Egg Pancakes

These egg pancakes are really tasty, however they are not low in calories. However their health and nutritional benefits make up for it. These pancakes are loaded with protein, healthy fat, fiber, vitamins and are low carb. You're skin and hair will thank you!

Pancake Ring

Egg Pancakes

12 eggs (just the white part) OR 1 cup of egg whites

1 cup of chopped spinach - just fill the cup don't press down, allow the air to take up some space

1/2 onion 

1 large beef steak tomato

1 bell pepper

handful of Black (or green olives)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. of oregano

1 tsp. chili powder

4 oz. of sharped cheddar cheese

1. Break the eggs and remove the egg whites from the egg yolks

2. Gather your chopped spinach - and add: 

    diced onion

    chopped bell pepper

    olives - sliced

    spices -salt, garlic, oregano, chili

3. Mix well and then add it to your egg whites

4. pour mixture into a pancake ring on the stove top pan  

5. Add slices tomatoes and sprinkle cheese on top

6. Cook for 3 minutes on low then flip over and cook for an additional mixture

Serve and Enjoy! 

Spring Fling Salmon

This is an amazing, light and healthy salmon. It's perfect for spring time. You're mouth will love, your stomach will love it and best....your waist will love it too!!

Spring Fling Salmon
4 pieces of salmon
1 mango
2 tbsp. cilantro
1 small purple onion
1 small red pepper
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. honey mixed with 1 tsp. brown sugar

1. wash the salmon
2. marinate it in a honey & brown sugar between 30 minutes to 2 hours (ideally 1 hour)
3. chop the mango, cilantro, onion, red pepper and mix it with lime - set aside
4. grill the salmon and then remove - serve it with the mango salsa

It's best when served over a bed of rice of noodles. 

Summer Squash Casserole

This recipe is a super healthy and super easy one. I know you will love it!!


Summer Squash Casserole

4 cups of sliced yellow squash - mashed
1/2 cup of chopped onion
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 eggs beaten
3/4 c. soy milk
1/4 c. melted butter
salt
35 round crackers - crushed

Preheat oven to 400

1. Mix the mashed squash with the chopped onion
2. add the crushed crackers and cheddar cheese, eggs and milk and butter together and mix well
3. then add the squash/onion mixture and cracker/cheese mixture together
4. spread evenly on a baking dish
5. sprinkle salt over it

Bake in oven for 30 minutes at 400

Potato Vegetable Soup

Most potato soups have cheese in them which can add an easy extra 400 calories per serving. By eliminating the cheese in the super healthy recipe - you will be getting many nutrients and save loads of unwanted calories and fat.
 

Potato Vegetable Soup

14 oz. Veg broth

4 white Idaho potatoes

4 celery stalks

10 oz. can of corn

3 carrots

1 cup of cooked peas

¼ tsp. onion

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1. cut the potatoes and celery into chunks and simmer them in broth for 20 minutes

2. puree it

3. diced the carrots and then microwave them for 3 minutes with 3 tbsp. of water in the bowl

4. add the cooked peas, carrots and corn to the soup

5. then add in the spices

Reheat and Serve!! 

Creamy Spinach Soup

So I was thinking for weeks about a new possible soup recipe. As many of you know I pride myself on creating unique and delicious soups. I get inspired from posts I see on other blogs, pinterest and cook books to make my own. This one was a long time coming. I thought, I searched, I pinned and finally I came up with the most amazing spinach soup recipe. I promise you will love it and feel so good after eating it.

Creamy Spinach Soup

4 small white potatoes
3 celery stalks
1 tsp. olive oil
Vegetable Broth
handful of fresh spinach chopped
1 clove of garlic or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
dash of pepper/salt
splash of milk
handful of shredded cheese

1. cut the celery and potatoes and brown it in oil for 3 minutes
2. add in broth to just cover the potatoes and simmer for 20-30 minutes
3. add in handful of chopped spinach
4. puree it
5. add in milk, spices and cheese - stir

That's it! Enjoy! Yummy!

Best served with crackers, rice cakes or bread.

Breakfast Pizza

This is the best breakfast you will ever eat!

