Hearty and Healthy Chicken Pot Pie

When I was a 'pre-teen' I was very active. Dancing up to 5 days a week, riding bikes, playing in the yard, typical kid stuff. I had a metabolism like a 7 year old boy. I could and WOULD eat anything in sight, and never got bigger. Not that a child should worry about weight in the first place, but I can recall eating cookies for all three meals, more than a few times. After I quit dancing, and growing up got in the way of 'playtime,' I realized I couldn't eat what I used to.

I often look back at some of the things I used to eat, and ask myself, 'Did I really eat THAT?!'

One food, in particular: Microwavable Beef Pot Pies. You know, the frozen ones by Banquet? I used to eat those like they were going out of style, sometimes eating two in one sitting.

A few days ago I was standing in the frozen-dinner section of the grocery store, and saw my greatly-missed pot pies sitting on the shelf. Hoping that I could fit one into my daily calorie range without too much guilt, I picked one up and looked at the nutritional information on the back. I stood there dumbfounded- Each potpie, which is no bigger than a small pancake- was nearly 500 calories. And to think that I would eat two! I knew then and there that I had to make a healthy version of the classic comfort food. And here it is.

Many times when I develop a recipe, I have to test it and tweak it more than a few times, but this dish came out the way I wanted it to the very first time. The top was crispy and flaky, the sauce was thick and creamy, and the vegetables were cooked just enough. And this potpie is nearly twice the size of the store bought variety. If only I could still eat two...

Note: For the pie crust, I used Pillsbury pre made pie crust. I weighed out a serving (1/8 of a crust), and rolled it to size. Also, I recommend fresh herbs, but dried will work just as well. This dish has 67g carbs- a scary number for low-carb dieters. However, there are also 8 grams of dietary fiber- Nearly 1/3 of your recommended daily intake! Nutrition info is at the bottom of the page.

Healthy and Hearty Chicken Pot Pie

One serving

1 medium potato (about 4 oz)

1 medium Parsnip (about 2.5 oz)

1 medium carrot (about 2 oz)

1/3 cup frozen peas

1 garlic clove, minced

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3 oz)

1 Serving ready-to-bake pie crust (27 grams- about 1 oz)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons skim milk

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Chicken Bullion

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel potatoes, parsnips and carrots, and cut into uniform cubes, about 1/2 inch.

2. Very lightly coat the cubed vegetables with olive oil, and season well with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. Set oven to 350 degrees.

3. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and a pinch of oregano. Heat a small skillet with a light coating of olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Sear both sides of the chicken and then cook until the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees, or about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

4. Using the same pan as the chicken was cooked, heat the milk over low heat. Add minced garlic, a pinch (about 1/8 teaspoon) chicken bullion, and rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Slowly add the cornstarch to thicken, using a small whisk to combine. Add enough cornstarch until sauce has thickened to desired consistency- if you like a thicker sauce, add more cornstarch, if you like a thinner sauce, add less cornstarch. If it becomes too thick, slowly whisk in the water to thin the sauce. (Note: The sauce will thicken as it cooks. Add each ingredient slowly, and whisk in between each addition, then add more water or cornstarch accordingly.)

5. In a bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, parsnips, carrots, frozen peas, and chicken pieces. Add the sauce, and stir to coat. Spoon the mixture into a soup bowl or a large ramekin.

6. Roll out the pie crust to the same width as the bowl or ramekin, and place over top of the pot pie mixture. Lightly coat the top with olive oil, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is light brown.

7. Let cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

Nutrition Info: Calories: 450 Carbs: 67g Fat: 9g Protein: 29g Fiber: 8g

Whole Wheat and Flax Mini Bagels

You may have noticed that I like carbohydrates. A lot. When people ask my favorite food, they expect to hear squash, steak, chicken. Nope, I answer 'Carbs.' I don't like a certain kind of food. I have a favorite food GROUP. I don't care what it is, as long as it has flour in it, I'll eat it. One of my favorite carb-filled-foods, though, is bagels. Actually, big, white, lightly toasted, cream-cheese covered bagels from Big Apple Bagel. My mouth is watering just thinking of it.

Since I've began my healthy eating habits, though, I've definitely ruled out bagels. I let myself splurge here and there, but bagels are basically big, center less, DELICIOUS, nutritional-lacking pieces of refined flour. Definitely not something that I want to 'spend' 400+ calories on...Especially since I'll feel hungry soon after, anyways. Yesterday, though, I was craving bagels. I easily could have gotten in my jeep, driven to the store, walked to the healthy aisle, and picked up a bag of whole wheat bagels...But that would be too easy!

No, I set out to make my very first homemade bagels. Healthy homemade bagels. I searched the internet for the most basic bagel recipe I could find, a formula, really. I found one and went to work. Making them was the easiest part- you basically just throw everything together and mix away. But the waiting for them to rise, boil, and bake? I was ravenous for a bagel!

Finally, they were done. I sliced into my mini bagel, carefully applied a bit of (healthy) butter, waited for it to melt in, and took a bite. My very hard tedious, and patient waiting paid off. My miniature bagel was warm, chewy, and full of flavor. And the best part? No guilt whatsoever. They're just big enough to hit the spot, and since they've got fiber, they're filling too. And since they're only 88 calories each, you can have two...Or three....

