peppers AND celery to really call this a gumbo. I say, that sounds great and all but i don’t want celery in mine. So i didn’t add it. I sometimes don’t care for the way celery makes some soups or stews taste, and I felt like it wouldn’t enhance any flavor or texture in this dish, so I left it out.

No okra? No problem. Hello baby zucchini. Not into the gooey gunk that comes with okra? Me neither! Sometimes I can handle it and other days I just want none of that. Today was one of those days. Instead I used little baby zucchini and they worked perfectly! However if baby zucchini isn’t available you may use regular zucchini, just cut it down to 1/2″ cubes.

This dish is SPICY. Let me repeat, there is spice in this dish. SO if you have small children, or a guest whose palette is that of a child’s, leave the cayenne out and possibly the red peppers too. You may offer those after serving as a little DIY garnishing. Everyone wins then and no complaints will be made (though I STRONGLY suggest to leave the spice in. It’s not like your tongue is going to fall of kind of spice. It just has a kick. A good strong kick).

Want to make this dish ahead of time? NO PROBLEM! Make the gumbo as instructed and then an hour before you are ready to serve, place over low heat until pot is heated through. MINUTES before you are ready (yes, as in right when you’re ready to serve) pop your Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice in the microwave and then empty each rice package into individual bowls. Spoon gumbo over rice and you are ready to go! Since the Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice is already packaged into individual serving portions (and the cup and film are BPA free), this makes less of a mess, and each person gets a package (so less waste).


5.0 from 1 reviews
Kickin' Shrimp Gumbo over Minute Brown Rice
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 6
  • Serving size: Between 6
  • Calories: 485
  • Fat: 9.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 68
  • Fiber: 4.4g
  • Protein: 32.6g
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: Creole
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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Spicy shrimp gumbo served over minute to serve brown rice makes for a deliciously easy meal with a lot of flavor! Ready in new time and perfect for the whole family.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb peeled & deveined shrimp 16/20 count
  • ¼ cup almond meal
  • 2 tbsp ghee (or unsalted butter)
  • 1 green pepper, chopped (stem and seeds removed)
  • 1 peeled onion, chopped
  • 1 red chili pepper, sliced into small rings (stem removed)
  • 1 zucchini (top removed), chopped into ½" cubes (or 1.5 cups chopped baby zucchini)
  • 3 roma tomatoes (stem removed) chopped into ¼" cubes (or about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 packages minute ready to serve brown rice (1 package per person)
  • 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped for Garnish
Seasoning:
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
  1. Take your seasoning mix in a small bowl and mix all of your spices together.
  2. In a large bowl add your shrimp and then add half of the spice mixture. Toss and place shrimp in fridge until ready to use. Set spice seasoning aside.
  3. in a large saucepan (or large pot) over medium heat add your 2 tbsp ghee/butter.
  4. Add your almond meal and mix. Continue to stir every minute or so until the almond roux darkens a couple of shades (give it about 10 minutes).
  5. Next add the onion, green pepper, zucchini and chili pepper. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the onions begin to look translucent.
  6. Add your tomatoes, stir.
  7. Add your chicken stock, mix.
  8. Add your bay leaves and remaining spice mixture.
  9. Bring pot to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
  10. Once pot has simmered (flavors have come together) add your shrimp.
  11. Continue to simmer until shrimp have cooked through about 8 minutes.
  12. When ready to eat, heat up minute brown rice, place into bowl, spoon gumbo over rice and garnish with chopped green onions for serving.

*I will ONLY work with brands I stand behind. So thank you to Minute® Ready to Serve for sponsoring this post! This is what helps keep this blog filled with content and yummy recipes because of partnerships like these

Healthy Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili

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It’s only the first week into the new year and is anyone else about to jump off their resolutions head first into a drained pool?

me me me me.

actually i made mine pretty easy this year. or perhaps more attainable, if you will. can’t set the goals too high or else i’ll hit rock bottom really fast. i took what i had / or was already doing, and decided whatever it was just needed a lil bit of the ol’ elbow grease, nothing too extreme. gotta work with what yo mama gave you sort of dill.

unless of course, i win the lottery. all bets off. go big or go home.

one of my goals was to stop hushing my thoughts, or playing them down. if that makes any sense? my mind races, A LOT, all different things, super ADD. so instead of totally disregarding all of my ideas/thoughts/intuitions, whatever it is at the moment, I decided that i need to embrace each individual thought or at the very least, write the thought down, and this way, if the thought happens to come full circle, I should dig a little bit deeper instead of forcing it straight into the waste bin. this actually has allowed for better sleep as my mind is starting to calm down since all of my thoughts are on paper and I don’t have to keep reminding myself of an idea, or whatever it is i’m trying to not forget.

good lawd. she cray.

