Healthy Carrot Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Balls

A slightly odd mix of ingredients, but they're pretty good!  It's nice to have a sweet little snack that's not completely bad for you!

Adapted from Squash Blossom Babies
Ingredients:
• 2 ripe bananas
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 cups oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup grated carrots
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Mash the bananas in a large bowl.  Then add in the peanut butter and applesauce and mix.  

Pour in the remaining ingredients and combine. 

Using your hands, make 1 inch balls and place on a greased baking sheet or parchment paper.  

Bake for 10-14 minutes until firm.

Enjoy this little healthy & sweet treat!

Veggie Mac & Cheese

I think I've made over a dozen different kinds of veggie mac and cheese in the past couple of years.  It's a favorite of my family and I like having those hidden veggies in there!

Adapted from Around the Plate
Ingredients:
• 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 3/4 cup skim milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 10 oz. package of frozen squash, thawed
• 2 cups pasta (the kind with veggies mixed in works great too!)
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1. Boil your water for the pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, preheat the oven to 450 and spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  Squeeze the excess water out of the thawed spinach.  I usually take it in handfuls and squeeze it in the sink.

3.  Heat the milk and squash in a small pot until warm. Stir occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken.

4. Remove the sauce from the heat and add in the cheddar cheese. After the cheese melts, add in the Greek yogurt and a little salt & pepper.

5.  When the pasta water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for only about  4 minutes.  The rest will get cooked in the oven.

6. Drain the water from the pasta and combine with the cheese sauce and spinach.  

7. Spread the mixture into the baking dish and top with breadcrumbs.

8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy.

9. Remove from the oven and top with Parmesan cheese.

 

Baked Healthy Cauliflower Cheddar Muffins

Another successful hidden veggie recipe!  I may or may not have eaten these as my dinner for a couple nights because I love them so much!

Adapted from Cupcakes & Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower (about 4-5 cups)

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used low fat)

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup cornmeal

• pinch of salt & pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

1. Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

2. Chop cauliflower into small pieces and puree in the food processor.

3. Combine cauliflower puree and other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

4. Lightly grease muffin tins or muffin liners and spoon mixture into cups.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

They came out amazing and my son thought they were cupcakes!

Healthy Zucchini Raisin Bread

I avoided buying a food processor for years.  I hate having too many appliances clutter up the kitchen and I feel like they never get used enough.  But after struggling without one for way too long, I finally gave in.  I actually bought it with this recipe in mind and I was really impressed with how amazing it worked!  I had no idea how easy it would be to shred zucchini!  My goal is to use the food processor at least a few times a year, so this is a good start!

Adapted from Healthy Seasonal Recipes

(Makes 2 loaves)
Ingredients:
• non-stick cooking spray
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3.5 cups shredded zucchini (I used four zucchinis in a food processor to make this much)
• 1 pound zucchini, shredded (about 3 ½ cups)
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray loaf pans with cooking spray.

3. In a large bowl, whisk flours, spices, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4.  Mix in eggs, oil, honey, vanilla, and zucchini. Add in the pats and raisins and stir gently.

5.  Pour mixture into loaf pans and bake for about 50 minutes or until baked throughout.  (I also made one batch in a 9x9 pan and that only needed to bake for about 35 minutes.)

Pasta with Sausage and Butternut Squash

If you are looking for a new and unique recipe for your family, I definitely recommend you try this.  We absolutely loved it in our house and we'll be making it again soon!  It's a great way to add some veggies and protein into your pasta for a well-balanced meal.

Find the recipe at Good Housekeeping here.  The two adjustments I made were that I used veggie pasta, so it had even more veggies in it and turkey sausage to make it a little healthier.

Zucchini and Squash Galette

I saw this recipe on Crazy for Crust and it caught my eye.  It looked gorgeous, light, and pretty healthy so I was excited to try it for my family

It was absolutely amazing!  I definitely suggest you try this if you like zucchini and squash!

Eggplant Parmesan Fries

Another great way to hide some veggies in something yummy that the family will eat!  These were really crunchy and breaded like fries and hardly tasted like veggies at all!

Adapted from Heavenly Savings
Ingredients:
• non-stick cooking spray
• 1 eggplant
• Croutons (any flavor)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (or any other seasoning you prefer)
• marinara or ketchup for dipping

1.  Peel the skin off the eggplant using a vegetable peeler. Slice it into thin strips to about the size of French fries. 

2. Pour croutons, seasoning and parmesan cheese into a plastic bag with a zip top.  Crush the croutons and mix well.

3. Pour a handful of eggplant slices into the bag and coat them with the mixture.

4.  Place breaded eggplant on a cookie sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until slightly crispy.

6. Serve with dipping sauce or by itself is even delicious!

We loved them at our house!  Definitely a keeper recipe!

Healthier Broccoli Mac & Cheese

Mac & cheese is a current favorite in our house.  We all eat it and love it!  I try to find unique recipes with veggies hidden inside to make them a little healthier.  We all loved this recipe from Skinny Taste and I wanted to share it with you.  We followed the recipe almost exactly, but I doubled the onion and added a little extra broccoli.  So good!

Hidden Cauliflower Mac & Cheese

It takes some effort to get Hubby to eat his veggies. He'd prefer french fries as his source of vegetables if he could! I thought this recipe from Jamie Oliver sounded like a great way to add some veggie nutrition to mac & cheese. We were very happy with how it turned out and I didn't feel too bad about pigging out!

Ingredients:
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. parmesan cheese
• bunch of parsley
• salt
• 16 oz. macaroni
• 1 cup sour cream

Cut the cauliflower into small florets.   

Finely chop the parsley leaves. 

For the pasta, boil your water in a large pot and then add the macaroni and cauliflower.  Cook according to the pasta directions on the box.

Pour all the shredded cheese into a small saucepan and add the sour cream.  Heat with a low flame and stir every so often until the cheese is smooth and melted.  Add all the chopped parsley to the melted cheese and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Drain the macaroni in a colander over a bow and reserve the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan, pour in the melted cheese, and mix well. It should have a silky consistency, but if it’s too thick, add a splash of your cooking water to thin it.  (Mine did not need this, but I think everyone eats their mac differently)

To add a little extra crispy texture to the mac, I put the entire mixture in a 9x13 pan and baked it for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until golden brown on top.  You could even add some breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping.

Yummy Spinach & Artichoke Frittata

I saw this recipe on a great blog and I knew Hubby would love it. We were excited to try it and it was SO yummy! In fact, I just finished the last piece right before I typed this up : )

(Adapted from Cara's Cravings)
Ingredients:
• 10 oz. package fresh spinach
• 1/2 c water
• 4 eggs
• 5 oz. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/8 t pepper
• 1/2 t basil
• 1 oz. parmesan cheese
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 c chopped onion
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 14 oz. can of artichokes, drained & chopped
• 3 oz. crumbled goat cheese

Preheat over to 400. Chop spinach into small pieces and place in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/2 c water and microwave for 4 minutes to steam spinach.

Whisk eggs, yogurt, salt, pepper, basil, and parmesan cheese in a bowl.

Pour olive oil into a pan and heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft.

Add garlic and artichokes and cook for 1 more minute.

Then add the steamed spinach to the pan.

Increase heat to high and pour in the egg mixture. Cook for a few more minutes and stir gently. Let the mixture start to set in the pan.

Add crumbled goat cheese on the top and place the pan in the preheated oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Amazing!
Great for a brunch or even leftover dinner as I did tonight : )

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