Riced Cauliflower Chicken & Veggie Casserole with Butternut Squash Roux

Happy eating everyone! This new recipe I made up was so filling, so delicious and SO guilt-free!! It’s a little harder than most of mine but not anywhere near the realm of difficult.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • tons of random veggies
    • I used zucchini, onions, mushrooms, summer squash, carrots, broccoli, red cabbage
  • 1 butternut squash
  • about 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1 chicken breast
  • 1 chicken bullion cube
  • low sodium soy sauce
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Step 1: Preheat over to 350 and place a lengthwise cut in half and de-seeded butternut squash in oven for 25-40 minutes. Remove when super tender.

Step 2: Rice your cauliflower in a food processor or pull out a bag of frozen riced cauliflower from the freezer because you are smarter than me! Fill a 9×13 baking pan half way up the sides with cauliflower.

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Step 3: In a nice big saucepan saute all of your veggies (except butternut squash) with your chicken (cut into medium chunks) in soy sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper and any other spices you want. Add soy sauce and spiced based on taste.

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Step 4: When veggies are soft but have a little crunch left and chicken is cooked thoroughly, spread mixture evenly over cauliflower.

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Step 5: Remove the “meat” of the butternut squash and place into the same pan you just cooked your veggies in (do not clean the pan, the flavor is goo to keep in it). Mash the squash and add milk until it is a think but pour-able consistency. Add bullion cube and stir and simmer until dissolved.

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Step 6: Pour over veggies, sprinkle with cheese and some sort of crunchy yumminess and back at 350 until browned on top!

ENJOY!

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Baked Rutabaga Cubes

Simple and delicious side dishes normally come packed with calories and fat!! This easy to make recipe is filling, healthy and yummy!!

I’m all about easy so here it is!

Get a rutabaga…

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Peel it.

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Cut it up into cubes!

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Coat it with olive oil, salt and pepper.

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And bake at 400 F until browned and delicious!

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Protein Packed Spaghetti Squash

I’m a huge fan of any vegetable that can be used as a bowl, a substitute for carbs and that my family will eat!! And it just so happens that spaghetti squash does all three!

The recipe is simple. Combine all of the ingredients below in a sauce pan and simmer until the veggies are soft and the chicken is pullable.

Cook a spaghetti squash that has been cut in half and seeds removed on 350 F until the strings pull easily with a fork.

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Plop all of the goodness inside the squash and enjoy!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken breast, tofu, 1/2 lb ground turkey or meatless crumbles (any of these would be delicious!)
  • 1 can of Margaret Holmes seasoned Pepper n’ Peas (use liquid too!)
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  • 1 onion
  • 1/2 can of corn
  • 1 can of black beans and 1/2 of the liquid from the can

See? Super easy and super yummy

 

 

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Homemade Chicken Cauliflower Eggrolls

This recipe may seem complicated but I made it with my 4 year old.

It’s not only easy but it’s fun to do with a little (if you don’t care how they look!!)

Don’t be intimidated!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 boneless chicken breast
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower
  • 1/4 bag baby carrots
  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 1/2 zucchini
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • sesame oil
  • low sodium soy sauce
  • salt
  • egg roll wraps
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp skim milk
  • 1/4 cup water

What the heck do I do??

Preheat oven to 400F.

OK so you’ll probably want a food processor but if you don’t have one you can just have chunkier eggrolls!!

Put olive oil in a pan and saute chicken until cooked through.

In food processor get all the veggies super chopped up, or just go ninja on them yourself.

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Then take the cooked chicken and do the same (careful its hot, duh!!)

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Then put all of those back in the pan together and saute in sesame oil (to taste) and soy sauce sauce (to taste)!

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Once everything is nice and soft and tasty and ALL moisture is gone turn off your stove-top!

Take out your eggroll sheets and you can either follow the directions on the pack or do this…put about 2-3 tbsp of mixture in the center of the wrap; fold edge closest to you on top of mixture; roll once; fold side edges in to middle; roll again, wet the inside corner of last remaining flap with water and finish the roll. Seal it up and place it face down on grease (with olive oil) baking dish. Repeat.

