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Category Archives: Recipes
The Best Panini Sandwiches!
Lisa loves Panini sandwiches!! When you get down to it, who doesn’t. So a few years ago it was a summer night and she said that she really wishes that we had a Panini press. Now don’t ask me how I thought of what I am about to tell you, I just did.
I told her to jump in the car and that we were heading off to the grocery store. So the key ingredient that you are going to need is ciabatta bread. Make a note, as this is the only time that I will ever, and I mean ever, tell you to buy white bread!! This is however a must. Next you head to the deli and pick up some fresh turkey or chicken breast (if you have chicken breast cooked at home that is even better). Or you can do veggie if you would like. Then you need to pick up some hummus, or maybe you feel like tzatziki. Either is good, I put hummus on any sandwich that I make because I don’t like condiments. Next is veggies and then you need some butter, yup butter! Oh good lord I forgot the cheese! We like to pick up Havarti, usually the herb or spiced one.
Once you get home you can cut the ciabatta into two square pieces, as big or as small as you would like. Then cut the pieces in half. You spread the hummus on the inside of the top and the bottom of the sandwich and then place the turkey on the bottom and the cheese on top of that. Next you turn the sandwich upside down and put on a thin coating of butter. Then make sure that you cut up the veggies that you would like. We like our veggies cold so we put them on after we make the Panini’s.
Now for the secret part! You go and turn on the barbeque and then head back into the kitchen and find a cookie sheet (I actually use a round pizza pan). Next you head to where you keep your kettlebells, yup I said kettlebells! If you do not have a kettlebell you can use a dumbbell instead. I use a kettlebell that weighs 25lbs. However I think 20lbs would also be great. Take all this and the sandwiches out to the barbeque. Place the sandwiches on the grill and then the metal sheet on top, and then the kettlebell. It will take you a second to find the balance. When you do that is when the magic happens. You let them sit for a couple of minutes and then take off the weight, and the pan, and butter the top of the sandwiches and then flip them over and repeat the process. Keep flipping until you have the look that you would like.
When you have them golden brown your sandwiches will have amazing ridges in them and be cooked perfectly. Then head back to the kitchen and veggie them up! Grab a cold beer……bottle of water….and enjoy!!!
Protein pancakes
Aren’t pancakes the best?
Aren’t pancakes for dinner even better?
Pancakes are not a regular meal in our household, but when we do decide to make them, we sure do enjoy them. Since they are a rare occurrence, we don’t feel guilty pouring maple syrup all over them, and eating a bunch.
Glenn’s sister and brother in law make their own maple syrup and it’s the best maple syrup I’ve ever had. It tastes so good I bet allot of people drink it directly from the jar. But I wouldn’t know anything about doing such things.
I’ve been experimenting with making healthy protein pancakes, so we can enjoy this meal a bit more often during the week, when we keep our eating healthy and clean.
I rather have this for breakfast or lunch however I would completely approve if you had it for dinner.
Protein pancakes
Serves 1
3 tbsp oat flour
1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (I rather vanilla for this one)
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp wheat germ or ground flaxseed
1/3 cup egg whites
2 tbsp almond milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
Oat flour can be purchased at the grocery store however we make it at home by placing oats in a grinder; they turn into flour very easily.
Combine oat flour, protein powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and wheat germ in a bowl and mix well. In another bowl combine egg whites, almond milk and vanilla extract and mix well.
Once wet ingredients are combined, pour them into the dry ingredient bowl and using a whisk stir the ingredients to form your pancake batter.
The batter is much thinner then regular pancake batter so let the batter sit a few minutes to thicken. Pour the batter into a non-stick frying pan, cook for a few minutes on each side, flipping the pancake when you see bubbles start to form on the top of the pancake.
You can pour the batter in batches if you want to make a few smaller pancakes; I like pouring the entire thing in a medium frying pan and making ONE BIG PANCAKE.
Blueberries, strawberries,apple or banana could be added to the batter if desired. Top with your favorite low sugar syrup or peanut butter.
Note: Since I use vanilla protein powder I don’t need a sweetener, if you’re using unflavored powder you may want to add a packet of Stevia or 1 tbsp of brown sugar.
My favorite way to have this pancake is to top it with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter and sprinkle with Omega crunch roasted maple shelled flax….SO GOOD.
Enjoy.
Lisa
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Because this blog is called HealthyHFX I bet you think every recipe is healthy right?
WRONG
90% of the recipes I make are healthy, sometimes a little too healthy (see post below)
Once in a while a girls gotta make some real good cookies…you know the cookies that stick directly to your butt, and don’t let go…..delicious.
Glenn’s favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip so last weekend while he was at work, I got to work on making cookies. He walked into a kitchen full of cookies.
Im pretty sure that’s what heaven looks like.
These cookies where really good, I left them in the oven a tad to long so they where a bit crunchier then we like. Once Sunday night came I froze the rest as we save “treats” for the weekends. We still have a bunch in the freezer so Saturday a few cookies….or ten are bound to come out of hiding.
Remember you can always use raisins instead of chocolate chips, but seriously, WHO WOULD DO THAT?
