Category: Veggie
Edamame Pasta with Pesto and Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Oh hey!
Bri here. It’s been a hot minute since I posted anything on the blog and it feels good to be back! I took a break as I planned my wedding, got married, traveled and started a new job. Of course I’ve been sharing my foodie journeys and other tidbits along the way on my instagram @thenuttypear, but I am so excited to be sharing a new recipe with you.
The change of season is here in Minneapolis, with cool weather and changing leaves. I think fall is a difficult time to stay on track as far as eating healthy and staying motivated to exercise. Let’s be honest. Shorter days, big sweaters and comfort food are all great reasons to let it go a little.
But recipes like this one make eating a healthy weeknight dinner not sad. Yay for happy dinners!
We generally follow a low carb diet for any meals that we plan/cook and eat what we want when we go out to eat or want to have a fun little date night in.
My 2 favorite things about this low carb recipe:
Pretend pasta that is actually good! (Edamame noodles)
Creamy, flavorful pesto (with two secret ingredients, which won’t be a secret once you scroll down 🙂
Edamame Noodles = Low Carb Diet Friendly Pasta Substitute That Doesn’t Suck
Don’t be offended spiralized zucchini, sweet potato and spaghetti squash. It’s me not you. Just kidding. We are not breaking up. But we might be taking a break.
Edamame pasta is noodles made of soybeans. Which means they have TONS of protein! 24g per serving to be exact. I love that there’s a substantial amount of protein in this meal, not only to fill you up but so that you don’t even need to add meat. Perfect for a meatless Monday or vegetarians in general. I used to get it at Costco, but haven’t been able to find it for a while. I was so excited to find it here!
Pesto: secret ingredients
I added two secret ingredients to my traditional pesto that you won’t even notice.
Nonfat plain greek yogurt – makes it creamy and coats the noodles
Spinach – you can’t taste it, it’s already green anyway so why not? I’m a fan of sneaky veggies.
Try this one out guys and please drop a comment and let me know what you think! Enjoy 🙂
- ½ box of edamame pasta (8 oz box) – where to get
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Optional: Grilled shrimp or chicken
- PESTO
- ½ cup fresh basil
- ½ cup fresh spinach
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping)
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- Mix all the pesto ingredients in the food processor and blend for 30 sec – 1 min. I like to put the garlic at the bottom to make sure it gets minced well.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions (5-10 min total time)
- Turn the broiler setting of your oven on to high and put halved cherry tomatoes + a drizzle of olive oil in a small pan with sides in the oven for about 5 minutes. Be careful, they can burn quickly.
- Toss the edamame pasta with the pesto until well coated. It will look like there’s too much pesto for the pasta, but be generous! It’s best when you use it all.
- Plate the pasta first, then add tomatoes and shrimp/chicken if using. Top with parmesan and fresh herbs if desired.
Meal Prep Ideas: Sweet Potato 4 Ways
If there’s one thing that makes my life SO much easier, it’s meal prep. Just a few hours on Saturday or Sunday can SAVE you from making that stop to get pizza on your way home from work (anyone??) I like to have food either cooked or prepped in a way that makes it easy to grab from the fridge or freezer and whip something up.
Sometimes I like to meal prep by having homemade soups in the freezer I can throw into the crockpot in the morning. Or maybe a homemade chicken salad ready to throw into a lettuce wrap. I also love to have roasted beets cooked and ready to go for salads during the week. Today, I want to talk about sweet potatoes and how they can be prepped 4 different ways and frozen for easy and healthy meals and snacks.
Why Meal Prep A Sweet Potato?
Why sweet potato? First, they are a healthy alternative to grains. And second, they are so versatile! They can be made sweet or savory and can be diced, shredded, sliced or spiralized! So many options to keep things interesting. They are also approved for Whole30 and paleo diets and keep you full and satisfied in place of grains.
Health Benefits of Sweet Potato
Great source of Vitamin A and C
Higher fiber than a white potato, which keeps you full and satisfied
Lower glycemic index than white potatoes
Grain free
Low calorie
I bought a 10 lb bag of sweet potatoes from costco the other day, which forced me to get creative and come up with meal prep ideas. In less than an hour you can have the potatoes peeled, diced, sliced, shredded and spiralized. I put them into sandwich size ziplock bags and then into a gallon size freezer ziplock bag. Pull out the smaller individual bags as you need them and put them into the fridge the night before or morning of the day you want to use them.
