Clean Eating: Buffalo Chicken Baked Potato Casserole

I love buffalo chicken. I have been on the hunt for the perfect chicken wing for years. I'm not sure I've found it yet, but I really love indulging in these tasty appetizers whenever I feel like a little splurge. Unfortunately, wings aren't the healthiest options being that they are often fried and the sauce is made with gads of butter. So, I created this dish as an homage to appetizers: tasty chicken wings and delicious potato skins.

Sorry, I failed to get a picture of the ingredients before cooking, but I'm sure you can figure out what all these simple items look like.

Ingredients:
16 oz crumbled ground chicken
1 small onion
2 stalks celery
1 medium carrot
2 medium red bell peppers 
1 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt substitute
1/4 cup blue cheese
2 oz light cream cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
6 oz plain nonfat greek yogurt
1 tsp Frank's Buffalo Sauce
1.25 lbs baking potatoes
1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Place red peppers on pan or foil. Place in oven under broiler and cook until skin is blackened, turning to blacken other side.

Remove from oven and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let steam. Once pepper have cooled, remove the blackened skin and seed core.

Place peppers in food processor. Add vinegar, garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt substitute and red pepper flakes to food processor. Pulse grind into a saucy consistency. Put aside.

Slice potatoes into 1/4" slices. Add to a pot and cover with water. Boil over medium-high heat until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes.

Rinse food processor. Cut celery, carrot and onion into chunks and add to food processor. Pulse grind until finely chopped. Put aside.

Add olive oil to large pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken to pan and brown, breaking up with wooden spoon into crumbles. Add pureed carrot, celery and onion mixture to ground chicken. Heat over low heat until mixture is heated through.

Add red pepper sauce to chicken.

Rinse food processor. Add blue cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic powder and hot sauce to food processor. Pulse grind to combine. Add up to 1/4 cup of water to desired consistency.

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with cooked potato slices and sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp of salt substitute on top of potatoes. Top with chicken mixture, then spread blue cheese sauce on top.

This picture was taken after I removed from oven and began sectioning portions. Just imagine without the cut marks.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy with a fresh garden salad, or delicious eaten as is.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 451.8g
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Calories - 426
Calories from Fat - 146
Total Fat - 16.2 g
Saturated Fat - 6.2g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 113mg
Sodium - 371mg
Total Carbohydrates - 40g
Dietary Fiber - 5.3g
Sugar - 8.4g
Protein - 31.6g
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Vitamin A - 97%
Vitamin C - 164%
Calcium - 19%
Iron - 10%

Clean Eating: Asparagus Pesto Pizzettes

I'm a fan of asparagus, but I can see why other people may not like it. It has a distinct flavor and texture, and the smell can be a little off-putting. But it's a green veggie that I like to have as often as I'm able to get Cliff to eat it. So, I came up with a way to hide the asparagus: make it a pesto. I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with an asparagus pesto. But it's the first time I've used it in a recipe, and it turned out nicely. Even Cliff loved this yummy meal which incorporates all the food groups and earned a B+ nutrition grade on my calorie tracking site.

Ingredients:
2 pitas (I use the Joseph's Heart Healthy Oat Bran pitas as they are only 60 calories each)
40 grams raw almonds
111 grams raw asparagus
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz Oscar Meyer Deli Fresh Chicken Breast Shaved Grilled Strips (this helped me save time, but increased the sodium content - if you prefer to roast your chicken, go for it)
1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Swanson 99% fat free all natural chicken broth
2 oz smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Rinse asparagus and snap off woody ends. Pat dry with paper towel. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes. After removing from oven, lower heat to 350.

Meanwhile, place almonds in a small, dry skillet. Over medium heat, cook until toasted.

Place almonds, roasted asparagus, garlic and chicken broth in a food processor. Pulse grind until a pasty consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.

