Whole Grain Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Goat’s Cheese

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
6 oz whole grain pasta (spaghetti, soba, etc.)
16 sun-dried tomato halves (not packed in oil)
1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves
4 tsp pine nuts
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
2 oz goat’s cheese, crumbled

Instructions:
Place the sun-dried tomato halves in a dish with warm water, cover, and allow to soften (about ¼ hr). Drain and chop roughly.

In the meantime, puree the basil leaves, pine nuts, oil and garlic in a blender and season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large serving dish. Add the pesto, chopped tomatoes and goat’s cheese and toss gently.

Serve immediately!

This sounds so good!  I would probably use Soba noodles instead of spaghetti if I were to make it.

 

Blueberry Green Smoothie

1 c frozen blueberries
2 handfuls of spinach
1 scoop protein powder
1 c water (cold)
2 tbsp Chia seeds
Ice

This is probably one of my favorite healthy smoothie recipes yet. I forgot to add ice so I had to let it sit in fridge for a bit and while in there it thickened because of the addition of Chia seeds (they expand in liquid). So what does one do when it’s too thick to drink?  Pour it in a bowl and eat it up with a spoon.  Adding a bit of granola on top makes a nice touch. Yum!

Last week, I made up a mixed berry green smoothie. It was delicious but not as good as today’s blueberry green smoothie in a bowl.  I’ll share the recipe below.

But on another topic, I really need a new medium size smoothie maker/blender.  I have the Magic Bullet which is my all time favorite BUT it’s small and real hard to put all the green smoothie ingredients in it.  My mom gave me her full size Magic Bullet, the Bullet Express so I’ll try that next. My current smoothie maker is on it’s last leg. Might go out with the trash tomorrow.

So here are the ingredients for the mixed berry green smoothie from last week.

Mixed Berry Green Smoothie

1 c Berry Medley
1 c Naked Mango Coconut Water
2 handfuls spinach
1 banana
Splash of vanilla
A little squirt of agave nectar

I did not add protein powder to this one.

The smoothie was tasty but not pretty ha ha

Enjoy!

 

I absolutely love sweet potatoes and black beans.  I usually just put black beans on a sweet potato and eat it up but this sounds a lot tastier.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 15oz can black beans, rinsed
• 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prick sweet potatoes with fork a few times.  Then bake in the oven for about one hour, or until tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

In the meantime, place beans, tomatoes, olive oil, spices (cumin and coriander) in a saucepan. Season with salt and cook until heated through.

Cut each potato lengthwise and press open to make a well. Spoon the bean mixture on top in the center of the sweet potatoes, add a bit of sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and sprinkle with cilantro.

Perfect healthy lunch for a cold day.

 

If you haven’t heard of the paleo diet, you can read the What is the Paleo diet? post I wrote for Angie last week where I explain what the paleo diet is in more detail. But today I wanted to share what a typical day might look like on the paleo diet.

Why?

Because people who have never heard of the paleo diet always wonder exactly what you might eat when you can’t eat all those non paleo diet foods. So to make it easy I thought I’d just include some pictures of what a typical day of paleo meals might look like on my plate.

Breakfast- A bountiful serve of bacon, scrambled eggs and freshly cooked salsa

Snack – Nuts, seeds and a few raisins

Lunch – Spicy chicken served over a bed of lettuce and topped with avocado and a drizzle of olive oil

Dinner – A delicious plate of spaghetti bolognaise – without the spaghetti because that’s not paleo friendly. Instead this bolognaise is served on a bed of tasty sautéed cabbage noodles.

You can get the recipe for this paleo meal right here on Angie’s blog.

And of course don’t forget to keep healthy snacks handy. This is essential to any weight loss success!

Snacks I keep handy at work.

Some tinned salmon and tuna, apples or fruit, and a bag of nuts.

As you can see from the above day of eating, the paleo diet and lifestyle is far from boring. Anyway I hope that gives you a good idea on what the paleo diet is all about.

If you want more info about it you can visit my paleo diet blog and if you sign up for my newsletter you will receive a free paleo diet food list and a snack ideas list too. This will give you lots of ideas for healthy snack ideas no matter what diet you’re on!

 

We look forward to having her guest post here often.  Please do welcome her to Losing It and Loving It.  We hope you enjoy her recipe!

Bolognaise with Cabbage Noodles

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef mince
• 1 large onion – roughly diced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 medium carrots – grated
• 2 x 400g tins of diced tomatoes
• 250g-tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• 1-cup water

Cabbage Noodles

• 4 cups finely shredded cabbage
• 1-teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of tamari (wheat free soy sauce) – you can also use ordinary soy sauce
• Water

Cooking Method

1. Heat olive oil in pan
2. Add onion and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned
3. Add the mince and brown the mince for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to break mince up and stop from sticking to pan
4. Add grated carrots and herbs and stir to combine well, cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until most of the mince is lightly browned
5. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, and ½ cup of water and stir well to combine
6. Then reduce heat to very low and simmer for 20 minutes stirring on the odd occasion
7. Add the extra ½ cup of water, stir and let simmer for a further 20 minutes. Again make sure you stir it occasionally
8. When your sauce is almost ready cook the cabbage noodles for serving
9. Add the 1-teaspoon of olive oil into a fry pan and heat the pan
10. Add the cabbage into the pan and begin to sauté the cabbage letting it brown so it gets a tasty flavour.
11. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly and then add the tamari/soy sauce over the top and stir in. It will steam up and the pan will dry out but continue to sauté it like this for a few minutes so it absorbs the smoky, dry flavour.
12. After a few minutes add a small amount of water to the pan, turn down the heat and let the cabbage noodles simmer slowly until cooked to your desire. You can cook them more if you want them soft or if you like to eat them a bit crispier just cook them less.
13. Serve the noodles on a plate and top with the bolognaise sauce.

