Crispy Rosemary Hummus {Lightened Up}

Looking for a healthy, protein packed snack? I’ve got the thing for you! This isn’t your typical hummus but still ends up delicious and is much better for the hips. It’s lightened up with the use of greek yogurt rather than the traditional tahini and it also uses less olive oil.

Another twist on this hummus is flash fried rosemary which infuses the olive oil and adds an awesome crunch throughout the hummus. I think the addition of the rosemary helps with mask the missing nutty flavor of the tahini.

Crispy Rosemary Hummus
recipe from A Spicy Perspective

2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
2 ½ Tb. olive oil
3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 tsp, lemon juice
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

1. Place the oil in a small skillet over high heat. Once smoking, flash-fry the rosemary sprigs for 30 seconds per side. Remove and place on a paper towel, reserving the olive oil.

2. Place the garbanzo beans in the food processor with the yogurt, rosemary-infused oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree to desired consistency.

3. Pull the crispy rosemary leaves off the stems and place them in the food processor (save a few for garnish if you wish). Pulse until the rosemary has worked through the hummus.

Sneaky Green Smoothie

I have always been skeptical of smoothies with spinach. It just sounds weird and disgusting and too “granola” for me. But, I bit the bullet and gave it a try in an attempt to get in more veggies. And turns out you can’t even taste the spinach. I promise! What’s better than a delicious smoothie that is really, really good for you? Not much. We have been making them everyday the past week and haven’t gotten tired of them yet!

As you can tell, Noah loves these smoothies! He couldn’t keep his hands off this one I was trying to photograph, even though he already had his own. He wanted the “smoovie in the breakable cup.”

He loves helping make them and had to put his apron on before dumping in all the ingredients.

You can use any frozen fruit you like and feel free to mix it up to create different flavors. Another yummy variation that I adore is strawberry (replace the berries and peaches), pineapple, banana and a handful of shredded coconut. You will feel like you are on the beach somewhere! Delish!

Just to prove that you can’t taste the spinach…I gave one to Joel and didn’t tell him there was spinach in it and he totally didn’t know. And still doesn’t {insert evil laugh here}. Well, unless he’s reading this now.

Secret Green Smoothie
yields 1 large or 2 medium servings

2 cups ice cubes
1 cup orange juice (or water if you don’t want added sugar and calories)
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
4-5 slices frozen peaches
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
2 big handfuls fresh spinach

Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse until it’s smooth and no chunks remain.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Although this recipe looked delicious, I was worried about making it because it seemed involved and complicated with the pounding, filling, wrapping, breading and baking. Turns out it wasn’t so bad once I had all the required ingredients collected and placed in a little assembly line.

I knew I would love this recipe because it combines some of my very favorite foods: chicken, cheese and broccoli. Plus, it has a cripsy coating but is still healthy. I couldn’t really ask for more in a dinner. Well, maybe I could ask for more cheese but everything could always use more cheese in my world.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
recipe adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny

4 chicken breasts
1/3 cup shredded part skim mozzarella
1/2-3/4 cup steamed and finely chopped broccoli (depends on size of chicken)
1 large egg
2 tsp. water
3/4 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine egg, water and a little salt.  Beat with a fork to make an egg wash.  Set aside.  Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.

2. Butterfly chicken breasts then pound them to make them thinner and so that they are easier to roll.

3. On half of the chicken, sprinkle lightly with cheese then top with broccoli. Wrap chicken around to completely cover cheese, using toothpicks to secure.  Season with a little salt.  Dip chicken into egg wash, then breadcrumbs.  Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray and place chicken on cookie sheet.

Lightly spray chicken and bake about 25 minutes, until cooked.

Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Little man and I both love pesto and broccoli so when I saw this recipe I knew it would be hitting our table soon. When Joel found out about this recipe, he wasn’t quite as thrilled. He is not a pesto fan (I don’t understand him) and he doesn’t love cooked broccoli (once again, confused) so this was just a meal he was going to have to take for the team. Basically, he was outvoted. I like having someone that can help me outvote him! And so far, Noah has similar taste with me so I can look forward to more of this in the future. Insert evil laugh here.

