Light & Tasty

I'm like 99% on board with this quote.

This summer, after nearly a year of terrible eating and exercise habits, I've finally managed to re-commit myself to a healthier lifestyle. Through regular exercise (thank you ClassPass!) and cooking more meals at home (where I can control ingredients and portion sizes) I've finally gotten back on healthy habits bandwagon. 

Since it's easy to get bored with your go-to dinner options and variety is the spice of life, here are a 3 creative(ish), simple and new (to me) meals I've been preparing recently. They aren't exactly Julia Childs caliber and nearly all require something pre-made or packaged, but if I can make it fast and keep it healthy, in my opinion that's a meal worth sharing!

* Sausage, Sautéed Broccoli & Shirataki Noodles

If you aren't familiar with Tofu Shirataki noodles, it's time to get with the good stuff! This delicious pasta alternative comes in all sorts of shapes (angel hair, fettuccine, spaghetti...) and though they aren't going to be mistaken for that carb-tastic pasta we all love, it's an awesome and infinitely healthier substitute (a half bag is 10 calories, 0.5g fat and 3g carbs, aka ZERO Weight Watchers points so go ahead and enjoy a bag, or 2!) 

I like to prepare the noodles in a pan which I've lightly coated with Pam Olive Oil Cooking Spray. I add fresh garlic, salt and some crushed red pepper and heat them slowly. In another, larger pan, I heat up some sliced pre-cooked sausage (options I love HERE) along with broccoli, adding a little olive oil and seasoning as I steam the mixture with the lid on. At the end, I combine everything into the sausage/broccoli pan to really mix the flavors and then I serve with grated parmesan cheese. It's all the Italian flavors you love at a fraction of the hit to your waistline!

* Spaghetti Squash Boats - Mediterranean Style

I love preparing spaghetti squash all sorts of ways (our household favorite being with grilled chicken parm melted on top like THIS) but adding all that sauce and cheese can detract from the healthy effort. For another tasty and slightly healthier option, try sautéing shrimp using a pesto-powder mix and just a little water and olive oil (much lower in fat than traditional pesto) along with chopped onions, spinach and tomatoes. (While you're doing this on the stove, bake the halved spaghetti squash like THIS (note, I usually skip the water and just lay the squash flat on a baking tray covered in tin foil bc I'm lazy like that!)) Once the squash is done, shred the "spaghetti" and mix in some salt, pepper, garlic powder and maybe a little more of that pesto powder. Next, load your pesto shrimp/veggie mixture into the top of the squash and top with low fat feta. On a baking sheet cook the "boats" for another 10-15 minutes and then serve.

* Asian Veggie Patty Burgers with Corn on the Cob (and sweet potato slices)

This is a new favorite for when I need a meal real fast, but I don't want to indulge in takeout. These MorningStar Asian Veggie Patties are delicious and can be popped in the microwave while you're toasting your Light English Muffin (I dare you to claim you can tell the difference between the light and regular!) Delicious plain or with a little ketchup, my favorite is a dollop of sweet chili sauce on the "bun" (for those feeling adventurous and up for something with a bit of kick!) And since nothing says summer like fresh corn on the cob, grab an ear and pop it in the microwave (2 minutes per ear with a thin layer of husk left on to create a steamed effect).

Lastly, if I'm feeling very hungry (aka, always), I'll add a sweet potato to this meal. I like to prepare it by creating thin, circle slices which I swipe with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper (and maybe some cajun seasoning) and pop in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (depending on the thickness of your slices). Enjoy plain or dipped in some of that zesty sweet chili sauce! 

Shakin' things up (in the kitchen)

*chef Meri image not to scale. 

