nutri-noms:

#crock pot recipes #slow cooker recipes #betterrecipes #soup #healthy recipes #healthy eating #healthy living

victoriousmetamorphis:

Penne and Asparagus with Ricotta Cheese

1 box of fiber-enriched penne pasta (Alexander suggests Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate) 
1 pound trimmed asparagus, cut into 2-inch diagonal pieces 
2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic 
1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese (Alexander suggests Precious) 
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
1/4 cup reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese 
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, optional 

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting any oil or butter. 
2. Two to four minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the water (two minutes for thin spears, four minutes for thick). 
3. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water in a small bowl. Drain the pasta. 
4. Meanwhile, add the garlic, ricotta, and olive oil to a large serving bowl. As soon as the pasta is drained, mix in 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. 
5. Immediately add the pasta and asparagus and gently toss until the pasta and asparagus are coated with the cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss again. 
6. If the mixture seems too dry, add more reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer dry. 
7. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta. If desired, sprinkle with the red pepper flakes. Serve immediately. 

Makes 6 servings. Each (about 2-cup) serving has 318 cals, 15g protein, 60g carbohydrates, 7g fat, 2g saturated fat, 18mg cholesterol, 9g fiber, 183mg sodium.

[more recipes for Pasta Without Empty Calories]

adelaide916:

I can’t sleep again tonight (surprise surprise), but I meant to post this the other day. I made these and they are so good, simple to make, and healthy! You can tweak the recipe a little if you like more sauce or wheat noodles etc, but I got this from a really great recipe site called skinnytaste.com. 

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Perfectly portioned individual lasagnas. This is one of those family friendly recipes everyone in your home will love. A great way to get your kids to eat spinach too. I personally find one to be filling for me, served with a garden salad on the side. My husband can easily eat three.



Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 6 ww pts
Calories: 224.9 • Fat: 5.1 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.0 g • Carbs: 31.5

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
• 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce
• 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll

thetasteofhealth:

Black Bean Brownie Click for recipe

matchstickmolly:

75 Healthy Recipe Substitutions

From this article from The Greatist!

In Baking

1. Black beans for flour

Substituting a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) for flour in brownies is a great way to cut gluten while getting in an extra dose of protein— and they taste great.

2. Whole wheat flour for white flour

In virtually any baked good, replacing white flour with whole wheat can add a whole new dimension of nutrients, flavor, and texture. Because whole wheat includes the outer shell of the grain, it provides an extra punch of fiber, which aids in digestion and can even lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

3. Unsweetened applesauce for sugar

Using applesauce in place of sugar can give the necessary sweetness without the extra calories and, well, sugar. While 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce contains only about 100 calories, a cup of sugar can pack more than 770. Perfect for oatmeal raisin cookies.

4. Unsweetened applesauce for oil or butter

Don’t knock this one till you’ve tried it. The applesauce gives the right consistency and a hint of sweetness without all the fat of oil or butter. This works well in any sweet bread, like banana or zucchini, or in muffins (like in these low-fat blueberry muffins), including pre-boxed mixes.

5. Almond flour for wheat flour

This gluten-free switch gives any baked good a dose of protein, omega-3s, and a delicious nutty flavor. Check out these classic butter cookies for a simple example.

6. Avocado puree for butter

They’re both fats (albeit very different fats) and have nearly the same consistency at room temperature. The creaminess and subtle flavor of the avocado lends itself well to the texture of fudge brownies and dark chocolate flavorings. Check out this recipe for an idea of the right proportions to use.

7. Brown rice cereal and flax meal for Rice Crispies

Brown puffed rice has the same texture as conventional white rice, but with half the calories. The flaxadds extra fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytochemicals to the mix without changing the flavor.

8. Marshmallow Fluff for butter and sugar (in frosting)

Replacing the fat and sugar in frosting with marshmallow gets the desired consistency with fewer calories. While 2 tablespoons of Fluff has just 40 calories and 6 grams of sugar (and no fat!), the same amount of conventional frosting can pack up to 100 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 14 grams of sugar.

9. Natural peanut butter for reduced fat peanut butter

While it may appear better than traditional Skippy or Jiff, reduced fat peanut butter can actually have more sugar (and a doubly long list of artificial additives) than the original. Natural peanut butter (preferably unsalted) provides the same sweetness without chemical additives.

