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Almost Healthy Banana Bread

I  am a lover of banana bread. I have many recipes for banana muffins and banana nut loaves, but today I tried something a little different. Now in my third trimester of pregnancy, I am starting to think about my post-baby body and wanting to tweak my banana bread to make it a little healthier. My portion control has gotten a little out of control and eating this delicious bread won’t make me feel too guilty. This bread is made without butter, and uses whole wheat flour and dark chocolate chunks (go antioxidants!) Try it and I hope you enjoy!!

You’ll need:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 very ripe mashed bananas
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1/3 cup organic applesauce
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup crushed dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease loaf pan. Combine first five ingredients until creamy. Combine dry ingredients in a seperate bowl and slowly add them to the wet ingredients. Pour into the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Boneless Buffalo Wings

Boneless buffalo wings are a tasty snack for Sundays spent watching football and can be made super healthily! Baking the chicken tenders, rather than frying them, saves tons of calories from fat and creates a high protein snack you are sure to enjoy. Serve ‘em up with celery sticks and low-fat ranch or blue cheese dressing.

You’ll Need:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders, thawed
• 1 package powdered buffalo seasoning
• Salt and pepper (Kosher salt works best)
• 1 egg
• ½ cup low-fat milk
• Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Combine milk and egg in a bowl. Soak the chicken in the milk and egg for a minute or so. Dip the tenders first in the buffalo seasonings, then into the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the tenders with salt and pepper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Tip - if you have a small wire rack, place it on top of the cookie sheet and bake the chicken on top of the wire rack for extra crispiness.

Bengal Chicken

I call this Bengal Chicken because its flavor reminds me of the chicken skewers at the Bengal BBQ at Disneyland that I LOVED as a child. It has a tangy, sweet and savory flavor that it is incredibly simple to create. This recipe uses the oven, but something tells me this chicken would also be great on the grill!

You'll Need:

• 2-3 Lbs of boneless skinless chicken tenders (any cut of chicken will do)
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a baking pan and cook on 350 for 30 minutes, turning chicken over once during baking. Serve over fluffy white or brown rice.

Pineapple Mango Chicken

This recipe is beyond tasty! It is a great dish to get your daily dose of vitamin C and protein. Serve it over warm brown rice. Also yummy with a little toasted coconut on top!

You'll Need:

• 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast cut into thin strips
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of flour
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
• 1/2 mango, diced
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat Canola or vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok on medium high. Slice chicken, season with salt and pepper and lightly coat in flour. Cook the chicken pieces until they are golden. Set aside.
Combine  juices, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, red pepper flakes, cornstarch in a mixing bowl.
Cook the bell peppers and garlic in skillet for a couple minutes. Add the pineapple and mango and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the chicken, then add the sauce and cook until the sauce is nice and thick.

Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken

I have become mildly obsessed with my slow cooker and created this recipe by combining ideas from different recipes I found on blogs devoted to slow cooking. This recipe is great because you simply throw all the ingredients into the pot and let it crock all day. By dinner time you have a delicious feast! This dish is a little spicy and makes me want to say "Ole."

You'll Need:
 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken, sliced
1 can of crushed tomatoes with chiles
1 packet of low-sodium taco seasoning
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, sliced

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or wrapped in whole wheat tortillas.

Easy Lasagna

Sneaking in vegetables has never been easier! Filling your lasagna with frozen and/or shredded vegetables will get your veggie intake up and add wonderful flavor. There are lots of veggies in this recipe, but feel free to pick and choose the veggies you use. Grab whatever you have on hand and get ready to make a fast, healthy and delicious lasagna even your pickiest eaters will gobble up!


You’ll need:

•    Whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1   pound lean ground turkey
•   ½ finely chopped onion
•  2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• ½ cup finely copped mushrooms
• 1 jar of tomato sauce
• 2 cups low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil lasagna noodles until tender. Brown meat and onion in a large skillet and drain excess fat. Add vegetables and sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Layer pasta, sauce, and cheeses in a greased metal or glass baking pan and top with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is nice and crispy.

