November Recipe Roundup | Healthy Recipes from around the web

November 14, 2012 by 21 Comments

I own a lot of cookbooks. Fifty or sixty at last count.

healthy recipes

1 of my 3 shelves of cookbooks

Most of them don’t get opened very often. Why not?

  • many are from my pre-clean eating days (I prefer healthy recipes these days)
  • my children don’t appreciate ‘interesting’ food (where ‘interesting’ is their word for healthy)
  • ‘Pinning’ is more fun than scrap-booking
  • my Facebook and Twitter streams are filled with new healthy recipes daily

I often Instragram and Tweet my meals and snacks and of course, somebody always wants to know what the recipe I used was.

healthy recipes

Rather than try and respond in 140 characters or less, I thought I’d share some recent culinary successes with you here. The first three are healthy recipes from other bloggers. I’ve included links to their original posts, the substitutions I made (I’m all about the substitutions…), and some photos showing you what my version looked like.

The fourth is a healthy recipe of my own (you can find more of my culinary inventions on my Clean Eating Recipes page). Something warm and healthy to come home to, after a busy day out and about. Slow cookers are the best invention for busy moms!

1. Paleo pumpkin walnut muffins from Carrots and Cake (what a great blog name, don’t you think?) 

healthy recipes

I substituted real maple syrup for the honey (my cupboard was bare) and pumpkin seeds for the walnuts (I personally, am not that fond of walnuts and thought that roasted pumpkin seeds would be the perfect complement to the canned pumpkin)

These were fabulous! Moist and almost cup-cake like. Great with a little almond butter on top. The recipe made eleven muffins. Great for the freezer!

healthy recipes

2. Paleo pumpkin cookies from The Humble Foodie 

healthy recipes

I substituted unsweetened almond milk for the coconut milk (none in my pantry), pumpkin seeds for the walnuts (again; see above) and cranberries for the raisins (I love how festive-looking cranberries are). I am not opposed to adding chocolate chips to this recipe either… I also added 1/3 cup quinoa flakes (to up the protein content) and increased the almond milk to 1/3 cup to compensate for the extra dry ingredients.

To die for! I happily turned down my hubby’s home-made chocolate chip cookies (so sweet, they made my teeth hurt!) to munch on these. The recipe made 20 cookies and I froze most of them immediately upon cooling; it was a bad willpower day, what can I say.

3. Almond butter pancakes from Peanut Butter Fingers (another totally creative blog name!) 

healthy recipes

Shockingly, I made absolutely no substitutions to this recipe! There’s a first time for everything!

I love pancakes for breakfast and have been experimenting with a lot of different grain-free recipes. This one was perfect. They rose, were light and fluffy, cooked through without burning and had a wonderful mouth-feel. Great with a little greek yogurt or banana and Canadian ;) maple syrup.

The recipe made 6, good size pancakes. I could only eat 2 in a sitting. The remainder froze well and still tasted great when reheated in the microwave.

4. Spicy chicken and veggie slow cooker stew  

healthy recipes

Ingredients:

  •  4 organic, chicken/turkey Italian sausage
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 Tbsp dried Italian seasonings
  • 2 Tbsp EVOO
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cups of carrots, baby or chopped
  • 2 red, yellow, orange or green peppers
  • 12 white mushrooms
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 28 oz can low sodium tomatoes
  • 1 cup water

Instructions:

  1. Cut chicken breasts in large, bite size pieces. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, turning to coat. Let sit for 1 hour.
  2. Remove casings from sausage and slice into 1 inch pieces.
  3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
  4. Add chicken and sausage pieces, stirring to brown. Approximately 5 minutes.
  5. Place poultry in the bottom of slow cooker.
  6. Return saucepan to burner and add all veggies, except for garlic. Saute for 6-8 minutes, until onions are soft and mushrooms are brown. Add garlic and stir for another 2 minutes.
  7. Add veggies to crock pot.
  8. Cover poultry and veggies with undrained, diced tomatoes and water.
  9. Replace cover on slow cooker and leave for 6-8 hours.
  10. Serve with a warm, crusty bread and a small green salad!

Have you tried any healthy recipes that you’ve recently found via blogs or Pinterest?

Please share! I love filling my Pinterest boards up with culinary projects!

{21 Comments }

Recipes and requests: dessert hummus, healthy granola, monthly newsletter and a YouTube video

June 15, 2012 by 18 Comments

Whew! What a busy week!

