Clean Eating Italian Wedding Soup

Makes 14 servings, 1 cup each (I think…)
I first made this soup when my superbly awesome and wonderful sister, Anthea, was visiting me over the summer. (Hi, Anthea!) We eat a LOT of soups in our house because it’s such a great vessel for throwing a ton of veggies into which my kids will happily eat because they are soft and too hard to pick out. Also, soups freeze exceptionally well which is always a plus in my book. If you search for Italian Wedding Soup you will find literally thousands of different recipes… so naturally I couldn’t follow any of them and had to make my own :)

I poured over the bazillion variations to get a general idea of what the main idea of the soup should be and then made some substitutions and adjustments. It made a HUGE pot… and I'm not totally sure how many servings it was because we ate it so fast I didn’t get a chance to count. All of the kids scarfed it down with little to no coercion, even my super picky nephew. And then we made it again and again and again.

How I “healthified” it:
Many of the recipes used ground beef or fattier types of ground pork for the meatballs. I stuck to ground turkey and added some chopped sundried tomatoes and some other seasonings to tasty them up.

Many of the recipe were basically just broth, eggs, and cheese with little to no veggies. I added carrots and celery to my broth because these tend to do really well in soups and lend a nice texture. Plus I bumped up the greens from a measly ½ or 1 cup to 5 cups and used kale for it’s power packed nutrition profile. It shrivels and gets all soft in the soup anyway so you don’t even really notice it’s in there. I like to get as much greens into my family as possible :)

Many of the recipes used orzo or some other type of pasta. None of my stores carry whole grain orzo and Anthea insisted that big pasta was just not right so we used quinoa instead. Quinoa is great in soups because it softens but doesn’t lose it’s texture and it’s a complete protein all in itself. Plus it gets those curly ribbons when it’s cooked so it’s just fun.

I substituted some of the broth for water because, when we made it with all broth, it was too salty. Plus, I knew for a fact that we were going to sprinkle a little extra parmesan cheese on top before serving which would make it even more salty.

Finally, a LOT of the recipes had an egg or two and a bunch of parmesan cheese stirred into the soup. I felt like the soup was tasty enough and a nice texture without this addition and I like to sprinkle my little bit of parmesan on top at serving so I skipped it. I’m sure this means that this is not an “official” Italian Wedding Soup but I’m cool with that.

The results: Only 143 Calories but it packs a whopping 12g of protein, 2g of dietary fiber, 118% of your daily value of Vitamin A and 51% of your daily value of Vitamin C. In one little bowl of soup… that my kids will happily eat… and tastes delicious while being filling. Yay :)

Ingredients:
Soup –

• 7 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups water
• 4 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 5 cups of kale (or other greens)
• 1 Tbsp dried fennel (Anthea did NOT like this addition and she felt it was a weird taste [not that it stopped her from inhaling two full bowls mind you] so the next time we made it we didn’t put it in. I thought the second batch was missing something and that the fennel really added a nice flavor so, when she’s not here, I always add it. I say, if you have fennel on hand, sniff it and if you think it would be a taste that you’d like, throw it in there. It kind of has a licorice flavor but it worked for me.)

Meatballs-

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion
• 3 big sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ¼ cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I use unfrosted miniwheats ground in the blender)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese

ONE: Add a little drizzle of olive oil to a big pot and toss in the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, fennel (if you’re using it) and quinoa. Cook over medium high for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions just start to soften and the quinoa is slightly toasted.

TWO: Add the broth, water, and pepper and bring to a gentle boil. While the soup mixture is heating up, begin cutting the kale into small pieces and adding it into the liquid. I hold a bunch of kale in one hand and use my kitchen scissors to snip the leaves into the pot. Discard any stems or tough pieces.

THREE: Once the soup is boiling, reduce to a simmer. In a medium bowl combine all of the meatball ingredients and mix well. (I use my hands which is totally gross-feeling but does the best mixing job)

FOUR: Using your hands, roll the meatball mixture into mini meatballs and drop them into the pot. (If the mixture seems too dry and the meatballs won’t stick together, add a splash of egg whites.) After about every 10 or so meatballs, use a spoon to push them down into the soup. You might need to add a little extra water or broth if there’s not enough liquid to submerge them all.

