Food

So…I love food. I try to healthy, but at times 50 years of bad eating habits win out. I lost 80 pounds recently. I want to lose about 80 more. Here, you will find recipes, posts about my herb garden, and information about food. Word of warning–I am not a professional cook, nor am I a recipe developer. I am just someone who likes food and modifies recipes to my liking.

Veggies

Curried Chickpeas

A friend sent me a video on FB about things you can do with chickpeas. In there was a recipe for Curried Chickpeas. Since I am always looking for new veggie recipes, I thought I would give it a try. OMG! Who knew these were so good?! I am in love! Of course, I made…

Quick and Yummy Calabacitas and Black Beans

Oh, I love this time of year because I love squash! Calabacitas (squash) is a side dish that is very popular in New Mexico. And I love it. I love to pair Calabacitas with some black beans for a delicious vegetarian meal (vegan if you don’t add the Cojita). Now, this is my quick and…

Roasted Veggies

Roasting vegetables are about my favorite way to fix them. They are delicious and they are easy-peasy lemon-squeezy. All it takes is some olive oil, salt and pepper, a dish and an oven. Since I am watching my caloric intake, I use just a little olive oil–just enough to lightly coat them. I use a…

Fruit

Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

This is a yummy little breakfast that is great for a chilly weekend morning. The great thing about this recipe is that you can also use any dried fruit. I have some crasins and walnuts which will be my next alteration of this. I hope you enjoy! 1/2 cup regular or quick-cook oats 4 tbs…

Watermelon Feta Salad

I adore this salad in the summer. It is crisp and refreshing with a little bit of funk. You can size it up, and it is great for summer BBQs. This recipe is my meal-size salad. I will make it, especially if there is a calorie-laden meal happening during the day. Calories: approximately: 242 2…

Meat (Beef, Pork, Lamb)

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Lamb and Brown Rice

Well, this was a yummy little thing to whip up on my first day of the staycation. So yummy, it will be dinner as well.  According to the Noom app, 1 serving is about 350 calories. 1 half = 1 serving. Just a few notes:1) Roast the squash first. See below for directions. 2) If you…

Homemade Sausage

I love pasta. And with pasta, sausage!!! The saddest thing with store-bought sausage is that it is full of nitrates and preservatives. Ground pork is pork and some salt. So, using ground pork as a base, you can make your own sausage without all of the chemical additives. Like with all meat, I separate it…

Lamb Burger

OMG! I love lamb. This little burger is just divine. Lamb, spices, and feta, what more can you ask? It is also quick and pretty easy..25 lb of ground lamb2 teaspoon of cuminA couple shakes of dried oreganoA dash of cayenne1 tablespoon of fetaMix the lamb and spices together. Form into a patty and grill…

Poultry

Cornish Game Hen with Herbes De Provence

This is also perfect for a romantic dinner, or you can scale it up for a fancy dinner party.As with many of my dishes, I found a recipe that looked good. I modified it to meet my tastes and scaled down for one. And since I had the oven on…I roasted up some potatoes and…

Moroccan-Style Ground Turkey

OMG! This is just an explosion of flavor and deliciousness! I know what you are thinking, “Ground Turkey? Flavor? HA!” I am here to tell you, YAASSSS!!!!! This is a fantastic, filling, flavorful dish. And as of today, it is a staple in my repertoire. First, you need to either buy or make Ras El…

Balsamic Fig Chicken

I searched long and hard (okay, two clicks), and I found a recipe that I thought sounded delicious. It needed some modifications to work for my pantry and diabetes. So, here is my version. Calories: 336 2 teaspoons olive oil1 boneless skinless chicken thigh2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar1 teaspoon of dijon mustard1/3 cup chicken broth1 garlic…

Lemon Pepper Chicken with Tomatoes, Capers and Spinach

This isn’t the most original title, but it tells it like it is. This is a quick 30-minute meal that is delicious and healthy. It comes in at about 408 calories. I believe it has fewer calories because my app gives me a minimum of a quarter cup for the capers and olives. So, I…

Pasta

Putannesca Sauce

Putannesca is also one of my favorite sauces. It is salty, tangy, and so, so yummy. Traditionally, this would have anchovies or anchovy paste in it. Since I am allergic to fish and seafood, this is anchovy free. Like all my recipes, I wing it. I am going to give some measurements. But if you…

Tomato Pasta Sauce

I love my pasta sauce to be chock full of veggies, onion, and mushrooms. I am known to throw a handful of spinach or chop some zucchini into my sauce. This sauce is a great way to be creative and get your veggies into your meal. This works well with angel hair, spaghetti, rotini, and…

Soups and Stews

Lentil Quiona Stew

Yummy yummy yum! This came out great! And it is fast and easy to put together. The wonderful thing about this recipe is you can change it up so easily with different spices. This makes enough for two (213 calories) or three meals (142 calories) for a single person. And, it has about 425 calories…

Quick Gazpacho

I had nothing planned for lunch today. I needed something fast and healthy. I looked in my fridge and found the makings for a quick and yummy gazpacho. Makes 6 cups. 43 calories per serving. Seriously, I at 2/3 of it for lunch and had the rest with dinner. 3 small Roma Tomato, halved2 bottle…

Lentils and Sausages

This hardy, little dish is perfect for one person. It is full of lentils, sausage (duh!), spinach, shallots, and tomatoes. I recommend And for those looking for calorie count 354 without the feta and 407 with the feta. (NUM! I really recommend adding the feta.) If you are not counting carbs, then a nice, crusty…