And another...YUM YUM YUM!!!

Zucchini Fries!

These are a tasty alternative to regular fries and zucchini are chock full of vitamin C. Make sure to use small zucchinis - they tend to hold their shape better when you cook them.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

4 small zucchinis, cut into 3 x 3/4 in. fries

1/4 tsp. sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. extra virgin oilve oil

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat lightly with olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine zucchini, salt, pepper and oil. Toss to coat thoroughly.

Arrange zucchini on prepared baking sheet in a single layer and roast, tossing once halfway through cooking, for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional information(per 1 cup serving): Calories: 60, Fat: 4 g., Carbs: 4 g., Protein: 2 g.

More Recipies!

You'll never go back to regular fries after eating these. So yummy!!

Sweet Potato Fries!!!

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Handful of fresh rosemary

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. sweet potatoes

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet lightly wirth olive oil. Spread rosemary evenly on baking sheet. Mix together all  ingredients except for sweet potatoes in a small bowl.

Thoroughly scrub sweet potatoes and pat dry. Slice off ends of potatoes and slice into fries. Place potatoes on top of rosemary. Sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake 20 minutes.

Stir fries and return to oven for 25 minutes or until golden. Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information: Calories: 44, Protein: 1 g., Carbs: 13 g., Fat: 0 g.

BEAT BLOAT!!!!

Want to BEAT BLOAT?  try these 5 easy tips!

1. Watch your carbs!  Many are high in one of five hard-to-digest sugars: lactose, fructose, fructans, sugar alcohols, and galactans.

2. If dairy makes you bloated, you may have developed lactose intolerance. Try lower-lactose foods (like hard cheese or yogurt) or lactose-free dairy products, or take a lactase enzyme.

3. Pick your fruit carefully - Berries, grapes, and citrus contain a near-equal ratio of the sugars fructose and glucose, making them easier to digest than fruits with more fructose, such as honeydew, apples, and pears.

4. Limit galactan-rich legumes (soy nuts, chickpeas, lentils, and all beans), cabbage, and brussels sprouts if they're causing you trouble. Soaking dried beans overnight or taking the OTC enzyme Beano may help.

5. Flush your body - lots and lots of water!!!!

A Healthier Choice...

So I have been trying to follow (and doing a prettya darn good job) my friend Amy with her Clean Eats.  I am a fish person so I eat a lot of fish.  However, I was browsing online yesterday and found some "Clean Eats" that looked and sounded rather good.

Deep Dish Pizza 

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) extra lean turkey sausage

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 ½ c. mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. corn meal

1 (1 lb.) whole wheat pizza dough

6 oz. low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 c. tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut a slit along the length of the sausage and discard casing. Place sausage into bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer mixture into a bowl.

Return pan to burner over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 4 minutes. Place sausage onto a paper towel lined plate. Brush inside of a 12 inch deep dish pizza pan with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out dough to 14 inches in diameter. Place dough into pan and press to sides and bottom of pan gently, stretching dough 1 ½ inches up the side of the pan.

Sprinkle half the mozzarella over bottom of crust. Evenly layer sausage, then sautéed vegetables onto crust. Pour tomato sauce evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Place pan in oven and bake for 20 -25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into 12 wedges. Sprinkle each slice with ¼ tsp. oregano and serve immediately. Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 186, Fat: 9 g., Carbs: 17 g., Protein: 10 g.

Deconstructed Lasagna

Ingredients:

·        1 lb extra-lean ground beef

·         1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, diced

·         2 cups eggplant, unpeeled and cubed

·         1/4 cup carrots, peeled and diced

·         1 cup no-salted-added tomato sauce, divided

·         1/2 tsp dried oregano

·         1/4 tsp ground black pepper

·         1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

·         1 1/2 cups whole-wheat fusilli pasta

·         1 cup whole-wheat elbow macaroni

·         1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

·         1/2 cup tomato, diced

·         10 fresh basil leaves, torn

·         1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

·         1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded

·         Additional basil leaves, as garnish

Instructions:

1.    In a large skillet over medium-high, sauté beef, onion, garlic, eggplant and carrots until meat is cooked thoroughly, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup sauce, oregano and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Then uncover and stir in spinach until just beginning to wilt.

2.    Meanwhile, cook fusilli according to package directions in a medium pot. Drain and set aside in a bowl. Next, cook macaroni according to package directions using the same medium pot. Drain and add to fusilli.

3.    In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, tomato, basil and oil.

4.    In a large bowl, add beef mixture, both pastas, remaining ½ cup sauce and mozzarella, stirring until well combined. Then stir in ricotta mixture, until all contents are combined. Serve, garnished with additional basil leaves.

Nutrients per 1 1/2 cup-serving: Calories: 420, Total Fat: 8 g, Sat. Fat: 3 g, Carbs: 57 g, Fiber: 9 g, Sugars: 7 g, Protein: 33 g, Sodium: 190 mg, Cholesterol: 50 mg

Try these two recipies and let me know your thoughts.  I am going to make both of these this weekend.  Remember "CLEAN" is foods that are not processed and don't contain ingredients that you can't pronounce.  Join me as I am joining Amy in the (her) Clean Eat Challenge!