YUMMY and HEALTHY Recipes!

Well, a HUGE "thank you!" to our reader friend, Marissa for these AMAZING recipes!! I am super pumped about them! I have several more sent to me by a couple of you that I will post soon! Wanted to do a few at a time. Stay tuned, I am STILL waiting on the blog design to be done! ARGH! Don't give up on us readers!!

Mexican Turkey Quesadillas(super kid-friendly)
You will need:
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Green Giant Mexicorn, undrained
1/4 cup water
Carb balance or any whole-wheat tortillas, as long as they are high in fiber!

1. Use 10-inch skillet and add ground turkey and brown. Stir in seasoning mix, beans, mexicorn and water and cook over med. heat for 10minutes. Sauce will slightly thicken. Serve with a tortilla and ENJOY! So easy and so super yummy! For my son, I put meat mixture into tortilla and fold over and cut into small triangles. If you family doesn't like black beans, you can substitute with any beans of choice.
Happy Healthy Cooking!
For One serving: 340 calories, Total Fat 5g. less than 1g saturated fat., FIBER 9 grams!

Mini Turkey Meatloafs! kid-friendly too!
You will need:
1 lbs. lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 eggs beaten- I use one egg white and one whole egg!
onion
3/4 cup chicken stock- I use low-sodium chicken broth!
1 tbs. tomato paste
3 tbs. worchesteshire

Saute chopped onion with chicken stock or broth with tomato paste and worchesteshire until onion cooks down and becomes transparent.
Mix turkey, breadcrumbs, eggs WITH FORK. The key is to gently mix with fork to keep them juicy. Add onion mixture to meat mixture with fork until blended-don't mash! Form small loafs on pan, I usually make 6 depending on size, trying to keep them small and even. Cover with small amount of ketchup, if desired.
Bake @ 375 for 45minutes to an hour. ENJOY!
Not sure on the nutrition facts here, but got this recipe from a heart-healthy cookbook that was circulated at a hospital when I worked in cardiac rehab.

Bonka's Pasta
My grandmother passed away just a week ago and we are Sicilian and she was THE best cook! She made this pasta and if I tried to spell the words in Italian, it would make me look awful! Ha! So, we'll call it my grandmother's pasta, who we called, Bonka. A few years ago, I decided to make a healthier version of her famous pasta and my family loves it! Her family used to eat this during Lent when they did not eat meat. it's a meatless dish that you're sure to enjoy!

You will need:
any type of whole wheat pasta noodles, pick your favorite!
1 can peas, drained
black pepper to taste
parmesan cheese to taste
extra virgin olive oil
Boil pasta as directed, drain and add can of peas, small amounts of EVOO, black pepper and parmesan to taste and that's IT! Sounds too simple, but on a night when you don't wanna cook, it's SUPER delicious.

Plank Challenge

There is a girl in one of my classes who holds quite a record for holding a plank position for 6.5 minutes {and improving!}. I thought it would be a good challenge for my classes. So, I am extending the challenge to you all as well! Try it out! Get into this position on a comfy floor or mat: The key is to stay in a straight line with your body. TRY NOT TO LIFT YOUR BOOTY up above the rest of your body. If you do that, you are not doing it correctly!

1. Get a stopwatch
2. Get into the position
3. Hold it for as long as you can without dropping your knees {basically don't move at all from the position}!
4. Once you are absolutely spent, stop {don't be a weenie though}!
5. Check your time
6. Post it in the comments section! Keep posting improvements as well! Don't be embarrassed! If you have never done it, you will be doing good to hold for 20 seconds!

Kimbo and I have been doing our planks daily! I am up to a 4 minute plank!!!! BEWARE: you will shake, grunt, groan and moan. But keep holding, ladies and gents! Tighten your abs and take deep breaths! It's on! Let's get those abs in shape for {gasp} swimsuit season!!!!

Happy Planking!