Turkey Stuffed Manicotti and Wild Blueberry Scones

Turkey Stuffed Manicotti and Wild Blueberry Scones

Here is a much healthier version of stuffed manicotti from what you will find in a typical Italian restaurant.
Ingredients:
1 package of manicotti shells
16oz. of oregano, garlic, and basil tomato sauce
99% fat free, ground turkey
Thyme
Tarragon
Oregano
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Skim mozzarella cheese
Olive Oil
Cooking Spray
Large onion
Garlic
Egg

While the manicotti shells are boiling (it only takes about 7 minutes), brown the turkey. Add the chopped onion and garlic once the turkey is brown. Let manicotti drain and cool. Add tomato sauce and seasonings to the turkey. Let cook together for a bit. Then, let the turkey-sauce mixture cool a little so that it is easier to handle. Spray your baking dish with cooking spray, then mix the cheese with an egg. Sprinkle the bottom of pan with the cheese mixture. Now, stuff the manicotti with the turkey mixture. Lay the manicotti in the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes (or until bubbly). Healthy and filling!

Blueberry Scones!
We love healthy scones around here. Since I was short on time, I didn't make these from scratch. There is a good, all natural product from "Sticky Fingers Bakeries". It's the Wild Blueberry Scones, and it is all natural. Additionally, the scones have no saturated fat and no cholesterol. The only downfalls are the lack of fiber and the amount of sugar...but 6g of sugar isn't bad at all for a desert-type food :). These scones are so easy to make, it's almost ridiculous. You literally dump the mixture into a bowl, add water, mix, throw it on a flour-prepared baking sheet, mold into a wheel, cut into 8 wedges, and bake at 375 for 18 minutes. Voila! Yummy dessert...or breakfast for the next day.

Vegetable Wonton Soup

I made this soup for a quick, healthy lunch back in June.

All you need is low-sodium vegetable broth, Annie Chun's frozen mini-wontons (I used the chicken, garlic flavor in this soup), and vegetables for sauteing.

To do:
Heat the vegetable broth while cutting the vegetables.
I used: zucchini, yellow squash, baby portabella mushrooms, purple onion, and garlic. Saute in olive oil for just a minute or two. You want to avoid the veggies becoming soft, because they will continue to cook once put into the broth.
After adding the veggies and several large handfuls of fresh spinach, add the mini-wontons. Cook for just a few minutes and serve.
Super easy!

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Sometimes the middle of the week meals require short cuts in meal prep after a jam-packed day. I used an Alexia brand all natural, frozen side to help me out: Oven red potatoes with green beans and carrots. www.alexiafoods.com

Onto the chicken: boneless, skinless chicken breasts were drizzled with olive oil and then coated with Mrs. Dash brand lemon pepper seasoning. All the flavor, without all the sodium....giving you a happy cardiovascular system and a satisfied tummy. Just pop the chicken in the oven until cooked through.

The salad consisted of organic baby spinach leaves tossed in olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper, along with walnuts and dried cranberries.

Strawberry, almond, chocolate shake.

I don't have a picture of this protein shake, because I just threw some stuff together and then poured it into an insulated coffee cup. Wasn't really expecting greatness, but it is so YUMMM that I need to share.
I recommend this before a weight-lifting workout due to the honey.

**ingredients**
scoop of strawberry protein powder
light soy milk
organic baking cocoa
local honey (this will help you with the pollen)
creamy and roasted, no salt added almond butter
******
Blend and enjoy!

Burger Night!

This turkey burger is loaded with toppings. Let's talk about how to prepare it...

What you need:

99% fat free ground turkey

fat free feta cheese

oregano

ground pepper

sprouted grain burger buns

garlic

purple onions

spinach

tomato

olive oil

To do:

liberally coat pan with olive oil and add sliced onion and minced garlic. saute

roast red peppers in oven with oregano and olive oil splashed on top

after making a ball-shape with each turkey burger, make an opening and place a piece of feta cheese in the burger. re-roll, add oregano and pepper, then grill.

toast hamburger buns, then stack the toppings on the burger as you please.

The side dish is simply steamed broccoli and the roasted red peppers, mixed together. Roasted asparagus would also make a great side dish in place of the broccoli and peppers.

For dessert:

Try a juicy Minneola. So good!

Spaghetti Squash Bake

I made my special someone his favorite dish recently: spaghetti squash bake. This is an extremely healthy alternative to using pasta for a spaghetti meal. Once spaghetti squash is cooked, it can be easily taken out of the shell with a fork. The flesh has the appearance of spaghetti noodles. Apparently, I was so excited about dinner that I forgot to snap the pic before the damage was done to the dish. This is my own little creation, so I hope you try it for yourself.

What you need:

spaghetti squash: cooked and flesh removed

99% fat free ground turkey: browned

almond cheese: yes you can make "cheese" from almonds. buy the mozzarella style

garlic cloves

rosemary

garlic and oregano pasta sauce

fresh ground black pepper

To do:

Saute the minced garlic, then add browned turkey, spices and sauce. Let simmer for a bit.

Grate the cheese (not grated in picture, because the kitchen I was using didn't have a grater).

...Now, layer everything. Put down a layer of squash, then sauce mixture, then cheese. You should have about 3 layers, depending on the size of your baking dish. Cook in the oven until bubbling.

Salad:

This is simply: red cabbage, red leaf lettuce, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil tossed together, then chilled.

Bread:

There is a lovely little bakery in Abingdon, VA: Wildflour Bakery & Cafe. I bought their "War" bread, which is multigrain. I simply tore it into little dipping pieces for the dipping sauce I made.

Dipping sauce:

olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper.

Truly one of my favorite meals.

Lemon fish Cod

This meal is packed with Quercetin-rich foods. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant that is undergoing rigorous research currently. It may help increase exercise endurance and speed muscle recovery. One theory is that quercetin increases the oxygen capacity of the muscle by increasing the number of mitochondria. Another theory is that it may prevent fatigue by way of the central nervous system. Quercetin contains anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce postworkout muscle soreness. I say, bring on the capers! They contain the highest amount of this antioxidant per serving. Other foods in this recipe that contain this little powerhouse are red onions and tomatoes.

What you need:

olive oil

Cod fillets

black pepper

paprika

red onions

mushrooms

clam broth
lemon juice

lemon rind

capers (rinse them like crazy...they contain an astonishing amount of sodium, even after drained)

What to do:

saute the fish in the olive oil with the spices, then remove from pan

saute the remaining ingredients, adding the capers and lemon at the end

pour sauce over fish and voila. Enjoy!

To add to this meal, you can steam asparagus with: tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and pepper.

For my endurance athlete friends: I suggest adding sprouted grain pasta with sundried tomato pesto sauce as a side dish.