Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts

 

16 oz frozen baby Brussels sprouts

1 onion, chopped

1 slice bacon, cut into small pieces

¼ cup vegetable broth

Combine Brussels sprouts, onion and bacon in baking pan. Add ¼ cup vegetable broth. Bake in 350 oven to desired tenderness (45-60 minutes), turning ingredients every 15 minutes. If ingredients seem too dry, add more vegetable broth, ¼ cup at a time. Times may vary if using fresh (or larger) Brussels sprouts.

3 Servings. Calories per serving: 130

Hack: Freeze leftovers in sealable freezer bag or container for future use.

Hack #2: Separate any remaining uncooked bacon slices and roll into individual pinwheels. Place on cookie sheet in freezer to freeze bacon slices. Place in sealable freezer bag or container. The frozen slices can then be used in the portions desired.

 

 

Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken

 

8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast

¼ cup Dill Greek Yogurt Dip

1 tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup italian bread crumbs

Slice chicken breast into 4 strips. Combine with yogurt dip and minced garlic. Marinate overnight.

Place chicken and yogurt into baking dish. Cover with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160℉.

Two servings. Calories per serving: 340

 

 

Dill Greek Yogurt Dip

 

⅓ cup full fat plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Allow to rest for one hour to meld the flavors.

One Serving. Calories: 125

Hack: This recipe can be used in many ways. It’s full flavored and powerful so a little goes a long way! It can be used as a dip, a dressing or to marinade meats. At a ¼ the calories and ⅓ the fat, it makes a healthy substitute for mayonnaise when making potato/pasta salads and sandwich salads such as egg or tuna.

Hack #2: I use full fat yogurt because I like the mouthfeel, taste and thicker texture as opposed to low or nonfat. If you prefer your dip even thicker still, drain the yogurt in the fridge overnight by using a cheesecloth lined mesh colander. Place the colander in a bowl to catch the excess liquid.

Hack #3:  Use this dip to make Greek Yogurt Marinaded Chicken or Egg Salad!

 

 

Thai Peanut Shrimp Rice Bowl

 

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped sweet potato

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup tomato juice

½ cup smooth peanut butter

1 ½ teaspoon sugar

1 lb frozen cooked shrimp

3 cups cooked jasmine rice, hot

Saute onions in soup pot until translucent.  Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add carrots and saute for 5 more minutes.  Add sweet potatoes and stock, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Using a blender or food processor, puree vegetables with the cooking liquid and tomato juice.  Return puree to soup pot. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Add sugar, if desired. Stir in shrimp and heat gently to avoid scorching.  Serve over hot rice.

6 servings, 320 calories per serving

Hack:  Freeze cooled puree in serving size portions using sealable sandwich bags or freezer containers.  Freeze warm (to retain moisture) rice in similar manner. To serve, simply thaw and combine puree, rice and shrimp.  Heat gently.

Hack #2:  Do you know that you can freeze fresh ginger root?  Grating it in it’s frozen state is easier than grating it fresh and, if you choose organic ginger, you don’t have to peel it!

Lemon Herbed Chicken Burgers

 

1 lb ground chicken breast

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp minced garlic

1 ½ tbls dried parsley

½ tsp dried thyme

2 tbls lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tbls thousand island salad dressing (recipe here)

4 thin slices Swiss cheese

4 slices tomato

4 leaves romaine lettuce

4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Mix first 7 ingredients (chicken through salt/pepper) in bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Shape into 4 patties. Cook in pan preheated to medium for 5-7 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165℉. Top each patty with 1 slice of Swiss cheese, 1 tablespoon thousand island, tomato and lettuce. Serve on whole wheat bun.

4 servings, 395 calories per serving

Hack: Place uncooked burgers on a cookie sheet and place in freezer until frozen. Put individually into sealable sandwich bags and then into a sealable freezer bag or freezer container. The rolls can also be frozen in the same manner.

Hack #2: To keep lettuce romaine lettuce fresh longer, separate leave and wash. Dry in salad spinner or with paper towels. Place lettuce leaves in sealable plastic bag or container with paper towels between each layer to absorb moisture. Replace paper towels if they become soggy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon Herb Chicken Burgers

 

1 lb ground chicken breast

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp minced garlic

1 ½ tbls dried parsley

½ tsp dried thyme

2 tbls lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbls thousand island dressing (recipe here)

4 slices Sargento Ultra Thin sliced swiss cheese

4 slices tomato

4 leaves romaine lettuce

4  whole wheat hamburger buns

 

Mix first 7 ingredients (chicken through salt/pepper) in bowl until thoroughly incorporated.  Shape into 4 patties. Cook in pan preheated pan 5-7 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 165℉.  Top each patty with 1 slice of swiss cheese, 1 tablespoon Thousand Island, tomato and lettuce. Serve on whole wheat bun.

 

4 servings, 395 calories per serving

Hack:  Place burgers on a cookie sheet and place in freezer until frozen.  Put individually into sealable sandwich bags and then into a sealable freezer bag or freezer container.  The rolls can also be frozen in the same manner.

Hack #2:  To extend the shelf life of romaine, separate leave and wash.  Dry in salad spinner or with paper towels.  Place lettuce leaves in sealable plastic bag or container with paper towels between each layer to absorb moisture.  Replace paper towels if they become soggy.

A Little Bit About Me

Welcome to Cynthia Eats! I have been a foodie since, well, forever, having garnered an intense appreciation of all things food from my father.

As a young girl, I would pour through cookbooks to create dishes and desserts for my parents and brothers. My favorite was a community cookbook distributed by our local church.

When I got married, I found a new “best ever” cookbook by Betty Crocker.  In both I appreciated the basic ingredients (all of which I could most likely find in my kitchen already) and the consistently tasty results.

Who’s Hungry?

I have always enjoyed creating food for my family, both as a young girl and as a married woman with children of my own.

But time marches on and the time came that I found myself in the position of having to cook only for me. Eventually, the thought of preparing meals for one started to become a chore.

As I began to speaking to other single people, I found a similar train of thought. It’s hard to create a meal for one. All that shopping. And prep. And dishes. Three times a day. Every. Single. Day.

Grabbing something at the drive thru or convenience store on the way home seems easier, right? Or throw a frozen dinner in the microwave. Bar food with a few friends, maybe?

So Why Am I Here, Exactly?

Because I very much enjoy good food, that way of life was not sustainable for me. I began to look into different ways to create fresh, healthy, whole food meals that are quick and easy to make and/or can be prepared in larger portions to freeze for effortless “Grab and Go” meals.

And then I thought…why not start an online community where we can all come together to share our thoughts and ideas (and recipes!!) about this? Because although my friends are quick to call me a know-it-all, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case! 😉

Please join me in endeavoring to get back to healthier and more enjoyable eating habits. Feel free to comment on my posts or email me a great recipe or idea that I can share with everyone. And maybe the delivery guy can take the night off.

I’m looking forward to meeting you!

Cynthia

cynthia@cynthiaeats.com