Nothing beats grilling outside in the warm air! Yay, it’s that time of year again!! I have been grilling for the past few weeks and trying new Spring side dishes!
This sauté is amazing ! The sunflower seeds add a nutty flavor to the mix!
Have you ever tried cooking with sunflower seeds? Like pine nuts, sunflower seeds have incredible health benefits! They are a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!
Here is one of my family’s favorites!
Be careful not to overcook the broccoli! Keep the crunch!
Sautéed Broccoli with Sunflower Seeds
Ingredients:
1 lb. broccoli, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves pressed
1 small onion chopped
1/4 cup raw, shelled sunflower seeds
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Warm oil over low/medium heat.
Add garlic and stir. Be careful not to burn! No brown!
I think I use garlic in every recipe!!
Add onions and cook until tender.
Add broccoli and sunflower seed.
Mix well to coat all.
Make sure your heat is at a low/medium temperature! You don’t want to brown the broccoli just heat through and mix the flavors together.
Add sunflower seeds salt and pepper to taste and mix well again.
Let it cook 10 minutes or until broccoli is hot but crisp!
Serve with your favorite grilled entree! Enjoy!
Superfoods that taste super good?? Yes! Incorporate quinoa as a substitute for meat, rice, and pasta to come up with your own fun new recipes! Shhhh! They will never know!
Twofer Tuesday!!! Two meals in one!
Quinoa Black Bean and Lentil Chili
Ingredients:
1 15.5oz.can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup lentils,washed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 35oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
4 carrots peeled, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package. (2 cups water for 1 cup uncooked quinoa)
4 tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. paprika
Salt/pepper
Red lentils! Add a splash of color to your meals!
Directions:
Heat a frying pan on low/medium heat.
Add olive oil, garlic, onions, carrots and celery.
Don’t burn your garlic! No brown! No snap crackle pop! If it burns throw it out and start over!
Season with spices-chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Cook until the carrots begin to tenderize.
Add tomatoes, lentils and ingredients from pan to a stock pot.
Let lentils cook in tomatoes for a few minutes. Stir well.
Cook on low covered for 45 minutes.
Add cooked quinoa and heat through. (5-10 minutes)
The smell is amazing!! Spice it up with some red pepper flakes and hot sauce if you need a kick!
Twofer Tuesday! This dish becomes your Mexican tostada base for another meal! Toast your tostada shells. Heat your chili. Add toppings of your choice like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese and avocado!
Health bars, granola bars, oat bars…we try, but what are we really buying? Often times, we are buying a way fattier version of what we think, and might have been better off with a bag of potato chips! Reminds me of Mean Girls, when Lindsay Lohan’s character gives Regina the “Caltine” bars that were supposed to taste amazing and help her burn calories and lose weight. Remember this? They were 1000 calories each! Poor thing!
Know exactly what ingredients are in your bars! Make them yourself in minutes! And refrigerate!
So lets talk peanut butter! High in fat, but a staple protein source for athletes, vegetarians, and many others! Delicious and creamy, a definite staple for my kids! What if you could trim the fat down by 85%? Have you heard of PB2? PB2 is a powder form of dry roasted peanuts that have been stripped of extra fats.
Pile creamy PB2 homemade peanut butter on fruits and veggies for a fresh, fabulous snack! Just add almond milk and Mix!
Some common everyday uses:
Add almond milk and make a homemade peanut butter!
Add to smoothies and protein shakes for flavor!
Bake with it, substitute PB2 when making homemade health bars instead of regular peanut butter! Read more!! http://www.bellplantation.com/nutrition
Did I mention there is also PB2 chocolate? Yes, chocolate peanut butter. Mmmmmmm…
I whipped up my own, no bake, easy health bars using healthy ingredients in my pantry!
Easy No Bake Health Bars With Chia Seeds and PB2
Ingredients:
2 cups oats
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/3 cup PB2
(2 cups of oats and 2 cups of any other mixable dry ingredients you would like. Try dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)
Directions:
Heat Honey and Coconut oil in a small saucepan.
