Meatless Monday Motivation: Minestrone!

It's 11 degrees in Chicago. I can't think of a better time for a hearty hot soup! Minestrone has always been a fave of mine - it's easy to make, (even easier with this recipe in a slow cooker) and it's chock full of veggies.

Working from home, I love using my slow cooker. I can decide on meals ahead of time, buy the ingredients, throw everything in and not have to think about dinner the rest of the day (or week, depending on how well I plan!)

Here's my latest recipe for slow cooker Minestrone, just in time for Meatless Monday

INGREDIENTS

• 1 box (1 qt) of reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained
• 1-2 cans (at least 15 oz) diced tomatoes - I used two cans, because I like the soup base a bit thicker
• 5 baby carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch green onions or scallions, sliced
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed

DIRECTIONS 

1. Add broth, beans, tomatoes (with juice), carrots, scallions, celery and onion into the slow cooker. Stir to combine ingredients.
2. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
3. Add spinach and 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning to cooker.
4. Cover and cook for 30 more minutes.

Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of the soup and enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash Zucchini Casserole

I used to really love cooking. Living alone now, I tend to cook more for my dog than I do for myself, however. Though I hate to admit it, I'm pretty lazy when it comes to making my own meals. I will spend four hours making chicken, sweet potato and carrots for my dog, but will settle for a microwave dinner or something easy to grab for my own dinner.

Last week, someone was at my house and said, "You have such a pretty kitchen." So I decided to start using it! I'm back to running daily and it makes less and less sense to not eat well when I'm treating my body better.

So! Healthier eating starts today.

Spaghetti Squash Zucchini Casserole

Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp. garlic
1 bottle spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato                                                                      
3 medium zucchini
1 package light shredded mozzarella
1/2 package shredded parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Poke spaghetti squash all over with a knife and cook in the microwave for 9 minutes, or until soft.
3. While squash is cooking, add garlic and zucchini to a non-stick pan and sauté over medium heat.
4. Once squash is soft, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and with a fork, scrape the flesh. It will come out easily in long strings, like noodle spaghetti.

5. Place the spaghetti squash "noodles" into a casserole dish.
6. Add the cooked veggies, diced tomato, sauce and most of the cheese. Mix well.
7. Sprinkle leftover cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbly.

8. Let cool slightly, serve and ENJOY!

 

 

Green Juice + Protein

I recently moved into my first home, and was given a juicer as a housewarming gift. Each morning since, I look forward to waking up and putting together a delicious green juice.

Today's green juice + protein recipe:

• 1 full pear
• 3 large handfuls spinach (make sure to wash it first to get the dirt particles off!)
• 1 small handful mint
• 1 organic cucumber
• 1 small handful parsley
• 2 rounded scoops Tera's Whey Hunger Control Organic Protein With Fiber & Oat Bran

Why these ingredients you ask?

• Pear: Pears contain Vitamin C and Vitamin K - both vitamins that I have been low in, for most of my life. Rather than take supplements, I choose to get my vitamins through real food. Vitamin K helps maintain your bone health as you get older. It has also shown to help decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis. I also use the pear rather than use any artificial sweetener, as pear juice sweetens vegetable juices.
• Spinach: I have long heard that spinach is great for cleansing your digestive tract and colon. Nutrient dense, it contains vitamins A, B complex, C, E, K, carotenes, folate, manganese, calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, some trace elements and many valuable amino acids. One of the biggest benefits to me, is the amount of protein it contains - almost equally as much as a rich piece of meat!
• Mint: Mint has one of the highest antioxidant properties of any food. It helps aid digestion and keeps my stomach feeling great. It tastes great, even with a small amount added to juice, and the added benefit of keeping my breath fresh doesn't hurt!
• Cucumber: While cucumber is well known for it's ability to cool down the body, I don't need to worry about that much now, with winter in full blast here in Chicago! I like cucumber for the amount of water it contains, which helps keeps me hydrated, as well as the amount of Vitamin C cucumbers contain.
• Parsley: To me, parsley is a super-food. It contains vitamin A, B, C, and K, folate and iron. It also has high beneficial mineral contents like calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vanadium, and zinc. The best part? It is known to help with arthritis, which I sadly suffer from, and this recent weather has only exacerbated it.
• Tera's Whey: I'm obsessed with protein. It's the basis of my diet, so anytime I find one that helps keep me full and tastes great, I add it to everything.

I use the low setting on my juice extractor to preserve all the enzymes that I can.

Do you juice? What are your favorite ingredients?