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MyHealthyVegas Veggie Turkey Bowl

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This recipe makes very large portions.   The original inspiration used a pound of ground turkey and stated it served four servings.   I got four servings out of cutting the ground turkey to 1/2 pound.

You could season this dish while cooking any way you like.  You could also cook everything in a single skillet at once.  I wanted to play around with the preparation of the individual vegetables so I did mine in three phases.   I sprayed the skillet with avocado oil for each phase of the vegetables.   You could use whatever oil you prefer.

My preference for onions usually leans either shallots or green onion.  I opted for green onions rather that yellow for this recipe.    You could dice the sweet potato with the skin on.  I peeled mine as the skin wasn’t in the best shape.  You could also substitute Spouts frozen sweet potatoes.  Certainly means less prep work as you could just toss them right in without roasting in the skillet to soften.   On the topic of roasting, adding a little bit of water and letting it steam up under the lid saves cooking time on the potatoes.

Lean ground turkey can benefit from the healthy fat of olive oil.   Using extra virgin means you are not adding the olive oil’s flavor to the dish.

 

MyHealthyVegas Veggie Turkey Bowl
 
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Flavorful sweet potato, mushroom and ground turkey bowl. Makes an easy weekday prep meal for lunch or dinner.
MyHealthyVegas:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for turkey browning
  • ½ lb Jenny-O 93%Lean ground turkey
  • 1 medium, peeled and diced sweet potato
  • 1 c sliced mushrooms
  • 2 green onions, sliced with white and green parts separated
  • Avocado cooking spray, for vegetables
  • 1 clove fresh garlic, pressed
  • ¼ tsp rosemary
  • ¼ tsp sweet basil
  • ¼ tsp tarragon
  • ¼ tsp thyme
  • salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Brown ground turkey in a large skillet with 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Stir and break apart the turkey to ensure it is fully cooked, and browned. (10 mins.) While cooking add basil, tarragon and thyme. Once brown remove from skillet and set aside.
  2. Spray skillet with cooking oil. Heat garlic, sliced mushrooms and white parts of onion in skillet. Cook until garlic becomes fragrant and most of the mushrooms have softened. (2-3 mins.) Remove from skillet and set aside.
  3. Spray skillet again with cooking oil. Add diced sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with rosemary and cook 10 minutes to soften potatoes. Test potatoes for doneness. Adjust cooking time accordingly.
  4. Once potatoes are cooked, add turkey and mushroom mixture. Combine and add green part of onions, salt/ground pepper. Heat thoroughly for 3 minutes. Stir often.
  5. Put diced potatoes in the skillet
Notes
Original inspiration on EatingWell.com Ground Turkey & Sweet Potato Skillet
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MyHealthyVegas Black Rice Bowl

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Rice bowls are great for work lunches.   I have fallen in love with black rice after having it at The True Food Kitchen in their bowls.   I can not seem to find the premium brand they use – oh well.   I am in there so much I should ask the server, or the chef.

I used what I had in the house to put this one together.  There is so much you can do.  Would have loved tri-colored quinoa to be included but my pantry was out.

I prepped the shrimp, portobello mushrooms, broccoli  and rice in advance so that all I had to do was combine them at lunch time with freshly chopped green onions.

MHV Black Rice Bowl

 

Shrimp Prep

Thawed, shelled and cleaned enough for 6-9 shrimp for each bowl.   Once thawed they were marinated in 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp of lime juice, and 1 Tbsp of Williams Sonama Chile Lime Rub in a glass bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes.

After marinading, they were cooked in a small electric skillet, turning once until done and tails were curled.  Put in a container and then refrigerated for use later.

Portobello Mushrooms

Cooked via the recipe on this site.   Stored in the refrigerator for use later.   When added to the bowl they were chopped coarsely.

Black Rice and Broccoli

Used one (1) cup of premium black rice and 2 1/2 cups of water in a counter top rice maker.   I knew I wanted to steam the broccoli above the rice the final 5 min of rice cook time so I used a little extra water.   Black rice does prefer extra water when cooking.