There’s been lots going on in fitknitchick-land; cooking and baking and writing and videotaping and editing. Kids’ end of the year camps and ball hockey playoffs. Teaching, training and the odd workout ;) for myself!

Today’s post is a bit of a mish-mash; hardly like me, but that’s how the week has been.

I’ve got a couple of recipes that I’m dying to share with you. And I’m hoping that you’ll return the share by helping me get as many eyes as possible on a new workout video!

1) The first is the newest culinary creation of Lindsay’s (AKA The Lean Green Bean); dessert hummus. Yes, you read that correctly. DESSERT HUMMUS! You can find the original recipe here.

I made the ‘spread’ version last week and took it to a fitness-girls-party; nothing left to bring home (or photograph, sorry!). Nobody believed there were chickpeas involved. Tastes exactly like cookie dough!

I made the ‘oatmeal balls’ version yesterday and made 2 changes; I upped the oats to 3/4 cup and added in an extra special ingredient, Holy Crap Cereal (1/2 cup). Both fit with my ‘Metabolic Effect’ nutrition plan perfectly; 2 or 3 balls after my lunch of lean protein and veggies and I get both my 5-10 bites of starchy carbs and the feeling that I’ve had dessert! You’ve got to try this recipe!

Holy Crap Cereal recipes

2) Second up; a healthier granola. Since I’m using oats as a condiment these days (topping my berries with them rather than the reverse), I like to augment them with seeds and nuts and dried fruit. I’ve tried a lot of different granola recipes and ended up cobbling this one together by mixing and matching until I found something that I love (unfortunately, my hubby does too, so it never lasts very long…).

  • 2 and 1/2 cups oats (the less refined the better)
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds
  • 2 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 – 1 full cup unsweetened applesauce (start with 1/2 cup then add more as needed to moisten)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup honey (optional or substitute agave nectar if your prefer)
  • 1/2 cup dried blueberries (cranberries are great too)
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until combined and moistened. Add more applesauce if necessary.

Spread out on parchment-lined cookie sheet (I usually use 2 cookie sheets). Bake at 300 degrees F for 30-45 minutes, stirring often.

Let cool, then store in an airtight container. Voila! A healthier granola, with pronounceable ingredients! It’s as yummy as it looks!

 fitknitchick recipes

And now for my requests of you all!

3) This month, I’m participating in an online video workout contest; Designer Whey’s “America’s Top Trainer” contest. I’ve filmed, edited and uploaded my entry. The winner of the contest will be determined by the popularity of the video. That means I would love it if you’d watch, comment (directly below the video on YouTube), ‘Like’, ‘Share’ (on Facebook and Twitter if that’s your thing) and above all, ‘Subscribe’ to my YouTube channel. I need my readers to come out in droves!

And finally,

4) On June 1st, I send out my first free Fitness and Healthy Lifestyle Newsletter. If you subscribed (by entering your email in the box at the top left of this page), you will have already received it (I’d love to hear your feedback!).

If not, there’s still time! Enter your e-mail here (it’s really that simple!) and not only will you receive July’s edition, I’ll also send you the one you missed! Please feel free to forward it to your friends and family and encourage them to subscribe as well!

I think that’s everything!

Hope you’ve had a great week!

Tell me something fun (and fitness-related) that you’re planning for the weekend!

{18 Comments }

Snow day! Fitness, food and fiber at home!

January 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. The first day of snow this winter!

After a quick breakfast, the children bundled themselves up in last year’s snow gear (snow pants were a little short all round!) and headed outside for some fort building.

Given my unease at driving in the snow, my planned day of Hatha yoga, some deep discount shopping (60% off all fall styles!) at Vive and a mid-morning coffee stop at my favourite local caffeine joint got nixed for a yoga DVD,

some home-made black bean soup (see recipe below),

and getting re-acquainted with my knitting,

(pattern is Irish Coffee, yarn is Madelintosh Vintage in Briar; so lovely!).

Of course, there will be burpees later. I have to catch up on the ones I missed yesterday; given the snowfall warning, I decided to get downtown yesterday, rather than today. Had to exchange a pair of boots that I ordered online. Ended up coming home with these babies,

What are your favourite things to do on a ‘snow day’?

Do you exercise at home when you can’t get to the gym?