10. Vanilla for sugar

Cutting sugar in half and adding 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla as a replacement can give just as much flavor with significantly fewer calories. Assuming the recipe originally calls for 1 cup of sugar, that’s already almost 400 calories cut by leaving out ½ cup of sugar.

11. Mashed ripe bananas for fats

The creamy, thickening-power of mashed banana acts the same as avocado in terms of replacing fat in baking recipes. The consistency is ideal, and the bananas add nutrients like potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6.

12. Nut flours for flour

A word of caution: Nut flours don’t rise the same way as wheat flour so an additional rising agent might be needed when replacing more than ¼ cup of wheat. Many gluten-free blogs detail how to streamline nut-based baking. And while these flours are typically higher in calories and fat, they also have more fiber and protein.

13. Coconut flour for flour

High in fiber and low in carbohydrates, coconut flour is a great partial substitute for wheat flour in baking recipes.  Be careful, though— more than 1/4-1/2 cup, and the flour’s bitterness can take over.

14. Meringue for frosting

Made from just egg whites and sugar, meringue can be a great fat-free substitution for traditional frosting. Feel like going a step further? Take a torch to it. Lightly charring the edges of the meringue can add a nice caramelized flavor.

15. Graham crackers for cookies (in pie crusts)

Who doesn’t love a fresh baked cookie-crust pie? But next time, refrain from the traditional sugar or Oreo cookie crust and grab the graham crackers. Reduced-fat graham cracker pack about half the calories of the more conventional options.

16. Evaporated skim milk for cream

It’s the same consistency with a fraction of the fat. Evaporated milk tends to have a bit more sugar (only about 2 grams), but the major drop in fat content is well worth the switch.

17. Stevia for sugar

Natural sweetener stevia is lower in calories and up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. But watch the grocery bill, as this fashionable sweetener can also cost up to 5 times as much as granulated sugar.

18. Baby prunes for butter

In brownies and other dark baked goods, minced baby prunes make for a perfect butter substitute while cutting more than half the calories and fat.

19. Cacao Nibs for chocolate chips 

Those chips? Yeah, they start out as cacao nibs— the roasted bits of cocoa beans that then get ground down and turned in to chocolate. These unprocessed (or at least less processed) treats cut down on the additives and added sugar in chocolate, while also delving out a healthy dose of antioxidants.

See the rest at the Greatist!

lagorditasdiary:

During my weekend back to cooking post a couple weeks back I said I’d post my pot roast recipe. I also said I wasn’t sure how it would turn out and needless to say, it turned out great. It was a little sweeter than I wanted so next time I’m not dumping the water from the diced tomatoes. I also threw in a splash of OJ and I think I’ll cut that out next time as well.

Here’s the end result:

Ingredients

1 pound of fingerling potatoes (or any potatoes you have on hand just chop them up into quarters)
2 pounds of beef roast (I used beef shoulder)
3/4 cup of baby carrots (chopped regular carrots work as well)
2 celery stalks cut in half
10 garlic cloves, smashed or cut in half at least (I <3 garlic, but if you don’t then feel free to cut back) 
2 large shallots cut in half
1 can Italian herb diced tomatoes
1/2 bunch of chopped kale
sea salt to taste

Directions

1. Smash garlic cloves or cut them in half and set aside.

2. Cut celery stalks and shallots in half and set aside (same bowl or plate as garlic).

3. Trim off as much fat off the beef as you can. It won’t be dry, trust me. Roast is nicely marbled. Cut it into 3 to 4 inch chunks.

4. Plug in crock-pot and dump the canned tomatoes in. 

5. Put the beef, garlic, celery and shallots in the crock-pot.

6. Put washed potatoes and carrots into the crock-pot.

7. Put just enough water or broth to submerge everything in the crock-pot.

8. Add salt and give it all a good stir.

9. Set crock-pot to high and walk away for 6 1/2 hours.

10. Throw kale into the mix and stir and re-cover as quickly as you can.

11. It should be ready in 2 hours :)

If you’re weird about opening the crock-pot while it’s cooking, then steam the kale separately and add it in after the roast is done. 

thetasteofhealth:

Whole Wheat Pancakes Click for recipe

thenest:

You won’t believe this macaroni and cheese dish is actually healthy (but it is). 

teabeyond:

Healthy Recipes-Chocolate Chip Biscuits (Stevia recipe)