Mediterranean Pasta

Ok, so this recipe was really an experiment. Last weekend I enjoyed dinner at a friend's house. She made a delicious pasta dish- and I messed around trying to create something similar until I got my hands on the real recipe.
It turned out pretty yummy- although a teeny bit on the dry side. So I think next time I would add either a little more dressing, or maybe even a bit of fat free sour cream...
Anyhow, gather these ingredients:
olive oil
chopped onion (about 1 cup or so)
1 container grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
whole wheat penne noodles
fat free feta cheese
fat free Greek dressing
Parmesan cheese
a pinch of red pepper flakes

Start by putting on a pot of water to boil. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and heat on medium. Toss in the onions and cook for a couple minutes.

 Then add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook until softened.

Drain the cooked noodles and put back in pan. Add in the softened veggies, and about 3/4 cup of fat free Feta.

Add in about 1/2-3/4 cup of fat free Greek dressing and a pinch of red pepper flakes and mix well.

Pour into a 9x13 dish and spread about 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Serve with a yummy salad and some bread. So good-I was very happy with how it turned out!
try it and let me know what you think!
-Mama

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

Sorry for the belated post- we have had several rounds of sickness through our house, and I've been a bit behind!
So here is the promised Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo recipe!
Ingredients:
4 tsp olive oil
8oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
pinch of salt
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo, preferably whole wheat
2 large eggs (I used egg whites, which may change the texture of the soup a bit)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tsp of oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot and thyme and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

 Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and keep the soup hot but not boiling.
Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup.

Season with pepper and serve.

The perfect meal for a cold, snowy evening! Add some yummy crusty bread on the side, like a French baguette and you are good to go!
Be sure to swing back by this week for my newest creation, Mediterranean Chicken. It was an experiment to try to recreate something a friend made, but it turned out different, and pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself!
Enjoy!
Please consider becoming a follower of this blog (look on the right side), and comments are always welcome!!!
-Mama

Homemade Taco Seasoning and Sloppy Joes

A double post tonight! Both things are so quick and easy, I decided to put them both in this post. Unfortunately, I did not take any pics. I didn't think they were really needed.
First, I wanted to share my recipe for homemade taco seasoning. If you've ever looked at the sodium content of the store bought seasoning, it has a ridiculous amount! Even the so called "lower sodium" ones. This homemade mix is so easy, and you can even make up a large batch and store it for next time.
You can use this on ground turkey, or even on chicken.
Just simply mix equal parts of the following spices:
chili powder
cumin
garlic powder
onion powder
If I'm only making enough for one batch, I use about a tablespoon of each. I brown my meat first, then add the seasoning and a bit of water.
Now, for the sloppy joes. I use ground turkey, and as soon as I put it in the pan I use the Kroger brand Onion and Herb Seasoning (it's salt free!), almost a tablespoon, on top. I then brown my meat.
Once the meat is browned, you will add ketchup and mustard. (We use Heinz No Salt Added Ketchup). I use about 2 parts ketchup to 1 part mustard. The amount really depends on how sloppy you like your sloppy joes!
Since it was such a simple post tonight, keep an eye out for this week's new (for me too!) recipe, Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo! (Other highlights this week: The hubby's homemade chili, chicken stirfry, and homemade applesauce!)
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Have a great night!
-Mama

Chicken Pasta

The great thing about pasta is that you can make so many different kinds. Tonight I'm going to show you how to make chicken pasta, but you could also use ground turkey or veggies. (I like to saute zucchini, squash, and onion- but I prefer to do this in the summer time when I can get the squash and zucchini fresh from our garden.)
This is another quick and easy recipe (a recurring theme here at Heart Healthy Mama!).
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 jar low sodium pasta sauce (we use Trader Joe's No Salt Added)
2 cloves garlic
multi grain pasta noodles

Start by gathering your ingredients.

Heat a little bit of canola oil in a non stick pan, and add chicken.

Meanwhile, get a pot of water on the stove, and turn the heat on under it.
While your meat is cooking, mince your garlic. My favorite little trick is this awesome gadget pictured below- you just peel your garlic cloves, stick them in the top, and roll it across the counter. It minces them up perfectly for you! The gadget is made by a company called Chef'n.

See how nicely it minces?

When your chicken is cooked through, reduce heat to low, add your sauce and minced garlic, and cover. Let it simmer while your noodles are cooking. (Water should be boiling by now. We also like to add a bit of minced garlic to the pasta water too. We LOVE garlic in this house, and it's great for your heart!)

