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Tag: healthy recipes

High Protein Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Is one of your goals to improve your diet?

What you eat for breakfast can set you up for success for the rest of the day. I like to start my day with eggs and veggies. I make one of these egg casseroles about every other week, then portion it and freeze a couple of servings, whatever I’m not going to eat that week.

This is a great way to use up leftover meat or veggies and will get you well on your way to meeting your protein goals of 1-2 grams of protein per lb. of body weight per day. (I shoot for 20-30 grams of protein per meal).

This recipe is flexible, you can sub bacon or any cooked meat for the sausage. For added protein, blend a cup of cottage cheese until its smooth, and use that instead of sour cream.

Try this and let me know what you think!

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 small potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 lb pork sausage
  • 1 small bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 4 cups of fresh spinach
  • 12 eggs
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a 9×13 baking pan with butter.
  3. Layer potatoes on the bottom of the pan (you should have enough to just cover the bottom of the dish).
  4. In a large frying pan, cook the sausage on medium heat until it’s browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the peppers and onions and cook for another minute. Toss in the spinach and stir it around once or twice to wilt it (it will cook down a little more in the casserole).
  5. Spread the sausage mixture on top of the potatoes.
  6. In a large bowl, beat eggs with sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cheese until combined.
  7. Pour egg mixture over sausage.
  8. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the eggs are just set and no longer jiggle.

Anne McCranie is a Vancouver, Washington based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your tastebuds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

Read more about protein guidelines for women over 50 here.

Watermelon Mint and Feta Salad

 

Hooray for watermelon season!

I made this watermelon mint and feta salad for a potluck this weekend and wanted to share the recipe with you. Fresh, light, and easy to throw together this will be your new favorite summer salad.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re lucky to have sweet and juicy Hermiston watermelons. I found a small seedless one at Chuck’s Produce.

We have a crazy amount of mint growing like weeds in the back yard so I’m on the lookout for summer recipes that include mint. This weekend as part of my Sunday meal prep, I made a big batch of green soup and thew in two big handfuls of parsley and mint.

Watermelon Mint and Feta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
  • 4 Tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups of seedless watermelon cut into bite sized cubes
  • 4 oz feta crumbled
  • 2 Tbsp fresh mint finely chopped

Directions:

  1. Pour vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper into a jar with a lid.
  2. Secure the lid tightly and shake to combine.
  3. Place watermelon, feta and mint in a large bowl.
  4. Pour dressing over fruit mixture and stir gently.
  5. Serve immediately. 

Low Sodium Ranch Dressing

My friend Katherine Green has just released 30 Minute Low Sodium Cookbook, and I’ve been having so much fun trying out different recipes.

During the recent heat wave, we’ve been eating a dinner salad at least once a week. Typically this is some combination of chicken, pasta, and whatever veggies are in the fridge. This week I dressed our big salad with Katherine’s low sodium ranch dressing.

Ranch gets a bad rap. This is not the gloppy, store bought, full of unpronounceable ingredients, ranch. For this recipe you simply add a few spices to yogurt and sour cream. Light, easy and delicious.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Low Sodium Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup low fat sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk (optional)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper until smooth. If using the milk, pour in 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until the dressing reaches your desired consistency.

2. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Variation tip: For a spicy ranch, add 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and up to 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

PER SERVING (2 tablespoons): calories: 30; Total fat: 1 g; Saturated fat: 1g; Sodium: 17 mg; Carbohydrates: 2g; Fiber: less than 1g; Protein: 3g; Calcium: 40 mg; Potassium: 63mg.

My hope is this recipe inspires you to try something new. This is not meant as specific dietary advice. YOU are in charge of deciding what is best for you as far as a healthy diet, and taking good care of you. The link above is not an affiliate link, I do not benefit financially if you click through to purchase Katherine’s cookbook. I am hoping that you will join me in supporting a local author.

Quick And Easy Steamed Broccoli

Steamed broccoli. It ain’t sexy, or edgy, but it is one of my favorites!

At my house we eat this side dish just about once a week. Think of it as the food version of squats. A solid move, good to keep in the regular rotation, with lots of ways to make it more interesting.

My sweetie loves steamed broccoli. It’s quick and easy. And, any leftovers I can put with eggs the next day for a veggie heavy breakfast.

One of my girlfriends was complaining recently about how when she tries to steam broccoli, she ends up with an overcooked green mush, so I decided to offer this tutorial.

