Crock-Pot Teriyaki Chicken

When our oven caught on fire right before Christmas and was out of commission for about a week, I dug around for some spectacular crock-pot recipes that I could cook, save some time, and get around not having an oven.

I found quite a few recipes that are fantastic and are definitely going in my go to meal planning because they are quick, easy, and most importantly, healthy! Isn't it nice to have minimal prep, set your crock-pot, then come home to a hot meal ready for you? I know I love it!

This teriyaki chicken recipe was one of the ones that I found, and love!

Be sure to try this recipe out for yourself, you could serve it over hot brown rice, or even some zucchini noodles!

Ingredients
Medium to large bag of carrots
1 onion cut into large chunks
4 garlic cloves
2 cups of fresh cut pineapple (or two cans undrained)
*1 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce (about one regular sized bottle)
4 chicken breasts

Directions
Combine all ingredients in your crock-pot, cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, then serve over hot brown rice or zucchini noodles!

*If you are freezing your crock-pot meal before use, split between two bags, and only use 1 cup of teriyaki sauce, then add the additional 1/4 cup when you are cooking it.

And it's as simple as that! Honestly, it doesn't get much easier. Prep time is minimal, and you come home to a hot, healthy meal! Who is going to give this a try?

Veggie Pad Thai

Ever since I tasted Pad Thai on the streets of Bangkok, I was in love. I paid about 50 cents for a whopping portion of pure amazing noodle-ness. Sprinkled with spice, crunchy peanuts and sometimes little dried shrimp (those weren't my favorite). But this week I decided to bring Thailand here for a little experiment and make my own veggie Pad Thai inspired dish!

The result was super easy, and super delicious! You could throw in whatever you want as well and make your own veggie combo. I just happened to use some of the veggies we love most and it turned out great!

Veggie Pad Thai

Ingredients
-Package of Whole Wheat or Gluten Free noodles (or your noodle of choice, rice noodles are fun, or spaghetti squash if you want a ton of veggie servings!)
- 2 tsp cooking oil
-1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
-1/2 an onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-1 cup of fresh sprouts
- 1/3 cup of chopped green onion
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
- Store made Thai peanut sauce (or you can make your own with a 1/3 cup peanut butter, thin out with soy sauce- start with 2 Tbsp. Thin further with coconut milk- start with 3 Tbsp. Taste test from there. Add in a sprinkling of crushed red pepper and sesame seeds)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame seeds (plus a few extras for garnish)

Directions
1. In large pot, bring water to a rolling boil and add your pasta to cook.
2. Heat your cooking oil in a large skillet
3. Sautee your onion until translucent, add in garlic and sautee for a minute, until fragrant.
4. Add in all of your other chopped veggies- broccoli, peppers, and green onion, and sprouts.
5. Sprinkle and mix in your sesame seeds and let the whole mixture cook over medium to medium high heat for 5 minutes, until veggies begin to get tender.
6. After pasta is done, drain and add into the veggie mixture.
7. Add your homemade or store bought peanut sauce on top, add cilantro and mix together.
8. Divide up, garnish with sesame seeds, a few chopped green onions, and even a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
9. Dig in and ENJOY!

You could even add in cooked chicken that has been chopped up, or cook up some tofu and add that in as well! The possibilities are endless.

So I want to hear from you! Have you ever had Pad Thai?

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Fall is in full motion here in Georgia. The trees are starting to turn slight hues of yellow and branches of red are shooting out. The air is staying cooler, and drizzly, rainy days just make you want to curl up in front of the fire with a cup of tea. And, the grocery stores and markets are filling up with some delicious food…squash!

Honestly I have never had much experience with squash until the beginning of this year. I wasn’t sure how to prepare it, what you do with it once it was cooked, or what it really tasted like. Well I have since broken that streak and absolutely love squash, and am trying all kinds of varieties now!

My most recent squash experiment…stuffed acorn squash! And boy, was it good! It’s a super simple recipe, so give it a whirl and see what you think for yourself!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

2 medium acorn squashes

½ cup of water

1 lb ground turkey

2 tsp cooking oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp basil

1 tsp sage

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

¾ cup of milk

1 cup of shredded cheese (we used cheddar)

Garlic powder, black pepper to taste

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.     Cut your acorn squashes in half, scoop out all of the seeds and place face down in a baking dish. Pour water into the dish, and cook for 40-50 minutes until the squash is tender.

