Freshen Up Your Crock Pot

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

Has anyone's life seemed busy lately? Mine sure has! Perhaps it's because it is officially Spring now, and we've all readjusted to losing that hour of sleep weeks ago. I know it has been rather chilly in some of the northern states, but in sunny Florida the temperatures sure have warmed up. My crock pot always comes to mind when I think of what to do for dinner on a busy day, but I am more hesitant in such warm weather to make such a heavy meal. I decided to brainstorm of lighter dishes I could make in the crock pot with the simple fresh tastes of Spring and Summer. Tomato and basil are some of my favorite fresh tastes. This chicken dish has the perfect blend of those flavors without being overwhelming. Each bite a burst of fresh flavor even though this recipe is so simple to make with only 5 ingredients! This has definitely become a warm-weather-crock-pot staple in my family.

Stewed Tomato Chicken

Ingredients
-1/2 sweet onion
-4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
-4 cloves garlic
-5tbsp basil
-28oz canned diced tomatoes, drained (or crushed, stewed, whatever is in your pantry)

Directions

1. Chop onion.

2. Place chicken breasts at the bottom of crock pot.
3. Spread 1 clove of garlic and 1tbsp basil on each chicken breast.

4. Top with diced onion, then pour tomatoes over to completely cover the contents.
5. Sprinkle the last tbsp basil over the tomatoes and cook on low for 8hrs or high for 4hrs.

*Add to a batch of your favorite pasta!
*Shred chicken and add to buns for chicken sandwiches!
*Dice chicken and lay over bowl of spinach or salad greens!

The ingredients

Chop onion

Place chicken at bottom of crock pot

Add 1 clove garlic to each breast

Add 1tbsp basil to each breast

Top with diced onion

Pour tomato over

Sprinkle remaining basil

Cook on low 8hrs or high 4hrs 

Open Says Me for Skinny Sesame

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

Does anyone else ever get a craving for Chinese food? The sweet tastes, huge portions, reasonable price, and delivery options make it a quick go-to choice for dinner. I consider it a treat when we order in as we rarely do, mainly because it is so far from healthy. Why is it that the foods that taste the best are always the worst for us?

When I was home visiting my family, one of my brothers was also home, and I asked him what he wanted me to make everyone for dinner. He said, without hesitation, "Chinese". Uh oh, I guess it was going to be an unhealthy evening... But then I though there just had to be a way to duplicate that yummy taste but cut the calories and fat content way down. And there was! By leaving out ingredients that, although tasty, are unnecessary for flavor, it was a delicious meal that no one had to feel guilty about. Give it a shot!

Skinny Sesame Chicken

Ingredients
-2 cloves minced garlic
-2tbsp sesame seeds
-2tbsp honey
-2tbsp soy sauce
-2 egg whites
-1/8 cup cornstarch
-16oz chicken, diced
-2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1/2lb fresh green beans, stems cut off

Directions
1. Combine first 4 ingredients and whisk together. Set aside
2. Combine egg whites and cornstarch, then toss chicken in and coat.
3. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute chicken and green beans for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat and poor in sauce made in step 1. Let sit for 3min prior to serving.

*Serve with brown rice for a complete balanced meal!

The ingredients

Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl

Mix together and set aside

Combine egg whites and cornstarch

Coat chicken

Add chicken and green beans to medium-high heat skillet and cook for 8min

Remove from heat and add sauce from step 1, and allow to sit for 3min

Healthy Sesame Chicken

No Meat No Problem

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

Happy Lenten season to those who celebrate it! The first day of Lent and then each Friday during Lent are days that we refrain from eating meat. Since fish is not considered a meat, we find ourselves seeking fish as our go-to meals on those days. Thankfully, I love fish and have put together some delicious marinades to take away the classic "fishy taste" that tends to turn people off of it. Fish does not need to be marinaded for long and can actually start cooking the fish prematurely if it is in the marinade for too long. That makes it a great go-to meal on a day where you don't have much time to prepare a meal because the prep work is quick and the cook time is so short. 