FIVE: Once the last meatball is in the pot, increase the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through, the veggies are tender, and the quinoa has little curls. Serve garnished with a bit of extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Freeze leftovers using the medium/large portions method to feed your freezer stash. Defrost in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Nutrition info:
Per 1-cup serving – 143 Calories (40 Calories from Fat), 4g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 26mg Cholesterol, 160mg Sodium, 14g Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 1.5g Sugar, 12g Protein, 118% DV Vitamin A, 51% DV Vitamin C, 10% DV Calcium, 10% DV Iron.
:)

Clean Eating Apple Cake (OAMC)

Makes 20 servings, 1 square each
I have this amazing (and hysterical) friend, Mandy, and she makes a totally awesome apple cake. And I don’t just think it’s awesome because she baked it and delivered it to my door so that I woke up to fresh delicious apple cake (don’t you wish you had a Mandy?!). Everyone else thinks it’s awesome too. In fact, I’ll admit that I hid while I was eating it and didn’t share any with my kids. Don’t judge, you know you’ve done that too (like maybe when you were eating THESE). Since this cake was so delicious, I asked Mandy if she would mind me trying to clean it up and she of course said yes. However, if I was going to pick something that was worth eating white flour and white sugar for, it would be Mandy’s original recipe :)

How I “healthified” it:

• The originally recipe used white flour. I know Mandy used King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat instead and so did I. But you could also use whole wheat pastry flour.
• The original recipe used 1 ½ cups of white sugar. I used 1 cup of sucanat and ½ a cup of honey.
• The original recipe called for 2 eggs. I substituted 3 egg whites.
• The original recipe used 1 cup of chopped nuts. I reduced it to ½ cup and used sliced almonds. Then I substituted ½ of the vanilla extract with almond extract for a little extra almond flavor.
• Mandy’s version is topped with a caramel sauce which, although completely heavenly, is not exactly clean. I came up with two different drizzles for you to try instead (although I won’t tell anyone if you use Mandy’s caramel one, hehehe).
• The results - A decrease in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and sugars

Ingredients:
Cake -

• 4 medium apples, chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup sucanat
• ½ cup honey
• 3 egg whites
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• ¾ cup of applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup sliced almonds

Cream Cheese Agave Drizzle -

• ½ cup low-fat plain cream cheese
• 2 tbsp light agave nectar
• 1 lemon, finely zested and juiced, divided

OR

Peanut Butter Drizzle -

• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp plain greek yogurt

CAKE - 
ONE: In a large bowl, stir together the apples, sucanat, honey, egg whites, oil, applesauce, and extracts. In a separate large bowl, blend together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nuts.

TWO: Pour the liquid-apple mixture into the flour-salt dry mixture. Blend well with your spoon until ingredients no longer have any dry spots. The dough will be thick.

THREE: Preheat the oven to 350. Generously spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

FOUR: Remove from the oven and assemble your chosen drizzle (or eat as is!)

AGAVE CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE -
ONE: In a small bowl, heat cream cheese on high in microwave until slightly warm, about 10 to 15 seconds.

TWO: Remove from microwave and use a rubber spatula to stir agave into cream cheese until smooth.

THREE: Add a pinch of lemon zest and 2 tsp lemon juice and continue to stir. Slowly add 2 Tbsp water, a bit at a time, until mixture is consistency of thick cream.

OR

PEANUT BUTTER DRIZZLE -
Whisk together all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and lump free. Add a Tbsp or so more of milk if it seems too thick.

Freeze leftovers in individual servings using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe Per serving - 250 Calories (95 Calories from Fat), 11g Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 34mg Cholesterol, 226mg Sodium, 37g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 30g Sugars, 3g Protein, 4% DV Vitamin A, 5% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 4% DV Iron

“Healthified” Recipe Per serving (plain cake) - 154 Calories (36 Calories from Fat), 4g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 162mg Sodium, 28g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 11g Sugars, 3g Protein, 2% DV Vitamin A, 5% DV Vitamin C, 2% DV Calcium, 5% DV Iron

Per serving (with agave cream cheese drizzle) - 172 Calories (44 Calories from Fat), 5g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 3mg Cholesterol, 190mg Sodium, 30g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 13g Sugars, 3g Protein, 3% DV Vitamin A, 5% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 5% DV Iron

Per serving (with peanut butter drizzle) - 200 Calories (55 Calories from Fat),64g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 167mg Sodium, 34g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 16g Sugars, 4g Protein, 2% DV Vitamin A, 6% DV Vitamin C, 4% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron
:)

Clean Eating Pear Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 18 regular cookies or 36 mini-cookies
Since we don't use white sugar or white flour, I'm always in search of baked goods that use healthy ingredients but still taste indulgent. One great way to naturally sweeten baked goods is by using fruit. Both of my boys love pears and, since they were on sale THIS week, I thought I'd try them out in a cookie. I found a recipe and "healthified" it. They were definitely different but we were all happy with the results. They are more of a cakey cookie (just how you like them, Mandy!) and we all thought they got better and better the longer they sat there. I think the flavor of the pears absorbed through the rest of the cookie as they sat or something. Because they're made with fresh fruit, you should probably store them in the fridge.