I’ve put together some links to recipes other bloggers have put together for the different ways to use these sweet potatoes and they are so fun and creative! I’ve also come up with some of my own ideas to get you going. Have fun with it! There are so many possibilities!
*Note: sometimes I post links to products for which I get a small commission if you purchase through me, at no extra cost to you. Sometimes I share a product just because I really love it and want others to enjoy it too. Either way, I only promote products I have tried and truly value. Thank you for your support!
Tools I used to Meal Prep
Recipe Ideas
By Nourish Move Love
By Fit Foodie Finds
By Family Food on the Table
By Pinch of Yum
Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash + Meal Prep
Anyone else have a hard time getting a good breakfast in the morning during the week? It seems like there’s never enough time in the morning to cook a good breakfast so I find myself grabbing a bar as I run out the door.
I made this breakfast hash as a meal prep for quick healthy breakfasts you can grab and microwave – no cooking or prepping necessary the day of. If you have a job where you can eat your breakfast hash when you get to work then throw the mason jar in your bag and bring it with you! While I intended this to be a meal prep recipe, it makes a great weekend breakfast too.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of the links on my page, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support!
Sweet Potato + Kale = Super Food Breakfast Hash
Sweet potato makes all the difference in this breakfast hash. Not only does it give a nice flavor and texture, it’s healthier! The fiber and protein of sweet potato keeps you full through the morning. Kale is FULL of vitamins and I love to quickly chop and throw it into these types of dishes for an extra serving of veggies. Plus that dark green is so pretty!
I got about 4 servings out of this, which I put into mason jars and stored in the fridge to grab in the mornings. If you’re on the go, wholly guacamole single serving packs are awesome to add in after you’ve heated it up.
Tip 1: dice the sweet potato into pretty small pieces so they cook faster.
Tip 2: I found these easy white, screw-on tops for mason jars on amazon. I like them because they’re easier to clean / use and they don’t rust. You can find them here.
- 1 med sized sweet potato, diced into small pieces
- 6 eggs
- 2 cups coarsely chopped kale
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Avocado or wholly guacamole single servings
- Cilantro for garnish
- EVOO + S & P
- Mason jars and lids
- Saute sweet potato in olive oil over medium high heat for about 7 min stirring occasionally.
- Add the chopped kale and saute another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper
- Turn down the heat to medium. Whisk eggs together and add to the pan, stirring frequently.
- Just before the eggs are fully cooked, take the pan off heat (they will continue to cook another couple minutes) and stir in the cheese.
- Divide into mason jars or serve on plates and garnish with avocado and cilantro. Enjoy!
Quick Bok Choy and Mushrooms Side Dish
Bok choy is a type of asian cabbage that doesn’t look like typical cabbage. It has multiple health benefits and it’s so tasty!! It’s currently my favorite vegetable side. Honestly, I’d kinda forgotten about it and I’ve been missing out! Best things about this recipe: yummy, easy and quick. Make this a side for one of your weeknight meals. This recipe serves 2 so double or triple for more people or left-overs.
Health Benefits of Bok Choy
-Low calorie and low fat
-Vitamins C, A, K and calcium
-Cancer protection
*Note: sometimes I post links to products for which I get a small commission if you purchase through me, at no extra cost to you. I only promote products I have tried and truly value. Thank you for your support!
- 3 baby bok choy
- 4 oz mushrooms
- 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil – where to get
- 1 tsp agave or honey – where to get
- ½ tsp sesame seeds – where to get
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- Rinse and dry the vegetables. Chop mushrooms into halves or thirds. Chop bok choy into smaller pieces.
- Heat sesame oil with agave or honey in a pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add in bok choy and saute another 3 minutes or so. Season with garlic salt.
- Serve warm garnished with sesame seeds.
Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms with Cauliflower, Couscous and Greens
I am a big fan of recipes using something that can be stuffed. It opens up room for creativity and it’s pretty tasty too! I love stuffed mushrooms because it uses a vegetable as the base rather than carbs, making it a healthier option.
