A feast for the belly and the body!

I've mentioned before how important it is to me that every meal have some type of nutritional value. That doesn't mean that it's always super healthy or low fat, but I try to make every bite count. So if we're having brownies, it's nice to use dark chocolate and receive all the great benefits of antioxidants and stress relieving serotonin - while enjoying my treat. The other day I made my daughter a meal that she loves and so do I - because I sneak good for you ingredients in. I made Collard Greens, Chicken & carrot meatballs, and whole grain Rotini pasta in sauce. It's so easy, very delicious and quite nutritious. And she enjoyed it for lunch and dinner! Here's what I did. Feel free to substitute in ingredients or switch things around and let me know how it comes out!


Collard Greens
-1lb Collard Greens, washed & chopped
-1 14oz can of beef broth or chicken broth
---OR---
-1 slice of Bacon
-Salt & Pepper to taste
***In the absence of broth, use a piece of flavorful meat. In my case I use 1 strip of Bacon. I fried it a little first to render off the fat and then added my washed greens to the pot. Then I added Water to cover the greens and added my seasoning. Usually I use Salt & pepper, but this time I used a half packet of Wiley's Greens Seasoning - wonderful stuff! (1 pack for 2lbs of Greens). Cook on medium heat until tender and check frequently to add more water as needed. I cooked mine for about 4 hours.

Chicken & Carrot Meatballs
-1 1lb pack of ground chicken
-1 cup of carrots
-2 garlic cloves, peeled
-1 large OR 2 medium Shallots diced
-2 Tablespoons Badia Complete Seasoning
-1 tablespoon Bell's Seasoning
- A little salt
-2 Tablespoons olive oil
-Approx 1 to 2 cups water
***Add the above ingredients into the ground chicken and mix well. Reserve 1 tablespoon of oil for cooking. Form into meatballs (I use a spoon to scoop meatball-like shapes and drop them into the pan) and fry in the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil. Let brown on one side and flip to brown the other side. Add water to about halfway of the meatballs. You want them to cook, but not drown. Cook until water has cooked out and turn off heat.

Rotini Noodles in Sauce
-1 1lb box Whole Grain Rotini Noodles (or whatever noodles you prefer)
-1 Jar of spaghetti sauce
-Italian seasoning
-2 Teaspoons of sugar* (Optional)
***Cook Noodles according to package directions and and drain and take off of heat. Add the sauce and some seasoning if you like and enjoy! The sugar is for the little ones, but it's not necessary.

This meal takes some prep work but the end result is amazing and hearty.

Inspired by Giada

There's a constant in our lives around here and that's me watching Giada De Laurentiis on Food Network (or recently on the new Cooking Channel) and jumping up immediately after or even during the show to go make something I just saw her create. Well today I watched while she cooked up yummy food for her daughter's first birthday party and of course, got creative in my kitchen while I cooked up some yummy lunch for my daughter. She made mini bowties with peas and carrots. She used Mascarpone cheese and Cream cheese while I used Cheddar, Monteray Jack, American and some frozen pureed winter squash. I only used a little butter and 1% milk, I wanted to keep it light. I tell you, it was a hit! Well...mostly, my daughter picked the peas out of hers! Ah well, next time I'll try broccoli. Here's my recipe below:

6oz (or half box) of Mini Bowtie pasta (or sub in whatever's in your cupboard)
1 cup green peas (I used frozen)
pat of butter
4oz Monteray Jack cheese - shredded
2oz mild Cheddar cheese - shredded
2 slices American cheese
2oz frozen pureed winter squash (chopped or melted)
splash of 1% milk

*Boil water, add pasta and green peas. Follow directions on box for cooking time - usually 9-10 minutes. Drain cooked pasta leaving about a tablespoon of pasta water behind in pan. Put Pasta and peas back into pot and turn heat to low. Add Shredded cheeses, slices of American and butter into pot. Stir until melted. Add splash of milk (eyeball it, you're just using milk as a thinner if needed) and frozen winter squash and stir. Once everything is melted, turn off fire and scoop into bowls and EAT! Enjoy!

P.S. I added a bit of tuna into my bowl for a texture and taste distinction.