Foods the Whole Family Will LOVE!

With These Amazing Recipes, You'll Discover Healthy Eating Is Anything But Boring and Tasteless

By Julia Lacy-Adelé

If you've been reading, or better yet, experimenting with my recipes for any length of time, you know I don't believe healthy eating has anything to do with the same old, same old, boring, tasteless recipes people associate with dieting. In fact, I'd argue that some of the absolute best tasting recipes I make are also the most nutritious. Because here's a little secret… real, whole food tastes AMAZING! Way better than anything that comes from a box or drive-thru.

The next concern is that it takes a gourmet chef to make these foods come to life. But the fact is, with a little preparation and a lot of fun, anyone can make seemingly extravagant dishes in their own kitchens—in less time than you may think. All it takes is a good recipe and an adventurous spirit.

The rewards are healthy, mouth-watering foods your whole family will beat the door down to devour. Trust me, I speak from experience.

So let's get down to business…

Sweet and Sour Buffalo Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Buffalo Meatballs

I don't make Hors d'Oeuvres for everyday occasions, but this recipe is tasty enough to take to any type of gathering. And your fellow guests will have no idea how healthy they're eating. I haven't brought these meatballs to a gathering yet where I haven't had to hand out the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground buffalo meat
1 egg
1/2 cup whole-wheat Italian bread crumbs
1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup leeks (cleaned and chopped)
1 clove garlic (cleaned and chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste

Sweet and sour sauce:
1 small jar 100% fruit apple jelly
1 cup beef broth
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine ground buffalo, egg, bread crumbs. Place in refrigerator.
• Spray a medium skillet with non-stick cooking spray and sauté red bell pepper, leeks, and garlic until the leeks and garlic are transparent.
• Combine red bell pepper mixture with buffalo. Mix well.
• Prepare meatballs, making them approximately two inches in size.
• In a 350-degree oven, bake meatballs until golden brown and firm to touch. (Approximately 20 to 25 minutes.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• In a medium sauce pan, combine jelly, beef broth, and fresh red bell pepper.
• Heat over low heat to melt ingredients, stir, and set aside until meatballs are done.

Once meatballs are cooked through, you can either gently place the meatballs in the sauce, and stir. Or you can place the sauce in a bowl in the middle of the meatballs, so people can add as much or as little sauce as they like to their plate. Either way, they'll enjoy one (or more) good meatball!

Of course, you could serve these with brown rice and your favorite steamed vegetable for a delicious dinner at home as well with no complaints!

Peanut Chicken Skewers

Peanut Chicken Skewers

This recipe is a fun one to take outdoors for BBQ's. These chicken skewers can also be used as starters or, when combined with a tasty rice dish and your favorite vegetables (I recommend steamed broccoli), they make a tasty meal that tastes decadent and is ready in minutes!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, skinned and rinsed
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (make sure you use natural peanut butter that contains only peanuts and salt, not a bunch of additives)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp spicy sesame oil
6 stalks green onion (ends removed, use full stalk—chopped)
10 wooden skewers (soak in warm water at least 20 minutes)

Directions:

• Slice each breast of chicken into five tenderloin pieces
• In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, olive oil, and spicy sesame oil. Stir in green onion.
• Slide tenderloin pieces onto skewers.
• Brush chicken with peanut mixture reserving extra sauce for basting.
• Grill chicken skewers over medium heat, basting continually.

Chicken Soup with Kale and Collard Greens

Soups are both filling and comforting as well as being extremely healthy. You get all your protein, vegetables, and a whole lot of flavor in one pot. This simple recipe is loaded with tons of vitamins and antioxidants too!