((also read: big magic. as i shared in my favorite things post. so helpful))

another big thing was to continue to embrace health, inside & out. i want to be more aware of what is going into my body, as it is a GIFT and not everyone gets a chance to age, so i should treat my one shot with respect and gratitude. i’ve had a lot happen to me over  the last couple of years (yucky relationship, divorce, other struggles, etc.  when i first started the blog, however i never fully unraveled all the bloody deets because of court hearings). my biggest fear, and i assume will be a forever fear, is what would happen to my son if i left this life.

-oh snap she just went rullllll dark-

so therefore i want to take care of myself. to the best of my ability. the rest is out of my control. i just need to trust.

she done yet? i’m hungry.

-she done-

so this is where the healthier recipe bit comes into play. rich in flavor, light in the rest. Healthy Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili. Its veg. but you can add meat. i did after the photos because i’m a meataholic. which is sorta gross when said outloud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe notes:

Make sure you have a good blender. Or half decent. Or just make sure your squash is cooked once you pulse it so you can get the naturally creamy texture. Seriously. You’d think that butternut squash has heavy cream in it.

Parmesan rinds are the best. Because they just add flavor without all of the extra fat content from the cheese. Making it still mostly dairy free….. The BF was able to digest this with no problems and his stomach is the worrrrrrrsssssst. Sorry P.

not sorry at all.

i added ground italian sausage (duh) after i created the vegetarian version. because i love meat. but it doesn’t need it. but i love it. but it really doesn’t need it. but i really really really love sausage. so add some if you love it toosy.

you can totally serve this like you would a chili bar, so bring on the chips, the greek yogurt (or sour cream), cilantro and optional cheese if you will. salt & pepper to each their own.

did i mention there are only 233 calories per two cup serving? two cups actually is filling for this soup. So splurge and do 4 cups and you’ll STILL be under 500 calories. WHOA. Or load up on the chips and extra toppings to make it more decadent. that’s what i did :):):)

5.0 from 1 reviews
Healthy Butternut Squash & White Bean Chili
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4-6
  • Serving size: 2 cups
  • Calories: 233
  • Fat: 6.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 37.1g
  • Fiber: 9.6g
  • Protein: 8.6g
Recipe type: Chili
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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A spin on chili made with butternut squash as a base and white beans makes for a creamy chili without the extra fat but with extra flavor. Vegetarian & gluten free!
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp ghee (or unsalted butter)
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 4-5 cups)
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cans Cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
  • 5 parmesan rinds
  • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Optional Toppings:
  • plain greek yogurt
  • fresh cilantro
  • tortilla chips
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. First in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven, on your stove top over medium heat, add your ghee or fat you plan on using.
  2. Let it melt and heat for an additional 20 seconds. Add your garlic. Saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
  3. Add your onions and cook until just translucent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Next add your butternut squash cubes, mix and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  5. Add your broth, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until squash is fork tender.
  6. Once squash is tender, working in batches, add your soup to the blender and blend until smooth. Continue to do this until all of the soup is blended.
  7. Return blended soup back into heavy pot and bring heat up to medium low.
  8. Add the garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and kosher salt. Mix.
  9. Add your rinsed Cannellini (white beans), parmesan rinds & fresh rosemary springs. stir together.
  10. Return heat to low and allow soup to cook for an additional 30 minutes. This will allow flavors to blend more evenly through out and beans will soak up more flavor. You may continue to simmer this soup, stirring occasionally, if you have guests over. The longer it simmers/sits together, the more powerful the flavor!
  11. Once ready to eat, remove the rinds & fresh rosemary sprigs.
  12. Serve soup evenly into bowls and top with optional toppings such as greek yogurt, cilantro, salt & pepper. Chips on the side are a bonus and make this more fun, though aren't necessary.

