Zucchini & Squash Oven Chips

I actually thought I posted this recipe a looong time ago when I first made it. As it turns out, I do have another zucchini/squash oven chip recipe... but it's not the same one. Those are kind of breaded with Parmesan and Panko, and they are delicious... but..... these aren't breaded at all and practically zero calories! So anyway, I added the word "breaded" to the other recipe, and I'm just calling this one Zucchini & Squash Oven Chips.

squash/zucchini (however much you want to make)

Generally, you'll need 1 baking sheet per zucchini/squash.

Cut your zucchini/squash very thin. You can use a mandolin blade, but I find I can actually slice them thinner than that myself. So whatever works for you.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Lay chips flat on sheet touching each other - they'll shrink when baking. Spray olive oil over the top and sprinkle with a little salt & pepper. Bake 20-30 min.

You will really need to stand there and watch for the last 10 min or so. Since I sliced mine by hand, they weren't all the exact same thickness, so they finished at different times. I started pulling the thinnest off the sheet at about 20 min, and left some on until the 30 min mark, even 35 min. Pull them off the sheet and let them cool right as they start to brown and get crisp.

Crispy Baked Mushrooms

Just another delicious way to eat mushrooms!

8 (ounces) button mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1 egg white
3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano (Parmesan can be substituted)
4 tbsp Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
marinara sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. In a large Ziploc bag combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
Place egg white in a separate large Ziploc bag. Add mushrooms and shake to coat.
Remove mushrooms and place in breadcrumb bag and shake well to coat evenly. Place mushrooms in an even layer on the baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara for dipping.

Original recipe found here.

Baked Butternut Squash Fries

I had some of my mom's butternut squash sitting on my counter for a while... I came across this recipe for fries on Pinterest and thought I'd give it a try. Really good! They get crispy like real fries.

butternut squash (the longer the trunk of it the better for getting more fries. I used 1 small squash, but I was just making enough for myself. You can use however much you want.) 

salt (coarse sea salt is best)

parchment paper

Pre-heat the oven to broil. My oven has low and high broil options, I used low.

Using a a strong vegetable peeler or knife. Peel the outside of the squash. Cut off the bulb shaped part of the squash. Cut the long part of the squash into skinny even fry like strips. They should be as uniform as possible for best results. If you make thicker fries you may need to bake them after the initial broiling at 400 degrees or until done.

Lay the fries out on a paper towel. Sprinkle evenly with FINE salt and let sit for 30 minutes. This helps the squash to 'sweat' and pull some of the water out. When they are finished sweating pat dry.

Place the fries on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Broil the fries for a few minutes on one side. You want them to start getting a little bit of  a 'skin' but not to burn. Take the pan out of the oven and using a spatula flip the fries over. Do the same for this side. You will need to keep broiling and flipping a few times to ensue even browning and dryness. 

Everybody's oven is different, so cooking times will very. For this reason, it is normal to have some of the fries burn (the smaller thinner ones of the bunch, that's why uniformity is so important). You can take out the fries that finish early and continue to flip and broil till they are done.

If you find that your broiler is too hot, you can lower the oven rack. Just remember, the goal is to cook the fries quickly (as you would in frying) That way the inside doesn't have time to get mushy. 

Butternut squash can burn easily, so toward the end of cooking keep a close eye on them or you will end up with a heap of charred squash. But don't take them out too soon either, be patient enough to let them get browned.

When finished sprinkle lightly with salt. Cool the fries slightly on a paper towel, spreading them out so they are not laying on top of each other. This will make them get soggy. Eat and enjoy!

Original recipe found here.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

I think I have gained a solid 5 pounds alone just by eating these!! They are DELICIOUS! I rarely make desserts, but I gave the gingerbread cheesecake bites to my team, and I made the Reeses Bites (see the end of this post) for Christmas. I have eaten way too many of both! Operation Veggies happens tomorrow. ;)

1 (30 oz) package Pillsbury Gingerbread Cookie Dough (refrigerated section)
4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll two teaspoons of cookie dough into a ball for each cookie. Place balls of dough into paper liners mini cupcake/muffin pan. Make a well/indentation into each ball of dough with a flour dipped mini rolling pin or the back of a measurement teaspoon. Bake for 9 min. The dough will rise a lot. I just pushed the indention back down and baked about 3 more min. Let cool a little bit while you make the frosting.

Beat room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla. Place filling into a piping bag, cut off edge of bag. Place one teaspoon or so of filling into each area of cookie dough. Then I placed mine in the fridge to help harden the cream cheese.

Original recipe found here.

This recipe inspired me to try something similar! I used peanut butter cookie dough and Reeses cups instead of gingerbread & cream cheese. You make them the exact same way, just with peanut butter dough and Reeses! Very tasty.

