Monday Motivational Meal - All American Meatloaf Recipe

Craving a Comfort Food dinner but also want it to be healthy? Try out this All American Meatloaf recipe, which includes Homemade Barbecue Sauce with Smashed Potatoes and Dilly Carrots served up on our Vivente dinner plate!

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Low Carb, Kid-Friendly Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of those classic comfort foods. When the weather is cooler or we just need a cozy meal to feed our soul, this is a classic go-to. 

The challenge is the recipe for Mac & Cheese is traditionally loaded with carbs and calories. My quest was to figure out how to offer a lower carb and lower calorie version of this classic that could qualify as diabetes-friendly, kid-friendly and gluten free. A tall order.

To be considered diabetes-friendly I wanted to have the overall carb count 45 grams or lower. This recipe came out at 44.25 grams.

To make it creamy and thick without adding flour I used butternut squash and Greek yogurt. Below is my new version of Macaroni and Cheese that met the necessary requirements AND the thumbs up from my family.

Luscious Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1 ¼ cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups nonfat milk
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ¼ cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 cup pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated, divided
• 16 ounces Banza® chickpea elbow pasta
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Cooking spray, olive oil flavor
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Put water on to boil for cooking the pasta.
2. Combine squash, broth, milk and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place the squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center cap in the blender lid to allow the steam to escape. Blend until smooth.
4. Place blended mixture in a bowl. Stir in the Gruyere, Romano and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan. Stir until combined.
5. Cook pasta according to the package directions omitting any salt or fat. Once cooked, drain well.
6. Add pasta to the squash mixture. Spread the mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle top with remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.
7. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Next turn on the broiler for 5 minutes to brown the top a nice golden color.
8. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Serves: 8     Serving size: 1⅓ cups     Calories: 406

Fat .14.44g     Sodium 754mg     Carbs 44.25g     Protein 30g

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Easy and Healthy Dessert--Baked Apple

The Goodness and Deliciousness of a Baked Apple (photo by LivligaHome)

The texture and sweetness of a baked apple can be just the thing you need when you are wanting an easy, comforting snack or dessert. The great thing about baked apples is that they are easy to make and they can keep well in the refrigerator for serveral days so you can enjoy this treat more than once and with no additional work involved other than heating it up, if you so desire.

Apples have many health benefits. Remember the phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" It is true. Apples are extremely rich in important antioxidants, flavanoids, and dietary fiber. Research indicates that the phytonutrients and antioxidants in apples help reduce the risk of developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. 

The trick is to avoid adding unnecessary calories when creating your baked apple. It is easy to pack in the calories by adding generous quantities of butter, brown sugar, and nuts, as well as other high calorie ingredients. I am always looking for ways to add flavor without breaking the bank on calories. Below is my updated healthy version for a baked apple.

Healthy Cinnamon Baked Apple

Ingredients~
1 medium apple, cored
2 teaspoons Splenda brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup white wine


Directions~
1. Wash and core the apple, leaving the bottom intact. 
2. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together then fill the well in the apple with the mixture.
3. Place the filled apple in a baking dish. If only baking 1 apple surround it with foil for stability and to make a well around the apple for the white wine. 
4. Pour white wine around the apple. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 

Multiply the ingredients by the number of baked apples you want to make. I often do 4 so my husband and I can enjoy them for dessert one night and then for a snack on another day.

Want to serve it to guests? Add a tablespoon of nonfat greek yogurt and sprinkle it with dried or chopped fresh mint for an additional 18 calories.

Serves 1. Serving size: 1 baked apple. Calories: 135.


Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

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Easy & Healthy Comfort Food Dinner--Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Stuffed Sweet Potato--Easy and Tasty (photo by LivligaHome)

Sometimes you just want something easy for dinner. It doesn't mean it has to be packed full of calories. And, of course, every meal can be tasty and visually appealing. One of my easy go-to-dinners is a stuffed sweet potato.  

Why a sweet potato? Sweet potatoes have an amazing amount of health benefits including being an excellent source of vitamin A (beta-carotene). They are also a very good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6. Additionally, they are a good source of potassium, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and phosphorus.

This recipe combines the sweet of the sweet potato with the savory of the feta and sun-dreid tomatoes. This makes the meal more satisfying and filling. You will feel sated and full at the end of this simple vegetarian meal. 

Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes (8-10 ounces each)
2 tablespoons black olives, chopped
2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and sliced 
2 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled
¼  cup parsley, chopped
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons olive oil
coarse sea salt and pepper, to taste


Directions

1. Wash and clean potatoes. Wrap them in foil and place them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Make sure to put a cookie sheet lined with foil on the rack below your potatoes to catch any of their drippings. Bake around an hour, until they give when you squeeze them in the middle.
2. While the potatoes are baking mix together all remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
3. When potatoes are done remove them from the oven and take them out of the foil. Place them each on a plate.
4. Cut the potato lengthwise then fill each potato with half of the mixture and serve.

