• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Get My Top Food Prep Tips. Subscribe Today

the-lean-green-bean-logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Kids
  • Resources
    • Ebooks
    • Food Prep
    • Videos
    • Snack Round-Ups
  • About
    • Become An RD
    • Work With Me
  • Search
the-lean-green-bean-logo
Menu
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Kids
  • Resources
    • Ebooks
    • Food Prep
    • Videos
    • Snack Round-Ups
  • About
    • Become An RD
    • Work With Me
  • Search

blog

Pesto Chicken Boat Subs

October 7, 2016 by Lindsay 17 Comments

Last week, I took a look in my garden for the first time in a while and I immediately tweeted the following:

almondMy basil plant was overflowing…but I didn’t have any walnuts!

Turned out it was a serendipitous kind of day because not 10 minutes later, as I was reading blog posts, I came to Brittany’s post for Tomato Almond Pesto! Crazy right?!

I immediately whipped up a batch. I loosely followed her recipe. I cut the cheese back to 1/4 cup, left out the salt and tomatoes, and my almonds were raw and unsalted.

DSC 9960DSC 9961DSC 9963

DSC 9968As I worked on the pesto, I was formulating an idea for dinner in my head! I had some french bread that was starting to get stale so I knew I wanted to make some sandwiches.

I cut the loaf into two sub-sized pieces, then I sliced a thin strip off the top and hollowed out the middles to make bread boats!

DSC 9964DSC 9965

I spread a layer of pesto on the bottom, added a bit of cheese, and then filled the boats with a mixture of veggies, chicken and cannellini beans that I sauteed with some garlic and Italian seasoning. I topped everything off with some spaghetti sauce.

DSC 9972DSC 9973DSC 9966
DSC 9967DSC 9975DSC 9976

Another sprinkle of cheese and into the oven for 20 minutes at about 375 degrees.

DSC 9980The best part of these boats/subs, according to me, is how crunchy the bread got.
The worst part of these boats/subs, according to the hubby, is how crunchy the bread got.

DSC 9985

They were a little messy to eat…but crunchy, crusty bread and a warm, cheesy, saucy middle? That’s a win in my book!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Chicken

Celebrating Life

September 29, 2016 by Lindsay 15 Comments

This weekend we were out of town remembering and celebrating the life of my grandma.

IMG 0323We enjoyed our time with family members- eating, drinking and reminiscing.

IMG 0289IMG 0329

We looked at pretty flowers and saw beautiful sunsets, all the while celebrating a beautiful life.

aIMG 0318

We gathered together as a family and laughed over the antics of a crazy dog.

IMG 0330IMG 0331
We played Grandma’s favorite game and revisited our childhood.

IMG 0328IMG 0324IMG 0325And we looked at hundreds of pictures and remembered all the beautiful things grandma was a part of and gave thanks for the wonderful years we shared with her.

 

dhj

b1ic1

ea1gf

We didn’t always live close by, but she was always there for me. She watched countless soccer and basketball games, hosted a million birthday parties and holiday dinners, and she was there for every single milestone in my life- my Confirmation, all of my graduations, my wedding….She was a beautiful person, inside and out and she will be missed.

I love you Grandma.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make some of Grandma’s jello and a big bowl of Turkey Dumpling Soup.

~Lindsay~

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Eating Healthy on a Budget

August 8, 2020 by Lindsay 7 Comments

Recently I got a reader request for a post about eating healthy on a budget, specifically including tips for grocery shopping. Lots of bloggers have written posts about this topic but I thought it might be fun to do one of my own!

So here we go:

images1

1.  Plan, plan, plan.

-Never go to the grocery store without a list….and stick to that list! (My hubby made me a checklist that lists foods by aisle. I can circle what I need and makes it really easy to make sure you don’t miss anything on your list when you’re in the store!)
-Plan menus that use ingredients more than once so things don’t go to waste.

-Use grocery store ads to plan your meals around what’s on sale
-Use coupons, but only if they’re for things you would normally buy. There’s no sense in getting $1 off Swiss cheese if you don’t even like Swiss cheese. In the end you won’t be saving money because you’ll probably end up throwing those things away
-Same thing goes for 10 for $10 sales, don’t buy something just because it’s included in the sale if you’re not going to eat it!
-Realize that most coupons are for processed foods, which you should try to limit in your diet.
-Be realistic. Most people will always have some amount of processed food in their diet. Focus on choosing wisely for the ones you do include.
-Never grocery shop hungry. It leads to more impulse purchases!

images2

2. Keep a well-stocked pantry
-See the post I wrote about my pantry staples for some ideas to get you started. It will be an expensive one-time investment and then it’s pretty easy to keep stocked by just replacing things one at a time as you run out

-Know what you have on hand. Don’t buy tomato sauce every time you go to the store if you already have 6 jars in your pantry.
-Keep a running list of things you run out of throughout the week so you don’t forget anything.

images3

3. Shop in season

-Shop your local farmer’s markets in the summer and plan your menus around the things you find there.
-Grow your own vegetable garden. Seed packets are cheap and with a little planning, you can have fresh herbs and produce several months a year for a very low cost.
-Buy what’s in season. (Here’s a great list by state) Don’t try to buy strawberries in January if they’re not in season where you live. Instead, go strawberry picking in June and stock your freezer so that you can enjoy berries on the cheap all year round.
– Check out the frozen section for fruits and vegetables. The produce is usually flash frozen at its peak and therefore can be just as beneficial nutrition-wise as fresh produce.

