Refreshing Watermelon Smoothie

 Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
2 cups chopped watermelon
1 cup greek or natural yogurt
Some ice cubes

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Serve, and enjoy!

Healthy Potato Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 medium, waxy potatoes (Desiree or Pontiac work well), well scrubbed
3 radishes, washed and chopped in wedges
1 medium cucumber, chopped
¼ cup chopped mixed herbs, such as dill, parsley and mint
1 tbsp seeded mustard
1 tsp honey
½ garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
40ml olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.      Cut the potatoes into 3cm pieces and place in a large saucepan and cover completely with cold water.
2.      Pop the lid on and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and boil, partially covered for 10-15 minutes or until just tender.
3.      Drain and set aside to cool completely.
4.      Meanwhile, to make the dressing: add the seeded mustard, honey, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil to a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and set aside.
5.      In a large bowl place the cool potatoes, radish wedges, cucumber and chopped herbs. Toss gently to combine.
6.      Add the dressing to the potato mixture and toss gently to combine, being mindful not to break up the potatoes.
7.      Serve at room temperature or refrigerate to chill.

Bowties and Broccoli

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 12 oz. pasta $1.00
• 1 lb. frozen broccoli florets $1.69
• 3 Tbsp butter $0.30
• 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan $0.31
• Salt to taste $0.05
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste $0.10
• Pinch crushed red pepper (optional) $0.05

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta. Boil until the pasta is al dente (7-10 minutes). Add the frozen broccoli florets to the boiling pasta water, turn off the heat, and let sit for 1-2 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender-crisp. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
2. Transfer the pasta and broccoli back to the pot (with the heat off) or to a bowl and add the butter. Toss until the butter has melted and coated everything. Add the Parmesan, salt, freshly cracked pepper, and red pepper flakes, then toss to coat again. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately.

Step by Step Photos

It always amazes me how just a couple of ingredients can make such a satisfying meal. This really is SO simple and SO good. I keep these ingredients stocked and eat this often. This is all I need for about six servings (not all of the butter, Parm, and pepper were used for six servings).

If you’re making one serving at a time, you can either estimate 1/6th of the bag of pasta, or check the back to see if it gives a volume of dry pasta for the serving size. The measurement will change depending on the shape of the pasta, but for this bowtie shape 1/6th of the bag is roughly 3/4 cup. So that helps me keep serving sizes in check.

First bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta. Boil the pasta just until it’s tender (7-10 minutes). Once tender, add the frozen broccoli (estimate an equal volume to the pasta) directly to the pot and turn off the heat. Let it sit for a minute or two, or just until the broccoli is slightly tender, but has a bit of crunch left and is still bright green. If you prefer your broccoli a lot softer, you can leave the heat on for a minute or so and let it continue to boil, but I prefer mine to still have some tooth.

Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.

Transfer the drained pasta and broccoli to a bowl, or back to the cooking pot (with the heat off). Add 1/2 Tbsp butter for each serving you’re preparing, then toss until the butter melts and coats everything.

Once everything is coated in melted butter, sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan for each serving, plus salt and pepper to taste, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (if desired). 

Toss briefly again so that everything is coated in Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Easy, enjoyable, and just over 50 cents per bowl! 

Source from: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/09/bowties-and-broccoli/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BudgetBytes+%28Budget+Bytes%29

Spinach & Mushroom Frittata (healthier version of quiche)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ brown onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
8 button mushrooms (100g), sliced
150g baby spinach leaves
4 eggs
2 egg whites
60 ml milk
Salt and pepper

Directions:

     1. Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly grease a 20cm round ovenproof quiche/flan dish with cooking spray.
     2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frypan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Stir in the spinach and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
     3. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside to cool.
     4. Heat the remaining oil in the frypan over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms, cook for about 5 minutes or until softened, then remove from the heat.
     5. Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess moisture, add to the mushrooms and mix to combine. Spread the spinach and mushroom mix evenly over the base of the prepared dish.
     6. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the milk, some salt and pepper and whisk again to combine. Pour egg mixture evenly over the spinach and mushroom mixture.
     7. Bake for about 35 minutes or until puffed and golden and the quiche no longer jiggles. Cut into wedges and serve with a mixed green salad.