Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Thighs

This is a skillet meal that tastes rich, but is light and healthy! It's pretty much like eating chicken thighs cooked in the infamous artichoke dip that is at every party.

Found this recipe on Instagram from @cafedelites - here is the link to her website!

Note: I don't have a skillet that is oven safe so instead of placing the pan in the oven, I transferred the chicken to a baking pan coated with tin foil (I folded up the sides a little so the sauce wouldn't escape). Anyone have an oven proof skillet that they would recommend? Help a girl out!

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken Thighs 

Serves 6

Ingredients: 

Cooking oil spray
6 skinless boneless chicken thighs (the original recipe calls for bone-in)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (9 oz) container of 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup chicken stock
2 (9 oz) boxes of frozen artichokes, defrosted and roughly chopped*
4 cups loosely packed spinach leaves
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste. Spray a large oven-proof skillet with cooking spray to coat; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, flesh-side down, and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown; drain any excess fat.

3. Stir garlic through and fry until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes). Add in cream cheese and occasionally stir it until it begins to melt down and become thinner in consistency. Pour in the chicken broth and add the parmesan cheese.

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Stir in artichokes and spinach; simmer until the spinach has just started to wilt.

5. Place the skillet into the preheated oven and continue to roast for 15-20 minutes (or until completely cooked through).

Serve over wild rice or whole wheat pasta!

*Original recipe called for 1 (14 oz) can of artichoke hearts in brine/water, drained and roughly chopped.

Slow Cooker Quinoa Lentil Soup

This is such a perfect comfort food for the winter. I modified the recipe from The Food Network by using lentils instead of a bean mix, quinoa instead of barley, increased the veggies, and used WAY less salt. This recipe is pretty flexible if you want use a different grain/bean combination.

Sprinkle with some parmesan and add a salad to make it complete meal.

Slow-Cooker Quinoa Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled if large, optional
14-oz can stewed tomatoes
3 cups baby spinach

Directions:

1. Put 6 cups water, the lentils, beans, quinoa, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaf, salt, herb blend, some pepper and porcini mushrooms (if using) in a slow cooker. Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands over the pot to break them down, and add with their juices. Cover and cook on high until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

2. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with cheese if desired!

Serves 8 

Nutrition: 170 Calories, 1 g Fat, 32 g Carbohydrates, 9 grams protein

Healthy Turkey Spinach Lasagna

Went back to my Italian roots for my mom's birthday dinner. A healthy twist on the traditional, but she gave it a thumb's up and asked for the recipe - success!

A couple of the swaps: I used ground turkey instead of ground beef, low-fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta (cottage cheese has less fat and calories and more protein), and whole wheat lasagna instead of regular lasagna.

Healthy Turkey Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground turkey (I used 93% for more flavor)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 (10 oz) bags fresh spinach
1 egg white
1 container (4 cups) 2% cottage cheese
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
12 cooked lasagna noodles
oregano
fresh basil
salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a large pot over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the turkey and cook until browned. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, and salt. Simmer 20 minutes. Add fresh basil at the end.

2. Meanwhile, rinse the spinach (do not dry) and transfer to a large non-stick pan. Cover and steam until wilted (about 3-4 minutes).

4. Mix together the cottage cheese and egg white.

5. Once the sauce is done, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a lasagna tray. Lay down 3 noodles. Add 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the cottage cheese, 1/3 of the spinach, and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Continue two more times, then top with the remaining lasagna noodles and 1/4 cup of mozzarella. Bake for 30 minutes.

Wasabi Salmon Sandwich with Ginger Garlic Mayo

I used to make this sandwich all the time. So full of flavor! The original recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine, but it magically disappeared from their archives :(. I've modified their version, and it still came out amazing!

Wasabi Salmon Sandwich with Ginger Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

For the Fish: 

1 (6 oz) salmon fillet
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
1 packet stevia

Ginger Garlic Mayonnaise:

2 teaspoons low-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder

Other:

Small handful spinach
Whole wheat ciabatta roll

Directions:

1. Combine the rice vinegar through the stevia. Place 3/4 of the mixture in a plastic bag. Set the rest aside (in fridge). Place the salmon in the plastic bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Combine the ginger garlic mayonnaise ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Preheat broiler. Coat a baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cook salmon for about 10 minutes, or until it easily flakes with a fork.  

4. Mix together the leftover 1/4 of the marinade mixture with the handful of spinach.

5. Scoop out the inside of the ciabatta roll (to fit all the good stuff inside!). Spread the ginger garlic mayonnaise on both sides of the roll. Add spinach and salmon and eat like a sandwich!

I've always eaten this with cucumber salad. Just goes together so well:

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
Rice vinegar
Ground ginger
Garlic powder 

Directions:

1. Combine the cucumber and red onion with a few splashes (3 T?) of rice vinegar. Add a dash of ginger and a dash of garlic powder. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold. 

