Should You Stick to Fresh Produce, or Are Canned Foods Just As Good for You?
Cauliflower Pizza Muffins
Did someone say delicious bite-sized cheese cauliflower pizza muffins, that are actually healthy, waistline-friendly and easy to prep for a busy weeknight dinner? We sure did—and we’re signing you up for a delicious mouthful of these little guys! As you may know if you’ve read our blogs, we often mention how we grew up in a healthy household where our parents were basically hippies (minus the drugs) with our mom cooking everything from scratch, especially her granola, and our dad doing something athletic outdoors, so you may be surprised to know that EVERY Thursday night was pizza night! Woohooo!! Of course, our mom made it herself– kneaded her homemade whole wheat dough after waiting for the yeast to rise, whipped her yummy sauce together starting with a splash of olive oil, adding canned tomatoes and fresh spices and then letting us add our own veggie toppings. No Domino’s Pizza here, folks! Yes, our pizza was a tougher crust (and as our brother would say in hopes of a softer crust, “Can you use half white flour?” 
), fiber-filled creation, but even as picky kids, we didn’t mind it—because it was PIZZA!
And now one of our top requests from our clients (and from you) is to be able to enjoy pizza without feeling like its’ hurting efforts to be healthy, or to lose a few pounds, when that’s your goal. When dining out, we show our clients how to indulge and to meet their goals–and dining in, we’ve got some tricks up our sleeves– some that we learned from our mom, and some new ones including our newest creation, these Cauliflower Pizza Bites! These unbelievable little nips are an ooey-gooey, super satisfying, weight loss recipe that makes your taste buds happy and fills you up, leaving you feeling light, with just 120 calories yet with 12 satisfying grams of protein in 6 pizza bites. You can enjoy these and know they’re actually good for you!
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese with Bacon
The most decadent tasting, yet lower in calories, Homemade Mac N Cheese You’ll Ever Make! Macaroni Pasta blended with Italian Blend Cheese, then Melted Into A Warm Cream Sauce with tomatoes, bacon, and blue cheese.
Mac and cheese is no longer only for the under 16 crowd. You’ll find variations of this classic dish on menus everywhere. While those menu options might sound gourmet and difficult to make at home, this does not need to be the case.
I am really excited to share with you my newest recipe: Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese with Bacon.
It sounds decadent, but with a few simple swaps, we keep calories and fat in line while adding a pop of color and nutrition boost with the addition of tomatoes.
Yield: 10 servings
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese with Bacon
A savory Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese with Bacon recipe loaded with cheese, perfect for dinner or entertaining guests.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 oz. elbow macaroni
- 3 cups 1% milk
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes drained
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
- 4 oz. blue cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup bacon bits
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dry ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
- Cook elbow macaroni per box instructions, drain.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.
- Whisk flour into butter, adding a little at a time.
- Slowly pour milk into flour mixture, small amounts at a time, whisking until thickened before adding more. This step can take up to 15 minutes.
- Add spices, then whisk in Italian cheese.
- Stir in bacon, then elbow macaroni. Blend well.
- Gently fold in canned tomatoes and blue cheese crumbles.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 257Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 646mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 13g
Veggie Fried Rice with Tofu | High Protein Vegetarian Fried Rice
This veggie fried rice from Stacey Mattinson, RDN is high in protein and stacked with veggies! Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner that your family is sure to love.
Making an entire meal in one pan is my dream! I love how this veggie fried rice comes together quickly in a large wok or skillet. It’s super versatile, which gives you a lot of flexibility with whatever veggies you have on hand. I’ve made it high in protein by adding tofu, but you could also skip the tofu and pair it with your own favorite protein!
VEGGIE FRIED RICE
I did a few things to stack this veggie fried rice nutritionally:
- BROWN RICE IS HIGHER IN FIBER AND MICRONUTRIENTS LIKE POTASSIUM, PHOSPHOROUS, MANGANESE, FOLATE AND B VITAMINS COMPARED TO WHITE RICE
- I ADDED IN LOTS OF VEGGIES, INCLUDING CANNED TOMATOES, ONIONS, CARROTS, PEAS AND ZUCCHINI
- PROTEIN-RICH TOFU MAKES IT AN ENTIRE MEAL (FORGET HAVING TO MAKE A PROTEIN SIDE!)
- I WENT EASY ON THE ASIAN SAUCES TO KEEP IT MODERATE IN SODIUM. YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE IF THAT FITS YOUR PALATE!
BENEFITS OF CANNED TOMATOES
Canned tomatoes are a great addition to cooked dishes because they are often more flavorful than fresh tomatoes! Tomatoes are canned at their peak ripeness, within just three to six hours of being picked from the vine. Canned tomatoes are nutrient-rich (hellllooo vitamins A, C and lycopene!) and cheap to keep on hand.
HOW TO SERVE
The glory of this veggie fried rice is… it can be served as a complete meal itself! But, you could also try it with my Mongolian Beef recipe or another favorite protein.
DYK canned tomatoes are sealed at their peak ripeness within 3 hours of picking?! Try this delicious high protein Veggie Fried Rice using canned tomatoes! CLICK TO TWEET
TIPS FOR SUCCESS FOR VEGGIE FRIED RICE WITH TOMATOES
As I mentioned before, it’s a pretty flexible and forgiving recipe. You’re welcome to add whatever veggies you have on hand, just be sure to cook your hard veggies first because they’ll need the most time to soften. Tossing the tofu lightly in corn starch helps it brown up and firm better during the cooking process. This recipe turns out better with chilled brown rice than freshly cooked brown rice, so make a batch of brown rice a day ahead of time if you can! Have all your ingredients washed and chopped ahead of time, and this fried rice with tomatoes comes together in about 20 minutes.
Without further ado, click here for the full recipe!
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