 

 

****ALSO: i have a stop motion version of this that i posted on instagram. but if you don’t gram you can watch it on here as it’s a little more hands onnnny.

((Healthy)) Tangy Butter Chicken Curry (Murgh Makhani)

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Santa…… and just like that…..

He gone.

that was…… fast. no wonder why i get super yucky post holidays. the build up is epic and then the climax is meh. and the falling action is filled with gorging your face with unhealthies followed by a resolution that is basically set up for a day of reckoning filled with doom (new years day).

and then on top of all of this- if you have a kiddo- you have to explain to them that santa is going on vacation for a full year but somehow also have to drill in their brain that he is watching so they still must be on their best behavior for the next 365 days.

yeah, no.

but now that the holidays have pretty much come to an end for the next several months (i’m just gonna go right ahead and skip over new years evil. because that’s exactly what it is) it’s time to put your focus back on YOU. That’s right. Instead of totally dreading the next couple of months, I’m gonna look at it as a time to make the best me. Because I always feel like there is room to grow. And if you feel like you are already at your best you? Keep going. Being stuck at a plateau gets old quick so you gotta keep moving on up. And to be honest, it’s the little things.

Like for me: having a never ending stash of toilet paper has made me feel like a diva. I kid you not. I even put it on the actual toilet paper rod thingy. And i legit feel like i’m at a 5 star hotel every time i’m in the bathroom. Totally weird right?

Wrong.

Okay, maybe a little right. baby steps.

Anyways. Making healthier meals ALSO makes me feel like a champ. I go to bed feeling less guilty about my days choices, and I wake up feeling more energized and well rested and look FORWARD to eating leftovers and repeating the same positive steps. And when I do allow myself a couple of cheat meals (because, human) I don’t feel terrible and I actually feel like I deserve it.

So here’s to a better you. Because you’re already great. So maybe a better great you 😉 ((Healthy)) Tangy Butter Chicken Curry (Murgh Makhani) . Making dinner dreams come true and healthier eating much more attainable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe Notes:

Oven tandoor chicken is what influenced this dish. I have a recipe I posted a year ago for it, you can find that here. 

I used an opal apple however if that variety is not available you can use golden delicious or even a granny smith (though that will be a little more tangy).

If a fresh tomato isn’t available, or if you don’t have any fresh tomatoes frozen in your freezer leftover from summer, you can just use an 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Keeping the tomato paste the same. You may need to lessen salt if your sauce is salty.

This isn’t your average restaurant butter chicken. That is MUCH creamier and ten times more rich than this dish. However. I wanted this to be flavored roughly the same without all of the fat content. And extra added health with a twist (hence spinach + apple).

You may go ahead and add a little more greek yogurt to the dish if you’d like. However because you don’t drain all of the juice from the tandoor chicken I didn’t find it necessary. Totally up to you! If you’re trying to be healthy and want a little more cream add a little more non fat plain greek yogurt.

Optional to serve over rice with a little tumeric (for flavor + color) and garnish with fresh cilantro! You can also serve over this indian cauli rice I made many less wrinkles ago.

