Carrot Zucchini Almond Muffins

I revamped this recipe over at Project Little Smith to make it a little healthier, more portion friendly and portable!

2 c. Trader Joe's White Whole Wheat Flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 c. Truvia sugar blend

4 egg whites

2 tbsp. Land O Lakes whipped butter, melted

3 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ripe medium banana, smashed

1 c. grated carrots

2 c. grated zucchini

1/8 c. sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, Truvia blend, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, vanilla, mashed banana, unsweetened applesauce and melted butter.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three parts, stirring after each addition just to combine. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the grated sliced almonds, carrots and zucchini. Drop by heaping spoonfuls into muffin pans.

Makes 12 muffins. Nutrition: 124 calories, 24g carbs, 2g fat, 4g protein, 4g fat, 2g sugar

Sassy Salsa Chicken and Tamale Pie!

These two recipes come together to make multiple meals... Who doesn't love that!?

CROCKPOT SALSA CHICKEN

3 - 8 oz. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1/2 cup your favorite salsa (I used a basic medium salsa similar to Pace)

1-2 tsp. Goyo Adobo seasoning

Throw all ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7. There is no need to add any additional liquid. Once the chicken is done it will shred easily. Shred chicken and reduce to low or keep warm to let chicken finish soaking up a lot of the sauce. 

Total calories - 780

Now, you can do endless things with this chicken... add it to salad with black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers and onions to make a taco salad... make tacos with corn tortillas, queso fresco, tomatoes and shredded lettuce... add it to this delicious recipe below... the list goes on and on!

CHICKEN TAMALE PIE

First off, I used a Pinterest recipe for making your own vegetarian Amy's Tamale pie as my inspiration. There are several steps in this recipe but I PROMISE it's worth it! 

7 oz. of salsa chicken (from recipe above!)

1/2 zucchini, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4 yellow onion

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1-2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder

1/4 c. water

For topping:

1/2 c. Bob's Red Mill corn grits also known as polenta

1 1/2 c. water

1/3 c. frozen corn (or fresh!)

1/2 tsp. Goya Adobo seasoning 

1/4 tsp. salt

In a sauce pan cook all vegetables in spices and water, cover with lid and let simmer for about 5 minutes until vegetables are cooked. Add in the previously cooked chicken and warm through. 

While veggies are cooking make grits (corn meal) according to package. For this ratio you will bring water to boil, add in the grits, cook on low medium for 5 minutes - stir every minute or so to prevent sticking. After cooking remove from heat, add frozen (no need to cook first) or fresh corn, stir and cover with lid. Let sit for 5 minutes or more to thicken.

In an 8"x8" pan spread out the chicken and veggies filling. Next top with grits mixture and spread out across the top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Turn on broil for 3-5 more minutes or until top is as crusty as you wish. If you wanted to before placing under the broiler you could brush the top with a little melted butter or spray with olive oil. 

This recipe makes 2 hearty servings -  305 calories each.

Top with queso fresco, guacamole, or more salsa!

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce... say what?!

Alright, sometimes Pinterest has some things that sound downright insane... and basically, I want to try most of them out of sheer curiosity.... so when I saw this one I said... SURE! I love cauliflower... I already know it makes pizza crust and "mashed potatoes"... why not sauce?!

You can find the original recipe here at Pinch of Yum.

This is modified a bit for calories and taste adjustments!

CAULIFLOWER BASIL ALFREDO SAUCE

(Chicken, broccoli and mushroom Alfredo with Fettuccine)

3-4 cups raw cauliflower florets

2 cups water or broth

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk

3-4 cloves of garlic

6 basil leaves (fresh) or about 1 tbsp. dried
1 tbsp. grated pecorino romano or Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. corn starch (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Starting with the garlic cloves, slice them and brown them in the olive oil in a sauce pan. Remove from pan and set aside. Boil the cauliflower for 6 minutes or until tender in water or broth. Do not drain. Using a slotted spoon take out half the florets and 1/2 cup of water and place in personal blender - if using a large blender put 1 cup of water, all florets, garlic, cheese and basil into the blender cup. Blend until smooth. If you need it to be thinner, add more water. If you want it thicker return all ingredients to saucepan bring to a boil and add 1 tbsp of cornstarch blended into 1/4 c. cold water (this will add about 30 calories to the whole mix).

Makes 5 - 1/2 cup servings - 35 calories each

Too yummy not to post... AKA Chicky n' Dumplins

Alright, so maybe I DO need to keep up with this blog... for my few loyal followers (I'm sure you're out there, right?! Right?? Bueller?) and also to document my new recipe favorites and failures!

I've said it before but it's worth repeating... Pinterest is my BFF.

I've been trying to create a new budget for our grocery bill because things are going to get even tighter this fall when I reduce my work hours to go back to school full time and get my Masters degree. In the past I've basically just looked through the pantry and come up with things to make with items I already have on hand. However, this tends to lead me into a lot of impulse buying. I still don't really waste food (very rarely!) but I think planning a weekly menu ahead of time will help... and of course, Pinterest has gotten me very inspired.

I've tried a few recent recipes like the ever so popular Cauliflower pizza crust (which was a total flop and never got crispy for me) and a few others that we're delicious such as the Lite Lemon Bars.

Tonight however may be my new favorite go to comfort food recipe!

I'm from the south... we like biscuits and gravy... we like fried chicken (ever heard of KFC?!)... we like anything with a gravy, doughy, battered, coating...

So I searched for a "healthy" chicken n' dumplin's recipe and came across this one... which of course I modified to make lighter and to get a calorie count!

EASY PEASY CHICKY N' DUMPLINS

(Modified from The Country Cook)

10 oz. diced, raw, chicken breast (or rotisserie would be nice here too)

6 oz. diced carrots

1/2 small diced yellow onion

4-5 cups of broth (your choice - I used some bouillon - about 30 calories)

2 cloves minced fresh garlic

2/3 cup frozen peas

1 low sodium chicken gravy packet (I think I used McCormick - about 80 calories)

1 cup cold water (for gravy)

2/3 cup Market Pantry baking mix

1/3 cup warm water (for dumplings)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. thyme

In a large pot or Dutch oven saute the onions, carrots and garlic for several minutes. Next add in broth and bring to boil. Add in chicken breast, reduce to medium and cover while you prepare the gravy. Stir the gravy packet and cold water together and stir into the simmering pot. In a few minutes this will begin to thicken. Now add your peas. While the chicken and veggies are simmering go ahead and stir your warm water with your baking mix. This will form a wet, soft, gooey kind of dough. Drop it by spoonfuls into the rolling mix (mine made about 12 dumplins) reduce heat to medium low and put the lid on. Simmer for about 10 minutes. If you want your "gravy" to be even thicker add a tablespoon of corn starch dissolved in a 1/4 cup of cold water and pour into your boiling pot. 

This hearty meal serves 2. Best thing besides the taste? The nutritional stats!

Per serving: calories: 316, fat 9, carbs 54, protein 28, fiber 6, sugar 11.