Spinach, Chicken, Mushroom Dinner Crapes

Spinach, Chicken, Mushroom Dinner Crapes

Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 minutes
(1 hour for batter chilling time)

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup of 1% milk
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1.5 cups onions, chopped
• 4 oz. of white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups boneless, skinless, chicken breast, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of dry white wine
• 6 cups baby spinach
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (or you can use your fav seasoning)
• 4 oz. soft goat cheese (chevere)
• 2 oz. low fat swiss cheese, shredded
• 2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped

Instructions:

• ONE: Prepare Crapes: In a blender, combine egg and egg whites, flour and milk. Process until well mixed, scraping down sides of blender jar to incorporate flour well. Chill blender jar full of batter in refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove blender jar and put back on base, pulse to re-mix batter. Heat an 8-inch nonstick pan over medium high heat. When hot, mist with cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup batter, then swirl to coat pan. Cook until crepe is set, about 1 minute. Turn a spatula around edges and flip, cooking for just a few seconds after flipping.  Invert pan over a cutting board to drop crepe onto the board and allow crepe to cool. Repeat until you have 8-9 crapes.

• TWO: Mist a cast-iron or nonstick skillet with cooking spray and sauté onions over medium heat. When onions start to soften and brown, about 5 minutes, add mushrooms and chicken and stir. Over medium-heat, sear chicken undisturbed for a few minutes to allow it to brown nicely. Once browned, stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring until wine reduces by half. Add spinach and seasoning, turning leaves until they are wilted and light green. Move contents of pan to one side. Mash goat cheese with your spatula to melt, then stir into chicken mixture. Remove skillet from hear and allow mixture to cool slightly.

• THREE: Preheat oven to 375. Assemble crepes. Measure about 1/4 cup portions of chicken mixture into the center of each crepe, then roll up and place on a baking pan or casserole dish.  Rub water or egg white along the inside to get crepes to stay folded (like you are sealing an envelope). Top with Swiss cheese divided evenly, and bake for 15 minutes.  Garnish with tomatoes and serve.

Nutrients per 2 crepes:

Calories 324
Fat 8 grams
Carbs 30 mg
Fiber 5 grams
Protien 30 grams


My Notes:
Found this recipe in the Clean Eating magazine. All of their recipes look divine. As I have said before I usually like to go for the decent priced and fairly easy meal to cook. My husband, oldest son, four year old and of course myself- loved it! With the exception of my daughter who would rather starve than touch most foods. She did eat all her fresh beans though!

The recipe serves 4 but it was plenty for our family of 5. You can eat this guilt free meal with a side of vegetables and a salad. I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

AVACADOS 101

Article from  http://www.avocadosfrommexico.com/Nutrition.aspx

Avocados from Mexico have so much to brag about! Sure, they taste great and are super versatile in recipes—and they’re also nutrient powerhouses. You can always feel good about serving Avocados from Mexico to your family and friends because they deliver nutrients our bodies need every day.
Packed with Goodness

One-fifth (1 ounce) of a Hass avocado has 50 calories, 3 grams of monounsaturated fat, 0 cholesterol and sodium, and 1 gram of dietary fiber. (Who knew a fruit that is so smooth and creamy provides dietary fiber that’s so important to a healthy digestive tract.)

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential vitamins and minerals: potassium, folic acid and other B-vitamins, as well as vitamins E and K. They also contain phytonutrients, believed to help prevent many chronic diseases.

Avocados act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene as well as lutein and vitamins A, D, K and E in foods that are eaten with avocados.

Avocados are a good source of lutein, an antioxidant which has been shown to be concentrated in the macula of the eye. Research suggests that it may help maintain healthy eyesight as we age. An ounce of avocado contains 81 micrograms of lutein.

HEART HEALTHY


Avocados fit into the American Heart Association’s guidelines for a diet that provides unsaturated fat and is low in saturated fat. Avocados contain no saturated fat or cholesterol and are virtually the only fruit that provides good-for-you mono-unsaturated fat.

LOW- CARB

Diabetics and others who must watch their carbohydrate intake can enjoy avocados often. A one-ounce serving has only 3 grams of carbohydrate.

LACTOSE INTOLERANT

Add avocados to smoothies, sauces, soups and salsas for creamy flavor and texture without the dairy!

