The "Healthy" and "Unhealthy" Watermelon Popsicle

So I saw these on pinterest and I just had to make them! They look like so much fun. There are two ways to have watermelon popsicles at your next summer BBQ. Here are both recipes. One is SUPER easy and one is pretty complicated but totally well worth it!

Easy and Healthy Watermelon Popsicles

Cut watermelon into triangles aka pizza slice looking pieces. Stick a Popsicle stick into the bottom. All done!

Hard and Unhealthy Watermelon Popsicles

1 small watermelon cubed
1 tsp. of lemon juice
handful of crushed ice
1 tsp. white sugar

12 kiwis - peeled and cubed
1 tsp. of lemon juice
handful of crushed ice
1 tsp. white sugar

coconut milk

12 popsicle sticks

1. in a blender blend the watermelon, lemon, ice and sugar together then pour into a popsicles dish and stick popsicle stick inside.throw some raisins inside. put in in the freezer for 4-8 hours
2. then pour a little coconut milk on top of watermelon and place back in freezer for 1-2 hours
3. in a blender blend kiwis, lemon, ice and sugar and then pour in top of the coconut milk. place back in freezer for 1 hour.

Remove and Serve!

Corn and Bean Salad

Every Christmas and summer I volunteer at Elijah's Promise's, a local soup kitchen where I live. When I was volunteering last Christmas in 2013 they made this salad that I knew it would be perfect for my blog. It's healthy and high in protein, fiber and has lots of veggies!!


Corn and Bean Salad
1 green pepper
1 carrot (grated)
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
balsamic vinegar dressing (I make my homemade since I can never find a kosher kind in the store).

Optional - add some red pepper for some extra color

Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
1 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1.4 tsp. garlic powder


dice the green pepper, grate the carrots, add the corn and black beans and mix in the dressing. allow it to marinate for couple hours and serve! It's that easy! 

Hot Dog Spring Salad

So normally I wouldn't make anything with hot dogs. They're not that healthy and are high in sodium and not super high in protein. But my grandfather that used to live with us loves them. He moved out and we still had some leftover. I don't like food sitting in the freezer, we couldn't return it and we weren't going to waste it and throw it out so I needed to create a recipe that was healthy...and I did!

I made this tonight and my parents loved it! I didn't eat it because I don't do red meat, but if you eat red meat I am sure   positive you'll LOVE it!

Hot Dog Spring Salad 
Bag of Romaine Lettuce
2 slices of Red Onion
1/2 small tomatoes chopped
6 oz. of mandarin oranges (not in syrup)
handful of onion and garlic croutons
5 hot dogs
Honey Mustard light dressing


1. lay the lettuce on plate
2. add the chopped tomatoes and onions
3. lay the mandarin oranges equally over the salad
4. boil the hot dogs for 7 minutes and then cut it into 1-2 inch chunks
5. add croutons and hot dogs equally
6. add the dressing and serve!

This is a perfect dinner - it's filling, has lots of veggies, low in fat and has some protein. A healthy way to eat a hot dog. 

Happy Memorial Day

So I am sure you are all getting ready for your BBQs with all your family and friends. So this post will be dedicated to all things BBQ. I am going to include 3 burger recipes, 3 side recipes and 3 dessert recipes. They're all healthy, so you can have all the recipes and not feel bad at all. So eat up!

Salmon Burger
16 oz. can salmon
1 cup of whole wheat panko bread crumbs
dried parsley
tsp. dijon mustard + another tbsp.
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp. mayo
dash of onion powder

lettuce
tomato
onion
whole grain bun

1. crush the salmon
2. beat the eggs
3. mix all remaining ingredients
4. with your hands form 3 nice sized burgers
5. heat the skillet with olive oil and cook on each side for 5 minutes - flipping every now and then
6. serve with whole grain bun, lettuce, tomato and dijon mustard



Turkey Burger
1 package of ground lean turkey
1 egg
3/4 cup of oatmeal
dash of onion powder

Preheat oven to 350*
1. mash the ground turkey
2. mix in an egg, onion powder and oatmeal
3. form the turkey mixture in hamburger patties
4. bake in oven for 50 minutes

Serve with a condiment of your choice on whole wheat hamburger bun


Veggie Burger
4 Morning Star veggie burgers
4 slices of tomatoes
4 slices of lettuce
4 slices of red onions
mustard and mayo mixture
whole wheat bun

1. Follow the boxed directions for the veggie burgers
2. Serve with sliced tomatoes, lettuce and purple onions
3. spread low fat mayo on one side of the bun and the mustard on the side of the bun


Serve and Enjoy!

