Pesto Pasta

I made this on a whim last Saturday after a long bike ride. I was looking to use up some things out of the fridge/cupboard. I was pleased with the outcome! This is for a single serving, but can easily be doubled or more!



Pesto Pasta





½ cup of whole wheat medium shells (dry)

¼ cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup sliced onion

1 handful of fresh spinach

½ tablespoon prepared pesto

1 tablespoon of EVOO

Salt & Pepper





Prepare noodles per package directions- careful not to overcook! Reserve a couple tablespoons of starchy water when you drain the pasta.





Heat EVOO over medium heat. Add tomatoes and onion. Sautee until veggies are tender (5 minutes). Stir in pesto and half of reserved pasta water, until pesto is loose. Add cooked pasta and spinach. Stir until pesto is equally distributed and spinach is slightly wilted. Add more starchy water if needed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 1 serving.











Taco Seasoning

Tacos are a fun easy dinner. Sure the sour cream and cheese aren't the greatest for you, but you can buy low fat sour cream (or even better, use plain greek yogurt) and choose low fat cheese. One of the killers of a taco dinner is the salt in the taco seasoning mix. This seasoning recipe is considerably lower in salt, and is made of panty staples.

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and store in an airtight container.

p.s. If you find you don't have any of these seasonings on hand... BUY THEM... they are staples you will use a lot if you keep using Healthy Plate recipes! :)

p.p.s. I think I just came up with another blog opportunity- pantry staples!

Homemade Granola

One of my favorite things about cooking for myself, is that I know that it's healthier than anything someone else made at the store. Chances are pretty good that I'm not adding preservatives and extra salt to give my food a shelf life. Granola is a great example. It makes a great topping for yogurt, ice cream, or even cooked oatmeal. Sometimes I grab a handful just for a sweet snack!




Homemade Granola

 

2 c. dry oatmeal
2/3 c. nuts, chopped
2 Tbls. packed brown sugar
2 Tbls  honey (one good long squeeze)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. raisins, craisins OR  chopped dried fruit of your choice
Optional - coconut

Mix nuts, brown sugar, oats, honey and vanilla in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Cook on high 5 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Add raisins and coconut. Cool completely. Stir to crumble mixture.
Store in an airtight container.

Everything in this recipe would be considered a "Pantry Staple".

The idea behind Healthy Plates

I created this blog as another outlet for Dandy Life (my nutrition coaching business). I'm constantly getting questions about cooking (as everyone knows I love to cook). People are interested in low calorie, budget friendly, easy recipes and tips.

My goal for Healthy Plates is to post all of my healthy cooking experiments (recipes) and reviews. I will makeover your old standbys. I will show you easy ways to eat healthfully, and  I will find you ways to sneak veggies in, because after all- we are never going to eat "perfectly" but we could all eat with less fat and more veggies. And, in my free time, I will attempt to review some of the new health products that are on the market.

Let's get started on our first Healthy Plate!