Back to Basics 6 - Chicken Piccata with Mushrooms and Angel Hair Pasta

This delicious and creamy meal is going to satisfy ANY cravings you have (except for chocolate). You get a briny and creamy sauce with mushrooms, capers and parsley, starchy nutty pasta, and a crispy chicken breast. I mean, look at it! It's beautiful!! This recipe was tweaked slightly from Eating Well.

Health Benefits of Kale PLUS Kale Chips with Lemon-Mayo Dip

Kale is an amazing food:

Coconut-Almond-Cranberry-Chocolate Granola Bars

This is a recipe tweaked from Joy Wilson's cookbook. I got her book and was obsessed with it because of the beautiful pictures and the sweets. But once I saw this granola bar I realized how well-rounded it was. Not only does it have DELICIOUS deserts (that maybe aren't so low in calories) she also has some very California-ish healthy meals.

Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

This is a recipe adapted from Hungry Girl. She uses an extra cup of water to make the oatmeal grow. I like to add some flaxseed meal or chia seeds to make it even healthier. At one time I was so obsessed with this oatmeal that I had it for breakfast and dinner a week straight. That's love.

And today, I won't have any pictures because this is actually the first time I've made a video for you! It's kinda ridiculous and terrible quality, I was using my iPhone to film so please ignore all that and just focus on the deliciousness that is this oatmeal.

Also, let me know either on the blog or the video if you'd like to see more videos or any suggestions for me.

Here's the video:

The Perfect Quick Breakfast!

Whole wheat English muffin with almond butter and banana slices.

So, why is this the perfect breakfast? Let me break it down for you.

Buffalo Chicken Casserole

If you love buffalo sauce but are understandably afraid of eating it because of the calories, this is the meal for you!
This casserole is amaaaazing. You won't believe it's healthy. Seriously. Pasta, chicken, creamy buffalo sauce with blue cheese?! Doesn't sound diet to me..
But, it is.
This is adapted from EatingWell. I do pretty much everything the same, except I like to add 2 little blocks of Laughing Cow Light Blue Cheese. I also switch up the pasta shape every now and then.

Make your own ketchup!

If you want to impress the PANTS off your friends (maybe even literally..I'm not judging), make a batch of this ketchup. It is SOOO easy, you'll feel a little guilty that everyone is complimenting you. It's also way healthier than buying ketchup because you can choose the ingredients that go in, there is nothing artificial in there (as long as you have some good powdered garlic and onion), and it's so much cheaper. This is the ingredient list in the Hunts ketchup.

Honey Wheat Bread with Flaxseed Meal

I love having toast in the morning with an egg, or even just by itself with some homemadebutter. Making your own bread is something I think everybody shoud do.
It's easy! Seriously, if you just follow directions and you have a thermometer, it is not hard to make.
It is also cheaper than buying it at the store.
If your excuse is that you are busy, then you can make this on a weekend. If you make a double batch, you can slice the 2nd loaf and freeze it for another time, or just give it to someone you love.
Obviously the most important reason for making it yourself, you can choose what goes in it.
Let's also not forget how amazing it is to have a slice of warm bread just out of the oven that you made yourself!
I make this bread in my stand mixer but you definitely don't need one to do it. I've made bread by hand before and it came out exactly the same.

Back to Basics 5 - American Chop Suey

Quick, easy and DELICIOUS! This recipe is adapted from another blogspot: cheaphealthygood.

Farro with Pistachios

I love farro! I discovered it fairly recently and I'm just in love. It's chewy, nutty and so versatile. It's also really good for you. You can add it in place of rice, quinoa, oats and even pasta. Seriously, it's so good. You can find farro almost anywhere nowadays. I've gotten mine before at Shaw's or Stop & Shop. The first time I made this dish, I did a happy food dance. I have made that dance every other time I've eaten this dish. It's that good.