photo 201

4. Only buy organic when it matters.
-Memorize the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen (Check out my friend Jenn’s post for a great visual guide!) . In other words, don’t waste your money on organic sweet potatoes. As for meat and milk, do your own research and decide if it’s something you feel strongly enough about to spend the money on.

dirty dozen 2011

5. Unit cost/Buying in bulk
-I cannot stress this enough. I look at the unit cost of every single thing I buy, especially things like spices, peanut butter and chips.  The price may seem higher at the time, but it will save you money in the long run.
-On the other hand, don’t buy something in bulk just to save money if you can’t eat it or freeze it before it’s going to spoil.
-Buy and cook a whole chicken. It’s way cheaper than just buying the breasts or legs, and then you can use the bones to make stock. All it requires is a little extra time cutting.

images4

6. Make your own
-There are TONS of things you can make at home that require very little effort and yield products that are similar to and often better than store bought (Read cheaper and healthier). Some examples: hummus, tomato sauce, crackers, bread, pizza crust, trail mix, granola, bagels, broth, lean pockets….

DSC 97201

7. Eat less meat and more beans and other legumes
-Meat is expensive. For the most part, grains, beans and legumes are not. Buy bags of dried beans, peas, lentils, rice, quinoa, barley and cook them yourself. Most require no more than a hour of soaking before cooking, if any at all.
-Cook a whole bag of black beans at once. Portion them into Ziploc bags and store them in the freezer. When you’re ready to use them, just pull some out and defrost them n the microwave or add them directly to whatever dish you’re making.

 DSC 96791

8. Know your portion sizes

-If you’re eating 6 ounces of meat at every meal, of course you’re going to spend more money than you should at the grocery store. Learn to eat correct portion sizes and your food will last longer. (Click here to see portion sizes in pictures with everyday objects).
-Fill your plate the right way.

MyPlate9. Just drink water
-Don’t waste your money on soda, juice and sports drinks. They’re fine to have occasionally, but if you don’t buy them every time you shop, you will save money. If you have a hard time drinking plain water, add citrus fruits or frozen (unsweetened) berries to a pitcher of water for a twist of flavor.

images5

10. Limit processed foods

-Packaged foods are notoriously overpriced. They’re also filled with stuff you don’t need in your body. Stick with fresh, natural foods that you can combine yourself into tasty meals, rather than buying pre-packaged meals filled with who knows what.

images6

11. Read the labels. I buy Kashi 7 grain crackers instead of Wheat Thins. Are they more expensive? Yes. Are they better for me? Yes. They have less sodium and sugar and more fiber and protein. Is that worth the extra money to me? Yes.

images7
12. Stock up when things are on sale. Check the expiration dates and the amount of space in your freezer and then buy several when things go on sale. This can save you a lot of money, especially on things like meat, as long as you have a place to store it!

13. Consider store brand products.
I’ll be the first to admit that there are definitely some things that I refuse to buy store brand. However, for the most part, store brand products have the exact same ingredients as name brand and can usually be found at a MUCH lower price! Just remember to check the nutrition facts and compare between brands as usual.

images8

So there you have it. Eating healthy on a budget can be a challenge, but with a little effort it can be done.

Some other posts that may be of interest:

Cutting Down our Grocery Bill from The Avid Appetite
Grocery Budget from Yes I Want Cake
Saving on Groceries from Faith, Fitness, Fun
Getting it Under Control from AliGirl Cooks
Eat Well, Spend Less from GoodLife Eats

Any other tips that I might have missed?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Black Bean Guacamole

August 8, 2020 by Lindsay 8 Comments

Recently, I cooked up a whole bag of black beans to restock my freezer supply. Usually I try to undercook them just a bit because when I add them to different dishes, they tend to cook a bit more.

However, I accidentally overcooked this batch a little bit. They’ll still be fine, and I still put most of them in the freezer…but I decided that since they were a bit mushy, they might be good in a dip.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of black beans by themselves. So I didn’t want to make just a plain old black bean dip because I knew I wouldn’t like the flavor. I had an avocado that was nice and ripe and I found myself wondering what a mix of those two flavors would taste like.

I put some beans in the food processor, added an avocado, a little bit of Greek yogurt and the juice of one lemon and gave it a whirl. I made mine pretty smooth, but you could achieve a similar, yet chunkier, result by simply mashing the beans and avocado by hand and then mixing in the yogurt and juice.

DSC 9736DSC 9738DSC 9737

Since I do prefer a chunky guacamole, I added some red onion and tomato to the mix for some texture.

DSC 9739DSC 9740

I also added some cayenne pepper for a little extra kick!

DSC 9741

It turned out great! The avocado flavor definitely covers up the black bean flavor and adding the beans and yogurt help boost the amount of protein! Protein and healthy fats? Yes please!

Printable recipe below- quantities are estimated since I didn’t measure anything!

Black Bean Guacamole

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 5 min

Keywords: food processor appetizer snack healthy low-sodium vegetarian greek yogurt black beans avocado

Ingredients

  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 c black beans, cooked
  • 2 Tbsp plain fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 c red onion, diced
  • 1/4 c tomato, diced
  • optional- cilantro

Instructions

In a food processor, combine the avocado, black beans, yogurt and lemon juice. Pulse until desired level of chunkiness is achieved.

Transfer to a small bowl and add the tomatoes, onion and red pepper. Stir to combine.

Enjoy!

Powered by Recipage

 

 

DSC 9742

Eating this with some Food Should Taste Good jalapeno chips was pretty much the best thing ever! By the way, have you entered my Food Should Taste Good giveaway for your chance to win five bags of chips?!

