Infused Spa Water

Restaurants & spas do it, why not you? Placing fresh herbs and/or fruit in a gallon of water and leaving it in the refrigerator overnight is a great way to add flavor and reduce the boredom of drinking plain water. In fact, the “Classic Spa Water” is simply chilled spring water with a few sprigs of mint, rosemary and cucumber. From icdietproject.com.

Infused Spa Waters


There are many flavor combinations that you can play with using the fresh, simple ingredients, such as:

• HERBS – a few sprigs of fresh mint, rosemary or sage
• FRUITS – pears, apples, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, watermelon, honeydew
• PEELS – lemon or lime peel has a fraction of the acid that the juice would have
• SPICES – cinnamon, cloves, vanilla beans & ginger root


Ready to experiment?? Try these flavorful combinations:

• fresh mint, rosemary or sage leaves
• fresh cucumber & mint
• sliced pears & a cinnamon stick
• blackberries, fresh mint & lime peel
• raspberries & lemon peel
• strawberries & mint
• peaches & vanilla bean
• gingerroot, mint & lemon peel
• blueberries & pomegranate seeds
• cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew & mint


Looking for some soda fizz? Low sodium mineral water, such as San Pellegrino, works perfectly!

Need a little extra sweetness? No artificial sugars should be used. Use a little bit of honey to taste!

Shrimp Scampi Foil Packets

Everyone’s favorite shrimp scampi without any of the fuss in these easy-to-assemble foil pouches! Prep ahead of time too!!! From damndelicious.net.

Shrimp Scampi Foil Packets


Ingredients:

1 1 /2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons dry white wine (if tolerated) or pear juice (without problem ingredients), or omit
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more, to taste (if tolerated or use lemon oil, lemon essence, lemon extract) or omit
Zest of 1 lemon (if tolerated)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (if tolerated)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (if tolerated)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (if tolerated)


Directions:

1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill over high heat.

2. In a large bowl, combine shrimp, butter, wine, garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and red pepper flake; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Cut four sheets of foil, about 12-inches long. Divide shrimp mixture into 4 equal portions and add to the center of each foil in a single layer.

4. Fold up all 4 sides of each foil packet over the shrimp, covering completely and sealing the packets closed.

5. Place foil packets on the grill and cook until just cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

6. Served immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

Try these cheese garlic biscuits like those served at a certain famous seafood restaurant. YUM! allrecipes.com.

Cheese Garlic Biscuits


Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 clove garlic, minced


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the milk and cheddar cheese; stir to combine. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. While biscuits are baking mix melted butter and minced garlic. Brush garlic butter over hot baked biscuits.

Easy Baked Parmesan Meatballs

Add cheesy flavor to these meatballs with parmesan cheese, and bake to seal the deal. These meatballs are so good, you'll be sure to wow the family! From kraftrecipes.com.

Easy Baked Parmesan Meatballs


Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, if tolerated (container says 1/2 and online it says 1/3)
1/4/ cup chopped fresh parsley (if tolerated)
1 egg
1 clove garlic, minced


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix meat, cheese, parsley, egg and garlic. Shape into 12 meatballs.

2. Place in foil lined 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan.

3. Bake 25 minutes or until cooked through.


Serving Suggestions: Try seving with your favorite hot cooked pasta and sauce and salad.

Parmesan Turkey Meatballs; Prepare as directed, substituting ground turkey for ground beef.

Maple Cheesecake

Holy deliciousness!!!! This is the best dessert EVER!!!!! And on top of being delicious... it looks show stopping! Niki found this recipe in her handy dandy Taste of Home Cooking Magazine!!! It was a recipe submitted by Wendy Paffenroth of Pine Island, NY. The only thing Niki changed was leaving out the walnuts in the crust. Also, the chocolate drizzled on top is not IC friendly, but it is so minimal that it shouldn’t bother many. You may substitute white chocolate or just leave off... it's really just for wow factor. From nikicooks.blogspot.com.

Maple Cheesecake


Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs (without problem ingredients)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2-ish cup melted butter (I eyeballed it... you want it moist throughout, but not wet wet)

Filling
4 pkgs plain cream cheese (8 oz each), softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. maple flavoring
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp grated lemon peel (I use dried)
3 eggs

Melted Hershey's bar, optional


Directions:

1. Place a greased 9 inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy duty foil (about 18 inches square). Wrap foil securely around pan.

2. In a small bowl, mix the cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

3. For filling, in a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the maple flavoring, extract and lemon peel. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan (I used my extra large roasting pan); add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.

4. Bake for 45-55 min or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

5. Remove rim from pan. If desired, drizzle cheesecake with melted chocolate. (I used the baggy with a hole method... you can find videos on how to do this by googling... how to drizzle chocolate over cake...you can also google how to melt chocolate... I did that too, lol!!)

Honey Garlic Chicken

Juicy chicken thighs start on the stovetop where you’ll coat them in a mouthwateringly simple honey garlic glaze whipped up from pantry ingredients. Then toss green beans, squash, or carrots, etc. in the pan (which means you don’t have to think of a side dish) and bake the chicken to crispy perfection. Weeknight dinners don’t get any better than this. ljrnana5 sent this yummy recipe in with some great substitutions to make this IC friendly. Thank you ljrnana5! From tiphero.com.

Honey Garlic Chicken


Ingredients:

4 Bone-in Chicken Thighs
Kosher Salt, to taste
Ground Black Pepper, to taste (if tolerated)
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
2 Tablespoons Chopped Garlic
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
1/3 Cup Honey
1 Pound Green Beans, trimmed
1 Pound other vegetable
1 Lemon (Optional), zested and juiced (start with half of the zest and juice and add more to taste, if needed), if tolerated


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the seasoned chicken, skin-side down, and sear on both sides until it's golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken thighs and set them aside.

Drain off the excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan, and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the dried thyme, honey, and lemon zest and juice (if using). Bring the sauce to a simmer and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low.

Return the chicken to the pan and coat each piece with the sauce. Move the chicken to one side of the pan and add the green beans and other vegetable to the open space in the pan. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake it until the chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving.


Chef Tips:

If you want the sauce to be thicker, after the chicken is finished in the oven you can remove the veggies from the pan and reduce the sauce to thicken it.

Refreshing Smoothie

Live healthy by drinking this refreshing smoothie. From urologyhealth.org.

Refreshing Smoothie
Makes 1 smoothie
Approximate nutrients per serving: 200 calories, 4 grams of protein


Ingredients:

½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 frozen banana, chopped
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/8 cup quick oats
½ pear, sliced
½ ripe avocado
½ cup kale leaves


Directions:

Add all ingredients in blender. Blend on high speed until smooth (about 2-3 minutes). Enjoy!