Some reasons why I came up with this stuffed mushrooms recipe:
-I love mushrooms
-Vegetarian
-Low carb
-Savory
-It looks fancy (great for parties)
-Can be an appetizer or meal
You can use either larger portobello mushrooms or small to medium sized depending on what you’re making them for. As a meal, I prefer to use the larger ones. The smaller sizes make great appetizers.
If there’s one thing that you MUST do in this recipe, it’s use REAL parmesan cheese. Please please please don’t use the kraft, perfectly manufactured into equal length pieces, fake parmesan “cheese.” Buy real parmesan in a block and grate it at home. It makes ALL the difference. If you’re vegan, then you can eliminate the cheese all together (so sad), and in that case I would add a little more seasonings/salt to make up for the flavor parmesan adds.
- 6 large portobello mushrooms OR 12 medium sized or a combo
- ½ head cauliflower (frozen or fresh)
- 1-2 shallots
- ½ cup couscous (cooked in water or vegetable broth for more flavor)
- 3 cups greens of your choice (spinach, kale, swiss chard)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Fresh rosemary
- S & P
- Garlic salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut out the stems and create a space for filling in your mushrooms. Prep a cookie sheet with sides with olive oil and brush olive oil on the mushrooms. Sprinkle garlic salt on the mushroom bottoms.
- Cook couscous according to the package (you’ll only need to cook ½ cup). This takes 5 min.
- Boil cauliflower florets in a pot until soft. Drain and puree in a food processor or blender with salt and 1-2 tbsp olive oil.
- Chop the shallots and greens into small pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium/high heat and saute the shallots and minced garlic for a few min. Add in the greens and saute another 1-2 min, until the greens wilt.
- In a bowl, mix together the couscous, pureed cauliflower, and greens mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper, garlic salt and chopped fresh rosemary.
- Fill the mushrooms with the mixture and top with grated parmesan cheese
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Top with more fresh rosemary and enjoy!
20 min Healthy Broccoli Cheese Cauliflower Soup + Bone Broth
Healthy dinner in 20 minutes? Yes please! Can we agree that broccoli cheese soup is da bomb? Good. You know what else is da bomb? Sneaking veggies and protein without tons of calories into your meal.
Let’s talk about my new favorite sneaky protein for a sec: bone broth.
What is Bone Broth?
Bone broth is made by boiling and then slow cooking the bones of healthy animals with veggies and herbs. This is different from regular chicken broth or bone broth. The slow-cooking process extracts super healthy minerals and collagen from the bone of the animal. It’s also really flavorful.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of the links on my page, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate your support!
Health Benefits of Bone Broth
Supports joints
Boosts the immune system
Improves digestion and gut health
Bonus: improves hair, skin and nails!
You can make your own bone broth easily in a crock pot with bones from your local butcher and whatever veggies and herbs you have on hand. You can also buy it here.
My favorite alternative to buying or making bone broth is Collagen Powder. It’s a flavorless, odorless white powder that can be added to any liquid. One scoop has 10 grams of protein and those healthy minerals that give you all the same benefits of bone broth. I LOVE it because I can sneak it into my coffee, tea, soups or even water without changing the flavor.
I love being sneaky 🙂
In this recipe, you can use either bone broth or regular broth with collagen powder added for that extra protein and health benefits.
→ Where to find collagen powder ←
This broccoli cheese soup will satisfy your craving for a creamy comfort food and keep you on track to your goals. I add bone broth or collagen powder as a way to add more protein and health benefits. I didn’t add meat because I like the simplicity of the recipe, but I do think chicken would be a good addition.
- 16 oz cauliflower florets or cauli “rice”
- 2 cups broccoli, steamed
- 1 Tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 ½ cups bone broth OR vegetable/chicken broth with collagen powder
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- S + P
- Add cauliflower florets or pieces to a pot with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer for 10-12 minutes (depending on how big your cauli pieces are).
- If there’s a significant amount of water in the bottom of the pan, drain it. Let it cool for a few minutes.
- Add to a food processor or blender with about half of the bone broth, butter and S + P. Blend until smooth and creamy. (If using collagen powder, add right to the blender at this point).
