In America today, food choices are abundant. Unfortunately, many choices are not healthy for our bodies to consume on a regular basis. Foods like many processed pre-packaged meals, fast food, white sugar laden foods are just a few. There are so many additives and preservatives out there as well. I have chosen to make a concerted effort to buy and cook nutritious foods for my family. This blog reflects healthy recipes and information on healthy eating. I try to reflect a balanced diet where healthy eating is the norm.
3 – 4 carrots, peeled and sliced sideways, or in thin strips
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, fully cooked
2 cups brown rice
Seasonings Needed
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Oregano
Thyme
Ground red pepper
First, boil one boneless, skinless chicken breast in water with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.While chicken is cooking, slice up the carrots.
Put a little oil in a skillet and heat on medium heat. Add the carrots and sauté them until tender. If you cover them, they will get tender quicker.
While the carrots and chicken are cooking, prepare your other vegetables and dice the garlic. Some say it’s important to chop or crush the garlic and let it sit for about 15 minutes before cooking it in order to allow some beneficial properties to be released.
Brown rice takes a little longer to get tender. Therefore, it’s time to get the rice started. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups brown rice, 2 cups all natural chicken broth, 4 cups water, about 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and let it cool. Add about 3 tablespoons of the broth to the carrots as they are cooking. This will add flavor to the carrots.
Once the chicken has cooled, cut it up into chunks.Set aside.
Once the carrots are tender, add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables, the chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, 2-3 dashes black pepper, dash ground red pepper if you like a little kick, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ½ teaspoon thyme.
Let cook until the veggies are tender.Serve over the rice.
Homemade Semi-Whole Foods Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb. ground beef, chicken, or turkey
2 - 29 oz. cans tomato sauce (be sure you get one with no sugar in it)
1 large onion, chopped
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
oregano
thyme
agave syrup (or another natural sweetener)
Brown your ground beef, chicken, or turkey in a skillet with the onion, about 1/8 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 1/8 tsp. garlic powder. If there's any grease to drain after the meat is thoroughly cooked, then drain the grease. I used a really lean all-natural ground beef and there wasn't much to drain. To the meat, add the tomato sauce. Add probably about another 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, couple dashes of salt and pepper, about 1 tsp. oregano and 1 tsp. thyme. I added about 1-2 tsps. agave syrup which is a natural sweetener. When making your own spaghetti sauce, unless you like a tart sauce, you will need to add a little sweetener to take the tart edge off. So sweeten it with a natural sweetener to your taste. I would let this simmer for at least a 1/2 hour before serving.
Serve over a whole grain pasta.
This would be even better with some more chunky vegetables in it. I didn't have any green pepper on hand. This would be great with not only some green pepper but also some carrots.
In my effort to eat more whole foods, I am trying to make a LOT of things from scratch using whole foods. Last night, I tried my hand at making a homemade whole foods spaghetti sauce. This turned out really good. Now, it's not like a typical store-bought jar/can of spaghetti sauce. Nor is it like a spaghetti sauce you'd make using canned tomatoes or canned tomato sauce. The fresh tomatoes give it a different taste - but a good taste. You may find that you see an odd ingredient in this recipe. But trust me - it works well.
Whole Foods Spaghetti Sauce
5 medium to large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large green pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion.)
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 lb. beef (I used Laura's Lean Beef - it's natural with no hormones, etc.)
1-2 tsp. oregano
1-2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. parsley
a couple of dashes of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
about 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Begin browning your ground beef. Add the onions, garlic, some salt. and pepper. Stir and cook until the hamburger is well-done. While your meat is cooking, chop your tomatoes and green pepper. Once your meat is done, transfer it to a pot and add the tomatoes and green pepper. Add all of your seasonings and let cook for a little bit. After it's cooked for maybe about an hour, add the balsamic vinegar. Let it continue to cook. After it's cooked for maybe a 1/2 hour, taste test to see if you need to add any more salt or if you think you want to add more oregano, thyme and parsley. I would've added some basil but I didn't have any. Continue to let it cook until the tomatoes have all cooked down and it's like a thick sauce. It will be hearty because of all the meat. Serve over whole grain pasta with a side of whole grain garlic bread and salad to make a very well rounded whole foods meal.
So why the balsamic vinegar? It gives that little umph that vinegar contributes to tomato based things like ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc. Also, with many tomato based recipes, typically you need a little sugar to off set the tartness. However, I am trying to eliminate sugar to a great extent - even natural sugar. So I wanted to try to make a spaghetti sauce without any sugar. Balsamic vinegar has a sweetness to it that off set the tartness in this sauce. However, using fresh tomatoes eliminated a lot of that tartness in my opinion.
I made this recipe last night and thought it was delicious. I found it very refreshing.....very fresh tasting. The recipe is from Spark Recipes and here's the link for the original recipe:
(1) I didn't shred the carrots. I chopped them in small circles and used 3-4 carrots instead of 2.
(2) I didn't put any zucchini in it because I forgot to get some.
(3) I ended up using 1 large green pepper and 1/2 of another green pepper.
(4) I cooked 3 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins separately in a skillet with just a little olive oil (to keep them from sticking) and some seasoning. I then chopped up the cooked chicken and added it to the veggies in the pan.
Here's a picture of what I prepared:
Give this recipe a try. It's full of nutrition and tastes great!