To somewhat appease him, I added meat to this meal so it wasn’t a total loss for him. But then again, it was chicken sausage instead of the real deal so really he was just kind of screwed on this one. He obviously was not a fan but Noah and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It definitely didn’t taste like traditional pesto but it was a really fun, healthy spin. It’s quick and easy to throw together with very few ingredients which makes this a perfect weeknight meal.

Broccoli Pesto
recipe from The Galley Gourmet

2 cups steamed and chopped broccoli (about 1 crown)

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup  freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4-5 links chicken sausage, sliced into thick coins
Hot cooked pasta

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1. In the bowl of a food processor combine the broccoli, parsley, garlic, and Parmesan and begin processing.

2. While the processor is running, add the olive oil in a thin stream and blend until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan then add sliced chicken sausage. Cook until browned and heated through.

4. Toss pasta and sausage with pesto and enjoy!

4 Ingredient Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt {No Machine Required}

I don’t know about you but I could eat ice cream every single day of the week, even on our coldest Minnesota days. I restrain from doing so but now that I have this recipe in my pocket it is much more tempting. It’s simple to throw together with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It’s a cool, creamy, seasonal treat that’s healthy to boot. Plus, it’s really fun to give a big bowl full to your toddler and watch him go at it (while still knowing it’s good for him). Warning: you are about to be bombarded with silly, goofy pictures of my little man!

Now, I don’t want to fool you all….the real deal pumpkin ice cream is much better to my taste buds but this is much better for my waistline.

4 Ingredient Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt
recipe from The Family Kitchen

1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl until completely combined. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for a few minutes until it is a smooth, cool consistency. Alternatively, place the bowl in the freezer and stir mixture every half hour until it reaches desired consistency.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ever since devouring politely eating several lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs during a trip to Minneapolis a few months ago, I have had lettuce wraps on my mind and have made several different and unique varieties. I made these yummy buffalo chicken ones when my mom came to visit recently and they were a huge hit. Just a few short years ago, I wouldn’t eat lettuce…not on sandwiches, not a salad and definitely not as a replacement for a tortilla. So, needless to say, it still surprises my mom when I make, eat or crave meals like this. I’m sure she chalks it up to me being difficult.

This is a great meal to have in your back pocket when you need a quick, simple and healthy dinner. The crockpot does all the cooking so the only time this takes is to prep the veggies. As with most lettuce wraps, these are super messy so be prepared for drippy buffalo hands.

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
recipe from Skinny Taste

For the chicken:
24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
1 celery stalk
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic
16 oz fat free low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I like Louisiana Hot Sauce)

For the wraps:
6 large lettuce leaves, Bibb or Iceberg
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 large celery stalks, cut into 2 inch matchsticks
Crumbled bleu cheese (we used feta since we don’t like bleu cheese)
Light ranch or bleu cheese dressing

1. In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, celery stalk, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn’t enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours.

2. Remove the chicken from pot, reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks, return to the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and set to on high for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups chicken.

3. To prepare lettuce cups, place 1/2 cup buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with 1/4 cup shredded carrots, celery and cheese/dressing of your choice. Wrap up and start eating!

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I’m always looking healthier versions of the foods we love. Muffins are definitely one of our favorite breakfast treats but they aren’t exactly the best way to start your morning. When I noticed our browning bananas and excess of blueberries I went on the hunt for some kind of bread or muffin to use them up. I found several recipes and decided on this one because I loved the addition of wheat germ.

Joel gave them a try and I asked him what he thought and he told me they tasted healthy. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? The whole-wheat flour made them heavier and chewier than a typical muffin while the wheat germ added an interesting texture. They weren’t our favorite muffin ever but they were pretty tasty and much healthier than our usual muffin indulgences (did you say crumb topping?).  

Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Martha Stewart

1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas (about 1 pound)
1/3 cup reduced-fat (2 percent) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries*

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk together flours, wheat germ, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork (you should have 3/4 cup); stir in milk and vanilla.

3. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until combined. Fold in frozen blueberries.

4. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 28 minutes (mine only took 17 minutes but my oven seems to cook hot). Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a rack to cool 10 minutes more.

*To mix it up, replace the blueberries with mini chocolate chips or toasted walnuts.