Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

First off, make note, when making broccoli cheddar soup be sure to grab the plain [almond] milk and not the vanilla flavored. Secondly, if you grab said almond milk from the fridge and it says "unsweetened" don't assume that it is plain.

If you add vanilla you might just ruin dinner.

Unless your me and you don't let food go to waste. So you just add more cheese, sour cream and hot sauce to cover up the vanilla smell. Honestly though, you couldn't really "taste" the vanilla. It was just the smell thing.

Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1 tsp evoo
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1.5 lbs broccoli florets, cut in small pieces
1 carton chicken stock (or veggie)
2 cups low fat sharp cheddar (more if mess ups ensue)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk (anything besides vanilla)

In a large stock pot, brown onion in evoo. Add carrots and celery and just enough chicken stock to cover veggies (about 1/3 cup). Simmer until veggies are tender and then transfer to food processor. Blend veggies into a chunky mixture.

In the same stock pot, add potatoes, broccoli and remaining chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Add carrot, celery and onion mixture to the pot. Use a potato masher or electric mixer to blend together. You can do more or less depending on how chunky you want your soup to be. I like mine kind of chunky.

Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for several minutes. Be sure not to scorch the milk and cheese. Serve with extra cheese, hot sauce and a crusty piece of bread.

Enjoy!
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Orange Peel Shrimp and Vegetarian Fried Rice

After seeing Orange Peel Shrimp on Eat Live Run the other day, I was feeling inspired to make an Asian inspired meal for the Chinese New Year. I have had orange chicken on my mind for several weeks but I liked the idea of using shrimp instead and that the recipe happened to be gluten free.

As I pulled up to the grocery store to get my supplies I spotted my favorite Chinese takeout place. I thought for a second about just cheating my well thought out dinner plans of a homemade meal for some quick take out that would be ready in minutes, but I stuck to my original plan and was very happy about the results! The meal took about an hour to prep and cook from start to finish but I'm sure this healthier version was better than any greasy take out.

Orange Peel Shrimp recipe by Jenna of eatliverun.com
Note: you might think to yourself when make this
"that's not nearly enough sauce for all of this shrimp!"
but don't worry it is!

Vegetarian Fried Rice by Me

4 cups cooked brown Basmati rice
3 eggs
1/2 onion, diced
2 cups frozen peas & carrots
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1.5 tbs GF soy sauce
1.5 tbs fish sauce
1.5 tbs sesame seed oil
1.5 tbs rice wine vinegar

Cook rice to package instructions (note that this takes about 50 mins).

While rice is cooking, make your orange peel shrimp. :-)

Once rice is close to being complete, mix ginger, soy, fish sauce, sesame seed oil, and vinegar together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs and then scramble in a large frying pan with a small amount of cooking spray. Remove eggs from pan and set aside.

In same frying pan add the onion. Let cook for several minutes until they begin to brown and then add peas and carrots plus 2 tbs of water. Allow veggies to cook for another 2 mins. Fluff your rice and add to veggie mixture. Pour soy mixture sauce over rice and toss well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Allow for rice to "fry" or brown by stirring less frequently. Toss in scrambled eggs and serve warm.

Enjoy!

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Roasted Veggie Sandwich

I've been working a lot since the beggining of the year (is it really only the 12th?!) so quick, easy and healthy meals have been key! A delicious lunch can be made in just minutes with a little prepping or with some help from my little friend, Whole Foods. I bought a container of grilled veggies (portabella, zucchini, red onion, eggplant, bell pepper, asparagus) from the produce section of Whole Foods for only $5. I chopped a bit of everything up and nuked for a minute in the microwave. Serve on some Rudi's GF bread with a wedge of Laughing Cow. There were enough veggies to make 4 veggie-packed sandwiches. Now you know what I've been eating all week! ;-)

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BBQ Chicken Pasta

When I originally saw this recipe on Prevention RD it wasn't something that peaked my interest but I knew someone who would really fancy BBQ chicken pasta. So I figured I'd give it a shot. To my surprise, although I really shouldn't be surprised, I really liked this pasta! It was rich, creamy and cheesy with pretty good nutritional stats. Since there were not very many veggies in the pasta, I steamed some broccoli, snap peas and carrots to go on the side.

I pretty much followed the recipe on Prevention RD subbing whole wheat pasta for a gluten free varietal, plain yogurt for Greek yogurt, and omitting the raw onions. I'm also pretty sure that I added some extra cheese. ;-)


Enjoy!

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Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

I had these buffalo chicken sandwiches at a friends home the other day and they were so good I knew I needed to recreate. Best part is they're super easy and can cook in the Crock Pot while you're at work. These would work great as sliders for a party or Superbowl or just as a delicious meal after a long day of work.

Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1 12 oz bottle hot sauce (I used Frank's Buffalo)
1/2 package of ranch mix season packet (like the Hidden Valley kind)

for sauce:
8 0z of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
3 oz blue cheese crumbles
1 tbs dill weed

Place chicken in crock pot and cover with hot sauce and ranch mix. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is fully cooked. Used fork and knife to shred chicken and stir together entire pot so all the chicken is saucy. To make sauce, mix together ingredients and let chill for 1 hour.

Serve on your favorite gluten free (or regular) buns with a dollop of blue cheese dip. Serve with sweet potato fries or a side of your choice!

Enjoy!