Category Archives: Healthy

Sweet & Simple Snacks Pt. 1: Two Easy Treats

Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Mix and Parmesan Crisps

The life of a college student means there is very little time for preparing food. Since I commute, there are many times where I spend my whole day on campus, and consequently need to eat at some point. However, the cafeteria doesn’t appeal to me much. Usually, this means I grab an apple or a protein bar on my way out the door, but that gets boring really fast. Sometimes, I’ve got to get creative. I need fuel that’s fun and easy to make.

Today and tomorrow I will be bringing you 4 Sweet & Simple Snacks (2 today; 2 tomorrow). By “sweet and simple,” I meant that they’re totally quick and easy to throw together, but super tasty as well.

First up, my latest snack of choice: Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Mix.

This stuff is awesome for several reasons:

  1. You only need two ingredients: Peanut Butter Multigrain Cheerios and grapes.
  2. It’s healthy.
  3. Kids love it too.

Not only is this snack simple, but it’s fun as well. Who doesn’t love a good spin on PB&J? It’s absolutely perfect for packing in a ziplock bag and toting to school/work/where ever. I love the sweet and salty combination, as well as the mix of textures. So, when you’re in need of a satisfying snack that’s as good for you as it is yummy, this stuff is where it’s at!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Snack Mix
By The Smart Cookie Cook

All You Need Is:

  • 3/4 cup Multigrain Peanut Butter Cheerios
  • 1/2 cup grapes

To Serve it Up:

Combine Cheerios and grapes in a small bowl or pack into a ziplock bag to take to work or school. Enjoy!

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The second Sweet & Simple Snack: Parmesan Crisps.

These are basically the simplest food in existence. It’s literally Parmesan cheese with some garlic powder & red pepper flakes sprinkled on. You let it melt and turn golden, give it a flip, and VIOLA. Like magic, the cheese turns into a thin and crispy chip. They taste like an upscale Cheez-it, and they’re so addicting! These not only make a great snack, but they’re a perfect party appetizer as well. You can churn out dozens of these babies in minutes and keep your guests snacking all night!

Parmesan Crisps
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Yield: 12 crisps (Note: You can easily double or triple this recipe as necessary)

All You Need Is:

  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • garlic powder
  • red pepper flakes

To Serve it Up:

  1. Bring a skillet to medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese onto the skillet in the shape of a small circle, making sure there are no holes. I recommend cooking four crisps at a time. Let cook until cheese melts and turns golden on the bottom. Gently slide a spatula underneath the crisp and flip. Let cook until the other side is golden. Transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with garlic powder & red pepper flakes to taste. Enjoy!

Making appetizing snacks can be easy! Switch up your same ol’ snack routine and try these easy and delicious twists. Make sure you stop in tomorrow for two more Sweet & Simple treats! Here’s a hint for what’s to come in part two: a little bit of indulgence!

English Muffin Pizza: Less Than 200 Calories

Sometimes, fierce pizza cravings consume me with the force of one-thousand ruthless armies. When this happens I have two options: eat pizza or suffer through slow, painful, all-consuming withdrawal (the brunt of which is inflicted upon my mother as she receives my endless whining about how bad I want pizza). Now, I typically set aside one night a week for pizza (Pizza Friday, to be exact), but sometimes, I get struck with a craving mid-week on a day when I’m trying to eat healthy. Then what is there to do?

On one of those treacherous days, I found myself staring into the depths of my fridge, pondering what on Earth I could have for dinner besides pizza that was healthy and also somehow equivalent to the deliciousness of pizza. I was just about ready to wave my white flag, when at last I spotted a package of Multigrain English Muffins. Almost instinctively, my eyes then traveled to the jar of light marinara sauce.

In that moment, this recipe hit me like a ton of bricks.

I whipped up a hot and cheesy English Muffin Pizza for 195 calories, and quite frankly, I stuffed my face. It was the perfect weapon to combat my pizza craving while simultaneously eating healthy. This cute little pizza is low in calories, low in fat, and high in protein. But let’s remember what’s really important: it is completely delectable.

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Spinach-Nut Pesto w/ Roasted Tomatoes & Rotini

Is beautiful food overrated?

Sometimes people argue that it doesn’t matter what the food looks like as long as it tastes good. I must disagree. It is possible for unattractive food to be delicious, but if said food is made attractive, it will always taste better. This is psychologically proven. We like pretty things. Pretty things taste good. Now, of course there are exceptions here as well, but 99% of the time, visual appeal is directly correlated to how food tastes.

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Skillet Eggs w/ Squash & Sweet Potatoes

Some recipes look daunting and complex.

Most of them are.

Other times, however, you come across a recipe that appears intimidating, sinister even, but is actually mind-blowingly simple. Let these Skillet Eggs with Squash and Sweet Potatoes be a prime example of that. This dish taught me not to judge a recipe by its photo.