((Healthy)) Tangy Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4 servings
  • Serving size: ¼ of skillet
  • Calories: 356
  • Fat: 14.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 18.8g
  • Fiber: 3.3g
  • Protein: 38.1g
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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Chicken tandoor served in a tangy curry makes for a healthier spin on restaurant butter chicken without sacrificing flavor!
Ingredients
Marinade:
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp ground mustard
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp ground garam masala
  • 1 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
The Rest:
  • 1.5 pound chicken breast (or about 3 large breasts) cut into 1" cubes
  • 3 tbsp ghee
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 opal apple, halved and then sliced thin
  • 1 tomato, processed
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • 1 tsp kosher salt + to taste
  • 1 tsp coarse black pepper + to taste
Optional:
  • Basamiti rice mixed with a dash of tumeric
  • cilantro for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl add all of your marinade ingredients and whisk together.
  2. Next in a ziplock bag or container with lid, add your chicken cubes and cover with marinade. Seal vessel and shake, shake, shake until marinade is covering all chicken bits.
  3. Let chicken marinade for at least 4 hours or more (I do the whole over night marinade)
  4. minutes before chicken is ready to cook remove from fridge and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  5. Once oven is preheated. Place cast iron, or any heavy bottom skillet pan into oven with 1 tbsp of ghee. Let ghee melt and then remove pan from oven and add chicken pieces.
  6. Place chicken into oven and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring half way through.
  7. Turn oven on to a broil and broil chicken for an additional 6 minutes, or until tops begin to blacken.
  8. Remove from oven and remove chicken into separate vessel, set aside.
  9. Discard ONLY 2 tbsp of the liquid and keep the remaining in pan.
  10. Place pan over medium heat and add remaining 2 tbsp of ghee to pan. Melt. Add minced garlic and sweet onion. Saute for about 5 minutes.
  11. Add apple slices, tomato puree and tomato paste. Mix together.
  12. Add ginger, chili powder, garam masala, cayenne pepper, and honey. Mix. Lower heat to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.
  13. Add your baby spinach and mix until spinach wilts. Add kosher salt & pepper to taste.
  14. Next add your chicken back into vessel and mix together until chicken is covered. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
  15. Serve over basamiti rice and garnish with cilantro.

Ghee & Spiced Roasted Crispy Potato Bites

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guys, on my last post i talked about how i was the queen of present procrastination. I am not sure if writing about my procrastination somehow solved my problem completely BUT YOU GUYS. I did it. I really honestly truly did it. I bought ALL of Davids Christmas gifts ON TIME AND NOT LAST MINUTE.

say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

okay however, always a however. all of these gifts are basically going to be from santa which sort of sucks that he gets all of the credit and i get zero. i guess it’s the thought that counts. meh. but i also dropped the ball on last years christmas and didn’t get the poor child anything. he was also 2, and homeboy had not a clue on what was actually going on. so i felt like i needed to sort of make up for last years incompetence.

okay: so i looked up the ‘hottest toys of 2017’ list. sort of obnoxious that there is even a list, but whatever, because i totally bought three of the items online. avoiding toy stores at all costs as people be cray.

Black Friday GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

i ordered him the new and apparently improved (and slightly possessed looking) teddy ruxpin. this thing reads from an app, of course. i actually bought this creepy bear more for myself (selfishly) as if i have to read another book about planes, trains or automobiles i will legit put rat poison in my glass of wine. so not sure if this bear can actually read a book like that, but praying that somehow that can be a thing. if not i pray he loses immediate interest so i can return.

the second gift i bought was this pretty ridiculous finger monkey, called fingerling? or something that reminds me of potatoes. any who, its a plastic interactive monkey that can hang on your fingers and it toots (okay it does other things as well).  i mainly bought it because of the toot affect as i can see david losing his belly laughing over something so ridiculous. ill probably do the same. (also this toy is like impossible to get, i bought it from a vendor on amazon but praying to gawd its not a fake. because apparently that’s a thing. people totally suck).

last thing i bought (okay not the last, but the last from the list) was a paw patrol boat thing. basically david told me santa was going to be bringing him paw patrol presents so i figured i had to include it so he wouldn’t start resenting the man so early on in life. *praying* that he forgets that he asked if santa could bring him a real live dinosaur. the kid forgets nothing so this is most likely very wishful thinking.

links to buy these things on the inter web if your legs paralyze when the word “christmas shopping” comes up as well:

  1. Teddy Ruxpin
  2. Fingerlings 
  3. Paw Patrol Boat

Note: these are affiliate links only because i legit personally order everything off of amazon and so i signed up for their program. they don’t ask me to sponsor or purchase any products through them, i just happen to do so because i’m legit lazy. and maybe you are as well. however i can tell you that the fingerlings and paw patrol boat are impossible to find in stores. and the retail lady from toys r us said people have been SWIPING the shelves of fingerlings that they had to put a limited amount per person.

Black Friday Shopping GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

anyways. so happy work week is over, when it rains, it pours, and right now i feel like there are lightening bolts shooting from the sky pointed directly at me as i stand in a puddle. wine/whiskey is in order. i also plan on bringing david to this street filled with lights tonight called Candy Cane Lane that im excited for because i hear its basically all giant inflatables which makes me instantly want to be friends with that kind of homeowner. ps. you’re amazing. afterwards we probably should finish decorating the tree though neither one of us has the patience and attention span to put more than two bulbs up at a time. did i tell you i’m a child? also. i made a double batch and froze one of these crispy roasted potatoes last week and……

Oh Em Ghee.