Breakfast Pizza
So first thing is first - you need to think what you're favorite pizza topping is. The ones I suggest using are: red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, black olives, onions, and pizza cheese.

Then you need to get frozen pizza dough. Defrost it
Flatten out your pizza dough.

Then you want to sprinkle cheese over it - generously. Then add your diced veggies
on top of the cheese.

Bake in oven at 450 for 10 minutes.

Serve! 

Veggie Lasagna Rolls

This is a new recipe of mine. But I promise you it is a good one. 

Veggie Lasagna Rolls

1/2 package of whole lasagna 

1/2 jar of marinara sauce

8 oz package of pizza cheese

1 egg

1 cup of low fat cottage cheese

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 cup of chopped red pepper

1/2 cup of mushrooms (canned or fresh)

1/2 cup of cook broccoli florets (done al dente)

1. cook the lasagna rolls for 7 minutes - you want them half cooked but still firm

2. beat the egg and mix in the the cottage cheese, onion powder, garlic powder and vegetables

3. add it 1/2 package of cheese and mix it well

4. roll out the lasagna rolls and place 1 large spoonful on the roll and then roll it somewhat tightly

5. place it in the baking pan - continue until your mixture is done

6. pour the sauce over the rolls and then sprinkle it with the remaining pizza cheese

Bake at 375 for 1 hour

Serve!!!

*Serves 8

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! 

Thanksgiving French Onion String Beans

So a few years ago I tried to make a string bean recipe that had shallots on it and let me tell you the strings bean were all gone! Everyone love it. But what was left on everyone's place were the shallots. Lesson learned. The following year I made a string bean recipe from a recipe book I have and I've actually posted it on my blog under the Thanksgiving tab, but it's too simple and basic - not really the traditional feeling of Thanksgiving. The last 2 years my made the string beans - but this year it didn't turn out. This mean it's my turn to make them. Here is what I've put together as my taste tester before next November's Turkey Day!!

Thanksgiving French Onion String Beans

1. 2 lbs. string beans (fresh- cut at the stems and washed)
2. 2 tbsp. butter
3. 3 small onions - sliced
4. 1 tbsp. flour
5. 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
6. 3/4 cup of soy milk or milk (I don't mix meat and dairy together and since I make this for Thanksgiving I use soy)
7. dash of pepper, garlic

1. cook the string beans for 5 minutes in water
2. drain and cut into thirds.
3. mix the cream of mushroom soup and milk together
4. heat the butter in a pan and add the onion slices and french them until their soft - add the flour and brown them and allow the get hard and fried looking
5. pour the green beans into the baking dish - mix in the mushroom and milk mixture
6. sprinkle some pepper and garlic on top. Then add the onions
7. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes - add some bread crumbs and bake an additional 10 minutes

Italian Arugula Salad

So this salad recipe I really cannot take full credit for. It isn't exactly my recipe. I got this wonderful salad recipe from Real Housewife New Jersey star, Teresa Guidice's cookbook, Fabulcious. It is a really good cookbook, by the way. She has a lot of excellent recipes. Many of them of I tweeked to fit my personal needs and goals. However, the basis of them are great. This salad that I am sharing with you is so easy. And I know I say all my recipes are easy, but this one really is!

Italian Arugula Salad

2 bags of Arugula Salad
1 pint of cherry tomatoes (washed and sliced in half)
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Parmesan Cheese

1. slice the cherry tomatoes in half and mix with Arugula salad
2. drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese

Serve and Enjoy!!

(You see I told you it was easy!)

Cream of Carrot Soup

Okay this recipe is not exactly spring or summer friendly but it is still very good and if you have with a nice garden salad topped with cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, cucumbers and onions it will give it that spring/summer feel. This recipe is quite simple and shouldn't be too overwhelming.

