If you missed my previous post, this is a camping dinner that is so easy to throw together (and it does not include processed meats- hooray!).
I would suggest cooking your pasta ahead of time and keeping it in a ziploc bag. Prep your ingredients ahead also for ease at camp! Let everyone build their own individual pasta packet with what they want in it. I made mine using the following ingredients but feel free to modify!
Grilled Pasta Packets
Serves 6
1 lb whole grain spaghetti, cooked slightly less than al dente per package instructions (subtract 1 minute from cooking time)
6 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped coarsely
4 oz fresh goat cheese
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
Preheat grill to medium heat (if you are using the previous Grilled Garlic App recipe, just reduce heat to low after you pull your garlic off of the grill).
Cut one dozen 8x12" pieces of aluminum foil. Layer foil so that you are using 2 per packet. In a bowl, toss together pasta, chopped tomato, basil, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Spoon one serving of pasta mixture (~1 1/4 cups) into the center of each packet. Squeeze lemon wedge over pasta before adding to packet. Spoon a few teaspoons of goat cheese into packet.
Bring long edges of foil together, then roll to secure. Roll edges of packet to form a closed space (do not squeeze out all air).
Reduce grill heat to low, then place packets on grill. Cook for 10-12 minutes, shaking packets halfway through cooking.
Remove from grill and serve immediately.
Nutrition Info per 1 packet as shown above: 224 calories, 11 g fat, 8 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 4.5 g fiber
Week of camping and not wanting hot dogs every night? Never fear, Italian food is here. These next two posts will be your guide.
Here is your app. Like roasted garlic, but on the grill! Spread the softened cloves onto slices of grilled bread. Yummo.
Grilled Garlic App
Serves 4
8 cloves of garlic, peeled and ends trimmed
Olive oil spray
1/4 tsp sea salt
Aluminum foil
8- 1/2" slices sourdough loaf
Preheat grill to high heat. Layer two 8x8" foil pieces. Place trimmed cloves onto foil and spray generously with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt.
Reduce grill heat to medium, then place foil packet on grill. Cook for ~8 minutes, shaking package halfway through cooking.
Spray both sides of bread lightly with olive oil. Place onto grill. Cook until grill marks appear on one side ~2 minutes. Flip and cook for additional two minutes.
Spread softened garlic onto slices of grilled bread.
Nutrition Info per 2 cloves and 2 slices bread: 163 calories, 2 g fat, 6 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber
Rhubarb is a fantastic fibrous vegetable that is often eaten like a fruit. It's tartness requires the addition of quite a bit of sugar in baking, or you can combine it with a sweeter fruit (more natural sugars) and use less sugar. Read on.
My grandmother used to combine pineapple and rhubarb into a pie. Weird combo? You have to try it. Grandma knew what she was doing. A crunch allows you to add (hide) lots of healthy nuts, seeds, and grains to make dessert a bit healthier.
Pineapple Rhubarb Crunch
Serves 6-8
20 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved
3 cups sliced rhubarb
2 tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped almonds
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
In a nonstick saucepan, combine reserved pineapple juice and white sugar. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, then whisk in cornstarch. Continue to cook until slightly thickened, ~5 minutes. Place rhubarb and pineapple tidbits into a bowl and pour warm liquid over. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine bran, oats, brown sugar, almonds and chia seeds. Pour in olive oil and melted butter and use a fork to mix until crumbs are formed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart glass baking dish. Press half of crumb mixture into bottom of the dish. Pour in pineapple rhubarb mixture. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top. Bake for ~40 minutes, until top begins to brown and filling is bubbling.
Serve warm with vanilla frozen yogurt or light whipped cream.
I realize that breakfast is all abound on my blog. But it IS the most important meal of the day. Forget your cinnamon roll and eat more fiber and healthy fats.
These pancakes, with oats, bran, walnuts and raisins, will fill you up so that you can make healthy decisions for the rest of the day. And they taste spectacular.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Serves 3 (Makes ~6, 6" pancakes)
1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat bran
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
3 Tbsp raisins
Drizzle
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sifted all-purpose flour
Place oats into a medium bowl and pour in almond milk. Whisk in flours, bran, baking powder, honey, egg and egg white. Fold in cinnamon, walnuts and raisins.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together drizzle ingredients.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Spoon one ~3/4 cup batter onto skillet. Use a spoon to drizzle cinnamon mixture over batter evenly (whatever design you like!), using ~1 Tbsp mixture. Cook until batter begins to bubble, then use a thin spatula to gently flip over pancake. Cook for ~3 minutes until cooked through.
Serve immediately!
