Spicy Chicken-Spinach Lettuce Wraps

To once again quote Barney from How I Met Your Mother, "If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans." I don't think anything could be closer to the truth for us these last few weeks.

To make a long story short, after spending the last few months expecting to either stay in Philly, or move to California, we woke up one morning and discovered that neither were going to happen for us. Not only that, but we had absolutely no clue where we were going to go after my husband graduated from dental school. After a LONG week of stress, tears and uncertainty, my husband finally landed an Oral Surgery internship in New Jersey! It was probably the last place we expected to end up, but we are so excited. New York will be close and from what I've heard, New Jersey is beautiful.

So those are our plans. And of course, being the weird food blogger that I am, the first thing I thought was "I hope I have better lighting in my new apartment for my food pictures!" Haha, you understand, right?

I found these lettuce wraps on Emily's blog at The Open Pantry. I just love visiting this blog. It's bright and fun, and not only does she post delicious recipes, but this girl can make an adorable cake!

We loved these lettuce wraps. They're low carb, low fat, but high flavor, and just delicious with either a peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce.


Spicy Chicken-Spinach Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from The Open Pantry

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey (or diced chicken)
2 tsp Sesame Oil
2 tsp Canola Oil
1-2 tsp Garlic Chili Paste
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 tsp Ginger, minced
4 Green Onions, Chopped
2 cups Baby Spinach
1/2 cup Carrots, shredded or minced
1-2 Tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Directions

Heat the sesame and canola oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, garlic chili paste, carrots and green onions to the wok. Cook for 1 minute, add the ground turkey. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and spinach. Toss together, cook for 1 more minute and remove from heat. Serve turkey mixture with red lettuce leaves as wraps and top with spicy/sweet soy sauce and peanuts. Enjoy!

Cheesy Ham and Potatoes

You may notice a trend here at A Blog About Food. Most posts will be clean and healthy, since that it how we strive to eat in our home. And then every once and a while I post a not so healthy recipe like this when I hit a "healthy brick wall" and lose my freaking mind.

I've been asked a few times what I miss the most since eating healthier. While it seems natural to say things like "chocolate, cake or french fries," what I have missed more than all of those things is CHEESE. Cheddar, Mozzarella, Havarti, Gorgonzola, Parmesan, Brie, to name only a few. I am a total cheese head and I LOVES my cheese.

So, during Christmas, whilst I was on my brief healthy eating hiatus (I refuse to use the word diet, it's a lifestyle, right?) I made these potatoes. We had a ton of ham leftover and this was the perfect thing.

The tangy and delicious flavor is actually inspired by my blog buddy Kim at Stirring the Pot. She talks often about her love for mustard, and has even featured an amazing Dragon Ale mustard cheese from Whole Foods, which I now purchase every Christmas. While I was making the potatoes I felt the sauce was a bit bland and definitely needed a kick. In goes the rest of that creamy Dragon Ale cheese, along with a couple tablespoons of yellow mustard and we were all in cheesy, hammy (it's a word), heaven. Thanks Kim, your love for mustard saved our meal!



Ham and Potatoes
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2005 (see, it's Cooking Light, not too bad, right?)

Ingredients

2 teaspoons butter
1 medium onion (about 5 1/2 ounces), thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2/3 cup)
6 ounces extra shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 1/2 cups), divided (or Dragon Ale mustard cheese if you have it)
1-2 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard, to taste
6 ounces diced ham (about 1 1/4 cups)
3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Combine milk, salt, pepper, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thick (about 2 minutes), stirring frequently. Add 4 ounces cheese, mustard and ham, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in potatoes.

Place the potato mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle potato mixture with remaining 2 ounces of cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

What I'm Reading

Technically I'm not reading this, I read it a few months ago, but even if I'd read it a few years ago, I'd be completely remiss not to share it with as many people as possible. It's easily one of the best books I've ever read.

Usually after a read a book, I smile, close the book, and start thinking about my next one right away. This was one of those books that I closed and then sat on the couch for about fifteen minutes absorbing the amazingness that was this book. I then had to get online and find any extra info, photos or interviews that I could.

