Beyond Broccoli! Swiss Chard and Herbed Feta Omelet with Sunflower Seeds

Today I felt very, very glamorous. Like a movie star even. I scrounged through my closet, dusting off slinky pieces of silken camisoles and scarves that haven't seen the light of day in more than a decade. I carefully picked through my single drawer full of make up for a shade of eye shadow and a tint of lip gloss that would make me look glamorous without making me look desperately like I was grasping on to my  twenties  for dear life.






Why do you ask would I put myself through such torture? Because I, Gwen Wilson had been generously offered to do an official photo shoot with a real, live, professional photographer who is used to shooting twenty-something models from L.A. California.

 My neighbor and friend, Ron Brewer who recently moved here from L.A. very graciously offered to take my son's senior pictures a few months ago at NO  cost. They  turned out so, so amazing and it is a gift that we will cherish forever. At the same time he offered to do a photo shoot of me which I had mixed feelings about. Mostly it sounded like a lot of fun and a great opportunity but really, who was I kidding?  What was I going to do with  a bunch of pictures of myself looking like a tired mom-of-four?

Deep breaths..... Nice.. Calm.. Deeeeeeep breaths.......

Say's Me to myself and I:

I am not too fat. 

I am not too old.

I AM  a confidant, fun, happy-go-lucky sort of girl who can and  WILL  embrace  all of life's adventures and opportunities at the drop of a hat and  GO WITH IT!

Here are a few shot's of Britton that Ron took.

Pretty cool huh?




I haven't even seen the final photos from my shoot yet but it turns out I had a  lot  of fun. I felt pretty. I felt glamorous. It was a far, far cry from the every day routine of  mommy-hood.



What does this have to do with Swiss Chard Omelets?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.  Other than the fact that today was a good day followed by an even better dinner. A dinner that took about 10 minutes to prepare and cook and one that all 4 kids ate willingly and happily. A dinner that I could feel very good about serving to my family and eating myself. One that I know YOU  will love too.



Without further ado,



Swiss Chard and Herbed Feta Omelet with Sunflower Seeds:

Swiss Chard and Herbed Feta Omelet with Sunflower Seeds:
SERVES 4      PREP TIME    10 MINUTES     COOK TIME    5 MINUTES    


Ingredients:
8 eggs (figure about 2 eggs per person)
1 small bunch swiss chard
1 small green zucchini
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup Raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup herbed feta cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
Optional:
Diced avocado


Putting it all together:
Roughly chop swiss chard and rinse thoroughly. Chop zucchini into small pieces. Smash garlic and mince, set aside. Finely chop green onion, set aside.
Whisk together eggs, salt and pepper.
 In a large cast iron or caphalon skillet, over medium-high heat, add oil. When hot, toss in swiss chard, let sit for a minute. Toss with a spoon. Add zucchini and toss to coat, let sit so for a minute so it will brown. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute. Do Not let garlic burn!
Pour eggs into skillet. Let sit for 1 minute without stirring!
Push eggs towards center of skillet with flat spoon working your way around the pan.
Add feta. slowly keep pushing eggs towards center of skillet until just set.
Remove from heat. Garnish with green onions and avocado.

Don't forget the sunflower seeds! They are a strong source of Vitamin E, Magnesium and detoxifier.

Skinny Basil Pesto

Every summer this time of year the basil plants in my garden are lush and beautiful, full of fragrant leaves I love to pick and add to whatever I'm cooking – a simple garden sauce, an heirloom tomato salad, grilled chicken bruschetta, a lovely summer fish dish, just to name a few dishes. 

Pesto is one of the things I whip up all summer long, but pesto can have a lot of oil and fat when made traditionally which can make a dish heavier than I would want, so to make it skinny I use a bit less oil and leave the pine nuts out and no one ever complains. 

Making pesto at the end of the summer and keeping it in the freezer is also a great way to use up the last of the basil from your garden so that you can enjoy it year round. 

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Cherry Custard

This simple dessert is similar to a French Clafoutis, only made lighter and served in individual ramekins for better portion control.

Happy Friday everyone!! Before the summer comes to an end, I am trying to enjoy all my favorite summer fruits, especially cherries, watermelon and peaches. This cherry custard is a must, I just love the flavor and you'll be surprised how easy it is to make.

I used raw sugar as my sweetener, but Stevia or Splenda would work fine too. By the way, if you haven't read the Skinny on Sweeteners yet, I highly recommend it – a very informative article on  a very confusing topic written by Heather K Jones, RD.