When I saw this recipe on Foodnetwork.com, I was intrigued by its pretty presentation. With the perfect sunny side-up eggs nestles in a bed of sauteed squash, it was too picturesque to pass up. Plus, the recipe was refreshingly unique and boasting some seriously nutritious ingredients. My only concern was recreating Food Network’s finished product with its perfectly placed eggs. I’ve never cooked eggs anywhere but in a pan on the stove, and I was worried I would wind up with a mess. It was possible I chose a more ambitious task than I was willing to tackle on a weeknight.

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Heatlhy Cookie: Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake

Have you ever made spaghetti squash? How weird is it when you cut it open, start scooping out its innards, and find that the rumors are true; that it really looks like spaghetti?

Spaghetti Squash is one of the many wonders of food that has always baffled me. How does that little yellow guy naturally shape his squashy interior to resemble pasta? Why isn’t spaghetti squash just one big block o’ squash like other squashes are? Whatever the reason, you’ve got to admit, it’s pretty awesome. Mother nature has a few tricks up her sleeve, no doubt.

Spaghetti squash, like most other squashes, is a nutritious blank canvas just begging to be transformed into something extra special. Lately, on Pinterest, I’ve been seeing folks do just that: they take spaghetti squash and make it into decadent cheese-filled casseroles. We’re talking seriously drool-inducing recipes. The only problem is how fattening and calorie-cramming those dishes are. Isn’t there a way to make a tasty, cheese-tastic squash bake without all that bad-for-you stuff?

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Healthy Cookie: Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale

I know; I’ve been going kale crazy lately. But can you blame me? It’s so good!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: kale is the king of greens. It is chock full of nutrients and plain old delicious. It’s the tastiest of all greens in my humble opinion. With all that good stuff in such a natural, untouched form, kale is truly a bundle of benefits given as a gracious gift from Nature itself. In today’s day and age (especially as Americans), we’ve been trained to love foods that are processed, chemically enhanced, and filled with preservatives. Because of this, foods like kale can be confounding. Kale is untouched, a product of Mother Nature only. And yet, it is so delicious and nutritious.

Okay, so nature is pretty awesome sometimes.

Now, there is but one flaw when it comes to kale: it doesn’t have a significant amount of protein. So how do you balance out the meal? With beans, of course!

I love me some beans. Protein-packed, hearty, and plain old delicious, beans are a super food (much like kale). Therefore, they’re the perfect addition to a kale dish. Put beans and kale together, and what to you get? Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale.

This dish hits all the right marks:

Delicious? Check.
Nutritious? Check.
Protein-packed? Check.
Flavorful? Double check!

Talk about well-rounded!

Fresh kale and tender, creamy cannellini beans get sauteed with veggie stock, garlic, onions, and of course some spicy red pepper flakes to create a sizzling dish with a myriad of textures and flavors. The whole thing is topped off with reduced-fat mozzarella cheese for that little touch of indulgence that even a nutritious meal needs.

The best part is that this delicious meal is crazy low-cal, so you can stuff your face without having to stuff your bulging belly into jeans that no longer fit tomorrow morning. That’s the best kind of meal!

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Not a fan of cannellini beans? Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) would be a delicious substitute.
  2. Craving meat? Add some strips of white meat chicken to the mix.
  3. This meal is super fast, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
  4. This would be delicious with some whole wheat pasta!

Sauteed Cannellini Beans and Kale
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup vegetable stock
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 generous cups roughly chopped fresh kale
  • 1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • salt, to taste
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1 reduced-fat or light mozzarella string cheese stick (like Sargento)

Directions:

  1. Bring a medium skillet filled with 1/4 cup of veggie stock to medium heat. Add the garlic and onions. Saute until aromatic and translucent, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the kale and cover. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until kale begins to wilt.
  3. Meanwhile, pull the cheese stick into strings then roughly chop. Set aside.
  4. Once the kale begins to wilt, add the beans, salt, and red pepper flakes and stir. Add up to another 1/4 cup of veggie stock if the kale is too dry for your like. Continue to cook uncovered until beans are hot.
  5. Turn off the heat, but keep the pan over the burner. Immediately sprinkle the cheese over the top then cover until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Grab yourself a bowl and enjoy!

Ultimate Vegetarian Tacos

A lot of people ask me questions like, “What was the hardest thing to give up when you went vegetarian?” or “Do you ever just crave meat?” The answer to the latter is, yes, I do. The answer to the former is the cause of said cravings: tacos.

I was never too crazy about meat to begin with, so going vegetarian wasn’t that radical of an adjustment for me. I did, however, have a passionate, burning love for tacos. Taco nights at my house were like Christmas to me. I specifically recall riding home from Girl Scouts one night and practically jumping out of the car with excitement because I knew there would be tacos waiting for me when I got home. I can’t say what exactly made me so enamored with them; I wasn’t big on ground beef, and there were no potatoes involved (which I was OBSESSED with). So what’s so great about a taco anyway?

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Healthy Cookie: Kale and Bean Soup

Let’s be honest: we all get bored with our food sometimes. If we could eat whatever we wanted without gaining a single pound, seeing a spike in our cholesterol level, or having to actually make the food ourselves, then that would be a different story. But that’s not the case. We’re limited by time, money, and the number of notches in our belts.