DSC 97491DSC 97511

What’s your favorite way to eat guacamole? Mine is probably on a chicken and guac panini! YUM!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Crockpot Granola

December 4, 2020 by Lindsay 17 Comments

For my last birthday, my sister got me this cookbook.

images

Since my birthday happened to fall right in the middle of my busiest quarter at school, I haven’t had much time to look through it until recently. After spending some time browsing the recipes, one really stood out to me.

Crockpot Granola.

Does that sounds genius or what? I don’t know about you but I always seem to burn granola when I make it in the oven. I get annoyed that it takes so long and I slowly keep turning up the temperature on the oven…and then BAM! it burns. and then I’m sad.

So I decided to give it a dry. The cookbook suggests cooking it on high for an hour and a half and then turning it down. It also suggests melting the liquid stuff like honey and peanut butter in the crockpot and then adding the other stuff. I opted to just melt the peanut butter and honey in the microwave, then mix in the oats and other stuff and dump it all in the crockpot. I cooked mine on low because my crockpot tends to run hot.

A couple things to remember:

1) You do have to stir this granola….about once every half hour. That makes this a great recipe for a Sunday afternoon when you’re hanging around the house anyways…perhaps doing some food prep for the week?

2) Watch your granola carefully. I only cooked mine for about 3 hours even though the recipe said almost 6 hours. It definitely depends on your crockpot.

3) After reading some other recipes online, I left the lid cracked on my crockpot even though my recipe didn’t say to. Leaving the lid on can lead to some soggy granola!

So let’s get started shall we?

The best thing about granola is you can put in pretty much whatever you want….and you don’t need exact measurements. Use your favorite recipe or check out one of mine. This time I used oats, raw, unsalted sunflower seeds and almonds, wheat germ and flax seed. In a small bowl I warmed up some honey, peanut butter and vanilla.

DSC 9695DSC 9696

Spray your crockpot, stir to combine and pour into the crockpot:

DSC 9697

Cook on low, with the lid tilted for 3-4 hours, stirring every half hour until golden brown. Remove from the crockpot and spread on a sheet tray to cool. Stir in your favorite mix-ins! I added raisins, craisins and a few chocolate chips.

If forget about your granola and don’t stir it, some will burn. Just scoop that out and move forward 🙂

DSC 9713

Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

DSC 9720

And might I suggest making a batch of granola cookies with your new homemade treat?!

Do you have a favorite granola recipe? Share it with me!! I love putting vanilla in mine!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peach Rainbow Salsa

August 10, 2020 by Lindsay 8 Comments

Hi Friends!

Just popping in with a quick post about this super simple meal I whipped up earlier this week.

I picked up a pork tenderloin at the store last time I was there and knew I wanted to make it on the grill. I loosely followed the recipe for this marinade. By loosely I mean I used all the same ingredients but didn’t measure a darn thing. I just poured a little bit of everything into a bag, added the pork and let it sit in the fridge for about 3 hours. Turned out great 🙂

DSC 9827DSC 9850

As you recall, I had some peaches hanging around from my trip to the Farmer’s Market last week. I’ve been seeing lots of recipes for nectarine salsas in my cooking magazines and I decided to whip up one of my own, using peaches.

Here’s what I did:

In a small bowl I combined peaches (peeled), avocado, tomato, red onion, the juice of one lime and a jalapeno.

 

DSC 9823DSC 9824DSC 9825

I let the salsa meld while the pork was marinating and it turned out great as well! It’s super simple and has great flavor, with a kick! I knew I wanted the peaches to be the star which is why I only used a little bit of avocado and tomato but the hubby still said he thought there should be no tomato.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin w/ Rainbow Salsa

by Lindsay L

Keywords: grill entree healthy

Ingredients (Serves 4)

for the pork

  • 1 pork tenderloin, seasoned and grilled as desired

for the salsa

  • 2 large peaches, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 an avocado, diced
  • 1/2 a medium tomato, diced
  • 1/4 c red onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced
  • juice of one lime

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Powered by Recipage

 

Even though I made this to go with the pork, we ended up eating some of it with some blue corn tortilla chips and it was just as delicious. We both agreed, however, that it’s super spicy. We love spicy salsa, but to really enjoy it with the pork, you might want to scale back a bit on the jalapeno 🙂

DSC 9852DSC 9853DSC 9855

Doesn’t it just scream summer?!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

 

Filed Under: Dinner

Farmer’s Market Potato Hash

August 10, 2020 by Lindsay 13 Comments

Last week I made a trip to a new-to-me farmer’s market that was opening for it’s first week of the season. I wasn’t sure what to expect since it’s a smaller market, so I tried not to get too excited…but to my delight, I came home with two bags stuffed full of goodies.

First up, my absolute favorite peaches. It was their first pick of the season and I immediately grabbed a bag.

IMG 0227Next up, potatoes. The hubby and I absolutely love roasted potatoes and when I was these tiny little butter potatoes I knew I just had to have them.

IMG 0229

At the next stall there were some beautiful green onions. Since I was fresh out at home, I snagged a bundle:

IMG 02301

Finally, I picked out some sweet corn and tomatoes…then I hit the road. My mind was racing the whole way home about what I could make with all of these delicious goodies.

