Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

July 24, 2014 by Christine Skari

So it turns out that strong black coffee is not meant to be had at 9:30 at night.

Granted, I did have a long-ish lab report to do and had an ochem midterm today so I needed some liquid energy, but two cups was probably overdoing it. Just know that at the moment, I’m practically bouncing off the walls.

One good thing about being so hyped up on caffeine? I have the energy to get up this here tasty post at 1:30 a.m. 😯 .

ANYWAYS. Let’s bounce towards the main point of this post: Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

When it comes to different cuisines, asian food has always held a special place in my heart. Maybe it stems from all those weekly family gatherings at my obachan’s house, or maybe it comes from the delicious sweet and salty flavors that are characteristic of a lot of asian dishes (sugar+soy sauce on everything, please), but I just plain luuuuuuuuurrrrrve Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean dishes.

I know I’ve said this before, but growing up with a Japanese mom and Norwegian dad lends itself to a pretty weird culture mix. Holidays involved Japanese festivals and dressing up in traditional Japanese clothing along with marching in my little bunard dress waving Norsk flags around for syttende mai (the Norwegian national day). Weekly dinners involved copious amounts of steak and potatoes, as well as hot sukiyaki, curry, and sashimi topped with raw salmon eggs and octopus at my obachan’s house. I don’t think I even tried more all-American fare like meatloaf or baked beans until I started dating Kyle and eating over at his house, even though I’ve lived in the US almost all my life.

Even Christmas was celebrated differently. Unlike most families that get together on Christmas day, the festivities for my extended family start on Christmas Eve. We all fit into one house that’s practically bursting at its seams with all the people and love in it and open presents after a fantastic dinner. It wasn’t till I got older that I realized that most kids had to wait till the next morning to open presents and have the traditional Christmas celebrations (muhahah).

Since Christmas day is always left open, we have a family tradition of going out to a nice Chinese restaurant for a big lunch. One of my favorite dishes have always been their delicious lettuce wraps which include a mouthwatering sweet and salty ground beef that’s filled with crunchy water chestnuts. As soon as the waiter would bring the dish to the table, my cousins and I would make a beeline to serve ourselves a heaping pile on a crisp piece of lettuce and spoon a little extra sauce on top. <—— –the BEST.

These are a spin off of those taste lettuce wraps, only they’re much more pimped out thanks to the addition of toppings like roughly chopped peanuts and crunchy carrots for extra texture. AND they’re healthified. Lean ground beef (or your choice of meat, pork and chicken would work great as well) cooked with a little olive oil for healthy fats and, if you’re looking for a dinner that’s low in carbs, the lettuce wraps make the dish come out with only 7g of carbs per wrap naturally. I made a big batch for dinner tonight and Kyle and I inhaled all of it within a day.

I’m telling you, these wraps are that good!

Simple Baked Squash and Potato Rounds

July 3, 2014 by Christine Skari

You know when some recipes are so simple and easy that you feel like they almost don’t deserve to be called a recipe?

I DO.

But then you realize that sometimes, simple and easy is best. Recipes like this one for Simple Baked Squash and Potato Rounds means no fuss or mess (hooray for “making” the dish in a ziplock bag!) and equally delicious leftovers that can be transformed into something new.

And you know I’m alllll about leftovers. Kyle makes a killer breakfast hash out of these the next morning where he adds in eggs, cheese, onions, and some sort of meat (more bacon, please <3). Also, is it just me or does food taste a bajillion times better when someone else makes it for you? Hint hint… cough couch… FEED ME MORE KYLE.

So here ya go! A not-so-complex “recipe” that makes the perfect healthy side dish. Yummers.

Healthy Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

May 22, 2014 by Christine Skari

I love breakfast food. Whether is be in the form of my sweet Blueberry Pie Oatmeal or a few pieces of toast with peanut butter, the simplicity and ease of breakfast recipes make my heart sing. On weekends, though, I like to do a bit more to make my morning even more special by sitting down at the table with a hearty breakfast and cup of coffee. And this, my friends, is the heartiest!

