Recipe | Lentil Nachos

I posted this picture on facebook and got a few comments about how good it looked and a request to blog the recipe. So here we are.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed well under cold water
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup Colby Jack cheese
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• Pita chips
• jalapeno is optional, for a bit of added spice

Instructions

• Put the lentils in a pot, with the water, on medium.
• Once boiling, reduce temp to low.
• Add in the taco seasoning.
• Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the liquid is absorbed. 
• Turn off the heat.
• Add in the cheese and cover for an additional minute or so, or until the cheese is melted.
• Serve over pita chips.

Recipes | Thai Chicken Salad

 

 Ingredients 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked and shredded

3 tsp thai sweet pepper sauce
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups kale
4 oz thin spaghetti
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp sugar
4 carrots, peeled and chopped

Instructions

Cook the chicken by either pan frying or boiling. (I boiled them) Then shred.
Meanwhile, start cooking pasta according to package directions.
In a skillet over medium high heat, add the broccoli and kale. Cook until soft.
Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by adding the sweet pepper sauce, lime juice, soy sauce, peanut butter and sugar; whisk until smooth.
To plate: place spaghetti on the bottom, scoop some of the broccoli/kale mixture on top of the pasta and then add the chopped carrots. Drizzle with the homemade dressing and you’re good to go!

Recipe | Taco Lettuce Wraps

So the husband and I are trying to make healthier food choices. We fail at this sometimes, obviously. Recently we wanted tacos, who doesn't love or crave tacos occasionally? To make this delicious meal a bit healthier we decided that instead of using taco shells or tortillas to use lettuce! GENIUSES

Seriously guys, it was so obvious it is almost sad. It tasted just like a regular taco and it was just as easy as making a regular taco too. 

Prepare your taco stuff the way you normally would. 

Instead of putting it on a taco shell or tortilla put it on a leaf of lettuce. (We used iceberg)

Wrap up and eat.

Duh! So good and easy - pretty much my two rules of eating.

Recipe | Beef and Zoodles

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb of ground beef (I used venison, actually) and ground turkey would be even better!
• 2 small-medium zucchinis
• 1 tbsp. garlic
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1-2 cups of sauce of choice (I used pesto marinara)
• cheese (mozzarella or parmesan are great!)

Instructions

 

Using a spiralizer or julienne peeler; make your zoodles using the zucchini. The way I like to do it is: on a plate, place a paper towel. Make your first set of zoodles from zucchini #1. Set another paper towel on top of the zoodles and make zoodles from zucchini #2. Place another paper towel on top of those and press down lightly. I let it sit for about 30-50 minutes to soak up some of the water. Set aside.

 

• Cook up the meat until no longer brown, adding in garlic and oregano.
• Toss in zoodles and cook for about 2-4 minutes.
• Add in sauce and mix everything all up.
• Plate up, add some cheese to the top and voila!

 

Weekly Wrap Up | Photo a Day

Long time, no talk! Sorry I dropped off the face of the earth near the end of last week. Work got a little nutty, and I had to work late to accommodate some parents for their home visits. But alas, no one wants to listen to me blather on about work. So let's get right into the wrap up from 9/8 -9/14!

Day 8: Broken: I was going to eat a Mrs. Thinster cookie, when I discovered it was perfectly broken in half. Huzzah! Perfect photo opportunity!

Day 9: Orange: orange is not my color, so the only thing I found that was orange is this old xbox remote.

Day 10: Repetition: lots and lots and lots and lots of books in our house. Lots.

Day 11: How I feel today: tired, chilly, headachey. 

Day 12: Spring/Fall: feeling like fall = slippers on my feet!

Day 13: Out of place: if it's a sausage Fest, I am out of place. This was in the bathroom at a German beer hall we went to in Rosemont, IL ('burb of Chicago).

Day 14: Healthy: since we were on a mini trip, healthy was not high on our list of priorities. Lots of beer and late night steak & shake is never a good choice.

Have a happy week!