Healthy Cooking

On Wednesday, September 23rd I went to the store with my mom to gather all the ingredients I needed to make Mexican Meatballs!!

As I tried to transition away from the pasta, my family insisted I do pasta with the Mexican Meatballs instead of rice. Therefore, I did as they wished.

According to Olena Osipov’s ingredients, I gathered:

• 2 lbs ground turkey or chicken
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• Ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• Guacamole and Pico De Gallo, for serving

Check out the next blog for the results!

Hi everyone! Welcome back to see my results! On Thursday, September 10th I made my second dish! This time I knew better on where everything was in my kitchen. I did need help understanding which pots and pans to use for certain things, but cooking was a lot better! When making my Parmesan Chicken Pasta I followed Olena Osipov’s recipe!

Her recipe is as follows, but I had to modify a few things based on what we had at home and what I could learn easier.

1. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes.
2. In the meanwhile, sprinkle chicken breasts with basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Swirl oil in Instant Pot and add chicken breasts. Cook for 4-5 mins per each side. Helps to tilt the pot to distribute oil as its bottom isn’t flat like a skillet.
4. Remove chicken on a plate, add 1 cup stock.
5. Add remaining 4 cups of stock, pasta, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and stir.
6. Add chicken and pour tomato sauce on top. Do not stir!
7. Close the lid and cook on High for 5 minutes.
8. Release pressure immediately
9. Open the lid, remove chicken onto a plate and cut into small pieces. Return to the pot.
10. Add 1-2 cloves grated garlic, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese and stir.
11. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Mozzarella, close the lid and let cheese melt for 5 minutes.

Overall, this dish was super easy and fun to make. At first I needed some assistance with grating the garlic, but I got the hang of it all. My family loved it and I was very happy to see that I made their favorite dish well. 10/10 recommend!

For week 2, I will be making Parmesan Chicken Pasta. My whole family loves Parmesan Chicken Pasta so I am very excited to learn this recipe!

According to Olena Osipov, the following ingredients I must use are:

For Chicken:

• 3 large boneless & skinless chicken breasts (1.5 lbs)
• 1 tsp dried basil or oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For Pasta:

• 5 cups chicken stock, low sodium
• 12 oz any tubular pasta, uncooked
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp oregano or basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 14 oz can tomato sauce, low sodium
• 1–2 large garlic cloves, grated
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated & divided
• Fresh basil

When I showed my mom the ingredients I needed to make this dish, she showed me where everything was in the pantry. I was lucky that we actually had all the ingredients and I did not have to go out and get anything! Make sure you check everything you have at home because you never know if one of the ingredients or an ingredient you can substitute are right at home.

Now onto the cooking!

Hi guys! Welcome back to my blog!

As mentioned, on Tuesday, September 2nd I made Healthy Chicken Alfredo. For the first time, I actually used my kitchen appliances. By doing so, I now actually know where everything I need is! My friends were shocked and happy for me that I made my first dish (and it tasted very good may I add).

I followed Olena Osipov’s recipe, which was:

1. Fill large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
2. In a medium bowl, add cold stock, milk, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp salt and whisk with a fork. Set aside.
3. In the meanwhile, preheat large deep ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat.
4. Sprinkle chicken with a bit of salt and pepper, add to a skillet and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. While chicken is cooking, add 1 tsp of salt and pasta to boiling water. Cook for 7 minutes until pasta is al dente, stirring a few times to make sure noodles do not stick.
6. Give cornstarch mixture a whisk and add it to the skillet. Stir, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until bubbly and thickened.
7. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic and stir until cheese has melted.
8. Using tongs, transfer noodles directly from the pot to the skillet. No need to drain in a colander. Grab a bunch at a time, hold right above the pot for a few seconds and add to the skillet.
9. Stir and add peas, broccoli or spinach. Let chicken alfredo warm through for a minute.
10. Turn off the heat and garnish with parsley and black pepper. Serve hot.

Next week I will be cooking Parmesan Chicken Pasta!

On August 31st I went to the store and gathered all the ingredients I mostly have never heard about.

Those ingredients included:

• 1.5 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
• 11 oz whole wheat of spaghetti
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup stock, low sodium
• 2 cups cold 2% or 3.25% milk
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 3 cups of chopped spinach
• 2 tbsp parsley, for garnish

Tomorrow, September 1st, I will make my first dish with these ingredients!

Stay tuned for my next blog with the results! 🙂

For my 3# project, I have decided to learn how to cook healthy foods. Eating healthy foods has not been a big part of my routine or diet and cooking sure is not a skill of mine, but I would like to learn how to do both to benefit me in the future. Therefore, why not do both together? It’s a win win!

I will be googling certain healthy food recipes and asking my mom for assistance on how to get started and where to find the specific ingredients as well as learning how to use the certain tools. I will also be looking up certain videos as soon as I learn how to use all the tools and begin to do things on my own while following the recipes given to me online. 

I know there are plenty of sites that can give me a good list of healthy meals that I will enjoy. My mom and the different videos will help guide me along the way. I will find expert advice from my moms experience and the videos I may watch.

I believe the only problem that would arise is my lack of knowledge in the kitchen, but with time, my mom, and videos I should be good to go! 

Now, my next step to beginning this project will be to start searching for certain meals I would like to cook and I must start to gather the ingredients and tools I need. As I research the meals, recipes, ingredients, and tools I need, I will write them down to keep track of what I have found and accomplished.