Veggie and Shrimp Black Bean Soup

  • 1 large zucchini
  • 2 peppers (I used one red, one yellow)
  • 1 large, yellow onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes (add more if you like things hot!)
  • 2 cups no-sodium vegetable stock
  • 1 can (28 ounces) diced, no-sodium tomatoes
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (12 ounces) corn kernels
  • 30-40 cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp (you could sub cooked turkey or chicken here or leave the protein out entirely)
  1. Warm 1 Tbsp EVOO in large stock pot.
  2. Add veggies and saute until soft.
  3. Stir in spices and cook 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes and black beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min.
  5. Puree mixture (as smooth or as chunky as you like). Add corn kernels and protein. Heat for 5-10 minutes and serve!
  6. Makes 6-8 servings, depending on how big a bowl you eat!

Great way to warm up after playing in the snow with your kids!

{Leave a Comment }

Salad days are over for another year; what to do?

December 16, 2011 by 8 Comments

Only 5 more days until it’s officially winter, but according to my kitchen garden, fall’s been over for a long time. The boxes and raised beds full of lettuces and other leafy greens have been cleaned out and covered up until next year.

From May to October, I bypass the grocery store’s salad fixings, preferring those from my own garden instead. Spinach, kale, swiss chard, peppers, radicchio, arugula, romaine and collard greens, to name a few. There’s nothing better than grabbing a fresh handful of greens when making a lunchtime salad or scramble.

Come November, I’m forced to purchase the less-than-appealing offerings of my local produce stand or give up salads entirely until spring. While some of it is edible, much more is wilted, tasteless and over-ripe, having sat too long in it’s cellophane bag before finally reaching my plate.

Without salads as an option, how’s a girl to get in her daily 6-10 servings of veggies?

My solution is to switch from raw veggies to roasted. Slow roasted and in large enough quantities to serve as lunch for several days in a row. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the vegetables and may even fool your sweet tooth into thinking it’s already had dessert!

Peppers and asparagus with chicken and olive oil pesto

What type of vegetables do I roast? Whatever type you prefer! I’ve tried potatoes (red/white/sweet), asparagus, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, pea pods, onions, ginger and garlic (of course!). Often times my ‘recipe’ is dictated by what needs to be eaten up soonest!

Sweet potato, mushroom, onion, ginger in coconut oil

All you need is

  • a large roasting pan (I use a glass, pyrex dish)
  • an oil or fat (canola, olive, sesame, coconut)
  • seasonings (sea salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, basil)
  • veggies

Wash, peel (if necessary) and cut veggies into bite size chunks (the smaller they are, the faster they’ll cook).

Toss prepared vegetables with chosen oil and seasonings.

Pour into pan and roast at 350 degrees F for about 45 min.

Serve hot or cold!

What’s your favorite vegetable?

Ever tried roasting it? Please share your recipe!

{8 Comments }

Thanksgiving leftovers? Make soup!

October 7, 2011 by 7 Comments

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving.

I know. We celebrate it early. But there’s something to be said about a harvest festival being timed to coincide with the harvest!

At my house, we celebrated Thanksgiving last weekend; my sister and her girls were in town to run the CIBC Run for the Cure and my husband will be in hospital over the actual holiday weekend, missing his favorite turkey dinner.

Although we did a pretty good job on our 16 pound bird, there was still enough for two ‘leftover’ meals and some turkey soup. Now I always make turkey soup after Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I don’t always write down the recipe, making it hard to re-create the occasional masterpiece that comes out of my kitchen.

This year, I decided to take some notes while I was cooking, on the off chance that this year’s soup would be a winner and something I’d like to make again. Turns out that it was and I will!

Here’s my 2011 Thanksgiving Turkey Soup recipe (makes 8 generous servings)

Ingredients:

  • diced leftover turkey (I used about 600 g; if you have more, feel free to use it; note that the calorie count and protein content per serving will go up)
  • 2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 3 leeks, white ends and some green, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 8 cups low sodium turkey stock (I made mine by boiling the turkey carcass for about 2 hours and running the liquid through a colander to remove any remaining skin and bones)
  • 2 Tbsp basil pesto (mine was home-made, you can used pre-made if you like)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot.
  2. Add leeks, mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened.
  3. Add stock, pesto and turkey. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 30 min.
  4. Add cooked rice. Heat thoroughly and serve. Very, very yummy!
Nutritional info (per serving); Calories, 227; Total Fat, 6 g; Sat. Fat, 1.7 g; Carbohydrates, 17.1 g; Fiber, 1.8 g; Sugar, 2.2 g; Protein, 6.4 g.

 

Today’s Friday (again!). That means it’s time for the weekly Friday Fitness Blog Hop. Click on the picture below and be amazed at where you end up!

Fitness Friday Blog Hop

{7 Comments }