Nutrition Info per 2 pancakes: 340 calories, 10 g fat (5 g monounsaturated, 4 g polyunsaturated), 14 g protein, 44 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber
Before I took off on this adventure into creating a human, I had always thought that I could and should be the ultimate healthy pregnant woman. I had the knowledge, I had the skills. I would eat load of fruits and vegetables, avoid sweets, caffeine, and anything remotely processed to give my little one the best start possible.
What could stop me?
Hormones, apparently. Now,\
it's not like I've been UNHEALTHY but I have certainly not been my ideal. In my first trimester, vegetables, especially cooked vegetables, sounded revolting. The smell of them cooking was even worse. I did not want to eat anything that I prepared myself, often leaving me to cook foods for the blog and my hubby, then have cereal instead. Odd? Um, yeah. What exactly is the purpose of that pregnancy mechanism? Avoiding foods that you put time and love into and know the exact composure of? It's unexplained but very real.
But I didn't have morning sickness. I'm thanking genetics for that one.
I know that I need a little bit more protein during pregnancy. After analyzing my diet for a few days I realized that I was not getting enough (must have been all that cereal). So, my mostly-vegetarian self tried to eat a bit more meat in my second trimester. And I have failed at that as well. Most days it grosses me out. But at least now I want to eat vegetables! If it wasn't for ultrasound confirmation I would be sure that this little one was without kidneys, or some other vital organ.
I also imagined that I would be the pregnant woman who ran through her entire pregnancy. Why not? I know people who have done it no problem. I can handle it. I'm strong. So I signed up for a half marathon that would occur right around my 6 month mark (this weekend) to keep me on track.
Bologna (hmmm, actually that sounds good right now).
My friends and I ran 10 miles two weeks ago (only a couple miles further than my typical) in preparation, and they kindly walked with me every now and then. Piece of cake. Uh huh. Until that evening when my pelvic ligaments decided to teach me a lesson. And now I'm flying to San Diego to walk this half marathon.
So what's a girl to do? What's my advice to you during pregnancy?
Listen to your body, take your prenatal vitamins, and hope for the best. And don't beat yourself up. Your babe will be fine.
My plan is to make up ground in the breastfeeding after party.
The baby girl in my belly craves these.
These meatless-wonders are modeled after a burrito that we frequently consume from a little coffee stand here in Bozeman (Four Corners, actually). My hubby even orders the vegetarian (or at least he does around me-- I tend to bring out the healthier side of him). The seasoning mixture in these burritos will leave you saying "Bacon who?".
Serve with a side of salsa, but it truly doesn't need it. Good for any meal of the day.
Ultimate Chipotle Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
Serves 3
3 large tortillas (I used a chipotle wheat tortilla)
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
4 eggs
7 egg whites
1/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
3 Tbsp chopped roasted red peppers, blotted dry
3 Tbsp corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, drained, rinsed and blotted dry
2/3 cup shredded park skim mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, egg whites, yogurt, salt, pepper, and chipotle powder until combined and fluffy.
Add egg mixture to onions. Sprinkle red peppers, corn, and black beans into egg mixture, distributing evenly. Scramble eggs, moving cooked edges into center of the skillet. When mixture is set but not entirely cooked, fold in shredded cheese. Continue to cook until cheese is melted, then fold in cilantro and remove from heat.
Warm tortillas in microwave by placing them in between two damp paper towels and cooking on medium for 30 seconds.
Place 1/3 of egg mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in edges, then roll tightly. Enjoy!
Nutrition Info per 1 burrito: 345 calories, 13 g fat, 30 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber
BBQ for dinner or pizza? Or both? I say both. Fire up the grill.
I used vegetarian canned baked beans for this recipe, but you can certainly make your own if you're ambitious. It will save you some excess sodium if you do! The slaw topping of this recipe is not to be omitted. It's simply fantastic.
The Best of BBQ Pizza with Arugula Slaw
Serves 4
4 -8" round naan, flatbread, or pitas
20 oz baked beans
4 oz shredded cooked chicken breast (omit if you want a vegetarian pizza)
1/3 cup barbecue sauce of your choice (omit if you omit chicken)
4 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion
Arugula Slaw
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup baby arugula leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
Dash fresh ground black pepper
Prepare slaw 1 hour prior to meal prep. Combine parsley, arugula and cabbage in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, celery salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
Preheat grill to medium heat. Spoon ~1/3 cup baked beans onto each "crust". Spoon barbecue sauce over chicken breast in a bowl and mix to coat. Evenly spread 1 oz chicken onto each crust. Sprinkle each pizza with red onion, then mozzarella cheese.
Place each pizza onto grill and cook for ~8-10 minutes until crust is crisp and cheese has melted (cooking times vary with different grills). Remove from grill, then top with ~1/2 cup arugula slaw prior to cutting and serving.
Nutrition Info per 1 pizza: 472 calories, 8.5 g fat, 27 g protein, 67 g carbohydrates, 13 g fiber