3.     While the squash is cooking, heat your cooking oil over medium high heat. Add your chopped onions and sautee until they become translucent.

4.     Add your minced garlic and sautee for one minute or until fragrant.

5.     Cook your ground turkey until browned and cooking all the way through, adding your pepper, garlic powder, sage, paprika and basil.

6.     When your turkey has finished cooking, lower heat to medium low, and add your flour. Stir until incorporated on the turkey, then add your milk.

7.     Stir mixture until it is all combined and thickened.

8.     Remove your squash and turn upright. Fill each cavity with the turkey mixture, then top with ¼ cup of cheese each.

9.     Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is beginning to brown.

10. Remove and enjoy this yummy fall entrée!

This is a recipe that you can absolutely make your own. You could use ground buffalo instead of turkey, or stuff it with vegetables and quinoa. Try your own favorites in there and give it a go!

What’s your favorite thing to stuff squash with?

Pumpkin Oat Muffins

What is it about fall that captivates us and drives us to eat and drink everything pumpkin? Is it the lovely orange color that draws our eye? Or perhaps the delightful aroma of pumpkin seeds toasting in the oven, or wafting from a hot pumpkin spice latte. Let’s face it, we are obsessed with pumpkin in the fall.

So, I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and find a great pumpkin oatmeal muffin recipe. My husband is a die hard muffin fan, as well as a huge pumpkin fan, so I wanted to combine the two for one epic muffin.

I found a basic pumpkin oatmeal muffin recipe and tweaked it to make it our own. Check it out here and get to bakin’!

Pumpkin Oat Muffin

Ingredients

2 cups of rolled oats

1 ½ cups of milk

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or flour of your choice)

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp allspice

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin

½ cup honey

Optional add ins of chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, etc

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin (for bigger muffins, or you can make 24 not as tall muffins)

3. In a medium bowl, mix your oats an milk, then set aside for ten minutes.

4. Get a large bowl and combine all of your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and spices), and create a well in the middle.

5. In a smaller bowl, combine your pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and honey. Stir until blended.

6. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients, stir until combined, but don’t over mix! Get all of the ingredients moist, it may still be lumpy.

7. Fill your muffin tin or tins, bake 16-18 minutes. Test with a knife or toothpick in the center to see if it comes out clean.

8. Remove muffins and place on a cooling rack.

9. Enjoy with your favorite fall beverage!

There you have it folks, a delightfully simple, delicious pumpkin oatmeal muffin recipe. Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe? Share below!

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

One of my favorite crunchy veggies to snack on has to be red bell peppers! Get a little hummus in there, and you're set! But, red bell peppers are not only for snacking. You can make a great dinner and meal with these vibrant, red beauties, and it's a lot simpler than you would think.

I've made several variations of stuffed bell peppers, but this has to be one of my favorite so far. It's simple, and I love the combination of veggies that I used. That being said, you can also switch up your stuffing to whatever you want! Really it is quite versatile, and you can substitute different veggies for the ones your family likes.

Let's take a look at this simple, healthy recipe!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
2 red bell peppers
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 medium to large zucchini, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp cooking oil
Pepper, paprika, garlic powder and basil to taste
1 cup of parmesan, mozzarella, or pepper jack cheese (shredded)

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the tops off of your bell peppers, remove the insides and slice in half long ways.
3. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. While peppers are in the oven, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
5. Once the oil is hot, add in your chopped onions and sautee until slightly translucent. Add your garlic, sautee for one minute.
6. Add your 1/2 lb of ground turkey, season lightly with pepper, paprika, garlic powder and a few small pinches of basil. Cook until browned and cooked through.
7. Add in your chopped zucchini, cook until slightly soft (about 5 minutes).
8. Divide up between the bell peppers, top with your cheese.
9. Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese starts to melt and brown/bubble.
10. Enjoy! You can even top it with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, and your favorite hot sauce. Yum!

