Clean

Chicken Parm Meatballs & Homemade Tomato Sauce

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Back in January I stumbled on this post, and while the recipe was pretty awesome, I wasn’t ready to gripe about the cold yet. But seeing as how it’s now March and we are still, to put it in her words, in the midst of “unrelenting cold” I’m ready to succumb to the idea that I may in fact be ready for spring.

I also have to agree with her position on soup. We have been eating it quite a lot lately, and I’m so in the mood for something else, so why not recreate her recipe? The original version is pretty amazing, but I wanted something a little more week day friendly so I cut a few ingredients and simplified the steps a bit.

I also wanted to keep this recipe completely clean, so I added the recipe for my home made tomato sauce. I usually make this in big batches then freeze it in smaller quantities for later use, but if you are strapped for time you can use a store bought sauce just as easily, there are a lot of options out there. Also using a ready made sauce makes it a one pan meal, two if you make a pasta side like I did.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 egg white

3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Premade Sauce *** (recipe follows)

2/3 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

2 or 3 large basil leaves, chopped

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees. Combine chicken,
breadcrumbs, egg, cheese and spices in a large bowl until evenly mixed. With your
hands shape the meat mixture into 1-2 inch balls. In a large oven proof skillet
heat oil over medium high heat, then add meatballs cooking for 5-6 minutes,
turning regularly. Once all sides are
browned add the sauce to the pan, making sure that the meatballs are covered.
Top with mozzarella, basil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Place in the oven
and cook until the cheese is melted and the meatballs are cooked through (about
15 minutes). Serve warm.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 small carrot, shredded

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3-4 large basil leaves

1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley

5 cups seeded, diced tomatoes (if jarred no salt added)

In a large thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil and saute
onion, and carrot for 2-3 minutes or until the onions begin to turn
translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in herbs and
cook for another 10 minutes or so. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender
or by transferring in small batches. Bring to a low simmer, cover and cook for
2-3 hours stirring regularly. Once simmered add salt and pepper to taste and
serve warm, or allow to cool and store. (will last for 3-5 days in the fridge
or a few months in the freezer)

Whats bringing you out of this cold winter blues?

Taco Pot Pie with Some Clean Alternatives

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Sometimes I like to mix a little good with a little bad.

Times like these between work/home stress and the polar
vortex that has been slamming us we need a little comfort, but we don’t want to
slack of our goals entirely. So we compromise by adding a little bad to a
little good.

The result is usually pretty delicious. In this case it was
pretty much heaven.

It may not be the prettiest thing around but the flavor, and
the buttery wonder of that crust were to die for! I totally cheated and bought
a premade piecrust because well lazy. I work all day with dirty cranky men, so
sometimes it’s necessary to be kind to myself. You can use any pie crust recipe
you like that’s all a matter of your preference.

For a clean eating pie crust I like this one from TheGracious Pantry.
This recipe + this pie crust = a totally clean meal. Now what?! Isn’t it
exciting? Something that feels so bad is actually clean. CANIGETA AMEN!

But for those of us being ~~lazy~~ kind to ourselves at least
there’s comfort in knowing it’s not going to ruin our diet this week if we use a pre-made crust.Taco Pot Pie

½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
½ lb ground chicken
2 tbsp clean taco seasoning (recipe fallows)
1 tsp corn starch
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
2 oz low fat sour cream
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 ½ cups frozen corn
3 oz low fat shredded cheddar cheese
2 premade pie crusts

Preheat the oven to 450. In a skillet heat oil and sauté
onion until it begins to turn translucent. Add chicken and cook until brown and
crumbled. Add taco seasoning and corn starch mixing until well blended the add
tomatoes with juices. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce
thickens. Remove from heat. In a large bowl combine meat mixture, sour cream,
black beans, corn and cheese stirring well to incorporate. Lay one of the pie
crusts in the bottom of a prepared pie pan and press it down into the sides. Spoon
the meat and vegetable mixture into the crust. Place the other pie crust on top
and pinch the edges of the two crusts to close them. With a fork or knife poke
a few small hole in the top of the crust and place in the oven for 35 minutes
or so, until the top crust begins to brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before
serving.

This recipe is adapted from The Gracious Pantry. She’s got
some good stuff over there I tell you. The original recipe is comparable to
what you will find in store bought taco seasoning, but without all the extra salt
& chemicals. The recipe below has a few small changes based on what Chuck
and I like best. I usually make a double batch and keep it in an air tight
container with the rest of my spices. Having it on hand makes cooking anything Mexican
style a snap.

Clean Taco Seasoning

2 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp oregano

Combine all ingredients in an air tight container and stir to combine. Use as
desired for seasoning.

D4One: South Western BLT Salad

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Where has this series gone
too?

Ramen noodles mostly. I
love that stuff.

This time of year I tend to
make big casseroles, or roasted dinners so we eat leftovers for days, which is
also a reason why I haven’t been cooking for my single self a lot, even though
this is the time of year Chuck is gone the most, why when I have an entire
fridge of food to eat and all I have to do is reheat?

Well I’m going to get back
on that horse and keep this series alive. It’s been around since the beginning,
and is one of my favorites, so it must be done.

