Healthy Recipe Challenge

Week 3 Post 5: Its All About The Subs Breakfast: Super Green Smoothie http://simplegreensmoothies.com/Recipes For many, a fresh and invigorating on-the-go breakfast is a healthy green smoothie. The website above is perfect for newbies to the smoothie world and veterans alike, and boasts hundreds of green smoothie variations, the #1 beginner recipe, helpful tools to get started, plus a side by side comparison of the popular super blenders- Vitamix and Blendtec.

Cooks notes: If you dont have a fancy blender, a Nutribullet style-blender will work, just the recipe and work in batches.

Lunch: Italian Antipasto Salad http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/04/italian-antipasto-salad.html Cooks notes: Add garbanzo (chickpeas) or cannellini beans for extra protein and fiber. Use whatever lettuce you have on hand. Mix everything together but the lettuce the night before and let the flavors marinate in the dressing. Toss in the lettuce right before serving.

Snack: Dry roasted unsalted almonds, or walnuts and dried or fresh apricots. Dinner: Sausage, Spinach, Ricotta Stuffed Shells http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sausage_spinach_ricotta_stuffed_pasta_shells/

Cooks notes: Do stuffed shells seem daunting? Make a bake with spiral or fusilli noodles instead (assemble like lasagna), or use spaghetti squash noodles and bump up your fiber and vegetable serving. Not a fan of sausage? Then sub lean ground turkey or beef for the sausage. Go for full-fat ricotta in this recipe. It adds the right texture and flavor.

Grocery list

This list assumes you are making the serving size listed in the recipes. You may need to adjust grocery list according to your needs. Also, pantry items such as extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, brown sugar, spices, etc. are not on this grocery list.

On your own to pick the ingredients for your breakfast smoothie Romaine lettuce Cherry tomatoes Fresh basil Cucumber Apricots Red onion (pantry staple) Yellow onion (pantry staple) Almonds (pantry staple stored in the freezer) Green or Kalamata olives (pantry staple) Jar of pepperoncini Jar of roasted red bell pepper Jar of Giardiniera 28 ozs. can of tomatoes with Italian herbs Jumbo pasta shells Bread crumbs (pantry staple) Light mozzarella cheese 16 ozs. Ricotta cheese Parmesan cheese 10 ozs. Frozen spinach (pantry staple) Turkey pepperoni (or regular is also fine) Prosciutto di Parma

Its All About The Substitutions In all recipes - ALL RECIPES - substitutions can be made to apease the pickiest eaters, people with allergies and food senstivities, and for those mindful eaters watching their waistlines. This weeks post is all about substitutions and making meals that you like with ingredients you love. That is what home cooking is all about making meals that you love. A few of the more common substitutions:

1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water to replace an egg in baked good recipes.

Mashed bananas in lieu of oil and fats in baked goods Unsweetened applesauce in place of oil or sugar in baked goods Nut or gluten free flour in lieu of all-purpose flour or white whole wheat in place of

all-purpose (by weight) Riced steamed cauliflower instead of white rice or mashed potatoes Spaghetti squash noodles replace pasta Big leaves of romaine and Bibb lettuce take the place of wraps and flour tortillas Greek yogurt instead of sour cream Thinly sliced sweet potatoes baked replace store bought Russet potato fries

List of 83 Healthy Substitutions http://greatist.com/health/83-healthy-recipe-substitutions A little adventureous with the substitutions? Who doesnt love a good slice of pizza? One slice of pizza on average is about 400 calories. If you replace the traditional bread crust with a cauliflower crust, you will have drastically reduced the calories and bumped up the fiber and vegetable serving of the dish. We have tested and tried this cauliflower pizza crust, and while perhaps not as easy to pick up as a New York style slice, its definitely a crowd pleaser: http://pinchofyum.com/light-bbq-chicken-pizza Needless to say, we are pretty amazed by how versatile cauliflower is and how it can be subbed in a variety of recipes. For more ideas, see the list below: Breadsticks: http://www.anediblemosaic.com/cauliflower-crust-garlic-breadsticks/ Tortillas: http://slimpalate.com/cauliflower-tortillas-paleo-grain-free-gluten-free/ Jalapeno and Cheddar Muffins: http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/09/jalapeno-cheddar-cauliflower-muffins-3.html Italian Stromboli: http://www.theironyou.com/2014/04/cauliflower-crust-stromboli.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+theironyou/VraN+(The+Iron+You) Dumplings: http://popularpaleo.com/cauliflower-dumplings-with-creamy-chicken-soup/ Everything Bagel!!!!: http://lexiscleankitchen.com/2013/07/30/everything-bagel-cauliflower-rolls/