Category Archives: recipe

Entrees, Soups and Stews

Albondigas Soup (Meatball Soup)

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It’s (kindof) soup weather in Vegas! It’s still really warm, but it’s been gloomy out and raining all day. All I’ve wanted to do today is come home and curl up on the couch with a blanket, soup, and my husband to watch How I Met Your Mother. Now that I’m getting home from work earlier, I actually have time to cook AND relax! It’s pretty great. Here’s what I think is one of the BEST soups I’ve ever had! It has so much flavor and it comes together quickly. Give it a try! (This recipe is my healthier adaptation of a recipe on food.com)
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Ingredients:
(for the meatballs)
– 3/4 lb lean ground turkey
– 1/4 lb raw chorizo (pork or beef)
– 1 egg
– 2 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
– 1 finely grated carrot
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp black pepper

(for the soup)
– 1 tbs olive oil
– 1 cup diced celery
– 1 cup diced onion
– 6 cups low sodium beef broth
– 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
– 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
– 1/2 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp dried oregano
– 1 large zucchini, sliced

Directions:
1. Begin by making the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and combine thoroughly with your hands.

2. Wet your hands and form small meatballs out of the ground meat mixture. Place them on a baking sheet or cutting board. You should end up with 35-40 small, 3/4″ diameter meatballs.

3. Refrigerate the meatballs while completing the following steps. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium/ high heat. Add the diced celery and onion to the hot oil and stir around for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

4. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, cilantro, cumin, and oregano to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Carefully drop the meatballs into the boiling soup one by one. Bring the heat down to a gentle boil and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

6. Finally, add the sliced zucchini and simmer for 5-10 minutes more.

I hope you like this soup as much as Colby and I did! The above recipe makes about 8 servings.

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Entrees, recipe, snacks

Mini Taco Cups

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I’ve been cooking a lot, but not posting much lately. I wanted to share this awesome easy recipe with you today since I have a bit of time on my hands. Before coming up with this easy version, I was making a similar but more labor intensive stuffed egg roll recipe. These taco cups are cute, crunchy, and satisfying. Serve them at a football party or pack a few in your workday lunch. They’re tasty hot or cold!
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Ingredients:
24 wonton wrappers (sold in the produce section of your grocery store next to the tofu)
1/2 lb lean ground turkey or beef
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup salsa
1-2 tsp taco seasoning
Cooking spray
1/2 cup 2% reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese
Cilantro, sour cream, and/or guacamole for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly spray two 12-cup muffin tins with cooking spray.
2. Brown the ground meat in a frying pan until no longer pink. Drain.
3. In a separate pan, saute together the bell pepper and onion until tender. Add to the ground meat.
4. Stir in taco seasoning, black beans, and salsa. Mix until well combined.
5. Press a wonton wrapper into each lightly greased muffin cup. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the meat and vegetable mixture into each wonton cup.
6. Top each cupful with a pinch of shredded cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until the corners of the wonton cups turn golden brown but not burned.

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This recipe serves six semi hungry, four hungry, or two ravenous people :)
There are approximately 280 calories per four cup serving. Enjoy!

breakfast, recipe, treats

Patriotic Quinoa

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Hello! Today I have a patriotic breakfast recipe for you. Enjoy this blueberry quinoa topped with greek yogurt and strawberries as a hearty breakfast or guilt-free dessert. The quinoa is packed with protein and fiber, while the berries provide a healthy dose of antioxidants. The creamy greek yogurt packs enough protein to keep you feeling satisfied until your next meal!
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Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
3 cups frozen blueberries
2-3 packets stevia, to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 container strawberries, sliced
3 cups vanilla greek yogurt (nonfat plain Fage + 3 tsp vanilla extract and 3 packets stevia stirred together)

Directions:
1. Toast the quinoa in a hot, dry saucepan for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and chill if desired.
2. When ready to serve the quinoa, defrost the frozen blueberries in a saucepan or in the microwave. You can add stevia and vanilla extract to the blueberries to enhance their flavor.
3. Serve 1/2 cup quinoa with 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt, and a few sliced strawberries. (Serves 6)

Nutrition per serving: 228 cal/ 37 g carb/ 16 g pro/ 2 g fat

Enjoy!

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recipe, vegetables

Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad

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This chilled recipe makes a perfect snack or appetizer on a warm day. Enjoy a refreshing cucumber in this simple salad.

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Ingredients:
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 tbs shallot or red onion, minced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sambal olek (hot chili paste) or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar, honey, or a few drops of stevia
1 tsp sesame seeds

1. Whisk together all the ingredients except cucumbers and sesame seeds in a bowl.
2. Combine sliced cucumbers with the dressing in a large bowl or ziplock bag. Toss to coat and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
3. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

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recipe

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Sausage

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I got a food processor! I can’t believe I never had one before. I feel a little guilty for feeling like I needed one because we already have a Vitamix. It’s an awesome kitchen tool, though. It makes food prep a breeze. For this recipe, I was able to shred 2 pounds of raw Brussels sprouts in just two batches. The whole process of setting it up, shredding the brussels, and cleaning the machine took less than 5 minutes.

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The original recipe comes from PaleOMG.com; this version is a little modified. All the recipes I’ve tried by Juli have been amazing, and this one is no exception!

