Rainbow Farfalline with Pulled Chicken and Broccoli

Smaller box of pasta + shredded chicken + LOTS of broccoli =
FULL plate + FULL belly + FULL wallet!

Oh cream sauce, how I love thee! I adore alfredo sauce but it is so buttery and cheesy and nobody ever lost weight on a butter and cheese diet. This was amazing and so easy to make. I made the bulk of it on hold with a company for the bazillionth time.

There's an Italian specialty store near me who sells this rainbow bowtie pasta and I think it's just the cutest thing (I love everything rainbow). However, at $11.99/bag it's just not in my budget and therefore, it's not in my belly! Enter Costco. Costco with all of it's increasing organic selection has started carrying a 2 pack of Torino organic bowtie pasta for $4.99. The 2 pack consists of 8.8 oz boxes, one of which is rainbow striped and the other is solid colored. I had a giant head of broccoli from my D2DO order this week and couldn't wait to use it! Trick your mind into eating a stuffed plate by adding lots of broccoli and shredding the chicken. Plus, the box of pasta is only 8.8oz as opposed to the traditional 16 oz in a standard box.

For this recipe you will need:
2 large split chicken breasts (or about 1 lb chicken)
8 oz pasta (I used Torino organic rainbow farfalline)
4C lowfat milk (I used 1%)
4 Tbsp butter
1/4C grated parmesan
1 large broccoli head (or about 3C florets)
3 cloves garlic

In a large pot, bring 2 garlic cloves and water to a boil. Add chicken breast and boil for approximately 1 hour. Remove from water and set on a plate to cool enough to pull. Set aside.

In another large pot (unless you wash out the first, which I did) bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Make sure there is enough water as we will be adding the broccoli to the water eventually as well. Bring remaining clove of garlic and water to a boil. Add pasta. Pasta will need to cook for 10-12 minutes, so while there is roughly 5-7 minutes left, add the broccoli (depending if you used florets or if you used stalks as well. less time for florets).

In a smaller pot, melt butter and whisk in 2 Tbsp flour (I used King Arthur Organic). Once it is whisked to a pasty consistency, SLOWLY whisk in milk and simmer on a medium/low heat, stirring frequently. Mixture will thicken as it increases in temperature. Add 1/4C parmesan and whisk to melt and incorporate. I love giving it a final combover with my immersion blender. It makes everything super smooth and consistent.

This makes roughly 6 servings.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 409
Fat: 15
Carbs: 41
Dietary Fiber: 1
Sugar: 2
Protein: 27

Adapted Berry Pudding Cake

My mother has been a diabetic since she was about 45 years old. Recently, she subscribed to "Diabetic Living" magazine. I really like the recipes that they have because they seem to use real, whole ingredients. I think in reality, we can eat anything that we want, in moderation. I also think eating foods that our bodies were made to process as opposed to synthetic dyes, flavors and ingredients is a much better choice when faced with a plethora of cooking options. The original recipe can be found here. I love this because the end result is less than an inch of cake amidst a bunch of colorful berries. It's just sweet enough and doesn't leave you feeling like you missed out on dessert.
My version is as follows (which isn't that much different, but a few tweaks were done):

1/4C sugar
1/2C coconut flour
2 large eggs
1C almond milk
dash salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
Mixed berries - I only used about 2C as opposed to the 3C in the original
-4 large strawberries, sliced
-1/2 pt blueberries
-about 15 raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat  sugar, salt, eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and vanilla in a medium bowl. Set aside. Grease (non-stick spray, coconut oil, etc) a baking dish (I used my 8 inch round corning ware dish), and sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on the bottom. Layer raspberries and blueberries on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1/2 mixture on top and spread evenly. Layer sliced strawberries on top of batter. Pour and spread remaining batter on top of the strawberries and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 120
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 17g
Protein: 4g
Sugar: 12g
Fiber: 4g

Naan Veggie Boards with Avocado Sauce

You can add some shredded
mozzarella, too!

Happy New Year! I took a break from blogging, because frankly, with the holidays, I took a break from cooking *hangs head in shame*. So now it's all about "new year, new me" blah blah and I've resumed my place in the kitchen. I had a leftover avocado and for some reason everytime I eat them outright, it makes me violently ill. I'm not sure if my lack of gallbladder can't handle the fat, but I hate to waste them and the nutritional benefits are stellar. I decided to make a sauce out of the one I had. You can top this with whatever veggies you want. For this one I used red pepper, green, pepper, onion and broccoli. Honestly, the hardest part of this is making the sauce, which takes all of 5 minutes. This makes 3 veggies boards.

