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[simplelittlebrowngirljae]

Heart Healthy Meal Prep!! Almond Oat Waffles and Mediterranean Pasta!!!

In continuing to celebrate heart month, I made some recipes this week that are sure to keep your heart nice and healthy. I made some heart healthy waffles and pasta for my breakfast and dinner this week. I used almond flour and milk in my waffles, as well as oats to maximize my nutritional benefits in my meals. So why almonds??? Well almonds are jam-packed with vitamins and minerals that are good for your heart. They can also lower blood sugars and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Additionally, they are high in protein which will satisfy your hunger for longer periods of time. They also contain antioxidants, which help fight off cancer and other diseases. So almond flour is a naturally great choice to cook with!! And oats flour only enhances these benefits as well, as oats have been known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol as well.

Now for the pasta I chose a wide variety of colors that are good for you, such as spinach and red bell peppers. Both are rich in essential vitamins and minerals that support heart health. And the whole grains in the pasta are better for you.

So here are the recipes for the week!!

Almond-Oat Waffles

1 cup almond flour

1 cup oat flour

2 eggs

1/2 stick Country Crock plant butter, melted

2 tbsp splenda

1 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk or nondairy milk of your choice,  plus more as needed to thin out your batter

Preheat waffle iron and grease lightly with oil or butter of your choice. In a bowl, combine butter, eggs, extracts, sugar and salt. Mix well. In a separate bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda. Mix with a whisk. Add your dry ingredients to your egg- butter mixture. Then stir in your milk until everything is well combined. Pour into the warm waffle iron and cook until golden brown. Enjoy with fresh fruit or nut butter!

*note: before each pour, you may have to add a little more milk to thin the consistency of the batter a little.

Mediterranean Pasta

2 cups spinach, ribbon cut

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup Skinless Turkey sausage, diced (optional)

2 cups whole wheat pasta

1/4 olive oil

Feta cheese

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp thyme

2 tsp rosemary

2 pinch salt

Boil water on the stove. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a skillet, heat 1/2 of your olive oil. Cook your onions and pepper and 1/2 your seasonings. Then, add your Turkey sausage at this time if you are going to use it. Cook until brown. Then add in your spinach and cook until wilted.

Take your pasta and toss with the rest of your olive oil and seasonings. Then add your veggie and sausage mixture and toss well. Serve with topped with feta cheese or any cheese of your liking. Enjoy!

[simplelittlebrowngirljae]

Heart Healthy Meal Idea!!!

February is Heart Health Awareness month and I must say it is one of my favorite months! I love sharing information about how to prevent heart disease, as well as how to live with it if you have been diagnosed. I also love bringing awareness to the number one killer in our communities. Yes, you read that right...heart disease kills more people than cancer or any other disease yet it doesn't get nearly the amount of attention it should.

And that's where I come in. I love raising awareness about heart disease and give people what they need to love their hearts.

And one of those tools are healthy recipes. This week, I whipped up a nice little recipe that is heart friendly and easy to prepare. These rice patties and green beans will shine on your menu this week! More importantly you won't even know there isn't any meat in this recipe!! I hope you will find it easy to make and as enjoyable as I have!!

Rice Patties and Green Beans

Rice Patties

2- 3 cups leftover brown rice

2 eggs

1/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs plus more to coat patties

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/4 sweet onion finely chopped

1/2 cup cooked spinach ( my rice already had the spinach cooked in it so didn't need to add any more)

1 tsp or so Oregano

1 tsp or so Garlic powder

1 tsp or so Black pepper

2 Pinches of salt

1 tsp of Paprika

Spray olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place rice in a bowl. Add eggs, breadcrumbs, feta, onion, peppers, spinach, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, pinch of salt. Mix and set aside. In another dish, add breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic powder,  pepper, oregano, and another pinch of salt. Mix together.

Form rice mixture into patties and then coat in breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking rack coated with olive oil. The baking rack should be on top of a foil lined baking sheet. Continue this process until you have used all the rice mixture. Once all the patties are on the baking rack, spray with the spray olive oil. Place in oven and bake until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!!

Green Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil plant butter, melted

1 pound or so of fresh green beans, washed and dried

1 tsp or so Garlic powder

1 tsp or so  Black pepper

1 tsp pr so Oregano

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425. In a pyrex dish, combine melted butter, green beans and seasonings. Mix well and then put in oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until crisp. *keep and eye on them because they can cook really fast and burn*

Enjoy your meal!!