Healthy Pad Thai

Recipe at bottom of page

Asian food is one of my favorite cuisines. I love how many Asian dishes have textural contrast and play the sweet and spicy game on your taste buds; with each bite you take, there's another blast of flavor you didn't get the first time.

Unfortunately, a lot of restaurants load on the sauce. Although these sauces are delicious, they can be filled with lots of sodium and calories. This dish uses a light sauce that delicately coats the Pad Thai, while still delivering the classic flavors your used to. Try using low sodium soy sauce and avoid adding any additional salt to the dish.

I absolutely love noodle dishes, especially Pad Thai. However, often times when I order it in the restaurant they pile the noodles high. I always give into the delectable dish and end up eating way more than one serving of noodles. This recipe only calls for a half a serving of noodles per person! You may be thinking, "A half a serving!! That won't satisfy me!"Don't worry you won't miss them. We're bulking the rest of the dish up with Veggie Noodles! This was actually my inspiration for this dish because I just bought a julienne peeler and was dying to try it out. These Veggie Noodles tasted so good that I could eat this Pad Thai without the regular noodles- I just might try that next time!

This recipe was so delicious! I pumped it up a bit by squeezing some lime juice and Sriracha sauce over it before digging in!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Eat it with chopsticks, it tastes better that way:)

Julienne Peeler

I used Udon Noodles but only cooked them for 4 minutes,
while the directions said to cook them for 13-14 minutes

Cooked Noodles

Cooked Chicken Strips

Yummy Pad Thai

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Pad Thai 
   12 oz Chicken Breast
   1 Zucchini
   1 Yellow Summer Squash
   5 Large Carrots
   1.5 cup Bean Sprouts (1/2 cup will be used for garnish)
   4 oz (2 servings) Japanese Noodles- linguini like noodles add to the Pad Thai look
   Small handful of Peanuts for garnish
Sauce
   4 tbsp Soy Sauce
   1 tbsp Rice Vinegar 
   1 tbsp Honey
   2 tsp Cornstarch 
   1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
   1 tbsp PB2

Directions:

1. Prepare the Sauce: Mix all of the ingredients listed under "Sauce"in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Prepare the Veggies: Use a julienne peeler to slice the zucchini, yellow summer squash, and carrots. Stop peeling the zucchini and yellow summer squash once you have reached the seeds- you don't want seedy strips, they will be too watery. Be careful peeling the carrots, you don't have to use the whole carrots if it becomes to hard to peel. Put the julienned zucchini, yellow summer squash, carrots, and 1 cup of bean sprouts aside on a plate.
3. Cook the Noodles: Cook the japanese noodles according to the packaging. It's better to cook them al dente because they will continue to cook later when you stir-fry them. Once the noodles are done, run them under cold water to prevent them from cooking any further. Set noodles aside.
4. Prepare the Chicken: Clean the chicken and cut into small strips.
5. Cook the Chicken: Spray a large pan with cooking spray. Turn the stove on medium-high heat and place chicken strips in the pan. Flip chicken strips once they looked half way cooked through. Take chicken strips out of the pan when they are completely cooked through. Set cooked chicken strips aside.
6. Start Stir-fry'n: For the stir-fry, you will be using the same pan in which you cooked the chicken. Turn the stove on medium-high heat, spray the pan with cooking spray, and place the prepared veggies in the pan. Occasionally toss the veggies so they do not burn. Cook the veggies until they are warm (approx. 3 minutes). Then, toss the prepared noodles, chicken, and sauce in the pan. Continually toss the stir-fry until warm (approx. 3-4 minutes).
7. Serve it up: Place cooked Pad Thai on a plate and and garnish with peanuts and the remaining 1/2 cup of bean sprouts. Dig in! 

Try adding some fresh lime juice or Sriracha sauce to your Pad Thai for some extra flavor, enjoy! 


Nutrition Facts:

4th of July Summer Barbecue

The 4th of July is the time to celebrate our country and its freedom. There's no better way to celebrate this day than having a summer barbecue with friends and family! Try these healthy choices on your next 4th of July celebration or summer barbecue.

Take a look at this article for more healthy barbecue choices:
Festive, Fun, Healthy 4th of July BBQ

Chicken Burger

Grilled Corn

Sweet and Crunchy Broccoli Slaw

Berry Meringue Tartlet

                                                               

Chicken Burgers on Whole Wheat Buns

 

Chicken Burgers are great alternatives to your typical beef burger. Try topping it with lighter toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and onions rather than mayonnaise. I like spicing my burgers with Sriracha hot sauce, Yum!

Makes 3 burgers

Ingredients:

16 oz Ground chicken breast

Soy Vay Marinade, or any marinade you like

Whole Wheat Deli Flats

Toppings (lettuce, onions, tomato, ect)

Directions:

1. Split ground chicken into three ~5 oz patties.
2. Drizzle patties with Soy Vey Marinade.
3. Grill Chicken patties until evenly cooked.
4. Place cooked patties on the Whole Wheat Deli Flats and top with toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for
1 Chicken Patty on a Whole Wheat Deli
Flat when recipe yields 3 servings 

Grilled Corn

 

Grilled corn is a great way to switch it up from your typical boiled corn. The grill gives the corn so much more flavor and no butter is needed!

