Thursday 18 September 2014

4 Tasty Recipes :)

Sooooo I've been gaining weight a little more rapidly than I'd like lately. Nothing crazy, but it is a signal to me to check myself, and I've therefore been cleaning up my diet a little bit this week. **Notice I didn't say I was cutting calories! Unless you started your pregnancy overweight, you should not diet while you're growing a tiny human.** Because not all calories are created equal, by simply shifting some of those existing calories away from sugar and carbs and towards healthy fats and proteins, you can actually dramatically change the look and function of your body.

Here are four of the recipes I've made devoured this week. Notice the very strong pumpkin and sweet potato theme... I'm hoping that by cooking these fall-type foods that I'll manage to bring some of that cool Canadian weather down here to Florida. Hah!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash (from Shared Appetite)
*Makes 2-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are!
*Cooking time: 30 minutes



2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4" cubes
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green and 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 large handfuls baby spinach
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
4 eggs
EVOO and Pam

1. Heat 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the sweet potatoes, onion, bell peppers, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are cooked through and tender, about 15-18 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook your eggs in a separate skillet over medium heat. I suggest sunny-side up, poached, or over-easy so you can get all that oozy yolky goodness mixed into your hash.
3. Toss in spinach for about 1 minute, or until wilted. 
4. Divide the hash among plates, topping each with 1-2 eggs. Top with some hot sauce or ketchup if desired ;)

Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes with Frosting (from Tiffany Doorbal's Facebook page - check it out!)
*Makes 1-2 servings
*Cooking time: 10 minutes

Pancake:
2 egg whites
2 tbs vanilla protein powder
3 tbs canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup rolled oats
unsweetened almond milk (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup, but enough to thin the batter)
Dash of pumpkin pie spice
Dash of stevia
Splash of vanilla

Frosting:
Cashew nut butter, plain Greek yogurt, stevia, cinnamon, and vanilla extract (just eyeball it and adjust to taste). Whip with fork until it's a smooth and fluffy.

1. Add all the ingredients in a blender, and mix until smooth.
2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and spray with Pam cooking spray.
3. Pour half the mixture onto the pan and cook on one side until bubbles appear. Flip the pancake, and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining mixture.
4. Meanwhile, whip up your frosting.
5. Top your pancakes with your frosting (or some classic maple syrop) and enjoy :D

Spicy Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce (from Martha Stewart)
*Makes 4 servings
*Cooking time: 1hr

Martha's picture
My picture

1/2 roasted chicken, skin removed, and shredded (I usually use the pre made ones from the grocery store)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
coarse salt & pepper
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 jalapeño chile, quartered and seeds removed (*Note: if you're making this for kids, you may want to reduce the amount of chile you use. It's not a particularly spicy dish, but some kids may not like it).
1 tsp chili powder
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and scallions and season generously with s&p. Set aside
2. In a blender combine pumpkin, garlic, jalapeño, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch or shallow 2-quart baking dish.
3. Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the tortillas. Roll up tortillas, and place them seam side down into the baking dish.
4. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Place dish on a baking sheet, and bake about 25-30 minutes until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.


Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie (from Taste of Home)
*Makes 3-4 servings
*Cooking time: 1hr



2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1lb lean ground beef or turkey (or half and half!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup low sodium tomato sauce
Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
2 tbs each milk
2 tbs butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the sweet potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook until tender.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef and onion until beef is cooked through. Drain any excess fat. Add corn, tomato sauce, and spices.
4. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with Pam. Spread the beef mixture in the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
5. Drain the potatoes. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Spread evenly over the beef mixture.
6. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through.

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The best part is that my 21 month son ate ALL these meals, so they're kid-approved!! Now THAT makes a mommy happy ;)

-Tess


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