And speaking of pitted cherries, I am loving my new cherry pitter, from Amazon, it makes pitting cherries a breeze!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Nutty Greek Quinoa Toss

It's amazing how easily one can gain a few pounds when your metabolism takes a nose dive in your late thirties. I mean honestly, can't a girl go on a nice relaxing cruise and sit around all day long on the back of a ship's deck looking out at the cold, serene Alaskan waters with her feet up on a wicker chair and be surrounded constantly with pastries, cheeses and berry filled crepes at all hours of the day without gaining 8 stupid pounds?

Apparently not. *Sigh.






Well, if that weren't a bad enough set back on my never ending fight against belly bulge then the 12 hour road trip we took this last weekend to Utah with 4 kids certainly put the nail on the diet coffin. While we did bring along apples and healthy trail mix, they went so well with Twizzlers and chocolate covered raisins that we decided to buy some cookies to top it off. Perfectly reasonable right?


Now, how to lose those 10 pounds gained in 2 short weeks after I've been fighting to lose 20 since who the hell knows when?    *Double sigh, big fat pout.

Here's the back of the ship where my sweetie and I  loved to sit and relax..... and snack.... a lot.

Can you blame us? I mean really. Look at the view. And the weather was just so unbelievably cool and perfect compared to the miserable heat we are used to here in Phoenix.

We didn't spend  ALL  of our time on our butts stuffing our mouths.
We had some pretty amazing adventures too.
Here we are zip lining through the 200 foot tall trees in Ketchikan, AK.  

Me and my baby sister Rachel.

Did I mention that due to the glaciers that swept over the land many years ago, the soil is only 4-6" deep?
Did you catch that? That's INCHES, not feet.


We were swinging from super tall trees that are hanging on for their dear lives in soil that is too shallow to plant carrots in!


Smart.

And we took one frieking amazing, hold onto your hats fast bike ride 32 mies from Canada back to Skagway, AK. This was by far the highlight of my trip! The scenery was breath taking. 

So, how to fit back into my pants?




It's a good thing I discovered quinoa some time ago and shortly after figured out how to make it unbelievable delicious.

It's the feta. No, it's the toasted pine nuts. NO! It's the white balsamic vinaigrette.

O.K., all of these things plus the squeeze of lemon, freshness of the parsley and zip of the sweet peppers make this quinoa toss very addictive and satisfyng. My tummy thanks me.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 big handful grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 big handful sweet peppers minced
1 big handful parsley, minced
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinaigrette
freshly cracked white pepper
squeeze fresh lemon juice



Put quinoa into a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly to remove natural 'soapy' film.  Cook according to package directions, usually 1:1 parts quinoa-water, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
If you please, toast pine nuts on a dry cast iron skillet until golden brown to bring out flavor.
Using a small food processor or knife, finely dice sweet peppers, garlic and parsley.
In a large bowl, toss together still warm quinoa, feta, peppers, parsley, pine nuts and tomatoes.
Drizzle in oil and vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Add lemon and pepper to taste.

Serve warm or chilled.

For dinner, we prefer the warm version where the feta is just slightly creamy and the flavors melt together.

Summer Vegetables with Sausage and Potatoes

Lean Italian chicken sausage with summer bell peppers and zucchini sauteed with baby red potatoes and fresh herbs for a quick one pot meal.

I love a meal that only dirties one pot because although I may love to cook, I really don't love to clean! I labeled this as kid-friendly because my older one (the pickier one) loves this and my younger one will eat the sausage and peppers, but picks out the potatoes. Since every child is different I'll let you decide! This is also gluten-free for those of you with a gluten intolerance, dairy-free and egg-free.

You can use Italian chicken sausage or turkey sausage depending on what is available to you in your area. I've tasted several brands and really came to love Al Fresco's sweet chicken sausage and Premio's chicken sausage. My local health food store and Italian deli also carry their own homemade sausage which is wonderful. If rosemary isn't your thing, use fresh thyme instead.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers

Homemade pesto with basil from my garden makes a scrumptious addition to shrimp. Serve these at your next backyard BBQ or serve them with pasta or a salad for a quick weeknight meal! 

My sister-in-law is about to have a baby any day now! They served a wonderful grilled pesto shrimp at her garden baby shower that I just loved (pictured below)! So simple and delicious, I knew I had to make them myself.

They served them on a platter over a bed of greens, but this is also great served as skewers so you can hold them in your hand.

I recreated these a few weeks ago at a small backyard party and they were a hit! These will be making a regular appearance at my future back yard parties. I often keep the nuts out of my pesto to keep the fat content down and everyone always loves it. And bonus, these are low-carb, gluten-free and delicious!

