Tag Archives: healthy dinner

Green Veggie Strata

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Life keeps going, and with it more choices. When there is less time, and more options sometimes it is best to head back to what has worked in the past. There is no need to reinvent the wheel everyday.

When it comes to eating mindfully, a good protein and carb combo, with veggies keep my husband and I  functioning throughout the week with clear heads. So it’s back to more spinach and broccoli for us, but really any veggies of the season or craving can be substituted.

One thing to note, this requires refrigeration over night to allow the bread to soak up the liquid. Great to make on a Sunday night, then heat up on Monday after work.

Green Veggie Strata

Adapted from Eating Well and Smitten Kitchen

spinach broccoli strata2

 

Serves 6-8
Ingredients

* 12 ounce package spinach, Wilted
1 chopped Onion
1 head of chopped broccoli
3 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 cups cubed Bread- Your favorite
6 oz Mozeralla Cheese
12 oz Ricotta Cheese
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 3/4 cups Almond milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Remove excess liquid from wilted Spinach and set aside.

2. Sautée onion and garlic in coconut oil in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in broccoli. Then, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 2-3 minutes. Last, stir in Spinach until combined. Turn off heat.

3. Layer 1/3 of bread cubes on the bottom of baking dish. Top with vegetable mixture. Then top this with 1/3 of cheese combination. Repeat this layering 2 more times.

4. Whisk together milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Place covered strata in your refrigerator for at least 8 hours to allow the bread to soak up the liquid.

5. The next day, Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove strata from refrigerator, and allow it to warm to room temperature- about 30 minutes. Bake the strata, uncovered, until golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry

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In the middle of Winter I always crave a little reminder of warmth, even if I do live in Southern California. So, a meal with Pineapple does the trick. This easy recipe from The Healthy Foodie also fits the bill perfectly since I’m in the middle of Yoga Teacher Training and time is limited.

You are definitely getting bang for you buck here in terms of nutrition per bite. Plus, this adaptable meal is quick with a burst of Tropics. Due to time, I cheated and used Trader Joe’s chopped Broccoli, and Stir Fry Veggie mixture (two separate mixtures). Also, for taste I added Garlic and Barely for a carb. Check out The Healthy Foodie for many more creative recipes and beautiful pictures. Whenever I’m not sure what to cook or bake, I always find something on her site.

Pineapple Shrimp Stir fry adapted from The Healthy Foodie

Serves 3-4, Cook and Prep Time: 20-30 Minutes

shrimp pineapple stirfry2Ingredients
14 Large Cooked Shrimp shelled
1/2 small Onion chopped
1 container of Trader Joe’s sliced Pineapple
1 Bag of Trader Joe’s sliced Broccoli Mixture
1 Container of Trader Joe’s Stir Fry Vegetable Mixture
3 Garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Directions
1. Cook 1 cup of Barely according to directions.
2. In non stick pan heat 1 Tbsp of coconut oil over Medium heat. Add garlic, and onion. Cook until Onion is translucent, 5-6 minutes.
3. Add in both Trader Joe’s Veggie Mixtures and Soy Sauce, keep heat on Medium, cook until Veggies are Soften 2-3 minutes.
4. Add ginger, Pineapple and cooked Shrimp to Veggies, cooking until warm.
5. Add a scoop of cooked barely to plate, top with Shrimp Veggie Mixture.

Quinoa Goat Cheese Risotto

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This year has started off fast and furious, with some great changes. As Sean and I adapt to the changes in schedules we look for easy, nutritious meals that will get us through the week. This Quinoa Risotto is definitely a perfect fit, especially since it includes my favorite veggie, Spinach.

A friend referred me to Cooking Quinoa site awhile back, and I am glad I finally reopened that bookmark. This meal takes under an hour, and you can make it in a large quantity for the whole week. Plus, it has so many nutrients, protein and little fat to keep you full for a long time.

Quinoa Goat Cheese Risotto from Cooking Quinoa

goat cheese quinoa risotto2

Since I didn’t make any changes to her fabulous recipe,  I will just refer you to her site Cooking Quinoa.

Eggplant Alfredo with Soba Noodles

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No matter if we are moms, our work profession, our activity level or sport of choice we all need to refuel. Everyday.

Now I’m not a nutritionist, but I do know what we choose to refuel with effects everything. This I have experienced through trial and error, and well, just life. The holidays are always a good reminder to me of how sluggish I feel when I overeat, or make poor food choices.

Winter is challenging though. For me, when it’s colder I crave more “comfort” heavy type foods. When I saw this alternative for a Alfredo sauce on Florida Coastal Cooking I thought I would give it a whirl. Click on the link to view the original recipe.

Ends of being a perfect Winter meal for Sean and I. The Soba noodles were delicious with tons of nutrients to keep us moving. We just made small changes, such as swapping brown rice noodles for Soba, and adding Soy Sauce.

Eggplant Alfredo with Soba Noodles

eggplant sobaIngredients
2 cups shelled peas
8 oz Soba Noodle
2 small egglplant chopped
1 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
5 cups spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients
2 Cups Almond milk
1/2 cup Vegan mozzarella shreds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions
1. Cook Soba Noodles according to directions, drain when cooked and set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking heat 1 Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and onion, cook and stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.
3. Lower heat, add garlic and cook for additional 2 minutes. Then stir in spinach, until wilted. Add in peas and Soba noodles.
4. Pour milk, cheese, soy sauce and yeast into warm Soba noodle pot. Reheat over medium heat until just bubbling, stirring frequently until thickened, 5-10 mintues. Pour over pasta mixture.

Southwestern Pasta

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Comfort foods begin their siren song during the colder time of year. However, most of these heavy dishes slow you down with fat. I had booked marked this alternative from Bake Your Day for when a craving for a creamy sauce hit.

She creatively swaps the heavy fattening cream for high protein Greek Yogurt. Due to my husband’s request, I added olives for a healthy fat. One other addition, was Chili Powder for an extra kick.

The result is a filling, comforting dish that won’t weigh you down during this Holiday season.

Southwestern Alfredo Adapted from Bake Your Day

Ingredients
8 ounce Brown Rice Pasta
1 Onion chopped
3 Garlic Cloves minced
6 ounce chopped Chiles
4 ounce chopped Olives
15 ounce corn
1 Tbsp olive oil

Creamy Sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili powder
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tbs. Tomato Paste

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to directions. Reserve 1/4 cup of liquid. Set noodles aside when done.
2. In separate bowl combine ingredients for Creamy Sauce and set aside.
3. In large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add Onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
4. When onion is translucent, lower heat, and add garlic, corn, chiles and olives and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add noodles to onion mixture. Add creamy sauce mixture, and stir until well combined and heated through 5-6 minutes.
6. Scoop into bowls.