Vegetarian Lentil Chili for Two

Well hello there. It's been a minute, but it's nice to be back!

Right after New Year's we started the process of installing hardwood flooring in seven
rooms of our house, so it's been total chaos around here. We've been ripping up carpet,
moving furniture, emptying closets and painting. Our house is a mess, but it's going
to be beautiful once it's all complete! I've been sharing some of the progress on my
Instagram stories and will share more here later.

Chickpea Vegetarian Stir-Fry

I'm all about a one pot meal, especially for weeknight dinners! After a long day at work,
I would much rather go for a walk/run or catch up on Netflix instead of washing a bunch
of pots and pans!

Chickpea vegetarian stir-fry is a quick and easy meal, especially good for meatless Monday!
It is delicious served over rice or quinoa. If you meal prep, make the rice or quinoa on
Sunday and the meal will come together even faster.

Rubbermaid FreshWorks™ Produce Savers + A Giveaway

Spring is here and I am loving all of the fresh greens and berries that are available.
It's so fun to browse around the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and come home
with fresh fruit and veggies to make into something delicious.

Homemade Vegetable Noodle Soup

I can't even tell you how many times I have made soup since the beginning of fall because
I have made it so many times! I just love it and vegetable soup is pretty low calorie, which
works for my healthy eating diet plan.  I've been packing soup for lunch almost every day
this winter.

Veggie Quesadillas

Several months ago my boss took me out to lunch to a restaurant in Roanoke, VA
called The Village Grill.  The restaurant is owned by one of his former students, so
we thought we would stop by to say hello and grab a bite for lunch.  Unfortunately
Nathan, the owner, wasn't there at the time, but we stayed for lunch anyway and I'm
so glad we did! The service was great and the food even better!

I ordered the veggie quesadilla, which was filled with grilled squash, zucchini, mushrooms,
onions, peppers and cheddar cheese.  It was delicious!  I love zucchini, so I made a mental
note to try to recreate The Village Grill recipe at home.

Maple Roasted Vegetable Grain Bowls

This post is in partnership with OXO.  As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Sunday meal prep is still going strong around here.  I've been doing really well with it
most of the time.  I find that when I do take the time to prep and plan on Sundays we eat
healthier meals  and I'm in a better mood since I don't have to run to the grocery store on
my way home from work.  Being prepared gives me so much more time in the evenings
to do the things I enjoy like reading, blogging or watching a movie with the family, instead
of trying to figure out what we're having for dinner and then starting from scratch to make it.

Happy New Year and Healthy Meal Prep

Happy 2016!
I love the start of a new year and a fresh perspective.

Our holiday decorations have been packed away and the house is back to normal.
I'm really excited to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise, like many
of you I over indulged over the holidays and now my body is paying the price.
To get back on track I have joined Liz from The Lemon Bowl and Dara from Cookin' Canuck
in their Healthy New Year Six-Week Challenge.  I would love for you to do it with me!

New York Potatoes Anna

Happy Friday!
Thought I would post a quick recipe for my New York Potatoes Anna.
My parents grew a ton of potatoes this year in their garden so these delicious,
cheesy potatoes will be making an appearance on our dinner table a lot this fall.

Lentil Soup with Yogurt Cornbread Mini Muffins

I guess I have to accept the fact that summer is over in just two days.
Sad, but true.
I'm going to miss my evening uniform of shorts and tank tops, warm evening
exercise walks, lounging by the pool and all of the fresh berries and garden veggies.
Oh and the zinnias.  I'm really going to miss them!

But on the bright side it is pumpkin, scarf, boots and soup season. So yay for that!

Cauliflower Rice

I tried something new for dinner tonight and we loved it!
Cauliflower Rice.
Have you heard of it?

Cauliflower rice just takes minutes to make and is a low carb alternative to
brown or white rice.  It's a delicious side dish or base for stir-fry.
My husband and I have really been trying to exercise more and eat healthier
so I decided to give it a try tonight.
He really liked it and said he prefers it over regular rice!
I don't know that I would go that far, but I did really enjoy it and will
definitely add it to our dinner menus in the future.

I used a cheese grater and grated it by hand, which only took a few
minutes, but you could also use a food processor if you prefer.