When noodles are done, drain them, return them to the pan and mix in your chicken and sauce mixture.

I found a great low fat, low sodium loaf of bread at Trader Joe's. (Trust me, not easy to find a fresh baked loaf with those requirements!! Especially the sodium!)

If you're feeling extra fancy, slice up the bread and serve with a dish of olive oil to dip into.

Serve with a yummy fresh salad, and you're good to go!
Give it a try, and please be sure to leave comments- they make my day!!
-Mama

Chicken Joes!

Here it is, the first recipe, Chicken Joes. Now, I have to start by apologizing that there is no picture of the final product sitting on a bun- as I was cooking this and taking pics, I was also trying to sign my daughter's Girl Scout troop up for Cookie Booths, so it was a bit hectic!
I am a fan of quick dinners, and that's what you will find here on Heart Healthy Mama! This is so quick and easy, and even my picky 5 year old will eat these!

In this recipe, I will also share some of my favorite brands for items that I used.
Here is the ingredient list:
1lb diced chicken breast pieces *(see note below regarding chicken)
3/4 cup onion;chopped
1/2 cup green pepper;chopped
2 cups no salt-added tomato sauce (the only brand I could find was Trader Joe's -see the pic below)
2 tbsp tomato paste (Hunt's is extremely low in sodium)
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
whole wheat hamburger buns

**Note on chicken: If you are serving more than 4 people (1 sandwich each), I would add more chicken. You can use frozen pre-cooked chicken if you like, but that generally has more sodium. So I just chop up fresh chicken breasts into small pieces.

Start by chopping up your onion and green pepper. I like to finely dice mine, because I don't like big chunks of veggies!

Gather all your ingredients together! That's my method, cause I like to make sure I have everything I need, and I like to have it nearby and ready to grab!

Start by browning your chicken in a nonstick pan. When it's just about cooked through, add your green peppers and onions and cook until onions are translucent.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve on whole wheat buns.

It's so simple! Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Happy cooking!
-Mama

Welcome to Heart Healthy Mama!

It's the official launch of my new blog, Heart Healthy Mama! (Formerly "The True Adventures of Cakegirl"). Last August my husband was diagnosed with Heart Disease, and underwent emergency surgery to put a stent in his heart. Needless to say, this was a life changing event for our family! It made us take a long, hard look at a lot of things, and one of the biggest was looking at the way we ate.
We really didn't think we were doing too bad in that department until we met with my husband's dietician and she started pointing out the little things that we took for granted- that were actually BIG things. We never looked at the sodium content in anything. And let me tell you, once you do start looking, it can blow your mind.
The recommended daily allowance of sodium for adults is around 2400 milligrams, 1500 for a heart patient (though they are now trying to lower it to 1500 for everyone.) It may seem like a lot, but next time you're rooting around in your pantry, take a peek at the food packages.
There's the usual suspects- pretzels, potato chips, etc. But then there are ones you don't really think about. Anything prepared from a box (flavored rice or noodles, meal kits, etc)- loaded with sodium! Most pre-packaged snacks are filled with sodium and saturated fat.
Our pantry has changed a lot in the past few months, and by doing some research (and reading a LOT of packages) we have found a lot of great products, which I will be sure to share with you here. We also eat a lot more fresh fruits and veggies.
So, in this blog it's my goal to share with you some of the new recipes I've discovered and old recipes that I've modified to fit our new guidelines. I also welcome you to share ideas and recipes of your own, and favorite products and things that you enjoy.
Now, don't get me wrong - I still occasionally indulge in a fast food meal, or a rich dessert. I'm a firm believer of trying to do things in moderation-I don't think you should completely deprive yourself of treats
But I can tell you that by eating healthier, I feel better, I've lost weight (even without working out, like I should be doing, and I really will one of these days!), and I'm hopefully passing on good habits to our daughter.
Keep an eye out- this week I will be sharing my first recipe, Chicken Joes!
And here is my first product recommendation: for a super yummy, easy, fat free dessert try Trader's Joe's Reduced Guilt Brownie Mix. Surprisingly yummy and fudgy (my favorite type of brownie), they are great plain, and I bet they would make an awesome brownie sundae with Edy's Fat Free Ice Cream!
Have a wonderful week!
-Mama