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I got about 9 out of this.

Next, in a small bowl beat egg and milk together. Once the eggrolls are a golden brown paint the wrap with this mixture, raise oven rack and turn to broil. Watch CAREFULLY because they brown very quickly with this on it!

Enjoy!!!!

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I made this with a cucumber onion and tomoto salad!

 

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Summer Veggie Casserole

I am a huge fan of casseroles but they don’t normally sit well with the summer heat…even having the oven on during the summer gives me the sweats!

But I think I came up with a light-enough and healthy-enough alternative to the heavy winter feasts packed with cream of mushroom soup and pasta!

Ingredients:

  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 summer squash
  • 1 onion
  • 1 8 oz pack of mushrooms
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1/2 head of broccoli
  • 1 head of finely chopped garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Any other summer veggies you want!
  • 2 cups of brown rice
  • low sodium soy sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded lowfat cheese of your choosing
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • skim milk
  • flour

 

The beginning process is simple. Saute all of the veggies until sort-of soft in the soy sauce and olive oil (soy sauce to taste but do so sparingly!)

While veggies are cooking place brown rice in 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all water is absorbed.

Combine rice and vegetables in baking dish.

Using veggie pan (do not clean) melt butter and slowly sift in flour in small bits while briskly stirring until a paste is formed. Pour in milk in small amounts while stirring until paste becomes a thick soupy mixture. Pour on top of rice and veggies. Mix well.

Sprinkle casserole with cheese and diced red peppers and bake on 450 for 10 minutes with no top. Feel free to broil for a couple minutes until cheese is slightly browned and bubbling!

Enjoy!

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Crispy Oven-Baked Zoodles to Make with you KIDS

I love cooking with my 4 year old more than anything. Explaining how food works, the different tastes and how they interact, the science behind it, and having her fully engaged with me lights my heart of fire.

This is a perfect recipe to make with your kids because they get to do everything, they will add one of their favorite ingredients, and they will eat their veggies!

Ingredients

  • 1 or 2 zucchinis
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup honey nut Cheerios
  • 1-2 tbsp honey

Supplies

  • 2 paper towels
  • 2 bowls
  • 1 zoodler
  • 1 sheet pan
  • tin foil
  • 2 zipper baggies
  • 1 rolling pin
  • 1 basting brush

What to do:

Preheat over to 450 F. Crack one egg into bowl and beat with a fork until yolk is mixed with eggwhite. Zoodle your zucchini. Place zoodled zucchini into empty bowl and press firmly with paper towels until moisture is absorbed and veggies are dry. Place Cheerios in zipper baggie, press all air out and seal. Smash all Cheerios until tiny crumbs. Next pour egg into other baggie and add zucchini. Shake until well coated. With a fork, transfer the zucchini (make sure to allow excess egg to drip off) into Cheerio bag. Shake until well coated.

Line sheet pan with tin foil and rub foil with 1 tbsp olive oil to prevent sticking. Spead Cheerio-coated zucchini on tin foil evenly.

Place in 450F oven for 8 minutes until golden brown. With basting brush brush the zucchini  evenly with honey, turn oven to broil and cook 2-4 more minutes!

Enjoy!

 

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Six Quick, Easy and Healthy Weeknight Recipes!

A lot of people have been asking me for quick and easy meals they can make during the weeknights if they are unable to meal prep for the week!

I have put together a few here that should be great for anyone for this week and include fairly common ingredients that won’t require a lot of shopping!

I also made sure to include both carnivorous and vegetarian recipes!!

Broccoli and Feta Omelette

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BBQ Turkey Burgers

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Energy Revving Quinoa

Photos for for a Good to Go at Healthy Bites column.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

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Ginger Veggie Stir Fry

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Lime and Pepper Grilled Chicken Breasts

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Hope this helps with some fun weeknight ideas!!

 

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