My 3-Day Juice Cleanse

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably know that I recently did a
juice cleanse.  I had been thinking about doing one for over a year now and finally got
up the nerve to go for it this month.  I felt my body needed a break from my Diet Coke
addiction and all of the heavy foods I consumed over the holidays.
I needed to feel like I was doing something good for my body.
I needed a reset.
Do you know what I mean?

There are several brands of juice available for cleansing, but after taste testing a few
Garden of Flavor juices at Whole Foods, I chose them for my 3-Day Cleanse.
I wanted the juice for my juice cleanse to be made from all organic fruits and vegetables.
Juicing with non-organic juice just didn't make sense to me.
Why would I want to cleanse my body with juice made with fruit and vegetables
sprayed with pesticides!

The juice arrived on Wednesday afternoon.

Vegetable and Barley Stew

Towards the end of the week I was away at a work conference, where I indulged in too much food and definitely too many sweets!
I decided to get back on track today with this vegetable and barley stew.
It was a great way to use up some of the garden veggies in my fridge too!

This was my first time using barley in a recipe and I really liked it!
Barley is a versatile cereal grain with a rich nut-like flavor and a chewy, pasta-like consistency. 
I can't wait to try it in some other recipes.
I found it in the bulk bin at my local food co-op.

I think I'll make some zucchini muffins to go with it for lunch tomorrow!

Vegetable and Barley Stew

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pearl barley
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 small bay leaves
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt & pepper, to taste
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 small zucchini, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups diced carrot

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
Add garlic and barley, cooking for about a minute.  Pour in chicken stock and spices.  Stir, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced tomatoes, black beans, zucchini and carrots.  Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.  Adjust seasonings as desired.

Recipe slightly adapted from Lauren's Latest.

Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

I have made more vegetable soup this past fall/winter than I have made in my entire life.
Not kidding.
I have become a vegetable soup loving freak.
It's light, healthy and tastes fabulous on a cold day or night.

Most of the time I make this same version with mini whole wheat pasta shells, but I had leftover quinoa, so I decided to add that instead.  I'm not sure which I like more. 

I store leftovers in pint-size mason jars and then take the soup for lunch at work.
Just pop the mason jar in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and grab a spoon.
Delish!

Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, sliced
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 zucchini, diced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
spinach leaves, torn into bite size pieces
salt and pepper
olive oil

Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a large pot or dutch oven set on medium high heat.
Add onion and celery and carrots.  Saute until crisp tender; 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken or vegetable stock, 1 can of petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, corn and zucchini.  Throw in a bay leaf or two and then salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on medium-low for 10-20 minutes.  Add cooked quinoa and torn spinach leaves right before serving. Remove the bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. 

Click here for great tips on cooking quinoa.

Pesto Baked Salmon with Couscous and Veggies

One of my goals last year was to become better at meal planning. 
I also tried to eliminate as many processed foods from our diet as I could.
I think I was pretty successful. 

It may seem like I make a lot of sweets around here, but most of the time they are for special occasions or special orders for friends, co-workers and relatives.  Don't get me wrong - I love a cupcake or two, but moderation is key.

I starting using this free printable meal planner and it really helped to keep me focused.
I also have a "What's For Dinner" Pinterest board.

Meal planning has made my evenings much less stressful.  I absolutely hate it when I have to stop off at the grocery store on my way home from work.  I rarely do that any more.

Pesto Baked Salmon is a new to our dinner rotation, but we will definitely be having it at least once or twice a month.  It's healthy, quick and delicious. 

I purchased the frozen Salmon fillets from Costco and I use whole wheat cousous that I buy from a bulk food store in our local farmers market.  I store pasta's, rice and grains in clear glass containers so I can see when I need to add them to my shopping list. I try to purchase organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible.  It's a personal choice that I feel good about.  I put enough poison in my body with all the Diet Coke I drink :)

I'd love to hear how you plan meals for your family and feel free to share some recipes too.

I'm always looking for new ideas!

Pesto Baked Salmon with Veggies

2 Salmon fillets
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 T Pesto
olive oil
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a bake dish or spray with cooking spray.
Place salmon in bake dish and spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto on each fillet; spreading it around to cover.
Place zucchini and tomatoes on top of and around the salmon.  Salt and pepper if desired.
Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.

While the salmon is baking make the couscous.
In a medium saucepan bring one cup of chicken or veggie stock to a boil.
Remove from heat and add couscous; stir.
Cover the pan with a lid and let it sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.