-see what I did there-

Ghee whiz, you’re original.

-see what I did there, again-

they are SUPER yummy. i would choose them over fries. WHOA. yup. and so i’m baking the frozen batch up tonight so i can snack on them like popcorn and watch The Holiday five thousand times and wish somehow I could one day afford to live in a quaint little cottage like Kate Whimsical does in the movies.

Ghee & Spiced Roasted Crispy Potato Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe Notes

i got the golden lil boomer potatoes. they’re more round and petite than fingerlings however golden fingerlings will work as well!

ghee. i explained a little bit in my last post what ghee is – you can read more about it here. However in short its basically super clarified butter (milk fat, nothing else) and is the perfect ingredient for making these potatoes crisp up really nice in the oven. you’ll find this on the shelf, unrefrigerated most likely in the international section of your grocery store.

the combination of spices really bring this dish home and you get a blast of flavor with every small bite. I also made a super simple yogurt dipping sauce that compliments the potatoes quite nicely, if you’re interested 🙂

Ghee & Spiced Roasted Crispy Potato Bites
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4 cups
  • Serving size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 152
  • Fat: 3.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 29.4g
  • Fiber: 5g
  • Protein: 2.7g
Recipe type: Dinner, Side,
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Save Print
Crispy roasted potatoes tossed in ghee and a blend of aromatic spices make the perfect treat to any meal!
Ingredients
Potatoes
  • 1.5 lb bloomer potatoes (or golden fingerlings) sliced into ¼" rings (or thirds)
  • 1 head of garlic cloves (about 8)
  • 1 tbsp ghee, melted
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • ½ tsp ground numeric
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp coarse black pepper
Yogurt Sauce
  • ½ cup non fat greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. On a rimmed baking sheet add your potato slices and ghee, toss with your hands.
  3. Next sprinkle on top all of your spices, including salt and pepper. Toss again with hands.
  4. Place baking sheet into oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
  5. Remove from oven when potatoes are baked through and are starting to crisp up.
  6. Serve with Optional yogurt dipping sauce (recipe below).
  7. Add yogurt to a small bowl and rest of ingredients, whisk together until blended.

 

 

Breakfast of Champs // Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pancakes (Simple)

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Guys.

HAPPY Turkey Day! I’ll be spending my day at P-masta flex’s home with David and we are suuuuper excited. I also have five days to myself with the baby-child which has added an extra pep to my step (and also bracing myself for 10 thousand tantrums, because… toddlers and tantrums are a fact and real). Anywho. What are your plans and if you are a parent what is your best method for dealing with toddler meltdown moments. Affective parenting tips would be grrrrreeeeeeaaaaat. Also no bribes, because I’m currently trying to get out myself out of the rabbit hole as he requests a “target” trip whenever we are negotiating. No bueno.

Moving forward….

ITS THANKSGIVING. And I’m up writing a post to avoid my two pies and ten thousand loaves of bread I’m about to bake up. I also decided that you too might be up to your ears in pumpkin puree and have all sorts extra ingredients that you normally don’t have just casually lying around and might want to put them to good use while keeping things LIGHT on the belly.

Why keep it light?

Oh i don’t know. thanksgiving? how many pants do i need taken out before Kris Kringle rolls his big ol’ booty on over? We probably could share pantaloons by then. Which is why this year I am trying to focus on ‘healthier alternatives’ that don’t taste like a total alternative in my mouth. you get what i’ma saying?

No steamed broccoli with zero salt.

I’m talking more like pan fried broccoli with ghee and spiced TF up. Substituting bad fats for better fats. Being more aware.

Duh.

But also I have a child. So just juicing my life away isn’t an option while I’m making PB & J’s, pastas, ham sandwiches, you know, the usual brown diet that my son partakes in. Those temptations will eventually get to me if i’m just drinking beet juice and wanting to die of Earth poisoning flavor.

Yes, i’m comparing juices to poisoned Earth. Because to me, anything straight out of the ground pretty much tastes like dirt unless its triple washed, shaved, drowned in some sort of fat and totally spiced. Ain’t never gonna change.