Black Bean & Corn Baked Egg Rolls

These are so yummy. I have made something similar before: Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls with Cilantro Cream Sauce. Those are made with tortillas and chicken (the sauce is amazing), but these are made with actual egg roll wrappers and no meat. Both are delicious. I love how crispy the egg roll wrappers get.

1 can corn (15 oz)
1 can black beans (15 oz, drained/rinsed)
1 1/2 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 can diced green chiles (drained, 4 oz)
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pkg egg roll wrappers (about 20)

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa.

Original recipe found here.

Buffalo Cauliflower

I've been looking for other ways to prepare our favorite veggies, since we have been eating so much of them. Will and I agreed this was interesting... and in a GOOD way! It's really easy to do too. If you're a fan of buffalo sauce, buffalo wings, whatever... I'm sure you'll love this! We dipped ours in some lite ranch dressing.

1 head of cauliflower

For the batter
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c water
dash of Frank's Wing Sauce (or Frank's Original Hot Sauce)
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dried onion

For the buffalo sauce
1/4 c Frank's Wing Sauce
3 tbsp salted butter, melted
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray (I always use olive oil spray) and set aside. Wash your head of cauliflower and cut into pieces. I made a variety of sizes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the batter ingredients. Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter until fully and evenly coated. Place onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 15 minutes until the batter just hardens.

In a small bowl, mix together the buffalo sauce ingredients. Once the cauliflower are done, remove from the oven and brush with the buffalo sauce. Again, fully and evenly coat each piece.

Put back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes (I think 5-7 minutes was my range), until  the sauce has mostly dried and the cauliflower is crispy. Remove from the oven, let cool, then enjoy! 

Original recipe found here.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I never liked sweet potatoes. Even with all the marshmallows on top during Thanksgiving... I just couldn't do it. I recently found out that these days I LIKE sweet potatoes. Will's mom made some roasted sweet potatoes a couple months back that were delicious, then I tried sweet potato fries and they were amazing! So now my mom has a bounty of sweet potatoes from her garden. I made these baked sweet potato fries and they were SO delicious. Super tasty. I like to say my tastebuds have matured. ;) I should try fish again to see if I like that now too!

Another time I made these thinner:

2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 3 large ones)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp spice of your choice (I had no idea what to use so I just used some Cajun seasoning - one of the suggested spices...)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut up. I did flat sticks kind of, but you could also do rounds or wedges. Put sweet potatoes in a large bowl, and add the olive oil, sugar, salt, and spices. Toss and mix well.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place wire rack on top of it. Spray with olive oil. Lay potatoes on the rack and bake for a total of 25-30 min. After 15 min I flipped them over and continued cooking. I didn't need anything with them, they were so good!

Original recipe found here.

Cheesy Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

It all started when I ran out of Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese spread wedges. I usually like to spread that in jalapenos, peppers, etc. and bake them. So I had this bag of sweet mini peppers, with no LC Cheese. I did have fat free cream cheese though. So I started searching for healthy recipes with with that, and came across this one. Very tasty and looks nice on the plate too!

12-15 mini sweet peppers
1 c fat free cream cheese, softened
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c chopped green onions
1/2 c part-skim shredded mozzarella.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Cut the mini peppers in half, and remove seeds & membrane. Leave the stems on to make it easier to pick these up. In a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients (except mozz) and stir until well blended. Spoon mixture evenly into pepper halves. Sprinkle mozzarella over each half. Place pepper halves on prepared baking sheet and bake 10-15 min. Then eat these creamy, cheesy things!

Original recipe found here.

I made the delicious Cauliflower Fried Rice tonight, but we also added some chicken Will grilled. Yum!

Delicious Marinated Tomatoes & Cucumbers

I could have eaten the entire bowl of this! I made some lower cal substitutions from the original recipe - It called for 3/4 c olive oil! I used 1 tbsp and it was perfect. In fact, I think that would be SO oily with 3/4 c. I also used a sugar substitute in place of the real sugar. I liked getting to use so much of my fresh basil and parsley! Delicious, fresh summer side!

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp sugar (I used a sugar substitute)
1½ tsp garlic salt
1½ tsp seasoned salt
¾ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
½ c red wine vinegar
4 green onions, sliced
6 whole Tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 large cucumbers, seeded & chopped

Whisk together everything except the tomatoes/cucumbers. Add the tomatoes and cucumbers and toss to coat.  Marinate in the fridge! YUM!

Original recipe found here.

Chickpea & Tomato Salad with Fresh Basil

Definitely going to take this as part of my lunch during school. The recipe is two servings, coming in at 245 cal. But it's really filling! I will probably even split the recipe into 3 servings next time. We only get about 20 minutes to eat when it's all said and done, and even then I can never eat much because there is just too much on my mind. Too much to do! But anyway, this is SO good!

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
About 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
25 large basil leaves, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp honey
pinch of salt

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to merge. Then EAT!

