Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

While Jason and I were in New York last December we shared the most amazing meatballs as an appetizer one night at a restaurant called Tre Dici . Typically ordering meatballs would not be at the top of my list but then again, I haven't seen meatballs stuffed with ooey gooey cheese either. And lets face it, I LOVE anything that has cheese inside. Since that wonderful meal I have often thought about recreating that dish and last night was the night! I like to say these meatballs are made with love because they require some time to assemble but they are well worth every minute of it.

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
(Recipe makes 24 Meatballs)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons Parsley
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach
- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- Defrost the spinach in the microwave and drain of any liquid. Once it is cooled mix together the spinach, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine the first 8 ingredients (everything except for the mozzarella and spinach) in a large bowl, mixing together really well.  I find that your hands are the best tool for this:). Season with salt and pepper.
- Grab a small portion of the meat mixture and begin forming the bottom of your meatballs. Using your finger make a small indention in the center for the cheese mixture.

- Once you have formed the bottom half of the meatballs and stuffed them with the spinach and cheese mixture, grab another small amount of the meat to place over top. Using your hands place the meat around the cheese mixture until it is all covered up (or as best as possible) and formed into a ball.

- Bake in the oven on 400 for 20 -25 minutes.

- Use your favorite marinara sauce to serve on the side.

 

And of course you can't have meatballs without the spaghetti.



Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

This elegant salad is full of flavor and texture, bringing a burst of color to your dinner table. If you love butternut squash then you will love this salad. Trust me!

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Serves 8-10 people
Ingredients
- 2 -8 oz bags of spring mix greens
- 1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
- 1 bag of trail mix ( mixed nuts, dried fruits, Cranberries, and Raisin's)
- 1 medium sized butternut squash

Directions
- Peel, cut and dice the butternut squash into small pieces. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven on 400 for 35-40 minutes. Let the squash cool before adding it to the salad.
- In a large bowl add the spring mix, goat cheese, roasted butternut squash (cooled), and the bag of trail mix.

Creamy Balsamic Dressing
(Recipe adapted from Paula)

- 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
- Mix ingredients and store in the refrigerator
**Makes about 5 oz. **

My Biggest Fan

Yesterday I found myself with four ultra ripe bananas (which never happens in our house) so instead of letting them go to waste I decided to make Banana Bread. In order to keep it healthy like I did with the Pumpkin Bread I made last week I used whole-wheat flour and left out the sugar. Ripe bananas add plenty of natural sweetness so I knew even without the sugar it would have the perfect amount of sweetnesss for my taste. Especially after I add Biscoff Spread on top;).

Shortly after I took the bread out of the oven my sister-n-law, niece and nephew arrived to spend the afternoon with me. Let's just say someone was a big fan of the Banana Bread.

Whole-Wheat Banana Bread

- 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 Cup of honey
- 3-4 Ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs

- Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Add in the honey, vegetable oil, yogurt, and eggs. Mix with the dry ingredients.
- In a seperate bowl mash up the bananas and fold in with the other ingredients
- Pour mixture into a greased loaf pan and Bake on 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Shrimp Tacos

This is a fast, flavorful, and healthy meal perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. All you need are a few simple ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand, to make it all come together. Looks like a Win Win to me!

I used the Mission Artisan Style Corn and Whole Wheat Blend Tortillas, which provided the perfect taste and texture for the tacos once they were toasted in the oven

The baja sauce that is drizzled on top is the icing on the cake for these tacos. Like I mentioned before, I like to experiment with ingredients that we already have in the house so I chose to add a sweet chili sauce in with the other ingredients. I know it may sound crazy but the chili sauce added a tangy flavor from the blend of peppers, garlic and spices used, really completing the Baja Sauce.

Baja Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon dill
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 3 1/2 teaspoons Asian Sauce

Mix all the ingredients together.

