piecesinprogress:

Homemade Herb Pita Bread

These are positively addicting! They really are delicious, perfect for dips or even sandwiches and you can customize them to be exactly what flavors you want. You could even vary flavors in the same batch, just roll different spices or herbs into different portions of bread. I make them for holiday appetizers with a dish of homemade hummus but they’re great anytime- you could whip up a batch one day and enjoy fresh pitas all week (try refrigerating the dough and baking them as needed).

For more healthy bread and baking recipes go here!

daw-n:

myhealthyweighs:

Slow Cooker Spicy Shredded Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos (or Tostadas) with Avocado Salsa
(Makes about 8 tacos or tostadas; recipe created by Kalyn)

Equipment:
I used my Crock-Pot 3-1/2-Quart Slow Cooker to make the chicken in this recipe.  You will need a slow cooker that’s close to this size.

Ingredients for Spicy Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
1 cup mild or medium tomato salsa (homemade or from a jar)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 can ( 4 oz.) diced green chiles, not drained (Anaheim chiles)
1-2 T Cholula hot sauce, or other Mexican hot sauce of your choice
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

Avocado Salsa Ingredients:
2 medium or large avocados, diced into small pieces
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

For Lettuce Wrap Tacos:
2 large heads iceberg lettuce, washed if needed 

For Tostadas:  
8 medium-sized flour tortillas (use whole wheat or low-carb tortillas for South Beach Diet)
chopped tomatoes (optional but good) 

Instructions:

Trim visible fat and other unwanted parts from chicken breasts and cut each one in half lengthwise.  Spray the inside of the slow cooker with olive oil or non-stick spray and arrange the chicken strips in the bottom.  Mix together the tomato salsa, onion powder, diced green chiles with juice, Cholula hot sauce and lime juice.  (Start with 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and taste the mixture on your finger to see if you want more.)  Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and cook on low for about 5 hours, or until chicken is very tender.  (You can cook for a shorter time on high, but I thought cooking on low gave more tender chicken.)

When the chicken is done, remove each piece with a slotted spoon and lay it on a cutting board to cool.  Turn the slow cooker to high and leave the lid partly off so steam can evaporate.  When the chicken has cooled enough to handle it, use your clean hands to pull it apart into shredded chicken pieces.  Put the chicken back into the slow cooker, stir to combine with the sauce, and let it heat back up while you prepare other ingredients.   (If there seems to be a lot of sauce in the slow cooker, you can drain the chicken when you use it, but I just scooped chicken out with a slotted spoon.)

Peel and dice the avocados and toss with the lime juice (in a bowl that’s big enough for all the salsa ingredients.)  Add the chopped cilantro and chopped red onion and stir to combine.

For tacos, cut iceberg lettuce heads in half and wash in salad spinner if needed.  Peel off two pieces of lettuce and fill with a scoop of chicken mixture and a scoop of avocado salsa.  Eat tacos with your hands.

For tostadas, toast flour tortillas 2-3 minutes in an oven or toaster oven preheated to 400F/200C, turning them over a few times.  Spread a layer of spicy shredded chicken on teach tortilla, followed by a layer of avocado salsa and chopped tomatoes if desired.  Pick up and eat with your fingers or eat with a knife and fork.

health/well-being blog (fitspo)

smilestones:

Healthy Whole Wheat Pita Bread w No OIL/SUGAR

• 4 cups whole wheat flour (or 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 cups all-purpose flour)
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (120-130F degrees)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 500°F.
2 Sift together 2 cups of flour and the yeast.
3 Add water and salt and mix well.
4 Gradually add in the remaining flour just until the dough begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Once this happens, stop adding flour (so, you might not use all the flour the recipe calls for.).
5 Knead the dough for about 4 or 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. (While you’re kneading, you can get creative and add in some herbs or spices, but only if you want to do that). Be careful not to over-knead the dough.
6 Form dough into 10 balls.
7 On a floured surface, roll each ball into a 5-6 inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick. (Be sure to sprinkle a little flour on both sides to prevent sticking).
8 Place on a non-stick baking sheet and allow to rise 30 minutes, or until slightly raised.
9 Just before you place the pan in the oven, flip each pita over on its other side.
10 Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 5 minutes. (The instant hot heat will help them puff up).
11 When the pitas come out of the oven they will be hard, but they will soften as the cool.
12 Store them, while they’re still warm, in plastic baggies or an airtight container.
13 Cut the pitas in half crosswise and stuff with your favorite fillings (beans and rice, taco fixings, thick stews, curries - anything goes).
14. Pitas can be reheated in a 350°F oven or in the microwave

tobefre-ed:

How I make my overnight oats aka my #1 breakfast :)

Basic recipe, makes one serving

Ingredients: 1/2 a mashed banana, 40g oats, 100g yogurt, 100ml milk, cinnamon, sweetener if desired

1. Mash the banana, then add the other ingredients and stir!

2. Place it in the fridge overnight. The oats will absorb the liquid and the whole thing will thicken.

3. In the morning top it with whatever you like: fruit, granola, nut butter, nuts, chocolate, syrup, …

keepcalmandsweaton:

Healthy French Toast Recipe.

2/3 cup egg whites

2/3 cups almond milk/soy

1 tbsp sugar substitute

2 slices of whole grain wheat bread.

1. Mix the egg whites, milk and the sugar substitute together. Then soak the bread into the mixture (Drain off the excess liquid)

2. Remember to use cooking spray. And place it on a skillet over medium heat until each side is golden brown.

3. Place the French toast on a plate and top with some fruit or sugar free syrup.

sweeterthanabumblebee:

Made somehealthy peanut butter cookies!

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup peanut butter (I used a natural crunchy)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond milk
Turbinado sugar & kosher salt, for sprinkling on cookie before baking

Directions

 Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gather the wet ingredients.. the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk in a large mixing bowl and mix. Gather the dry ingredients… the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate large mixing bowl and mix. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir with a big spoon. The batter will be very thick and sticky. Refrigerate the dough for thirty minutes. Roll into little balls and set on parchment paper on baking sheet. Wet a fork and press down onto the cookie crosswise. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and kosher salt. Bake for 11 minutes at 350F and let cool for 5 minutes.

Yields 26 cookies and mm mm

resmilestones:

The recipe makes 4 smaller or 2 large pizzas.

Quick Pizza Dough

1 cup water

2 1/2 teaspoons yeast or 1 envelope yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups flour  (approximately)

Directions:

Place water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a food processor. Sprinkle yeast over the water and pulse once or twice to mix. Let rest 5 minutes to dissolve.

Add olive oil and pulse a couple of times to blend.

Add 2 cups flour and pulse a few times to mix the flour with the liquid ingredients. Add the rest of the flour until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Continue processing until dough pulls together and develops elasticity.

Remove to a floured surface and finish kneading by hand, adding more flour but not too much so the dough remains light.

Place ball of dough in an oiled bowl, turning dough to cover with the oil. Let rise until doubles, about 2 hours.

If you need more time then either deflate the dough and let it rise once more or place the bowl with the dough in the fridge until you are ready. Bring it to room temperature before proceeding with rolling the dough and shaping the pizza.

When ready to proceed turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 pieces. Keep the extra pieces covered while you work with each one. Either roll or stretch the dough into a rough circle (it doesn’t have to be a perfect round, rougher shaped pizza are very attractive). Keep the edges slightly thicker than the center. I let the dough rest between stretches, if the gluten is relaxed it is more likely to stretch and cooperate.

Cut parchment paper into squares that the pizzas can fit on. Lay the dough round on the parchment paper, it makes it easy to transfer it into the oven. Brush it with olive oil and then proceed with the topping of your choice.

Use a pizza peel or a wide spatula that will fit the entire pizza with the parchment to lift the pizza and then slide the dough still on the parchment sheet onto the pizza stone in the oven.

Place a baking stone in the oven about 4 inches below the broiler. Preheat oven at broil setting for 30 minutes. When ready, slide the pizza with the parchment onto the hot stone and broil until the topping is bubbly and the crust is crisp and charred in spots.

See below for topping instructions.