breakfast and dinner recipes loved by all for my StrollerFit Families and one can be a passover recipe

Spinach Tostados with Shrimp and Potatoes

Ingredients:


For the tostadas:
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed
1 tablespoon finely diced red bell pepper
1 teaspoon finely diced serrano pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large eggs
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Shrimp topping:
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 russet potatoes, cooked in boiling salted water until just fork tender, then cut in 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, cleaned, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons grated feta cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Add the spinach to a colander, and press down to remove as much water as possible. Transfer the spinach to a double layer of paper towels and press and squeeze to remove any extra water. Chop the spinach and add it to a medium bowl with the remaining ingredients, except the extra-virgin olive oil. The mixture should be very well combined and moist, but not wet.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and form into flat patties, about 3 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Arrange the patties on the baking sheet and press down until very firm. This step can be done ahead, but be sure to refrigerate the patties.
In a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. When hot, add the spinach tostadas into the pan, cook about 2 minutes, gently turn and cook the other side. They will be slightly browned. Put them on a paper towel lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and hold in a warm oven.
Topping: In a small bowl combine the sour cream and lime zest and set aside, set aside.
In the same pan the spinach tostadas were cooked in, heat the remaining oil left in pan, over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add in the shallot and cook until translucent. Add in the tomatoes, potatoes and capers, stir to combine, add in the shrimp and stock and cook until shrimp turn pink. Stir in the pepper and the parsley and remove from the heat.
Remove the spinach tostadas from the oven, and transfer to a serving platter. Equally portion the shrimp mixture on each tostada, sprinkle with feta, top with a small dollop of the sour cream mixture and serve immediately.

This recipe was made by Guy Fieri on the food network, it is 3 pts a serving or 5.5 points for 2 servings if you are doing weight watchers.  the whole family loved this.  I also made a batch replacing the panko in the spinach tostados with matzoh meal for a passover recipe and it was a hit, so I am going to make that to go with the seder meal on tuesday and serve it as a side with the pot roast.

Oatmeal, Almond & Blueberry Pamcakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup chopped almonds
non stick spray

Directions:

Mix the first five ingredients together.  Mix eggs, buttermilk and vanilla in a seperate bowl.  pour liquid into dry ingredient and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Mix in blueberries and almonds.  heat a pan and spray with non stick spray.  pour out about 1/3 cup for large pancakes  or 1/4 cup or less for silver dollar pancakes.  flip after about 2 minutes, when the batter begins to show signs of bubbling and side down is golden brown, do not rush.

3 large panckes are 4 points - makes 9 pancakes, 3 silver dollar pancakes is 2 points, makes 23 small silver dollar pancakes.

Serve with real maple syrup.  I froze the rest and put 3 in the toaster oven today to heat them for breakfast, they were just as good as the fresh ones.

Joey helped mix and crack the eggs and add the berries and almonds.  He loves helping in the kitchen.  We hope our StrollerFriends enjoy these recipes as much as we did

StrollerFriends Cookbook

I have decided to collect recipes from the StrollerFit Moms across the country and make another StrollerFit cookbook. This one will be Healthy Holiday Favorites, with tales from the StrollerFit Family Kitchens, pictures of our StrollerFriends and favorite healthy holiday meals that everyone including the kids will eat.

If you would like to contribute, email me your recipe -Cari.Fisher@StrollerFit.com

Send recipe, picture of you and the kids or just the kids and if you have a story behind the recipe, send that too.

Please forward this request to any StrollerFit moms you know.

Once I am done, I will notify everyone. I am estimating the cost to be $20 ($15 for the cost, plus $5 donation to the American Cancer Society). Once I have a cost plush shipping, I will let everyone know.

For those that do not know, my mom is battling the awful disease and I want to do a StrollerFit Cancer Fund raiser in her honor, she does Restore the core at e and motivates me everyday to lose the weight and get in shape and live life to its fullest.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

Joey and I made these, it was a fun, messy, edible activity...Great for Strollerfriends when you can not get outdoors.