One (1) small broccoli head was de-stemmed, rinsed and chopped before steaming over top the rice.

After cooking, put both in separate containers and stored in the refrigerator for use later.

 

When it was time to assemble, all ingredients went into a bowl and topped with (1) freshly sliced green onion.  Slice avocado would also be a great addition.

I felt like the bowl needed some sort of sauce to really finish it but I neither had the ingredients nor the inspiration for  what that sauce might be.

 

MyHealthyVegas Low Fat Enchilada Casserole

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I have made this recipe twice now and it is SO GOOD!  No meat products.  You can make many substitutions to make it your own.   It is awesome!

The *Stars* are the sauce, beans and potatoes.  There is heat to this dish that you can adjust.

The recipe can serve 6-8 meals, depending on your portions.   I love it so much that is goes super fast in my household.

MHV Enchilada Casserole

Frozen sweat potatoes make this easy to bring together for a fast family meal. Love this brand from Sprouts.


I prefer Goya beans for their quality.   Hatch is always a good choice for sauce brands.

Finished  product  right out  of  the  stove!

myhealthyvegas

MyHealthyVegas Enchilada Casserole

Vegan based, low fat easy enchilada recipe
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Roasted, seasoned sweet potatoes
  • 1 can Black beans (rinsed)
  • 2 tbsp Goat cheese
  • 1 can Enchilada sauce
  • 5 each Corn Tortillias

Method
 

  1. Combine 2 cups sweet potatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, olive oil, chipotle powder, pepper, and cumin in large bowl and stir well.
    Transfer contents from the bowl to a roasting pan lined with parchment paper. Roast for 25 mins at 350 degrees.
    Remove from oven and let cool.
  2. Rinse black beans and set aside.
  3. Combine roasted potatoes, beans and goat cheese in large bowl used for potatoes previously. Stir gently to combine.
  4. Spray a 9x9 glass baking dish with avocado oil. Pour 1/4 can of enchilada sauce over bottom of dish, evenly coating it.
  5. Cut four (5) corn tortillas in half with a sharp knife. Line the bottom of the baking dish with (4) pieces.
  6. Add contents from large bowl on top. Spread evenly. Add 1/2 can of enchilada sauce on top.
  7. Take (6) pieces of tortilla and cover the contents of the baking dish. Top the tortillas with remaining enchilada sauce and spread evenly. Sprinkle with reduced fat Mexican shredded cheese blend.
  8. Cover dish and put in pre-heated oven(425 degrees). Bake for 30 minutes.
  9. Uncover and turn on broiler(hi). Broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MyHealthyVegas Marinated Portobello Mushroom Caps

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An easy marinade for portobello mushroom caps that elevates them for rice bowls, burger toppings or any other way you like to use them. I started with 1/2 of the package of sliced caps as I wanted to use them for two rice bowls I was making.   I was saving the other 1/2 of the package for burgers later in the week. I whisked the ingredients in a small glass measuring cup that made it easy to pour the marinade on the caps once combined. I put the mixture in the fridge to marinade for 2 hours.   You can do between 30 mins to 2 hours.   I prefer the deeper effect of the balsamic and soy sauce on the mushrooms leaving them in longer. Since I purchased pre sliced caps I fried them in a small electric skillet until they were darkened and had a nice carmel effect from the agave syrup.   Turning once to get both sides done without burning. Chopped and added to black rice bowl.    
MHV Marinated Portobello Mushroom Caps
 
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Easy marinade for portobello mushroom caps
MyHealthyVegas:
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • One (1) Package pre-sliced mushroom caps(approx. 12 slices)
  • Two (2) Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
  • Two (2) Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • Two (2) Tsp Low sodium soy sauce
  • Two (1) Tsp Course ground Dijon mustard
  • Two (2) Tsp Agave syrup
  • Fresh ground peppercorn, to taste
  • Dried basil, to taste
  • Two (2) minced garlic cloves
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl whisk all the ingredients together.
  2. Rinse and dry mushroom caps. Put them in a glass baking dish to marinade.
  3. Pour marinade over sliced caps. Try to cover the tops of each evenly.
  4. Cover with syran wrap and put in fridge for 30 mins to 2 hours.
  5. Remove from fridge and fry in skillet until they darken and get a nice carmel glaze from the agave.
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Inspiration for this marinade can be found at thekitchen.com

