healthy Archives - Page 17 of 26

Pasta Pizza Pie

March 14, 2013 ·

Pasta Pizza Pie combines two Italian favorites (and two of my favorites!) into a delicious pizza-inspired baked pasta. First, you start by baking a pasta “crust.” Then you spread your favorite pasta sauce over the crust and top it with your favorite toppings. I used a 12-inch saute pan in lieu of a pizza pan, and it worked great!

Pasta Pizza Pie puts a fun twist on pizza and a fun twist on pasta,…and incidentally since it’s also a “pie,” this Pasta Pizza Pie is perfect for today, March 14th (3.14)…”Pi Day!”

Pasta Pizza Pie

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped*
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)*
2 garlic cloves, minced *
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup milk (I used skim)
8 ounces (1/2 of a 1 pound box) rotini-shaped pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
1½ cups of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Muir Glen Tomato Basil)
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
* substitute with your favorite pizza toppings

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-inch saute pan or pizza pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the last minute, add minced garlic and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, stir egg, milk, pasta and ½ cup cheese. Spread pasta mixture in prepared pizza pan. Bake this pasta crust for 20 minutes.
Remove pasta crust from oven and spread sauce over crust. Top with onion-mushroom mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Shake crushed red pepper flakes over cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Campbell’s Kitchen

Filed Under: healthy, kid-friendly, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baked, dinner, easy, mushrooms, pasta, pie, pizza, quick, tomato

healthy blueberry strawberry blackberry yogurt smoothie

Diet Mixed Berry Smoothie

March 11, 2013 ·

This Diet Mixed Berry Smoothie is quick and easy to make and perfect for breakfast on a busy morning, a post-workout recovery drink, or an afternoon pick me up. Made with just a few healthy ingredients, it’s a vitamin-packed smoothie that can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime (and portable too for when you’re on-the-go!).

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try Ocean Spray’s Diet Juice Drinks and thought it would a tasty addition to this smoothie recipe. At only 5 calories per serving, swapping out full-calorie juices in favor of Ocean’ Spray’s Diet Juice Drinks can help save calories (and carbs, if that’s a concern), while still tasting delicious. For this recipe, I used Ocean Spray’s Diet Cranberry juice and it went nicely with the berries used in the rest of this smoothie. For next time, I have my eyes on the Diet Blueberry Pomegranate!

To learn more about Ocean Spray’s Diet Juice Drinks, visit http://www.oceanspray.com/Products/Juices/Diet-Light/Diet-Cranberry-Juice-Drink.aspx.

Diet Mixed Berry Smoothie

Yields: 1 servings

Ingredients

½ cup Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Drink, any flavor
½ cup frozen mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)
1 ripe banana, frozen and cut into slices
3 ounces fat free plain or berry-flavored Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon flaxseed (optional)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender (or Magic Bullet). Blend on high speed until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Pour into a chilled glass. Enjoy!

Notes

Tip: slice banana before freezing...it's much easier!

Adapted from Ocean Spray

I have partnered with Ocean Spray through DailyBuzz to help promote their new Ocean Spray Diet product. I have been compensated for my time commitment to work with this product, however my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Filed Under: Admin, breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: beverage, drink, easy, quick, smoothie, snack, tastemaker, yogurt

Healthy Banana Cookies

February 17, 2013 ·

Healthy Banana Cookies are a chewy, fruit-filled cookie made using some of my favorite foods – oats, dates and bananas. They are made from simple, wholesome ingredients, have no butter and added sugar, thus making them a healthier choice. I love the simplicity of these cookies and have to admit these cookies made a delightful breakfast! These Healthy Banana Cookies also happen to be dairy free and can be gluten free.

Healthy Banana Cookies from Alida's Kitchen

I have had this at the top of my ‘to make’ pile for months just waiting for some super ripe bananas. While we always have plenty of super ripe bananas in the house, they’re typically reserved for Pumpkin Banana Muffins or Pumpkin Banana Pancakes (or Strawberry Banana Pancakes once strawberry season hits). Fortunately, I was a muffin and pancake making machine in advance of our new baby’s arrival, stocking the freezer full of Adam’s favorite banana goodies. With a stocked freezer and 3 very ripe bananas, it was finally my opportunity to try these Healthy Banana Cookies!

Healthy Banana Cookies

Yields: approx. 24 cookies

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking work fine)
1 cup (8 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
⅓ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add oats, dates, oil, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful onto prepared cookie sheets. [Note: the cookies don't spread so you may want to shape them a bit]
Bake cookies for 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

These are best enjoyed the day after baking.

Coincidentally, this is also the first month of the Eating the Alphabet Healthy Recipe Challenge for 2013, hosted by Brenda of Meal Planning Magic. Each month, several bloggers will focus on healthy recipes featuring fruits, vegetables grains or legumes, from a couple different letters (this month it is A or B). I thought Healthy Banana Cookies would be the perfect healthy recipe to start off this fun series.

