Spinach and Vegetable Salad

 

I love experimenting with all different kinds of vegetables and I love making up a large plate just like this. The whole meal is under 300 calories. It's my go to after a long workday.

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

1-2 cups of Spinach

 

1 small Asparagus Stalk (cut the tips)

 

1 large sliced  Mushroom

 

1/2 of a sliced Beets

 

1/3 cup Chickpeas

 

Cherry Tomatoes

 

Fresh lemon juice

 

 



Take a large dish and place all your ingredients. Spritz with fresh lemon juice toss and enjoy.

 

If you want to cook up your vegetables feel free to roast or flash steam them in the microwave. So delicious and good for you. This can be added with tofu, sliced chicken, fish, you decide just keep the animal protein low and the vegetable, beans high. If you are not a fan of lemon use olive oil or a light vinaigrette.

 

 

 

 

Large Roasted Vegetable Salad

 

It's the new year and time to change your eating up a bit. Eating more healthy nutrient dense meals leads to better health, energy and weight lose. Below is the first of many GREAT meals to try this year. So lets get started.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup Brussel Sprouts

 

1 Yellow Squash Sliced

 

1 Green Zucchini Sliced

 

1/2 cup sugar snaps

 

Cherry tomatoes (palm full)

 

1 tsp Chopped Sun dried tomatoes

 

1 TBSP Ms Dash Italian seasoning

 

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking dish with a little olive oil spray. Place all your vegetables on the tray, spray with a touch more olive oil, and seasoning. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes, remove and serve.

 

Tips:

This is a great way to get all your vegetables. Its low and calories and full of flavor. If you want add chicken or fish, quinoa, or brown rice. 

 

 

 

 

Gluten Free Pasta with Ground Turkey and Green Beans

Just recently I was told that I have a gluten sensitivity, being Italian it is hard but hey you do what you need to and make the necessary adjustments. Although I don't miss eating pasta, I wanted to try some of the new products on the market that are "Gluten Free". The one used in this recipe was make with just corn and water. I have to say it was not bad, even Frank enjoyed it. So lets get started.

Ingredients:

1 Bag of Gluten Free Pasta (made with corn) plus 1/2 cup of cooking water reserved
1-2 TBSP Olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 package of ground Turkey 
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 bag French Cut Green Beans
1/2 cup carrots
1 TBSP grated Parmesan Cheese

Boil water for your pasta. In a skillet, heat oil, garlic, and ground turkey. Cook till the meat is no longer pink; add your green beans and carrots, along with the rest of the seasoning. Let it simmer on low for about 10-15 minutes. Just enough time for the pasta to cook (make sure to save your 1/2 cup of water) and strain. Once it is done toss into the skillet mixture along with the 1/2 cup off water,  toss and finish off with grated cheese.  Serve and enjoy.

Tips:
Obviously, if you don't want to use gluten free pasta you can use quinoa, rice, or no pasta at all. This can be made with broccoli or any other vegetable of choice.

Serves:
3-6

Total Cooking Time:
25-30 minutes

Nut Crusted Chicken Tenders

So I was inspired by a recent book to start using nuts as a coating for chicken instead of the same breadcrumb, flour or whole eggs. It will also make my stomach a lot happier since I am having a hard time with gluten products. So my mom and I decided to experiment, with chicken tenders since they are small and easy to cook up; plus the kids love them.

So here is what we did....

1. 1/2 cup pistachios shelled
2. 1/2 cup almonds
3. 1 package chicken tenders
4. 2 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350. Using a food chopper or processor, chop up your almonds, and pistachios. In an assembly lay out your chicken; nuts and egg whites each in there own bowl. Take your chicken and dip it in the egg, then nuts, and onto a sprayed baking sheet. Repeat till all chicken is done, place into the oven for about 20-25 minutes, remove and enjoy.

 

Fit Cuisine Notes:

This dish smells amazing, it's gluten free and full of flavor. It is a great alternative to breadcrumb and tastes good over quinoa, a salads or with vegetables. Obviously if you have a nut issue omit this dish, but it is totally worth the time and if you want make a batch of mixed nuts and place into the freezer so you always have it on hand

Turkey and Quinoa Bake

I wanted to try another dish using something other than chicken, that cooked up just as fast. So I decided to use Turkey Cutlets. Just as good and easy to prepare. The only issue with them is they need to be added with things that have a lot of flavor. So here is what I did...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cooked Quinoa
1 Package of Turkey Cutlets Diced
1 Can crushed tomatoes
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Broccoli
1/2 Cup Zucchini
1 TBSP olive oil
1-2 TBSP Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make sure to cook up your quinoa using 2 cups liquid to 1 cup Quinoa. While that is cooking up dice your cutlets and place them in a large baking dish coated with your olive oil. Place the turkey, broccoli, and Zucchini into the dish and top with the diced tomato, seasoning, and 1 TBSP of cheese. Stir all together and place into the oven for 40 minutes. When the turkey is cooked and vegetables are tender, remove from the oven and add your quinoa. Stir again, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve.