MyHealthyVegas Black-Eyed Pea Soup

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New Year’s Day 2026 is here and this holiday is rooted in tradition. On January 1, people observe long-standing rituals meant to bring good fortune for the year ahead. One of the most enduring is eating black-eyed peas.  It is believed to invite luck, wealth, and prosperity. If you want to start 2026 on a positive note, a pot of black-eyed peas is a simple and delicious place to begin.   This recipe will make up enough to freeze for enjoying later on.

I soaked the peas in 6 cups of water over night.  Rinsed them well in the a.m. and sorted out any bad peas.   I put peas and two bay leaves in the slow cooker while I prepped the veggies.

For the veggie prep I put 1 tbsp of olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven.   I then added the onion, garlic, celery and carrots and simmered on medium heat.   Watch and stir frequently, ensuring garlic doesn’t burn.  The onions should be softened and garlic fragrant.   The slow cooker will take care of the carrots and celery during cook time. Before combining with peas in slow cooker I added spices to the veggie mix.


Veggies were added to the peas in the slow cooker along with chicken broth and water.  I also added a package of Smithfield® chopped ham and gave everything a good stir. Slow cooker was set to high for 3 hours originally.

I tested the peas at 3 hours and found the peas and carrots too firm for my liking.  I added one more hour.  The final result – perfect!  Happy New Year!!

If you do not have one of these for freezing soup, sauce, broth, etc. – they are on Amazon – called Souper Cubes.  They hold 2 cups with markings inside to tell you how much.   With broth and marinara,  I freeze them in 1/2 cup cubes and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag to free up my blue cubes for the next use.

 

 

 

MyHealthyVegas Black-Eyed Pea Soup
 
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Welcome in the new year with lucky black-eyed pea soup!
MyHealthyVegas:
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb black-eye peas (soaked overnight, rinsed)
  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 3 cups water
  • ½ medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 8 baby carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ tsp of Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
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MyHealthyVegas Italian Chicken Soup

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Fall is around the corner and making a batch of chicken soup for work day lunches sounded appealing.  I found a series of chicken soup recipes and one in particular fit into my WW daily blue points quota.  I have never tried an Italian seasoned soup.  I can tell you the house smelled AMAZING the entire day the slow cooker was doing its thing!

First step is to add seasoned chicken breast (tendon removed), diced tomatoes, chicken broth, yellow onion, orange bell pepper, pressed garlic, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf the slow cooker. Cover and cook on High until the chicken is tender (3 hours). 

Next remove the chicken and the bay leaf.  You can shred the chicken to your liking after 10 minutes of cooling.

While chicken is cooling add pasta into the mixture in the slow cooker.  Be sure to stir to incorporate the pasta and make sure it is fully covered with liquid.  Cover the slow cooker and cook on High until the pasta is tender (30 minutes).  If you are not going to be eating this right away and reheating individual portions, you may want to make the pasta a little al dente.  Start by testing it after 25 minutes.

Add shredded chicken and chopped basil to slow cooker.  Stir the ingredients to incorporate and allow the chicken to warm back up.   You can serve immediately or let it cool off a bit before portioning it out.    When serving you may garnish with Parmesan cheese. If you can spare the carb intake a crusty bread would be awesome with this hearty soup.

Variations:  To reduce carbs and point values, double the chicken and cut the pasta to 2 cups.

 

 

MyHealthyVegas Italian Chicken Soup
 
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MyHealthyVegas:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 1 lb chicken breast, skinless, boneless and tendon removed
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, Italian seasoned preferred
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • ½ yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 orange bell peppers, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp salt to season chicken
  • ½ tsp black pepper to season chicken
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cups of whole wheat pasta (farfelle, rotini, penne)
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
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MyHealthyVegas Hash Brown Breakfast Muffins

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I needed to plan breakfast ahead of time for this week.   Eggs are scarce right now.  I turned to my trusty liquid egg substitute to make these hash brown breakfast muffins.

 

 

Ingredients

1 -20 oz package Simply Potatoes®, shredded hash browns

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

8 oz Lucerne® Cage Free Liquid Egg Product

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash® Chicken  Grilling Blend

1/8 cup Smithfield Anytime Favorites Ham, Diced, 97% Fat Free

1/4 cup shredded low-fat Mexican blend cheese

Avocado cooking spray

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat 12 count muffin tin with avocado cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, add hash browns, paprika, pepper and salt.  Mix well.
  3. Spoon hash brown mixture evenly into 12 count muffin tin. Press mixture down into cup with back of a large serving spoon.
  4. Turn down oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes until hash browns are firm. Remove from oven.
  5. While hash browns are baking, mix egg product and seasoning in a pourable vessel.
  6. After removing muffin pan from oven, pour egg mixture into each tin. Spread evenly. Next, top with a pinch of ham and shredded cheese.
  7. Place muffin pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Muffins should raise and be slightly golden in color.
  8. Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes to set.
  9. Muffins can be refrigerated and reheated. I cook up a batch and eat it for breakfast all week.

MyHealthyVegas Wedge Salad with Crab

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The New Year always makes me crave crab.  Alaskan Crab is by far my favorite seafood.  I have been thinking about an iceberg wedge salad with lump crab but could not figure out what dressing I should use.   After searching the web I found some inspiration an made a lovely little wedge salad to compliment by steak dinner for New Years!

First off, let me present the stars of the salad dressing.  I opted to go with a little more fresh lemon juice and slightly less white wine vinegar in my recipe.  This dressing really mellowed nicely the second day.

 

Next we have our primary Stars.  Or rather the essentials to a wedge salad with crab!   I prefer Roma tomatoes but you could really use whatever you prefer.  I removed the seeds from mine and chopped them coarsely.

 

Does this not look so fresh and light.  Great paired with a steak or salmon filet!

 

 

How to put it together you say?  Well let us make the dressing first so we can let it chill while we prepare the salad.

Dressing

  • 1 garlic large clove, pressed
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tablespoon sugar (honey could be substituted)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise with avocado oil
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and store in a container until ready to use. Okay to store in the refrigerator, but you will need to whisk it again prior to use.  I found that keeping extra dressing in the refrigerator in a small sealed container that allowed me to shake it to remix worked perfectly.

Salad (makes 4 small salads)

  • 1 head of Iceberg lettuce
  • 2 Roma tomatoes
  • 8 oz of Crab meat

Peel off outer leaves of the lettuce, chop off stem and cut lettuce in to 4 wedges.  Slice the Roma tomatoes, de-seed them, and cut in to 8 slices.  Coursely chop 2 slices for each salad plate.  Place 1 quarter of the lettuce on a salad plate or bowl, as well as of the tomatoes.  Each salad plate should be topped with 2 oz of crab meat.  Drizzle 2 tbsp of freshly whisked dressing on top and enjoy!  Feel free to add more dressing if you prefer.  I am counting WW points so I tend to go light.

A couple of additions worked out great:  marinated Kalamata olives and a slice of seasoned toasted baguette.

 

My inspiration for the salad dressing can be found on  Fraiche Living.

Need to explore their site some more.  So many delicious ideas!!

 

 

 

 

 

MyHealthyVegas Cowgirl Caviar

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I was looking for something new to make for New Years Day that included black eyed peas.   Somehow I came across different recipes for Cowboy Caviar using the peas.    I made a few adaptions to create something I would enjoy.  If you wanted to make this for a larger group you could double the ingredients.  You can also add black beans to the mix in addition to the black eyed peas.   If you like more heat then adjust the amount of jalapeño to your liking.

 

The star ingredients!

The finished product!

 

Here is how it comes together.