To serve place salmon and veggies on a bed of couscous.
Serves 2-3 depending upon the size of your salmon fillets.

Recipe adapted from Fannetastic Food

Summer Garden Pasta

Summer Garden Pasta is my go-to dinner at least once a week during the months of July and August when my fridge is full of fresh veggies from my parents beautiful garden.  It is quick and easy and oh so tasty!
Pair it with a french loaf of bread and a glass of wine for the perfect summer meal out on the deck.

Summer Garden Pasta

1/2 box Barilla Plus Penne Pasta, cooked al dente

1 Zucchini, sliced and then halved

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 small onion, diced

1 cup corn, cut off of the cob

1 small green pepper, diced

1 T olive oil

fresh rosemary

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Cook pasta until done; set aside.

Toss all of the vegetables and herbs with olive oil.  Spread them out on a baking sheet covered with foil.

Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Roast in a 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

Place roasted vegetables in large serving dish.  Add pasta and toss.

Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Cooking With Country Crock

This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

My daughter has always been a picky eater.
Always.
So I had to become one of those sneaky moms when it came to cooking.
Ground flax seed in the pancake batter.
Mashed black beans in the brownies.
Pureed spinach mixed with spaghetti sauce.
Yep - I tried it all.
It was my duty as her mom to make sure healthy foods got into her little body right?

Well she is a teenager now, so I don't have to be quite as sneaky, but I still enjoy making healthy meals that look nice.  After downloading my free copy of the  Clair Crespo Cookbook, I found lots of creative ways to serve more veggies to my family.  Each recipe uses a little Country Crock Spread to make the veggies extra tasty too.  Did you know that Country Crock has 70% less fat and 30% fewer calories than butter? It also has zero transfats.  Got to love that!

After browsing through the recipes in Clair Crespo's Cookbook, I decided to make Pasta Full of Posies (page 29) and Beautiful Butterflys (page 27) for dinner.  Such a spring like meal :)

Pasta Full of Posies

2 yellow and/or orange bell peppers

1 (16 oz) pkg. whole wheat penne pasta (I used Rotini)

3 T Country Crock Spread

1 T olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

5 cherry tomatoes

7 basil or spinach leaves

Chop off top and bottom of peppers. Slice them down the side, remove the seeds and lay pepper flat.

Cut into petal shapes.  Boil pasta according to package directions; drain.

Melt Country Crock Spread and heat olive oil on the stove over medium heat in a pan big enough to hold pasta.  Cook garlic and peppers together for about 5 minutes.  With tongs, remove pepper petals and set aside.

Add pasta and cheese to garlic and toss together.  Put the pasta in a shallow serving dish.  Arrange tomato halves on top and surround them with pepper petals to make "flowers". Add a basil or baby spinach leaf to each flower.

Beautiful Butterflies

6 small or medium crookneck squash

3 T Country Crock Spread

2 T finely chopped garlic

12 baby carrots

4 chives, cut into 24 1/2 pieces (I used rosemary)

2 T finely chopped assorted fresh herbs

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Slive fat part of squash into 24 slices.  Melt Country Crock Spread in large skillet.  Add garlic and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add squash nd carrots, saute until tender, about 7 minutes.

Arrange carrots on serving dish or individual plates.  Place 2 squash rounds on either side of carrots.  Using a toothpick, poke two holes in the tops of each carrot and insert chive pieces as "antennae".

Sprinkle remaining herbs on squash "wings".  Add salt and pepper.

Be sure to follow Country Crock on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow Me and My Pink Mixer on Facebook and Twitter.
Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love!

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

My favorite way to fix veggies is to roast them in the oven.  Oven roasting really seems to bring out the flavor and it's a great way to use up those leftovers hiding out in your crisper.  I just throw them all together on a cookie sheet, toss them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
My favorite combination is zucchini, grape tomatoes, onion and green pepper.  Corn is really good too if you have it. Yum.

Did you know that Crisco now has their own line of olive oil?

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemake Program, I received these three bottles of Crisco Olive Oil to try.
I was really excited to get them because I use olive oil a lot.  And free stuff is always fun!