Ingredients for Shrimp Tacos
- 1 package of corn tortillas ( I used Mission Artisan Style Corn and Whole Wheat Blend)
- 1 pound of shrimp
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you really like it spicy)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- Juice from half of a lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 head of cabbage, shredded
- 1 Avacodo, cut and sliced
- Baja sauce (Recipe above)

Season shrimp with the red pepper flakes, thyme, lime juice, salt and pepper. Let it sit for a few minutes before cooking it in the skillet with a drizzle of olive oil.

While the shrimp is cooking, heat the tortillas in the oven (about 3 minutes) to get them warm and crispy. When the shrimp is done fill the center of the tortilla shells with shrimp, avacodo, cabbage and top with the Baja Sauce.
**Served with a side of black beans (that my husband included inside of his tacos:))

Pumpkin Bread

I came across this quick bread recipe while flipping through some of Phyllis's recipes. I absolutely love Pumpkin Bread and thought this would be a nice change from some of our more typical breakfast foods. I remembered reading this blog post recently that had a few alternatives for making a healthier quick bread. I replaced half of the vegetable oil with plain Greek yogurt and I replaced half of the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour. In addition to these changes I decided to leave out some of the sugar since I typically spread peanut butter on top before eating it anyway. The Pumpkin Bread turned out incredibly moist and it had just the right amount of sweetness for a morning breakfast. Included is the original recipe along with my substitutions. This recipe makes two loaves so you can always freeze the other one if you don't need it right away.

Pumpkin Bread
- 3 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 cups of sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 cups pumpkin
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup nuts or dates (optional)
- 4 eggs
**Mix all the ingredients together and pour into two loaf pans. Bake on 350 for 1 hour.

"Healthier" Pumpkin Bread
- 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I didn't have nutmeg on hand)
- 2 Cups of pumpkin (I used both 15oz.cans)
- 4 Eggs
- 3/4 cup water
****Mix all the ingredients together and pour into two loaf pans. Bake on 350 for 1 hour.

Before eating I recommend putting the sliced pumpkin bread in the toaster and adding Biscoff Spread on top. (You can also do peanut butter). It will forever change the way you eat pumpkin bread.:)

A Sweet Memory

I fell in love with Rice Pudding while Jason and I were on our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. It reminds me of our first night having dinner overlooking the ocean, at what would end up being our favorite restaurant. This is where I ordered it for the first time (ever), after seeing it featured on the dessert menu. From that moment on, a special bond was formed. :)

Blue Marlin in Cap Cana

I have not had rice pudding since our honeymoon so when I came across it in the Cooking Light Magazine (and a healthy version at that!) you can imagine my excitement. Instead of making this dish for dessert I imagined this sweet, warm and creamy pudding would be wonderful for breakfast. I gave it a try this morning and was immediately taken back to sandy beaches and crystal blue water. Instead of topping my rice pudding with pistachios like the recipe called for I decided to use blueberries in its place.

Warm Coconut Rice Pudding

**Recipe adapted from Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, January 2012**

- 1 cup water

- 1 cup uncooked instant rice

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 3 tablespoons cornstarch

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk (I used Almond milk)

- 2 large egg yolks

- 1 cup light coconut milk

- 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- blueberries (optional)

1.  Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; uncover. Set aside.
2.  Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Combine 1/4 cup milk and yolks in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add sugar mixture to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended.
4. Bring remaining 1 1/4 cups milk and coconut milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Gradually add hot milk mixture to yolk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cooked rice, coconut, and next 2 ingredients. Top with blueberries.



Avocado and Basil Pesto

As promised, here is the recipe for the pesto sauce that I made Saturday night. This pesto is perfect to use with bread, pizza, pasta, etc. We almost always have these ingredients on hand, making it easy to put together a delicious and healthy weeknight meal.

Avocado and Basil Pesto
- 6 cups fresh spinach
- 2 Avocados, peeled and seeded
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoon worchestire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- salt and pepper

- Add all the ingredients above into a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Avocado and Basil Pesto Pasta with Goat Cheese

- Make Pesto sauce above
- Cook 1 pound of Spaghetti noodles until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain noodles
- Add noodles to a bowl and top with the Avocado and Basil Pesto. Add the pasta water as needed, to loosen the sauce. Sprinkle with Goat cheese.