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: alphabet challege, baby/toddler, banana, cookies, dairy free, dates, easy

Baked Balsamic Chicken

February 7, 2013 ·

Baked Balsamic Chicken is wholesome, easy and delicious! This dish can be customized to use whatever herbs you like (or have on hand) and is perfectly paired with Minute® Multi-Grain Medley! Thank you Minute® Rice for sponsoring this post.

This Baked Balsamic Chicken recipe has been a family favorite for years. The recipe was created when Greta was first born over 3 years ago and has been a regular feature on the dinner rotation ever since. The marinade takes minutes to prepare and then is poured in a zip-top bag with the chicken. Let that sit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake. Then you just pour the chicken and marinade in a baking dish and bake. Simple!

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Filed Under: Featured, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, main dishes, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: baked, balsamic, chicken, dairy free, dinner, easy, marinade, quick

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

January 25, 2013 ·

baked chipotle chicken with roasted sweet potatoes

I found this recipe for Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes during a sleepless night over the summer. While it sounded absolutely delicious, it didn’t quite scream “summer” to me…so I saved it for a more seasonably appropriate time. After many months of anticipation, I am happy to report this recipe was definitely worth the wait!

First you give the potatoes a head start by cooking them until they start to get tender. The timing on this may vary based on the size you cut your potatoes or your oven, but unless you like crunchy potatoes, this step is key to the success of the recipe. Meanwhile, you can whip up the sauce/rub and prepare the chicken. Then you just put the chicken on top of the potatoes and pop it in the oven to bake until the chicken is done. This recipe really could not be any simpler. The result is a light and healthy dish that is sweet, spicy and delicious!

Chipotle-Glazed Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes (10 ounces each) cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 4-ounce portions
2-3 green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a roasting or baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and pour in the bottom of roasting/baking pan. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes (tossing after 10 minutes), until potatoes being to get tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine chiles, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon. Rub mixture over chicken breasts.
Place chicken breasts on top of sweet potatoes and roast until chicken is cooked thoroughly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve garnished with green onions.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: chicken, chipotle, easy, honey, roasted, sweet potato

healthy oatmeal raisin buttermilk pancakes

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes

January 17, 2013 ·

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes are an easy, healthy, delicious breakfast treat that taste like oatmeal raisin cookies. Yum! They are made with the hearty goodness of oatmeal and whole wheat flour, sweetness from brown sugar and raisins and buttermilk, which of course makes everything good.

The first morning after I made these, Adam polished off six pancakes. In fact, he ate that first batch so quickly, I wasn’t able to get any pictures. Because he loved them so, I made another batch a couple days later. Fortunately, one afternoon I found myself with three pancakes and a good napper, so I was able to quickly snap some pics to share this wonderful recipe with you!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Pancakes

Yields: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups quick oats
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup raisins

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine oats and buttermilk and let sit for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
After 5 minutes, add eggs, oil and vanilla to buttermilk mixture, whisking until combined.
Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just moistened (Note: batter may be lumpy). Add raisins, folding until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Preheat nonstick skillet to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Spoon batter onto skillet by the ¼ cupful (adjust to desired size) (Note: If batter is a little thick, use the back of your spoon to spread/shape the pancakes). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip pancakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, brunch, freezer friendly, make ahead, oatmeal, pancakes, raisin

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

November 1, 2012 ·

This easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make using simple pantry ingredients!

Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a simple and delicious pumpkin pound cake, with warm spices and pumpkin-y goodness throughout. What attracted me to this recipe, aside from a slight pumpkin obsession, is that the ingredients are simple pantry items that I have on hand at all times. What made me fall in love with the recipe, aside from it being delicious, was how easy it was to make. The batter took me less than 10 minutes to whip together. Then bake for about an hour, let it cool, and voila! You have an elegant and versatile dessert that will happily feed a crowd or, in our case, treat a small family for a week. 🙂

Not only will this Pumpkin Bundt Cake be excellent served alongside your holiday cookie platter, but it would also be a tasty alternative at Thanksgiving dinner or even served at a brunch.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Yields: 24 servings

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and add vanilla with the last egg.
To the egg mixture, alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin, beating well on medium-low after each addition.
Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a tootpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Let cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, Featured, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: 12 weeks of Christmas Treats, bundt, cake, christmas, easy, entertaining, halloween, holiday, pumpkin, thanksgiving

Black Bean Nacho Burgers

October 16, 2012 ·

Black Bean Nacho Burgers are a healthy, spicy, cheesy burger that tastes just like black bean nachos! {vegetarian}

As we all know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor and recognition of this, my friend Erin at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts contacted me about joining a bunch of bloggers together this week to share pink recipes or healthy recipes that are helpful for fighting cancer. What a great idea! So this week I will be sharing 2 recipes ~ today’s being the healthy one ~ Black Bean Nacho Burgers.