Note: Keep in mind that when you remove the shell from the shrimp it will weigh less, so I started with about 2 lbs of shrimp to get 1 1/2 lbs after I peel them. Depending on the size of your shrimp you will get different amounts. I used jumbo, so that gave me about 35 shrimp, 5 on each skewer. One skewer is the perfect serving size but if you want to serve this as an appetizer, you can put 3 as a small bite.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Zucchini Tots

Getting your family to eat their veggies can often be difficult. Well these kid-friendly zucchini tots are the perfect solution! Make them in mini muffin tins for the perfect little side for breakfast or dinner!

I found this recipe on the Two Bite Club which I slightly adapted and they turned out great. My husband who is not a huge fan of zucchini loved them and they disappeared quick. Just be sure to generously spray the muffin tins to prevent them from sticking.

I know what you're thinking, another zucchini recipe? Well yes!! I love zucchini and summer is the time where many of us have an over-abundance of zucchinis in our gardens. I have tons of ideas for you and in fact I've create an entire Pinterest board called Yummy Zucchini in it's honor.

A few of my favorites are Zucchini Enchiladas (perfect for meatless Mondays), Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella, Zucchini Pizza Bites and last week's Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats.

For breakfast try this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, even the pickiest of kids will enjoy them!
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skinny Pina Colada Ice Pops

Easy Piña Colada Ice Pops, made with pineapple, coconut milk and a splash of rum will whisk you away on a tropical island with every bite you take! Head on over to Dash Recipes for the full recipe where I will be contributing a skinny dessert once a month. For those of you following Weight Watcher Points Plus, only 3 points + each (2 without the rum).

Summer is great for luau themed parties, another fun dessert you can make this summer if you have an ice cream maker is this yummy Piña Colada Sorbet; serve it in hollowed out coconuts for a cool presentation.

If it's cupcakes you crave, then these ever so popular Skinny Piña Colada Cupcakes are quick, easy and always a crowd pleaser!

Stay cool and enjoy your weekend!

Crust-less Summer Zucchini Pie

A simple savory pie made with summer zucchini, shallots, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. If you're looking for a tasty way to use up your summer zucchini, this is it!

It makes a wonderful side dish to any meal or serve it at a potluck or brunch.

To make shredding the zucchini easier,  just throw it in the food processor. You'll want to put the zucchini in a cheese cloth and give it a good squeeze to take out all the moisture.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts

Chicken breast stuffed with cheese, shredded carrots and minced celery, then rolled, breaded, baked and drizzled with hot sauce. Sound enticing? It should be, this is good stuff!

This recipe was so kindly shared with me from one of my subscribers. I love it when my fans share their recipe creations with me to share with all of you, especially when it's something really good! If you know how much I love stuffed chicken breast, you know I was all over this!

I served this with a crisp salad of lettuce, cucumbers, carrots and celery drizzled with homemade skinny blue cheese dressing. It was the perfect compliment and a wonderful meal.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Easy Garden Tomato Sauce

When grape tomatoes are overflowing in your garden, whip up a quick simple sauce! Grape or cherry tomatoes sauteed with olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs are perfect over pasta, grilled chicken or fish. Take advantage of summer tomatoes now while they are at their peak!

This recipe is from the archives from last summer, I've been making it quite often these past few weeks now that grape tomatoes are at their peak so I decided to bring this recipe forward. Perfect over your favorite pasta shape for meatless Mondays in less than 30 minutes.

Meat lovers can add chicken or shrimp for a spectacular summer pasta dish! And for a spectacular way to prepare fish, try this simple fish dish with summer tomato sauce.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Cherry Lime Ice Pops

Sweet summer cherries with a touch of lime make these sweet popsicles a perfect treat on a hot summer day.

I love the deep red color you get from using real cherries and the flavor is not that artificial cherry taste you get from those imitation flavored pops, it's richer with a more intense cherry taste.

If you plan on making these, I highly recommend buying a cherry pitter, there are so many to choose from on Amazon. Stay cool!

PS- You can find the popsicle molds on Amazon too! I used this mold, with regular popsicle sticks.
Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza

Happy Pizza Friday! 

One of my family's favorite foods is pizza and one of my favorites is home made pizza. You just can't beat a good home cooked pizza on a pizza stone. The fresh dough and fresh ingredients of your choosing. I like to get crazy with my pizza and put stuff like eggplant and goat cheese on it but the kids have a slightly less exotic palate. 

This pizza incorporated another of our family's favorite cuisines, Mexican food. The roast was slow cooked in pineapple juice making it sheer torture waiting for it to be done while whiffs of warm pineapple floated around the house. 

Serve with an ice cold tropical margarita if your feeling festive.