Biscuits

Is there anything more delicious than a warm buttery biscuit drizzled with honey? It took some experimenting to get these biscuits right, but I believe I’ve successfully created a tasty biscuit that won’t make your biscuit bigger.

You’ll need:

•   1 cup whole wheat flour
•    1 cup self-rising flour
•    1 teaspoon sugar
•    ½ stick of butter
•    ¾ cup non-fat milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine flours and sugar. Using a fork, work the butter into the flour. Slowly add the milk until all the dough is moistened. Add extra milk if the dough seems too dry. Either drop heaping spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet or muffin tin, or flour and roll out the dough and use a biscuit cutter to make round biscuits. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden.

 

Aloha Tacos

My husband and step-daughter will eat almost anything if you add teriyaki sauce or roll it in a tortilla, so why not do both? I am always fighting the fish battle in our house. We all know it’s super healthy, but some people just do not like the taste or idea of fish. I use halibut in this recipe because it is a white flakey fish that soaks up the flavor of anything you marinate it in. These delicious tacos will serve you up omega-3s, vegetables and whole grains and are really easy to make!

You’ll Need:

• 4 fresh halibut filets (go for wild rather than farm raised)
• 1/2 cup or so of teriyaki sauce
• A package of broccoli carrot slaw
• Pineapple salsa
• Whole wheat tortillas

Marinate halibut for 30 minutes in teriyaki sauce (Soy Vey is my current favorite!) Preheat an indoor grill or grill pan to high and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cook the fish 5 minutes per side until opaque. Use a fork to shred the fish. Pile the fish, broccoli carrot slaw and pineapple salsa into your whole wheat tortillas and enjoy!

Yummy Enchiladas

When I think of enchiladas I think of fried tortillas and gooey cheese, but they can be made semi-healthily. I know it doesn’t seem possible, but it is! In this recipe I used bell peppers and tomatoes, but you can also try black beans and corn to spice things up. The options are endless!

You’ll need:

• 1 pound ground lean meat or shredded white meat chicken
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 1-2 bell peppers finely chopped
• ½ can crushed tomatoes or a jar of salsa, depending on how hot you want ‘em
• 6-8 whole wheat tortillas
• 3-4 cups shredded low fat cheese
• 2 cans red or green enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet sauté onions and bell peppers for about 5 minutes. Add the meat and cook until browned and drain any excess fat. Add half a can of enchilada sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes. The longer you simmer, the yummier the filling will get!

Fill each tortilla with the meat filling and a hand full of shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas tightly and place seem side down in a greased metal or glass baking pan. Pour enchilada sauce over the top (the soupier the better!) and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

PB Power Muffins

I can’t say enough about these tasty muffins! I was making some banana bread one day when I thought to myself, “wouldn’t peanut butter be a yummy addition?” I added the peanut butter to the mix and realized it was too soupy so I added some oats to soak up the moisture. What I was left with were some mighty delightful muffins packed with protein and fiber. Be sure to use oats, not instant oatmeal, and all natural peanut butter (you know, the healthy kind!)

You’ll need:

• 2 super ripe mashed up bananas
• 1/3 cup all natural organic peanut butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 organic egg
• 1 organic egg white
• ¼ cup non-fat milk
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup regular oats

Preheat oven to 350 and grease or line muffin tins. In a large bowl, combine bananas, peanut butter, sugar and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Slowly integrate the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. Add the milk to moisten the batter. Pour batter into muffin tins and sprinkle them with brown sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

This recipe is so simple that I can hardly call it homemade! My husband and I love chicken pot pie, but usually don’t indulge because it is so full of calories and fat. This pasta casserole will give you the warm and yummy flavors of chicken pot pie without all the calories. The best thing about this recipe - it is made from ingredients you probably have on hand!

You’ll Need:

• 1 Package whole wheat shell pasta (package is usually about 13 oz.)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
• ½ cup shredded low-fat cheese
• Bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Combine cooked pasta shells with soup, chicken, vegetables, and cheese and add salt and pepper to your liking. Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, uncover and bake for and additional 5-10 minutes.