Bet you wish you could reach through your screen and grab one :)

Another plus is that these are resilient enough that your kids can help you make them. You know all those recipes where you have to use like 10 separate bowls and cream stuff together first and then sift the flour? I don't play that game. Maybe because I'm not a very sophisticated cook so I don't understand the benefit of mixing all the things separately. I'm just a Mom in a kitchen with one kid hanging on her leg and the other trying to eat the flour out of the bowl. I dump everything into one bowl and just stir it up. Sometimes that doesn't work but I let my boys and my crazy nephew help make these and they mixed.... and mixed.... and mixed the ingredients and they (amazingly) did not become hockey pucks when baked. They were soft and cakey and oh so good :) Enjoy!!

How I "healthified" it:

• The original recipe called for 1/2 a cup of butter. I used 1/4 cup of olive oil and, since mashed fruit can be used in place of oil/fat in baked goods (usually you see applesauce as an oil substitute), I rounded out the 1/2 cup with 1/2 a mashed pear.
• The original recipe was sweetened with 1/3 cup of honey, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 pears. I increased the honey to 1/2 a cup and made up for the lack of brown sugar by adding an extra pear; half mashed as mentioned above and half diced. I also put a few chocolate chips on some of ours... but mainly because I just think everything is better with chocolate :)
•  The original recipe used white flour. I substituted an equal amount of whole wheat flour (I like to use King Arthur's White Whole Wheat when I'm making baked goods).
• The Results - A decrease in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and a slight increase in dietary fiber and protein.

 Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 medium pears, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 a pear, mashed (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla (my mom didn't have vanilla so I used coconut extract. Awesome if you like coconut!!)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I recommend King Arthur's White Whole Wheat)
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• Chocolate chips (optional)

ONE: Dump the mashed pear, olive oil, honey, egg, vanilla, salt, baking powder and nutmeg into the bowl. Stir well.

TWO: Dump the flour and oats in and mix until it forms a dough (or for like an hour if there are three toddlers helping you and everyone wants a turn to mix... twice).

THREE: Add in the diced pears and fold it into the dough until evenly distributed. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (rounded teaspoonfuls for mini-cookies) onto an ungreased baking sheet. Press 4 chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie (2 for mini-cookies). (I do this instead of mixing them into the batter because then everybody's cookie has the exact same number of chocolate chips and there's no fighting over who got more).

FOUR:  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Cool on a cookie rack and store in the fridge or freeze using the flash freeze method.


NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe (1 cookie) - 180 Calories (56 Calories from Fat), 6g Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 25mg Cholesterol, 134mg Sodium, 28g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 13g Sugars, 3g Protein, 4% DV Vitamin A, 1% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

New "Healthified" Recipe (1 regular cookie) - 151 Calories (38 Calories from Fat), 4g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 12mg Cholesterol, 96mg Sodium, 26g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 11g Sugars, 4g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 2% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

New "Healthified" Recipe (1 mini-cookie) - 75 Calories (19 Calories from Fat), 2g Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 6mg Cholesterol, 48mg Sodium, 13g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 5g Sugars, 2g Protein, 0% DV Vitamin A, 1% DV Vitamin C, 1% DV Calcium, 3% DV Iron

This is where my Mom put my niece while we were baking, LOL!!! Not at all related
to the recipe, but don't you think her expression says, "Hey, where's my cookie...
...and why are you all laughing at me in my cardboard box?"

Check out other sweet treats like these on Sweet as Sugar Cookies :)

Clean Eating Sneaky Sloppy Joes (OAMC)

Makes 10 servings, ½ cup each
We never ate these when I was little (I’m British… we tend to avoid things with sloppy in the title) so my only experience with Sloppy Joes growing up was seeing them in the lunch line or watching the occasional Manwich commercial, both of which seemed pretty gross. But then I saw a few recipes here and there that actually looked kind of appetizing so I thought I’d give it a whirl and come up with my own. I am now a big, huge Sloppy Joe fan, as are the boys and Matt.


