A Few of Our Favorite Health(ier) Recipes

    I am not by any definition a chef or a health nut. But I do, occasionally, get down in the kitchen. I like to cook and recently we have been trying to eat clean.. maybe not all the time, but more often than not. People generally have this idea that eating healthy and clean is expensive, I just don't agree with that! ONE  meal at a fast food joint can cost around $6, so for two people let's say $12. You can easily get a bag of carrots or another veggie and a sweet potato (one half for each) plus two chicken breasts for the same price or less. I am totally not against indulging every once in a while in a In-n-Out double cheese animal style... But that's just once in a while.
   Like I said, I am not a pro or even consider myself a FANTASTIC cook but there have been a few times when I got compliments and rave reviews from dinner guests or my husband on certain things. I want to share a few of my go-to recipes with you guys!

       Sweet Potato, Kale and sausage-

I made this yesterday because I found the above chicken sausage with spinach and cheese at Whole Foods on a managers special for $4! I improvised my version from a recipe I previously found here. I scaled all the 'bad' stuff way down. I used just a splash of milk and a teeny bit chicken broth and grated up a baby bell red cheese thing and added a sprinkle of Parmesan. When pan cooking the sweet potato, I did add a sprinkle of onion powder, pepper and salt.This dish really does not need as much sauce as is called for in the original, but if you aren't trying to eat clean then GO FOR IT!


   Collard Green Wraps-

This one uses ingredients most people will have in their fridge, minus the quinoa and collard green leaves. I have also added extra protein to this recipe like grilled chicken and I'm sure you can do it with fish as well. I owe this gem to this blog here. I usually make this once a week, partly because I love the peanut sauce and partly because the amount of collard greens I buy. Ooops. For this recipe you need:
-collard green leaves(big ones!)
-avocado
-quinoa
-red and orange bell peppers
-carrots
-cucumber
for the sauce you need
-soy(I use low sodium tamari)
-red wine vinegar
-natural peanut butter (no salt or any extra crap added)
-garlic
-milk (recipe says almond, I use reg 2%)
-a chili paste( I use sriracha, but you could probably do anything with a kick)


Spicy Cauliflower Power Bowl-

I don't have a fancy picture for this one that I can claim, but you can get a visual here as well as the actual recipe. You know I had to throw in a cauliflower recipe being Polish and all, It's a very popular ingredient in the mother land. I follow this one pretty much precisely, so I don't have any side notes, except for this one; When I cook quinoa, I never put as much water as it calls for. It seems to get mushy with too much water. It's easier to add water if needed later on rather than take moisture away.


Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash-

A couple of my favorite cooking 'things' are spaghetti squash and cilantro. This recipe incorporates both ingredients so you know I'm all about that! If you have never tried making spaghetti squash, it sounds harder than it is. Cut that sucker in half length wise, brush with olive oil and lay it open side down in the oven for a bit. Once it's done roasting, take it out and shred the insides. Add whatever the heck you want. You can literally do whatever you want with it due to its delicate taste. I have made this south western dish, putanesca, chicken enchilada.. they're all great and so much healthier than pasta. Check it out here . I also add avocado on top to garnish, because .. avocado.

(excuse the phone pic) 

So these are a few of our favorite recipes that we keep on repeat in our house. Try them out and let me know how you like them!

p.s looking this over I just realized how far I've come since 2007 when all I cooked was mac n-cheese and chicken cutlets. Ha! 

Thanks for reading!