Fit Cuisine Notes:

This is a great complete gluten free dish that can be made in advance and reheated or served that day. I made a large enough portion to use for my husbands lunch the next few days. If you are not a fan of the vegetables used then try your or the family favorites. You can also omit the quinoa if that is not your thing, or use chicken, tofu, whatever as well.....makes and excellent side dish without the turkey.

Skillet Top Lasagna

Ingredients

1. 24 oz marinara sauces , favorite jarred or fresh
2. 1 lb. whole wheat egg noodle
3. 1 tbsp. minced garlic
4. 1-2 cups low fat ricotta cheese, find a brand you like
5. 1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese shredded
6. 2 tsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese
7. 1 tsp. fresh basil chopped

Directions

1. In a sauce pan, boil water for your noodles. In a bowl combine your ricotta, basil, garlic, and 1 tsp of Parmesan cheese. In a sauce pan add your sauce noodles, and the ricotta mixture. Over low flame toss till heated through. Remove from heat and serve.

Tips:
Great way to enjoy a family favorite without all the calories and fat. Whole wheat noodles and low fat cheese cut the calories. Very quick to prepare and the whole family will enjoy it. Serve with a side vegetable or large salad.

Baked Balsamic Chicken with Pesto

I love to experiment with new recipes, and since chicken is a staple in my husbands diet, I like coming up with easy yummy ways to prepare it. This is so simple that you can prepare it the night before, leave it in the fridge and cook the next day.

I call this my healthy version of Shake and Bake...LOL! So make sure you have your Zip Lock Bag ready.

Ingredients:

1 package of Chicken Breast
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Italian Bread Crumbs
1/3 cup Panko
2 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 TBSP jarred Pesto
4-6 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBSP Sliced Black Olives
2 TBSP diced cherry tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 375. In a Zip lock bag place your breadcrumb, panko, cheese and chicken. Shake until chicken is fully coated. In a baking dish lined with foil, place your 1-2 TBSP of balsamic, and then put your chicken on the sheet. Use the remaining balsamic and coat the chicken, top each piece  with a drizzle of pesto. Add the olives;tomatoes and bake. Cook for 30 minutes depending on the thickness of your breast. Let cool and serve.

This dish can be served with a large salad or what I did was sauteed mixed vegetables with rice on the side.  This is a great dish to use with company, or parties with.

Ground Turkey with Butternut Squash and Tomato

I love experimenting with different kinds of vegetables, squash is so healthy, and delish...my favorite happens to be butternut. The summer is just not the season for great fresh squash so I tried frozen. Lets just say it was husband approved.

Ingredients:
1 package of Butternut Squash cubed
1 package Ground Turkey
1 diced Zucchini
1 can of diced tomato
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 TBSP Olive oil
2 TBSP chopped Sun dried tomato

In a saute pan place your oil, butternut squash, zucchini and turkey. Cook till turkey is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Add your seasoning, sundried tomato and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Tips:
This dish can be served with just about anything, I did it with brown rice but you can do quinoa, pasta, or potato.

Healthy Olive Spread

During the summer months, my family like to unwind after work or on the weekend to a great glass of wine and some sliced vegetables with spread before dinner, or going out. I started to notice in the market all the different high calorie spreads and felt it was NOT worth the extra lbs.

Since my family loves olives my mom and I came up with this lower sodium version of the store bought, it is super light and full of flavor...so lets get started.

Ingredients:

1 small can of black olives (washed)
1/2 can of green olives (washed)
1/2 jar of Kalamata olives (washed)
1 clove of garlic
1 TBSP Olive Oil


Take all of the above ingredients and place them into a food chopper or mixer. Chop till all the olives are broken up, pour into a dish and serve.

Tips:
I love to serve this with cucumbers, carrots, or whole grain cracker. It can be a great snack on pita, or toasted whole grain bread.

