Category Archives: Healthy Eats

Late to the Monster Party

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19

I am wayyyy late on the Green Monster bandwagon. I started drinking these about 2 months ago. I had no desire to put kale or spinach in my morning smoothie, but peer pressure took over and made the plunge. Boy, was I missing out!

photo2 Here are my 3 must haves for green smoothies:
1. Always use frozen fruits/greens.
2. Always use bananas – frozen of course.
3. Protein Powder

At the beginning I was using fresh kale, frozen bananas, and assorted fresh fruit. But many a times I had some kale and fruit go bad so I stopped using fresh fruit all together. Now I chop up my fruits and kale on Sunday and throw it in the freezer. This has 2 big benefits…
1. Produce stops going bad.
2. Frozen goodies mean no ice is needed.

Why the banana rule? Frozen bananas add creaminess to the smoothie. They also help with any bitterness from the greens.

For liquids, I almost always use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla. If I run out, I usually use water and plain yogurt.

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Here is the recipe for my version of the perfect Green Monster:
• Equal parts frozen kale, frozen banana, and frozen pineapple
• Almond Milk covering about 2/3 of that mix
• 1 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder (I use Sunwarrior)
• Blend and enjoy!

Do you drink Green Monsters? How do you make yours?

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You Need this Bread

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6

There is a plethora of excellent produce here in Modesto.  That being said, I always buy way too much, especially strawberries.  I also happened to buy zucchini.  I was going to make Zucchini Boats for dinner one night, but we ended up going out that night instead.  The strawberries were quickly deteriorating.  Then I saw this recipe for Zucchini Blueberry Bread and wanted to change it up for what I had on hand. Here is my creation…

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Zucchini Strawberry Walnut Bread
Ingredients
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup non fat plain Greek Yogurt
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini (I peeled mine before shredding)
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pint fresh strawberries, chopped
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, yogurt, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the strawberries and walnuts. Transfer to the prepared pans.
  3. Bake 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe makes 2 loaves, perfect to gift one. You can also cut it into slices and freeze individually.  I’m gonna toast some up this weekend and serve with mascarpone, yum!

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Now I’m off to an exciting weekend ahead!  Wine Festival tomorrow and Chocolate Festival on Sunday.  What are your plans for the weekend?

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It’s Time to Get Stuffed

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10

I had one little lonely eggplant that was calling out for me yesterday.  I could have make eggplant parm, but Jay is the master at that.  I started googling recipes for stuffed eggplant recipes and found Mom’s Stuffed Eggplant by Michael Chiarello.  I made a slightly healthified version of this recipe to cut back on some carbs and extra fat.  The pictures don’t do it any justice.  I was ravenous when I took them and wanted to eat ASAP.  The verdict…DELICIOUS!

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Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 3/4 pound lean ground beef
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, small diced
  • 1 red pepper, small diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, chopped
  • 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, divided
  • 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 chopped tomato

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Boil the scooped-out center part until very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Transfer to a large bowl.

In the same pan, over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onions, peppers and garlic together.

In a bowl mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, cooked beef, herbs, 1/2 cup of the cheese, bread crumbs, and the egg.

Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the 2 halves.

Top with chopped tomato and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese, place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 45 – 50 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool briefly, slice widthwise (or keep it whole if you are hungry!) and serve.

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This recipe was a hit!  Jay and I both agreed I should make it again and again.  Too bad we don’t have any leftovers.

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What’s your favorite “stuffed” food?

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