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 small onion (peeled and chopped)
2 carrots (cleaned and chopped)
3 stalks celery (cleaned and chopped)
3 cans low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups filtered water
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg
1 cup whole-wheat Italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups collard greens (cleaned and chopped)
2 cups kale (cleaned and chopped)
Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley

Directions:

• Lightly cover the bottom of a medium-sized stockpot with olive oil.
• Combine onion, carrots, and celery and sauté on low until onion is translucent and slightly browned.
• Add broth and water to pot. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to simmer.
• In a medium bowl, add chicken, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.
• Make quarter-size meatballs with the chicken and drop into simmering pot.
• Once all meat balls are added, simmer for 15 minutes longer.
• Add collard greens and kale. Simmer another 10-15 minutes, depending on texture preference of greens.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy!

Chicken Burgers with Sundried Tomatoes and Fontina Cheese w/ Basil Mayo

Chicken Burgers with Sundried Tomatoes and Fontina Cheese w/ Basil Mayo

You don't have to go out to a specialized restaurant for gourmet burgers. And by making these at home, you can cut out the unnecessary fat, unhealthy trans fats, and excessive sodium, and infuse them with flavor, flavor, flavor instead. These "fancy" burgers are always a huge hit at our house.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup fontina cheese
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (chopped fine)
3 Tbsps prepared pesto sauce
1 tsp rosemary (cleaned and chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 whole-wheat pita pockets or whole-wheat buns
4 leaves butter leaf lettuce (cleaned and pulled apart)

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, combine chicken, fontina, tomatoes, pesto sauce, and rosemary.
• Make four to five patties and season with salt and pepper.
• Place patties on a grill over medium heat and cook through, approximately five or six minutes on each side.
• Stack cooked patty on top of butter lettuce and place inside whole-wheat pita pocket or on buns.

Basil Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise or Vegenaise
1/4 cup basil (cleaned and chopped)
1 lemon

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients using 1/2 lemon for juice and zest and serve one tablespoon on top of chicken patties.

Blackened Chicken with Mango Salsa

Blackened Chicken with Mango Salsa

Not your usual dry chicken breast! With a few simple adjustments, you can easily create a tender, tasty chicken breast that screams with flavor. Add quick-cooking couscous and a nice big salad for a fast and completely satisfying weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:
4 skinless chicken breasts (cleaned)
1/4 cup blackening seasoning
1 Tbsp light brown sugar

Mango Salsa:
2 Roma tomatoes (rinsed, seeded, and chopped)
1 jar mango in juice (found in refrigerator section—drained and chopped)
2 scallions (peeled and minced)
1 large jalapeño (mild to medium heat, depending on your preference—remember that the blackened seasoning also adds a lot of spice)
1/4 cup cilantro (cleaned and chopped)
1 lime (juice and zest)

Directions:

Pecan-Crusted Trout

Pecan-Crusted Trout

All I can say is YUM!

Ingredients:
4 pink trout steaks
8 green onion stalks (cleaned and ends cut)
2 Tbsps olive oil
1 1/2 cups pecans (shelled and halved)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large naval orange (for zest)
Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place trout in a glass baking dish over a bed of green onion stalks in olive oil. Place in refrigerator.
• In a food processor, combine pecans, brown sugar, and orange zest. Blend.
• Pour pecan mixture over the top of the trout and cover with foil. Bake in a 325-degree oven covered for 20 minutes.
• Uncover for last 5 to7 minutes until topping is golden brown.
• I recommend getting out of the way, as there may be battles over who gets the biggest piece.

In Conclusion

If you aren't completely comfortable in the kitchen or with healthy eating, please don't be intimidated. The best way to learn in the kitchen is the same as in the gym—by doing.

Start with the one recipe that looks like something you might enjoy and pick up the ingredients. Then pour yourself a mineral water with a dash of lemon juice, turn on some of your favorite music, and get started. You may be surprised to learn that cooking can be fun and, yes, even relaxing.

And if your family isn't entirely into the whole healthy eating thing, then keep it to yourself where you picked up your new recipes. You can just enjoy watching them devour everything off their plates. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.

Finally if you have any questions, or you want to share some of your recipes, please join us in the recipe forum on RealSolutionsmag.com. And don't be shy! You won't find a friendlier, more helpful group of people anywhere else online.

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