DSC 9733

Here’s what I did:

I washed the potatoes, then halved or quartered them depending on their size. I put them on a pan with a couple strips of turkey bacon. (You could definitely pick up some great bacon at the Farmer’s Market, but I happened to have some at home already from last week!). Turkey bacon doesn’t produce a lot of grease, but it does make some, and I knew the potatoes would be delicious if they took a little tumble in some of that grease after the bacon was done cooking 🙂

DSC 9754DSC 9755DSC 9758

Next I chopped the green onions and set them aside:

DSC 9757

Next up, corn. I love grilling corn in the summer to give it a deeper flavor so I prepped three of the ears for the grill by pulling the husks back carefully and removing as much silk as possible. Then I grilled them for about 10 minutes, turning often.

 

DSC 9756DSC 9761DSC 9765

 Once the corn had cooled enough, I sliced it off the cob and into a big bowl. I chopped up the bacon and added it to the bowl, along with some black beans that I defrosted from the freezer and the green onions. When the potatoes finished roasting, I added them as well.

DSC 9768DSC 9769

If you want, you can add a little of your favorite Parmesan-type cheese. Stir to combine and serve while still warm.

 

DSC 9771DSC 9779

Farmer’s Market Potato Hash

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Keywords: bake roast stovetop saute side healthy black beans potato fall spring summer

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

  • 3 strips bacon
  • 2 cups diced potatoes (red potatoes or fingerlings would work well)
  • 1 cup black beans, cooked
  • 1/2 c green onion, diced
  • 2 ears of corn
  • Parmesan cheese, to taste

Instructions

1. Dice potatoes and place in a jellyroll pan. Place bacon in the same pan. Roast at 425 degrees (removing bacon after it’s cooked) until potatoes and brown and crispy, stirring every 10 minutes.

2. Peel back the husks of the corn and remove silk. Replace husks and grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

3. Slice corn off the cob and place in a large bowl with the black beans, diced green onion and bacon.

4. Add the potatoes and top with cheese if desired.

5. Stir to combine and serve warm.

Powered by Recipage

 

We ate ours for dinner with some BBQ Babyback Ribs, and then enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast!

DSC 9783DSC 9785

For dessert, I suggest you throw some of those peaches on the grill. Top with ice cream or yogurt and enjoy 🙂

DSC 9794

What’s the best thing you’ve created with your farmer’s market finds?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

BBQ Babyback Ribs

July 7, 2011 by Lindsay 6 Comments

 

Last night I made one kick-ass dinner. *Not to toot my own horn or anything…* But seriously, it was really good! Let’s recap, shall we?

We picked up some ribs at the grocery store earlier this week. This is important 1) Because I’ve never bought ribs before. 2) Because I’ve never made ribs before and 3) Because I don’t even eat them that often. HOWEVER, I did grow up in Kansas City- hellooo BBQ – so I’ve eaten some pretty good BBQ in my time. In addition, my mother-in-law makes great ribs, which the hubby is used to eating, so….

I felt like I had some major shoes to fill and I’m not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about it.

A while back, Tina posted this recipe for Crockpot BBQ Ribs and I immediately bookmarked it because I generally feel that even if it’s something I’m not familiar with, if it’s done in the crockpot, I can handle it.

After talking to the hubby about it, he expressed his concern that sometimes meat cooked in our crockpot gets a little dried out. AND it just so happened that my crockpot was already in use yesterday because I was making some crockpot granola (recipe coming soon!). So, I decided it would just be better for everyone if I started the ribs in the oven.

After a quick text to the MIL for a time and temperature check, I got to work. Besides subbing the oven for the crockpot, I pretty much followed Tina’s recipe.

I made some of her BBQ spice rub, but I cut the recipe in half and made a few slight adjustments. Here’s the recipe I used. It made about 1/2 a cup of rub and I only ended up using about half of it and saving the rest.

 

[print_this]

BBQ Spice Rub
2 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground Black Pepper
1 tsp Garlic Powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well mixed.

[/print_this]

 

DSC 9727

Next, I followed her directions to doctor up some regular BBQ sauce. Normally I would have been lazy and just used all KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce…but I was running a little low and her way seemed like a good way to bulk it up a little bit!

 

[print_this]

Doctored Up BBQ Sauce
1 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 c white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

[/print_this]

 

DSC 9724

With my rub and my sauce ready to go, I took the ribs out of the fridge and got busy. I patted the ribs dry with paper towels and then liberally rubbed the spice mixture all over both sides. Even with my liberal application, I still only used about 1/4 c of the spice rub and I think that was plenty. So, if you don’t want any leftovers, you could halve the recipe above. *Also note that I only had one rack of ribs, about 2.4 pounds. If you had two racks, 1/2 c of spice rub would probably be just the right about.

Next, I covered a jelly roll pan in foil. I laid out two more pieces of foil and transferred the ribs to the foil. I poured half the sauce on the ribs and used a brush to spread it all over one side. Then I carefully flipped them over and poured the rest of the sauce on the other side. Finally, I wrapped the loose foil around the ribs to make a rib packet of sorts. I put the foil packet on the foil covered tray (for easy cleanup in case any sauce leaked out of the packet) and put the whole thing in the oven at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

 

DSC 9728DSC 9731DSC 9732

After three hours, I took the ribs out and unwrapped the foil packet. Then it was time to finish them on the grill. I timed it so that the hubby could light the grill about 1/2 an hour before the ribs were ready to come out of the oven. Then I just unwrapped them, pulled them into sections for ease of flipping and put them on the grill.

I grilled them for a few minutes, flipped them and then flipped them twice more (only about 10 minutes total on the grill since they’re already cooked) and then I transferred them to a nice big platter.

