Baked Ziti

I am so excited about this recipe! Not only is it Clean Eating and 21-Day Fix Approved, but you would have no idea its healthy- its tastes THAT good!

Yield: 6-8 servings

Fix portions (per serving):  1 yellow, 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue

Ingredients

• ½ box whole wheat penne or ziti
• 1 red container (about ¾ cup) part-skin ricotta cheese
• 1 jar “clean-eating” approved pasta sauce (I use Classico Tomato & Basil or you can make your own pasta sauce using this homemade recipe)
• ½ pound 93% lean ground turkey
• ½ cup shredded Italian cheese (I use Sargento or Kraft)
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp each garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, parsley, black pepper (This measurement is an estimate- I just eyeball the seasonings and adjust to taste. You can always start with 1 tsp and then add more to your personal taste.)

Directions

1. Cook noodles to al dente, according to package directions
2. Meanwhile, brown ground turkey. Sprinkle with seasonings
3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, pasta sauce, balsalmic, honey, seasonings, ground meat, and noodles. Stir until well mixed
4. Pour mixture into 13x9 pan
5. Spread shredded Italian cheese over top. Sprinkle with parsley.
6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

*Use a green container to scoop out your portion and enjoy

Southwest Turkey Burgers

I’ve said it before, and i will say it again, Rachael Ray is a genius. You can never go wrong with her recipes. She releases a new burger recipe every month and I’m always eager to see what she has come up with.

Of course, some don’t fit within the clean eating parameters, but with a little tweaking, you can make it healthier and equally as delicious.

Her southwest turkey burger recipe is pretty good as is, but i changed it up a bit to make it 21-day fix approved and it turned out phenomenal.

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Yield: Makes 2 burgers

Fix Portions (per burger): 1½ red, 2 yellow (1 yellow if you eat open-faced, or 0 yellow if you go bunless!), ½ green, 1 blue

Ingredients

• ½ pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 4 slices turkey bacon
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• ½ green container onion, finely chopped
• ½ green container red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• Small handful cilantro or parsley leaves (finely chopped, about 2-3 tbsp when chopped)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp tabasco or mexican hot sauce of choice (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp montreal steak seasoning (or to eliminate salt, combine ½ tsp each black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder)
• 2 slices pepper jack cheese
• 2 whole wheat hamburger buns
• Fresh lettuce and tomato slices (for topping)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, garlic, onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, cilantro/parsley, tabasco, and seasonings
2. Form 2 burger patties, pressing a thumb print in the center of each patty (it will rise when cooked, so this way you have a perfectly even patty. Set aside (burgers cook best when meat is at room temperature, so make you patties first and let them sit while you prep everything else)
3. In a cast iron skillet, cook turkey bacon. Remove once cooked through
4. Add a swirl of EVOO around the skillet, then add burger patties. Cook on both sides until cooked through (internal temp of 175)
5. While still in skillet, top burger patties: Layer turkey bacon, then top with cheese. Cover with foil until cheese melts
6. Remove from pan and add patties to bun. Top with lettuce and tomato, and spicy mustard, as desired.

BONUS TIPS

• Use poblano peppers instead of bell peppers (or a combination of the two) for an added kick
• I recently discovered a Habenero Pepper Jack cheese that was amazing with these, as a spicy substitute to the standard pepper jack.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Parents magazine posted an article on facebook the other day chronicling the debate over whether its ok to “hide vegetables” in foods for kids. You know, like kale in smoothies and spinach in brownies, and other creative mommy-tricks like that.

According to the article, many advocate that sneaking in veggies to favorite dishes is the best way to get picky eaters to have the nutrition they need. On the flip side, other so-called experts argue that hiding vegetables in food is a form of deception and breaks trust in a parent-child relationship.

Ok, so, I think the latter is quite extreme. Yes, its important for kids to know what vegetables look and taste like in their natural state. And we need to encourage kids to eat more vegetables to fuel their growing bodies and provide nutrition critical to healthy development. However, I personally don’t see any drawback to enhancing other foods by adding some vegetables to them, even if that means its not visible to the naked eye.

One of the ways I like to add more vegetables to me and my family’s diet is to incorporate them into spaghetti sauce. Why just have plain tomato sauce when you can pack so much more into it and achieve the same, delicious taste?