Eating healthy can seem repetitive at times. Eating vegetarian and healthy can be even worse. I get into these periodic ruts where I eat the same three or four meals for a couple of weeks until, eventually, I cannot take anymore. It comes down to two options: think of something new and delicious to make, or die.

Alright, that’s a little extreme, but isn’t that what it feels like sometimes? Luckily, I was able to brush some dust off the ol’ idea light bulb and come up with something good: Kale and Bean Soup.

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80-Cal Raspberry Hot Cocoa & The 2nd Smart Cookie Chatter (Video)

Everybody has a hot drink of choice. I come from a family of coffee addicts, although I won’t touch the stuff. I typically drink tea to give myself a small caffeine boost in the morning, even though I hate tea too (don’t judge me). In all honesty, I’m not a coffee or tea person; my warm beverage of choice is hot chocolate.

Sure, hot chocolate doesn’t have caffeine, but it does taste approximately 1,000,000,000 times better than coffee or tea. And why is that? Because it’s chocolate; molten, liquid, creamy chocolate. If I could, I would down at least a mug or two every morning. That would be one sweet, sweet way to start the day.

There’s only one problem. Hot chocolate isn’t exactly low-calorie. In fact, the reason why I choke down a cup of tea every morning instead of bathing in drinking smooth hot chocolate is because tea has numerous health benefits and zero calories. Hot cocoa can’t really say either of those things.

Most of the time, when I need my hot cocoa kick, I turn to the 25-calorie packs of the instant stuff. They’re pretty good, but lacking in the usual richness provided by the real deal. So what’s a smart cookie to do? I’ll tell you: I whipped up a Raspberry Hot Cocoa for only 80 calories that tastes just as rich and indulgent as hot cocoa that will cost you triple the calories.

Smooth and creamy, this hot cocoa has tons of chocolate flavor, plus a sweet raspberry kiss. It’s warm and comforting, boosting that must-have frothy top. Suddenly, it’s okay to indulge in a mug of this warm chocolate stuff. Rejoice.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Don’t like raspberry? Leave it out and enjoy a classic hot cocoa. Or you can use a different extract flavor like mint.
  2. Note that if you don’t use the unsweetened variety of almond milk, you’ll be looking at much more calories and fat, plus the almond milk is a little thicker and creamier, which is ideal for hot chocolate. Unsweetened almond milk has 35 calories per cup, whereas regular 2% milk has 137 calories per cup and skim milk has 86 calories per cup.
  3. Looking for more low-cal hot cocoa? Try my Cinnamon Swirl Hot Chocolate for only 84 calories.

80-Calorie Raspberry Hot Cocoa

By The Smart Cookie Cook

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 packet zero-calorie sweetener (like Splenda)
  • Pinch salt
  • ½ tsp. raspberry extract
  • Optional: marshmallows, for garnish (note: this will add a few extra calories, but marshmallows are relatively low in calorie as long as you stick to a small handful)

Directions:

  1. In a small pot over medium-low heat, whisk the cocoa powder into the almond milk until completely dissolved. Whisk in the sugar, zero-calorie sweetener, and salt.
  2. Continue to cook, whisking occasionally, until hot chocolate just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the raspberry extract. Pour into a mug and top with marshmallows, if desired. Enjoy!

BUT WAIT.

There’s more.

I would like to present the second edition ofSmart Cookie Chatter. You guys gave me your questions on everything from my favorite pasta dish to making German pretzels. Check out my answers in the video below, and join in the chatter next week! Head over to the Smart Cookie Chatter Page and ask your question. Don’t be shy; I really love hearing from you. The topic this week is “kitchen conundrums.” I want to help you fix whatever troubles plague you in the kitchen! However, don’t limit your questions to this. You’re free to ask anything you want. Inquire about what color socks I wear, if you really want to.

Check out last week’s Smart Cookie Chatter here.

Recipes from this video:
3-Cheese Wagon Wheels with Spinach

Linguine with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Healthy Cookie: Kale, Feta, & Tomato Veggie Burger Wrap

I have a lot of resentment towards healthy foods, and towards my stubborn taste buds for not liking them. It’s a constant battle. Despite what you might assume from the decadent recipes that make up the majority of this site, I actually eat healthy foods most of the time. About 75% of my week is healthy, & 25% is whatever I want to shove down my gullet. This makes things difficult. I try so hard to eat healthy, but whenever I’m munching on an apple, I’m wishing it was a honkin’ slice of pizza with extra cheese.

I don’t understand why my taste buds are so against consuming what my body needs, and I know I’m not alone in this debacle. It doesn’t make sense when you think about it. According to evolution, we crave sweet things because sweetness signifies that they are good for us (or at least it used to), fruit for example. In contrast, we have a natural distaste for bitter things because bitterness is a sign that food may be toxic or poisonous.

Evolution, however, neglected to account for the invention of chocolate cake and other things that are sweet but basically not good for you at all. Talk about a miscalculation.

So if I’m supposed to like sweet fruits, why must I force them down my throat? Have I somehow devolved to crave processed sugars and foods that are full of fat? It’s definitely a possibility.

Or maybe I’m just a pig. There’s that too.

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