 

DSC 9759DSC 9760DSC 9763

Just before serving, I brushed on another layer of KC Masterpiece sauce. These were delicious! The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and had great flavor. The hubby said, “My only complaint is that you only bought one rack.” That’s a win in my book, friends 🙂

DSC 9789

DSC 9784

Oh and if you’re wondering about that nice little potato hash you see on the side there, that was another winner! Stay tuned for the recipe 😉

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Ginger Plum Sauce

July 7, 2011 by Lindsay 16 Comments

As promised, here’s the recipe I used to make the delicious plum sauce for the chicken that accompanied our grilled mexican veggie boats!

Here’s the thing. I never buy plums. Until a few days ago, I wasn’t even sure if I liked plums. Turns out I do. I picked up a few at the store just because they smelled SO GOOD that I couldn’t resist.

Here’s what you do:

Peel the plums. Remove the pit and put the pieces in the food processor. Add some soy sauce, sweet chili sauce and orange juice and give it a whirl.

Turns out black plums are YELLOW on the inside. To counteract my disappointment that my sauce wouldn’t have a nice plum color, I added a splash of red wine that just so happened to be in my glass on the counter. After tasting the sauce, I may have added a bit too much soy sauce, so I needed something to counteract the flavor. I settled on fresh ginger. I may or may not have gotten a little excited with my microplaner so I probably ended up adding about 1 tsp fresh ginger. It balanced the sauce perfectly and gave it a spicy kick!

DSC 9630DSC 9631DSC 9632

Now comes the tricky part. Pour the sauce into a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. *Sidenote: this is not tricky unless you go outside and forget about your sauce while it’s coming to a boil and then have it boil up all over your stove…then the cleaning part gets tricky 🙂

DSC 9634

 

[print_this]

Ginger Plum Sauce

2 large plums
3 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
splash of red wine (optional)

Directions

1. Peel and pit the plums and place in a food processor.
2. Add chili sauce, orange juice and soy sauce and pulse until smooth.
3. Pour into a small saucepan and add grated ginger and wine.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

[/print_this]

 

The hubby and I both enjoyed this sauce on our chicken. The hubby’s only comment was that it could be a little bit thicker. One of the recipes I looked at for inspiration included applesauce which I think would be a great way to thicken it up without adding any overpowering flavor. However, it was also fine just the way it was 🙂

DSC 96591

How do you feel about plums?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Grilled Mexican Vegetable Boats

November 21, 2013 by Lindsay 14 Comments

Zucchini boats are nothing new. It’s one of the easiest ways to use up the astounding amount of zucchini that I seem to amass every summer. Last night I set out to change mine up from the usual by making them Mexican-inspired.

I started by preparing the zucchini. Simply slice them in half lengthwise and then using a spoon, or a melon baller, scoop out the flesh to make something that resembles this:

DSC 9614DSC 9615

I chopped up about 1/3 of the zucchini innards to add to my filling and saved the rest for another dish.

DSC 9617

Next, the filling. Along with the zucchini, I chopped up some onion, garlic and one jalapeno. I sauteeed these in a hot pan and then added some black beans, cumin, chili powder and the juice from one lime..

DSC 9620DSC 9622DSC 9623

While that was cooking I pricked a sweet potato all over and microwaved it for 5 minutes. Then I cut it in half, scooped out the insides, diced it up and added it to the mixture, along with some tomato and leftover wheatberries.

DSC 9624DSC 9625

DSC 9626
Here’s where ingenuity struck. I thought, “I like sweet potatoes better than zucchini anyways so why not make some sweet potato skins too!” I knew I would have extra filling because I always seem to make too much. For the other half of the sweet potato, I scooped out less of the innards to make the boat more stable. If i’d had this idea in the beginning, I would have cut the sweet potato lengthwise as well.

When all your boats are ready, pop the zucchini boats on the grill for 10 minutes or so to help them cook about half way.

DSC 9627DSC 9633

Remove from the grill and stuff. Sprinkle with cheese and put them back on the grill. This time I used a grill pan to catch anything that fell out. Put the lid on the grill and let them cook until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is melted.

DSC 9636DSC 9639Serve and enjoy!

DSC 9642DSC 9645DSC 9646

They were both good, but the hubby and I agreed that we both liked the sweet potato boats better!

DSC 9648

See that piece of chicken hidden in the middle there? That’s grilled chicken with a quick plum sauce I whipped up. Recipe coming tomorrow!

DSC 9654Have you ever made veggie boats?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Mexican Cornbread Skillet

August 10, 2020 by Lindsay 36 Comments

Last week I bought my first cast iron skillet with the help of a graduation gift card from one of my lovely friends 🙂 I also got all this awesome stuff! World Market is the best!

photo 9

Anyways..I’ve been dying to try it out and the first thing that came to mind was cornbread. Duh. I wanted to spice it up a little bit, both literally and figuratively! Considering I had some black beans and an avocado that needed to be used up, I decided to go the Mexican route.

This dinner came together quickly and easily! I started by sauteing some onion and garlic in a hot pan (*Side note: I wonder what percentage of my dinners start off that way?!). Then I added some green and red peppers, the leftover black beans and a couple of tomatoes that were on their last leg. I also chopped up two turkey burgers from the freezer and added those to the pan. I seasoned the mixture with 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder and some black pepper. Then I set the mixture aside while I made the cornbread batter.