The first time I made these I put them on whole wheat buns with fresh spinach but Matt said that having to bite through the spinach got in the way of the “sloppiness” so he recommended I puree the spinach and just add it into the meat. He’s a smart man (and I’m still amazed that my meat and potatoes husband actually suggested I ADD pureed spinach to something he was going to eat). It makes for a kind of funny color (after I made Matt try a bite he said, “I’m not going to lie. When you approached me with the spoon my first reaction was to recoil.”) but you can’t taste the spinach at all and it actually helps to thicken the sauce a bit. I serve these with Baked Beans.

How I "healthified" it:

• The original recipe called for 1 lb of ground beef. I substituted lean ground turkey instead to decrease the amount of fat and saturated fat.
• The original recipe used brown sugar. I substituted sucanat because it is less processed.
• Finally, I added shredded carrots and spinach to boost the nutritional profile.
• The results - A decrease in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and an increase in Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 medium carrots, shredded
• ½ cup water
• 4 cups fresh spinach (or 4 big handfuls)
• 1 ½ tsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbsp sucanat (can use brown/turbinado sugar)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• ¼ tsp black pepper

ONE: In a large saucepan, cook ground turkey over medium high heat until brown, stirring to break meat into pieces. Drain and discard any grease and return turkey to saucepan.

TWO: Add diced onion, shredded carrots, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes including juice. Puree spinach into ½ cup of water and add to saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

THREE: Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 12 minutes. Serve over whole grain buns.

Freeze in ½ cup portions using the medium/large portions method. For Once a Month Cooking this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe - 189 Calories (84 Calories from Fat), 9g Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 50mg Cholesterol, 455mg Sodium, 11g Total Carbohydrates, 0g Dietary Fiber, 10g Sugars, 15g Protein, 6% DV Vitamin A, 16% DV Vitamin C, 2% DV Calcium, 16% DV Iron

New "Healthified" Version - 118 Calories (32 Calories from Fat), 4g Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 32mg Cholesterol, 309mg Sodium, 11g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 5g Sugars, 10g Protein, 99% DV Vitamin A, 23% DV Vitamin C, 7% DV Calcium, 13% DV Iron

Toddler Approved :)

Clean Eating Peach Almond Crumble

Makes 10 servings
One of my favorite desserts has always been my Grandma’s Peach Crumble. It’s a great Spring and Summer dessert when sweet, ripe peaches are super easy to come by. My Grandma's recipe is simple and easy to throw together and I only made a few changes to make it a little healthier.

How I “healthified” it:

• In the original recipe, the crumble was made with white flour and white sugar. I substituted whole wheat flour for the white flour and sucanat for the sugar. Instead of using all flour, I substituted 1/2 a cup with rolled oats for some extra texture.
• The original recipe used ½ cup of butter in the crumble. I substituted 1/4 cup of the butter with extra virgin olive oil but the other half is still butter. I know butter isn’t an ingredient you see often in a “healthy” recipe but, the way I see it, butter is just cream and salt; two ingredients that I can pronounce and recognize. I would prefer to use this over a spread with a bunch of chemicals or unfamiliar ingredients in it, even if it’s supposed to be “healthy”. Besides, this is supposed to be a dessert so I don’t mind it having a little extra fat and calories.
• The original recipe called for white sugar in the filling. I substituted agave nectar and added a bit of lemon juice to brighten the flavor of the peaches.
• The results – A slight decrease in fat and saturated fat and a big decrease in cholesterol, sodium, and sugars. A slight increase in protein and dietary fiber. You'll notice that there isn't much of a change in calories. However, those calories are now coming from nutrient rich sources instead of being empty calories from white flour and white sugar.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sliced peaches (about 4 large peaches)
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds (optional)
• ¼ cup agave or honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ cup sucanat (A natural sweetener. Look for it in the organic section. Can substitute turbinado or brown sugar)
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

ONE: Spray a shallow 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place sliced peaches and almonds (if using) into dish and drizzle with agave nectar and lemon juice.

TWO: Mix sucanat, flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Cut butter up into small pieces. Add the olive oil and butter into the dry ingredients and mix with your hands until crumbly.