Nutrition: Calories: 88 Fat: .6g Sodium: 223mg Carbs: 18.7 Fiber: 2.9 Protein: 3.3



Whole Wheat and Flax Mini Bagels
Makes 20 mini bagels

1 1/2 cups tepid water (105-110 degree F)
1 packet active dry yeast
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons milled flax
1 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon honey

1. Dissolve the yeast in the tepid water and set aside.
2. In a stand-up mixer bowl, combine flours, flax, salt, sugar and honey.
3. Add the yeast and water.
4. Using a dough hook, combine all on low speed for 2 minutes.
5. Increase the speed to medium low, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. All the flour should be incorporated. If the dough separates while kneading, stop the mixer, fold the dough together, and turn the mixer back on.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl, form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel, and let rise for 20-30 minutes.
7. Divide the dough into 20 1.5 balls.
8. Poke a hole in the center of each ball, and form into a bagel shape, turning in your hand to round the edges.
9. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
10. Heat a large, shallow pot of water till boiling, and lower to a simmer. Drop 5 bagels in at a time. Cook for 30 seconds, flip the bagels, and cook another 30 seconds.
11. Remove the bagels from the water, and place on a wire cooling rack.
12. Repeat with the rest of the bagels, making sure to keep the water simmering.
13. Let the bagels just dry, and arrange on the parchment paper, an inch apart.
14. Bake for 7 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake another 5 minutes.
15. Remove and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
16. Enjoy!

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Oatmeal Muffins

I really love muffins. They're warm, soft, and filling. Some of my favorite memories consist of waking up to the sweet swell of muffins on a cold winter morning. How comforting! However, most muffins are packed with fat, sugar and white flour- a health fanatics nightmare! My mission, though, is to 'healthify' otherwise unhealthy recipes! I first found a recipe for Oatmeal muffins on SparkPeople Recipes, but I wasn't crazy about them. They were a bit bland and I wanted to put a tasty spin on them. My inspiration for these was the Buckwheat pancakes I posted a while back. If you've never tried buckwheat flour, it may take some getting used to. It has it's own distinct taste, but I find it very tasty. These muffins are very soft, chewy, perfectly 'apple-y', with just enough cinnamon. And super healthy! They're great for breakfast or a snack with a spritz of spray butter or jam. By the way- they're super easy, so make some for now, later....and more for now! Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 112 Fat: .9 Cholesterol: .4 Sodium: 223 mg Carbohydrates: 23 Dietary Fiber: 2.5 Protein: 4

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Oatmeal Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup quick oats (Or old-fashioned if that's all you got)

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 medium apple

2 egg whites

2 teaspoons milled flax seed

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup brown sugar (spooned, not packed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Raisins - optional

nuts - optional

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine the oats and milk, and set aside. (If using old-fashioned oats, soak for 1 hour)

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Fill a muffin tin with 12 baking cups, and lightly spray with non-stick spray

4. Sift together the flax, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. (Add the optional ingredients now)

5. Grate the apple, and using a tea towel or cheese cloth, ring out the moisture.

6. Combine the oat mixture, apple sauce, grated apple, and egg whites.

7. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mixing until just combine.

8. Evenly divide the batter between the baking cups

9. Combine the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and sprinkle over the top of each muffin.

10. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly brown on top.

11. Remove from oven, cool, and enjoy!

Store in a zip top bag. These also freeze well.

Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Pancakes

My favorite breakfast food is pancakes. Before I started being health conscious, I would eat pancakes night and day. Walker Brothers in Lake Zurich was my go to spot: Their chocolate chip pancakes are to die for, and the bacon pancakes satisfied my salty and sweet cravings all in one. I remember a particular time I was at the ER for my back, and all I wanted was pancakes. I was released around 9PM and my mom drove me straight to Walker Brothers so I could have my pancakes before they closed. I had a plate of bacon AND a plate of chocolate chip pancakes. Those pancakes made me feel better than any medicine I've ever been given at the hospital!

This morning, my pancake craving came back- and with a vengeance! However, I didn't want to ruin my healthy eating streak, so I set out to make a healthy pancake recipe. I flipped through my mom's big, red Better Homes and Garden cookbook, looking for a semi-healthy recipe I could use. All of the recipes contained outrageous amounts of fat, sugar, and carbs! Finally, I decided on the basic pancake recipe, and completely revamped it. Instead of white flour, I used buckwheat. I cut the oil in half, and substituted the rest with apple sauce. I added a bit of ground flax seed for some extra fiber, and a bit of apple for some crunch!

I was ecstatic as to how well the pancakes turned out! I was expecting an aftertaste from the buckwheat flour, but instead I was pleasantly surprised with a subtle nutty flavor! There was just enough cinnamon and it married wonderfully with the apples. Unlike fluffy 'white' pancakes, these hotcakes are a bit dense, only because they're jam-packed with nutritious ingredients. But they taste so great, you would never know that their healthy!

Since my first three recipes can make you gain 10 pounds by just looking at them, I feel it necessary to share a heart-attack free recipe. These pancakes are a mere 76 calories EACH, with two grams of protein and only 13 grams of carbs! These pancakes make for a heart, guilt-free breakfast, that will fill you up until lunch! Some of the measurements are a bit hard to measure, as they were cut in half from the original Better Homes and Garden recipe. The half tablespoons and half beaten egg can easily be eyeballed, though. Enjoy!


Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Pancakes
Makes 6 pancakes

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Buckwheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground flax
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 beaten egg
1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon apple sauce ( I used all natural, sugar-free)
1/2 apple, grated

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk egg, milk, oil, and apple sauce until combined. Stir in the grated apple. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk until just combined. Heat a griddle over medium-low heat, and lightly grease with shortening or vegetable oil. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, drop the batter on to the griddle, leaving 1-2 inches between each pancake. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. The pancakes are ready to flip when the edges have slightly pulled away from the pan, and the batter on top starts to release bubbles. While cooking the pancakes, place cooked pancakes on a plate and cover. This keeps them warm, and softens the crispy sides. Enjoy!