Salmon Kabobs (4th of July Post 4)

Okay so on the 4th of July, you will have people that chose not to eat meat so you need to have an alternate options- these grilled salmon kabobs are sure to please them (and everyone else at the party!) They're healthy, low calories, low in fat and absolutely guilt free!!

Salmon Kabobs
16 oz. (1 lb) of salmon fillet
2 cups of pineapple cut into cubes
2 cups of any getable

Salmon Marinate 
2 tbsp. of fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp. Heinz no high fructose corn syrup ketchup
2 tbsp. of brown sugar
1 tsp. of salt
1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper

Pineapple Marinate
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup of soy sauce

1. combine all all ingredients together (not the vegetable of your choice, pineapple and salmon)
2. clean the salmon and then add in to the marinate and make sure the marinate covers all the salmon fillets - then place in resealable freezer bag and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or two)
3. preheat the oven to 450* and cook salmon for 5 minutes- then take out and allow it to cool
4. while the salmon is cooking, boil some water and steam the vegetable until firm but tender (about 5 minutes)
5.enough to touch (15 minutes) cut the salmon into cubes and
6. while the salmon is cooling - cut the pineapple into chunks and coat them in the pineapple marinate
then carefully place them on the skewers alternating it with the pineapple chunks and the vegetable chunks
6. return to oven (bring the oven temperate down to 325* and cook for 15 additional minutes
7. take out and allow it cool for 5 minutes or 45 minutes- it can be made that much before but it taste best if served sooner.

Place them on a plate and serve up!

Yummy!

All American Turkey Veggie Burgers (4th of July Post 3)

So most people like to eat burgers on the 4th of July and if you don't like to eat burgers well...don't take this the wrong way but you're weird. (Just kidding!) Burgers are a staple and with all the other food you're eating that day you need to try to cut calories where it can be done and what can be made healthy needs to be. So instead of reaching for the ground beef burger that is loaded with fat (not the good kind!) reach for a turkey veggie burger. Yes I know what you're thinking, "that sounds too healthy" well it is healthy but it is also so yummy, you'll never want a regular burger again! I promise!!!

Turkey Veggie Burgers (makes 6)

1 1 /2 pounds of 100% lean white ground turkey

1/2 onion chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup of quick oats
1 1/2 cup of canned mushrooms chopped
handful of fresh chopped spinach
1/2 cup of red pepper chopped 
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

1. chop the onions, mushrooms, spinach and red pepper
2. mash the ground turkey meat
3. then mix the vegetables and turkey together
4. add in the garlic salt, eggs and oats
5. mix well and then form them into round 1 1/4 inch thick burgers
6. place on the grill and grill one each side for 5-6 minutes or until done.
7. serve on whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and condiments of your choice!!

Calories: (with the bun, let, tomato and onion) 350 calories! verses 550 calories- that's a 200 calorie saving and a whole lot of nutrition added!!

Healthy Chicken Fingers (4th of July Post 2)

Normally when you think chicken fingers you think calories, fat, unhealthy, heart disease and "I really shouldn't be having this" and well you know what - you're right. Traditional chicken fingers are the devil and so bad for you- why you ask? Well because they drench it in bread crumbs that normally are not whole grain, white flour and lots of oil and served with some high fattening zero nutritional value dip (ranch, BBQ sauce)...However I believe that chicken fingers can be made healthy and enjoyed without any guilt and still keeping the taste. I mean seriously who wants to feel like they're eating diet food ever, especially on the 4th of July? These chicken fingers is a recipe I developed when trying to come up with a healthy alternative. As always it has been tried and tested and was received well...well it was received with an "Amazing, I love this!!"

Healthy Chicken Fingers
1 pound of boneless white chicken breast (cleaned and cut into slices)
1/2 cup of 100% whole wheat flour
1 extra large egg
2 cups of crushed Terra chip veggie chips
oregnao
Sabra's Hummus/Tahini
olive oil for frying













Heat the oil on a large skillet - takes about 2 minutes

1. coat the chicken in the flour
2. then dip it in the egg
3. coat the chicken strips in the crushed veggie chips
4. place the chicken on the large skillet (that was preheated with oil) 
5. cook on each side of about 6 minutes on low-medium frame, turning over 1-2 times
 6. serve with Sabra's Hummus/Tahini - garnish with oregano (I placed on a plate with spinach to make it look even healthier, but there is no need to do that)

Happy 4th!