THREE: Spread the crumble mixture evenly over peaches. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. My Grandma serves it with whole cream poured on top.... yum... but I feed it to my boys with fat free vanilla frozen yogurt. Remember, it's a crumble, so it's basically cooked fruit with a crumbly oat mixture on top. When you're serving it you might want a bowl instead of a plate :)

Freeze individual servings using the medium/large portions method.

NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe - 253 Calories (113 Calories from Fat), 13g Fat, 6g Saturated Fat, 24mg Cholesterol, 66mg Sodium, 33g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 20g Sugars, 4g Protein, 10% DV Vitamin A, 7% DV Vitamin C, 3% DV Calcium, 6% DV Iron

New Healthier Recipe - 252 Calories (121 Calories from Fat), 14g Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 12mg Cholesterol, 33mg Sodium, 30g Total Carbohydrates, 4g Dietary Fiber, 11g Sugars, 4g Protein, 8% DV Vitamin A, 7% DV Vitamin C, 4% DV Calcium, 8% DV Iron

Clean Eating Lean Stuffed Peppers

Makes 5 servings, 1 pepper each
Oooooooohhhhh boy these are good! For some reason when I was younger, the thought of stuffed peppers never appealed to me. They always seemed greasy and flavorless. But this recipe is a real winner. Plus I love that it’s a complete meal all in one – protein, grains, and veggies – so I don’t have to cook any side dishes. Not to mention I can prepare it earlier in the day (like during naptime) and then just throw it in the oven before dinner time (instead of cooking while certain people in my house are bringing every toy they own into the kitchen).

This is one of my husband’s favorite meals and my kids love it too. They both eat it happily without me having to feed it to them so I actually get to eat mine with two hands while it’s hot. As my sister would say, “That’s very nice for Mommies.” The boys always eat the filling right away but are sometimes hesitant about the pepper. Once I cut it up and sprinkle some extra parmesan cheese on it, though, they are back to eating happily.

How I “healthified” the recipe:

• The original recipe called for 1 lb of ground beef. I substituted 93% lean ground turkey and reduced the amount to 12oz because I am adding some extra rice.
• The original recipe used ½ a cup of cooked white rice. I substituted cooked whole grains (like brown rice) for more nutrition and I increased the amount to yield more pepper filling. Meat is expensive so, if I can add veggies or grains to stretch my meat into more servings without compromising the flavor, it’s a win-win.
• The original recipe used 3 cups of shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and a jar of marinara sauce. I substituted Parmesan cheese and was able to reduce the amount to 1 cup because of its stronger flavor. I felt like the sauce made the filling too sloppy and the extra liquid made the peppers fall part. I liked the tomato flavor, though, so I used a can of tomatoes instead which I drained.
• The original recipe called for ¼ cup of parsley. Once it’s cooked, kale actually has a similar flavor and texture to parsley but is a nutrient packed super green veggie. I replaced the parsley with kale and increased the amount to ½ cup.
• In the original recipe, the peppers were topped with plain ketchup. The ketchup was too thick and got dried out so I mixed it with a little bit of the juice from the tomatoes.
• The original recipe used 4 large peppers. The portion size was really big so I used 5 medium bell peppers instead.
• The results – A huge decrease in calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup ketchup
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained w/ ¼ cup juice reserved
• 5 medium bell peppers, with tops removed, stemmed, and seeded (I use red when they’re on sale because they are slightly sweeter but green works fine too)
• 1 cup cooked whole grains (such as brown rice or quinoa)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
• 12 oz 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup kale, chopped fine (I use scissors, hold a handful of leaves, and snip little tiny pieces off right into my measuring cup)
• Salt and pepper to taste

ONE: Stir ketchup and reserved ¼ cup juice together and set aside. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add peppers and 1 Tbsp salt and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes until peppers are JUST beginning to soften. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon, tip them upside down to drain the excess water, and place them cut side up on paper towels while you assemble the filling.

TWO: Combine oil, onion, and ½ tsp salt in a 12” non-stick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until onions begin to soften, 8-10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, stir in ground turkey, and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

THREE: Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and kale and cook until warmed, about 2 minutes. Combine with 1 cup cooked grains and parmesan and season with salt and pepper (I never do the salt and pepper part and mine are still totally scrumptious).