Cheesy Quinoa Bake

I was craving something cheesy, and got creative with some leftover quinoa. You NEED to make this!! It's only a few ingredients, and super easy to make. Plus, quinoa has an amazing nutrition profile. It is one of the only whole grains that can serve as a complete protein source (it is technically a seed, but it's lumped into the grain category because it cooks like one). This means it contains all 9 of the essential amino acids that must be obtained from food (since the body cannot make them itself). Quinoa is also a great source of fiber and antioxidants, and is particularly high in magnesium, with 1 cup having about 30% of the RDA.

Fun Fact: Quinoa is pronounced keen-wa, not kwin-o-a

I haven't eaten this hot, but sliced it and ate it cold- it tastes like pizza!

Cheesy Quinoa Bake

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked quinoa
1 garlic glove, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach
3/4 cup Trader Joe's Lite Mozzarella Cheese (it's the only Lite brand I recommend- it melts and tastes the best!)
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
Salt
Pepper
Onion powder
Oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. 

2. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and the 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Add the garlic and saute until soft.

3. Meanwhile, put the spinach on a plate and cook in the microwave (about 4 minutes). Add to the pan and saute for a minute or two. Add the quinoa, cream cheese, and spices. Cook until the cream cheese starts to melt (I mash mine a little with a spatula). Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese.

4. Spray a 13 x 9 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the quinoa mixture and spread evenly in the dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese starts to get bubbly and golden!

Serves 4

Nutrition Information: 280 Calories,  8 grams Fat, 33 grams Carbs, 19 grams Protein

Shrimp, Artichoke, and Spinach "Risotto"

      This morning I realized that it's been a while since I explored my Italian roots in the kitchen. So today I made a really delicious risotto with riced cauliflower instead of rice. This dish helped me remember how much I love the combination of spinach, artichokes, and cheese (Spinach Artichoke dip, anyone?). This was really simple to make- and quicker than traditional risotto because of the substitution of cauliflower rice for risotto rice. Traditional risotto is made with short grain arborio rice. Normally you'd' have to stand around and stir the risotto slowly as it cooks- for about 30 minutes or so. This dish took MAYBE 10 minutes- plus it's lower in carbohydrates, calories, and fat.
        I want to mention here that the goal for my recipes are not to be the lowest in calorie/fat/carbohydrate. I believe in eating a balanced diet consisting of whole foods, complex, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean proteins. I named my blog "Pretty Little Feast" based on the fact that I eat several small meals throughout the day. If you usually only eat three meals a day, this would not be enough for a full meal. You'd either want to increase the portion size, eat it as a side dish, etc.
      

Shrimp, Artichoke, and Spinach "Risotto"

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen spinach
4 frozen artichoke hearts
8 cooked shrimp (I buy mine at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods)
1 square frozen chopped garlic (or one clove of fresh garlic)
1 square frozen chopped basil (or fresh, or dried)
1 cup riced cauliflower
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

1. To rice your cauliflower, place florets in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles rice.
2. Heat a non-stick pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Place spinach, artichokes, garlic, and basil in the pan, cover, and cook about 5-7 minutes or until it is no longer frozen.
3. Cut shrimp into 3 pieces (or two, or leave whole- whatever you prefer). Add to the pan along with your cauliflower rice. Cook about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add nutritional yeast (or cheese) and almond milk. Stir until combined and allow everything to cook for about a minute or two.
5. Serve!

FYI- this is the frozen basil cubes I used:

The Super-fast Super Omelet

I found myself making this omelet concoction pretty regularly lately. It's a great way to use up leftovers and whip up a healthy, filling meal really quickly. There's basically no rules- you just have to be willing to think outside the "omelet box". Just a few simple steps:

1. Grab some veggies (fresh, frozen, leftover- whatever! Just make sure to cook the frozen or uncooked veggies first) and some cooked sweet potato/butternut squash/acorn squash/spaghetti squash (optional but highly recommended!)

2. Throw everything into a non-stick pan and cover with your egg whites

3. Add cheese!

Yes, the sweet potato/butternut squash/acorn squash may sound odd, but they taste so buttery and creamy and delicious with the veggies and cheese! My omelet below was packed-out with superfoods- sweet potato, spinach, mushrooms, and peppers. I topped this monster omelet with parmesan cheese and plenty of paprika (obessed with this spice). You can also add some chopped up veggie burger, boca crumbles, chicken, turkey, cooked salmon, etc.- the possibilities are endless. I also love using Light Laughing Cow wedges- just dollop it on and let it melt right in (YUM).

Typing this post made me think of another egg dish I love- it's a sunny side up egg over spaghetti squash and sauteed spinach, topped with parmesan cheese. The egg yolk (AKA ooey-gooey-yolk deliciousness) serves as the "sauce" in this dish.

Who says eggs are only for breakfast?