Macaroni Casserole by Skinnytaste

Skinnytaste.com is an awesome site that has so many delicious recipes.  I have used it many times to do my menu planning for the next week.  Check it out!  You are sure to find so many things that you will love.

This is one of those meals that you can totally fool your family into thinking they are just having a rich and fulling casserole, but LOOK AT ALL THESE VEGGIES!!

This is also one of those meals that it is a good idea to make 2 and freeze one of them so you can just toss it in the oven when you are running around to basketball practice and gymnastics!  Easy peasy!  DONE!  Healthy meal on the table!

The recipe and directions can be found here.

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz can) petite diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups marinara sauce (I used my own homemade)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Kosher salt
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz uncooked whole wheat elbows

Nature Box

Have you heard of this??  I Love it!  Sometimes it is difficult to make healthy choices when you are hungry and it isn't time for a meal.  Nature Box sends you 5 healthy snacks every month.  You can choose which ones you want to try each time!  Then, you can order the ones you like the best!  If you have healthy snacks around you will be less tempted to eat ones that aren't the best for you!  Every little step in a healthy lifestyle counts!

Check it out at naturebox.com

Lighter Beef Stroganoff in the crock pot!

We have had some really chilly days these past few weeks and who doesn't love some comfort food?  Plus, you make it in the crock pot which makes it super easy.  I must add that it was torture smelling it all day long, though.  It smelled so good!  I made this beef stroganoff and we loved it!  It is lighter because we used egg white noodles you could also use brown rice noodles.

Click this link for the directions here.

Ingredients:

• 1 (1-pound) top round steak (1 inch thick), trimmed 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth 
• 1 (8-ounce) container low-fat sour cream 
• 2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 ounces uncooked)

Aisian Quinoa Salad

I found a really delicious new quinoa salad to make for my lunches.  I just LOVE all of the flavors in this salad.  I found it from two peas and their pod.  It is sooooo good.  I made it on Sunday and had it for lunch all week.  You could also add some shrimp to it and have it for dinner!

Click on the above link for the directions, but the yummy ingredient list is:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 cup shelled and cooked edamame
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced cucumber

For the dressing:
1/4 cup lite soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Mint Chocolate Protein Shake

I was wandering around the kitchen the other day wondering what to have for lunch (very dangerous) and nothing was sounding good.  I opened the freezer and saw some of my daughter's frozen junior mints and decided to figure out how to make a mint chocolate protein shake (that was a close one because the junior mints were almost my lunch).

**helpful hint**In my house, if there are bananas that are about time to throw away, I will peel and slice them and put one banana each in a ziplock bag and toss it in the freezer so I can add them to my shakes.

Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup almond milk
3 oz greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
A quick splash of peppermint extract ( a little goes a long way)
1 scoop of protein powder

Zap it all in your blender and you have a protein filled delicious lunch or breakfast!!!!