Onion obsession...

Pin It As weird as it may sound, I have an obsession with onions.  I LOVE them.  I don't know how this obsession got started, but ever since coming to school this year...  I just can't stop eating them. Lots of them.  Most people just add a little onion to the dish they are making, but not me.  I usually end up eating a whole onion in one sitting all by myself.  Yum.  That's ok though because onions have so many nutritional benefits!  Here are a few according to WHFoods.com:
1. Outstanding source of flavonoid polyphenols and quercetin
2. The sulfur compounds in onion may work in an anti-clotting capacity and help prevent the unwanted clumping together of blood platelets
3. May also lower blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides and improve cell membrane function in red blood cells
4. Can help increase our bone density
5. Lowers risk of cancers including colorectal cancer, laryngeal cancer, esophageal cancer, cancers of the mouth, and ovarian cancer
6. Can aid in connective tissue formation  because of their high sulfur content
7. Can act as an anti-inflammatory

Another great thing about onions is that is can be thrown into almost any dish!  They are great in eggs, pasta, casseroles, sandwiches, soups, and so much more.  Today I chose to cook up some chicken and serve it on top of a spinach, onion, tomato, and cheese sauce.  DELISH. 

CHICKEN OVER A SPINACH AND ONION BED

(I wasn't sure what I should title this...)

Ingredients:

4 oz. Chicken breast

Seasoning salt

1/2 - 1 cup Chopped onion

1 cup Spinach

1/2 cup Light smart traditional Prego spaghetti sauce

1/4 cup Fat free cottage cheese

Directions:

1. Cook onions in a medium pan with a little cooking spray over medium heat until the onions are tender and translucent.

2. Move onions to a small pot and combine with spinach and spaghetti sauce.

3. In the empty onion pan, cook chicken breast and season with a little seasoning salt.

4. Once the spinach is wilted in the pot stir in cottage cheese and cook until slightly melted. 

5. Serve chicken over the bed of sauce.

Makes 1 large serving.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 271

Total Fat: 3.5 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 60 mg

Sodium: 829.7 mg

Potassium: 472.4 mg

Total Carbs: 27.6 g

     Dietary Fiber: 6.9 g

     Sugars: 17.3 g

Protein: 34.4 g

Vitamin A: 66.3%

Vitamin C: 36%

Calcium: 14%

Iron: 14.5%

THANKSgiving!

Pin It With fall here and winter approaching, my semester here at school is quickly coming to a close with winter break just around the corner.  I decided today I wanted to make a little something for my roommates to show them all how thankful I am for them in the spirit of Thanksgiving this Thursday.  Now I must admit this recipe is not 100% healthy (stop rolling you eyes Miss McMullin...haha), but I did my best to make at least half of it healthy.  The best part of the recipe I am about to share with you is how cute these cookies are.  These little acorns are the perfect gifts for the people in my house with all the squirrel issues, jokes, stories, and laughs we've been having lately.  It's been quite the adventure here this semester let me tell you... even better let me show you!

We love target!

Ashley tried on the squirrel doggie costume. Haha!

So cute!

Those dang squirrels ate our pumpkin!

And made a HUGE mess doing it...

Haha got cha now!

Oh and I can't forget to share our favorite squirrel video...

http://youtu.be/9Nn0UkdDArM

And now for what you've all been waiting for...

ACORN COOKIES

Ingredients:

3 Stevia packets (or other sweetener)

4 sheets Lowfat cinnamon graham crackers, finely crushed

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1 cup Old fashion oats

1/2 cup Unsweetened natural applesauce

1 tbsp Semi-sweet chocolate chips

21 Hersey's kisses (I used the pumpkin spice version)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Mix together the stevia, graham crackers, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and oats.

3. Stir in the applesauce until well combine, but do not over stir. 

4. Drop cookies onto cookie sheet (about 1-2 tsp of dough per cookie).

5. Lightly press a chocolate chip on top of each cookie for the stem.

6. Bake 8-10 minutes.

7. Let cookies cool completely or put in the fridge for a few minutes.

8. In the mean time, heat a small bowl of water in the microwave.

9. Unwrap each kiss and just barely dip the flat bottom into the hot water before adhering it to the bottom of the cookie making the acorn.

10.  Place in fridge again to secure kiss to cookie and harden chocolate again.

Makes 21 acorns.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 71

Total Fat: 1.8 g

     Sat. Fat: 1 g

     Poly. Fat: 0.1 g

Cholesterol: 0.6 mg

Sodium: 90.7 mg

Potassium: 5.5 mg

Total Carbs: 12.6 g

     Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g

     Sugars: 4.2 g

Protein: 1.3 g

Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 0%

Calcium: 4.1%

Iron: 2.6%