But anywho. These pancakes. They are totally healthy and an amazing treat for the morning. Gluten free (check). Protein packed (check) No super processed sweeteners (check) Fiber Filled (check) and most importantly Simple Simple Simple. Oh also they are KID TESTED and mom approved (ten thousand checks right thurrr). Also two pancakes = 168 calories. So instead eat 3 or 4 or MORE. If you want. But two had me feeling full and good to go.

Breakfast of Champs // Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pancakes (Simple)

also:::: His sweater is from Zara Kids – you can get yourself one now. I size down as he is a “little” on the smaller side, and Zara runs on the larger side. Super soft and this kid is very particular about his sweaters.

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe Notes:

NO NEED for a gluten free flour blend. I actually refuse to make anything that involves a mixture of ten thousand different types of flours. Why? because i’m not actually gluten intolerant or celiacs. When I try to eat less gluten it’s because of health / skin / diet. I have personally noticed that a large intake of gluten leads to me making poorer choices in everything. So just making bread to replace my normal sandwich bread isn’t doing anything for my diet. That loaded sandwich with extra mayo is gonna stick to my body regardless of gluten free bread or not. So I prefer just to cut that part out right away. SO anyways. Simple ingredients. Almond flour & Flaxseed Meal. Both ingredients I have in my pantry at all times. They work really well together and are great sources of both protein and fiber.

Pure maple syrup if you wanna get fancy and keep with the unprocessed gig. You don’t need much in the pancakes and totally optional to pour it on top! They’re pretty good without anything however……. soggy pancakes are my jam so I love syrup on top.

Pumpkin puree – not to be mistaken for pumpkin PIE puree. One is pure… the other has a bunch of stuff in it that makes it taste beyond artificial. HOWEVER. If this is all you have, use it! Just reduce the maple syrup addition by half.

Also because there is no additional flours added, these bad boys are SUUUUPER soft and delicate. Meaning patience while they cook and be forgiving of their ugly appearance. 3 minutes on one side and 1-2 minutes on the other. If you are impatient then you’re gonna end up with a crumbly blob that still tastes really good, but you have to be okay with serving weird af shapes.

That’s it!

NOW stop reading and go bake yoself a pie.

 

Breakfast of Champs // Gluten Free Maple Pumpkin Pancakes (Simple)
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 10 pancakes
  • Serving size: 2 pancakes
  • Calories: 168
  • Fat: 9g
  • Unsaturated fat: 1.3g
  • Carbohydrates: 16.5g
  • Fiber: 3.2g
  • Protein: 5g
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Save Print
Incredibly tasty pancakes filled with maple syrup, pumpkin puree and are made gluten free and delicious!!!! Packed with extra fiber and extra tasty flavor.
Ingredients
  • 1⅔ cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup flaxseed meal
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
  1. First preheat an oven to the lowest temperature so pancakes can keep warm while you make.
  2. In a medium sized bowl add your flour, flaxseed, baking powder and salt. Mix together and set aside.
  3. In a separate small bowl add your eggs, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, almond milk and maple syrup. Whisk until fully blended.
  4. Next fold you wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, and mix until just fully incorporated.
  5. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add a little bit of fat when pan is heated and then pour about a ¼ cup of batter into pan.
  6. Let pancake cook for 3.5 minutes on one side, flip over VERY carefully as these pancakes are incredibly soft and fluffy, and then cook for another 1.5 minutes.
  7. Optionally: Place pancake onto a lined baking sheet or on a heat proof plate or pie pan in the oven to keep warm while you cook other pancakes.
  8. Repeat cooking processuntil batter is used up. Makes about 10 pancakes, 2 per person.