- Add the rest of the broth and blend.
- Throw a cup of broccoli into each bowl of soup and garnish with cheddar cheese.
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Sweet Potato, Beet and Chickpea Bowl with Tahini
There’s a little sweet, a little savory and A LOT of healthy going on in this sweet potato / beet / chickpea / kale / tahini bowl.
Bonus, it’s vegetarian, if that’s important to you. It’s also gluten free and vegan for that matter.
The reason I LOVE this bowl is because it’s all veggies and it’s actually filling and satisfying. Without meat or dairy! That’s a rare find if you ask me.
I want to talk a little bit about tahini in case you’re not familiar with it. Tahini is ground sesame seeds that comes in a jar and looks kinda like peanut butter. You can find it near the peanut butter in the store. I love using tahini because it adds a creaminess and substance to salads and other dishes. It can be thinned out for a more runny consistency in a salad or kept thicker for heartier dishes. It has 6g of protein per serving which makes it a great addition to vegetarian dishes.
Speaking of protein, this recipe is packed with it (which is awesome for a vegetarian dish)! Chickpeas, sweet potatoes and tahini all have a significant amount of protein.
Fun tidbit: Beets and kale are rich in antioxidants (cancer prevention) and high in minerals and vitamins.
Enjoy this super healthy, guilt-free, hearty meal!
- 3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, baked and diced
- 1 can organic chickpeas / garbanzo beans
- 3 beets, peeled, roasted and diced
- 4 cups kale, sauteed in olive oil until wilted
- Tahini Dressing
- 2 tablespoons tahini paste
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- **Store bought option: Trader Joe’s Tahini Sauce (no sneaky ingredients and super easy!)
- Bake the sweet potatoes at 350 for 45 min – 1 hour. At the same time you can roast the beets. I like to peel them first, roast them whole and then dice. You can saute the kale at any time in olive oil with salt and set aside. When everything is done cooking, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and top with the dressing! The dressing is super delicious homemade, but as an alternative, Trader Joe’s Tahini sauce (near the hummus in the store) is a great option. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!
Kale Tahini Salad
KALE.
I know what you’re thinking.
You’d rather eat a piece of cardboard than a kale salad. I get it. It’s kinda bitter, the texture is weird and it’s just not all that appealing. I want to change your mind about this. Besides being a trendy food right now, it is actually REALLY good for you and can be prepared in a way that you’ll enjoy it. Trust me.
Some tidbits about kale:
-It is one of the most nutrient dense foods containing high vitamins and minerals but low calories
-It’s packed with antioxidants (cancer prevention)
-Can help lower cholesterol
The trick is to prepare it in a way that gets rid of that bitterness and strange texture. If you’ve read anything about kale before maybe you’ve seen instructions to “massage” your kale… *rolls eyes* Ain’t nobody got time for that! I’ve never massaged my kale and I don’t intend to. I typically eat kale sauteed in a little olive oil. Then I add other flavors to it. If I eat it raw, I mix it in a dressing and let it sit in that for a few hours. It’s one of the only types of salad you can leave in a dressing without it getting soggy – it actually makes it better.
So let’s cut to the chase. This recipe is so simple. I buy all the ingredients for it at Trader Joe’s and there’s little prep involved. This salad is good warm or cold. When you first prepare it, it’s warm, but it keeps well in the fridge for a few days and is good cold too.
- 3 cups raw kale (take off the hard “spine” that is attached to a lot of the leaves)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
- 2-3 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Tahini sauce – side note: this is not the same as tahini paste, if you have tahini paste you’ll need to add lemon juice, garlic and salt to creat the sauce
- Handful toasted pine nuts
- You don’t need any seasonings because the tahini sauce already has lots of flavor!
- Saute the raw kale in a pan with olive oil over medium heat. It will wilt down the way spinach does but not as much. This should only take about 5 minutes. Then throw in the tomatoes and let them warm up in the pan for a couple more minutes.
- Mix the tahini with a tablespoon of water in a jar and stir together with a fork. This is just to make the tahini a little more runny so that it can coat all the kale well. Toss the kale and tomatoes with the tahini in a big bowl and top with pine nuts when served.