NOT ME.
Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies.
Makes 3 dozen
1 cup of butter, room temperature
½ cup of sugar
1 ½ cups of brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract (I use organic…it taste so much better)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 ½ cups of oats (I use rolled oat, you could also use quick oats but don’t use instant)
2 cups of chocolate chips (I use semi sweet or dark chocolat)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated.
Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.
Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread.
Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center.
Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled do as we did and eat 10.
If you need us we’ll be at the gym.
Lisa
A shepherd’s pie and a power burger
Today’s blog post is brought to you by ground beef.
Here are 2 recipes that are made on a pretty regular basis in our big kitchen…ok tiny kitchen.
Sweet potato shepherds pie.
I’ve never loved shepherds pie, that may be because growing up white potatoes where pretty cheap and a meal that I remember having ALLOT is mashed potatoes topped with ground beef and gravy.
Sorry mom I’m NEVER eating that again.
However I absolutely love this shepherd’s pie recipe and everyone that tries it also loves it.
Ingredients (serves 4)
24oz Extra lean ground beef or ground turkey (I prefer ground beef for this one)
4 tbsp chopped onion
1cup of frozen peas and carrots (fresh could also be used)
1 1/2cup boiled and mashed sweet potato with skin
1tsp butter
Low sodium seasoning if desired
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 350.
In a pan sauté onion in butter until translucent and add ground beef. Sauté until browned and spoon out any excess fat from beef. Add desired seasoning to beef and add peas & carrots to the mixture. Transfer mixture to an oven safe dish. Layer the mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of mashed sweet potato on top and bake in the oven for 10-20 minute.
Nutritional info for each serving (approx)
400 Calories
35g protein
31g Carbohydrates
12g Fat
Power Burgers (serves 4)
Glenn loves a good burger on the BBQ and this is definitely where I let him do the cooking.
If there is a protein king in your household throw together these muscle building burgers, men love them….so do most women but let’s face it, they are called power burgers…doesn’t exactly scream girl’s night.
Ingredients
1 egg
1 lb ground beef
1c oats (non instant)
1c diced onion
1c chopped spinach
2Tbsp reduced fat Mexican blend cheese (optional)
4 whole grain buns
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add everything else but the bun and mix until well blended – your hands are the best tool. Form the meat into four patties. Place the burgers on the grill or non stick skillet over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes per side or until desired level of doneness.
Nutritional info for each burger (approx)
293 calories
27g Protein
8g Carbohydrates
13g Fat
Both these meals taste great and are easy to make so go make them….like right now.
Sweet potato & Chicken Enchiladas.
I’ve never been a lover of Mexican food.
Unless we’re talking margaritas and nachos.
We occasionally make fajitas however I think I’ve been to a Mexican restaurant exactly twice in my entire life. So when I came across a recipe for Enchiladas my first thought was NO THANKS.
Lucky for me I kept reading and discovered an enchilada with all the things I love.
I found this recipe on Jamie’s blog; the girl can cook.
I adapted this recipe a little because we all know Glenn is picky.
Ok actually im the picky one, Glenn could eat the same thing every single day…BORING. Until he met me he lived in a world full of Tuna, chicken and egg whites. Come to think of it I guess he still does, but I like to think I’ve added a little spice to his life…..well at least to his meals.
He used to eat Tuna straight from the tin…FROM THE TIN!!!
Ok enough about Glenn’s lack of taste buds.
What I love most about these enchiladas is that they are so much healthier then what you would get at a restaurant. Enchiladas are covered with an enchilada sauce that can be found in your grocery store however I don’t love this sauce so when I have time I make my own and if pressed for time I simply use salsa. Making your own sauce or using salsa will also lessen the sodium content.
Sweet potato & chicken Enchiladas. (Serves 2)
Adapted from www.embracingbalance.com
2 large whole wheat tortilla wraps (choose the w/w wrap with the less sodium)
2 Chicken breasts
1 medium sweet potato (approx 1 cup mashed)
¾ cup of navy beans or black beans
½ cup of low fat mozzarella cheese
¼ cup of low fat cheddar cheese
2 cups of spinach
1 can of Enchilada sauce (If needed)
Salsa
Preheat oven to 375. While your sweet potato is boiling cook your chicken breast as desired next mash the cooked sweet potato and combine with chopped up chicken. Mash up beans and mix together with sweet potato and chicken. Steam spinach until wilted, chop and combine with potato mixture. Mix ¼ cup of salsa and cheddar cheese in mixture. Once well combined roll mixture into tortilla wraps and place in lightly greased baking dish, top with enchilada sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for approximately 15minutes. Enchiladas should be bubbly, hot and AMAZING. Can be enjoyed on there own or with a drizzle of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Enchilada Sauce1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup salsa
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato sauce.
Mix together and then stir in the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
On a totally different note I made Peanut Butter protein cookies tonight and they called for oat flour. I could not find any at the store so I made my own.
Aparently if you put oats in a magic bullet you get oat flour….WHO KNEW?
When I showed Glenn he called me a sientist…..This may be my new carreer path.