MyHealthyVegas Cowgirl Caviar on a Budget
 
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A spin on the cowboy caviar classic that uses black eyed peas.
MyHealthyVegas:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 15.5 oz can Black Eyed Peas (rinsed and drained)
  • 1 cup Fire Roasted Sweet Corn (if using frozen heat per package instructions)
  • 1 lg coarsely diced Orange Bell Pepper
  • 1 tbsp diced Jalapeño Pepper (more or less to taste)
  • 1 lg finely diced Shallot (or red onion if you prefer)
  • 1 tbsp fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Honey or Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • ⅛ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp dried Italian Seasoning
  • TOSTITOS® Scoops (tortilla chips) for serving
Instructions
  1. In a medium glass bowl add rinsed and drained black eyed peas, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, corn and shallot.
  2. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Italian spice, salt and black pepper. Whisk well to combine and then pour on the main ingredients. Stir well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 mins. This gets better with time.
  3. When ready to serve remove from refrigerator and serve with chips. Enjoy! Any leftovers can be covered and returned to the refrigerator. Used within 3 days. This is also really good as a side dish to tilapia.
Notes
My best estimate is this is WW 2 points. (For oil & honey)

Recipe by MyHealthyVegas. Please do not post or reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.

My Recipe Inspiration:
The original recipes I found were Texas Caviar by Food and Wine and The Southern Lady Cooks Cowboy Caviar
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MyHealthyVegas Banana Pancakes

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What’s for breakfast Las Vegas!   Looking to lighten things up after going off the rails with my eating plan.  Pulled back out this recipe from SkinnyTaste.com.   Love their recipes!   100% all theirs I just mix mine differently to make them more airy and light.

Start out with my favorite Magic Bullet mixer.  Makes this so easy and clean up a breeze!

I put the egg in the bottom.  I do this to incorporate the ingredients thoroughly so I don’t waste any in  the cup that doesn’t make it into the pan.  I am greedy that way.

A little spice on top.  Then add the banana in little pieces.  I just break my banana down by hand.

Blend until you have some bubbles in the mixture telling you it’s ready. (30-45 secs in the Magic Bullet depending on size of banana used)

Add a heaping tablespoon of oats.  I have used both old fashioned and quick oats.   I really can’t tell the difference. For this instance I am using store brand old fashioned oats.

Blend until oats are incorporated.  (30 secs in the Magic Bullet)

Heat your skillet.  I spray a little avocado oil in mine.   First pancake will have slightly crispy edges.   Next one is perfection!  I currently use a tiny electric skillet.  I cook one pancake at a time.   I have used a stove top skillet and done all three at the same time.  Just a matter of preference.   Either way, I preheat the skillet on a low temperature (300) until I can splash a little water on it and hear it pop.

In my case I divide the mixture for two pancakes.   Once mixture is in the pan I sprinkle with chopped walnuts.  I set the timer for 4 minutes on the first side.  One flip and 4 more minutes on the second side.

I cover the first pancake with the skillet lid on the plate while I cook the second.   Stays perfectly warm until the second one is ready.

Voila!  Ready to eat and enjoy!  So light and yummy!

 

January 26, 2025 Update

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I was curious to try this in my cute little red Dash heart shaped waffle maker.   I have a shamrock shaped waffle maker too.  I know what I will be having for St. Patty’s Day breakfast!!

I sprayed the iron with avocado oil between each batch.   I put two tablespoons of batter in the waffle maker and sprinkled it with walnut pieces.

Closed the lid and set the timer for 4 mins.  They were perfect!!

Ingredients

  • 1 Large egg
  • Generous shake of ground cinnamon (to taste)
  • Light shake of ground nutmeg (optional)
  • Drop of vanilla flavoring (optional)
  • 1 Banana
  • 1 Heaping tbsp of oats (old fashioned or quick)
  • 1 tsp chopped walnuts (optional)
  • Cooking spray for skillet

Alternatives:

You could easily sub in pecans instead of walnuts.  You could add fruit.  I have thought about adding dried cranberries to mine.  Likely will try that at some point.

For Dash waffles, I used 1 1/2 heaping tbsp of oats. Plus spritz of avocado oil on top and bottom iron plates in between batches.  I consistently got 4 waffles plus a little extra.

Original Recipe by SkinnyTaste.com.