Asparagus Spears Cheese/Rice/Veggies/ Gardein Chick'n Scallopini

12 Trader Joe's Frozen Whole Asparagus Spears or Other Healthy Brand, No Sauce, No Salt or LOW SALT

Follow Package Directions And NEVER Overcook. 

Frontier Garlic Pepper Blend or Separate Garlic Powder & Ground Black Pepper

1-2 TBSP Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese (This is Made From Sheep's Milk Not  A COW"S)

1 Plate

Cook Asparagus Spears, Drain & Pat Dry

Arrange on Plate, Sprinkle With Your Garlic & Pepper Blend

Sprinkle Your Cheese On Your Spears

This is Now The Foundation of Any Meal You Want To Serve On Top of Your Asparagus

Finished Asparagus

1 Package Green Giant Valley Steamers Buttery Rice & Vegetables

Cook as Directed 

Top Desired Amount Over Asparagus Spears

1 Package Gardein Chik'n Scallopini

http://www.gardein.com/products.php?t=frozen&p=5

1 Skillet

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TBSP Pomegranate Vinegar

1 TBSP Fresh or Freeze Dried Chives

1 TBSP Litehouse Freeze Dried Italian Seasoning (They Contain Fresh Herbs in Chunks)

1 TBSP Minced Onion & Garlic

Cook Following Gardein Package Directions 

Serve Over Your Rice & Asparagus Spears

Simple Asparagus Spears

12 Trader Joe's Frozen Whole Asparagus Spears or Other Healthy Brand, No Sauce, No Salt or LOW SALT
Follow Package Directions And NEVER Overcook. You Can Use Fresh And Steam Them As Well
Frontier Garlic Pepper Blend or Separate Garlic Powder & Ground Black Pepper
1-2 TBSP Imported Pecorino Romano Cheese (This is Made From Sheep's Milk Not  A COW"S)
1 Plate

Cook Asparagus Spears, Drain & Pat Dry
Arrange on Plate, Sprinkle With Your Garlic & Pepper Blend
Sprinkle Your Cheese And Your Ready To Eat.

This is Now The Foundation of Any Meal You Want To Serve On Top of Your Asparagus
Chicken, Rice, Potato, Tempeh, Meat Free Chicken Cutlets, Etc. Find This in the Next Recipe.

Simple Asparagus Spears on a Plate Ready To Eat or Be Topped With Other Food

Monday's Leftover Latin Fajitas Becomes Latin Soup in Vitamix

I made some AMAING Latin Style Fajitas on Monday 10/25/10 with Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts, No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes, Cubed Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Garlic, No Salt Added Black Beans, Lime Juices, & Other Seasonings. This Was Great When I was Eating  Fajitas For a Few Days with Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas, Some of My Guacamole and my Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt instead of High Fat or Low Fat Sour Cream.

They say variety is the spice of life. As a single person on a serious budget who loves to cook and eat healthy I always have lots of leftovers, so this is what I do when I make meals like this and I get tired of eating them after a few days.

I turn to my trusty Vitamix Super 5200 and Make a New Meal.

Remove lid and Food pusher from Vitamix.
Then Using A Soup Ladle I Added all My Leftover Fajitas Into My Vitamix.
See Instructions For Your Vitamix or Equivalent Machine.

Latin Soup All Ready With Dollops of Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Oatmeal Squares A Comfort Food Not Just For Cold Weather

I Made These As Squares/Brownies But They Can Be Made As Cookies

3 Cups Organic Oats, (Quick, Steel Cut or Old-Fashioned)
1 TSP Vanilla
1 TBSP Sugar Free Torani Vanilla Syrup
1 Egg White or Orgran No Eggs Egg Replacer
1 1/2 Cup Splenda
1 Cup All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
1/4 TSP Xanthan Gum
1/4 TSP Agave Syrup
8 Oz Unsweetened Applesauce
4 Oz Greek Nonfat Plain Yogurt
1 TBSP Ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Aluminum Free Baking Powder
1/2 TSP Sea Salt
1 Cup Raisins or Prunes
2 Individual Ghiradelli LUX Milk Chocalate 1 Inch Squares Diced
1/2 Stick to 1 Smart Balance Butter Blend Stick Melted (Based on Your Fat Preference)
1/4 Cup or More Of Smart Balance Fat Free Milk or Other High Protein Milk Has To BE 10G AT LEAST
1 Medium Mixing Bowl
1 Large Mixing Bowl
1 Large Jelly Roll Pan
Fat Free Flour or Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Preheat Oven To 375
In medium bowl mix melted low fat butter stick, splenda, agave, and vanilla syrup. Then add in egg white, yogurt, applesauce, vanilla and mix.
In large bowl add all dry ingredients except the oats. Add wet ingredients to your large bowl and mix well.
Add in your oats and raisins or prunes and mix again.

If your making cookies drop the dough by the tablespoon onto grease cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 Minutes.
If your making squares as I did spead batter onto greased and floured Jelly Roll Pan.

Ready To Bake

Done

Ready To Eat

Comfort Foods Can Be Healthy

Now that the cooler weather has started to settle in consistently in the Fox Valley Area of Illinois where I live, I am now craving some good "ole" comfort food. Of course, being the health maven that I am, comfort food to me has always been much different from what others tend to crave in the cooler fall and winter months in the Midwest.

Most people tend to crave comfort foods with lots of calories, carbohydrates, and fat. Mashed potatoes, meatloaf, apple & pumpkin pie, chicken soup, green bean & tuna noodle casserole, macaroni and cheese, and many more. Comfort foods have a way of bringing us back to our childhoods and foods that our Mom's, Grandmom's, Aunt's or other relatives would make for holiday's, when we were sick or just for simple everyday meals.

Being a former software tester, technical writer, trainer and teacher I must confess, that I always look at reasons for all things why, from an analytical view point. A part of me wonders, if perhaps, it is something in a person's genes from when our bodies were programmed to store fat in the winter when our ancestor's lived in a hunting & gathering world. Many of us today still do this, even though most of no longer live in a rural hunting & gathering world.

My goal for my Fall and Winter Recipes is to help you break out of that learned habit and to provide you with  healthier recipes that will become your go to comfort foods that can become your children and grandkid's comfort foods.

If you have been following my Blog since July, when I started on here and moved my recipes over from a prior blog that I wrote on for the previous 4 years you have already noticed that my recipes are healthier.
See my previous posts for pumpkin and apple pie recipes as well as various soups and muffins for your new comfort foods. There is now a search feature in my Blog which will make it much easier for you to find other recipes & posts on my thoughts on health, products I use, products I like, food reviews, etc.

When I was writing my prior Blog I was working full-time and part-time and going to school, so I never posted PIC's of my recipes. I still have lots of recipes that I will be posting, although I do not have PIC's of all these. Trust me, you will do fine making these recipes without the PIC's. To be honest some people prefer following recipes without PIC's so they are not disappointed if there recipe "NEVER" looks like it did in a Cookbook or on a Professional Website  (i.e. Food Network, AllRecipes, Martha Stewart, etc.)

All new recipes & pics of comfort foods coming this weekend.

Remember Cooking Should Never Be a Chore, It Should ALWAYS BE FUN!

Happy Cooking.

Latin Style Chicken For Fajitas or Soup

• 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Onion, Sliced 
• 4 Garlic Gloves Diced
• 1 Sweet Potato Scrubbed Clean And Cubed With Skin On
• 3-4 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 TBSP Frontier Salt Free Chili Powder & Frontier Salt Free Mexican Seasoning
• 1 TSP Ground Cumin
• 1 14-15 Oz. Can No Salt Added Black Beans, Tripple Rinsed
• 1 14-15 Oz Can No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
• 2 Cups Low Sodium Beef Broth

2 TBSP Cilantro Fresh or Freeze Dried

2 TBSP Lime Juice

• 2 TBSP Chopped Fresh or Freeze Dried Cilantro 
• 1 Pkg Nueva Cocina Chitpole Taco Seasoning
• http://nuevacocina.elsstore.com/view/product/?id=22601&cid=1001
• Chobani Plain Fat Free Greek Yogurt (Tastes Just Like Sour Cream And VERY Healthy!)
• 1 Large Oval Flat Casserole Dish

Add Oil To Dish, Then Chicken Breasts, Then Beef Broth, Beans, Tomatoes, Potato, Lime Juice, Onion, Garlic,

Cilantro, Chili Powder, Cumin, Nueva Seasoning, Mix To Coat Everything Well

Bake in a 350-375 Oven from 45 Minutes to An Hour Depending on Whether You Bake At 350 or 375. Also if you use thin chicken breasts it will only take 20 or 30 minutes and you will have to pre-cook all your other items.

Can Be Served As Soup Right From the Casserole Dish And Topped With Some Avocado Slices, or Guacamole and then topped with a TBSP of Chobani Plain Greek Fat Free Yogurt.

Or Serve This in a Low Carb Wheat Tortilla And Add Your Guac & Yogurt, Wrap & Enjoy As My Pics Here Show You. Now I Can Use My Broth From Here To Cook Rice With.

Ready To Cook

Cooking in Oven

All Done

In Tortilla All Filled

Ready To Eat So Delicious.

Vitamin B Energy Drink

1/2 Cup Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Unsalted Sesame Seeds

1/2 Cup Unsalted Almonds or Pecans

1/2 Cup of Organic Quick Cooking Oats

1 Cup Powdered Skim Milk 

1 1/2 Cups Soy Milk 

1 Banana

1 TSP Agave Syrup

1/4 TSP Ground Cinnamon

1-2 Cups Ice

Put All Ingredients in a Vitamix or Blender and Blend Well. Refrigerate Extra in Glass Jars.

Makes 2-3 cups