Let's Eat

July 4
Health[ier] Red White and Blueberry Trifle
Seeing as it's Independence Day, I thought it appropriate to make the below version of a flag cake.  I've always loved them growing up but have never tried it.  It's super easy and super yummy.  I grabbed what I could remember at the grocery store and unfortunately didn't grab enough strawberries, blueberries or cool whip for what the recipe called for but it still came out looking great.  Although it isn't the healthiest thing you can eat, it's definitely a healthier version.  

Here's the recipe I used from Skinny Taste.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I've never been steered wrong with this website.  They have some pretty amazing stuff and I'll try just about anything they post.

May 15
Skinny Bruschetta Grilled Chicken with Rice & Asparagus

This was such an awesome quick and easy recipe that I found on skinnytaste.com. This website has never let me down and always has some great recipes/ideas.  I amended this recipe slightly to the below:

Vine Ripe Tomatoes       3 ea
Red Onion                      1/2 cup
Garlic                              3 cloves
Balsamic Vinegar            1 TBL
Olive Oil                          1 TBL
Basil                                2 tsp
Organic Chicken Breast  4 ea
Fresh Mozzarella      
Salt & Pepper to taste  

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Dice red onion and mix with oil and vinegar in a bowl.  Set to the side.
3. Dice tomatoes and add to onion mixture.
4. Mince garlic and add to tomatoes and onions. (I let this set for about an hour but the instructions say at least 10 min up to overnight)
5. Pound the chicken breasts flat (between two sheets of wax paper, using a meat tenderizer) so they measure about 1/2" thick
6. Place chicken breast on parchment-lined cookie sheet
7. Sprinkle chicken breast with salt and pepper and spread basil on top of chicken breast (I used a chopped basil spread because for whatever reason, my grocery store wasn't carrying fresh basil and the basil I'm growing isn't mature enough to use.  I think by putting it on the chicken early, the meat was able to absorb some of the flavor.  If you prefer to use fresh, the instructions said to chop it up finely and put in the tomato/onion mixture)
8. Bake the chicken for approximately 15 minutes
9. Add the diced mozzarella to the tomato/onion mixture and place on top of the chicken
10. Continue cooking the chicken for 3-5 minutes.

Pair with your favorite side dishes.  Happy eating!
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April 24

I've been on the look out for a healthy stuffed peppers recipe and have tried Quinoa stuffed and most recently this recipe for ground turkey and rice stuffed peppers.  It was definitely good and felt like a light dish but I think it's missing something (maybe some cayenne pepper).  I also highly recommend including at least an 8oz can of tomato sauce instead of the 1/4 cup it called for.

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April 16

Like many people, I feel like my family is stuck in a rut with eating the same meals week after week and I decided to take a challenge to create something new each week (and sometimes more often than that!), whether snack or meal, to mix it up a little.  Especially now that the weather is getting warmer, I've been into eating lighter and healthier foods.  Last night I made granola and topped strawberries/blueberries and lowfat vanilla yogurt with it.  YUM...to die for.

I used this recipe as a base but changed it up a little to suit my family's taste.  I decided to leave out the oat bran, sunflower seeds, pecans and walnuts and halved the recipe (and that still yielded 2 tupperware containers full).  I also just used dried cranberries and not the raisins.