Turkey Sloppy Joes

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Talk about eating healthy! Last night we put carrots in our sloppy joes. Carrots!! 

Now I know that sounds a little strange...and it is. Turkey is a healthy alternative to ground beef all in itself, but using half grated carrots in addition to the turkey makes it even better for you. Plus this is a great way to sneak vegetables into the meal if you have picky eaters at home. 

The carrots add a slight sweetness to the mixture, but when you put it on a hamburger bun it evens it out. I'm sure if you're weirded out by the carrots you could just do all turkey, no problem. But if you're on a healthy eating binge like Chris and I, I'd definitely suggest trying out this recipe. It won't disappoint. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 carrots, coarsely grated (2 cups)
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 3/4 lb. ground turkey (93% lean, dark meat)
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp. dark-brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 4 whole-wheat hamburger rolls, split

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium; add carrots, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.


Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add turkey; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.


Add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve on whole-wheat rolls.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Chicken Stir Fry

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Long gone are the days where I can spend a couple hours after work putting together an elaborate and delectable meal (at least for now). Easy to throw together dinners are slowly becoming a staple in my kitchen. These days my evenings are full of wedding vendor appointments, and when I don't have that I'm trying to squeeze in time with friends/family, some sort of work out, and quality time with Chris. On top of all this, Chris plays basketball a few evenings per week so our time together gets more and more scarce. Quick dinners are a necessity, and I'm now realizing they can still be as fun and delicious as a more intricate meal!

The other week when Chris had to run off to a basketball game shortly after work, I wanted to make sure he had something in his stomach before he left but I only had about 20 minutes to do so. We usually have some chicken on hand and I keep frozen vegetables stored in the freezer, so the meal was a no brainer. I just combined all my favorite flavors including sesame oil, garlic powder and soy sauce, and it blended together beautifully. Plus it was all ready in under 15 minutes. Put it on top of rice and you've got more than half of the food pyramid covered. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp. pure sesame oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, string beans, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.)
• 1 cup rice, cooked

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Spray a large pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until done, about 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, water, red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic and cornstarch in a bowl. After chicken is done cooking, add mixture to the pan.

Add the frozen mixed vegetables and cover. Cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve over rice.


Source: SK Original

Breakfast Sausages in a Blanket

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Do you ever have those mornings when you're starving and either a) don't have any good breakfast food to make or b) just don't feel like making anything? My nephew slept over the other weekend and since he woke me up at 6:45am on a Sunday (thanks Trevor!) I was pretty starving by 9am. Since I didn't have many options on hand and knew I couldn't make anything extravagant since I had to entertain him, I pulled together these little breakfast sausage croissants while he was eating his Cheerios. They were so quick and easy to make and SO delicious. The maple sausage and flaky rolls were great together. They would be perfect for a brunch, get-together or just a quick any day breakfast! Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury refrigerated crescent butter flake rolls
• 4 slices Provolone cheese (or your cheese of choice)
• 8 pre-cooked maple sausage links

Preheat oven as directed on crescent package.

Roll out crescents onto a baking sheet and separate into eight triangles. Cut each slice of cheese in half and place on the wide end of each crescent. Top the cheese with a sausage link.

Starting with the wide side of the crescent, roll up each triangle and press to seal.

Bake for as directed on crescent package or until golden brown.

Source: SK Original

Grilled Chicken with Bruschetta

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I like to change up my workout every once in a while, so yesterday evening Chris and decided to go swim a few laps. It was fine, except we both thought we were going to collapse after each 50 meters. I was a swimmer growing up, so my body is still kind of used to that sort of workout. But poor Chris. He's a basketball player. Basketball players and swimmers don't exactly use the same muscles and stamina when working out. My arms were burning and my chest was thumping, so I can only imagine what he was feeling. But he still did great! All I could think about was how dynamite my toned arms were going to look on our wedding day and that kept me going! Talk about motivation!

In preparation for the wedding, we've also recently decided that we need to start eating a lot healthier. I always try to incorporate low-fat or fat-free ingredients whenever possible, but with a wedding coming up that's hardly enough. This meal was very light, but packed with flavor. It was very refreshing as well considering the temperature has been in the 90s-100s the past few days. Chris is a big fan of balsamic vinegar, so that mixed with the tomato and mozzarella mixture really tied the dish together. Wedding diet, here we come!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 medium vine ripe tomatoes   
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tbsp. fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin oil
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3 oz. part skim mozzarella, diced
• 1.25 lbs (8 thin sliced) chicken cutlets  

Combine onion, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Set aside a few minutes.

Chop tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Combine with garlic, basil, onion-balsamic combo and additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let it sit at least 10 minutes or as long as overnight. Toss in the cheese when ready to serve.

Season chicken with additional salt and fresh pepper. Grill the chicken cutlets on your indoor or outdoor grill, top with bruschetta and serve.

Source: Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes

Croccante: Almond Brittle

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Growing up, I'd always grab packages of peanut brittle to snack on when I was out shopping. All of the convenience stores had the Planters Peanut Bars up at the front where all the candy usually is, and that's what I was always drawn to. When I saw David Rocco making this almond brittle on his television show, it immediately brought me back to those days. Since almond brittle seems like the "grown-up" version of peanut brittle, I decided to try it out. Once the mixture is dried, it becomes a sweet and salty crunchy treat. It is delicious!

One of the main reasons that I think almond brittle is a perfect mid-day snack is because almonds are known to curb your appetite. You can just grab a piece of this to satisfy a sweet craving and it will hold you over for a few hours. If you aren't a big almond fan, you can also substitute them for peanuts, hazelnuts or pretty much any small nut you prefer. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 cups almonds
• Butter, for greasing cookie sheet

Grease a 9x13 inch cookie sheet with butter.

In saucepan, add the sugar and cook on high heat. Continue to stir until the sugar begins to sweat and liquify. Add a bit of water to help, if necessary. Continue to cook until the sugar turns a deep, rich brown color.

Add the almonds and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, making sure the almonds are fully coated. Remove the almonds from the heat and quickly pour and spread the hot almond mixture on the buttered cookie sheet. Spread to desired thickness.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes before breaking into smaller pieces.

Source: David Rocco