Ingredients:
2 lbs raw Brussels sprouts, shredded using the slicing attachment on a food processor
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 links precooked sausage (I used artichoke mozzarella chicken sausage)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat coconut oil in a dutch oven or large stockpot. Add the diced onions and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until they begin to caramelize and soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
2. Add the shredded Brussels sprouts, sliced sausage, and apple cider vinegar. Stir in until the brussels begin to wilt down. Cover the dutch oven or stockpot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the brussels shreds are tender.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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I love that this recipe is easy to make and super flavorful thanks to the addition of sausage. Enjoy!

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recipe

Creamy Cottage Cheese Dip

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My mom is a genius. Since ricotta cheese is pricey, she came up with the idea of blending cottage cheese in the Vitamix blender to create a similar texture. It works! You can experiment with making sweet or savory cottage cheese dips- think strawberries and vanilla or caramelized onions. This version tastes like ranch dressing:

Ingredients:
-1 container cottage cheese
-1 tbs dry dill (or 1/4 cup fresh)
-1 tbs dry parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh)
-1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove roasted garlic)

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and adjust seasonings to suit your preferences.

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Easy and tasty! Enjoy this dip with raw veggies, or stir it into hot spinach or pasta for a cheesy, creamy sauce that’s packed with protein.

breakfast, recipe, treats

Paleo Lemon Poppyseed Blueberry Muffins

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I have another treat recipe for you today! This one is perfect for a leisurely Sunday brunch. Enjoy these coconut flour lemon poppyseed blueberry muffins with a cup of coffee or tea.

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If you use stevia and plain greek yogurt in place of honey, these have only 100 calories each!

Ingredients (for 12 muffins):
5 eggs
1/3 cup honey (or 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt and 5 droppers of liquid stevia)
juice and zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 tbs poppy seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a muffin tin or line with baking cups.
2. Whisk together eggs, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and melted coconut oil in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut flour, poppy seeds, and baking soda. Get all the lumps out.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The batter should thicken.
5. Distribute the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Press blueberries into the batter in each muffin cup.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

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Aren’t they pretty? Tasty too! The batch I made wasn’t sweet enough. I only had a tiny bit of stevia left, so I ended up topping each muffin with some maple syrup and whipped cream… and washing it down with Mimosa. Not quite Paleo that way, but very yummy. Enjoy them your way!

recipe, treats

Paleo Thumbprint Cookies

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Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day. Colby and I went out to Cantina Laredo in Tivoli Village on Friday night. We loved their chips and salsa, margaritas, fajitas, and my chicken dish that I was a little too buzzed to remember the name of. We enjoyed sizzling apple pie with cinnamon ice cream and brandy butter for dessert… mmm.. you’d think I’d be tired of sweets after that! Definitely not. Some Girl Scouts knocked on our door Sunday while we were sipping on mimosas in the backyard. You can’t NOT buy cookies from a Girl Scout. Colby’s favorite are the thin mints, but I don’t like feeling like I’m brushing my teeth while eating cookies. My favorite are the shortbread cookies, but they have a weird chemical aftertaste. Instead of buying cookies for myself, I got in the kitchen and made these:

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Grain free thumbprint cookies! Here’s how:

Ingredients:
-1 cup almond or pecan flour
-3/4 cup coconut flour
-1 cup maple syrup
-1/4 cup melted coconut oil
-1 egg
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon almond extract
-4 squares extra dark chocolate

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eg, maple syrup, and almond extract.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the almond or pecan flour with the melted coconut oil. Stir it with a spatula to distribute. Stir in coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
3. Allow the mixture to soak in for a minute or until thickened. Don’t freak out if it seems thin at first- coconut flour is very absorbent.
4. Form 1 inch balls with the dough, make an indentation with your thumb, and place on a Silicone baking mat or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes. While baking, melt the dark chocolate by microwaving for 10 second intervals and stirring frequently to keep it from burning.
6. Allow the cookies to cool slightly before spooning chocolate into each cookie. Place them in the freezer for 10-30 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden (or eat gooey!).

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No artificial aftertaste with these, that’s for sure! They’re rich, chocolatey, and nutty.

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recipe, treats

Quest Bar Apple Pie a la Mode

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After seeing multiple Instagram posts about the new cookies and cream Quest Bars last week and finding an awesome deal on Slickdeals.net, curiosity got the best of me and I finally tried what is considered the BEST protein bar on the market. So far I’ve tried cookies and cream, chocolate chip cookie dough, apple pie, and white chocolate raspberry. I’m seriously impressed with all of them! Short ingredients lists, 180-190 calories, 17 g of fiber, and 20-21 g of protein per bar… AND they taste good! The apple pie and white chocolate raspberry are my favorite flavors so far because they have less of a stevia sweetener aftertaste. These are the perfect antidote to dessert cravings this time of year (Valentine’s Day and Girl Scout cookie season…)

Without further ado, here is a great way to enjoy any Quest bar flavor decadently!

Start with the bar…

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Crumble half of it into a cup…

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Microwave it for 20 seconds… And top with your choice of ice cream. This one was 75% off at the Albertson’s going out of business up the street. Arctic Zero would probably be the most guilt-free choice, since it’s only 150 calories per pint and basically made of whey protein.

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Enjoy the warm, melty bar with cool ice cream as your nightly bedtime treat!

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Let me know if you try this with any of the other flavors! I’ve done it with white chocolate raspberry and apple pie. Both versions were absolutely divine! The apple pie bar has real apple bits and the white chocolate chunks on the raspberry bar melt when you microwave them. YUM!

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