Since I love roasted veggies so much, I decided to try them on pizza.  What a great decision that was!
So good!  Of course I had to make half of it pepperoni for our picky teenager.  Like veggies might kill her or something :)

Oven Roasted Veggie Pizza

Assortment of fresh veggies (I used broccoli, grape tomatoes, onion and green pepper here)
Olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper
2 cups grated cheese (I used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Your favorite pizza sauce
Your favorite pizza crust (I use this one a lot)

Prepare your pizza crust.
Place your veggies in a bowl and toss with olive oil.  Lay them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with freshly ground salt and pepper.  Place them in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender.  Remove from oven.
Spoon pizza sauce over crust.  Top with veggies and grated cheeses.
Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and crust is golden brown.

Vegetable Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

I have made more soup this winter than ever before. 
Probably because it's been so freaking cold! And soup makes you feel all warm and cozy :)

My vegetable soup recipe is so easy and the best part is that you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Don't I sound like Rachel Ray - ha ha. 
Add some grilled cheese croutons and you have a warm, delicous, healthy meal.

Vegetable Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 medium size zucchini, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 T olive oil
1 can (14.5 oz) petit diced tomatoes
2T tomato paste
1 can (14.05 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup Digalini pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Add water to a medium saucepan and cook pasta until almost done. Drain and set aside.
In a dutch oven saute olive oil, onion and celery until tender.  Add carrots and zucchini and saute for about another minute or so. Add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans, corn and digalini pasta.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Grilled Cheese Croutons

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp. thyme
6 slices of whole grain bread
3 slices of cheddar cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, combine the butter and thyme. Spread one side of each bread slice with the butter mixture. Place 3 slices in the pan, buttered side down. Top with the cheese, then with the remaining 3 bread slices, buttered side up. Cook, turning once, until toasted on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Remove the sandwiches from the pan. Let them cool slightly, then cut them into 1-inch squares. Makes about 60 croutons.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset!

Green Giant Giveaway

I love veggies almost as much as I love cupcakes, so I was really excited when My Blog Spark contacted me about doing a review for Green Giant Frozen Vegetables.
Did you know that over 25 delicious varieties of Green Giant veggies are now endorsed by Weight Watchers®, and most have only a 1 or 2 point values per serving! Green Giant Boxed Vegetables are available in a wide variety of flavors and all are packed with flavor and only take minutes to make. I love the broccoli with cheese sauce served over a baked potato ~ yum! 

The nice people at My Blog Spark and Green Giant sent me this awesome prize pack that included a large green insulated tote, a box of Green Giant frozen broccoli with cheese sauce, a cool Zak serving bowl, an Orka silicone spoon and a clip on pedometer.  And guess what?  You can have one too!  Your prize pack will include a coupon for a box of frozen veggies, not the actual box as shown here. 

Want to know how you can win?  Just follow my blog and leave a comment telling me your favorite way to fix Green Giant frozen vegetables.  The contest will be open for entries until midnight, Wednesday, February 9, 2011.  The winner will be picked on Thurday.

Receive extra entries for doing each of the following:

1.  Share this giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment that you did.
2.  Tweet about this giveaway using the hash tag #myblogspark and leave me a comment.

2.  "Like" Me and My Pink Mixer on Facebook.

3.  "Like" Green Giant on Facebook.

Happy Monday and Good luck :)

This contest is now closed.

Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili

It's been so chilly that I have been making a lot of soup this winter, but when I spotted this vegetarian chili on My Kitchen Sink Recipes, I knew it was time to try something new.

Just a quick stop at the store to pick up some squash and I was ready. I used petit diced tomatoes because the word "stewed tomatoes" just grosses me out for some reason :)   Is that weird?

The recipe came together quickly and tasted so hearty and delicious. It will definitely be in my dinner rotation again and again. Serve it with cornbread (recipe coming soon) and you have a complete, tasty meal for a cold winter night. Let's just hope we don't have too many of these cold nights left.  Bring on spring!!

Two-Bean Vegetarian Chili

recipe from Whole Living and Kitchen Sink Recipes

1 T. olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb, butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1/4 tsp. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes (I used Petit Diced)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

lime wedge

In a dutch oven or large saucepan with lid, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Add squash, red pepper and chili powder.  Season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add 1/2 cup water.  Cover and simmer until veggies are crisp-tender, about 7 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice, breaking them up with a spoon.  Add chickpeas, black beans, 1/4 cup of the cilantro and 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, partially cover and cook until lightly thickened about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in remaining cilantro.  Spoon into serving bowls and serve with lime wedges.