Sausage & Squash Stir Fry.

It was 9:00 PM and I had just landed in my kitchen after a very long day of work and a late swim practice carpool.  I knew there was a package of chicken sausage in the refrigerator and my usual full produce drawer.  Four ingredients and 15 minutes later, dinner was served.  Nothing fancy, but it was fast, flavorful, and fresh.

• 1 package of fully cooked low-fat chicken sausage
• 2 small zucchini, sliced with a mandoline slicer
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 T olive oil

Dice onion and saute in oil over medium heat in large skillet (with lid - you’ll use it later) for 3 minutes, until onion starts to soften.  While onion cooks, slice sausage into one-inch pieces.  Add sausage to onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Slice zucchini and add on top of sausage and onion in pan.  Cover and cook for 3 minutes, allowing zucchini to steam.  After 3 minutes, remove lid, mix in zucchini, and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, until sausage is heated through and zucchini is tender.  Serve with rice.

Quick. Fresh. Tomato Sauce.

This recipe makes use of fresh ingredients and is a quick, fat-free sauce for pasta.  Toss it with some fresh cooked pasta and a protein choice and you’ll have a complete meal!

• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 to 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

In small saucepan, cook tomatoes and onion over medium heat for 5 minutes, until tomato juice starts to simmer.  Add remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes more and serve!

Easy Weeknight Pasta.

This was one of those nights when we got home late from swim practice and needed to eat. And when I say eat, I mostly mean inhale large quantities of food. On school nights, dinner is typically no earlier than 8:45PM, with two hungry swimmers ready to devour whatever crosses their plates.  When they start eating off my cutting board or snitching from the pan, I'm told, "the more I eat now, the less I eat later," which is true, but it makes recipe completion a challenge! This was a meal that I needed to put together quickly with what I had on hand. The result was a healthy pasta dish that was a good balance of flavor and texture. I do get lucky sometimes. And yes, they inhaled it all.

• 1 box whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 1/2 cups frozen lima beans (more is fine!)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 box cherry tomatoes, halved
• a few fresh basil leaves, chopped
• salt & pepper
• balsamic vinegar

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. With 5 to 6 minutes remaining for pasta to cook, add lima beans and minced garlic to boiling pasta.  When pasta is cooked, drain in colander and return to pan.  Add onion & tomatoes and toss gently.  Serve in bowls, adding some chopped basil, a sprinkle of salt & pepper, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to each serving. Inhale.

Turkey & Bean Hotdish. (For Swimmers.)

I feed two growing teenage swimmers everyday. One happens to be nationally ranked. And a 15 year old boy. And a distance swimmer.  Remember all the talk in 2008 about how many calories Michael Phelps consumed everyday at the Olympics?  It’s real.  The amount of food consumed in my house is impressive. Fortunately, my new recipes are welcomed and I never have to worry if anyone is “hungry enough” to eat what I cook.  The time between school and practice everyday is open season on my refrigerator. (And you don’t even want to know how much I pack in school lunches everyday!) One thing I try to do is prepare hearty, healthy dishes that can be reheated after school. This hotdish – casserole for those not from the Midwest – is a dish that is quickly prepared- and just as quickly disappears at my house.

• 1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 stalks (or more) celery, chopped
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I used Italian seasoned, because it’s what I had in the pantry)
• 1 ½  tsp paprika
• 2 tsp parsley
• ½ tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup small pasta (I used farfalline – mini bowties)
• 1 cup water

In large stockpot, sauté onion, celery, and garlic until onion and celery are getting soft and garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat with a spoon and turning often.  (Note: extra lean ground turkey contains very little fat and therefore requires a bit more attention when browning than ground beef does, to keep it from over-browning and sticking to the bottom of your pan.)  Add both cans of beans, tomatoes, and seasonings.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in pasta and add water. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add more water if necessary to keep the pasta submerged and the pot simmering. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat later – it’s one of those dishes that improves with time!