Recipe: Baby Safe Chocolate Cake

My Tiny Dancer has been eating solid foods for a few months, and I love watching her discover new flavors. I really wanted to introduce chocolate to her. But I couldn't figure out how to do this without giving her foods for which she isn't ready. But after much research, I devised a recipe for chocolate cake that includes foods she already eats (and likes) as well as cocoa (and a little maple syrup and Stevia for sweetness). The verdict? I'll let this picture give you an idea.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

1 banana (egg substitute)

1 large carrot (peeled)

1 large zucchini (peeled)

1 medium apple (peeled and cored)

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup ground oats

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2  tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup equivalent Stevia (about 16 packets)

1 tbsp maple sugar

1/2 cup hot water (for desired wetness)

For Frosting (from Eat Yourself Skinny):

2 avocados, mashed

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mash the banana. Shred the vegetables and place in a bowl with maple syrup. Sift together rice flour, ground oats, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and Stevia. Add the banana and dry ingredients to the vegetables. Mix until combined, adding water for desired wetness. Spray cupcake tin with cooking oil. Distribute batter into cupcake tin, and bake for 40 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife into center (should come out clean or with dry crumbs on it). Allow to cool before frosting.

To prepare frosting, in a blender or using a hand mixer, mix together the mashed avocados, cocoa powder and maple syrup until smooth. Let sit in the fridge until cupcakes are cool and frosting is stiff.

Recipe: Kale Pesto Sauce

I know I've made a kale pesto previously for my vegetarian pesto pizza. But I really wanted to highlight this sauce on its own as it is really great for pouring over pastas.

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped kale
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. chopped nuts (I used pecans for this, but walnuts or almonds would also be good)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. dried basil


Directions:
Drop the kale, parmesan, garlic, nuts, a splash of broth and basil in a food processor. Turn on food processor to chop all ingredients, and stream in olive oil while chopping. After streaming olive oil, turn off processor and scrap down sides. Turn on processor again and stream in remaining vegetable broth (you may need more to get the right sauce-like consistency).

Voila, your pesto sauce is ready to coat your favorite pasta.

Pesto over tortellini topped with parmesan...delicious!

Comfort Food: Creamy Bacon-Wrapped Buffalo Chicken

Instead of doing a "Clean Eating" recipe this week, I've opted to do a "Comfort Food" post. One of Cliff's favorite dishes is this baked chicken recipe his mom used to make for him. She would line a baking pan with dried beef, wrap bacon around a chicken breast and lay the breast on the dried beef, then top everything with a mixture of cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. It really is quite a tasty dish. I decided to surprise Cliff with a spin on this favorite dish.

Ingredients:
8 strips of Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon
4 Chicken Breasts (I used Perfect Portions chicken)
6 oz Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt
2 oz Cream Cheese Light
1/4 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
4 oz Deli Turkey Breast Slices
1/4 cup + 1 tsp Frank's Red Hot Wings Sauce
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 stalk Celery
2 Carrots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.

Peel carrots and cut carrots and celery into small pieces. Place in a food processor and finely chop. Put chopped veggies in a large bowl.

   

Rinse out food processor. Add blue cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, garlic powder, lemon juice and 1 tsp of hot sauce to food processor. Pulse chop until well blended. Add up to 1/4 cup of water to get desired consistency.

Cut each chicken breast in half. Place in a large bowl and top with 1/4 cup of hot sauce. Toss with hands until chicken pieces are well coated.

Spray a casserole pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with turkey slices.

Place chicken pieces in carrot/celery mixture to coat (like a breading). Wrap each half chicken in with one strip of bacon. Place on top of the layer of turkey slices.

    

Spread the top of the chicken pieces with blue cheese mixture.

Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until done.

Serve alongside rice or vegetable of choice. The blue cheese sauce makes an excellent gravy.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 2 pieces with 1/4 sauce (412.3g)
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Calories - 308
Calories from Fat - 92
Total Fat - 10.2 g
Saturated Fat - 3.1g
Trans Fat - 0g
Cholesterol - 118mg
Sodium - 1200mg
Total Carbohydrates - 8.8g
Dietary Fiber - 1.3g
Sugar - 5g
Protein - 42.8g
---
Vitamin A - 102%
Vitamin C - 9%
Calcium - 16%
Iron - 4%

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
---
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
---
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
---
Vitamin A - 137%
Vitamin C - 4%
Calcium - 9%
Iron - 18%


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

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
---
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
---
Vitamin A - 0%
Vitamin C - 7%
Calcium - 2%
Iron - 5%

Clean Eating: Encrusted Beef Tenderloin & Squashed Squash

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe. I'm ready to get back into cooking, and I really wanted something yummy, but not too difficult. I had taken some steaks out of the freezer the other day, so I knew I wanted to make something with those steaks. I've also had a butternut squash screaming at me to cook it for a while, so tonight was the night.