Cream of Carrot Soup

6 large fresh carrots or 24 baby carrots
3 cups of vegetable broth
2 medium white potatoes
1/2 cup of non fat cream
1/2 tsp. onion and garlic powder mixture
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup water
1 cup of garlic onion croutons

1. Peel the potatoes and carrots
2. cut them into chunks and put them into the vegetable broth and water
3. allow them to simmer for 25 minutes and then puree it in a blender
4. add the spices and the cream and stir well
5. serve with garlic onion croutons

Mango Gazpacho Soup

I made this tonight for the first time for my parents. My dad's comment was "I can't eat this anymore because if I do then it will be gone and I won't have anymore to eat". My mom said "you should share this on your blog or maybe not, try selling the recipe". Well I guess from both comments you can tell that you're going to love it. This recipe is so easy and so healthy. It's super low in calories, low fat and basically just fruits and vegetables. Here's the recipe:

Mango Gazpacho Soup
1 medium mango
1/2 red pepper
1/2 large cucumber
1 cup + 2 tbsp. of orange juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
3 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1 lime
1 tsp. olive oil

1. cut the mango into 1 inch chunks
2. dice the the cucumber, red pepper
3. put into blender and add in spices, juice, cilantro and olive oil
4. blend well
5. add in a few extra chunks of mango

Serve and Enjoy!

Broccoli Mango Grape Salad

This is a very popular salad in my house. It goes extra well in baked BBQ Salmon (recipe to follow). It's pretty simple. The dressing is a little annoying and cutting up the mango is also kind of annoying. But I promise you it's totally worth it. You will absolutely love it!

Broccoli Mango Grape Salad

2 heads of broccoli

1 mango 

1 cup of grapes

1/2 cup of light mayo

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. Jane's Crazy salt

1/2 packet of Equal

1. steam the broccoli until a little soft but still firm

2. cut the grapes in half

3. cut the mango into 1/2 inch chunks

4. pat the broccoli dry and then add in the mango and grapes

5. mix the mayo, red wine vinegar, vegetable oil, Jane's Crazy, onion powder and equal

6. marinate in fridge for at least 30 minutes

7. serve and enjoy!!

BBQ Salmon

4 oz. salmon florets

BBQ sauce

Coat the salmon with BBQ sauce and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Enjoy! 

Spaghetti Squash and Light Tomato Sauce

So my old next door neighbor had a vegetable garden and was always giving us vegetables that we truthfully had no use for. Of course we're a super healthy family and cook healthy most of the time but we are also just a family of 3 - so seriously how many veggies can one person eat? One time she dropped off some summer squash and I remember my mom saying to me "can you figure out to use this?". And sure enough I did. I came up with making spaghetti and then after the fact I found out it actually is a real recipe. I'll share with you what I made that day back in July of 2011. Now I make it as one of my go-to recipes.

Spaghetti Squash and Light Tomato Sauce

1 summer spaghetti squash

water

garlic and onion salt mixture

light tomato sauce

1. boil water

2. peel the squash into thin like spaghetti strips

3. boil it for about 3-4 minutes and then drain well - making sure it is fully dry

4. add in garlic/onion salt mixture (dash of each)

5. pour in sauce - about 1/4 cup and reheat or serve cold. 

Oven Roasted Asparagus

So I was in the mood to make a new vegetable dish and couldn't think of what vegetable to make. I thought and thought and then remembered that it had been about a billion years since I made asparagus - okay not a billion, I had actually never made it before. I searched for different recipes and from all of them came up with a pretty good one. It's super healthy and super tasty at the same time!

Oven Roasted Asparagus
1 pound of asparagus (cut of ends)
olive oil
salt
Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. cut ends off asparagus and rinse them well
3. pour about 2 tbsp. of olive oil on asparagus
4. then sprinkle about a tsp. or so of salt and about 4 tbsp. or so of Parmesan cheese.
5. mix it all together
6. bake in oven for 15 minutes

Serve and Enjoy!

(Serve 2-3 people)

Thanksgiving 101

So this post is very important to me because it speaks about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all that we are blessed with and to a time to give back to those who are not as fortunate as we are. It is also a time to spend with loved ones- family and friends and share in those delicious traditional foods. Thanksgiving is also a time when a lot of us eat more than we should. Did you know that on average a person consumes more 3,000 calories? How is that possible you ask? Well you have the appetizers which normally consist of nuts, poppy kock, mushroom puffs, olives and so forth- easy 400 calories right there. Then you have the turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, string beans, rolls, butter, and all your other traditional family recipes and then you have dessert...So when I say 3,000 or more I stress the more. But it is Thanksgiving so why not eat as much as you want, right? WRONG! Thanksgiving is not a time to over do it- it is a time to indulge a little but you need to be careful how you indulge and where you indulge. In this post I will share a few recipes that you should all have. It will leave you feeling much better at the end of the day- both mentally and physically.

