Pasta With Chickpeas

This was SO super simple and fast to make.  Not to mention, super tasty!  It's been a perfect lunch this week.  Some may find it a little bland but personally, I thought it was just spiced enough.

Recipe from Food 52
Yields 8 servings
140 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1 box whole wheat rotini

14 oz chickpeas

14 oz diced tomatoes

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

Salt & pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to box directions, al dente.

Drain & place in a large bowl.

Add remaining ingredients & mix well.

You could eat this either hot or cold.  I tried both & personally, I prefer it hot.  Chilled chickpeas are okay but, they're better hot.

Crispy Baked Avocado Fries

I saw this and thought it was an interesting concept.  When I tried them, I wanted to eat ALL of them.  They're crispy on the outside & soft on the inside.  I dipped them in ketchup but, I feel like you could use sour cream, too.  It's a little high in calories to be a side dish for my intake but, it was filling enough to have as a midday meal.

Recipe from Closet Cooking.
Yields 4 servings.
354 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 large avocados, sliced

Salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 c flour

1 egg, beaten

1 c panko

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425.

Season the avocado with salt & pepper.

Dip them in flour, then egg, & then panko.

Place on a baking pan.

Repeat until all pieces are coated.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

I dont know about you guys but, I freaking LOVE brussels sprouts.  It's rare to see a recipe that uses them so when I saw this, I knew I needed to taste it.  This was a perfect side dish to my turkey burger last night.

Recipe from Skinny Kitchen
Yields 4 servings
85 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1 bag of steam in bag brussels sprouts

Olive oil spray

2 tsp garlic powder

1 dash salt

1 dash black pepper

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

Steam brussels sprouts as directed on package.

Spray a large pan with olive oil spray.

Heat over medium low heat.

Add all ingredients & saute for 5 minutes until veggies are blackened.

Fiesta Spaghetti

I figured it was about time for a white girl Mexican dish for lunch this week.  I loved making this because it was so fast.

Recipe from RoTel.
Yields 6 servings.
292 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz whole wheat spaghetti

2 tbsp olive oil

16 oz tomato sauce

10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies

15 oz canned black beans

1/2 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion; cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauce, undrained tomatoes, black beans, & cumin.

Cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Drain the spaghetti & stir in sauce.

Funfetti Cake Batter Dip

As soon as I saw this recipe I KNEW I needed to make it.  I, then, emailed it to my roommate and the response I got was "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS".  I then saw that strawberries were on sale this week at the store so that sealed the deal.

Recipe from The Skinny Fork.
Yields 16 servings (1/4 cup = 1 serving).
167.5 calories per serving (!!!)

INGREDIENTS

1 box Funfetti cake mix

2 c fat free vanilla Greek yogurt

4 oz fat free Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir.

Mix until well blended.

Serve with strawberries.

Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken

I hadnt done a crockpot lunch in a while and this seemed simple enough.  The only change I made with this was adding 2 cups of cooked brown rice.  I thought it would be a nice addition to just chicken and a little more filling.

Recipe from Slender Kitchen.

Yields 8 servings.

177 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

3 tbsp garlic powder

1/3 c low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 c ketchup

1/4 c honey

Pinch red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, & honey.

Add chicken to the crockpot.

Pour in sauce & stir together.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

I found that in my crockpot, this only needed about 3.5 hours.  I put the crockpot on warm for the last half hour while I prepared the rice.

Bacon Maple Shortbread

Happy New Year!  It's been a little bit since Ive posted and I apologize.  I have to confess, I havent been eating the healthiest the past few weeks or working out like I usually do, which totally sucks but, Im not back on the horse.

I actually made these for my boyfriend who -- like most normal humans -- completely loves bacon.  It's his favourite food group.  Haha.  When I looked at the calorie count, I realized that this would be perfect for the blog.

Recipe from Closet Cooking.
Yields 20 cookies.
99 calories per cookie.

INGREDIENTS
4 strips low-sodium bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 stick margarine, room temperature
1/4 c maple syrup
1 1/4 c flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the bacon & set aside on paper towels to drain.
Beat the margarine and syrup together until smooth.
Mix in flour, corn starch, bacon, & salt.

Spray down 2 baking pans with cooking spray.
Roll dough into balls & bake for 12 minutes.