Mahi mahi is my favorite type of fish, so whenever it is on sale, I'm always sure to pluck it up. I love its flaky texture (when cooked properly), and it absorbs just the right amount of marinade to be tasty and healthy meal. This recipe is so simple, and the marinade contains ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry. Enjoy!

Basic Grilled Mahi Mahi

Ingredients
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/4tsp ground black pepper
-1/4tsp cayenne pepper
-1/8tsp salt
-4tbsp lime juice
-8oz mahi mahi

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients except mahi mahi in a medium bowl until combined. Add mahi mahi and allow to marinate for 20min.
2. Preheat an indoor grill to 300 degrees. Evenly coat grill with cooking spray.
3. Remove mahi mahi from marinade and cook on preheated grill for about 6-8 minutes or until the fish is flaky and slightly brown on each side.

*If using an outdoor grill, preheat to medium and grill for about 3-4min on each side.

The ingredients

Combine all ingredients except the mahi mahi in a small bowl

Marinade mahi mahi for about 20min

Place on preheated grill to 300 degrees and close grill 

After 6-8min when fish is lightly browned and flaky, you're done

When still warm, shred it up for fish tacos

Delicious and nutritious!

Sports Party Dinner

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

Wow, what a Super Bowl we all watched on Sunday! Congratulations to the New England fans out there. I think I cummulatively watched about 10 minutes of the game. I try to be a sports watching enthusiast, but I think my husband covers that enough for both of us. Don't get me wrong, I love sports, but I would rather be playing than watching. 

Anyway, did you throw a Super Bowl party? Something about watching sports makes me crave buffalo chicken. Do you know the feeling? Perhaps it is because bars typically have beer and chicken wing specials, and that is a common place to watch sports games. Regardless, those wings just aren't cooked in a healthy way, so I always feel guilty after indulging. There has to be a healthy way to create that same taste. Well, I found it! Using the perfect blend of spices, it is easy to replicate the taste without sacrificing your health. I am always skeptical about trying to "healthify" those kinds of classics, but even Seth said it tasted like the real deal. I served it next to sliced carrots and blue cheese just like the bar would. Now, careful how much dipping sauce you use or this healthy version can quickly turn very unhealthy.

I love this recipe because it contains ingredients that are almost always in your pantry which makes this the perfect meal for a busy day. Enjoy! Let me know what you think :)

Sports Bar Chicken Tenders

Ingredients
-1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp chili powder
-1 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-1 tbsp olive oil
-16oz chicken breast
-1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce (I used mild, but use more intense if you like really spicy)

Directions
1. Combine all spices in a small bowl.
2. Slice chicken breasts into strips.
3. Using your hands, massage the spices into each strip.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and coat with oil.
5. Add chicken strips to the skillet and cook for 4min.
6. Flip chicken, turn heat to low, and add hot sauce.
7. Stir around the sauce continuously and cook for an additional 5min.
8. Serve with carrots and/or celery for a complete sports bar feel!

Combine spices in a small bowl

Slice chicken into strips

Work spices into chicken

Coat skillet with olive oil and heat over medium

Add chicken, flip, then add hot sauce and stir

Serve with veggies and dipping sauce for a true sports bar feeling

Seasonal Snacking

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

The crispness of Fall is in the air, and the fruits and vegetables in season are everywhere. Squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, grapes, cranberries, and so many more delicious items are as fresh as they will be all year, so if they are your favorites, now is the time to enjoy them! A very classic Fall activity is carving pumpkins, especially right before Halloween. With the kits you can purchase these days, some of the creations are absolutely amazing, and artists are finding a new blank canvas in a hollowed out pumpkin. In order to carve those creative designs, you first need to scrape all of the gunk and seeds out of the pumpkin. Some people just throw those yucky "pumpkin brains" away and completely bypass another very Fall festive activity- roasting pumpkin seeds! I hope this isn't you... In addition to being fun and resourceful, pumpkin seeds also provide great nutrition. 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds is a filling snack that rings in with less than 150 calories, and pumpkin seeds are also a great source of minerals like zinc, potassium, and calcium (to name a few). Pumpkins vary with how many seeds they will have, but you are more than likely to get a good few servings of this seasonal snack. Here is a sweet and savory recipe that I absolutely love. The amount of spices will vary depending on how many seeds your pumpkin has. Enjoy this recipe for the next month or so while pumpkins are still in season, otherwise it will be a whole year before they'll be in their prime again!

