Tag Archives: eat healthy

Chicken, For Carnivores, Recipes

Won’t Believe It Pitas!

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Won't Believe It Pitas!So, on a whim I decided to try these pitas out.  I thought they would be a quick and easy healthy meal.  The fact that they only take 20 minutes make them the perfect weeknight meal!  They go perfectly with the Mediterranean Orzo Salad which is best made ahead of time so it was super quick to have dinner ready and there were not very many dishes, which is always a bonus!  They are fabulous on pitas but I think they’d make great wraps too.  I ate the leftovers for lunch cold and they were almost as good cold as they were fresh!

While I used a can of rinsed chopped chicken this go round, I think it would have been even better if I had used sliced ‘fresh’ chicken.  Leftovers from roasted chicken would do well (though if you use some sort of seasoned chicken, I suggest leaving out additional seasonings and know that it won’t taste quite the same) or a pound of raw chicken, sauteed before the spinach is added, would be great too!

I highly recommend trying it as is, then playing with it and finding new ways to dress it up!  And, please, by all means, come back and share with me how you made it yours!  I love learning from others cooking skills and taste buds!  Now, on the the recipe!

Greek Inspired Pitas

Ingredients

  • 1/2 sm red onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 lg can shredded chicken
    • -OR- 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts shredded or cubed
  • Mexican fajita seasoning *not fajita seasoning that comes in a package, use the kind that comes in a seasoning container with a white label in the ethnic food area, you’ll thank me later as this is great on everything!*
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 10 oz pkg spinach
  • 4 pieces pita bread, halved & toasted
  1. Combine onion, vinegar and 1 tsp olive oil in small bowl and let sit.  Stir from time to time.
  2. Use a large skillet, trust me!  If using canned chicken, there is no need to cook it, simply rinse well and saute a few minutes with the seasoning.  If using fresh, saute the chicken with seasoning until cooked, then drain.
  3. Add the garlic & cook for about a minute then add chickpeas and half the spinach.  Cook until wilted (takes about 1-2 minutes) then add the other half of spinach.
  4. Fill the pitas with the mixture & top with the onions, drizzling remaining vinegar over it.

Note: This is fabulous hot, but it is amazing the next day cold!  I advise trying it both ways and seeing how you love it!  Think I’m gonna make some more soon and take to work with me for lunch!

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Originally posted 2017-03-28 00:23:48.

For Carnivores, Ground Meat, Recipes, Soups

Healthy Barley Stew Recipe

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Healhty Barley Stew

This yummy recipe has a mild flavor and is great paired with jalapeno cornbread!  The addition of a little spice makes it absolutely perfect. If you aren’t up for it, but want a little spice add a little extra cayenne pepper to yours.

Healthy Barley Stew

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup instant barley
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 3 med onions
  • 2 med celery stalks
  • 1 med bell pepper (any color works)
  • 2 med cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 4 oz ground meat (we used turkey)
  • 2 14.5 oz cans diced toms
  • 1 tsp sat
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

  1. Rinse barley under cold water.
  2. In a med pot over high heat, bring barley, water and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook barley until tender and water is absorbed, about 20-30 minutes.
  3. Set aside.
  4. Dice onions, celery and bell pepper.  Mince garlic.
  5. In a large pot, heat pan over medium high heat.  When pan is heated, add oil.
  6. When oil is hot, saute onions, celery and bell pepper.  Add minced garlic when veggies are almost translucent add garlic and saute an additional 1 minute.
  7. Add ground meat and spices then cook until browned. Drain and return to pan.
  8. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
  9. Cover and reduce heat.  Cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes.
  10. Add cooked barley to mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add water or beef broth if necessary.  ook over low heat to blend flavors, about 5-10 minutes more.
  11. Remove bay leaves and serve.

*Barley can be cooked up to two days in advance.

*If you’d like a vegan option, use pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained, in place of meat

* Could use cooked rice instead of barley

I’d love to hear your thoughts and modifications!

Please leave them in the comment section.

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Originally posted 2016-03-21 06:00:10.

Health and Hygiene, Medicines, Reviews

Healthy Family 6 Pack

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The How, Why and Who to Avoid of Vitamins

All our lives, from when we are little children to forever, all we hear about is eating healthy.  Eat your veggies, they would say, they’ll make you grow tall and strong.  When we are grown and have our own children we begin telling our children the same thing.  What is it with all these vitamins?  So, I’ve decided that I will do a little research and we’ll get the nitty gritty on some ‘nutritious’ stuff.

Who:  Vitamin D3

Why:  It aids in maintaining normal blood levels calcium and phosphorus, helps to prevent osteoporosis and build bone density, elevates moods, fights depression, fights the onset of many viruses (including flu), could reduce the risk of cancer

How:  Avoid D3 by staying away from the sun, as you get older don’t take it as a vitamin supplement since your body doesn’t take in as much naturally

Who:  Iron

Why:  Iron transfers oxygen throughout the body by attaching itself to hemoglobins, helps to prevent anemia

How:  Avoid Iron by staying away from iron rich foods such as beef liver, lean meats, salmon, iron-fortified breakfast cereals, tofu, soybeans, dried beans, oatmeal, pumpkin and sesame seeds, spinach and enriched breads, rice and pasta.  Reduce tea and coffee beverages as they prevent intake of iron.

Who:  Vitamin C

Why:  Avoid it to obtain scaly skin, nosebleeds, inflammation of the gums, and painful joints. Also, vitamin C helps to reduce cancer.  Who would want that???

How:  Avoid produce, especially fresh!  Particularly broccoli, strawberries, canteloupe, oranges, tomatoes, greens, sweet potatoes, or okra.

Who:  Vitamin B12

Why:  Avoid it to slow the production of DNA as well as to interfere with gastrointestinal health by improving it, and helping the development of the brain and nervous system.

How:  Avoid fish, meat, eggs, dairy products, especially beef liver and clams!  Also, read labels as they are added to a lot of cereals and other nutritional foods.

The Skinny

Okay, so we have discovered that there are reasons everyone keeps pushing people to eat healthy.  The other day myhusband read an article about dietary suggestions from 200 years ago.  Turns out, the Atkins diet is not his own and they tried to tell us eating a ton of carbs would make us all fat.  Go figure that we wouldn’t listen.  Seems that is just how wonderful we are, that we never listen.

Hopefully, you get the point of this post.  Vitamins and eating right is very important.  They make a difference, whether you can see it or you don’t.  While the most natural is by getting them the way God made but with today’s lifestyles that isn’t always easy.  So, we have vitamin supplements.

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Where to Buy: You can purchase all Superior Source Vitamins at major retailers nationwide like Whole Foods and Vitamin Shoppe and major online retailers like, Vitacost, iHerb, Walgreens, Swansons and Lucky Vitamins.

Giveaway

“LIVE HEALTHIER” Family 6-Pack ($86 Value)
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2. FREE Vitamin D – Any D product (baby, child, adult) (only pay $4.95 S&H)
3. BOGO – FREE Vitamin C (Sour Cherry or Tangy Orange) – 500 mg – Buy 1 Get One Free!

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Originally posted 2014-05-05 13:12:27.