BON APPETIT!

Note: The sauce will keep in the fridge for a few days and you can also freeze it for later.

This recipe is a family favorite at Jedha’s house. You can find more healthy weight loss recipes over at Jedha’s Paleo Diet Blog.

 

Winter is rolling in and this sounds like the perfect meal for a cold day.

Crockpot Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

6 cups vegetable stock
1 ½ cups green lentils, washed and sorted
4 cups kale, finely chopped
5 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can tomato paste
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
Handful of cheese, grated
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a crockpot, give it a good stir and cook for about 8 hours (temperature depends on your specific crockpot).

Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with healthy bread.

Enjoy!

 

Five Superfood Smoothies That Boost Your Health

What is a “superfood”?

Legally, there is no definition. But the generally accepted definition of a superfood is a food with a high phytonutrient content that contains healthy ingredients in higher than normal quantities. Most are high in antioxidants, vitamins, dietary fiber, and anthocyanins.

Superfood Smoothie #1: Blueberry

Blueberries are high in antioxidants, phytoflavinoids, potassium and vitamin C. They help fight heart disease and cancer, and are an anti-inflammatory. Blueberries are one of the most commonly used fruits in smoothie recipes.

My Blue Heaven Smoothie

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
7 oz vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup ice

Place everything except ice into a blender and pulse a few times until blended. Add ice, cover, and blend on high until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Superfood Smoothie #2: Broccoli

Broccoli supplies healthy portions of calcium, fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Broccoli has many cancer-fighting properties, and is especially beneficial in helping to prevent bowel cancers. The strong taste of broccoli can be sweetened with the addition of fresh fruits.

Broccoberry Fruit Smoothie

1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup steamed broccoli
1 cup 100% cranberry juice
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
4 ice cubes

Place everything but ice cubes into a blender and blend until well mixed. Add ice cubes and blend on high until smooth. You can add honey or any other sweetener if desired.

Superfood Smoothie #3: Oranges

Moroccan Orange & Dried Apricot Smoothie

Oranges are rich in vitamin C, folate, thiamine and potassium. By keeping the pulp in, you’ll add important fiber. The apricots in this smoothie add plenty of vitamin A.

3 cup orange juice with pulp
8 oz dried apricots
3 Tbsp sugar

Soften the dried apricots by soaking them in the orange juice for 2 hours, or by soaking them in boiled (not boiling) water for 5-10 minutes. If you used the boiled water method, drain them and allow them to cool.

Place all the ingredients into a blender with some ice, and blend until smooth.

Superfood Smoothie #4: Green Tea

Green tea is one of the finest superfoods on the market. It is simple to prepare, tasty to drink, and full of healthy components. The antioxidant in green tea, called catechins, tie up free radicals that can contribute to bloods clots, cancers and atherosclerosis.

The way that green tea is made allows for a high concentration of these catechins, especially ECGC, to be provided in the drink. Although human studies haven’t yet proven it, lab studies have shown that ECGC has proven successful in shrinking prostate cancer tumors in mice.

Green Tea Smoothie

1 banana, in 1-inch chunks, frozen
1/2 honeydew melon, cubed
2 green tea bags
1/4 cup soy milk

Prepare the green tea by steeping the tea bags in 6 ounces of water for 10 minutes. Let the tea cool, then chill in the refrigerator. To finish, blend all the ingredients in a blender, adding honey or the sweetener of your choice.

Superfood Smoothie #5: Spinach

Spinach is jammed full of healthy goodies, such as vitamins A, C, E and K. In addition to antioxidants, spinach provides plenty of iron and calcium.

Banana Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

2 cup Baby spinach
2 Ripe bananas, frozen
1/2 c. Blueberries
1/4 c. water

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Robert White is a guest blogger who operates SmoothieRecipe.TV, a website dedicated to making and enjoying smoothies.

Thank you Bob for sharing some of your favorite superfood smoothie recipes. The Broccoberry one sounds intriguing.

Question to you all:  Which one will you try first?

 

This blueberry smoothie was so delicious, thick and creamy!  The perfect lunch.

Angie’s Thick and Creamy Blueberry Smoothie Recipe

• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp Chia seeds
• ice

Blend and enjoy!

 

I made a yummy and refreshing smoothie last week so I had to share with you all how to make a strawberry banana smoothie.  It didn’t have too many ingredients and it was quick and easy to make.  I used the Magic Bullet blender/mixer which made clean up a breeze.  This is probably one of my all time favorite products!  This is my 2nd one (thanks mom and dad) and I had the 1st one for a VERY long time.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Recipe

• 4-6 strawberries (sliced)
• 1 banana (sliced into small pieces)
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup Almond milk (not pictured)
• 6 ice cubes (not pictured)
• 1+ tbsp Greek Yogurt

Mix all ingredients in the blender.  I usually mix it up, then take it off the bullet to shake it up and mix again.  I sometimes do this process a few times so all the ice cubes are crushed and I have a nice smooth drink.  So good.

Enjoy!

 

This morning I had a homemade fruit smoothie that was pretty tasty!  It was more of a green smoothie though.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 banana
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 2 packed cups spinach
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp peanut/almond butter
• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
• ice
• small squirt of Agave sweetener

Throw it all together and blend well!  The end color of this smoothie was not the prettiest (mine never are ha ha) but it turned out nicely.

If I had to do this smoothie over, I would grind up the Chia seeds or leave them out.  They do tend to get stuck in your teeth!

Do you have a favorite homemade fruit smoothie?