This Healthy Crockpot Breakfast Casserole is perfect for a weekend brunch and makes plenty of leftovers that can be heated up for up to five days so you can enjoy it all week long! Fix it and forget it at its finest.

Last weekend, Kyle and I drove to the library for some early morning studying and productivity. I threw all the ingredients into the crockpot before we left, said a quick prayer to the food gods, and then returned a few hours later to an apartment bursting with delicious smells and a hot meal! Well, to be honest, not so hot since I promptly whipped out my camera and let the dish go cold as I tried to capture pictures to match how good it tasted. The lighting was bent on making that difficult and poor Kyle was left waiting hungrily for over an hour… rough life for that guy.

This recipe can serve a big crowd or, like I mentioned before, can be refrigerated and reheated. The beauty of this recipes comes in how much breakfast it packs into one bite. It tastes like a full restaurant meal of hash browns, scrambled eggs, omelets, and bacon all packed into one delicious slice! Did I mention it’s filled with a whooooleeee lotta veggies? They meld together with all the other ingredients to make a tasty and filling breakfast that even your picky eaters will love! One serving is 1/8th of the total recipe (a whopping big slice- hooray!) and has 320 calories, over 5g of fiber, and over 22g of protein. It’s a hearty way to start your day off right and keep you full throughout the morning!

Cheesy Broccoli Cauliflower Bake

May 8, 2014 by Christine Skari

Say YES to veggies!

Especially if those veggies involve a creamy garlic cheese sauce that melts into them and makes them ooze goodness in every bite. And wait for it… a crispy and crunchy panko topping! This is what veggies were designed for. They were born to be smothered in white sauce.

It is their destiny.

The other day, I was thinking about the meals Kyle and I usually eat on repeat. We like to experiment, obviously, but we have a few safety dinners like chicken/sweet potato bakes, steak with mac and cheese, lemon shrimp orzo, and panko-crusted salmon. Where are the veggies? Usually in the form of a boring salad that is literally just that, salad leaves. Sometime we branch out and will bake some brussels sprouts, but for the most part, our veggie intake is pretty dull.

No more I say!

Not only is this recipe easy as pie (mhmm, pie), but it comes together relatively quickly and make the whole house smell delicious! While baking in the oven, the cauliflower melts into the cheese sauce and the broccoli collects it in its florets till it’s just saturated with deliciousness. Also, do I call them florets? Mini-tree leaves? Broccoli afro? I don’t know, man, all I know is that even your picky eaters will LOVE this!

More cheese, please.

Roasted Garlic Asparagus Chicken Spaghetti

March 26, 2014 by Christine Skari

I would truly appreciate it if you could help keep Apple of My Eye running and share this recipe on Pinterest!Getting photos for this dish was a hassle. For some reason, the sun has been refusing to come out, which left me frustrated when it came to getting good quality lighting. I swear, the clouds were being purposefully spiteful to mock me. Rude.

When I first cooked this beauty up, I had to wait three whole hours to get a bit of sunshine to peak through my window. When I saw it, it was GO GO GO time. Cue the mission impossible theme song, because this girl was on a mission.

And you know what? It was worth it. I completely believe that you eat with your eyes first, and running a food blog sortakindamaybe requires that my photography be up to par. And look! Sparkly parmesan! Juicy chicken! Woohoo! I win!

The beauty of this recipe comes with its simplicity. You take a bunch of fresh and healthy ingredients, throw them together, and you’re bound to end up with something good! Adding a small but tastebud-worthy twist comes with roasting the asparagus with garlic beforehand, giving the dish an extra flavor boost.

And I mean, seriously, could healthy comfort food get any better? Cheesy goodness blended with savory chicken and an extra crunch of texture from the garlic-y asparagus.

So go ahead! Toss that gorgeous emerald asparagus with some chicken, extra garlic (can you tell I <3 it?), cherry tomatoes, onions, and parmesan cheese and you’re in for a healthy meal done in no time at all!

All in all, one big ol’ serving of steamy hot pasta has less that 500 calories and 37 grams of protein! Be kind to your body and satisfy your pasta cravings with this healthy substitute instead of reaching for a calorie and saturated fat-laden alfredo from your nearby pasta joint.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get eatin’!