Patriotic Fruit Sticks (4th of July Post 1)

I will be posting numerous recipes for the 4th of July, but my first one is dedicated to the flag. On the 4th of July we tend to eat a lot, which is fine after all it is a holiday but knowing that bathing suit season is in full swing we need to watch what we eat and pace ourselves. If you're having a party or just a snack these are perfect. Serve them as your guests arrive- I promise you that they will love (love, love) them!


Patriotic Fruit Sticks
Sticks (the kind you use for kabobs)
4 bananas
1 pints of strawberries
2 pints of blueberries 

1. cut the strawberries in half
2. cut the bananas into 1 1/2 inch thick slices
3. stick 5 sticks with strawberries, 5 sticks with bananas
4. cut 5 sticks a little smaller and stick them with blueberries
5. lay out the stiks with bananas and strawberries- rotating everyother creating a the strips of the flags
6. then put the sticks with the blueberries in the corner - you can create multiple fruit flags depending on how many people you are serving.

Yum!!

Double Garden Burger

Okay so this is an easy recipe- barely a recipe just a good idea when you're in a rush. (Sort of how I felt today). It's under 300 calories and everyone in your family is bound to love it.

Double Garden Burger
4 Morning Star Garden Veggie Burgers
4 slices of Arnold's Select Thin Bread (2 sandwich pockets)
4 slices of American cheese
Mustard
Optional: lettuce, tomato and onion

1. preheat the oven to 350
2. cook the burger in a convection toaster oven for 15 minutes (8 minutes on one side and 7 on the other)
3. then place each slice of cheese on top of the burger and cook for another minute.
4. squeeze some mustard on the bread and then place the cheesy burgers on the bread

Serve up!
Easy, right?

Sorry but tonight was so crazy- I didn't even get to take a picture.

Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese

So I am afraid to say this but I don't like cheese...yes I know you may be thinking "what you don't like cheese? Doesn't everyone like it?" Well not me and I never have. However, just because I don't enjoy cheese does not mean I refrain from using it in many of my recipes. After all most people love it! I want to share with all of you my great grandmother (Ganny)'s famous macaroni and cheese. Everyone in my mother's family loves this and we have it at almost every family get together.

Macaroni and Cheese
1 pound of whole wheat elbow pasta or whole wheat linguini 
2 pounds of shredded low fat cheddar cheese
dash of salt
dash of pepper
low fat milk
1/4 onion sliced (optional)

1. cook the pasta for 7 minutes (until al dente)
2. Preheat oven to 325*
3. mix the pasta with the cheddar cheese
4. pour it into the pan and then pour the milk into the pan until the pan is filled half way with milk
5. add a dash of salt and pepper on top along with the slices of onions
6. cook in oven for 45-60 minutes (depending on browned you like it) I recommend 50 minutes.

Serve Hot! I promise you that you will never go back to Kraft Macaroni & Cheese again!

Summer Chili

I hate having ingredients in the house that isn't be used...I know this sounds strange but it's one of my biggest pet peeves. I looked in the cabinet already annoyed and saw canned beans. We've have them in our cabinet for over a month. Why are we even buying them? I decided I needed to find a recipe for it and that is when I came up with my famous chili.

Summer Chili
15oz canned red kidney beans
15oz canned black beans
15oz diced regular diced tomatoes
8oz canned corn- no salt added
1 12oz package of Morning Star Farms meatless crumblers
1 1/2 tbsp. chili sauce
2 cups of tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
dash of pepper
dash of salt

1. combine red kidney beans, black beans and diced tomatoes in a pot- put heat on low (make sure you drain the cans)
2. on a large skillet heat the morning star farms and 2 cups of tomato sauce until the fake meat is at room temperature.
3. pour the fake meat into the pot and bring flame to medium
4. add in the chili sauce, chili powder, onion powder, garlic salt and dash of pepper and salt
5. pour the canned corn into the pot and bring flame to high stirring every 30 seconds.

Serve warm with bread, crackers, rice cakes or just with a spoon and fork.