WEIGHT-LOSS

Recent research indicates that a diet that contains 20-30% calories from “good fat” like the oils found in avocados, not only supports good health but aids weight loss and maintenance.

Great nutrition meets great taste. Hello Avocado!

Avocados serve up vitamins, minerals and more.

Studies have shown Avocados from Mexico contribute nearly 20 different types of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that can help your body function normally.

Plus, Avocados have the mono- and polyunsaturated “good” fats that are recommended as part of a healthy diet.

A one-ounce serving (approximately one-fifth of an Avocado) is just 50 calories, yet serves up nutrients, 3 grams of monounsaturated fat and 1 gram of dietary fiber.

All with zero cholesterol and just 0.5 grams of saturated fat (the “bad” type of fat).*

Quick facts

Phytonutrients are thought to prevent many chronic diseases.

A serving of Avocado has the same calories as a serving of other popular fruits like cantaloupe, honeydew melon and pineapple.

*Total fat content 4.5 grams., Includes 0.5 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0.5 grams polyunsaturated fat and 3 grams monounsaturated fat.

Protien!

Protein is the building block to lean your muscles in burning fat.  One hour before your work out you need to eat protein.  So here is an option.

 Greek Yogurt
1 cup-
130 Calories
0 Fat
9 Carbs
23 Grams of Protein

If you don't like it plain sprinkle a table spoon of granola and or fruit on top.

Vegetarian Chili RECIPE

Vegetarian Chili RECIPE - by SparkPeople.com


Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained (or boil your own beans)
1 pinch cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chili seasoning mix
1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped

Nutritional Info
Fat: 2.9g
Carbohydrates: 23.0g
Calories:141.3
Protein: 7.2g

1. Saute the onions and garlic in oil in a large sauce pan.
2. Add carrots, tomatoes, herbs, spices, and beans.
3. Cover (to retain moisture) and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Serves 6

Tam's Morning Constitutional Muffins

My sweet friend/neighbor who has got me hooked on The Biggest Looser and Eating Clean by Tosca Reno made these muffins last week. All of these ingredients can be found at HEB. These muffins are not like a delectable blueberry muffin, but I am trying to eat things that are good for me. My kids surprisingly like them.


As it sais in her book, "Start your morning on the path to regularity with these digestive delights. They work every time. I love them hot, right out of the oven for breakfast, but they also make an excellent addition to any midday meal." -Tosca Reno

Tam's Morning Constitutional Muffins

Makes 15 muffins
Prep 15 minutes
Cook time 20-25 minutes

Igredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups of raw bran
1 cup of ground flax seed
1 cup of raw wheat germ
4 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
8 egg whites
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup of agave nectar
1/2 cup skim milk
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup walnuts (you can also add raisins or your favorite dried fruit)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Don't over mix or muffins will be flat.
3. Fill muffin liners almost full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes. Muffins are done when toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve cool or freeze individually.

Nutritional Value Per serving
Calories 189
Protein 9g
Carbs 31g
Fiber 8g
Fat 7g

Agave is found in the sweetener section where you find sugar. The substance is like syrup. The extraordinary quality about agave is it has a low glycemic index. So no spikes in insulin levels.

Click here to read about Glycemic index

Lunch and a snack for later

I will be posting foods that I eat with their nutritional value. In the past I would attempt to cook healthy recipes from magazines and books. 90 percent of the recipes I found called for expensive and/or rare ingredients. Or plainly too many ingredients and prep time took too long. I still take joy in finding an awesome healthy dinner recipe that takes time and preperation but I like to shop easy and simple. So here is today's lunch and snack I will have later.

• Lunch

1 5oz can of premium chunk white chicken
Hand full of lettuce
Tomato wedge
1/4 Cup of Black eye peas
2 boiled egg whites
Salt and pepper to taste

208 calories
2 grams fat
11 carbs
36 grams protien

• Snack in between Lunch and Dinner

1/4 cup raisins
10 almonds
25 cashew pieces

280 calories
12 grams fat
37 carbs
5 grams protien

You might think 12 grams of fat is too much for this snack.  Yes that is as much as a small snickers bar but this is healthy fat and your body depends on it.  You can feel good eating this snack at this proportion.