Here’s how I make spaghetti sauce in our home. SImply add to your favorite whole grain noodles and enjoy!

Spaghetti Sauce

Yield: Makes 4-6 servings

Fix Portions (per serving): 1 green, ½  red, 1 yellow (noodles)

Ingredients

• 1 green container onions, chopped extra-fine
• 1 green container celery, chopped extra-fine
• 1 green container carrots, chopped extra fine
• 3 garlic cloves, grated (or minced)
• 1 can san marzano tomoatoes, mashed (or jarred tomato sauce of your choice- read the labels, remember to eating clean is the goal, so look for one without lots of preservatives and oil)
• 1lb ground turkey, 93% lean
• ¼ cup red wine (optional)
• Handful of fresh italian parsley and basil, chopped
• About 1 tbsp each italian seasoning, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder
• About 1 tsp each black pepper, roasted red pepper flakes, paprika

Directions

1. In a saute pan, brown ground turkey, remove from pan
2. In the same pan, add a drizzle of EVOO and saute celery, onions, carrots, and garlic
3. Once vegetables are tender, add the ground turkey back to the pan.
4. Delgaze the pan with the wine and allow the wine to reduce for 1-2 minutes
5. Stir in san marzano tomatoes or prepared tomato sauce. Add herbs and seasonings
6. Add 1 green container's worth to your favorite whole wheat pasta (1 yellow container) and enjoy!

Tip

• Store extra sauce in a freezer ziploc- be sure to label and date it- stays good in freezer for 3 months!

Bacon Cheeseburgers

Its an American classic- bacon cheeseburgers. a survey in 2013 revealed that Americans eat nearly 50 billion burgers per year! So we all love burgers, but not all burgers love us or our waistlines.

Fortunately, there is a way to consume this culinary delight without the calories and fat.

Here is my recipe for your classic bacon cheeseburger, with a healthy twist!

Yield: 2 burgers

Fix Portions: 1½ red, 1/2 blue, 1 yellow (if served open-faced; 2 yellow if using both sides of the bun, 0 if you go bunless), 2 green

Ingredients

• ½ pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 4 slices turkey bacon
• 2 whole wheat or 100% whole grain hamburger buns (optional)
• 2 slices swiss or sharp cheddar cheese (reduced fat if available)
• 1 green container each onions and mushrooms (about 1 cup each when chopped)
• ¼ onion grated
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 2 large pieces of green leaf or romaine lettuce
• 2 tbsp Djion mustard
• 1 tbsp montreal steak seasoning (or to eliminate salt, combine 1 tsp each black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder)
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey and seasoning. Grate ¼ onion into the ground meat (I use a cheese grater). Mix to combine.
2. Form 2 burger patties, pressing a thumb print in the center of each patty (it will rise when cooked, so this way you have a perfectly even patty. Set aside (burgers cook best when meat is at room temperature, so make you patties first and let them sit while you prep everything else)
3. In a cast iron skillet, cook turkey bacon. Remove once cooked through
4. In the same skillet, saute onions and mushrooms (you may need to add a little olive oil. Do not add salt- salt prevents the mushrooms from browning). Season with thyme, garlic powder, and black pepper. Once mushrooms are browned and onions are tender, remove from skillet and set aside
5. Add a swirl of EVOO around the skillet, then add burger patties. Cook on both sides until cooked through (internal temp of 175)
6. While still in skillet, top burger patties: Layer turkey bacon, then mushrooms/onions, then cheese. Cover with foil until cheese melts
7. Remove from pan and add patties to bun. Top with lettuce, tomato, and mustard

Bonus Suggestions/Modifications

• Serve alongside roasted butternut squash or homemade sweet potato fries
• You can also cook these on the grill, but in my experience, the turkey burgers hold their form better and stay juicier when cooked on a skillet
• You can also make this exact same recipe with a chicken breast to mix it up a bit!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I've probably tried a dozen recipes for stuffed peppers and just couldn't find the right one- some are so watery, some lack flavor, and some are stuffed with filler, unhealthy ingredients.