For the first Dinner 4 One
of the New Year I thought I would start out with an old favorite. I’m finding
myself compelled to share a lot of the recipes that I had previously thought
were rather boring because I believe that you guys may not find them boring,
and they may open up new doors for you. This whole thing is about sharing after
all.

This trick is a fail proof
healthy and cheap method for making dinner or lunches for your single self. It’s also super easy.

Black Bean & Corn Toss

1 can of black beans,
drained & rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

1 handful of cilantro
chopped

2tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayene

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp extra virgin olive
oil

Combine all ingredients in
a large bowl and toss to combine. Serve as you please, warmed in the microwave,
stove or cold. Will keep in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

Once this concoction is
made it can be tossed around on a myriad of different things to extend, liven
or transcend the flavors. It is my favorite addition to plain ol’ boxed mac n
cheese (I will never give that stuff up). It’s great on its own or just plopped
over some rice or quinoa. I also like it tossed with salsa and eaten with
chips. Oh or tossed with salsa and scrambled eggs. Or just over salad.

Are you catching on here?
Spend some times on day 1 and make this thing, then for the next few days you
have a good clean source of protein to create an infinite number of meals. The
recipe here will last me alone, two or three days, but it’s easy enough to
double or triple or even make and freeze, so don’t be shy about it, especially
if you like that southwestern kind of flavor.

If you are looking for the
all-time best recipe to possibly make with this, well let me help you
out.

Southwestern BLT Salad

A big pile of mixed greens

1 tomato, chopped

½ an avocado sliced or
chopped

2 oz. goat cheese crumbled

3 strips of bacon, crumbled

½ cup of black bean &
corn toss

Salad dressing of choice (I
like catalina)

Layer the ingredients on a
large plate. Top with dressing and enjoy!

How do you like
to prepare food when your alone, fancy, or boxed mac?

Appreicating Simple Recipes & Wild Rice Pilaf

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I LOVE cooking (obviously right?), so I have a lot of recipes. Even a few that I don’t or haven’t yet shared on here. The reason is simple; it’s a lot of freaking effort. I have to plan, prepare, cook, photograph, edit, write a post, a recipe, double check it all and then it’s ready to post.

Sometimes I just want to write down a recipe and hold onto it for later use or to share with others. There are about a million places to do that, but lately I have been keeping track of them all on MyRecipeMagic.com. So I uploaded this recipe recently that I have made a bunch over the years. I didn’t post it on this blog because it was such a simple recipe that I didn’t think it would generate a lot of traffic, and honestly I wasn’t that excited about it.

I’m not going to put myself through the hoopla I just described if I’m not excited about it. This blog is meant to be a hobby, something fun, and therefore I don’t put pressure on myself for it because then it would defeat the purpose.

Anywho; I uploaded this recipe and within a day it received double the views of any other recipe I had uploaded to the site. Did you catch that? Within. A. Day. What’s more, is something I hadn’t noticed until I was looking at these results was the very next most popular recipe was my Parmesan Pasta Recipe, also a super simple recipe that I make all the time. The reason for this phenomenon I’m not quite sure, but it’s made me think that perhaps this is in fact a recipe worth posting on the blog. Maybe simple recipes are something to get excited about, I mean we all need then from time to time, we all make them, and I’m sure that those non-cooking people would really appreciate a good explanation of how to make some of these simple dishes.

I won’t wax on about the virtues of the simply prepared dish instead I will leave you with the recipe in question. A perfectly simple side dish that can elevate any meal, and as an added bonus it is completely clean. Enjoy!

Wild Rice Pilaf

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion ( chopped )

2 carrots ( medium, peeled and chopped )

1 cup wild rice, raw

2 1/2 cups water1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peas ( fresh or frozen )

1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon scallions ( chopped )

In a large sauce pan Heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onion, and carrot for 5-7 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add rice water and salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 50 minutes to an hour. The rice should be tender, and water dissipated. You may however need to drain the last little bit. Add peas, pepper and stir to incorporate. Serve with scallions on top.

Venison Stir Fry

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Stir fry is a pretty humble dish. It’s about the easiest
thing someone can cook, and it’s usually pretty healthy for you. There a
probably a million different variations from the basic recipes which is what
makes it so appealing. I love making it when I am feeling lazy, or need a
simple healthy meal. So I make them a lot; like once a week a lot. Because of
this I like to dress them up with unique meats, or vegetables, mostly just to
add a fun twist and keep it fresh.

The unique thing about this stir fry is the venison. Venison
can be tricky at times to cook with for a couple reasons, its super lean so it
can get tough if over cooked, it can be gamey, and it cooks quickly, so you
don’t really have a lot of time to play around with the flavors without ruining
the entire dish. But you are lucky that I’m a pro and can tell you how to do it
correctly.

If venison scares you this dish can also be made with beef
or lamb, though you may have to adjust the seasonings a little.

A little side note: This meal wasn’t meant to be clean, it
just worked out that way. Don’t you love it when things like that happen?

Venison Stir Fry

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled & cut into matchsticks

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 lb venison steak, cut into bit size chunks

½ cup fresh or frozen peas

In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat and sauté
onion, garlic and carrot for 3-4 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add
pepper, oregano, and soy sauce stirring well to combine. Add venison and cook
for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas and cook an additional minute
before serving.

Clean

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