Spicy Garlic Green Beans

Hello world!! Today I am sharing a recipe that even the most veggie-hating person will enjoy! I made these yummy green beans last weekend, and they were such a hit! So I thought I'd share!

A word on fat: most people are afraid of using fats and oils because of the calories and tend to steam or use spray oil when cooking veggies. DON'T DO IT! Okay do it once in a while, but please don't be scared of healthy fats. Our bodies need them! The vitamins in veggies, mostly vitamins A and C, are actually fat soluble and need fat to be absorbed properly!! So make sure to use a high quality fat, even coconut oil or grass fed butter, to cook your veggies! And add olive oil and yummy avocado to your salad; I promise you will be fine!! :)

Spicy Sausage & Taters

I love potatoes aka taters. If you follow me on Instagram (@tveen_rd), you probably notice that I eat sweet potatoes almost daily! I absolutely adore them. I made this super easy meal last week with spicy jalapeño chicken sausage from trader joes and some taters. The spicy theme has been strong this week on this blog! ;) This dish came out tasting great and I looked forward to it every day I had it! I thought I would share the recipe so you all could enjoy it as well! 

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

Sometimes, you can get sick of healthy food. It happens, and it's normal. Chicken is one of those dishes that can get boring fast. Grilled chicken and salad is a meal one of my best friends and I joke about, because we ALWAYS have it. However, there are many ways to make even the blandest food a little more exciting. This week, I made a chicken dish that was so different and SO delicious. The parmesan and garlic combination was amazing, and kale was a great supplement to the meal! This meal was also super easy to whip up! Here is my easy and tasty chicken recipe!

I let these cool in two small containers so they would be ready for my lunches! This chicken was such a treat and a meal I looked forward to instead of dreaded! I highly recommend you all trying this dish if you feel yourself getting bored of your usual chicken meals!

Quick & Easy Tzatziki

Hello everyone! We are one day closer to that lovely weekend of ours, which is reason enough to celebrate today! Yesterday's post was pretty heavy for me, so today, I thought I'd share a quick and easy recipe with you all! I've never really been a yogurt person. Fro-yo...YES. A million times, yes. But not tart, plain yogurt. Basically, I've never liked the healthy kind of yogurt. I have never even been a fan of the flavored yogurts, which I am relieved about since they are often loaded with sugars and who knows what else! There is only one way I can eat yogurt, and that is as my own homemade tzatziki sauce. On Tuesday, I posted this yummy snack on Instagram, so I thought I would share the recipe today! This sauce/dip is high in protein and so light and refreshing. It really helped keep me full in the morning until lunch time and hit the spot with the flavors of garlic and mint. Here is my quick and easy tzatziki recipe!

This dip tastes great on its own, but I also like to dip my carrots or any other veggies in it as well! Protein and veggies all in one neat package. I can't wait to make this again as my morning snack for tomorrow!

Hopefully you all have the 4 minutes it takes to try this recipe out! Let me know what you think! I love quick, easy, and healthy recipes that are whipped up in no time. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

Turkey Arrabbiata

Monday night was one of those nights that I did not want to do ANYTHING after work besides come home. I had such a long day and was feeling pretty crummy. I worked almost 12 hours, trying to get a few hours in at my new job, while doing my regular shift at my old job. I came home and scanned our ingredients to see what I could come up with for dinner that was quick, healthy, and of course, tasty. I always keep some ground beef and turkey on hand, as well as a big bag of frozen veggies from Costco. I spotted some fire roasted diced tomatoes, some crushed tomatoes, and of course some rice (a staple in our home), and got to work! I made this spicy turkey and veggie arrabbiata that we ate with some rice, and it was delicious! This meal made almost 6 servings and kept us well fed these past few days. Even though it is a simple recipe, I wanted to share it with you all! Healthy meals don't have to be complicated :) so here is the recipe!

Once the arrabbiata is done, you can dish it up with some rice, or even pasta! You can also eat this dish by itself or with zoodles or spaghetti squash if you want to jive with the low carb life. My husband and I got SO used to rice on our honeymoon (there were two scoops of rice served with practically every meal in Hawaii), so we are still on the rice train! We should probably hop off soon...but oh well! :) 

I hope you guys enjoy this quick and easy recipe! Happy almost weekend to you all! 

Curry Quinoa & Veggies

This post is WAY overdue...it's embarrassing! I don't know how and I don't know why, but these weeks are just passing by and I feel like there are always a billion things happening! I've been wanting to share this curry quinoa recipe for a while! I posted it to my instagram (@tveenverano_RD) a while back, but never got around to actually writing out the recipe for you guys! So, as I sit outside of Starbucks waiting for my husband to get off work so we can go to DISNEYLAND (YESSSSS) I decided to finally just type up the recipe and press publish! SO, here it is!

