Healthy...ish with Jen O.

Has anyone tried this recipe from last week?!?! So flippin good!

​Who is excited for fall?!? This girl is!!! I woke up this morning and it was 70 degrees….no, this is not a typo! So fabulous. I love the fall in Phoenix. it’s the time when people finally decide it’s safe to venture outside again (you know, the non-overachievers amongst us who don’t go running up mountains all summer), and, of course, we get to start cooking cool weather recipes!!!

I’m here to tell you that the idea of cool weather recipes being heavy, cream filled, calorie laden food  is now officially antiquated. The internet is full of amazing cool weather recipes that still TASTE like they have a lot of calories, but they don’t. It’s like magic! It also 100% embodies my healthy…ish lifestyle.  Of course, I will share those recipes with you, my dear readers! So, without further ado, here are this week’s recipes:

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Sunday: Creamy Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
https://minimalistbaker.com/garlic-white-wine-pasta-with-brussels-sprouts/
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I use this recipe as inspiration…loose inspiration. I’m going to roast the Brussel sprouts and make a white wine sauce, but I’m not going to use vegan cheese or nutritional yeast….just regular parm. I’m not going to use almond milk ( I only have vanilla….eeek), I’ll use some broth or regular milk. We’ll see how it goes!
 
Monday: Pinto Bean and Spanish Rice Burritos
There is really no recipe link for this recipe…. I’ve been making pinto beans to fill tacos for years because it’s just so easy! I have burrito tortillas left over from last week, and you know how I hate to waste, but you need more than just beans to fill a burrito….hence the Spanish rice. I’m going to use my Instant Pot to make the rice…. Have you guys heard of the Instant Pot? I thought it may be something I wouldn’t use much, but, when it went on sale last black Friday for almost half off, I figured, why not try it. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an electric pressure cooker, and it’s a dinner saver. It cooks rice in minutes….even when I cook brown rice, it only takes 22 minutes. The other awesome thing about it is that you can sauté in the pot which means less dishes! So good.

So here’s how I make this:

Beans: Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno in olive oil….. add chili powder, cayenne, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pot…. Add pinto beans (I use organic canned beans and rinse)…. Add a little water and cover… cook on low til you’re ready to eat.

Rice: Saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno in the instant pot in olive oil…… add brown rice and saute for a couple minutes…. Mix some tomato paste into some liquid (veggie broth….water if you want)… the ratio of liquid to rice in the Instant Pot is 1:1.25… set on high pressure for 22 minutes and leave it alone….let pressure come down on its own for 7 ish minutes and then manually release it.
Wrap all this up into a tortilla with whatever else you like….guac….salsa….lettuce….cheese…you know the deal.

Tuesday: Broccoli Potato Soup
Recipe: I got this recipe from Thug Kitchen 101. Guys. This is the BEST cookbook I have ever bought. Every dish is tasty. Every dish is vegan. I didn’t change anything about this recipe and it was awesome…..Bad news though friends… I can’t share the recipe (copyright and all) SO I suppose you have to go buy this book. And you should, cuz it’s fab.

http://www.thugkitchen.com/101 
Warning: This book uses naughty language….. if this offends you…..you’re going to miss out on some of the best vegan recipes available.
 
Wednesday: Fragrant Red Lentils and Rice
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fragrant-red-lentils-with-rice

This is one of my FAVORITE cool weather recipes…. It’s so hearty….spicy…. savory…. And it’s low cal! Cannot beat it. The only things I change when I make this is: no bay leaf, no yogurt for garnish….otherwise I cook as written and it is amazing!
 
Thursday: Grilled Cheese

No recipe needed.

Let’s talk about being busy. This semester, I decided that in addition to working two jobs, going to yoga at the crack of dawn, and cooking dinner every night…  I should probably take a Spanish class at the local community college. This was probably not the smartest life choice, but here I am. So on Thursdays I leave my house at around 5:30 AM and get home at 8 PM. Therefore, I have designated the husband as the official cook for Thursday nights. His cooking repertoire is limited, but he tries. So…. Grilled cheese.

Healthy…..ish?