The trick is to not overcook it, and the secret to that is – do not walk away once you’ve turned on the heat.

Seriously, don’t leave the kitchen. Watch it like a toddler holding a bag of glitter, cuz the second you go check your phone, it’s all over but the crying.

Broccoli bath time

My other tip is to play with your spices. Start with salt and pepper then add whatever you and your family like – red pepper flakes, garlic powder, fresh herbs, grated parmesan, a splash of citrus or vinegar. These toppings will really make this dish go from blah to WOW!

Also, please do not skimp on the fat or salt. If you are eating a whole foods diet, and you prepare most of your meals at home, you are typically not going to be overdoing it on the salt. Highly processed, pre packaged foods, and restaurant meals do tend to have higher salt, fat and sugar content.

Strain it

One last note, as a nutrition coach I offer yummy recipes that I hope you will enjoy. I am not diagnosing your condition, or prescribing a dietary plan for you. Please see your medical professional for that.

this much water in the pot

Here goes…

Quick and Easy Steamed Broccoli

First, get out all your equipment. You will need:

  • large bowl
  • colander
  • steamer basket
  • pot with a lid (the pot should be big enough to fit the steamer basket inside)
  • cutting board
  • sharp knife
  • one bunch of broccoli
  • salt, pepper and your choice of spices (see below)
  • Olive oil

Directions:

  1. Chop it. Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces.
  2. Wash it. Put broccoli in a large bowl, fill the bowl with water, and swirl it around, washing off any dirt or debris.
  3. Strain it. Place colander in the sink. Strain broccoli into colander (leave colander in the sink, you will need it again in a minute).
  4. Fill pot with an inch or so of water. You want enough water that it won’t cook off, but not enough to come up over the bottom of the steamer basket (otherwise you’re boiling it, not steaming it).
  5. Place steamer basket in pot.
  6. Place broccoli in steamer basket. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (I add red pepper flakes here as well).
  7. Put lid on pot, turn the heat on to med/ high. Do not walk away. In fact, set a timer for 5 minutes if you think you may get distracted. The last time I made this, I timed it, and it took about 5 minutes for my water to come up to boiling, and 2 minutes for the broccoli to cook.
  8. Check for doneness. Once you hear or see the water boiling, keep an eye on the pot. After the broccoli has been boiling for a minute or two, take the lid off, poke broccoli with a fork to check for doneness. I like mine bright green and still a little crunchy. It will continue to cook after you take it off the heat.
  9. Strain broccoli. Once broccoli is cooked, carefully take the pot to the sink and dump the broccoli back into the colander.
  10. Zaz it up. Place strained broccoli back in pot, and give it a good douse of Olive oil (2-3 tablespoons) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. (*You could also add shredded parmesan, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, a splash of lemon juice, or vinegar if you like those flavors.)
next the steamer basket goes in

add spices, lid on, then wait just a few minutes for the magic

strain it again

back in the pot one last time to zaz it up

Zucchini Tots Recipe

Are you looking for creative ways to eat up all your zucchini?

Rather than trying to pawn off your bumper crop on your friends and neighbors, try this yummy and easy recipe for zucchini tots (like tater tots, but made with shredded zucchini rather than potatoes – get it?).

Here’s a giant zucchini from my mom’s garden in Florida

The trick to making your tots stick together in a tot like shape is squeezing as much of the moisture out as you can. This recipe (like all my favorite recipes) is easy, with minimal steps and only a handful of ingredients.

Keep reading for the full recipe below.

The basics: Shred your zucchini and dry it out. Mix it with spices, an egg, and breadcrumbs to bind everything together. Shape them into tots, and bake them in the oven.

Serve them with ranch, blue cheese, ketchup, bbq sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce.

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!

Zucchini “Tots” Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • pepper
  • (optional) 1 tsp cayenne powder

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Grate zucchini into a large bowl. Add 1 tsp. salt (this will help pull out the moisture) and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Wrap shredded zucchini in a kitchen towel and wring it out, straining as much of the liquid as possible.
  4. Dry your bowl, and put strained zucchini back in the bowl.
  5. Add egg, breadcrumbs, and seasonings and mix together.
  6. Form into a tot like shape (or a little cube, or ball- about a tablespoon each). This will make about 15 – 20 tots.
  7. Place tots on a parchment lined baking sheet with a little space between them.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes, flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until they are crispy and browned on top.
  9. Serve with your choice of sauce (I’ve been digging Toby’s ranch dressing lately).