Healthy Family-Friendly Recipes
Everyone is aware of the benefits of eating a healthy diet. But, in today's busy world, as you rush between work, school, activities and commitments, following a healthy diet can often be difficult. Having a few "go-to" meal and snack recipes that the entire family (kids as well as adults) enjoys making and eating can alleviate much of the stress and anxiety of dealing with meal planning and preparation.
As your partner in healthy living, Inspire Chiropractic would like to offer a few recipes each month that will assist you and your family in maintaining a wholesome diet and retaining your sanity on those especially hectic days when meal planning seems to fall far down on the priority list!
First up are Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas. Below is the basic recipe courtesy of myrecipes.com. Please remember that the recipe is just a basic guide. Change it up to suit the needs and tastes of your family. Add more of the spices and vegetables you like, and use less or eliminate those you do not. And also remember to involve the entire family in meal planning and preparation. Older children and teens can chop vegetables. And even the youngest ones can prepare the tortillas, sprinkle the cheese and set the table.
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 small orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
Cooking spray or coconut oil
3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas or gluten free tortillas
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream or substitute for greek yogurt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub paprika mixture evenly over chicken; let stand 10 minutes.
3. Arrange chicken, onion, and bell pepper on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Cook vegetables 4 minutes on each side or until tender. Cook chicken 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken and vegetables from grill; coarsely chop vegetables. Let chicken stand 5 minutes; thinly slice chicken.
4. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons cheese over half of each tortilla; divide vegetables and chicken evenly over cheese. Fold each tortilla in half over filling; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until cheese melts and tortillas are lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 2 wedges; serve with sour cream.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: (Per serving) Calories 310, Fat 13 g, Protein 26.8 g, Carbohydrate 20.4 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Cholesterol 79 mg, Iron 1.9 mg, Sodium 552 mg, Calcium 228 mg
Next up we have Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Bites. These make a light dessert or can be kept on hand as an "on-the-go" snack. This recipe is courtesy of cookinglight.com.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup non-fat Greek Yogurt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place blueberries and Greek yogurt in two separate bowls. Place a piece a parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
2. Drop each blueberry into Greek yogurt with a spoon, swirl around to coat and place on the parchment paper. Repeat until all blueberries are covered.
3. Freeze for an hour or more, then enjoy as you please.
We hope you enjoy these recipes. Now, discover five family-friendly health habits, and watch for more recipes in our future blog posts.
Image courtesy of canva.com