Encrusted Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:
16 oz. beef tenderloin filets
2 slices whole wheat bread (I used Nature's Own)
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flake
1/2 tsp. dried onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil


Directions:
Preheat oven on broil.

Tear bread into small pieces and add to a food processor. Add all seasonings (except 1/4 tsp. sea salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper). Pulse grind the bread and seasonings into breadcrumbs. Place in a bowl and add olive oil. Stir to combine.

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with remaining sea salt and pepper. Place in hot skillet and cook for 4 minutes. Flip steaks and top with seasoned breadcrumbs.

Place skillet with steaks in oven. Broil until breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Steaks will be a nice medium rare.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 114.5g
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Calories - 256
Calories from Fat - 115
Total Fat - 12.8g
Saturated Fat - 3.9g
Cholesterol - 89mg
Sodium - 310mg
Total Carbohydrates - 5.7g
Dietary Fiber - 1.1g
Sugar - 0.7g
Protein - 30g
---
Vitamin A - 0%
Vitamin C - 0%
Calcium - 4%
Iron - 12%


Squashed Squash

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar

Directions:
Microwave whole squash for 10 minutes on a microwave safe plate. Remove from microwave and cut in half (carefully, as squash will be hot). Let cool until easy to handle. Scoop seeds from both halves of the squash.

Remove peel from flesh of squash. Cut squash into chunks. Place in a medium pan and cover halfway with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to boil. Boil until fork tender, about 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and drain. Place in a medium-sized bowl, and add cinnamon, brown sugar and coconut oil (if necessary, melt coconut oil in microwave before adding). Using a potato masher, mash squash and mix with other ingredients.

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 149.3g
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Calories - 101
Calories from Fat - 32
Total Fat - 3.6g
Saturated Fat - 3.4g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 4mg
Total Carbohydrates - 18.1g
Dietary Fiber - 0.3g
Sugar - 3.4g
Protein - 1.8g
---
Vitamin A - 95%
Vitamin C - 8%
Calcium - 4%
Iron - 5%

Clean Eating: Stroganoff

I've been on a real fitness kick lately. I agreed to "Run into the New Year", which means that I run (or sometimes walk) a mile every day until the New Year. At any rate, my eating habits have changed a little. I've been having bigger meals during the day along with snacks, and at night, I'm having something really light, like a bowl of cereal or soup or small sandwich. That means I haven't been cooking a lot recently, so my poor little blog has been on hold. Until tonight. I have to make sure Cliff gets a good meal, so I made my version of stroganoff, clean eating style.

Ingredients:
10 oz. ground turkey
4 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti
6 cabbage leaves
1 onion
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 beef bouillon cube
1 cup water
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:
Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the water with salt and add spaghetti noodles (break in half if desired). Meanwhile, slice the cabbage leaves into long, thin strips. Place cabbage in water along with pasta and cook 8-9 minutes until pasta is al dente.

Dissolve beef bouillon cube in one cup of water. Slice onion into rings. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and heat for a couple of minutes. Add about 1/2 the beef broth to the onions and cover. Cook until liquid has reduced completely and onions are brown and soft.

Add ground turkey to the pan and brown, mixing with onions. Season with salt and pepper. Place sour cream and remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth in the pan and stir to combine with beef and onions.

Add cooked pasta and cabbage to skillet and stir for 3 minutes until pasta is well combined with sauce.

Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Serves 4
Serving Size 250.2g
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Calories -309
Calories from Fat -121
Total Fat - 13.5g
Saturated Fat - 4.9g
Cholesterol - 63mg
Sodium - 500mg
Total Carbohydrates - 28g
Dietary Fiber - 1.4g
Sugar - 4.3g
Protein - 19.4g
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Vitamin A - 5%
Vitamin C - 25%
Calcium - 9%
Iron - 13% 

Clean Eating: Stovetop Spinach Casserole

Ingredients:
8 oz. homemade turkey sausage 
8 oz. ground sirloin
1 cup brown rice
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 oz. neufchatel cheese
2 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions.

While rice is cooking, prepare cheese sauce. Add almond milk to a small pot over medium heat. Cut cream cheese into small chunks and add to pot. Whisk until cream cheese is melted and milk comes to a simmer. Add shredded cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Reduce heat to low.

Place frozen spinach on a microwave-safe plate. Defrost in microwave, about 3 minutes.

In a large skillet, add extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic to pan. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add turkey sausage and ground sirloin to skillet. Break up with spatula and cook until browned.

Add defrosted spinach, cooked rice and cheese sauce to pan and stir to combine.

Enjoy!