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Healthy Mulligatawny

By on September 18, 2015 in Main Dishes

Whenever my daughter and I are having one of those rough days where we butt heads and can’t agree on anything, we need something to help us unwind and have fun together. For us, that’s an episode of Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. It doesn’t always stop the fighting, but for half an hour, we agree on something. Sometimes, that’s priceless.

A few weeks ago, we watched her make Mulligatawny soup. It looked amazing, but had a few ingredients I’m not okay with including in a week night dinner. I came up with a healthy variation which our whole family loves.

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The entire dish comes together in one pan which is my kind of meal. It cooks really fast but is packed full of flavor.

Start by cooking the chicken. Then add the onion and garlic and cook it all together.

Add the curry, broth and coconut milk and cook just to heat it up. Then add the chopped apple and cook for another five minutes. This will cook the apple but keep it from getting mushy.

Top each serving with some chopped peanuts. This adds more great flavor and crunch.

I love this dish because it’s a great,warm soup for winter but the freshness from the apple makes it great for any time of year.

 

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Grilled Round Steak

By on September 4, 2015 in Main Dishes

When I was 8-years-old, I submitted my picture to a children’s Christian magazine along with interesting facts about me. Many of the other kids included facts like “I love to go camping with my family,” or “I won the third-grade science fair.” My interesting fact was, “My favorite food is steak.” Needless to say, my profile wasn’t as interesting a read as the others, but I still hold to what I said. I love steak! And this is my favorite way to make it. Plus, it’s extremely easy and healthy.

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Start by making a simple marinade. Because I don’t want to dirty more dishes than necessary, I mix the marinade in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. In the bag, combine the coconut aminos, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, orange zest and garlic. If you haven’t tried coconut aminos yet, you should. It’s basically a healthier version of soy sauce.

Add the round steak to the bag and marinate for at least four hours.

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Now cook it on the grill. We cook it for about 5 minutes on one side and six minutes on the other for rare. I personally don’t know any way to eat steak other than rare.

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Let the steak rest for about eight minutes and then slice diagonally. This is a fabulous recipe because you don’t need to add any kind of steak sauce. The marinade makes it perfect just as it is.

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Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

By on August 28, 2015 in Main Dishes

No matter where go you, there is no shortage of Mexican restaurants. Because what’s not to love? Sugar-sweetened meat, loads of melted cheese, processed-flour tortillas. Good news! There is a way to still enjoy delicious Mexican food without eating a ton of processed food, sugar and bad-for-you oils. And it won’t take all day.

This is a dump-in-the-slow-cooker recipe, so it takes very few steps and comes out moist and flavorful. When my husband was eating this he kept saying, “There’s just something about this.” That’s always a good sign.

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Start with the chicken breasts or thighs in a slow cooker. I personally like thighs because they come out much more moist. But if you prefer breasts, go right ahead.

Top with the taco seasoning, lime juice and zest, and chicken broth. No need to stir. Just turn on the slow cooker on high for four hours.

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After four hours, shred the chicken and add it back to the slow cooker. Stir in the salsa and let it heat through for another half hour.

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Now serve it in lettuce wraps. If you really hate lettuce wraps, substitute a whole-grain tortilla. I always use green-leaf lettuce but you can use romaine or iceberg. Top it with sour cream, guacamole and shredded cheese.

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Healthy Twist on a German Pancake

By on August 14, 2015 in Breakfast, Main Dishes

For years, we’ve had breakfast for dinner every Friday night. That often meant huge grocery-store muffins, sugar-loaded cinnamon rolls and French toast made with processed bread. Yum… I knew when we switched to a healthy lifestyle, my family would not be okay nixing the Friday-night breakfast tradition. Nor would they accept omelets every Friday. I quickly realized that with a few tweaks I could revamp some of our favorite recipes. That’s my favorite part about eating healthy; finding ways to still eat the foods we’ve always loved but in a healthy way. This German pancake is packed with protein, comes together in just a few minutes and lets us still have our Friday-night breakfast tradition.

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Rather than melting butter in advance, just stick the butter in a 9×13 pan and put in in the oven while it preheats. I always love the chance to cut out a step.

Whisk the eggs and almond milk together. Then add the almond flour and whisk the heck out of everything until it’s totally smooth. You can also use an immersion blender or a stand blender to get a really smooth consistency. I just don’t like extra dishes, so I stick with the whisk.

Once the butter is melted just pour the batter into the pan and bake it for about 20-25 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden brown and puffy in spots.

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My husband and kids like to eat this with pure maple syrup but you can also use peanut butter or honey. I like to just toss some berries on top and eat it all together. That’s a great way to get in some added nutrients.

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