Serves 2. Serving size 1 stuffed sweet potato. Calories: 242.


Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

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No Fuss Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna

No Fuss Crockpot Lasagna (photo by LivligaHome)

After the holidays I am "done" with complicated meals and all the cooking! And then the New Year rolls around and I am motivated to exercize more and eat right. How to make it all work? I turn to my crockpot. It is easy, no fuss, and by getting it done all at once it frees up more time for me to fit in my exercize.

A family favorite is a Cooking Light Slow Cooker recipe from a cookbook I have had for years. Goods news is I found it on myrecipes.com so I can easily share it with you. It is called Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms. It is packed full of good, healthy ingredients like fresh spinach and sliced mushrooms. It also has four cheeses in it-- mozarella, provolone, ricotta and parmesan. It is rich and delicious and only 398 calories per serving.

To make it a meal I added a tossed green salad with some fruit and my light vinaigrette (30 cal per 2 Tbs) and a whole wheat roll (110 cal/Alexia) for a total calorie count of 538. This is a great family meal but can also be a great weekend meal with friends. And since it is vegetarian you can serve it to a broad range of people. They will all love your for it!

Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

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Chai Tea is an Ancient Remedy and Great Reboot for Our Health

Chai Tea is an Ancient Remedy

Chai Tea is an ancient remedy and great reboot for our health. Something we particularly need around very stressful times, like the holidays. It is an ancient beverage dating back to 2737 BC. Chai is the generic term for “tea” in Hindi. Its tradition can be found both in China and India.

It has always been promoted as having both medicinal as well as spiritual healing powers. It is not only the black tea that is found to be beneficial because of its antioxidants but it is also the many spices used to create the unique flavor of chai tea that give a boost to our health. Some common spices used are cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, ginger and anise. In combination these spices boost our metabolism, wake up our immune system and generally promote our body’s well being.

Today when we talk about the health benefits of chai tea as those that reduce cancer risk (cinnamon and cardamom).  It prevents colds (ginger) and fights diabetes. It is known to boost our energy and our immune system. It reduces the effects of PMS and bloating. The list goes on.

Perhaps one of the best ways chai tea helps us is to allow us a quiet moment to regroup and reboot in the midst of a busy day. There is nothing better for our mental health than taking a moment for ourselves to enjoy a cup of chai, breath and reflect on what we enjoy. Five minutes is all it has to take. Longer can only be better.

Many of the store bought and pre-made chai teas can be packed full of calories from fat and sugar. The way around that is to make your own. Making it at home also allows you to spice the tea in a way you like best. You can easily make it in batches to enjoy for several days. That way it is not very time consuming. Because of the spices, the flavor only gets richer.

Here is a recipe for Chai Tea that is flavorful and lower in calories:

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups water
• 7 cardamom pods, crushed
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 white peppercorns
• 1 (½-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken
• 1 cup low-fat (1%) milk
• 1 tablespoon black tea leaves (such as Darjeeling or Assam)
• ⅛ cup honey

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
2. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Add milk and tea; simmer for 3 minutes (do not boil).
3. Strain through a fine sieve into a small bowl or pitcher; discard solids. Add honey to tea mixture, stirring until blended.
4. Pour into mugs and serve.

Yield 2 one-cup servings. Calories 143.

Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!

Re-posted from Sheila's Blog on TheEpochTimes.com.

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Savory Bread Pudding for a Vegetarian Supper

Savory Bread Pudding for a Vegetarian Supper (photo by LivligaHome)

My husband reminded me the other day that he loves bread pudding. It inspired me to roam around in my old cookbooks and favorite recipe sites to get inspired. For me a bread pudding is a dessert. Something yummy and gooey, usually with a caramel sauce. This would not be good for our healthy living goals.

I was amazed and pleased to find there are many different kinds of bread puddings. There are both savory and sweet versions. They can be used as a main meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They exist with or without meat.

My goal as we headed towards the big holiday was to find a vegetarian variety I could make for dinner (I am only preparing vegetarian dinners up until the holiday to help control the holiday bloat and girth growth). I found a bread pudding that used butternut squash in it from one of my Cooking Light cookbooks. Happily, I also found it online. It is called Butternut Squash and Parmesan Bread Pudding. The recipe serves 6. Calories per serving are 304.

It was delicious and surprisingly hardy. I served it with sauteed Kale (60 cal). Total calorie count for the meal was 364. It is easy to make. Cooking time is 45 minutes. This makes for a great savory supper on a cold night. I could also see serving it up for a brunch as an alternative to the typical sausage and egg casserole. The whole family liked it. No one did the usual complaining about having "only vegetarian" for dinner. A definite repeat.

Butternut Squash Bread Pudding served with Kale served up on Halsa! (photo by LivligaHome.com)

As an easy, one casserole supper you can't beat a bread pudding. Click here for more Savory Bread Pudding recipes.
 

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