I love to cook. Even though it often leads to 9pm dinners and the occasional "I'm doing too many things at once" burned broccoli,  I love coming home from work and unwinding by whipping up something delicious for Dr. H and I to eat. Though we have our standard favorites (THIS salad, pasta bolognese, chicken feta burgers from HERE with spinach and orzo...) I'm always looking for ways to vary the menu or use seasonal items. Enter squash and basil. Right now I have something just short of a basil forest growing on my terrace and Saturday's trip to the Union Square farmer's market (LOVE that place) presented squash of all varieties. I decided it was time to go adventuring in spaghetti squash creations and homemade pesto. 

Last night I made the above spaghetti squash deliciousness and it earned 4 thumbs up in my household. Even Dr. H, somewhat wary of the sweetness of squash, loved it. I followed the recipe to a tee (used the microwave for cooking the squash (which saved a bunch of time), but the oven for end of recipe cheese melting) and we each eat ate "1 boat" (since you cut the squash in half, 1 squash yields 2 boats). In the end we were completely stuffed and very pleasantly surprised. 100% repeating this one! 

Full recipe HERE (via the always brilliant Skinnytaste.com); Pinterest HERE

For my next adventure in spaghetti squashing I plan to try out this Mexican style dish, another basic "stuff that thing with awesomeness" recipe which can be made as written here (vegetarian style), or go right ahead and add some ground taco seasoned beef or turkey! Will let you know how it turns out :)

Full recipe HERE (via Caty's corner); Pinterest HERE

Lastly, thanks to a successful first attempt at urban terrace gardening, I've got a thriving basil plant desperate for a good dish. Everyone always says that making your own pesto is just "the easiest thing!" so I'm planning to go for it on Wednesday night. The thing is, every recipe seems to have a slight variation.

Seems easy enough!

OR

- 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed) 

- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 

- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted 

- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (or to taste) 

- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

OR

- 2 cups fresh basil leaves

- 1/4 cup pine nuts

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1/2 cup olive oil

- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

- juice from half a lemon

- salt & pepper

I know a lot of this is personal preference, but if any of you out there have the the mac daddy of all pesto recipes, I'd love to hear it because when I bust out my (adorable/rarely used) mini food processor for our first homemade pesto party, it's gotta be a winner.

What's for dinner?

What's cookin?

This post brought to you by the fabulous 

(parent)thetically speaking.

I wish I was the one asking that question instead of answering it - but like many of us who have succumbed to adulthood, we are now in charge of feeding ourselves (and in many cases, one or multiple other people!)

So what to make? I have found that waiting until 5pm to answer that question only results in something like chicken fingers or Bisquick pancakes. Good, but not good, ifyouknowwhatImean.

So some advance planning is required, like (you might want to write this down) if I want to have broccoli with chicken, I have to remember to buy both the broccoli and the chicken when I go to the grocery store. Amazingly, I have managed to not buy that stuff, instead thinking that somehow the fall-colored double stuff Oreos will transform into the nutritious, balanced dinner my body needs in order to function (but honestly, we all need fall-colored double stuff Oreos to be productive human beings).

I've recently started working on getting to a higher level of planning, like, figuring out what to make each day of week - before 5pm on that actual day! I did a meal plan on Sunday (so, literally recently) and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Now, I'm not going to go out and buy a chalkboard day-of-the-week calendar to hang in my kitchen with "what's cookin good-lookin" scrolled across the top...but maybe a girl can dream.

We're all in this dinner-cooking-thing together - so I'll tell you my favorite go-to recipes if you tell me yours!

* whole grain pasta with ground turkey meat sauce and peas

* chicken sautéed with olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic, with brown rice or couscous and green beans

* slow cooker shredded BBQ chicken (did you know they sell bag liners for slow cookers? total life-changer...)

* chicken or beef fried rice

* meatballs (beef or turkey)

* noodles with peanut sauce and chicken or beef (recipe)

* white chili (I've adapted this recipe in the past) 

* a slightly adapted version of this recipe for mustard-tarragon chicken 

Quick & Easy

100% accurate

As we've discussed before (HERE; HERE; HERE!!) I loooove to eat. Thankfully, I also love to cook. I enjoy the process, the control over ingredients and flavor and the fact that Dr. H is an excellent dishwasher certainly helps:) But with a move on the horizon (not so humble brag: organized packing is my bitch!!) I don't have a ton of time to spare in the evening and the majority of my supplies have been put into boxes. So in order to avoid a delivery/takeout/dineout tour-de-force (bad for the wallet and waistline) here are a few quick and easy recipes for your dining pleasure:

Pasta is the key to my heart.

I'm a lover of straight up spaghetti and meatballs, but sometimes you feel like you need something with a bit more pizzazz. This recipe for Lemon Garlic Spaghetti (on Pinterest here) requires only a few ingredients and only a few more minutes than opening that jar of red sauce. If you're looking to add a protein, I'm going to try shrimp with some garlic and oil prepared broccoli on the side. Bon appetit! 

Chicken Ranch Tacos. Awwww yeah.

Mexican is a go-to for me when I'm looking for an easy meal. You can put the seasoned beef or chicken over lettuce with all the fixins (salsa, cheese, sour cream, avocado, jalepenos, refried beans!) for a delicious salad or go the hard shell/tortilla route. This recipe (on Pinterest here) calls for nothing more than chicken and the taco powder and adds ranch dressing for a lil something special. Serve with a side of rice and beans (Goya's prepacked mix is my fav) and you'll have your own little fiesta!

Get some slow cooker tips HERE.

I think I've mentioned my love affair with my crock pot before. If you don't have one of these glorious devices, you really must get one because they make cooking a more complicated meal much easier. Maybe on a night you order takeout,  use those 30 minutes waiting for the delivery guy to arrive to prep the ingredients for tomorrow's meal... When you wake up in the morning it takes 2 minutes to dump it all into the crock pot and bam! 8 hours later, dinner is served. SixSisters'Stuff is my favorite resource for crock pot recipes - check out 50 good ones HERE and HERE.

What we've been eating...

"It's chow time b*tches!" 

Happy Friday my merry friends!!! To send you into the weekend I thought I would share a bit about how Dr. H and I have been feeding our faces lately. It's been a glorious mix of cooking and Restaurant Week adventuring, with a little Citi Field deliciousness headed our way tonight. I think your belly wants to get in on the good times! Happy eating:)

Get on a roll... a Shrimp Roll!

I took THIS recipe for a test run the other night and was pretty pumped about the results. I followed the recipe almost exactly, only adding a bit of Old Bay for some extra kick (we like it spicy:) Quick, barely any ingredients and a thumbs up from Dr. H? Doesn't get much better than that.

Cheese makes everything better (even
your veggies!)

Confession - I need to try this recipe again. I overcooked the green beans by about 10 minutes (I never said I was a focused chef!) and they got a bit too well done. That said, the potential for greatness was definitely there and it's a quick and easy way to get tasty greens on your plate, so it's in the queue for another shot.

Taboon - 10th Ave. at 53rd St.

For our first Restaurant Week night on the town Dr. H and I hit up Taboon. A 15 minute walk from our apartment, we'd never been before, but I promise you we'll be going back! Not only was their prix fixe menu AWESOME, but there were so many other tasty options that it was hard not to deviate from the original prix fixe plan (which we did... nothing wrong with a little Sambuska and sauteed calamari on top of your three-course meal right!?)

I'm comin to eat with YOU Mr. Met!!

Fact: I have actually dined with Mr. Met (so what if I was the oldest "kid" at "Brunch with Mr. Met"? My Sis sure know how to nail a birthday present!) Tonight when Dr. H and I head to Citi Field (go Mets!) I'm going to bypass the new, fancy Shake Shack and Blue Smoke for a Shea Stadium classic that survived the trip to Citi - Mama's of Corona. Tucked into the World's Fair Market by section 109, I promise a Mama's italian sub will knock your socks off. Don't forget to add the mushrooms!!