 

 

 

Twice Baked Butternut Squash Boats with Ham & Leeks

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helloooo

hi there.

how are things?

i once was an existing human on this site, but now it seems…..

that i’ve stopped cold turkey.

but trust me this hiatus was totally unwanted and completely unexpected.

why you ask!? or maybe you don’t ask, but i’m going to share with you anyways……

my appendix decided to fill up with some…. unmentionables… because i’m going to spare you the details (trust me, i’m doing you a favor) and since – in my former life i was probably a dooms day prepare – the doc decided it would be a good time to get rid of the ol’ thang.

so yeah. i guess better late than dead.

too dark?

well my guts hurt sooooo i think i have a hall pass.

but really. it totally sucked. i was experiencing some pain, went to the hospital, was discharged with passing a kidney stone, went back the next day and then voila. an appendix that decided to have some guests permanently over. Which in turn, caused some major discomfort. Doc concluded that it was just a matter of time on when the appendix would actually become appendicitis and we didn’t want to chance myself traveling, or being in a position where I couldn’t get to a hospital quick enough.

so yeah. that’s my story.

but NOW. its been one week post surgery and after feeling like a corpse filled with some Co2,  i’m starting to feel more like a deflated human again! and better yet… my appetite is back!

so long weight loss, you were completely unexpected, and TOTALLY wanted, but lezbehonest. i cannot maintain you without wanting to put my hand into a garbage disposal. so farewell.

okay too graphic. and sort of a lie. because i’ve already started to eat MUCH better since this whole process began a couple of weeks back. i’ve pretty much cut out all breads/pastas/baked goods and have reserved those for special occasions. and sugar, i’ve really lowered my intake.

so why bother if it was just an appendix? oh i don’t know, life. being that i was forced into a detox because at first i wasn’t sure what was going on, it has allowed my body to feel like mine again…. if that makes any sense at all? i feel more in control with my cravings and have finally been able to manage the cravings when they actually do come.

so i feel prettyyyyy optimistic about this change. tbd. let’s roll with it for now.

and because this was my first meal back in the kitchen, why wouldn’t i cook with butternut squash? only my last three recipes have been squash related so that’s not like an overkill or anything…

((insert eye roll here))

Twice Baked Butternut Squash Boats with Ham & Leeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe notes:

All you have to do is cut the squash in half. So make sure your knife is sharp. Again. We don’t want to lose a finger over food, that would be such a poor excuse for a discarded limb.

I DO use 1 1/2 tbsp of butter & 1 tbsp of heavy cream. That means only 2 tbsp of ‘not the most diet friendly’ ingredients but it’s for a large portion, so basically only a small amount of tbsp of each per serving. You picking up what I’m putting down? It isn’t much. But it really does make this taste sinfully rich without doing a lot. HOWEVER. if that bothers you. replace the butter with olive oil and the heavy cream with greek yogurt. ya dig?

And the egg, it helps give the texture a little more of a custardy vibe. it’s incredibly subtle, but i love.

gruyere cheese: super tasty and super melty = yay.

TOPPINGS: easy. honestly i just bought a ham steak and diced it up. this is also great for any meat that you have left over (preferably in the pig department, salty works best).

also a meal under 400 calories. bring on the wine!

 

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Twice Baked Butternut Squash Boats with Ham & Leeks
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4
  • Serving size: 1 half
  • Calories: 384
  • Fat: 21.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.2g
  • Fiber: 4.6g
  • Protein: 23.2g
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Save Print
butternut squash baked and then baked again with a healthy yet creamy squash filling topped with ham and leeks makes for the perfect comfort meal and under 400 calories. Gluten free!
Ingredients
  • 2 butternut squash, cut in half length wise, seeds/guts removed
  • 1½ tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 2 leeks, sliced into rings and halved
  • 2 cups diced ham steak (or thick cut ham)
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. First preheat your oven to 425.
  2. Next line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place cut and scooped squash face down onto paper. Bake for 45 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375.
  3. When squash is cool enough to handle carefully scoop out the flesh of the squash being careful to leave the skin intact. Place the flesh into a large bowl.
  4. Next add 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp heavy cream, 1 egg, ¾ cup gruyere cheese, 1 tsp garlic powder and ½ tsp cumin to the squash.
  5. Using a handheld electric mixer, or immersion blender (though you may do this by hand if necessary) blend until contents are all mixed together and squash becomes a fluffy puree
  6. Evenly distribute the squash puree back into the butternut squash skin. Sprinkle with remaining gruyere cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Next place back into oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Remove when done.
  8. While twice baked squash is finishing baking in a medium pan over medium high heat add ½ tbsp butter. Add your leeks & ham and saute for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
  9. Sprinkle leeks & ham over squash boats and serve with salt & pepper.