This recipe is super simple, delicious, gluten-free, and a plant-based protein that will keep you full! What could be better? :) I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I hope to be writing again VERY soon!

Paleo Kung-Pao Chicken with Vegetables

I am so excited to finally be sharing this recipe! I absolutely love Chinese food, especially Kung Pao chicken with the crunchy toasted peanuts! Growing up, eating Chinese food usually resulted in me “throw out” my healthy eating goals and just indulging in this salty, sweet, saucy, yummy food. This would unfortunately leave me with, shall we say, digestive discomfort, not too long afterwards. Ever since discovering that I have a gluten allergy about a year ago, eating Chinese food has been out of the question for me, since soy sauce contains wheat and is a main ingredient in most Chinese and Asian cooking. However, I always wanted to create a “healthier,” no sugar version of my favorite Chinese dishes in order to enjoy the flavors without the guilt and discomfort soon afterwards!

After experimenting with the paleo lifestyle earlier this year and following the Whole 30 program in March, I finally perfected my very own soy free, gluten free, sugar-free, PALEO Kung Pao Chicken with Cashews recipe! Here it is!

Once the sauce thickens up, turn the heat off and serve! Top with the toasted cashews and green onion slices if desired and serve with cauliflower rice!

Healthy & Light Shepherd's Pie

Funny story: I went to the grocery store on Wednesday to stock up after our vacation. My husband was craving shepherd's pie, and I had never made it before! But determined to make it for him, yummy and healthy, I went to the store. It was about 102 degrees outside. 

As I was checking out, the worker asked me what I was planning on cooking at night. I said "shepherd's pie!" Her eyes probably got to twice the size that they were, and she exclaimed "WHAT?!! IN THIS HEAT??" Umm, yes? I told her my husband wanted it, and she said she was impressed I was going to make it for him in this heat, and that we must not have kids yet. I just thought this was hilarious! Everyone tells me things will change when we have kids, and I expect it will! But right now, I love making the dishes my husband likes, in as healthy a way as possible. I figure, why not take advantage of this time now for me to cook and be a little home maker before kids get into the mix? Even in 102 degrees heat? I say yes to that! :) 

So, here is my healthier version of shepherd's pie. My first attempt at this dish and we both loved it! Here you go! 

And there you go! This meal was absolutely delicious, a total comfort food meal, and is still healthier than it's traditional version! We enjoyed it so much, even with the heat! :) 

I hope you all get to try this recipe; if not now, maybe in the winter! Have a happy weekend everyone!

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

I haven't shared a recipe on here in SO long! I wasn't anticipating sharing this one, but it turned out SO good, I just had to write it up! I've been trying to keep my diet (and my husband's) squeaky clean lately, and feeling AMAZING doing so. I am still following the 21 day fix container system and Autumn's countdown to competition meal plan (click here for my previous post)! I am loving the results I am seeing and am remembering how amazing my body feels on clean, whole foods. On top of that, there are enough temptations and distractions during this time of year to overindulge, so as much as I can help it, we are keeping things nice and healthy in the Verano household.

I have been wanting to make a crusted chicken recipe in SO long, and I finally got around to it yesterday! My husband loves breaded chicken, but I stay away from it because of my gluten allergy, and I just find breaded chicken SO heavy. Yesterday, I decided to try to "bread" chicken with almond flour instead of panko  bread crumbs and they turned out DELICIOUS! My husband was happy, I was happy, and our Saturday was made! Here is my quick and easy Almond crusted chicken tender recipe!

I served these up with some buffalo veggies, which were basically steamed veggies I had in the fridge, tossed with Frank's buffalo hot sauce, and baked on 425 for about 15 minutes. I also made the hubby oven-baked fries! I sliced the potatoes nice and thin and spread them out on a lined baking sheet. Then tossed in 1 T olive oil and some salt and paprika. Baked for about 20 minutes, and viola! He was a happy, happy man!

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Southwest Quinoa Salad

January is the month of resolutions and goals, right? Well, this year, my hubby and I have resolved to spend less money. A tempting place for me to spend way more that I need to is on groceries. So, we are going on a "grocery diet." Of course we all need to eat, but I tend to get a little too excited at grocery stores and spend wayyyy more than I ever intended to spend. I am determined to use up all we have at home before entering the tempting arena of Trader Joe's. SO, that's meant a lot more creativity on my end to put meals together! Last night, I whipped up this easy southwest quinoa salad in under 30 minutes and it turned out delicious and was even husband-approved!

I try to keep some staples on hand at all times such as: quinoa, beans, veggies, rice, and hummus. If you have these things...anything can go down in the kitchen. Here is the recipe, and there is also a cooking video at the bottom so you can watch how it's done! 

 See? Super easy, healthy, and delicious! I hope you guys enjoy the recipe! Stayed tuned for more easy and affordable meal ideas coming your way!