Original recipe found here.

Healthy Pineapple Whip

This is just like a TCBY Sorbet. So simple and a great sweet treat for summer.

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped (and frozen)
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp honey

* I halved this recipe and it was enough for Will and I to both have a good amount. (1/2 fresh pineapple, 1/2 c almond milk, 1/2 tbsp honey)

In your blender or food processor (I used my Ninja) pulverize all ingredients until super smooth. Spoon into a bowl and serve immediately!

Original recipe found here.

Baked Sriracha Cream Cheese Wontons

If you really know me, you know I'm obsessed with crab rangoons. Well, I don't deal with crab myself, so cream cheese wontons are the best I can do - and I found these that are made with Sriracha, which Will and I love. I also made this spicy soy dipping sauce that the original recipe had with it. It's really good, but I ate mine without it. Will used the dipping sauce tho!

Sriracha Cream Cheese Wontons (Makes about 25)
1 brick of 1/3 less fat cream cheese (8 oz)
Wonton wrappers
3 tsp chopped chives
5 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (more/less depending on you)
Olive Oil cooking spray

Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce
1/4 c lite soy sauce
2 tbsp stone ground mustard
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1  1/2 tbsp honey
2 tsp Sriracha chili sauce
2 tsp lemon juice

Mix together your chives, cream cheese, and Sriracha really well. Use about a 1/2 tbsp of the mixture- too much will explode out the side. Make sure to use water to wet the edges of the wonton as you're folding it - it'll glue the sides together really well. When you fold it in half, make sure to push all the air bubbles out.

Spray both sides before baking at 350 degrees for 7-18 minutes. Now, this completely depends on your oven. The original recipe said 7 minutes, but mine took more like 16-17 to get crispy. For the dipping sauce just mix it all together!

Original recipe found here.

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

This is delicious! I made this to take for lunch. Will got home, tried it, and now he has to take it for lunch too. It's that good. Very healthy as well. In fact, it's so good I feel like I should take it to a family event soon or something. The original recipe was Minted Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta. I don't like mint unless it's with chocolate or something sweet, so I left it out.

4 cups chicken broth (this is to boil the orzo in... just use water if you want)
1 1/2 c dry orzo pasta
1 (15oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 c crumbled fat-free feta cheese
3/4 c finely chopped red onion
½ c chopped celery
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

Red Wine Vinaigrette
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic

Cook orzo in boiling chicken broth until tender, or just according to package directions in water. Whatever. Drain and rinse orzo. Combine with chickpeas, feta, red onion, celery, and basil in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and pulse until well combined. Pour over the orzo salad and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Original recipe found here.

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips

These are great! The recipe makes 12, so I am going to have these for breakfast the next couple days as well. Yum!

3 mashed bananas
1 c vanilla Almond milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
3 c oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp mini chocolate chips (I used reg size)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together, and let sit while you prepare the muffin pan. Spray a muffin pan and/or liners with with non-stick spray. Stir the chocolate chips into the oatmeal batter. Divide batter into 12 muffin cups. They should be just about filled. Bake 25-30 minutes, you’ll see the edges just starting to brown and they will be firm to the touch. The muffins may stick when hot but are removed easily when cooled for a bit. Store leftovers in fridge and pop in microwave for a few seconds as a quick breakfast!

Original recipe found here.

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

These are so good and healthy for you. Tons of fiber and protein for not too many calories. These will need to be my new munch food. They are so crispy and filling. The website I saw this on shows four different ways to season the chickpeas: Sesame Soy (which I would have done if I had sesame oil), Honey Cinnamon, Garlic Parmesan, and Smoky Spice Blend. I will have to try the other 3 at some point for sure.

1 can chickpeas (or however many for the amount you want to make)
olive oil spray (or reg olive oil)
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder
sprinkle of salt & pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drain and rinse chickpeas and lay them on a paper towel to dry. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and move chickpeas to cookie sheet when dry. I let mine dry on a towel for about 10 minutes. Bake 45 min - 1 hour. I checked mine at 45 min and they weren't completely crispy yet. If they are even a little soft in the middle keep baking. When they are finished, immediately spray with olive oil and toss with cheese & seasonings.

Original website found here.

Granola Bars

I made this on a whim - I saw the recipe and realized I had all the ingredients. Really good, especially since school is starting soon. You are really supposed to cut them into bars, but I had a hard time doing that so I kind of just tore them into bars.

3 c quick-cooking oats
1 c chopped almonds
1 egg
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c sunflower kernels
1/2 c flaked coconut
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine oats and almonds on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 min or until toasted, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, combine egg, butter, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in in sunflower kernels, coconut, cranberries, brown sugar, and cinnamon. After oat mixture is done, stir that in as well. Press into baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 13-18 min or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cook on wire rack and cut (or tear!) into bars.