Appetizers
Serve: honey roasted peanuts, salted cashews, and mini clementine cuties

Main Meal
Serve turkey with homemade cranberry sauce (2 pints cranberries, water and sugar in the raw- heat up the cranberries add the water and 1/4 cup of sugar)

Spiced String Beans (3 lbs of fresh string beans with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. paprika and 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup of water- mix together and cook uncovered for 30 minutes


Mashed Potatoes (peel potatoes leaving some skin, boil them and then mash them - add 2 tbsp. of diced onions, 1 tbsp. of unsalted butter, dash of salt

Candied Sweet Potatoes (6 sweet potatoes -peeled and baked for 1 hour. cut them into cubes and pour over 1 cup of orange juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 c. bourbon- bake for another 45 minutes (stirring occasional)

Spinach Salad- 2 cups of fresh spinach, 1 8 oz. can of mandarin oranges, sprinkle some sunflower seeds, sliced strawberries and honey mustard dressing (light) mixed in.

Butternut Squash Muffins (skip the roles and use these instead)

Stuffing- 8 cups of whole wheat bread cubes, 1/4 cup of chopped celery, 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, 2 cups of mushrooms, 2 cups of chicken broth, dash of salt and pepper, 1/4 tsp. onion/garlic mixture, 1/4 tbsp. fresh parsley- Bake in oven for 1 hour











Dessert
Peanut Butter Balls (14 oz of 100% natural peanut butter, 1 cup of unsalted butter, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 3 cups confectionery sugar AND 14 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips, boiling water and 2 tbsp. of unsalted butter) - mix peanut butter, vanilla, melted butter and confectionery sugar together and the roll them into 3 inch balls. place in fridge for at least 2 hours. Then in a double broiled melt the chocolate with the butter. Dip the firm peanut butter balls into the choc mixture covering half way. Place down on parchment paper and place back in fridge over night or until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Choc Chip Cookies 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened, 1 cup of 100% pure pumpkin puree, 1 large egg, tsp. vanilla. Follow these steps:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.
COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Crust Free Apple Pie (4 green apples peeled and slice, place into a baking dish, sprinkle with lemon juice, then mix 2/3 cups of veg. oil, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of sugar and 4 eggs. Mix together and pour over the apples. Preheat oven to 350 bake for 1 hour and then mix 1 tsp. of cinnamon with 2 tbsp. sugar and sprinkle over while hot. Serve cold or warm- but must let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Fresh Fruit/Nuts

And you can also search my blog for other favorites such as:
Baked Squash
Real Carrot Cookies
Moroccan Carrots
Nutella Balls
Apple Cranberry Crisp

Baked Squash with Brown Sugar

Okay this recipe might be the easiest one yet. And I know I say that all the time but this time I mean it. It is healthy, light and full of so much nutrition for you and your family. I love making this for my family in the fall. Squash is always ripe in the fall and is a very popular vegetable.

Baked Squash with Brown Sugar 
1 squash - peeled and cubed
2 tbsp. olive oil
dash of salt
4 tbsp. of light brown sugar
dash of cinnamon

1. preheat oven to 375
2. peel the squash and cubed it and evenly place accross a large bakign dish
3. melted the butter and then slowly add the brown sugar and stir until pasty
4. pour over the squash and then sprinle with cinnamon
5. bake for 1 hour



Serve!

Note- you can add this to your stuffing for Thanksgiving. It's a little different and it will add some extra color to your stuffing. If you do chose to add the squash- use 16oz of canned mushroom pieces, 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 stalks of celery, 2 cups of chicken broth, 1/2 onion, 1/8 tsp. of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 loaf of chopped whole grain gluten free bread

Atkins Vegetable Salad

This recipe is actually my grandmother's recipe. She used to be a patient of Dr. Atkins (yes the real one). She has always been on the Atkins diet (although she does eat carbs once and a while). I mean she is 88- who goes 50 some years without eating carbs. Now I think she's on the cookie diet..who knows?!
But this recipe is actually really, really tasty. I haven't anyone who doesn't like it.

