Healthy recipes (photos included)

Hello. Thought I'd might share a few healthy recipes in this section. Most are my own recipes, especially the dessert alternatives.

Chicken and Black Bean Stew


Ingredients:
-4 cups of chicken broth (5 if you like it more soupy)
-3 celery sticks (chopped)
-3 large carrots (chopped)
-2 boneless chicken breasts (chopped and uncooked)
-1/2 canned black beans (drained/rinsed) or about 1 cup of home cooked/boiled black beans
-1/2 large onion (chopped)
-3-4 garlic cloves (minced)
-parsley to taste (finely chopped) or parsley flakes
-salt to taste
-ground black pepper to taste
-tablespoon of oregano (optional)
-dash of italian seasoning (optional)

Instructions:
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a crock pot then slightly lower heat (medium high). First add the chopped uncooked chicken breasts so they will give the stew more flavor as they cook. Next add the chopped and minced vegetables and then stir. Lastly, add the seasonings and stir again very thoroughly. Turn the heat on low and cover crock pot with lid. Let cook for approximately 3 hours. Turn off heat and let sit for about 30-45 minutes. Tip: You can use chicken breasts with bones but if you do, don't chop because the meat will fall right off the bones after cooking anyways.



Oatmeal Berry Cookies (low-sugar)


Ingredients:
-1 cup flour (whole wheat flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour, whichever you prefer)
-1 cup oats
-3 tbsp brown sugar
-1 large egg
-1/2 tspn baking soda
-1/2 cup butter (soft but not melted)
-1/2 tspn vanilla extract
-1/3 tspn salt
-1/2 cup berries of choice
-2 tbsp honey (optional)

Instructions:
Pre-Heat oven to 350. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda in one bowl. Mix egg, vanilla extract, honey (if using), and butter in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Add the cranberries and mix again. The dough WILL be quite moist but this is what makes the oat cookies soft. Spray/grease a baking pan. Place a scoop of dough (1 tbsp) on the pan leaving 2 inches space between each scoop. Once the tray is filled, place in the oven for 12-15 minutes. When finished, take out and let cool. Cookies will be soft, not too sweet and not too bland. For sweeter cookies use chocolate chips instead of berries.



Chicken and pineapple stir-fry (healthier version)


Ingredients:
-1/2 white onion
-2-3 chicken breasts
-2 celery sticks
-1 cup chopped pineapple
-1 cup chopped mushrooms
-1/3 cup of peas
-1/3rd pack of whole wheat or brown rice noodles (depending if you eat gluten free)

Orange sauce ingredients (makes over a cup)
-2/3 cup honey
-3-4 tablespoons stevia
-3 tablespoons soy sauce
-5/8 cup (10 tablespoons) vinegar
-3 tablespoons water
-1 orange (zest of)

Directions:
Put noodles in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cut raw chicken breasts into chunks then lightly sautee in a pan. In another pan, mix and sautee the vegetables only. Then drain the noodles.To make the sauce, pour the vinegar in a small pot and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Add the honey, stevia, water, soy sauce, and orange zest while stirring frequently (to make sauce thick, add a bit of cornstarch). Turn heat off. Now lightly oil up your biggest saucepan (use olive or coconut oil), steam up the cooked noodles on high heat for a few minutes. Pour some sauce in while mixing the noodles. Turn down the heat to medium and toss in the sauteed chicken and vegetables. Finally, add the chopped pineapple. Continue to stir a few minutes while adding more sauce if you desire. Turn heat off.



Egg Muffins


Ingredients:
-1 large egg (yolk and white)
-2 egg whites
-pinch of shredded cheese (optional)
-1/4-1/3 cup of meat (optional)
-veggies (1/2-3/4 cup) optional

Instructions:
Beat the egg and whites in a bowl then spray/oil a muffin pan and fill each one out evenly (it should fill 3). Bake on 300 for 5-10 minutes. They will all rise while cooking. If you want to add cheese, meat, and/or veggies then add it to the mix before pouring. Mine had shredded cheddar cheese, turkey meat, and broccoli.



Mini Spinach Quiches (with and without crust)


Ingredients For Crust:
-1 cup whole wheat, almond flour, or brown rice flour
-1 large egg
-1/4th cup olive oil or coconut oil
-1/4th cup milk
-1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients For Filling:
-3 large eggs
-1 cup cooked spinach
-pinch of grated nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon white pepper
-shredded cheese (optional)

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Oil a regular size muffin pan and set aside. Mix the crust ingredients until it becomes a dough texture. Take the dough and press together then roll/flatten on a dry floured surface. Take dough chunks and press along the muffin pan cups, leaving a center gap for the filling. (The thinner the crust the more dough you will have left to use). For the filling, beat the eggs and mix the rest of the ingredients. Fill the dough cups. If you have extra filling you can make the rest crustless. Bake for 40-45 minutes then take out and let cool for 5-10 minutes.



Bran Brownie Cakes (dairy-free and egg-free)


Ingredients:
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1/2 cup stevia
-1-2 tablespoons honey
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup wheat bran
-2 tablespoons flaxseed
-6 tablespoons water

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together except for the flaxseed and water. In a separate bowl mix the flaxseed and water and let sit for 2-3 minutes until it forms an egg-like texture then add it to the rest of the mixed ingredients and stir well. This mix will be a bit thick as opposed to regular brownie mix. Wheat bran is not processed and has much more fiber. The same goes for flaxseed. Next, oil a muffin pan and fill each one at least half way (it should fill 6-8). Place in the oven and bake for at least 25 minutes or when a fork/toothpick comes out dry. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. A very healthy dessert alternative with LOTS of fiber.



Apple Cinnamon Muffins


Ingredients:
-2 cups whole wheat, brown rice, coconut, or almond flour
-1/2 cup stevia
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 large egg
-2 tablespoons butter (melted)
-1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
-2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
-1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Heat the butter in the microwave until it's melted. Set it aside at room temperature to cool but don't let it solidify again. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add the stevia, milk, applesauce, and vanilla to the eggs (and honey if you choose to use it). Grease a muffin pan (or use paper muffin liners). Pour the melted butter into the wet mixture and stir it in. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix. The batter should be lumpy and you may see pockets of dry flour which is ok. Pour the batter into the oiled muffin pan and bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove and let cool.



Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins


Ingredients:
-1 cup blueberries [you can use 1 1/2 cups if you really want to. I do because I'm a berry-holic lol]
-1/2 cup of stevia
-2 cups all purpose whole wheat or brown rice flour
-1 tablespoon of baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-1 cup of milk
-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
-1 large egg
-4 tablespoons of butter (melted)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Pour the blueberries in a cup and set aside. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Unwrap the butter and heat it in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl for about a minute, until it's melted (but not burnt). Set it aside at room temperature to cool but don't let it solid again again. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add the stevia, milk, and vanilla to the eggs. Grease and flour a muffin pan (or use paper muffin liners). Pour a tiny bit of the melted butter into the egg-vanilla-milk mixture and stir it in. Repeat a few more times, adding a slightly larger amount of the liquid butter each time until it is all mixed in. [DON'T add hot melted butter to the egg mixture]. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones along with the blueberries finally then mix no more than 10 seconds. The batter should be lumpy and you may see pockets of dry flour. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake immediately. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. If you use a mini muffin pan, bake for only 8-10 minutes (while checking).