DSC 9495DSC 9496DSC 9497

To keep things simple, I just used the recipe on the cornmeal container. I greased my pan, and spread half the batter over the bottom. Then I added the filling and a tiny bit of Mexican cheese.

DSC 9500DSC 9501DSC 9502

Finally I spread the rest of the batter on top. This takes a little time so be patient. I used the back of a regular spoon to slowly spread the batter all over the top and then put it in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

DSC 9503Try this Mexican Cornbread Skillet for an easy weeknight dinner!

Slice into wedges and serve!

DSC 9505Try this Mexican Cornbread Skillet for an easy weeknight dinner!

Since I had that avocado to use up, I diced it up along with the rest of my kamatos and placed a scoopful on top of each piece.

Try this Mexican Cornbread Skillet for an easy weeknight dinner!

Mexican Cornbread Skillet

 

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Keywords: bake entree black beans avocado tomato ground turkey Mexican

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 c onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1/2 lb ground turkey
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced and divided
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 c low-fat Mexican cheese
  • 1 batch of cornbread batter (use your favorite recipe)
  • 1/2 an avocado

Instructions

1. In a hot skillet, saute the garlic, onion and ground turkey.

2. Add the peppers and black beans and cook until the turkey is cook through and the peppers are crisp tender.

3. Add the spices and tomatoes.

4. Prepare the cornbread batter according to the recipe or package directions.

5. Grease a cast-iron skillet and spread half of the cornbread batter over the bottom.

6. Top with the turkey and bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese.

7. Pour the remaining cornbread batter over the top, using a spoon to spread it out and cover up the filling.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

9. Slice and top with tomato and avocado.

Powered by Recipage

 

Do you have a cast iron skillet? What’s your favorite thing to cook in it?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Dinner

Baked Rigatoni Stuffed Peppers

June 20, 2011 by Lindsay 24 Comments

Last night’s recipe was another that just kinda popped into my head randomly. I have no idea where it came from! I pulled some meatballs out of the freezer on Sunday without giving any real thought to how I would use them…and when I woke up Monday morning, I had a plan.

Baked ziti was one of my FAVORITE dishes as a kid. I ordered it every single time we went out to eat at in Italian restaurant. This time I decided to put a bit of a non-traditional healthy twist on an old fav!

I started by sauteing some onion and garlic in a large pan. I chopped up some previously cooked turkey meatballs that I made a couple months ago and added them to the pan. Then I added some crushed tomatoes, basil and oregano and lots of fresh baby spinach.

DSC 9427DSC 9428DSC 9429
DSC 9430DSC 9431DSC 9432

Next I added some rigatoni (I cut the noodles in half to help them fit into the peppers better) and a little bit of low-fat cheese.

DSC 9434DSC 9436

Finally, I prepped some red peppers. I cut just enough off the bottom to let them sit level in the pan, and then I cut out the stem and seeds. I stood them in a small pan side by side and scooped in the filling.

DSC 9437DSC 9438

I baked the peppers at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

DSC 9439

This was an easy way to sneak an extra serving or two of veggies into one of my favorite pasta dishes! Using low-fat cheese and adding spinach also help boost the nutritional value!

DSC 9444DSC 9446

Having a bite of red pepper in every bite was a great addition!

DSC 9447DSC 9452

What’s your favorite way to stuff a pepper?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Rhubarb Custard Bars

August 10, 2020 by Lindsay 29 Comments

Hi Friends!

I’m back after a great weekend with my parents. I don’t have much time today because classes start up again and I’m devoting all my energy today to making sure I get from class to class to work on time!

But I wanted to share the recipe for that little teaser of a picture I put in my last post! Since my parent’s visit coincided with Father’s Day, I decided to make my dad one of his favorite desserts. You might remember when I stocked up on rhubarb a few weeks ago in preparation. I’ve been making this dessert for my dad for years. It’s something that most people think ewwwww when they first hear it, but if you give it a try I promise you’ll be delightfully surprised at how good it is!

So here’s what you do:

Rhubarb Custard Bars

by Lindsay L

Cook Time: 1 hour

Keywords: bake dessert cream cheese rhubarb bars

Ingredients (9×13 pan)

Crust

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 8 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

Filling

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups skim milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 cups (1/2-inch) sliced fresh or frozen (unthawed) rhubarb

Topping

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives.. Press mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup flour and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl; add milk and eggs, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Stir in rhubarb. Pour rhubarb mixture over crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until set. Cool to room temperature.

4. Place 1/2 cup sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping and spread evenly over baked custard. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Serve cold.

Powered by Recipage

 

DSC 9401DSC 9402DSC 9403
DSC 9406DSC 9417DSC 9418

 

DSC 94251

Sorry for the bad photo, I was more focused on gobbling it up!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Dessert

Graduation Round 2

June 12, 2011 by Lindsay 23 Comments

This past weekend I graduated from college for the second time. I’m now one step closer to becoming a Registered Dietitian. Only one year left!

P1000186

I was the valedictorian of my class of 770 students. I had to sit on stage during the graduation ceremony.

P1000180

I gave a speech in front of 2,000 people.

me1

I got a medal to wear.

P1000184

My family sent me flowers.

flowers

My hubby was by my side.

P1000190

We had a party. It was a good day 🙂

Now it’s time to enjoy my week off before summer classes start. The hubby is on vacation too! And my parents come to visit on Thursday. Yippeee!!!!!

