Author Archives: teesnutrition

Chicken in Paper Baked with Peppers, Tomatoes, Herbs and Cheese

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Excuse the late blog but I was just flicking through all the recipes I have to pick out one to use in this week’s recipe of the week at my Shape Up Challenge and Nutrition Class when I found this recipe stashed away in my recipe book 🙂

About 2 years ago, I really started to experiment with healthy recipes and this was one of the first healthy recipes I tried out for a healthy dinner idea. I was in college at the time so it’s budget and time friendly 😀

I went through a phase of making this recipe constantly for my dinner so no wonder I had forgotten about it because I haven’t made it in so long now but I can’t wait to try it again soon because it really is delicious!!

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Photo credit is by the original recipe because I couldn’t get a good snap! Here’s the link to the original recipe – http://www.foodista.com/blog/2013/10/24/chicken-in-paper-baked-with-peppers-tomatoes-herbs-and-cheese

But in my own words.. here it is..

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 2 chicken fillets
  • 6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil/ rapeseed oil/ coconut oil (better to cook with rapeseed or coconut oil because unlike olive oil these oils do not turn into a bad fat when heated up to high temperatures!)
  • 1 celery stalk, trimmed and chopped
  • 2 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into rings or slices
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into rings or slices
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp. dried organo
  • 250g feta cheese cut into cubes
  • salt & pepper to taste

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Cut the chicken fillets into large cubes and toss with oil, salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet and brown the chicken lightly. Remove and set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tbsp oil and sauté the onions, celery, peppers and garlic until softened but not mushy. Remove.
  4. Divide the chicken and vegetables evenly into 4 portions. Place the chicken first on a piece of parchment paper about 12” square. Sprinkle with oregano and top with the vegetables and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Bring two sides of the paper together and fold over in 3-4 pleats. Fold the sides in to create 4 small (yet not too tight!) packages.
  5. Place on a sheet pan and bake for 45 minutes.
  6. To serve, place each package on a plate and carefully open the top of each.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee. X

Guilt Free Carrot Cake

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I love carrot cake but I especially love this one knowing that it is guilt free and healthy 😀

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 cups oat flour (blend/process 2 cups of porridge oats until it is flour like)
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 5 large egg whites
  • 1 + 1/2 carrots grated
  • 1/2 cup agave syrup/honey/maple syrup

Frosting

  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1/2 cup greek yoghurt (I used FAGE)
  • 1 + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 + 1/2 tsp agave syrup/honey/maple syrup
  • walnuts, chopped (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment/grease proof paper.
  3. In a large mixing bowl combine all the cake dry ingredients and mix well. Grate the carrots into this bowl.
  4. In another bowl, combine the cake wet ingredients and stir well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.IMG_4836[1]
  5. Pour the batter into your prepared tin, smooth out the top with a spoon and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the middle of the cake is firm (knife comes out clean). Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.IMG_4837[1]
  6. While the cake is cooling combine all the frosting ingredients in a blender and process down until it is nice and smooth and you can no longer see the cottage cheese chunks.
  7. Pour onto the cooled cake, smooth out with a spatula and sprinkle with toppings of choice (I used chopped up walnuts). Refrigerate overnight or for 1-2 hours to allow the frosting to set.IMG_4838[1]

Enjoy 🙂

Tee X

Falafel Pita Pouches

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Finally got around to making falafel 😀 Can’t wait to share this recipe with you, once you try falafel you’ll never look back 😀 The main ingredient of falafel are chickpeas which are a great source of plant protein and fibre keeping you fuller for longer 🙂

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Ingredients (Makes 10-12 medium sized falafels)

  • 2 x 400g canned chickpeas
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 small onion, quartered
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp olive oil/rapeseed oil
  • 1/2 cup tahini (for dressing) *optional
  • pita breads

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C.
  2. Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the garlic, onion, cumin, chilli powder, herb, salt, pepper, baking soda, and lemon juice. Pulse until everything is minced but not puréed. Add water tablespoon by tablespoon if necessary to help combine all the ingredients but try keep the mixture as dry as possible. (My food processor just barely minced it up so we mashed it all up afterwards – no problem 🙂 ) Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more pepper, chilli powder as needed.
  3. Grease a large baking tray with olive oil or else use baking parchment.
  4. Use your hands to shape falafel into medium sized balls (could flatten to make into patties if you like!).
  5. Brush top with olive/rapeseed oil. Bake for 15 minutes each side (30 minutes total).
  6. *Make dressing sauce by combining tahini with 1/2 cup of water and season with salt to taste.
  7. Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and tahini dressing in a pita bread.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee. X

Grilled Peri Peri Chicken & Roast Paprika Veggies

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Ingredients

  • 1 chicken fillet
  • peri peri hot sauce
  • paprika
  • 50g washed kale
  • small can of chickpeas
  • 1 courgette cut into slices
  • rapeseed oil for roasting
  • pepper for seasoning kale

Method

1. Heat your oven to 200°C. Drain the can of chickpeas and place in a roasting tin. Coat in 1tbsp rapeseed oil and paprika and place into the oven for 10 minutes before adding in the courgette.