FOUR: Preheat oven to 350. Place peppers cut side up in a 9” square baking dish (you’re going to have to squish them together a bit. If you have really big peppers use a bigger baking dish instead but make sure they will stay upright). Divide filling evenly among peppers, packing lightly, and spoon 2 Tbsp ketchup mixture over each. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Freeze leftovers using the flash freeze method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:
Original Recipe: 690 Calories (451 Calories from Fat), 50g Fat, 22g Saturated Fat, 142mg Cholesterol, 1305mg Sodium, 30g Total Carbohydrates, 5g Dietary Fiber, 16g Sugars, 34g Protein, 107% DV Vitamin A, 282% DV Vitamin C, 54% DV Calcium, 20% DV Iron

New Healthier Recipe: 321 Calories (108 Calories from Fat), 12g Fat, 5g Saturated Fat, 66mg Cholesterol, 506mg Sodium, 28g Total Carbohydrates, 5g Dietary Fiber, 11g Sugars, 24g Protein, 102% DV Vitamin A, 288% DV Vitamin C, 31% DV Calcium, 15% DV Iron

Clean Eating Pork Ragout (OAMC)

Makes 10 servings, ¾ cup each
I don’t often cook with wine but it really makes a difference in this dish. I like this because there’s not a lot of hands-on time and it’s easy to throw together but it’s fancy enough to serve to company. Plus the meat is really tender so it's easy for my kids to eat.

How I “healthified” the recipe:

• The original recipe called for 1 lb each of pork loin and mild Italian sausage. I increased the pork loin to 1 ½ lbs and decreased the sausage to only 4 oz because pork loin is a leaner meat. However, there was still enough sausage to add flavor.
• In the original recipe, the sausage was cooked in the saucepan and the resulting grease was used to sauté the onions. I cooked the sausage in a separate pan so I could drain the grease and then I used a little bit of olive oil for sautéing the onions.
• The original recipe was thickened with 1 Tbsp of corn starch. I substituted whole wheat flour. To do this I needed to double the amount of cornstarch called for, so 2 Tbsp of flour instead of 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. I added the flour to the saucepan with the sausage and spices so that it could be cooked into the dish for a few minutes. This stops it from having a raw flour taste.
• Finally, I pureed 3 big handfuls of spinach into the liquid to boost the nutritional profile. You know I’m all about adding veggies to everything and there is so much flavor from the wine and rosemary that you can’t taste the spinach at all. The added spinach is not essential to the recipe so I made it optional in the ingredients. However, it does add a lot of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Iron.
• The results - A significant reduction in overall calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and a big increase in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds boned pork loin (I use pork loin country style ribs)
• 2 - 4oz links mild Italian sausage
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 1 ½ Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (1 ½ tsp dried)
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ¼ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 big handfuls fresh spinach or a 9oz box of frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained (optional)
• 1 ¼ cups Zinfandel or other dry red wine
• 1 28oz can and 1 15oz can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained (or 3 15oz cans)

ONE: Trim fat from pork; cut pork into ¼-inch cubes. Remove casing from sausage. Cook sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned and stir to crumble; drain and set aside.

TWO: In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion, and sauté 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned (watch it carefully because it will go from brown to burnt really quickly… you know, not that I speak from experience or anything). Add pork and sauté 5 minutes until no longer pink.

THREE: Add sausage, rosemary, salt, pepper, and flour to saucepan. Cook 2 minutes stirring regularly.

FOUR: In a blender or food processor, puree the spinach (if using) into the broth and stir into the saucepan along with the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes.

FIVE: Add tomatoes and their juices to saucepan, and return to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until it reaches a consistency of thick stew (it will be a bit thinner than spaghetti sauce).

Serve over brown rice or pasta. Freeze leftovers in ¾ cup servings using the medium/large portion method to feed your freezer stash. For Once a Month Cooking this recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

NUTRITION INFO:

Original Recipe: 283 Calories (153 Calories from Fat), 17g Fat, 6g Saturated Fat, 67mg Cholesterol, 496mg Sodium, 10g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 18g Protein, 3% DV Vitamin A, 24% DV Vitamin C, 7% DV Calcium, 13% DV Iron

New Healthier Recipe: 215 Calories (78 Calories from Fat), 9g Fat, 3g Saturated Fat, 58mg Cholesterol, 288mg Sodium, 11g Total Carbohydrates, 3g Dietary Fiber, 4g Sugars, 18g Protein, 56% DV Vitamin A, 36% DV Vitamin C, 9% DV Calcium, 17% DV Iron