You will need:
1 medium avocado
1 Tbsp tomato paste
Juice from 1/2 lime (about 1 Tbsp)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
3 Naan flatbreads
Assorted Vegetables for the topping
1 Tbsp grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 and "bake" flatbread for about 8 minutes or until slightly firm.

In a skillet, sauté veggies until they are about 1/3 to 1/2 cooked. Then remove from heat. I prefer them a little on the crispy side.

In a food processor, blend avocado, tomato paste, lime juice, and garlic. Mixture will be the consistency of mayonnaise. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir. Spread over the flatbread and top with veggies. For 3 flatbreads, I thinly sliced 1/2 each red pepper, green pepper and yellow onion. I also used 1 medium head of organic broccoli I had in my Door to Door Organics* order. Sprinkle with 1/2 - 3/4 Tbsp grated parmesan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Each flatbread contains approximately:
Calories: 643
Fat: 28g
Carbs: 83g
Protein: 19g
Fiber: 12g
Sugar: 10g

*I am able to send out about 5 coupons per month to try them out (I think they are for $15 off a box). I've been ordering from them for about a year now and really have loved everything I have gotten. I cannot wait until peach season! If you want one, just send me your e-mail and I can send one  to you.

Easy-Peasy Pickles!

6 ingredient pickles! So easy!

I really haven't blogged in forever and for that I apologize. Summer came and went and we are amidst the ever-decreasing temperatures of fall in NJ. I bought a few organic cucumbers the other day and after visiting my parent's house yesterday found myself with a bunch of dill. Of course I could always dry it out and add it to salmon dishes or make some dill butter, but instead, I'd rather take a stab at some fresh pickles. I've also been pinning myself to death on Pinterest, and looking at all of the cute holiday DIY projects out there has me a bit inspired. So many are fat and sugar laden and while these contain both sugar and salt, they're not as horrible for you as the 500 cookies and gallon of eggnogg (cocktails?) that will be staring you in the face this holiday season. You could very easily dress these up with some raffia or ribbon with a tag that says "Happy Holi-dills".

With that being said, I present you with my pickles. I won't be able to eat these for a few days because they need to "marinate" but this is how I made them. I will update this post in a few days and let you know how they came out!

You will need:
1 qt mason jar
1/3 C white vinegar
2 C total of water - 6 oz of which came from the Keurig
a handful of fresh dill
1 garlic clove, quartered
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 C sugar

In a bowl, combine sugar, salt and garlic.Slice a large cucumber into 1/2" slices. I use organic cucumbers, so I don't peel them, however, if they were not, I would peel the outer skin off. Add 6 oz of hot water (small Keurig setting) and stir to melt the sugar and salt. Add vinegar. After it is mixed well (about a minute in) add 10 oz COLD water. You want the sugar/salt water to be cool enough as to not "cook" the pickles.

In a 1 quart mason jar, place fresh dill at the bottom and then placed the sliced cucumbers on top. Pour liquid mixture over the cucumbers, seal the lid tightly and shake a bit to incorporate the cucumbers, dill and liquid. Let sit, refrigerated for a few days (I would say 3 minimum) to absorb the flavors. Each day, turn the jar upside down and right side back up again to mix up the flavors.

Have you ever made your own pickles? Do you add different flavors such as lemon or Old Bay seasoning? Post in the comments below!

Panko-Crusted, Seasoned Chicken Balls with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce

Just the right amount of sweet + heat!

A few weeks ago, I was in the grocery store when I came across Blue Dragon's sweet chili dipping sauce. The color reminded me of the mango dipping sauce that accompanies our West-Indian conch fritters that we love so much when we're on the "rock". Then I remembered, that there is a restaurant where I had a similar sweet chili sauce that calamari was tossed in and I loved it. This particular sauce has just the right balance of sweet and heat; it's just enough to give it a little tang but not so hot that you need to frantically drink your entire glass of water without coming up for air.