I was about to give up on my perpetual pursuit to pin down the perfect pepper recipe (try saying that 5 times fast, lol) and then I got a great deal on multi-colored bell peppers at the grocery store, so I decided to give it one more shot. Josh was less than thrilled that I was attempting yet another stuffed pepper recipe, so we agreed, if this one doesn't work, we can throw in the towel on this meal.

So for this last and final go-round, I decided to combine the pros from all the recipes I've tried up to this point, and of course, make sure its fix-approved. And the results turned out great- try it for yourself!

Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 4 peppers

Fix Portions (per pepper): 2 green, 1 red, ½ yellow, ½ blue

Ingredients

• 4 bell peppers (color of your choice)
• ½ pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 green container (about 1 cup) onions, chopped
• 2 yellow containers (about 1 cup) cooked brown rice
• 2 blue containers shredded cheddar cheese (I like Kraft triple cheddar)
• 1 tbsp each ground cumin, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp tabasco (more or less to taste)
• ½ tsp salt (optional)

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions
2. In a skillet with a little EVOO, saute onion and garlic until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In same skillet, brown ground turkey
4. Meanwhile, chop the tops off bell peppers. Heat a large pot of water to boiling.
5. Boil peppers for 3 minutes and remove. Drain on paper towels
6. Open can of tomatoes and separate the tomatoes from the juice/sauce its in- but save the juice and spread it in the bottom of a small pyrex baking dish.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, sauteed onions/garlic, 1 blue container cheese, 2 yellow containers rice, diced tomatoes, tabasco, and seasoning. Mix well.
8. Fill each pepper with mixture. Top with remaining 1 blue container cheese and sprinkle paprika on top
9. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes

Greek Wraps & Tortellini Salad

Its all Greek to me!

It hit me the other day when I was putting multiple containers of feta cheese in my shopping cart that I apparently really like greek-inspired meals. I not only have feta cheese in my egg whites every morning, but since I discovered this recipe for greek dressing that’s 21-day fix approved, I have been thinking of ways to integrate that dressing into more meals (seriously folks, I could drink this dressing…but I won’t of course, because I’m limited to 1 orange container per day)…

Anyways, I’m going to share with you the recipe for the best greek dressing in the world PLUS two of my favorite dishes that incorporate it.

World’s Best Greek Dressing

Fix Portions: Use 1 orange container at a time

Ingredients

·         1 cup EVOO

·         1 cup red wine vinegar

·         2 tbsp Dijon mustard

·         1 tbsp garlic powder

·         1 tbsp onion powder

·         1 tbsp dried oregano

·         2 tsp dried basil

·         2 tsp pepper

Directions

1.      Combine all in food processor and blend til combined (you can also just whisk it in a bowl, but I prefer the way the food processor blends everything)

2.      Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use 1 orange container serving at a time

Greek Wraps

Fix Portions: 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 red, 1 orange, ½ blue

Ingredients

·         1 WW tortilla (or pita)

·         1 green container (about 1 cup) vegetable tabbouleh:

o       1 tomato

o       ½ zucchini

o       ½ cucumber

o       ½ onion

o       ¼ red bell pepper

o       2 cloves garlic

o       ¾ cup fresh parsley

o       Juice of 1 lime

o       Dash of black pepper

**Combine all in food processor and chop til it looks almost like a relish

·         1 red container cooked, chicken breast (diced or shredded). You can also use 6 slices of low sodium deli turkey

·         ½ blue container reduced-fat feta cheese

·         1 orange container world’s best greek dressing

Directions

1.      Spread dressing onto tortilla/wrap/pita

2.      Layer meat, then tabbouleh, then feta

3.      Roll up and enjoy!

Greek Tortellini Salad

Makes 4 servings

Fix Portions per serving: 1 yellow, 1 green, 1 orange, 1 blue

Ingredients

·         1 package refrigerated whole wheat cheese tortellini

·         2 tomatoes, chopped

·         ½ cucumber, chopped

·         ½ onion, chopped

·         1 garlic clove, finely chopped

·         2 orange containers kalamata olives (about 2 spoonfuls)

·         2 orange containers world’s best greek dressing

·         1 blue container reduced fat feta cheese

Directions

1.      Cook tortellini according to package directions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water

2.      Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

3.      Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving