Preparing healthy, nutritious meals that everyone in my family will eat is challenging! AND to try and do all of that while working full-time can seem impossible! But, I have found some go-to quick and easy (and healthy!) meals that my family loves. I'm hoping that I can help one busy person swap a fast food meal for a better, healthier choice. So browse along and let me know what you think!
#SmallStepsBigChanges
#SmallStepsBigChanges
Chix n' Sprouts
Is that a fancy title or what?! :) We had just gotten back from vacation and the fridge was BARE. So, I threw together this fast meal!
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- One bag of frozen brussel sprouts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Liquid Aminos or low sodium soy sauce
- Brown Rice (not shown)
Five Minute Fish Sticks
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Going to the grocery store and checking out the fish sticks is a nightmare!! I want to give my kids fish but...it can be a major struggle. They LOVE fish sticks so, I've come up with a healthier option! These are Fix-approved, clean-eating and most importantly, KID-APPROVED!
Ingredients:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, cut the tilapia filets so that they are roughly 4 inches long and an inch wide. The thickness will vary depending on the filet! On a separate plate, mix the salt and pepper into the whole wheat flour. Coat each fish stick in the flour. When the oil is hot (drop a little flour in it and if the oil sizzles, it's ready!), place the fish sticks into the pan. You will have to do a few batches and be sure that the fish sticks aren't overcrowded. Let cook approximately 1-2 minutes per side. When cooked through, place fish sticks on paper towel to soak up excess oil. Serve with your favorite condiments! |
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Chocolate Protein Waffles
These were an absolute HIT with my kids! And really, really good too! To make this Fix-approved, clean-eating recipe, follow the steps below!
Fix container breakdown: 1 yellow, 1 tsp not including toppings! Toppings shown: organic natural peanut butter and pure maple syrup.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
2 Tbsp Stevia
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 3/4 Cup Almond milk (low-fat cow’s milk with work as well)
Preheat your waffle iron--I used my Mickey Mouse waffle iron but a Belgian works well too! Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients in the medium bowl. Stir until moistened (you will have some small lumps). Close the maker or iron and let cook for about 3-5 minutes. Remove and serve immediately with your choice of topping!
Fix container breakdown: 1 yellow, 1 tsp not including toppings! Toppings shown: organic natural peanut butter and pure maple syrup.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
2 Tbsp Stevia
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 3/4 Cup Almond milk (low-fat cow’s milk with work as well)
Preheat your waffle iron--I used my Mickey Mouse waffle iron but a Belgian works well too! Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix all of the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients in the medium bowl. Stir until moistened (you will have some small lumps). Close the maker or iron and let cook for about 3-5 minutes. Remove and serve immediately with your choice of topping!
Baked Chili Lime Tofu
I'll be honest, I never like tofu. I bought it the other day because it was like $1.50 so how could I pass that up? I began looking up different recipes to figure out how to best make it without it tasting like a sponge. And, I must say- I really like it! I hope you enjoy it as well!
Ingredients:
1 package of firm or extra firm organic tofu packed in water
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Lime Juice (fresh is best)
2 tsp. Chili Powder
Sea Salt
Remove tofu from container, drain excess water. Slice into 10-12 squares. I cut 6 slices across and then cut those in half to make 12. Lay tofu on a baking sheet that is has a dish towel and a layer of paper towels on it. Place tofu slices on the paper towel. Cover slices with another piece of paper towel and a dish towel. Place a heavy pan or dish on top and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess water. This way the tofu won't be mushy!
Prepare marinade by whisking together 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 tsp chili powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Place drained tofu in the container, shake lightly to coat, and refrigerate for 30min-overnight.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay marinated tofu slices on baking sheet so that they do not touch. Bake for 30-40 minutes and flip the tofu slices every 10 minutes. Tofu is done when outside begins to get crispy. Serve warm from the oven or use cold in salads!
Leave me your comments below! I will be making this again for sure- it will be fun to experiment with different marinades as well!
Ingredients:
1 package of firm or extra firm organic tofu packed in water
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Lime Juice (fresh is best)
2 tsp. Chili Powder
Sea Salt
Remove tofu from container, drain excess water. Slice into 10-12 squares. I cut 6 slices across and then cut those in half to make 12. Lay tofu on a baking sheet that is has a dish towel and a layer of paper towels on it. Place tofu slices on the paper towel. Cover slices with another piece of paper towel and a dish towel. Place a heavy pan or dish on top and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess water. This way the tofu won't be mushy!
Prepare marinade by whisking together 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 tsp chili powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Place drained tofu in the container, shake lightly to coat, and refrigerate for 30min-overnight.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay marinated tofu slices on baking sheet so that they do not touch. Bake for 30-40 minutes and flip the tofu slices every 10 minutes. Tofu is done when outside begins to get crispy. Serve warm from the oven or use cold in salads!
Leave me your comments below! I will be making this again for sure- it will be fun to experiment with different marinades as well!
CrockPot Lasagna
This easy lasagna doesn't even require you to cook the noodles ahead of time! Just put it all in a crockpot and let it go!
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef or turkey
2 cups frozen spinach
Small onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
28 oz can tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
12 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
Whole wheat lasagna noodles
Seasonings (basil, oregano, salt and pepper).
Directions:
1. Cook ground beef, onion and garlic until browned.
2. Add spinach, tomato sauce, tomato paste, a little salt, pepper, basil and oregano to taste. Mix until well incorporated.