Sweet and Savory Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients
-pumpkin seeds
-water
-salt
-cinnamon

Directions
1. Pull as much of the pumpkin guts off of the seeds and place in a saucepan.
2. Fill the saucepan with enough water to reach the bottom of the top layer of seeds.
3. Add about 1tsp salt for every 1/2 cup of seeds into the saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10min.
5. Preheat oven to 325.
6. Meanwhile, spray a cookie sheet with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle 1tsp salt evenly on the sheet.
7. Using a kitchen towel, dry off the seeds (they are sticky, so don't use a paper towel or the paper will stick).
8. Lay the seeds out evenly on the cookie sheet.
9. Sprinkle with 1tsp salt and 2tsp cinnamon and bake for 5min. Turn seeds over and bake for another 5min.

*Use as much or as little salt and cinnamon as you'd like, but remember to keep it healthy and not add too much salt!
*Some people do not enjoy the shell, but it is perfectly fine to eat and coated with sweet and salty goodness with this recipe!

Clean seeds and place in saucepan

Fill water to touch bottom of top layer of seeds

Add salt

Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10min

Spray cookie sheet with EVOO spray

Salt sheet

Dry seeds with towel

Spread over cookie sheet

Sprinkle salt and cinnamon

Bake at 325 for 5min, flip, and 5 more min

Our awesome carved pumpkin

Spooky ghosts!

Monsta Lobsta

Healthy Hump Day Recipe

Is your healthy book of recipes getting a little boring? Don't be afraid to experiment with new meats and new flavors. You may find a new favorite! That's what happened when I made lobster for Seth and I recently. I will be honest, I was dreading making it because I knew it would involve the cracking of the shell (gross!) and figuring out what flavors would compliment the lobster, but I knew Seth would enjoy it (ohhh what we do for love...). Much to my surprise, though, it was actually a very simple recipe full of flavorful herbs, and the helpful gentleman at the grocery store was able to help with the cutting of the shell! Lobster is very high in protein and potassium but very low in calories. The juicy taste of the lobster was out of his world, and I paired it with sauteed mushrooms and onions for a delicious and nutritious meal all around. So, don't be afraid to try even those recipes that seem challenging. They may just end up becoming a new family favorite.

Herbed Lobster

Ingredients
-2 8oz lobster tails
-2tbsp parsley
-1/2tsp salt
-1/2tsp pepper
-1tbsp unsalted butter
-1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Shell side facing up, cut a line directly down the center all the way to the fins. Using a fork (or your fingers if you are fearless), separate the shell from the meat but leave it connected at the fins.
3. Close up the shell and lay the meat on top of the shell. Place in a 8"x8" baking dish.
4. Sprinkle 1tbsp of parsley over each of the lobster tails ensuring that the spice stays on he lobster meat. Sprinkle 1/4tsp of salt and pepper over each of the lobster tails. (Lobster is high in sodium, so you don't want to add much salt).
5. Melt the butter and pour 1/2 tbsp over each of the lobster tails.
6. Pour lemon juice evenly over each lobster tail (it will run off and lay in the bottom of the baking dish).
7. Bake for 15min.

The ingredients

Cut the tail down the center to the fin

Use a fork to separate the meat from the shell but keep it connected at the fin

Close shell, place meat on top, and place in 8"x8" baking dish

Sprinkle spices

Pour melted butter

Pour lemon juice

Bake at 350 for 15min