Category Archives: recipe

Healthy Recipe: Spicy Spinach Arugula Pesto Pasta With Chicken

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This spicy pesto pasta with chicken is in heavy rotation on our dinner menu…and it is delicious! My husband absolutely loves arugula and spinach (me, I’m not going to lie, I’d rather eat a cupcake), so when I watched Giada make this arugula and spinach pesto, I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is filled with healthy components…you get your green veggies from the arugula and spinach,  and omega-3 fatty acids from the walnuts and olive oil. I added chicken for extra lean protein and you could sustitute whole wheat or rice pasta. I also reduced the amount of cheese in the pesto.

You flavors are layered with  great subtle kick from the jalapeno, pepper from the arugula and a nuttiness from the parmesan and walnuts…totally delish! It’s an easy weeknight meal and a great way to get kids (or anyone else who doesn’t like to eat their veggies:) to try spinach and arugula.

 

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies…Ever!

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OK, I admit it, I am, without a doubt, a cookie monster. I doesn’t matter if they are store bought, homemade, holiday, just baked, kinda stale or the free ones you get from the bank…I love cookies. My inability to control myself around cookies (oh yeah, and pizza, but that’s another post) is one of my main motivators to get to the gym and finish super tough workouts.

Even though I’ll eat just about any cookie, my favorite is chocolate chip, and I’ve been conducting extensive research into the best recipe over the years. I’ve tried Jacques Torres, Mrs. Fields, Martha Stewart, many from all recipes and recently this one from the blog FOR ME, FOR YOU. I found it through Cupcakes and Cashmere, one of my favorite daily reads, and this recipes is definitely my new favorite. It’s amazing!

These cookies are perfect… a little crisp on the outside, but soft and gooey in the center. One of the secrets is cake flower so they have the softest texture, plus delicious flavor, not too sweet, with the perfect chocolate chip to cookie ratio. I chopped a Callebaut chocolate  bar to get the best chocolate flavor, plus I like the irregularity of chopped chocolate as oppose to chocolate chips. The cookies stayed soft and perfect for days and the batch I thought I ruined by baking them too long, was actually delicious the next day. So even if you mess this recipe up, you still get amazing cookies. I love a big chocolate chip cookie since it means I usually only eat one, and these are hands down my new favorites! You have to try them!

Healthy Recipe: Amazing Tequila Lime Chicken

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I’ve taken to watching The Barefoot Contessa episodes on Saturday mornings and finding great recipes and menus to make for the rest of the week. If you haven’t seen Ina Garten’s show you must go to the TV right now, find the Food Network and Tivo the show or just sit there and wait until it comes on…it’s that good. In fact, I’m pretty sure I might want to be Ina when I grow up… that fabulous Hamptons house, endless festive get togethers with friends, the enviable garden brimming with flowers and the most amazing parsley and basil you’ve ever seen, her adorable, loving husband Jeffery and the food….oh the food! I promise, after watching just one episode you’ll feel at the same time relaxed and completely inspired!

This tequila lime chicken recipe is now one of my all times favorites. Everyone knows chicken is a great lean protein choice when you want a healthy dinner, but let’s be honest, it can be a little boring. That’s why I can’t get enough of this recipe! It’s a zesty marinade of fresh orange and lime juice, garlic and tequila with a kick from chile power and jalapeno pepper. Oh it’s so delicious and it makes chicken an enticing and best of all HEALTHY dinner choice. I love serving it with Ina’s french potato salad and some blasted garlic broccoli. You just have to try it!

-Caitlin

 

LOW CALORIE DESSERT! Rich and DELICIOUS Chocolate Pie

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I am an unabashed lover of all things dessert…in fact, I frequently say that (and a weakness for pizza) is why I spend so much time in the gym. When I came across this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine I knew I had to make it. I was ooey, gooey chocolatey goodness and (bonus!) I could serve it will whipped topping which I love to a fault. Each serving only has 311 calories and to be honest the pie is so rich. even a small slice is enough to satisfy the most extreme chocoholic. You can substitute vanilla or Kahlua for the rum but don’t skimp on the type of chocolate you use. Bittersweet is best and try to find the best chocolate you can to get the richest flavor… I found a calumet block at Whole Foods that worked perfectly. Serve with a few fresh raspberries or strawberries and you will have a guilt free, decedent, delicious chocolate dessert!

Healthy Recipe: Grilled Copper River Salmon with Garlic, Mustard Crust and Blasted Broccoli

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It’s officially Copper River Salmon season in Seattle, so my husband and I decided to make one of our favorite summer time salmon recipes the other night. It’s just a simply grilled salmon with a sort of marinade/crust that my Mom created made from horseradish mustard, chopped garlic and a squeeze of lemon. We top the salmon with the marinade/sauce a few minutes before putting in on the grill, and in no time we have a delicious, incredibly flavorful  dinner with that has just a touch of heat and spice. I’m not actually a huge fan of fish and have only been eating it for about a year (which is really a crime given that I live in Seattle a city brimming with amazing salmon), but I love this preparation. The marinade turns into a fabulous crust and brings out layers of flavor without masking the richness of the salmon.  I love serving it with blasted broccoli…to make it just heat garlic and olive oil over medium high heat in a pan and throw in partially blanched broccoli for 90 seconds, season with a little salt and pepper.

This dinner is so easy (especially when served with with a Whole Foods pre-made side pasta salad) and supremely healthy with all the antioxidants, Omega 3 fatty acids and protein. But most importantly…it’s delicious!