Whether you are a WWII buff or not, read this book. It follows the life of Louis Zamperini from childhood, into the war, and then his life after the war. It is gripping, intense, inspiring and so touching. His experience as a bombardier, fighting on the Pacific side are just incredible. I also loved learning more about what happened in Japan during the war, where most of my WWII books are centered around the Holocaust.

Read it, and then let me know so we can cyber-highfive about how great this book is.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

To quote Barney from How I Met Your Mother (a show as addicting as buttery popcorn) "haaaaaave you met spaghetti squash?"

Well, sadly, for 30 years I've been living completely unaware of this fantastic gourd. Luckily, thanks to the dedicated pinners of the world, I found a delicious, slurpy canvas just waiting to be dressed up however I see fit.


This time around I took a classic route, covering it in rich marinara and tender turkey meatballs. I liked it, my husband liked it, the kids...well, kids are kids. BUT, I can guarantee that the spaghetti squash will be making repeat appearances at our home. There are so many fun ways to prepare it, I can't wait to try more.





Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
Martha Stewart

Ingredients

For the Spaghetti Squash
2 spaghetti squashes (about 2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Meatballs
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground turkey
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

1. To prepare the spaghetti, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle cut sides of squashes with oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut sides up on a baking sheet. Bake until soft to the touch, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

2. To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

3. Prepare the meatballs. In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and garlic with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the milk, and stir until incorporated. Add the turkey, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the meatballs until evenly browned, turning often, about 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Transfer meatballs to the sauce, and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

5. When the squashes are cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh of each squash with a fork into strands, and place into a large bowl. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce, and sprinkled with cheese, if desired.

What I've Been Reading

Any book worms out there? I happen to be an absolute book fanatic. In fact if food and books were to compete for my love, I fear that food might take a close (CLOSE) second, gasp! I feel like a traitor for having even uttered that phrase.

Since this is the case, I thought I would start including a small book review at the end of my posts. So, if the food hasn't been striking your fancy, I hope you at least come for the books.



The Paris Wife by Paula McLain has been my most recent read. I was lucky enough to score it at the library without reserving it. I had been hearing rave reviews for quite a few months now and couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

The Paris Wife is about Hadley Richardson, the wife of Ernest Hemingway, and their years together. It was SO interesting because up until this point I honestly knew nothing about Ernest Hemingway, except that he wrote Old Man and The Sea. I assumed he was a country dude living in Montana, I could not have been more wrong. His life was actually very intriguing, bohemian and tragic, and Hadley's experience with him is nothing short of fascinating. I never want to give too much away, but I do highly recommend it.

And if you are on goodreads.com, for goodness sakes, friend me! You can find me under Teresa Green. Otherwise leave a comment and tell me what you're reading right now. I LOVE hearing about books!

Pasta Rollups

Well, this is it, the final week! After four months (okay three, I did take December off), I'm finally closing in on this program. It's been fun, it's been hard, it's been intimidating, but I'm so glad I did it. I'm also glad to almost be DONE!

So what comes next? Maintenance sounds nice and easy, but it's almost scarier then being on a strict program. At least with the program there are rules, definite do's and don'ts. I plan to continue eating good clean foods, but hey, should a slice of cheese end up on my sandwich, so be it. Should a cookie land on my plate, oh well. Now I learn the ever going art of balance, and it really is an art isn't it.



And now I introduce to use these fantastic pasta rolls. I've seen similar things like these in the blogosphere for a while now, and I always thought they looked a bit intimidating. Oh my gosh, they are the easiest thing you'll ever make. I think these puppies took me all of three minutes to throw together. Once you have the filling and sauce ready, you're set. I made these when I was not eating cheese, but cottage cheese actually makes a wonderful creamy substitute and more protein, so if that's what you're looking for, give it a try, I posted both options in the recipe.