Spray a small skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms until browned, adding salt to taste.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place pitas on baking sheet. Divide the pesto mixture between the two pitas and spread over the pitas. Top with chicken, then mushrooms, then shredded gouda. Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve as is or alongside a lightly dressed salad of mixed greens. Enjoy.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2
Serving Size 1 pizzette (345.2g)
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Calories - 407
Calories from Fat - 188
Total Fat - 20.9 g
Saturated Fat - 6.8g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 76mg
Sodium - 1730mg
Total Carbohydrates - 20g
Dietary Fiber - 9.3g
Sugar - 4.4g
Protein - 43.4g
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Vitamin A - 15%
Vitamin C - 45%
Calcium - 26%
Iron - 34%

Clean Eating: Cheesesteak Pasta

Pasta is so good. It's one of my favorite dishes, which probably explains why it makes an appearance on my blog 3 out of 5 times. It's just that it's so easy. All you have to do is perfectly boil some noodles and then add it to a delicious sauce. It's a quick and easy meal that I don't have to put a whole lot of thought into. And when it turns out to be delicious...well, that's just a bonus.

Today, I pay tribute to pasta. But I also have to lend a little respect to ground buffalo. It is definitely one of my favorite meats and is a good substitute for beef. If you find yourself with these ingredients on hand, you should definitely give this a try.

Ingredients:
8 oz ground buffalo
1.5 cup frozen pepper stir-fry (I used Bird's Eye brand)
2.8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 oz dry quinoa pasta elbows
4 tbsp light cream cheese
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder


Directions:
Fill medium pot with water. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste and add pasta. Return to boil. Cook for 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a large saute pan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add frozen peppers and mushrooms. Cook until veggies are tender. Remove to bowl lined with paper towel.

Add ground buffalo to pan. Brown meat, breaking up with wooden spoon. Add a little water to help break up the meat. Sprinkle flour over browned meat. Stir until flour is cooked.

Add vegetables, cream cheese and milk to pan. Stir until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened.

Add cooked pasta to pan and stir for 3 minutes until pasta is evenly coated in sauce.

Good enough to eat on its own, or enjoy it with a fresh salad.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2
Serving Size 421.4g
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Calories - 476
Calories from Fat - 142
Total Fat - 15.8 g
Saturated Fat - 7g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 70mg
Sodium - 723mg
Total Carbohydrates - 46.2g
Dietary Fiber - 5.3g
Sugar - 5.1g
Protein - 32.3g
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Vitamin A - 16%
Vitamin C - 17%
Calcium - 33%
Iron - 100%

Clean Eating: Taco Lasagna

This dish is for my special man. Cliff is a big fan of tacos and lasagna. I'm a fan of casseroles, but not normally lasagna. So, I figured I could make a taco lasagna. It was very reminiscent of my enchilada casserole, but with the creamy sour cream and fresh raw tomatoes and lettuce on top, it feels more like a taco. Although, I guess it's hard to call it a taco if you can't eat it with your hands. At any rate, this was a delicious meal.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken breast
4 LaTortilla Factory Fiber & Flax corn tortillas (I use these because each one is only 45 calories)
2 tomatoes
1 tomatillo
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1 tsp. dried cilantro
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. pimento cheese (or whatever clean eating cheese you like - use something totaling 210 calories)
2 tbsp. hot banana peppers, chopped
2 tbsp. hot banana pepper pickling liquid

Toppings:
1 tomato, diced
1 cup shredded lettuce
4 tbsp. light sour cream


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Dice 2 tomatoes and the tomatillo and place in a food processor. Add onions, seasonings and garlic. Pulse grind until completely pureed into a salsa.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, brown ground chicken breast. Once browned, add fresh salsa, cheese and banana pepper rings. Add 2 tablespoons of pickling liquid from pepper jar. Stir with spatula to break up any large pieces of chicken and melt cheese.

Cut tortilla in half. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and place 4 tortilla halves at the bottom of the pan. Top with half the beef and sauce mixture. Repeat layers.

Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Once cooked, serve topped with diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 370.1g
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Calories - 302
Calories from Fat -79
Total Fat - 8.8g
Saturated Fat - 2.4g
Trans Fat - 0.2g
Cholesterol - 74mg
Sodium - 683mg
Total Carbohydrates - 31g
Dietary Fiber - 7g
Sugar - 6.2g
Protein - 29.4g
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Vitamin A - 17%
Vitamin C - 44%
Calcium - 15%
Iron - 26%

Clean Eating: Spinach-Mushroom Macaroni with Chicken Meatballs

I love pasta. There is something so comforting about eating a big old bowl of carbs. However, eating a lot of pasta isn't so friendly for the waistline, so I always try to figure out ways to have my pasta but not go too overboard on the calories. One of the ways to cut calories is to have a healthy sauce instead of one saturated in fattening cheese or dripping with fatty beef sauce. So, today's recipe is my version of pesto spaghetti and meatballs (except with elbows instead of spaghetti, chicken instead of beef and spinach instead of basil). And what I like most about this dish is that the noodles are quinoa noodles instead of the normal semolina. You won't even notice the difference.