I love meatballs but since they're usually so high in fat, I decided to make a new version of chicken meatballs. I still wanted them to have that island flare, so instead of using the traditional "meatball spices" of oregano, basil, etc., I decided to make it very, very simple. The meat itself only had about 1 Tbsp of Cruz Bay grill rub from St. John Spice that we purchased on our most recent trip to STJ. If you have never been there or are planning on visiting St. Thomas, I'd highly recommend hopping on a 15 minute ferry ride and paying that store a visit. I have no words for the coffee and teas. They're just household staples.

This "recipe" was very simple. It makes roughly 30 meatballs. I sauteed some fresh yellow squash from the garden to accompany the meatballs and my toddler loved them.

1 package of Perdue ground chicken (1lb)
1 package of Perdue ground chicken breast (1lb)
1 XL egg
1 Tbsp Cruz Bay Grill Rub
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp lemon zest OR McCormick Lemon Pepper Grinder (to taste)
1C Panko crumbs, for rolling

Mix everything EXCEPT the panko crumbs together in a bowl. Since I didn't use breadcrumbs to dry out the chicken and make it more manageable to form into balls, the mixture is pretty soft.  I spooned by tablespoonful into my thumbs and formed as best of a ball as I could. I then rolled them into the panko crumbs and shaped as needed, forming a ball that's about 1.5" in diameter. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes for until no longer pink in center.

For the sauce:
1/3 C Sweet Thai Chili dipping Sauce (I used Blue Dragon brand)
2 Tbsp water
Whisk together water and sauce and heat in a saucepan until bubbly. Toss cooked chicken meatballs in a large bowl with sauce.

Each 1.5" meatball yields approxmimately:
Calories: 55
Fat: 1.69g
Carbs: 3.2g
Protein: 7.1g

*Note*
Spices were not added to nutritional information.

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

Make the most of summer vegetables
with this easy side dish!

I love summer and all of the vegetables that the garden brings. Here is an easy appetizer or side dish that you can prepare ahead of time and pop back in the oven to reheat or you can freeze between layers of wax, parchment or freezer paper to use during the off season.

Zucchini Potato Pancakes

1 large zucchini (about 3C shredded)
2 medium potatoes (about 1.5C shredded)
2 eggs
1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1 tsp ground black pepper (again, more or less to taste)
1/2 small onion, grated or finely chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 C seasoned bread crumbs

With a grater, shred potatoes and zucchini into a bowl. Dump out the bowl over a cheesecloth (this is the easiest way) and squeeze out to drain excess water, then place back into the bowl. I have done this with the cloth and drained nearly 1C of excess liquid from the vegetables. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, salt, pepper and onion. Add to shredded zucchini and potatoes. Add breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly. In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil and drop by spoonfuls. Flatten out to form pancake shape. this recipe yields approximately 12 2-3" "pancakes".

In each "pancake":
Total Calories: 69
Fat: 2.2g
Carbs: 10.3g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4g
Sugar: 1.4g
Protein: 2.6g

Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Ravioli with Mushrooms & Tomato

I'm a huge fan of a meal I can whip up in 10 minutes or less that packs a flavorful punch but doesn't destroy my "belly budget" for the day. Sunday was the first time I had ever stepped into a Trader Joe's and I'm sorry I haven't been to one sooner. One of the products I had picked up (and loved!) was the goat cheese and sun-dried tomato ravioli. They were about $3.49 and in the refrigerated section. There are 3 servings (or roughly 21 pieces)  per package. Fresh ravioli takes so little time to cook, so I like to use it whenever possible.


You will need:

1 8 oz package mushrooms
2 medium sized tomatoes
2 Tbsp whipped cream cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of sugar
dusting of salt
lemon-pepper seasoning
1 package Trader Joe's goat cheese & sun-dried tomato ravioli.

Bring water to a boil in saucepan and cook ravioli according to package directions. While they are cooking, chop tomatoes & mushrooms and sautee in olive oil. Add whipped cream cheese and stir with a spatula to melt and incorporate. Season to taste, using lemon-pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar. The sugar will remove some of the acidity in the the tomatoes. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Each serving contains about 1 C of sauce, tomato and mushroom mixture and 7 ravioli (there are roughly 21 in the package). Makes 3 servings.

Each serving contains approximately:
Calories: 374
Fat: 21.75g
Carbs: 34.03g
Protein: 12.39g