Category: Recipes
Easy and Healthy Beef Stew Croc Pot Recipe
| January 4, 2012 | Posted by Elizabeth under Food and Nutrition, Recipes |
Is one of your New Years resolutions to cook more? Well we want to help you keep your promise! Sometimes cooking healthy comes with the burden of too much time and money. But, we have a great crock-pot recipe from About.com’s Busy Cooks that we want to share with you.
Here is a delicious beef stew recipe that is easy to make and good for you, too! Get your protein and veggies with just 20 minutes or less of prep time and only five low priced ingredients!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 medium red potatoes
- 1-1/2 lbs. beef stew meat
- 1/3 cup flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups frozen stir fry bell peppers and onions
Preparation:
Scrub potatoes and cut each into quarters. Place in bottom of 4 quart slow cooker. Mix flour, salt and pepper and toss with beef to coat. Add to crockpot. Add undrained tomatoes and water and stir.
Cover crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours until beef and potatoes are tender. Add stir fry vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are hot and tender. 4-6 servings
Healthy Eggnog Recipe
| December 27, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth under Recipes |
“Eat, drink and be merry.” But, with all of this eating and drinking, we may not be so merry, after all. We all know that you simply can’t have the holidays without the eggnog, but it’s so easy to sip down the calories and fat without even realizing that you’re doing it! So in order to keep tradition but without having to extend that belt on your Santa costume, we are going to share Cooking Light’s amazing healthy eggnog recipe! It has considerably less fat and calories, but makes up for it in taste.
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 large eggs
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
- Place milk and evaporated milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; cook over medium-low heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Pour into a bowl; stir in brandy and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto surface of eggnog, and chill 8 hours or overnight.
Enjoy this healthy holiday treat with family and friends, but make sure the little ones don’t sneak any!
Asparagus-Parmesan Pizza Recipe
| December 2, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth under Food and Nutrition, Recipes |
It’s Friday and, if you’re like me, you don’t feel like cooking. That makes it pizza night, and another weekend started off with fat heavy cheese and a pound of dough sitting in your stomach, haunting you until you start eating right again on Monday. Well, maybe you can have your pizza and eat it, too! Asparagus-Parmesan Pita Rounds are Health.com’s fun spin on your Friday night favorite that will give you the taste of what you love minus the calories and fat. The whole grain pitas are a great source of fiber without all of the added calories and carbs, and the asparagus are loaded with nutrients that help detoxify the body. And those plum tomatoes are not just for added color! They’ll provide you with vitamins and antioxidants that will give you a boost.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (2-inch) sliced asparagus (about 1 pound)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 (6-inch) pitas
- 3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/2 pound)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons pre-shredded Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
- Preheat oven 450°.
- Steam asparagus, covered, 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse with cold water; drain.
- Combine oil and garlic. Brush over pitas. Arrange tomato slices and asparagus on pitas. Sprinkle with basil, pepper, and salt. Top evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450º for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are golden.
Nutritional Information
| Calories: | 245 |
| Calories from fat: | 20% |
| Fat: | 5.4g ( Sat. 1.8g, Mono 2.4g, Poly 0.7g) |
| Protein: | 10.5g |
| Carbs: | 40g |
| Fiber: | 3.5g |
| Cholesterol: | 5mg |
| Iron: | 2.7mg |
| Sodium: | 601mg |
| Calcium: | 177mg |
6 Mashed Potato Recipes to Bring Some Flare to Your Holiday Table
| November 23, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth under Food and Nutrition, Health, Recipes |
If you are anything like the members of our EasierLiving family, mashed potatoes are a staple dish on your Thanksgiving table. After years of the same old recipe, we decided that it was time to spice things up this Thanksgiving! These 6 low-fat versions of mashed potatoes from Prevention.com will please the many pallets you are feeding while keeping them all salivating for more.
Original Mashed Potato Recipe
PREP TIME 5 minutes TOTAL TIME 30 minutes SERVINGS 12
Peel and quarter 4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes. Add to large pot, cover with 3″ of cold water, and bring to a boil.
Add 1 tsp sea salt and simmer potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid and drain potatoes in colander.
Return potatoes to pot with 1 c warm 2% milk, 1/4 c unsalted butter, and 1/2 cup reserved liquid. Mash with potato masher until almost smooth, adding more cooking liquid as needed. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
Makes 8 cups.
NUTRITION (per serving): 173 cal, 3 g pro, 31 g carb, 3 g fiber, 4.5 g fat, 2.5 g sat fat, 371 mg sodium
BACON-ONION: Mix 8 chopped, cooked slices bacon and 3/4 cup finely chopped scallion greens into finished potatoes.
GARLIC: Wrap 1 head garlic in foil. Roast in 400°F oven, 45 minutes. Squeeze cloves into milk for potatoes and mash with fork.
SPICY: Fold 2 tsp canned chipotle in adobo sauce (or to taste) and 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream into finished potatoes.
EXTRA CREAMY: Whisk 1/2 cup reduced-fat cream cheese and 3/4 cup chopped fresh chives into finished potatoes.
BLUE CHEESE: Use low-fat buttermilk instead of milk and fold in 3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles.