Pasta Roll-ups
Best of Clean Eating, by Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb extra-lean ground turkey breast
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I omitted)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I omitted)
1 28-oz jar tomatoes in juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 sheets dried high-protein or whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (15 oz) container low-fat ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese)
1 egg (I used three egg whites)
3/4 cups shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese, (I omitted)

Directions

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook until meat show no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes, their juice and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse and allow to cook in a colander.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Squeeze all moisture possible from thawed spinach and place in a large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg, and a quarter-cup mozzarella cheese. Stir until combined.

Spread one cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9x10 inch casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread one-eighth of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place rolled pasta, seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining half-cup mozzarella.

Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil adn broil for five minutes or until rool-ups are browned and bubbly.

234 cal, 3g fat, 27 carb, 3g fiber, 7g sugar, 28g prot

Thai Coconut Shrimp

I have made a discovery in the last week.

Carbs. Are. Good.

Carbs make me happy. Carbs give me energy. Carbs help my brain process what you are saying to me quick enough for me to respond somewhat coherently.


Take away my carbs and life gets pretty bleak. Suddenly TV shows seem a bit sadder. I have a harder time concentrating on my books (gasp!), and I get a bit snappier.

Why do I know this? Because the very last three weeks of this crazy program I'm on has you do what's called "carb cycling." It basically consists of three days of very low carb days and then one high carb day. Essentially it's supposed to trick your metabolism and burn fat quickly. I'm one week in and have definitely noticed a difference, I'm starting to see lines and toning where I never have before, which is exciting, but it's been tough. While things like this might be okay to do short term I also recognize that it's probably not a good way to live consistently, at least not for me. If I've learned anything this last year, it's that balance really is the key, as well as finding happiness in food. Luckily I only have two weeks left and I'll be back to a balanced clean diet.

But, speaking of enjoying your food, you have got to try this shrimp dish. I served this to my friend who after finishing declared that she felt like she just ate at a restaurant. The sauce is my favorite part, it's rich and so flavorful, it's just delicious with the shrimp, veggies and noodles. If you can find them, I think this is best with whole wheat soba noodles, otherwise whole wheat spaghetti is just fine.



Thai Coconut Shrimp
Best of Clean Eating, by Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

8 oz dry brown rice noodles, or pasta of your choice
2 cups broccoli florets
2/3 cup light coconut milk (shaken to combine)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter with sea salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon of Stevia, Splenda or sugar, or to taste
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cup bean sprouts
24 medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed under cold running water

Directions

Bring two medium pots of water to a boil over high heat. In one pot, cook pasta according to package directions, then rinse with hot water to ensure pasta doesn't get sticky when left to stand. Fluff pasta with your fingers or a fork to further de-clump noodles, then set aside. In the second pot of boiling water, add broccoli, cover, turn heat down to ow and simmer for five minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, add coconut milk, tomato paste, peanut butter, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and lime juice. Use a fork or whisk to thoroughly combine.

Simmer coconut mixture, bell pepper and bean sprouts in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat for five minutes, stirring often to prevent clumping. Add shrimp and cook for another two minutes, then flip shrimp over and continue to cook for a final minute.

Toss noodles and broccoli with coconut-shrimp mixture and serve piping hot.

1/2 cup pasta, 6 shrimp, 1 cup veggies, 3 tablespoons sauce
338 cal, 9g fat, 48g carb, 6g fiber, 2.5g sugar, 20g prot

Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potatoes

As I may have mentioned in previous posts, this program that I'm on is broken up into three phases. I completed the first two phases last October and November and took a bit of a break in December to enjoy the holidays. Oh sure, I still went to the gym, dabbled in some weights, maybe hopped on the treadmill for a nice stroll. Basically made my appearance.

Well, yesterday I started the last phase of the program, which is the part where you're really supposed to lean and tone. It's such a difficult phase that even the writer of the program has mentioned that it's only something you do occasionally, not as a lifestyle. And I sit here before you as a woman in pain. I never thought it was possible for a workout to BE so brutal. We now take active rests in between our sets, which means that after you completely destroy your quads by doing fifteen reps on the leg press machine, you get to hop off and shred any ounce of feeling you may have had in them by doing fifteen jump squats. Don't even think about sitting down though, you get to do that two more times...and yeah, that was only your first exercise. Get ready for an hour and a half of pain so bad you won't be able to utter a coherent sentence (no seriously, ask the poor lady who asked me if I was done using a bench, I think I just looked at her and drooled.)