Whole Wheat Vegetable Pizza

Who doesn't love Pizza, but the calories in the slices are a little less then favorable for out waist, so here is a recipe that my mother made using my Fit Cuisine Whole Wheat Pizza Crust. To get the recipe for the yummy crust you can purchase the book on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Cuisine-Healthy-Food-Simple/dp/1475907109

Ingredients:

1 Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1-2 Cup of low moisture Shredded Mozzarella

1 Large Portobella Mushroom (chopped)

1 Asparagus Spear diced

3 Large Vine Ripe Tomato sliced

1 tsp basil

1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven with your pizza stone to 425 degrees. Prep your pizza dough, that has already been risen and made. Shape your pie according to your desired size (square or round). Brush it with your olive oil, and sprinkle with a little cheese; start to place your vegetables, and countinue to layer the cheese. Complete till everything is on the pie....remember this is a non- tomato sauce pie; all we have are vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle with your basil, and place in the oven on top of your stone. Let it cook for 20 minutes, remove from oven letting it cool for a few and serve.

Tips:
If you are not a fan of these vegetables use whatever you like...this is great for kids to get involved in and even create there own pie. Or you can make these into little appetizers for parties, and gatherings. Either way you can't go wrong with this pizza.

Turkey Kielbasa with Tri Color Pasta and Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 pkg. of Hillshire Farm Turkey Kielbasa (low salt)
1 zucchini (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 medium bag of  fresh broccoli
1 medium bag of spinach wilted
1 can of chickpeas (raised)
1 lemon (squeezed)
1 box of Tri-color pasta or whole grain
1TBSP olive oil
1tsp garlic

Cook pasta according to box. In a large saute pan heat garlic, oil, and turkey kielbasa, add the vegetables to the pan cooking for about 20 minute, or until soft and tender. Drain your pasta and add it to your mixture along with your chick peas and toss. Heat for another 10 minutes remove from heat add your lemon juice; toss and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Notes:

This dish is great for a summer gathering. Can be served cold or hot, and makes for great leftovers the next day. Although I am not sure a dish this yummy will last. If you are not a fan of Kielbasa, add chicken, Steak, or no protein at all.

Serves 6-8
Total time: 30 minutes

Kids Easy Baked Chicken

 

I decided to start making some healthier recipes for kids, and having 2 nieces whom I adore I wanted to teach my sister that the processed stuff may be quick but is NOT very healthy and even she can get the kids to like this meal. Well sure enough it is not only the most requested by the kids she loves them as well. So let's get started.

Ingredients

1 package of chicken tender

1 cup panko breading (finely broken)

1/2 cup 4C whole wheat bread crumbs

1 egg + 1 egg white

Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle of Italian seasoning

Olive oil spray

Preheat the oven to 350. In a seal able bag place your panko, breadcrumbs, Parmesan,  and seasoning making sure it is all blended together. Take your eggs and whisk them in a bowl, take your chicken and coat them all with egg, then place them into the bag for breading, seal the bag and shake it so all the chicken strips are coated. Then take a baking tray and spray with oil, remove chicken and place onto the try, once they are there give the chicken one final oil spray and back in the oven for about 25 minutes. Remove, cool, and enjoy!


Tips
See how easy? This can be made with tofu, shrimps, we took the chicken and dunked them in a marinara sauce, or you can use a low salt ketchup or mustard. Either way this is a great way to get your kids to eat better and it took no more than 30 minutes. Serve with a salad or your kids favorite veggie.

Vegetable Frittata

I just got  into eggs, and they are super healthy, and loaded with great protein and vitamins. I normally don't order them out because they are made with butter, heavy cream, or whole milk. But when I am home I eat them all the time for dinner, especially hard boiled. Love them on a salad, but this time I wanted to learn to make an Italian favorite the Frittata. So my mother showed me the basic ingredient and I changed them to this.....


Ingredients

1 small contains of an egg substitute

1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

4 stalks of steamed asparagus (chopped)

1-2 cups fresh baby spinach

2 tbsp low fat mozzarella cheese shredded

Olive oil spray

Pinch of black pepper 


Preheat your oven to 325. In an oven friendly skillet heat up your olive oil and add your tomatoes, spinach, and asparagus till just about wilted. Next take your egg container and pour the entire thing onto your vegetables..Do Not touch it. Let the eggs blend with the other items in the pan. Add your black pepper, and mozzarella cheese. Place the skillet into the oven and leave it to cook for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes and serve.


Tips
This was great, first time I ever made one and it was so easy. This is now my new alternative to the boiled egg. I make this for us to eat for dinner, and even lunch the next day for Frank with rice. The sky's  the limit with this dish you can do anything with vegetables, meats, cheese, you decide. Great for kids as well, add there favorite ingredient  and give them the good nutrients they need.

