First, the concept of eating clean is just so simple, that I kick myself for not figuring it out many years ago. It is not all that complicated to use fresh, natural, unprocessed ingredients to prepare food. Trust me - while I like a scoop of shells & cheese as much as the next person, ultimately I never feel like I'm missing out on anything and that I'm giving my children the best start on positive eating habits.
THEN there's Clean Eating magazine. I know I have gone on and on before about this publication, but peeps, it is just that amazing. It changed my entire outlook on food. Every issue is full of amazing, typically uncomplicated recipes that resonate with our uncomplicated eating habits. We are not fancy, experimental consumers - just an average family with average palates.
When I started cleaning up our act a few years ago, I eliminated a bunch of crap foods from our lives. There is no food itself that is off-limits in my book, but there are things that we used to consume that I just won't buy anymore.
For some reason, I put sausage in that category. Although a number of my cookbooks and magazines often have recipes that include sausage, I just didn't think it was something that could be prepared in a particularly healthy way. I don't know why.
Tonight, I decided to throw caution to the wind and give a sausage-based recipe from Clean Eating a whirl. Because if Clean Eating features it, it has to be OK, right? (PS - I am SO not paid for my Clean Eating love affair, in case you are wondering.)
Eggplant & Sausage Linguine
Source: Clean Eating magazine, August/September 2011
Some of the interesting ingredietns included with this: Sausage, eggplant, golden raisins, capers (which I skipped b/c I don't like capers), fresh parsley, and red pepper flakes.
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| Topped with ricotta! |
I also made Chocolate Chip Coffee Muffins
Source: Cooking Light, Jan/February 2012
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| Much tastier in real life |
First - the muffins. I actually made these on Saturday morning because GA was coming to babysit and had "requested" some fresh baked goods. PLUS, the hubs enjoys coffee-based pastries. Which is weird, because he doesn't like coffee at all. Note - I do not understand not liking coffee at all, considering the baristas at Starbucks know me by name and drink order (Venti bold, baby!). Whatevs. These muffins were delish and easy to prepare. The dog even enjoyed several bites. Ummm - probs not a ringing endorsement, but she did.
The sausage pasta dish also received great reviews. The hubs and kid didn't notice the secret eggplant/raisin ingredients, and chowed it down. The kid was not a fan of the concept of sausage before actually tasting it, and he didn't love the added bonus of ricotta, but in the end we all enjoyed another Clean Eating success.
Ranking:
Three Forks for both
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