Ridiculously Easy Sausage Pasta Toss

A great way to use up sausage if you don’t feel like firing up the grill.

Ingredients:

8 ounces chicken or turkey sausage (fully cooked kind, such as Aidell’s or Hillshire Farm)
1 eight ounce package of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of chopped canned artichokes (in water, NOT canned/jarred in oil, I use Trader Joes brand)
2 cups fresh baby spinach
¼ cup chopped olives (kalamata or black)
4 ounces whole wheat, 2 cups cooked pasta (penne or fusili works well)
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed garlic (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional for topping)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile slice the sausage into 1/4 inch thick rounds, and brown them in a large pan with the olive oil on medim-high heat for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and artichokes and heat for another few minutes, then remove from heat until pasta is cooked. Once the pasta is done add it to the pan, plus the spinach, olives, basil and garlic and warm through on medium heat for 2-4 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

Makes about 4 servings

Serving size: ¼ of recipe Calories 230 Protein 12 g Carb 25 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 2 g Fat 9 g saturated fat 2 g Sodium 610 mg

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In the News: Eating More Green Leafy Vegetables Like Spinach And Cabbage Could Lower Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers from Leicester University in the United Kingdom did a systemic review/meta-analysis on this topic recently published in British Medical Journal, BMJ. They analyzed pooled data from six studies examining links between fruit and vegetable consumption and type 2 diabetes which suggested that increasing daily intake of green leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, could significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and should be investigated further. To read a summary of this exciting research click HERE and you can check out the actual research results in BMJ by clicking HERE.

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Baked Carrot Fries

French fries? Forget them and try these for WAAAAAAY more antioxidants and less calories! Super easy to make too :)
Ingredients:

1 pound of carrots
cooking spray (*use a gluten-free brand such as Original PAM if you are on a gluten-free diet)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the carrots and cut them into strips about in ¼ inch thick and a few inches long. Coat a baking pan with cooking spray and spread the carrots onto it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes. Flip them over and coat them with a bit more cooking spray, salt and pepper and bake another 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Makes 4 servings:

Serving size: 1/4th of recipe Calories 45 Protein 1 g Carb 11 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 5 g Fat 0 g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 370 mg (sodium based on adding ½ teaspoon of salt to whole recipe)

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Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese

A snappy summer spread!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons light whipped cream cheese (*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes if you are on a gluten-free diet)
2 tablespoons finely diced fresh ripe strawberries (about 2 medium size berries cut up)
¼ teaspoon of honey (optional)

Directions:

Put the cream cheese in a tiny bowl. Add the berries and mix well until they blend in and start to turn the cream cheese light pink. If you like it sweeter add a tiny drizzle of honey. Spread on toast, a bagel, English muffin or bread of choice.

Makes 1 serving

Serving size: Calories 80 Protein 3 g Carb 7 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 5 g Fat 4.5 g saturated fat 2.5 g Sodium 140 mg

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Cucumber Water

A refreshing way to perk up ordinary water without any added calories!

Ingredients:

6-8 cups water
One medium-large cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
Ice cubes
Lemon or lime wedge (optional)

Directions:

Combine all of the above in a large pitcher, chill and serve

Makes 6-8 servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 0 Protein 0 g Carb 0 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 0 g Fat 0 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 0 mg

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Portobello Pizzas

A portobello mushroom makes an amazing crust substitute for a pizza and it’s much lower in carbs and calories too!

Ingredients:

2 large portabello mushrooms (about 4-5 inches in diameter), stems removed
½ cup turkey or chicken sausage (precooked variety, about 1 large link) that is sliced into rounds, then sliced in half (*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes or Applegate Farms if you are on a gluten-free diet)
2 tablespoons diced white onion
1/3 cp chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove diced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped black olives
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cups torn fresh spinach
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons tomato sauce (optional)
4 tablespoons cheese (mozzarella, feta, goat, parmesan all work well)(*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes if you are on a gluten-free diet)
salt and pepper (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the mushrooms well, cut out the stems (without creating a hole in the bottom) pat dry and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, stem side up. And bake for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add the teaspoon oil, sausage, onions, peppers, and garlic to a medium pan and sauté on medium heat for about 10 minutes until lightly browned/tender. Throw in the olives, spinach and sprinkle with the tablespoon water and heat for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then set aside. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and drain/blot any excess moisture. Spread each with a tablespoon sauce (if desired) and top with the sausage/veggie mixture and fresh basil, dividing it between the two. Place the filled mushrooms back in the oven and bake for 10 -12 minutes. Sprinkle each with two tablespoons cheese and bake for another 2-3 minutes, until cheese is slightly melted. Add a dash of salt and pepper if you like and serve!

Make 2 servings

Serving size 1 mushroom Calories 210 Protein 18 g Carb 14 g Fiber 4g Sugars 4 g Fat 11g saturated fat 3g Sodium 580 mg

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In the News: Vitamin D Expert Says More Than Half The World's Population Gets Insufficient Vitamin D

Click here and check out this eye opening article in Medical News Today summarizing comments by Anthony Norman, a distinguished professor emeritus of biochemistry and biomedical sciences and an international expert on vitamin D. Apparently, getting enough vitamin D is becoming somewhat of a concern these days, especially as more and more people avoid exposure to sunlight in fear of increasing their skin cancer risk. A lot of research is surfacing about the benefits of this vitamin, and questions the best ways to obtain enough daily. It will be interesting to see if guidelines will change anytime in the near future!

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