2 packages of active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
4 cups whole wheat flour
3.5 cups flour
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp water

in a large bowl, dissolve yeast into warm water. Add sugar, egg, salt & butter. stir in wheat flour, mix until smooth. Add enough white flour to make a stiff dough. cover bowl with foil and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to use the dough, punch dough down and divide in half. On a well floured surface, cut each half into 16 equal pieces. roll each piece into a 20 inch rope and shape into a pretzel shape. Place on a well greased baking sheet (i used parchment paper)

In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and water and brush over top of pretzels, sprinkle with salt if desired. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 25 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

should yield 32 pretzels.

High Fiber Side Dish that Joey loved for my StrollerFriends

I recently read an article that couscous, unless whole wheat (which is hard to find) is like giving your family white pasta or rice, so I have been looking for other side dishes that are high in fiber and better for the family, but quick and easy to make like couscous.

I found one, and the ingredients come in bulk and are cheap at Ocean State Job lot. You will need to buy Red Mill flaxxseeds and Bulgar wheat, all sold at job lot, if you do not like this recipe I will buy the left overs from you (and the flaxseed made a great breat too, recipe on the package)

Bulgar and Flax Pilaf
2 tbsp butter (Iused olive oil)
1 cup bulgar wheat
1/4 cup flaxxseed
1/3 cup minsed onion (I used 1 small onion)
1 small tomato, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp italian seasoning

Directions:

in a medium sauce pan, melt butter (or heat oil) over medium heat, add bulgar wheat, flaxseed and onions. Stir until Bulgar is golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, salt and italian seasoning. Cover, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until brooth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, and then let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Joey ate a whole bowl and then had seconds. enjoy and let me know what you think.

2 recipes - cinnamon chicken and bean borritos for StrollerFriends to try

I made a recipe from Cat Cora from the Oprah show and it was delicious...and easy to make

Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken

1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds) cut into 8 pieces (I used legs and thighs because that is what I had)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups of water
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 tbsp, dried Italian seasoning
1 cup orzo, cooked per package directions
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preboil water with sea salt.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. A wet chicken will cause the oil to splatter while the chicken is sauteing. Mix the cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the chicken pieces on all sides with the seasoning.

Heat the olive oil in a large, nonreactive, deep skillet over high heat. A 12-inch skillet with sides about 2 1/2 to 3 inches high will allow you to brown all the chicken at once. If you don't have a skillet large enough, brown them in two batches using 1/2 the oil for each batch. What's important is that the chicken isn't overcrowded, which would cause them to steam rather than brown.

Add the chicken to the oil and brown for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the pieces using a metal spatula, as they have a tendency to stick to the pan. Remove the pieces when they are well browned on all sides.

Mince three of the garlic cloves. Lower the heat to medium-high, and add the onions and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and are a rich golden brown. Add about 1/2 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to deglaze the pan, loosening any particles stuck on the bottom.

When the water has evaporated, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced.

Return the chicken to the pan. The liquid should cover about 3/4 of the chicken pieces. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-high heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. If the sauce becomes too thick, it can be thinned with a little more water. Season the finished sauce with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Serve over orzo, cooked according to package directions, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.


Now this next recipe I made with eggs for breakfast-

Black Bean Chipotle Burritos
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 med. zucchini, diced
1 tsp brown sugar
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 tsp Hannafords cabo chipolte run (i used hot shot red pepper)
4 (12 in) shole wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
1 cup diced tomatoes

I added 2 scrambled eggs before I rolled it for a breakfast burrito between the 4 tortillas

1. in a large skillet, heat oil and warm zucchini, add the onion and zucchini and brown sugar, stirring until veggies are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 min

2. add garlic and stir about 30 sec

3. place bans in a medium bowl and mash slightly with a fork, add to skillet with corn and chipolte seasoning, stir to combine well, until heated thru, about 2-3 minutes

4. warm tortillas wrapped in paper towel in microwave on high for 30 sec. place tortillas on a plate and fill with mix, this is where i added the divided scrambled egg. top with cheese and tomatoes

5. roll and serve.

Hope you will enjoy this. the first is high in protein the second high in fiber both great meals. I have made the burritos as a lunch without the eggs and they are good too. Joey ate one. More recipes for my strollerfriends to come. If you have recipes you love, please post them, we are always looking for new recipes