Atkins Vegetable Salad
Medium head of broccoli
Medium head of cauliflower
1 1/2 cups of baby carrots

Dressing
1/2 packet of Equal
2 tbsp. of Olive Oil Enhanced Low Fat Mayo
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Jane's Crazy Salt (It is essential that you use this- You cannot substitute this- it will ruin the recipe)


1. soak the broccoli and carrots in salt water for 20 minutes (it is important to do that to get rid of the bugs)
2. cut the broccoli florets off and cook in a pot of water until it is softened- NOT too soft but cooked when it is still firm (about 8 minutes)
3. repeat the same thing with the cauliflower (cutting into florets) and carrots (baby carrots into 1/4s)
4. as soon as you finish cooking each vegetable drain well with a towel until all the water is out
5. pour all three vegetables into a bowl and pour the dressing over and stir well
6. allow it to marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight
7. add some more seasonal salt and stir and enjoy!!

Vegetable Curry Pockets

This recipe is probably one my favorites because if you don't have the ingredients you can always substitute it with something else that you have or that you'd prefer. I made this for my mother and father and they both loved it. My mom who typically doesn't like curry even ate it and loved it. Here the recipe:

Vegetable Curry Pockets
1 puff pastry sheet
1/2 cup of frozen peas or fresh peas- Don't use canned their not good for you
1/2 cup of fresh cleaned broccoli florets
1/2 cup of sliced carrots
2 slices of a diced onion
3/4 cup of cheese
4 tbsp. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of water
2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. of your favorite spiced in the cabinet
3/4 tbsp. curry powder
1 medium egg
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

1. in a medium skillet melt the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
2. add in the onion and cook until it's translucent - for more about 5 minutes
3. add in the peas, broccoli florets and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes
3. add in the milk, water, whole wheat flour, favorite spice, curry and cheese
4. and mix all together (around now you should preheat oven to 350*)
5. cut the puff pastry sheet in half diagonally
6. add in 1/2 the mixture to one half sheet and the other 1/2 to the other half sheet
7. fold over and make sure it is tightly closed (if you have extra liquid drain it out)
8. beet an egg and brush each pocket
9. sprinkle 1 tbsp. of sesame seeds on each pocket
10. bake in oven for 30 minutes
Let cool for about 15 minutes

You can eat this cold but it taste better warm~

Vegetable Pot Pie

Vegetable Pot Pie- is a very easy and healthy dinner that everyone in the family will love! It may sound scary since there are so many ingredients but I will tell you that it is worth it. Don't be scared, it's easy to make. I made this for dinner last night, I actually made enough for two dinners, thinking we would have left overs. Well I should have know that dad was coming to dinner and had seconds and thirds! Which made me happy- since everyone loves it! and because I get to make something else for dinner tomorrow night! (I love cooking!)

Vegetable Pot Pie
2-3 tbsp. olive oil (for cooking)
Small onion- chopped and diced
1/2 cup of canned mushrooms- halves and pieces
3/4 cup of canned or frozen corn
3/4 cup of frozen peas
Small red potato- peeled and chopped
Cup of carrots chopped- 1 1/2 large carrots OR 10 baby carrot sticks
2 1/2 tbsp. of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
dash of garlic
12oz of chicken broth

(Preheat oven to 425*)
1. in large skillet heat oil and cook onions until they are translucent- about 5 minutes
2. add the chopped and washed carrots and potatoes to the skillet and cook- about 8 minutes
3. add in the frozen peas, corn and mushrooms and mix until heated- about 4 minutes
4. add in the salt, onion powder, garlic and flour and chicken brother- let continue to cook for about 3 minutes (keep stirring until somewhat thick)
5. take the crust and line it in the dish, then pour the vegetable mixture into the dish- cover it again with the rest of the puff pastry and bake in the oven at 425* for 30-35 minutes

Enjoy--this low calories, healthy and filling!
Yummy! (Don't expect left overs from this dish, this is definite crowd pleaser)