The meat is moist and will make your dough soggy if you don't pre-cook it, so pop the dough onto your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of good olive oil and bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and then put your toppings on.

Topped simply with shredded Jack cheese and slices of sweet peppers this pizza was very satisfying.

I seem to have started quite a stir when I posted my shredded chicken tip  last year. I had several people asked me if it worked with beef and sure enough it does!  Again, just make sure you are using very warm or hot meat and trim as much fat from the roast as you can. If you use cold meat it can quite possibley harm your mixer, my Aunts Bosch mixer broke when we tried to shred a cold pork roast for tamales last year. 

Hot pineapple roast in......................................

shredded beef in seconds!

Serve with a side salad.

Rachel's Easy Pizza Dough Recipe(makes 2 pizzas or 1 pizza + bread sticks)

2 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. dry yeast
5 2/3 cup flour
Mis salt, sugar, yeast and oil. Pour warm water over mix and stir. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well each time, then kneed. No rising necessary. Bake 425 degrees 15-20 minutes.

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza Recipe
 PREP TIME      30 MINUTES       COOK TIME      45
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3-4lbs. chuck roast

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 2 - 12oz. cans pineapple, papaya or mango juice    (I use leftover canned pineapple juice from our cottage cheese and pineapple snack) 

• 1 recipe for pizza dough

• olive oil, for brushing the dough

• 1 cup jarred tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving

• 12 ounces fresh jack cheese, shredded

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced and sauteed until golden

• 1 cup of sliced sweet or bell pepper

• sour cream, for serving (optional)

• guacamole, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Mix the chili powder, cumin and  salt in a small bowl.

1. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the roast.

1. Heat the canola oil in a large pot over high heat, then sear both sides of the roast until nice and brown, about 2 minutes per side.

1. Pour the juice into the pot with the meat.

1. Cover and roast for about 4 hours, until falling apart.

1. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, put your pizza stone if you have one it the oven.

1. Put hot roast in your mixer with the cookie paddle attatched and blend on speed 4 till shredded. Or use 2 forks to shred the meat then return to the juices.

1. Add tomatillo salsa and onions to the shredded roast, mix to combine.

1. Turn up the heat in your oven to 400F

1. Roll out pizza dough into a circle

1. Fold dough in half and gently transfer to your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of olive oil.

1. Cook dough for 8-10 minutes so it will not soak up all of the juices from the meat. 

1. Remove from oven and spread the shredded roast all over pizza

1. Top with shredded Jack cheese and  peppers.

1. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce

If you like the sweet smoky flavor of BBQ sauce, then you'll love these petite turkey meatloaves combined with a little zucchini, my homemade Kansas City Style BBQ sauce, and bacon! A fun twist on an my classic Petite Turkey Meatloaf.

I've been playing around with this recipe for a few weeks to get it just right. This first started on the grill in foil pockets. When we go camping, my husband makes a meatloaf on the camp fire and we all really enjoy it. But doing this on the grill can yield different results depending on your grill so I decided to stick with the oven for more precision. Feel free to test this on the grill if you don't want to heat up the kitchen!

I love adding zucchini to the mix because it adds moisture to otherwise dry turkey. I've done this before in my turkey burgers and meatloaf cupcakes and it turns out great and no one knows it's in there! I've made this with both 99% lean turkey and 93% percent lean and we all like the 93% lean best. You can use either, the points remain the same. I used my homemade BBQ sauce, but you can certainly use any BBQ sauce you like. If you are watching your sodium, you could cut back on the bacon or eliminate it all together. Hope you enjoy!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Warm Pasta Salad with Corn and Zucchini

This pasta salad is heavy on summer vegetables (corn and zucchini) and gets a bit of a kick from red pepper flakes. It's a great alternative to potato salad and will be a perfect meatless entree or side dish for your next picnic or family potluck. 

Please enjoy this guest post from my friend Olga of Mango & Tomato. Olga is a culinary wiz and I'm happy to have her share a recipe with all of you here on Skinnytaste!

Hi! My name is Olga and I'm the creator of Mango & Tomato, where I've been sharing my original recipes, restaurant reviews and food photography for the last four years. Through blogging I get to tell my readers about my childhood food memories, how travel influences the food I make today and my favorite places to eat out. Most importantly, though, I get to meet the other people who are passionate about food. Mostly, these "meetings" happen through social media, but in rare cases I'm lucky to meet them in real life. Gina, is one of those people: we met during a trip to the POM Wonderful orchards and have stayed in touch ever since.

I'm psyched to be able to share a recipe with you all on Gina's blog! 

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...