Chicken Meatball Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chicken breast
1/4 cup egg whites
1 tbsp. wheat germ
1 oz. favorite cheese (I'll confess that I used a non clean cheese for this; use something around 70 cals.)
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
2 tsp. dried onion
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put ground chicken breast in a large bowl. Add seasonings, cheese, egg whites and wheat germ. Mix well with hands. Form into ping-pong sized balls (makes 16 meatballs).

Place a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Place meatballs on baking rack.

Bake for 20 minutes until cooks through.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 4 meatballs (141.8g)
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Calories - 142
Calories from Fat - 18
Total Fat - 2.0g
Saturated Fat - 0.8g
Cholesterol - 70mg
Sodium - 379mg
Total Carbohydrates - 4.2g
Dietary Fiber - 0.8g
Sugar - 1.7g
Protein - 27.3g
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Vitamin A - 2%
Vitamin C - 2%
Calcium - 2%
Iron - 7%


Spinach-Mushroom Macaroni Ingredients:
4 oz. dry quinoa pasta elbows
8 oz. frozen spinach
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flake

Directions:
Bring a medium pot of water to boil and add 1/4 tsp. salt (use more for taste if you like). Add elbow pasta to salted water, and cook for 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, add olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and spinach, and saute until mushrooms have browned. Sprinkle flour around pan and stir to cook with mushrooms and spinach. Add chicken broth, seasonings and garlic to pan, and stir until thickened, reducing heat to medium-low. Before draining pasta, add a ladle full of pasta water to saute pan.

Drain pasta and add to spinach-mushroom sauce. Stir for 3 minutes and remove from heat.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 191.2g
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Calories - 174
Calories from Fat - 42
Total Fat - 4.7g
Saturated Fat - 0.6g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 300mg
Total Carbohydrates - 29.3g
Dietary Fiber - 4.8g
Sugar - 1.3g
Protein - 6.7g
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Vitamin A - 137%
Vitamin C - 4%
Calcium - 9%
Iron - 18%


Serve one-quarter of the pan of pasta topped with 4 chicken meatballs. Enjoy!

What Lies Ahead

Hello, beautiful people. First, a big thank you for anyone out there who has been reading my blog. I feel it has been a little lackluster as it is mainly a recipe blog with a little pet care and refashioning thrown in for a good measure. When I created this blog, I wanted it to chronicle lots of different domestic things. Seeing as how I'm an amateur, I wanted to start teaching myself how to be a better domestic. After all, I'm getting married this year, and I aim to be a good wifey. But my blog has suffered from a lack of direction. So, I'm ready to give it some direction.

But unlike in the image above, I don't want to take us down random paths. I want my readers (if there actually are any out there) to know what to expect from day to day. So, here is a breakdown of how I plan to publish my blog in the future (starting today).

Sunday
Sundays will be my day to blog about housekeeping duties. I'm going to call this "Tidying", and in these posts, I hope to not only show awesome pictures as I transform my house from dump to dope, but also to make comments about cleaning products or methods that I'm using.

Get ready for lots of before and after images.

Monday

I'm devoting my Mondays to my special little furry friends. And since I have so many different types of animals, there will be lots of interesting "Pet Care" posts to peruse. I'm planning on using these posts for recipes, cool toys and supplies that I might make for my animals, but as long as what I'm doing is in the best interest of my furballs, you never know what you might see on here.

I wish my pups would stand still long enough for me to get a shot like this.

Tuesday

My recipes will make their appearance on Tuesdays. I'm still labeling my recipes as "Clean Eating" because I'm striving to cook that way. If, for some reason, a recipe I create isn't as clean as it could be, I'll offer a suggestion on how to clean up whatever offending ingredient sullies the dish. 

Wholesome ingredients makes cooking fun (and challenging).