Get creative! Substitute 2 cups of any dry, healthy ingredients your family enjoys!
Add all other ingredients and coat. DO NOT COOK , just warm.
(If adding chocolate chips, you need to cool the mixture before adding or they will melt!)
Press into the bottom of a glass 9X13 pan or for 1/2 recipe 8X8 dish cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Cut the recipe in half if you want to bake approx. 6 -4inch bars! Press into 8×8 dish!
Skinnygirl Bethenny Frankel created a healthy way of living with her skinny recipes! From low carb, no carb to superfoods, she has paved the way for reinventing mac’n cheese, burgers and even desserts! It is no wonder she has gone from a Real Housewife of NY and “skinny chef” to having her own liquor line and a daytime talk show with her name “Bethenny!”
Photo courtesy of www.theartfulgourmet.com Kristen Hess! I popped on her site and picked up a quick recipe from Mario Lopez! Avocado, mozzarella, tomato salad on a toothpick! Add a basil leaf. Drizzle with olive oil – salt and pepper!
What a healthy and easy app, Slater!! Thanks!
Whether you have tasted her Skinnygirl cocktails or love her balls to the wall attitude, Bethenny is a real mom with a great product! Who says what she thinks! Love that !!
I am a fan of Skinnygirl margarita! I earned my shirt a long time ago when Bethenny’s skinny fried chicken recipe won over my family…amazing!
I want to share some of her favorite skinny recipes…from her book “Naturally Thin”
Try this recipe!
Bethenny’s Mexican Chili
According to Bethenny,
“This is a popular recipe on my Web site. It substitutes ground turkey for the typical ground beef; or you can just skip the turkey if you want a vegetarian version. If beans bug you, you can even leave those out. It will still be good. This chili also tastes great the next day!
Ingredients
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Nonstick cooking spray
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 each red and yellow bell pepper (or half a bell pepper of any color), chopped
1 small can of pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1/4 pound ground turkey breast
1/4 cup canned red pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Cooking Directions
Over medium-high heat, saute the onion in a nonstick skillet coated in cooking spray until soft. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Stir in the garlic and bell peppers, and cook until the peppers are soft and the garlic is golden but not burned.
Stir in the tomato sauce and the zucchini.
When all the vegetables are soft, add the turkey breast and beans.
Let the chili simmer for at least 10 or 15 minutes. The longer you simmer, the better the flavor.
Serve.”
This chili is awesome!! Plus it’s Friday!! Serve with Skinnygirl margaritas and tortilla chips for the perfect Friday happy hour! It is Lent…leave out the meat, no problem!
This Native American seed can be sprinkled on anything! Or make it into a gel and add to soup, salad dressing, smoothies or protein shakes!
Chia seeds are a weight loss dream! One ounce of chia seeds contains 11g of dietary fiber! High in phosphorus, protein and omega 3 fatty oils, they help you feel full!
Need more stamina and energy? When eaten, chia seeds slow the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar giving us more strength and endurance!
Chia can be added to anything! It is a healthy lifestyle choice and I started today by incorporating chia into our breakfast routine!
I sprinkled 3 tbsp chia seed on Greek yogurt with some fresh raspberries!!
Even though the seeds are tasteless…if you don’t want a gritty feel, make a gel and add it to any liquid!
Chia Gel:
Add 1/3 cup of chia seeds to 2 cups of water in an an airtight container. Shake vigorously for 90 seconds. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks!
In a PreventDisease.com article “Are Chia Seeds the Perfect Superfood?” Some benefits of chia are:
Lose weight without starving
Balance blood sugar
Add Omega-3 oil to your diet
Nutrition
Feel more energized
Bake with less fat
Add age-defying antioxidants
Cut food cravings
And many more!!
Hair and skin products containing chia are popping up everyday!! This really is a superfood for the mind, body and soul!
Buy some seeds!
Where can you buy chia seeds? Whole Foods for sure!
I found mine at Pennsylvania Macaroni in Pittsburgh’s Strip District! www.pennmac.com
Another step toward our quest for youth!! Count me in!