–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Lemon Blackberry Coffee Cake

August 10, 2020 by Lindsay 5 Comments

Last week, I went in to visit my old boss and coworkers. It has come to be expected that when I do this, I bring some sort of treat with me 🙂 After perusing my collection of bookmarked recipes, I settled on this Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake from Jamie at My Baking Adddiciton.

It was super easy to make. I didn’t have blueberry preserves so I used frozen blackberries. Here’s the recipe I used:

Lemon Blackberry Coffee Cake

 

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Keywords: bake breakfast healthy fruit summer

Ingredients (8×8 pan)

For the Coffee Cake

  • zest of one lemon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup skim milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 – 1 1/2 c fresh or frozen blackberries (or other berry)

For the Topping

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and spray an 8 inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest. Rub it together between your fingers for a few minutes, then add the flour and baking powder to the sugar and stir until combined. Add the melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla and stir again.

3. Scoop half of batter into the pan and spread it evenly over the bottom. Add the berries. Top with remaining batter.

4. In another bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over top of the batter.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Powered by Recipage

DSC 9363DSC 9316DSC 9315
DSC 9317DSC 9320DSC 9319

Yes I ate the crumbs with a spatula 🙂

DSC 9327DSC 9328DSC 9329

Sorry for the poor pictures….I was in a hurry to bring it in while it was still warm. You’ll just have to trust me that it was a big hit. I’ve already had someone ask me for the recipe and I brought the hubby a plate of 6 pieces to share….and he ate 5 of them himself 🙂

I made this a second time with fresh strawberries and subbed white whole wheat flour and it wasn’t quite as good. Just sayin….AP is the way to go on this one.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Baking

Grilled Thick-Crust Pizza

December 7, 2020 by Lindsay 23 Comments

 

So remember yesterday when I posted about all the dough I made for my homemade lean pockets? Well, since that was just a test recipe, I had plenty of dough left over to make my first attempt at grilled thick-crust pizza!

I’m happy to report it went well!

I split the dough in half and used my hands to form it into two rectangles. Since I knew we’d be using indirect heat on the grill, I thought a rectangular shape would fit best after we pushed the coals to both sides. I brushed the top with olive oil and then threw it on the grill oil side down.

Lesson #1: Don’t freak out if the dough bunches weirdly or becomes a big mis-shapen when you throw it on the grill. It will still taste good.

DSC 9283DSC 9285

Lesson #2: The dough will quickly puff up a bit. Don’t leave it on the grill too long because it will get brown very quickly.

DSC 9284

I like my crust this way, but if you prefer it more lightly browned, just check it a minute or two before you think it should be ready to flip over.

Next, remove the crust from the grill to put the toppings on. If you want, you can try to top it while still on the grill…but it gets pretty hot reaching over this coals and the hubby and I found it was easier to just take it off and put it back on.

Add your toppings on the grilled side. Then return to the grill and put the cover on for a few minutes to help melt the cheese.

DSC 9286DSC 9289DSC 9291

Remove, slice, enjoy!

DSC 9298DSC 9299

Somebody enjoyed it with some ice cold home brew 🙂

DSC 9303

And now for the most important lesson:

Lesson #3: Don’t take the dough out of the fridge until the grill is ready to go. If you form your crust before you light the grill, it will warm up and be much harder to transfer to the grill when the time comes!

DSC 9304

While I do enjoy a good slice of thick crust every once and a while…I must say, thin crust is my favorite and i’ll probably be turning to my grilled flatbread pizzas more often this summer.

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Homemade Lean Pockets

August 10, 2020 by Lindsay 12 Comments

Last week I got an email from a reader (Hi Erica!!!) about homemade lean pockets. These have been on my to-make list pretty much since I started this blog and I’ve just never gotten around to making them.

I considered this to be the perfect opportunity!

Best of all, they’re super easy. I decided to use my go-to whole wheat pizza dough recipe for the crust. It’s not 100% whole wheat, but it’s 2/3rds…which is pretty good in my book.

The timing on this was also perfect because it gave me the opportunity to try the grilled thick crust pizza I have been pondering.

I made a big batch of dough using this recipe:

Homemade Lean Pockets

 

by Lindsay L

Keywords: bake sandwich entree healthy vegetarian black beans vegetables

Ingredients (6 pockets)

  • 1 1/2 c warm water
  • 2 1/4 tsp yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 c white whole wheat flour
  • 1 c AP flour
  • diced veggies, meat, cheese, beans for filling

Instructions

1. Put the water in a big bowl and stir in the yeast and salt.

2. Add the flour and stir until combined. No kneading required.

3. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. Divide dough into six portions. Roll each piece out into a rectangle.

5. Top with desired fillings and fold the sides in, pinching to create tight seams.

6. Place seam side down on a baking sheet, cut two slits in the top of each pocket and bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.

*Note:

You can leave the dough in a covered bowl in the fridge for a week or so if you’re not ready to use it right away!

Powered by Recipage

DSC 92601

Anyways, since I was just testing out this whole lean pockets idea, I only made one. You’ll have to excuse the horrible pictures. Next time I won’t try to photograph white dough on a white counter.

Moving on….I decided to make a mexican themed lean pocket for the hubby’s lunch. I broke off a piece of dough about the size of a baseball and rolled it out pretty thin on the counter. I knew it might puff up while baking and I didn’t want this to be all crust and no filling. You’ll want to roll the dough into a roughly rectangular shape.

DSC 9261DSC 92621

Then I chopped up 1/2 a leftover chicken breast and placed it down the middle of the dough. I added some onion, green pepper and black beans and topped everything off with half a slice of reduced fat pepper jack cheese. Then I folded both edges of the dough towards the middle and pinched the seams together tightly. I did the same thing with the ends. I flipped the pocket over and placed it seem side down on a silpat covered baking sheet.