However, despite how badly I may have hated it at the time, and despite the fact that I now need my husband's help to lower me onto the couch, it feels AWESOME! Exercise has the amazing capability of making all of your problems seem a bit less significant. Maybe it's because of those great endorphins, or maybe it's because you're only real problem is that you can't lift your fork to your mouth. Either way, it feels excellent after a workout knowing that you just did something great for your body.

And speaking of doing something good for your body, give this Shepherd's Pie a go. I topped it with sweet potatoes due to my newly discovered obsession with them. Where have sweet potatoes been all my life? They are so good, and they make an excellent creamy topper for this casserole filled with flavorful turkey and delicious veggies.


Shepherd's Pie
Best of Clean Eating, by Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients

1 lb Yukon gold potatoes (or sweet potatoes) peeled and diced into 2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, whole, plus 1 teaspoon minced, divided
2/3 cup buttermilk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 tablespoon chopped chives
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 lb lean ground turkey breast
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into half moons
1 celery stalk, diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (I used dried)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup frozen peas (I used a frozen veggie medley)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Bring potatoes and whole garlic clove to a boil in a pot of water set over high heat. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, then drain well. Mash potatoes and garlic with a potato masher, ricer or food mill until smooth. Add buttermilk and chives and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat one teaspoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring often and breaking meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains, about eight minutes. Drain and discard fat; set turkey aside.

Heat two teaspoons oil in same skillet. Add onion carrots, celery and rosemary, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about eight minutes. Add reserved turkey, broth and tomato paste and continue to cook until most of liquid is absorbed, about five minutes. Stir in peas, transfer mixture to a shallow baking dish and cover with mashed potatoes in an even layer. Run a fork over top of potatoes in a crosshatch pattern or swirl with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Brush top with remaining teaspoon oil and bake in oven until filling is bubbling and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand five minutes before serving.

160 cal, 4g fat, 10g carb, 2g fiber, 4g sugar, 20g prot.

Tilapia Couscous Salad

Holy cow, what in the heck happened? I blink my eyes and practically a month goes by without a post. I blame the holidays. I also blame an awkward month of not quite knowing how to eat. Overall I think I did pretty well making it through the majority of the month without going crazy. I even hit my lowest weight so far (122 lbs!).

But then Christmas came...as well as cheese, and sugar and things wrapped in puff pastries. Needless to say, I definitely enjoyed myself, and I have a slightly expanded waistline to testify of this fact. No fretting though. Christmas only comes once a year and I have an entire year to make up for it, which I am more than looking forward to.



So to kick off our healthy eating for the New Year, I have a delicious and clean recipe for you. I wasn't sure if I was going to post this one because I'm not a fan of the bland, colorless picture. However, sometimes you have to forgive ugly food and have faith that it's still going to be a winner. This is as easy to make as it is delicious. It's also so bright and fresh, you'll feel healthier for having eaten it.



Tilapia and Couscous Salad
From The Best of Clean Eating

Ingredients

1 cup dry whole-grain coucous
olive oil cooking spray
1/2 lb tilapia fillets (4 small or 2 large, I used a bit more for protein) skin and bones removed
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
zest and juice of 1 lime
zest and juice of half lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon dried parsley
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Cook couscous according to package directions.

Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat for one minute. Spritz with cooking spray and reduce heat to medium-high. Place tilapia in skillet and cook for two minutes per side. Remove tilapia and let cool for five minutes before flaking with fork.

In a large bowl, combine couscous, tilapia, carrots, celery, onion and bell pepper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together lime zest and juice, lemon zest and juice, Dijon mustard, oil, garlic and parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Pour dressing over tilapia-couscous mixture and stir until well combined. Garnish with additional parsley, if desired. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator, covered, for up to one day.

Serves 6: 1 serving is 1 cup

Per Serving: 154cal, 3.5g fat, 21g carb, 4g fiber, 3g sugar, 11g protein

How was everyone's holidays? Any plans for the New Year?