Some other ways that you can switch this up, you can add in cooked quinoa, brown rice, chopped green peppers, shredded carrots, the possibilities are endless!

Banana Ice Cream

Who knew that bananas could be so versatile and delicious? You can make pancakes with them, cupcakes, cookies, breads, muffins, and I’m sure a plethora of other goodies I have no idea about. But, my latest discovery and experiment was quite tasty.

Banana ice cream.

And really, it could not be simpler. You can of course add your own flair to it, but the base of it is practically fool proof. So grab a few bananas, peel away, and get ready to have your mind blown by deliciousness! (And it’s a healthy treat, too!)

Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients (For two larger bowls or 4 smaller bowls)

4 peeled bananas

Optional topping and mix in ideas:

Chocolate chips

Dried cranberries

Peanut butter

Shredded coconut

Chopped nuts

…really the possibilities are endless, depending on what you like!

Directions

1.     Peel the bananas and place them in a freezer container, or freezer Ziploc bags

2.     Freeze for at least 6 hours (I would recommend just putting them in the night before so you don’t have to worry). If they are not frozen all the way through, the consistency of the ice cream will be soupy and not as good. You want these bad boys FROZEN.

3.     Place in a food processor, give it a whir until it starts to take the consistency of ice cream (maybe a minute or so). If you are using any mix ins (peanut butter, etc) add them in, too!

4.     Divide into bowls, top as desired, and enjoy!

As you can see, this recipe really can be so versatile and you can add exactly what you want to your banana ice cream. Super delicious, and you get some fruit in there as well! Not a bad deal at all.

Does anyone else have any stellar banana recipes to share?

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Who has ever just had a hankering for macaroni and cheese that just wouldn't quit? I must admit, that I am guilty! I LOVE mac and cheese. There's just something familiar, warm, and comforting about it. But, while I do enjoy an indulgence every once in a while on my journey towards health, mac and cheese just isn't all that healthy as is.

So I wanted to find a way to make it healthier so we could still enjoy this treat from time to time. Oh boy, did I find a delicious revamp of this tasty classic! And it uses one of my new favorite ingredients- cauliflower!

Did you know that cauliflower packs a powerful nutrition punch? Check out just a few of it's benefits!

(photo courtesy of Pinterest)

And what if you don't really like cauliflower? Well, good news, you can't really tell that it's in this recipe of mac and cheese! So you can also use this to sneak in some extra servings of veggies for your kids or husbands, or yourself!

Alright, so here's the digs on our Revamped Cauliflower Mac and Cheese! It's super easy, and insanely delicious!

Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (makes 2 larger servings or 4 smaller servings)

Ingredients 
1 head of cauliflower
3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 an onion
Salt, lemon pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Your choice of pasta (whole wheat is best!)

Instructions
1. Boil two pots of water, one for the cauliflower, one for the pasta. 

2. Cut cauliflower into floret pieces. 

3. Cook both in a rolling boil until tender. Note that the cauliflower may take a few minutes longer than the pasta, so adjust your timing accordingly.

4. Drain and set aside.
5. Place cauliflower, yogurt and onion (you don't need to cut very small) into the food processor. Blend for about a minute, until it starts becoming smooth.

6. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and seasoning into the food processor, blend another minute until it is all smooth and incorporated.
7. Put over your pasta, and enjoy! 

Now, for some variations, if you want to get your protein in, blacken, grill, or bake some chicken seasoned with paprika, salt and pepper, cut into strips and have it on top of your pasta!

If you want to get even more extra servings of veggies in, switch your pasta out for cooked spaghetti squash! It's one of my favorite new veggies as well. It looks like pasta and tastes amazing. 

You can also roast some cauliflower separately seasoned with paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil, and serve it over your pasta! Mix all the seasoning and oil with cauliflower in a bowl, roast in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes or until it is cooked through and looking nice and tasty! 

Let me know what you think of this recipe! I am going to be doing a series of recipes this week and sharing them with you all, so comment below with any kind of recipe you are curious about making a healthier version of! 

What recipe would you love to make healthier? Comment below! It could be my next feature!