Wednesday 

Unfortunately, creativity doesn't always strike me in the kitchen. If I could, I would make an original "Stephanie" dish every night. But, then I would probably be making mostly pasta dinners with variations on sauces, and I so want to be more creative than that. So, Wednesdays will be my "Recipe Review" days. I'll pick a random recipe (be it appetizer, side dish, entree or dessert) and give my opinion of it (i.e., ease of cooking, taste, expectations, etc.). I'll also link to it in case anyone else wants to give it a whirl.

Welcome to my virtual recipe box.

Thursday

While I'm in a reviewing mode, I've decided that on Thursdays, I will offer a review about a product or service. I probably won't be reviewing restaurants, but otherwise, the door is wide open for any kind of review. I'll try to stick to things that will help me become a better domestic, but really, if I feel the product or service warrants my comments, then I'll certainly post them with my Thursday thoughts.

I'll try not to be a whiner in my reviews.

Friday

Everyone loves a great deal, right? My problem is that I rarely take advantage of good deals. So, I'm devoting my Fridays to posting about great deals I've found. These can be coupons, restaurant deals...basically, anything that's going to help me save a buck (or my sanity).

Feel free to send me deals. I'm not so good at always finding them.

Saturday

And last but not least are my Saturday refashions. I'm waiting until Saturday to do my refashioning because I feel like it will probably take me some time to do those projects. But I'm really looking forward to getting back into it. The two things I made were so exciting, that I can't wait to get those creative sewing juices flowing again.

  That's Jillian, the refashionista. Her blog is what inspired me to start refashioning.

So, that's my week. And I'm always open to suggestions for things to do or try on any of these days.

  

Clean Eating: New Year's Chili

Being a southern girl, it's a tradition that we eat black-eyed peas and greens for New Year's. Ok, I admit, I'm a little behind. This year, I believe I had Chinese delivered for my New Year dinner. But today, I had a hankering for some tradition. So, I concocted this "chili" as a way to get my greens and beans.

 Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
1 lb. of ground chicken breast
1 (15 oz. ) can of black-eyed peas
1 cube beef bouillon
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions:
Dissolve bouillon in 8 oz. of water.

Spray a large pot with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast and seasonings and cook until browned.

Trim kale from stems. Chop and rinse in a large colander. Drain and rinse blackeye peas in a large colander. Add peas, bouillon broth and chopped kale to to pot. Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir contents of pot to incorporate. Add 8 oz. of water and cook for another 5 minutes until kale is wilted. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 408.5g
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Calories - 166
Calories from Fat - 14
Total Fat - 1.5g
Saturated Fat - 0.1g
Cholesterol - 65mg
Sodium - 652mg
Total Carbohydrates - 13.1g
Dietary Fiber - 2.4g
Sugar - 1.3g
Protein - 27.2g
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Vitamin A - 208%
Vitamin C - 135%
Calcium - 10%
Iron - 12%

Clean Eating: Brown Rice with Onion Gravy

I had a couple of steaks that have been awaiting a nice sear and roast. I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into medium-rare deliciousness, but I wasn't sure what kind of side dish to have. I wanted something a little different than the normal rice or side salad or frozen vegetable. So, I came up with this little gem.

Ingredients:
1 bag of instant brown rice
1 medium onion
2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 beef bouillon cube
8 fl. oz. of hot water
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Cooking spray


Directions:
Dissolve the bouillon in hot water.

Place bag of rice in water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil uncovered for 9 minutes. Drain water and remove cooked rice from bag back to cooking pot.

Slice onions. Spray pan with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat and add onions.

Cook until onions begin to soften. Add a splash of the bouillon broth. Stir and cover. Cook for a few minutes until onions have browned (if needed add another splash of plain water).

Sprinkle flour over the browned onions. Stir to cook the flour a bit. Add remaining bouillon broth to pan. Stir to thicken into a gravy. Add salt and pepper. Stir in cooked rice.

Serve with protein of choice.

 

Nutrition Facts
Serves 2
Serving Size 233.7g
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Calories - 199
Calories from Fat - 12
Total Fat - 1.3g
Saturated Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 651mg
Total Carbohydrates - 43.8g
Dietary Fiber - 4.0g
Sugar - 2.6g
Protein - 5.7g
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Vitamin A - 0%
Vitamin C - 7%
Calcium - 2%
Iron - 5%