DSC 9263DSC 92641DSC 92651

To avoid a lean pocket explosion in my oven, I cut two small holes in the top to let steam escape and baked the pocket at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.

DSC 92661

The hubby inhaled his lean pocket and promptly asked where his next one was! I consider that a success.

DSC 9267DSC 9268

The cheese stayed inside…probably because I used a healthy amount! And the bottom browned but didn’t burn.

DSC 9270DSC 9271

Even though I only made one of these, you could easily make a big batch and store them in the fridge for a few days, or even freeze some and thaw them out later. To pack them in a lunch box, let them cool all the way, then wrap in foil or saran wrap and place in a ziploc bag. Remove the wrapping and heat in the microwave when ready to eat!

DSC 9269

The filling possibilities are endless! Just make sure to add lots of veggies and don’t go overboard with the cheeses and sauces!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Chicken Chop Salad

October 7, 2016 by Lindsay 10 Comments

Are you ready for the perfect summer salad?

100% customizable. 100% delicous.

All it requires is 5 minutes of chopping.

Ready? OK.

Start with a bed of spinach. Chop up a variety of vegetables. Arrange them on top of the spinach. Add a protein source like leftover grilled chicken, chickpeas, black beans or even hard boiled eggs!

DSC 9256DSC 9257DSC 9258

Add your favorite dressing and enjoy!

DSC 9266

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Chicken

Grilled Flatbread Pizzas

September 29, 2016 by Lindsay 22 Comments

Last week, I finished up my classes for Spring Quarter! To celebrate, the hubby grilled a delicious dinner for me 🙂

I wasn’t home to take pictures, but he did remember to snap a few of his own!

He grilled stuffed mushrooms, potatoes, meatloaf and flatbread pizzas! We recently acquired a second little grill and it’s perfect for veggies 🙂

DSC 9191

Check out this setup the hubby had going on:

DSC 9188DSC 9187DSC 9195DSC 9193

Clearly these two characters were a big help!

DSC 9198DSC 9200

Everything was delicious and we enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day. Then we decided to recreate the pizzas for dinner the following night!

Flatout wraps are the best for making pizzas! We made some with tomato sauce and some with garlic and olive oil and it couldn’t be easier! First get your toppings ready:

DSC 9228DSC 9232

Then hopefully it won’t start pouring down rain for you like it did for us!

DSC 9234

The key is indirect heat on the grill! Move the charcoal to either side, leaving room in the middle.

DSC 9238

The bottom crisps up nicely and the cheese melts but nothing burns.

DSC 9243DSC 9242DSC 9240

Our next challenge is thick crust pizza on the grill! Have you ever done it? Any tips??

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries

October 24, 2020 by Lindsay 117 Comments

These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries make the perfect dinner side dish and taste great when served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping!

Zucchini fries are nothing new. You can find them here, here and here, just to point out a few recipes for ya! But they’re semi-new to me and sometimes that’s all that matters.

These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries make the perfect dinner side dish and taste great when served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping!

I had a vague recollection of making zucchini fries once before and not being too crazy about them. But after I saw Georgia’s recipe yesterday day, I knew I needed to give them another try.

I started by cutting the zucchini into thin slices.

These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries make the perfect dinner side dish and taste great when served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping!Then, I seasoned some flour with paprika and garlic powder. I rolled the slices in the flour mixture, dipped them in egg, and dropped them onto a plate with Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and a little more paprika and garlic powder.

DSC 9168DSC 9169DSC 9170

I put them in the oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, flipped them over, and then put them in for 10 minutes more.

DSC 9171DSC 9172

They browned up perfectly and got really crunchy. I served them with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries make the perfect dinner side dish and taste great when served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping!These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries make the perfect dinner side dish and taste great when served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping!

The verdict? Good! I liked the crunch from the breadcrumbs, and the sauce made it taste kinda like a crunchy eggplant parmesan!

These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries make the perfect dinner side dish and taste great when served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping!

Serve with a bowl of pasta salad and you’ve got yourself a delightful dinner 🙂

DSC 9183

[clickToTweet tweet=”These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries from @leangrnbeanblog make a perfect fun dinner side dish!” quote=”These Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Fries from @leangrnbeanblog make a perfect fun dinner side dish!”]

So tell me… what’s your favorite kind of fry?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!

The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep Ebook

Filed Under: Side Dish

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 64
  • Go to page 65
  • Go to page 66
  • Go to page 67
  • Go to page 68
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

Learn More →

Questions? Comments? Email me: [email protected]

The Lean Green Bean Facebook The Lean Green Bean Instagram The Lean Green Bean Pinterest The Lean Green Bean Twitter The Lean Green Bean Feed
footer-logo
The Lean Green Bean Facebook The Lean Green Bean Instagram The Lean Green Bean Pinterest The Lean Green Bean Twitter The Lean Green Bean Feed
Recipes

Breakfast
Dinner
Snack
Slow Cooker

Kids

Cooking With Kids
Favorite Gifts
Toddler Meals
Indoor Activities

Resources

Easy Packed Lunches for Kids
Dinner Spark
Snack Spark
Ultimate Guide to Food Prep

About

Meet Lindsay
Become an RD
Work with Me

The Lean Green Bean is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Read the full privacy and disclosure policy here.

Copyright © 2022 · The Lean Green Bean