Some studies suggest a link between red meat consumption and breast cancer. While we don’t eat a lot of red meat in this house, I am always happy to find new substitutes for red meat standbys, such as a burger. Sometimes a burger really hits the spot, right? Even though it is an occasional indulgence, after having these Black Bean Nacho Burgers, I will be happy to never have a beef burger again! They are super easy to make, with a simple list of ingredients, and really do taste like black bean nachos! Made with black beans, crushed tortilla chips, some cheese, salsa and seasonings, these are a truly delicious healthy alternative to their red meat counterpart. Even Mike, who as I’ve mentioned before is a bit of a burger connessieur, thought they tasted incredible and did not miss the red meat.

Black Bean Nacho Burgers

Yields: 4 patties

Ingredients

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
⅓ cup salsa
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 scallion, white and green, finely chopped
black pepper, to taste
hamburger buns, lettuce, cheese, salsa, etc. for serving

Instructions

Using a potato masher, fork or a food processor, smash bean until chunky, leaving some partly whole.
Stir in chips, salsa, cheese, egg, scallion and pepper. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, and then form mixture into 4 patties.
Place patties on plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place patties on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 on each side, or until browned and cooked through. (Note: Patties will be a little fragile when flipping).
Serve on a bun with desired toppings.

Adapted from Fitness Magazine

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: black beans, burgers, easy, make ahead, quick, sandwich

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

September 20, 2012 ·

Every time I make Baked Tortellini with Spinach, I am left with 6 ounces of fontina cheese. While I would happily make it 3 more times, I have also had this Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta dish on my list of things to make for some time now. The first time I made this dish without mushrooms, and it was good, but I felt it needed something more. It needed mushrooms. Mushrooms are not typically my go-to for anything, but it really cried out for something earthy and meaty. Sauteed in a little garlic, the mushrooms were the perfect addition to this dish. I used some Parmesan cheese for some of the fontina in the original recipe to give the recipe a little more bite. Topped with buttery, garlic breadcrumbs, Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta is a delicious and sophisticated twist on macaroni and cheese ~ perfect for company or Sunday dinner comfort food.

Looking to use up the leftover mascarpone cheese? Try Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 pound medium pasta shells, uncooked (penne or other similar shaped pasta works too)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups skim milk
1¾ cups (6 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
¼ cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
Salt and black pepper, to taste
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I use baby bellas)
1 clove garlic, minced
Cooking spray
¼ cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon butter (I use light butter)
1 small garlic clove, minced
1½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and keep warm.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour and milk in a large sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, and cook for about 10 minutes or until mixture starts to thicken.
Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute mushrooms, with a pinch of salt, until softened (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add 1 clove of minced garlic in the last minute, if desired.
Remove milk mixture from heat and add cheeses, whisking until mixture is smooth. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
Add cooked pasta and mushrooms, stirring to coat and combine.
Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and pour pasta mixture into pan.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Remove from heat and add breadcrumbs, stirring to coat. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over pasta mixture.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Adapted from Cooking Light, November, 2006

Filed Under: healthy, main dishes, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baked, cheese, dinner, fontina, mascarpone, mushrooms, parmesan, pasta, shells

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

September 12, 2012 ·

Pumpkin Banana Muffins put a Fall twist on banana bread with the perfect balance of pumpkin and banana.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins | alidasktichen.com

Pumpkin Banana Muffins are a huge hit in our household. They are made with whole wheat flour, bumping the nutrition value. The pumpkin and banana make for a moist muffin, so not a lot of oil is needed. I typically make these as a combination of mini muffins (24) and standard muffins (3) and freeze half of the mini muffins.

So last week was Adam’s first day of preschool. I decided to make Pumpkin Banana Muffins as a special surprise after school. Pumpkin Banana Muffins are his favorite muffin of all time, so I knew they would be a hit. He loved school and was welcomed home with his favorite treat. It is safe to say, he had the best day!

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Yields: 30 mini-muffins (or 15-18 standard muffins)

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour/1 cup whole wheat flour)
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with baking spray and fill empty cups with water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate bowl, whisk the bananas, pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla, until well-blended.
Add banana mixture to flour mixture, gently folding until combined.
Divide mixture evenly among prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes for mini muffins / 13 to 15 minutes for standard muffins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

ETA 10/19/12: I have made these several times since posting and have experimented with different flours, since white whole wheat flour isn’t an ingredient I always have on hand. All whole wheat pastry flour works really well, and the recipe has been updated below accordingly.