low fat

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

Black Bean & Corn Salsa.

One of my favorite new healthy snacks is black bean and corn salsa.

It makes a wonderful “scoop” with tortilla chips.

It is also great all by itself as a salad or piled on top of a grilled chicken breast or fish.

It is light, healthy, crunchy, tangy, low-calorie, high-fiber, and absolutely DELISH too!

Here is how I make it, but you can surely tweak to your liking.  It would be great with a bit of fresh cilantro, which I didn’t have on hand when I made this batch on Sunday.  You could also switch it up with any other kind of bean you like or other veggies like cherry tomatoes or cucumbers.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

  • Servings: approx. 3 cups
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Ingredients:

  • 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen or canned corn*
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/3 cup diced onion
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Balsamic vinegar to taste (approx. 2 Tbsp)

Directions:

Combine all  vegetables in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar to taste.

Serve as a salsa for tortilla chips, as a salad, or as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.

Store well in airtight refrigerator container for several days.

*TIP:  When we buy fresh corn on the cob in the summer, we always buy a full dozen, though we never eat all of that for the two of us.  We cut the leftover off the cob, throw it in a Ziploc freezer bag, and toss it in the freezer for the winter months or times when fresh corn is not available.  It is so much better than canned corn.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Apple Cider Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash

/ Jodi / 52 Comments

Apple Cider Roasted Chicken with Butternut Squash.

The calendar says it’s Spring in our little corner of the world, but Mother Nature insists it’s Winter.  I guess since our Winter this year was often more like Spring, we have to deal with a bit of Winter in Spring.

The day I made this recipe last week (the second official day of Spring), we had more snow fall in one day than we have had in one day in the past eight years (approximately 8 inches).

So this super easy, healthy, delicious one pan oven-roasted meal I found at TheLemonBowl.com and tweaked slightly was a welcomed delight.

Using cinnamon as a spice for a savory meal is a surprising delight!   Don’t be afraid to use it liberally.  When combined with salt and coarse black pepper and lots of garlic, it just sings with flavor.

The original recipe called for apple cider, which I did not have, so I found a lonely bottle of Angry Orchard Hard Cider in the back of the fridge that kicked butt in this recipe!  I’m sure you could also substitute apple juice.

I was really tempted to throw in a handful of cashews or pecans (and might next time).  What do you think?

I served this with a simple salad of fresh greens, and  here is how I made it.  Hope you will give it a try.

Apple Cider Roasted Chicken and Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed (approx 4 cups
  • 1 large bulb garlic (approx. 12 cloves), peeled
  • 2/3 cup apple cider (I used Angry Orchard Hard Apple Cider!)
  • 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place butternut squash cubes and whole peeled garlic cloves on bottom of large cast iron skillet or roasting pan.  Pour cider over all.

Place chicken breasts on top.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Season all with cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Cover loosely with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done and butternut squash is soft.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Oodles of Zoodles

/ Jodi / 62 Comments

zoodles-2

Oodles of Zoodles.

Has anyone else joined the zoodle craze?

zoodles-1

Low carb, low calorie, gluten free, grain free, wheat free, healthy, nutritious, unprocessed, vegetarian, cheap and and easy ZOODLES!

zoodles-3

Zoodles are zucchini noodles.  Or better put, vegetable noodles made from spiral cut zucchini.  They can be used in so many ways!

I recently purchased a SpiralLife Vegetable Slicer, and couldn’t wait to give it a try.  Super inexpensive at $14.99 on Amazon, it was easy to use, easy to clean, and easy on the wallet.

I made my zoodles to accompany a light dinner of Lemon Butter Chicken this week, and we loved them.

I simply sauteed them ever so briefly in olive oil with salt and pepper and a couple cloves of minced garlic.  After about two minutes, I added a handful of halved grape tomatoes and a generous grating of fresh Parmigiano reggiano cheese.  After sauteeing another two minutes, my zoodles were ready to serve and eat.  Yum!

How are you making your zoodles?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Homemade & Healthy Blackberry Banana Oat Bars

/ Jodi / 56 Comments

Blackberry Banana Oat Bars

Are you looking for a really yummy treat to give to your sweet for Valentine’s Day that is not only super delish, but also healthy?

These amazing blackberry banana oat bars have NO sugar and NO flour!  How about that?

blackberry banana oat bar

They are packed full of wholesome, nutrient rich fruits and superfood ingredients, while tricking your brain and tummy into thinking you are eating something decadent.

Give them a try!  Heart healthy, hearty, and from the heart for your sweetheart!

Blackberry Banana Oat Bars

  • Servings: 12 squares
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(adapted from recipe found here)Blackberry Banana Oat Bars

Ingredients:

Blackberry Chia Jam Filling:

2 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey (local if possible)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Banana Oat Crust:

2 ripe bananas
2 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
To make the jam fruit filling, add blackberries and honey to a saucepan and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes until fruit is mostly broken down and has released a lot of juice.  Add the other ingredients and boil for another 5 minutes until it thickens.   Allow to cool.

Next, make the crust. Blend up 1 cup of the oats into a fine powder (I used the Ninja).   Stir all ingredients together.

Spray an 8×8 baking stone or dish with Pam and then line with parchment paper.  Spread 2/3 of the oat crust mixture on the bottom of the pan. Spread jam fruit filling mixture evenly over crust. Use the rest of the oats to sprinkle over the top.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes until the oats are golden brown.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi