March 16th, 2020. Most jobs are working from home or closed. Students are being taught through online classes. The streets seem to be empty. With everyone home, cooking is the only way most of us are eating with limited services to ordering out and restaurants. But I love cooking and often prefer it! Most of us have stocked up, with our pantry's nearly exploding. I compiled some of my favorite recipes, that don't (have to) include fresh produce, if that isn't something you stocked up on.
All of these recipes are meals you can make with little ingredients, that are still filled with nutrients, healthy and exciting. Most of these, can also be found in my cook book, Cooking With Fi just with different variations. Being kept home, doesn't mean you have to eat boring meals. You can spice it up with a only a few ingredients. Check out 10 of them below! 1. Spaghetti with shrimp and broccoli Ingredients: -Box of spaghetti pasta -Frozen shrimp -Frozen broccoli -Olive oil -Pepper/Garlic powder 2. Turkey meatballs with chickpea pasta Ingredients: -Frozen meatballs -Box of chickpea pasta -Can of tomato sauce 3. 3 bean salad Ingredients: -Black beans -Kidney beans -Chickpeas -Olive oil -Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder 4. Steak with spinach and rice Ingredients: -Frozen steak -Frozen spinach -Bag of minute rice -Salt/Pepper 5. Mexican rice bowl Ingredients: -Frozen shrimp -Can of black beans -Can of corn -Bag of minute brown rice -Mexican seasoning 6. Teriyaki rice bowl Ingredients: -Frozen shrimp (or steak/chicken) -Frozen/canned vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, green beans, peas, water crescents, baby corn -Bag of minute brown rice -Teriyaki sauce -Salt/Pepper/Garlic powder 7. Taco kit Ingredients: -Frozen chop meat -Canned corn -Canned black beans -Canned tomatoes -Canned jalapenos -Jar of salsa -Taco shell kit (includes seasoning and sauces) 8. Rigatoni with vegetables (Primavera) Ingredients: -Box of rigatoni pasta -Frozen mixed vegetables -Jar of Alfredo sauce -Olive oil 9. Cheese ravioli with meat sauce Ingredients: -Frozen ravioli -Frozen chop meat -Jar of tomato sauce -Seasoning 10. Protein shake Ingredients: -Frozen berries -Frozen spinach -Water -Protein powder -Boxed coconut/almond/oat milk
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I've created this recipe so many times, in so many different variations. Besides the fact that I'd eat just about anything covered in teriyaki sauce, it's so simple, quick and easy! You can swap out everything and really make the recipe the way you'd like it. Comment your version below!
And check out my cook book, Cooking with Fi, now available in ebook! Ingredients: Shrimp Broccoli 2 large carrots 1/2 white onion Mushrooms Pepper Onion powder Garlic powder Olive oil Brown rice Variations: -You can swap out shrimp for any protein of your preference -Same with vegetables, add or change to whatever you like. I typically throw together whatever I have in my kitchen. If I know I'm making it ahead of time, I'll buy baby corn and snap peas! -You can switch out brown rice for quinoa, zucchini noodles, or cauliflower rice for other healthy alternatives -I used olive oil because that's what I had, but I typically cook with sesame oil to add to the flavor. Directions: Slice up all of your veggies and mix in a skillet with oil, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a little bit of marinade. In separate pot, boil water and begin cooking brown rice. For the rice, follow instructions on your box! Cook your vegetables to your liking (hard or soft) and then add in your shrimp. Season your shrimp prior to adding into the pan. Shrimp cook within a couple of minutes, then add your teriyaki marinade/sauce. Let simmer for a few minutes and mix altogether. Serve over rice. Enjoy! This beautiful New York weather had me craving ice cream in the worst way. I knew that I could completely break my diet, or go buy some substitute ice cream but I wanted something even healthier. Maybe using the term "ice cream" should be used loosely, but needless to say it filled my craving and tasted like a sorbet. I always find that a homemade version is way more fun and exciting, and typically healthier. The ingredients are minimum and natural when it comes to calories. I really didn't want to add extra sugar, carbs or fats, other then what is already in the natural ingredients.
Ingredients: 2 bananas 2 cups of frozen strawberries 1/2 cup of almond milk 2 scoops of vanilla protein Instructions: Blend all together, and pour into bread pan. Put in the freezer to harden up, or into closed containers to have at a later time. I have to admit, I'm a little bit shocked with myself I have never posted this before! This is my go-to, absolute favorite breakfast food. I'm not huge on breakfast foods or eating in the morning, but over the last couple of years I have trained myself to do better. I know what I like and what I don't like. I'm guilty of liking the not so great foods to start off your day, like breakfast sausage, bagels and anything else savory. So this is actually the best variation for me, for multiple reasons. It's less in calories, I can make it in a variety of ways, it's super quick and easy to make and it's delicious!
For my breakfast scramble, I usually use one whole egg and three egg whites. From there, I throw in whatever I have in the refrigerator. I always have onions, mushrooms and peppers in the house, so they get tossed in. Depending on what else I have, fresh spinach or frozen, maybe broccoli and topping it off with a low sodium turkey of some kind. I hate to deprive myself, so I add in things I like and still get the same satisfaction if it was all piled high on a bagel. This specific breakfast has the following; Onions Mushrooms Peppers Fresh spinach Sliced deli turkey 3 egg whites 1 whole egg Like I said, the best part is the variations. You can add whatever ingredients you enjoy or get crazy and add in left overs, as an example. Drop a comment below with you favorite breakfast foods! Yuppppp, you heard it right. Healthy mac and cheese! I swear it is a thing. No there is not any hidden vegetables in this recipe. So maybe it isn't super healthy, but it's got some great alternatives to the classic. As you know by now, I hate cutting things completely out of my diet. I feel that depriving myself of things I want only makes me binge more. So, I look for healthier alternatives when I have cravings. Aka healthy mac and cheese.