3. Mix all three cheese together and add about 1 tsp of basil and oregano to this.
4. In the crockpot, spread a layer of the meat/sauce mixture.
5. Lay 2 layers of lasagna noodles on top. You may have to break the noodles to fit.
6. Cover noodles with about 1/2 of the cheese mixture.
7. Continue layering sauce, noodles, cheese and sauce until everything is used.
8. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours until noodles are soft! (Serves 6)
Serve with a side salad and enjoy!
For all of my 21 Day Fixers- one serving is approximately 1 yellow, 1 blue, 1.5 green, and 1 red!
Not sure what the 21 Day Fix is? Check it out here on my coach page!
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef or turkey
2 cups frozen spinach
Small onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
28 oz can tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
12 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
Whole wheat lasagna noodles
Seasonings (basil, oregano, salt and pepper).
Directions:
1. Cook ground beef, onion and garlic until browned.
2. Add spinach, tomato sauce, tomato paste, a little salt, pepper, basil and oregano to taste. Mix until well incorporated.
3. Mix all three cheese together and add about 1 tsp of basil and oregano to this.
4. In the crockpot, spread a layer of the meat/sauce mixture.
5. Lay 2 layers of lasagna noodles on top. You may have to break the noodles to fit.
6. Cover noodles with about 1/2 of the cheese mixture.
7. Continue layering sauce, noodles, cheese and sauce until everything is used.
8. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours until noodles are soft! (Serves 6)
Serve with a side salad and enjoy!
For all of my 21 Day Fixers- one serving is approximately 1 yellow, 1 blue, 1.5 green, and 1 red!
Not sure what the 21 Day Fix is? Check it out here on my coach page!
Cheater Chicken Noodle Soup
Don’t get me wrong-I love to roast chicken…but I don’t
always have the time for it! So my Cheater Chicken Noodle Soup uses a HUGE time
saver (and an inexpensive one too)!
Ingredients:
2 Rotisserie Chickens
Chopped celery, carrots, leeks, onions and any other veggies you want!
Garlic
Low-sodium, organic chicken broth (2 cartons)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Your favorite soup noodle (I use no-yolk egg noodles).
In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in veggies and garlic and sauté until onions are almost translucent. Add in salt and pepper to taste. While veggies are cooking, chop up or shred chicken meat into pieces. Leave skin out of soup-it becomes too oily. Pour in broth and add in chicken. Simmer for an hour until veggies are soft. Prepare noodles according to directions in a separate pot. Serve soup with the noodles and enjoy!
*I don’t cook noodles in my soup because I usually make large batches to keep for a few days. If the noodles are left in the soup, the noodles get way to soggy! So, I keep the noodles and the soup separate until I’m ready to eat!
Ingredients:
2 Rotisserie Chickens
Chopped celery, carrots, leeks, onions and any other veggies you want!
Garlic
Low-sodium, organic chicken broth (2 cartons)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Your favorite soup noodle (I use no-yolk egg noodles).
In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in veggies and garlic and sauté until onions are almost translucent. Add in salt and pepper to taste. While veggies are cooking, chop up or shred chicken meat into pieces. Leave skin out of soup-it becomes too oily. Pour in broth and add in chicken. Simmer for an hour until veggies are soft. Prepare noodles according to directions in a separate pot. Serve soup with the noodles and enjoy!
*I don’t cook noodles in my soup because I usually make large batches to keep for a few days. If the noodles are left in the soup, the noodles get way to soggy! So, I keep the noodles and the soup separate until I’m ready to eat!
Naked Eggplant Parmesan
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I love eggplant but I don't like being weighed down by all of extra carbs and oil from traditional eggplant parmesan. Here is my take on it!
Ingredients: 1 Eggplant Whole Wheat Noodles Parmesan Cheese Olive Oil Salt and pepper to taste Spaghetti Sauce (look for brands that have the fewest preservatives and added salt). Cook noodles according to directions on box. Heat spaghetti sauce. Slice eggplant into thin pieces (about ¼- ½ inch thick). Brush both sides with olive oil, spinkle with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes at 375. Flip eggplant and bake an additional 8 minutes. Lay eggplant slices over pasta, add spaghetti sauce, serve and enjoy! Simple! Whole Wheat French Toast Sticks
My kids can be VERY picky. So, sneaking in whole grains and whole foods can be tricky. However, I've found an easy way to get them a good serving of whole grains through one of their favorite breakfast foods: french toast sticks.
Ingredients: 4 pieces of whole wheat bread (I buy Rudy's brand since it has the least amount of preservatives and added ingredients) 2 eggs 3/4 cup Milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Cinnamon to taste. Cut the bread slices into strips about 2 inches thick. Whisk the eggs, milk and cinnamon in a bowl. Dip the bread strips in the egg/milk mixture. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Space out the french toast sticks on the skillet so they are not touching. Flip once the bottom side begins to darken (about 1-2 minutes). Let the other side cook for about 1-2 minutes until evenly browned. Serve with pure maple syrup! I hope your family enjoys these as much as mine does! Zucchini Noodles
Have you heard of the Vegetti yet? It is a tool to use in the kitchen to spiralize your veggies into noodles! I don’t know about you- but I’m not a super huge fan of spaghetti squash. So, when I found this and my awesome husband bought one for me (approx. $15), I was super excited! This was my first recipe and I hope you enjoy it!
Zucchini Noodles: Use 2 zucchinis and make into thin noodles. Heat olive oil in a pan on the stove, add noodles and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until noodles are soft. You can always add in shrimp or chicken to this to make it more of a “pasta” dish. I used this as a side dish- very filling! |
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