Veggie Skillet

This month I wanted to focus on some of the simple and healthy meals that my family eats. I have more elaborate and decadent recipes, but those will come later.

When I was pregnant with Jared, I discovered a show on KBYU about healthy living and eating with nutritionist host, Zonya Foco.  I tried a couple of the recipes, worrying that they would be bland and small, and soon discovered that they were delicious and filling. I bought her book "Lickety-Split Meals for Health Conscious People on the Go" and started making dozens of recipes from it.  The kids would ask "What's for dinner?" and half of the time I'd say, "It's a new recipe." Matt and I love most everything we've tried, and the kids have their favorites from it. One remarkable thing I noticed as I cooked from the book, was that I felt so healthy during my pregnancy. I noticed a BIG difference toward the end of the pregnancy. The low sodium recipes prevented the swelling I would normally experience, and I felt really good during the last 6 weeks when I'm normally miserable. Jared was born at 38 weeks and weighed a healthy 8 lbs. 4 oz., but I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within a month. It was a great experience.

This simple recipe comes from her chapter titled "15 Minute Meals." She points out that you can make a healthy meal in less time than it takes to pick up fast food, and these recipes are infinitely healthier and less expensive (the nutritional information and portion sizes are listed at the bottom of each recipe.)  

We like the Veggie Skillet for a FAST and filling lunch or dinner. It makes a LOT of food for very few calories.

• Few Tbsp Olive Oil
• 24 oz Frozen Hash Browns (Southern Style)
• 24 oz Frozen Mixed Vegetables
• 1 Red or Green Pepper, seeded & diced
• 2 Tbsp Dried Onion
• Black Pepper & Mrs. Dash to taste

Pour oil into a large skillet on medium heat. Add potatoes and vegetables, and let them cook for about 5 minutes while you dice up the pepper. Add pepper, onion, and spices. Mix thoroughly and cook for five more minutes. Stir again and cook for 2 to 5 more minutes until heated through. 

Serve with low-fat cottage cheese and fruit. The cottage cheese provides the protein for this meal, the potatoes provide the starch and then you have the vegetables and fruit to make a perfectly balanced meal. My family actually likes to mix the cottage cheese with the skillet mixture. I know that sounds weird, but it's a great substitute to smothering potatoes with butter, cheese and sour cream. 

If there are any leftovers (that doesn't happen often at my house,) I like to repurpose the mixture for an omelette. In fact, I ate this for breakfast.

• 1/2 to 1 cup Veggie Skillet mixture
• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1 Tbsp bacon bits
• 1/2 -1 oz cheese, shredded
• Salt & Pepper to taste.

Put the skillet mix & bacon bits in a small pan on medium heat. Whip the eggs and egg whites together and pour over vegetables. Stir until eggs are thoroughly cooked, sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese. Enjoy!