Ingredients: Chickpea pasta Weight watchers American cheese (1 slice) Whole wheat Italia breadcrumbs Parmesan cheese Directions: Boil water and cook chickpea pasta. Add 1 cup of pasta into bowl, with 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese, and 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs. Tear apart slice of American cheese. Put bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, then mix and serve! Ingredients: Chickpea pasta 1/2 zucchini 1/2 red onion 1/2 orange bell pepper Baby carrots Cherry tomatoes sliced in half Sliced black olives Olive oil Minced garlic Black pepper Salt Oregano Greek dressing / Balsamic dressing (depending on preference) Directions: Boil water for your chickpea pasta. Slice all your vegetables, leaving them all raw. In a frying pan, sauté zucchini and minced garlic, with olive oil and black pepper until cooked through. Once pasta is cooked and drained, put in large mixing bowl with all vegetables and olives. In a small mixing bowl add black pepper, salt, oregano, and olive oil. Mix and drizzle over pasta and vegetables. *Optional for taste* Add Greek or balsamic dressing to mixture. Enjoy! Expanding your pallet, especially when you're trying to eat healthier can be so rewarding. Finding new foods that you enjoy eating instead of getting sick of the same meals, is a great way to change it up and never get bored. I remember the first time I had broccolini and it was like a mix between broccoli and asparagus. Which might I add are two of my favorite vegetables, but now I mix it up instead of getting sick of the same old chicken and broccoli dinners.
I love creating and finding new recipes, with not only new food items but that also don't add too many negatives to the dish. Negatives meaning adding higher fat, carbs, dairy or anything that doesn't fit into my nutrition that week. The list below are some of my favorite vegetables to add into meals to make them more exciting, yet still keep the calories to a minimum! 1. Celery 2. Mushrooms 3. Cucumbers 4. Asparagus 5. Cabbage 6. Beets 7. Cauliflower 8. Tomatoes 9. Zucchini 10. Kale A perfect example of this list, is when I eat my eggs in the morning. I'm not a huge fan of egg whites on their own, so I enjoy making it into an omelet. My omelet's always have a bunch of different vegetables to give it more taste, nutrition and even more appealing to the eye. On a regular day, I'll have an omelet with tomatoes, kale, mushrooms and onions, to name a few! Another example is making my favorite chicken hibachi dish. I always lean more towards Asian cuisine, as for my seasonings. With 1/2 cup of brown rice, chicken in my seasonings I'll add zucchini, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, asparagus and carrots. Might I add vegetables keep you full longer, are so high in vitamins and nutrients and can be a lot of food for a smaller amount of calories. Aka, winning all around! What's your favorite veggie? Comment below! When I write out my recipes, the first thing that come to mind is how quick, easy and simple it is. I clearly live life in the fast lane, and am always looking for the quickest way to eat healthy. After a long day, sometimes the last thing you want to do is roll up your sleeves and cook dinner. But recipes like this, never make you feel like that. This recipe is super simple, so tasty and even keto-friendly.
Ingredients: Salmon Broccolini Lemon Pepper Minced garlic Terriyaki marinade Olive oil Directions: On a sheet pan, lay your salmon and sprinkle black pepper and minced garlic. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the fish and 2 tsp of teriyaki marinade. Put in the oven at 350 degree for 22-25 minutes depending on how well done you want it. For the broccolini, blanch in cold water with sea salt. After 5 minutes, sauté in frying pan with olive oil, black pepper and minced garlic. That's it! Literally, so quick and easy! What I find the most convenient is how you can throw it into the oven and go do some laundry, or whatever you need to do until it's cooked. The broccolini takes only a couple of minutes, and you can make that while the salmon is cooling down. Enjoy yet another one of my quick recipes! Really, what's more convenient then take out? Someone else make the food for you, can even bring it to you and all you have to do is pay? Sign me up! But sometimes, take out means high calories, lots of junk and even expensive. Let's save those calories and dollars, for our cheat meal. Here's my version of Chinese take out; chicken and mixed vegetables edition.
Ingredients: 1 zuccihini 1 orange bell pepper 1 white onion 1 tbsp of garlic 1 carrot Sliced mushrooms 3 stalks of celery 1 cup of broccoli 4 chicken cutlets (or breasts) 1 bag of brown rice Sesame oil Oyster sauce Low sodium soy sauce Black pepper Garlic powder Directions: Slice up all your vegetables and toss in a skillet. Add chicken, seasoning, and sauces. Once cooked, ready to serve! Disclaimer: I don't measure my sauces that I use. I go purely by taste! I love salt but too much of it can ruin the dish, so I do small dashes of each until it tastes just right to me. I'm all about the easy recipe. Whatever I can make that's quick, healthy and I can eat asap is my favorite kinds of foods. I have mastered the art of cooking and eating in under 20 minutes, because who wants to wait for food? Not me! But also you don't want something unhealthy and not nutrient packed. I love fish and it's one of the easiest proteins to make because it cooks so quickly.
This recipe is literally, 3 steps. Wash, season and cook. Ahi tuna is so delicious, takes minutes to make and can go nicely with vegetables. I chose to keep it super simple and season it with 2 things black pepper and sesame seeds. You can get as creative as you'd like or keep it as simple as you want. Directions: Wash the tuna, then season with sesame seeds and black pepper. In a frying pan, heat with olive oil. Cook tuna on each side for about 2 minutes then flip. After 5 minutes, it's ready to serve! |
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