Ingredients:

Corn

Salt and Pepper to taste

That's it! No butter, it tastes amazing all on its own

Directions:

1. Place husked corn on the grill and cook for 10 minutes, rotating it when kernels start to char. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for 1
medium sized ear of corn

Sweet and Crunchy Broccoli Slaw

 

I must give credit to my neighbor, Lynn, for this delicious recipe! So sweet and irresistible! 

Serves 8

Ingredients:

    Slaw:

    1lb Broccoli, chopped into small pieces

    1/2 cup Red onion, minced

    1/3 cup Golden Raisins

    1/3 cup Craisins 

    1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

    Dressing:

    1/3 cup Light mayonnaise 

    3 tbsp Balsamic vinegar 

    2 tbsp Honey

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients listed under slaw
2. Mix all of the ingredients listed under dressing
3. Toss the slaw in the dressing and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Informations above calculated
for 8 servings

Berry Meringue Tartlets 

 

These Berry Meringue Tartlets are a jazzed up version of the traditional meringue cookie. I had so much fun making these cute tartlets... well sort of, haha! I made the mistake of not checking if the kitchen I was working in had an electric mixer. So I resorted to whipping the egg whites by hand! Wooo, what a workout! But it was totally worth it. These tartlets are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Fresh berries and whipped cream on top pull it all together.

Ingredients:

    Tartlets:

    4 Egg whites

    1/4 tsp Cream of tartar

    1/2 cup Granulated sugar

    2/3 cup Powdered sugar

    Topping:

    Reddi Wip Whipped Cream

    Assorted berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, ect.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 F 
2. Tear parchment paper the size of the baking sheet. On the back of the parchment paper trace a 4''-5'' in diameter glass with a pencil. Flip parchment paper over and place on the baking sheet. This will act as a template for when you pipe your tartlets.
3. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl and whip with a hand mixer until soft peeks form.
4. Next, gradually add the granulated sugar and then the powdered sugar while mixing.
5. Whip until stiff peeks form- you should be able to hold the bowl over your head upside down without anything falling on you.
6. Place mixture in a large ziploc bag, cut a large hole in the corner. 
7. Pipe inside the circles you traced earlier on the parchment paper. Then, pipe on top of the circles you just piped an outer ring along the border of each circle- this will hold the toppings on the tartlets. 
8. Place tartlets in the oven and bake for 1.5 hours.
9. Turn off the oven and let the tartlets sit for 2 more hours in the oven.
10. Take the tartlets out and let them sit until completely cooled.
11. Top the tartlets just before serving with 2 tbsp of Reddi Wip Whipped Cream and fresh, assorted berries and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above calculated for 
1 meringue tartlet with whipped cream 
and berries on top when recipe yields 
9 servings

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Recipe at bottom of page

 Two Ingredients: Peanut Butter and Bananas!!!

This combination, besides chocolate and peanut butter, is my favorite! This recipe ties it all up into a cool and refreshing smoothie. Actually it tastes more like a MILKSHAKE! But it's much healthier. By using almond milk and PB2, you save calories but still get the delicious creamy, peanut buttery taste you love. By using frozen bananas, you still get the silky texture that ice cream gives to a milkshake, but it's a lot better for you.

Try this tasty, cool treat as a breakfast smoothie or a dessert- it's a great swap for a milkshake. Enjoy!

Tip: If you have a bunch of bananas that are turning brown, don't through them away! Save money and make milkshakes!! Peel, slice, and place them in a ziploc bag and place in the freezer. Now you have frozen bananas ready to go whenever you want a Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, Yum!

Feeling in a chocolatey mood? Use Chocolate PB2 instead of PB2 or Chocolate Soy Milk instead of Vanilla Almond Milk

Makes 1 Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 Frozen Medium Sized Banana
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2 tbsp PB2
Ice (Optional)

          Substitutions:
          Use Peanut Butter instead of PB2
          Use any type of Milk instead of Almond Milk

Directions:

1. Freeze your banana ahead of time by peeling, slicing, and placing it into a ziploc bag and placing it in the freezer. Freeze for about 3 hours or over night.
2. Place the almond milk, banana, and PB2 into a blender and blend until smooth.
3. If you want your smoothie thicker, add a few ice cubes. If you want your smoothie thinner, add a few drops of water.
4. Place a straw in the smoothie and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above is for 1 smoothie
when made with a Banana,
Almond Milk and PB2

Apple Cinnamon Oat Pancakes

Recipe at bottom of page

Everyone enjoys either ordering a stack of pancakes at a diner or whipping up a batch of their own in their pajamas. There's something about pancakes that makes them so comforting.

Today I decided to take this classic breakfast treat and put a healthy spin on it. Instead of using traditional flour, I used ground oats. By making this swap, I not only make the pancakes healthier, but I also make them more flavorful and hearty. In addition oats are whole grain, so they keep you fuller longer! That's always a bonus. I also replaced the oils and butter that some pancake recipes call for with applesauce. Applesauce is a great fat and sugar substitute; It provides sweetness and a very subtle apple flavor. 

Try this healthy alternative to pancakes! They are sooo yummy!

Makes about six 5'' pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup Quaker Oats
1/2 cup Applesauce
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 
2 tbsp Water

Directions:

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender. Add more water if you want a thinner batter- only add 1 teaspoon at a time.
2. Ladle a 1/4 cup of the pancake batter into a pan and cook on medium heat. Cook pancake on both sides until it is golden on both sides. Keep an eye on the pancakes, they cook pretty fast.
3. Serve with toppings of your choice and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Information above is for 1 pancake
when the batch makes 6 pancakes