2. Prepare the chicken for grilling, coat in peri peri sauce and paprika (you can do this couple of hours before hand and leave marinading if you prefer).

3. At the same time – add the courgette to the roasting tin with the chickpeas, drizzle with rapeseed oil and paprika. Start to grill the chicken. Should take about 15-20 minutes.

4. In the last 5 minutes of roasting, add in the kale and drizzle with some rapeseed oil and pepper. The kale roasts fast so be careful it doesn’t burn on you 😛

Enjoy 🙂

Tee x

Quinoa, Turkey & Veggie Bowl

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • chicken/veg stock cube
  • 250g ground turkey
  • 1tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/3 cup grated carrot
  • 1/3 cup sliced red pepper
  • 1 cup broccoli
  • black pepper
  • garlic powder

Method

  1. Place water, quinoa and stock cube in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
  2. In a saucepan at medium heat, add the rapeseed oil and ground turkey, stir to separate the turkey while cooking. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the red pepper, carrots, broccoli, pepper and garlic powder. Cook for 3 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, add the quinoa. Mix together.

Serve in a bowl and enjoy 🙂

Tee x

Quinoa Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes

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Ingredients

  • 6/8 medium ripe tomatoes
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • chicken/veg stock cube
  • rapeseed oil
  • 2/3 handfuls of fresh spinach
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
  • ground pepper, to taste
  • parmesan/mozzarella/goats shredded cheese

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Slice off the stem end of the tomatoes and hollow out the inside. Slice just a small section off of the bottom of the tomatoes just so that they will sit flat on your baking tray. Sprinkle a pinch of salt in the hollow portion of each tomato and place tomatoes, hollow side up on a baking tray. Set aside.
  2. Place water, stock cube and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in a frying pan and add spinach. Season with pepper, and cook until wilted. Mix in the parsley.
  4. Remove from heat, add in the cooked quinoa and mix well.
  5. Evenly divide the filling among the tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Remove foil, sprinkle tops with preferred choice of cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve and enjoy 🙂

Tee x

Turkey Steaks with a Ginger Lemon Honey Sauce, Steamed Broccoli & Sweet Potato Mash

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Had this dinner one evening I was fighting off a flu as it’s the perfect dinner to fight off a flu and help your immune system. This meal is a great source of antioxidants, vitamin A and C from the sweet potato, broccoli, lemon and honey. The honey and ginger also provide antibacterial, anti inflammatory and antiviral properities 😉 Ok enough nutrition facts – now go make it! 😛

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Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • rapeseed oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 4 turkey breast steaks
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp cold water
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • steamed broccoli, to serve

Method (Serves 4)

  1. Place sweet potato in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain. Heat the pan over medium heat. Spray with oil. Add cumin. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the sweet potato. Use a fork to mash.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray with oil. Cook turkey for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium. Spray with oil. Add ginger and lemon rind. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add stock, lemon juice and honey. Combine water and cornflour in a bowl. Stir into stock mixture. Bring to boil. Simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes or until reduces slightly. Add turkey. Cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
  3. Divide mash, turkey and broccoli among serving plates. Top with sauce.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee x

Turkey Meatballs

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Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 small zucchini, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 yellow pepper, finely chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1.5 lbs ground chicken (or turkey)
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Heat the rapeseed oil on high in a large skillet. When oil gets hot, toss in the zucchini, peppers, garlic, red pepper flakes and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes, transfer to a dish and allow to cool.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken, cooled veggies, parsley, egg, breadcrumbs and cheese (Add some extra red pepper flakes if you like it spicy).
  3. Place some baking parchment/tin foil on a baking tray.
  4. Form your meatballs and place on the tray. If mixture is too sticky to handle, coat your hands with rapeseed oil.
  5. Lightly drizzle a large pan with rapeseed oil and cook the meatballs in batches – for about 5 minutes per side, on medium low heat. You can crack one open to make sure they are cooked through. You may also bake them at 200°C for 20 minutes.

Makes between 20-30 meatballs depending on the size you make them!

Serve with tomato sauce/spaggetti/quinoa/spinach/salad/sweet potato fries and sweet’n sour sauce goes well with them too 😀

Enjoy 🙂

Tee x

9 Snacks UNDER 200 Calories

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Herbalife Director of Nutrition Education Susan Bowerman, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D. suggests snacks under 200 calories, with 10 grams of protein and close to 5 grams of fiber.

  1. Frozen Yoghurt Cup/Bites – 100g serving of Organic Greek Style Natural Yoghurt and 1 cup of sliced strawberries. Using these ingredients you can make Frozen Yoghurt Bites by placing 1 tsp of yoghurt into each ice cube mould + slice of strawberry + another layer of yoghurt on top; pop in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until set. Alternatively you could make a Frozen Yoghurt Cup using the same ingredients place the yoghurt into a cup and dip the sliced strawberries in as well. You could pop a stick in as well to make it look like an ice lolly. Best to prepare this in the morning or night before so you have this snack ready for the day ahead.

🙂 = 175 kcal + 5g protein per serving.

  1. Smoky Paprika-Baked Chickpeas – Whether you’re between meals or craving a midnight snack, there’s no need to feel guilty about getting your fill. This healthy, spiced snack is lower in calories and fat than other go-to options, like nuts, and is sure to leave you feeling more than satisfied. You will need 1tsp onion powder, 1tbsp smoked paprika and 30oz canned chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Pour the chickpeas into a medium mixing bowl with the onion powder and smoked paprika. Mix well. Spread the coated chickpeas onto a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour approx, stirring occasionally, until crisp and brown. Cool to room temperature before eating. (Store leftovers in an airtight container.)

🙂 = 176kcal + 9g protein per serving.

  1. Cottage Cheese-Filled Avocado – The perfect snack for when you’re craving something rich, creamy, and a bit savoury. Cut an avocado in half, remove the pit from one half and fill the space with 60g cottage cheese.

🙂 = 120kcal + 7g protein per half avocado filled.

  1. Cherry Tomatoes with Goat Cheese – Dividing evenly, top 5 halved large cherry tomatoes with 2 tbsp goat cheese. Sprinkle with chopped herbs (such as chives, basil or parsley.

🙂 = 95kcal + 6g protein + 1g fiber.

  1. Warm Pear with Cinnamon Ricotta – Ricotta cheese is rich in protein, and pears are a good source of fiber. Together with a teaspoon of cinnamon, they make a delicious snack for any time of the day. You will need 1 small pear (halved and cored), ¼ cup ricotta cheese and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. Preheat broiler/grill or toaster oven. Place pear on a baking sheet and broil 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Combine ricotta and cinnamon in a small bowl. Top warm pear with ricotta mixture.

🙂 = 170kcal + 8g protein + 5g fiber.

  1. Bagel with Ricotta and Strawberries – Spread ½ toasted whole-grain bagel with 2 tbsp ricotta. Top with ½ cup sliced strawberries. Drizzle with 1 tsp honey or agave syrup.

🙂 = 185kcal + 7g protein + 4g fibre.

  1. Melon with Parma Ham and Feta Cheese – Cut half of a melon into slices. Tear up a slice of parma ham into thin strips and place the strips on top of the slices of melon. Sprinkle 1 oz (30g) feta cheese on top.

🙂 = 185kcal + 10g protein + 2g fibre.

  1. Frozen Nutty Banana Nibblers – You will need 5 medium ripe bananas, 1 tbsp natural crunchy/smooth peanut butter and 2oz Organic Greek Style Natural Yoghurt. Peel one banana and mash it with the nut butter and yoghurt. Set aside. Peel the other four bananas. Slice into half-inch thick slices. Smear the mixture on half the banana slices and top with the other halves, making banana sandwiches. Place on a wooden cutting board or a plate and freeze for at least 2 hours. Yum!

🙂 = I’m not quite sure of the calorie content of each of these nibblers individually but I would say 4 nibblers (depending on how big or small you make them) would be about the 200kcal so don’t eat them all at once!!

  1. Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites – You will need 5 thick cucumber slices (more if you like!), 1(30g) slice of smoked salmon (cut into small pieces), 30g of goat cheese. Arrange cucumber slices on a plate and top with goat cheese and smoked salmon pieces.

🙂 = 134kcal + 10g protein.

Other great snacks under 200 calories would be Herbalife’s protein bars, gourmet tomato soup and roasted soybeans – ask your coach about these.

Quinoa Fruit Bowl

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A quick and nutritious breakfast or lunch idea 🙂

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 2 tbsp nut butter of choice eg. peanut, cashew, almond butter
  • toasted coconut
  • toasted ground almonds
  • fruit of choice for topping – I used bananas, strawberries and raspberries

Method

  1. In a medium saucepan bring the quinoa to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 mins.
  2. Remove from heat, drain and mix in the nut butter.
  3. Divide into bowls.
  4. Spread the fruit, coconut and ground almonds on top.

Enjoy 🙂

Tee x