HERBS: Stir fresh herbs (such as 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, chives, or chervil) into finished potatoes.
Healthy Apple Pie Recipe
| November 17, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth under Food and Nutrition, Health, Recipes |
We have made our way into fall and are rediscovering all the great apple recipes that come along with it! But sometimes the ones that make our taste buds sing also make our waste lines whimper. Fear not! There is still time left in the apple season to try a recipe that will allow those buds and belt region to live in harmony.
With a few simple tweaks, you’ll have the perfect healthy apple pie recipe to give thanks for this holiday season!
For the filling, by replacing half of the apples with jicama, which is fiber rich and low in calories, you can keep the same texture but lower the carbs and
increase your fiber intake. Trade the sugar in for Splenda to lower the calories even more. And stop fretting over the best part – the crust. By using a whole-wheat crust, whole-wheat pastry flour and a little less butter, you cut the calories and increase the fiber, again.
Ingredients:
Filling:
4 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1 medium jicama, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup sugar or Splenda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crust:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
4 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Combine the apples, jicama, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Mix well to coat the fruit and put aside until crust is ready.
3. To make the crust, combine the pastry flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is soft and crumbly. Add water until mixture forms a ball.
4. Divide in half and shape into a ball. Roll dough on a floured surface. Line pie plate with half the dough.
5. Fill pie plate with the apple mixture.
6. Cover with the second crust. Cut slits in the top and brush with egg whites if desired.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 F and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes or until the apples are soft.
Serves: 12
Cranberry Bean Pasta Fagioli
| November 11, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth under Food and Nutrition, Health, Recipes |
The weather is finally getting cooler, the trees are providing you with something to rake, and you’ve switched from air conditioning to heat. Now it’s time for a treat that will warm you from the inside out. Here’s a fun and healthy spin on your mother’s old Italian pasta fagioli recipe that will leave you feeling full and healthy.
Beyond the succulent taste, this soup will provide you with the nutrients you need to start your weekend off on the right foot. This recipe has the flavor without the high sodium content of most canned soups and the vegetables provides the vitamins and nutrients that give your body the boost it needs. And don’t forget the beans that are loaded with the protein you need minus the meat, making this soup an all around crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 2-ounce piece pancetta (optional)
- 5 canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Kosher salt
- 3 pounds fresh cranberry beans in pods, shelled (or 1 cup dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 piece parmesan cheese rind, plus 1/2 cup grated parmesan, and more for topping
- 2 cups small pasta, such as shells or ditalini
- 1 bunch kale, stems and ribs discarded, leaves chopped
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, rosemary and pancetta, if using, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes; season with salt. Add the beans, 3 quarts water, the bay leaves and parmesan rind. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Uncover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 more minutes. (The soup should be thick and creamy; thin with water, if necessary.)
Remove the bay leaves, parmesan rind and pancetta, if used. Add the grated parmesan, parsley, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Top with more olive oil and parmesan.(As shown on Foodnetwork.com)
A Great Recipe to Keep Your Game Day Healthy
| September 19, 2011 | Posted by Ronni under Food and Nutrition, Recipes |
Part of the constant struggle to stay on a healthy food track is the parties you’ll attend. In my circle, football season spikes the number of get-togethers and the number of calories consumed at each one. In an effort to stay healthy, but still appeal to the masses, I have adapted a game day classic: The Pig in a Blanket.
Using regular hot dogs and butter crescent rolls stacks up the calories quick. But with a few adjustments to the play, you can have your guests full and energized to cheer on the home team. Instead of using a full sized hot dog, use mini ones instead. They are bite size, yummy morsels that everyone can dunk and enjoy. I have found the best choice to be a turkey based hot dog. Although it is a little more expensive, your guests won’t even be able to tell the difference between turkey and kosher beef. And most importantly, do not use butter crescent rolls. Most of the time, I use reduced-fat, non-buttered dough. If I am feeling a little adventurous, I hunt down a wheat dough. Here’s my usual recipe:
The Mini Pig in a Blanket
One package of Mini Turkey Hot Dogs
2 Packs of Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
A light weight cooking spray
Mustard and Ketchup
1) Preheat the oven at 375.
2) Remove the hot dogs from the package. Separate and rinse with water.
3) Open the crescent rolls and separate along the perforated edges. Cut each triangle into three smaller triangles. (With two containers of rolls, you should end up with 48 small triangles)
4) Spray a large cookie sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray.
5) Roll one mini hot dog into the small dough triangle and place the wrapped dog onto the tray.
6) Continue until you have rolled all the hot dogs into dough.
7) Once fully preheated, put the pan of hot dogs into the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
8) Let cool for 5 minutes, before serving on a platter with mustard and ketchup for dipping.
9) Enjoy!
A Rainy Weekend Recipe You are Sure to Love
| August 25, 2011 | Posted by Ronni under Food and Nutrition, Recipes |
With Hurricane Irene barreling (potentially) directly to my apartment, I went on the hunt to find delicious, healthy food we could eat if the power goes out and I’m stuck indoors. Anything I could find to skip the frozen hot dogs and canned beans. That’s when I found an old friend: Cook This, Not That. Read More
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