Blueberry Pancakes with Vanilla and Cinnamon

This was a special Sunday treat for my family. Both my dad and husband love pancakes, I am not a huge fan but love to make them and try different ingredients to make them less dense. So here we go...

Ingredients

2 cups of pancake mix (any kind you like)

1 cup of vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Dash of cinnamon 

1 tsp all natural vanilla extract

2 eggs

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl, whisk well so that their are no lumps. Preheat a skillet or flat grill pan and spray with PAM. Ladle you batter and make easy small sized pancakes. This batter should make about 6 to 8.

Tips:
Serve with sliced fresh bananas or strawberries, and if needed organic maple syrup. This can be a great dish for kids as well, and if you have a few left over a yummy snack with peanut butter.

Quinoa Breakfast

What You Will Need:

½ Cup of cooked Quinoa (in water)

2 oz of Unsweetened Almond Breeze

Dash of Cinnamon

1/3 cup fresh berries

Make your Quinoa according to package and place in the fridge overnight for use in the morning. Take your Quinoa and place it into a microwave safe bowl and add your almond breeze, and cinnamon. Place in the microwave for about 1 ½ minutes. Take out stir and add your berries. Eat and enjoy.

Tips:

This is a great meal if you want something warm but can’t do gluten, like me. I decided to try this dish because I just love quinoa, you can make up a batch and leave it in the refrigerator for a few days and always have it ready to go. What I did with this dish was substitute what I use to use (oatmeal) for a better grain that has more protein and helps we through my long morning of training without a drop in energy. Plus you get calcium from the Almond milk which is dairy free, and antioxidants form all the great berries. So I would definitely try this great dish, if you don’t want it for breakfast it makes an awesome snack as well.

Time: 25 minutes (that is to cook quinoa) if cooked already 10 minutes

Serving: 1-2

Fit Cuisine Book Order

I

It is finally here so make sure to click onto the link below and get started on the path to simple healthy meals.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fit-cuisine-francesca-pucher/1110603559?ean=9781475907100

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Shrimp

I LOVE vegetables, eat a ton of then everyday. I have come up with so many different ways to cook them but this is by far my favorite. I even order meals like this at restaurants, with vegetable (sauteed/grilled/steamed) on the side.

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Asparagus diced
4 grape tomatoes
2 sliced fennel bulbs
1 cup of baby spinach
2 cups sliced mushrooms (baby bello, and white)
1 sliced beet
1-2 sliced figs
4 pieces of cooked shrimp
1 tsp crumbled goat cheese

Lemon Dressing:
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. On a baking tray lines with foil, place your tomato, fennel, asparagus, and mushrooms. Cook for about 20 minutes. On your dish place spinach, beets, and figs. Once the vegetables are complete, place them on your dish, top with shrimp, goat cheese, and dressing. This is the healthiest meal you can eat.

Tips:
This salad is endless, you can use tofu, chicken, beans..the sky's the limit. I eat a salad like this every night, it is my favorite meal of the day. So give it a try and make sure to have a glass of wine with it.

Vegetable and Turkey Saute with Jasmine Rice

This is a great any night go to dish, loaded with vegetables, and protein. Total prep time and cooking for this meal is 30 minutes. So get ready to feel great, with this easy 1 pot dish.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Jasmine Rice  (microwave or regular prep)
1 cup broccoli,
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 cup diced squash and zucchini
1 package of ground turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup diced carrots
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp sliced sun dried tomato in oil
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable stock

Note:
If you are use microwave rice wait till the end of the cooking process to prepare it, if you are using regular Jasmine rice prepare it while the meal is cooking, it usually takes 25 minutes.

In a saute pan, heat your garlic, oil and ground turkey. Cooking till no longer pink. Then add your vegetables, seasoning, sun dried tomato, vegetable stock and simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Then stir in your rice, sprinkle with a little cheese and enjoy.

Eggplant Pomodoro with Whole Wheat Rotini

This weeks meal was vegan designed, my clients love eggplant, so I came up with this easy and simple dish that can be made any night of the week. If you are not a big fan of pasta, add rice or make this as a stew with garbanzo or white beans.

Ingredients:

1 Large Eggplant diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic paste
1 jar or marinara sauce
1 can diced salt free tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 box whole wheat pasta

Boil water according to box. In a saute pan heat up your olive oil, and garlic paste. Then add your diced eggplant, and marinara sauce. Simmer on low heat until the vegetables are soft. Add your seasoning, and canned tomatoes. Simmer the entire dish for about 10 minutes. Drain your pasta, add to the eggplant mixture, stir and serve.