This breakfast muffin has not one, but TWO pieces of Canadian bacon, cheese and eggs – all for 250 calories ! Compare that to the fast food breakfast sandwiches that weigh in between 300 and 500 calories and the choice is clear !

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Muffin

1 serving
250 calories per serving

1/4 c Egg Beaters
2 slices Canadian bacon
1 slice Kraft fat free American cheese
1 lite whole wheat muffin, toasted
1 T lite buttery spread
Pam

Heat pan on medium high heat. Remove from heat and spray with Pam. Return to heat. Add Egg Beaters and reduce heat to medium and use a spatula to keep eggs contained to a small circle while they set and cook. Cook until done. Meanwhile, heat bacon in microwave 30 seconds. Butter muffin and place cheese on hot toasted muffin so it will melt. Add eggs and bacon.

Here’s a quick video to show you how to prep the eggs:

Scrambled Egg Beaters just fall out of a breakfast muffin. It’s best to try and keep them in a small circle so that they easily fit on the muffin and stay put. Here is a quick video showing you how to do this

I wanted to give a big thank you to all my Facebook fans and Blog followers. I’ve taken my love of cooking, a new interest in food photography, wrapped it up with my need for a food/meal plan that is healthy and something I can stick with – - and it all became 400 Calories or Less.

Seeing your interest, reading your comments and emails, and knowing that I am helping others really makes it all so rewarding.

And to answer a few questions that are coming in often:

1. Yes, I do take all the pictures of the food. (Special thanks to my family for being so patient as I photograph the food before we sit down to eat !)

2. Yes, I cook all these recipes. Not a single one goes up without my trying it at least once. And the ones that are not blog worthy never get posted here. These are tried and true and definitely worth your experimentation.

3. Yes, portions are typically big. It just does not make sense to me to sit in front of a cupful of food and try and call that a meal. All the meals are plentiful and satisfying. That is a big part of my challenge – - fitting in as much healthful, delicious food as I can for 400 calories.

4. Yes, I have lost weight and continue to do so. It has been about 6 months and my husband has lost 30 pounds and continues to keep it off. His drop was fast and his maintenance has been over a couple months now. He did not exercise a bit during this 6 month period. He eats 2000 calories a day as opposed to my 1600. We basically double up dinner for him. My drop has been slower – a pound or sometimes more a week and so far I have dropped 25 pounds and plan to keep going for another 10 pounds or so before I move to a maintenance plan. And our plan includes a “CHEAT DAY” once a week. We don’t go completely overboard (well, maybe sometimes a little – who can resist KFC hot wings?!?!?!?!?!) but we eat what we like on this day, often eating out for dinner.

I hope you reach your goals ! If I can help in any way, please write. I love to hear from you all Stay tuned for lots more recipes and tips. And again, thanks !!!

Can you say ooey gooey chocolate? This recipe sure does ! This is definitely a 4 star keeper

Crock Pot Brownies

12 servings
198 calories per serving

2/3 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2/3 c fat free evaporated milk
1/3 c margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 c Egg Beaters
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 c semi sweet baking chips
Pam
Powdered Sugar

Spray a 4 qt crock pot with Pam. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Combine milk, margarine, egg and vanilla in another bowl. Mix the dry mix into the wet mix until smooth. Finally stir in the chips. Spread batter in the crock pot and cook on low 2-3 hours or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 30 minutes and then invert over a plate and cut into 12 pieces. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The recipe below calls for a small piece of whole wheat bread. Often I double up the calories using a piece of thinly sliced Italian bread instead, especially if the rest of the meal is relatively low in calories.

Grilled Bread with Sofrito

6 servings
80 calories per serving

6 slices 45 calorie wheat bread
6 T sofrito (available in most supermarkets with all the Goya products, it is a condiment of richly condensed tomatoes, peppers and spices).

Spread 1 T sofrito on each slice of bread and place the bread sofrito side up in a toaster oven. Heat until bread edges or toasty brown. Serve immediately.

Taco Bell has a new menu section called their FRESCO menu – several items 400 Calories or Less !!

Taco Bell Fresco Menu

I finally had to give it a try – some days you just don’t have time to cook lunch and there are few places to get a decent meal that is under 400 calories. My expectations were high because I.LOVE.TACO BELL. I know, I know … but I can’t help it – their tacos are just so good

So here’s what my husband and I got for lunch:

Me:

1 Fresco Crunchy Taco – 150 calories
1 Fresco Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco – 170 calories

Him:

1 Fresco Crunchy Taco – 150 calories
1 Fresco Burrito Supreme Steak – 330 calories

Taco Bell

And the consensus is…….

2 thumbs up The tacos are minus some cheese, but other than that, they are pretty much the normal Taco Bell fare. These will definitely stay on the list for a quick meal that fits into the 400 calorie plan !

Even traditional lasagna lovers like this one – and it is nice and easy to do. Start it at lunch time and have dinner ready 4 hours later. Take a look at my video below for instructions on how to layer it in your crock.

Lasagna (Crock Pot)

8 servings
275 calories per serving

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 c diced eggplant
1 jar Paul Newman’s marinara sauce
1/4 t red pepper flakes
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
¼ t basil flakes
1 c water
15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1 T chopped parsley
1/4 c Egg Beaters
1 c shredded parmesan cheese (not grated, shredded)
8 no boil lasagna noodles

Brown the ground beef in a heated skillet and drain off any fat and water. Stir in the pepper, sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, basil flakes, water, and eggplant. In a bowl combine the egg, cheeses and parsley. Place a layer of meat sauce on the bottom of a crock pot. I find my oval shaped on works the best here. Top with 2-3 noodles, nipping off the corners in order to get a nice fit. Add another layer of meat sauce and then one thick layer of the cheese mixture. Top with a final layer of noodles and then a final layer of meat sauce. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.

Here is a video of how to layer it up in the crock pot:

I stick to a handful of breakfasts that I rotate through during the week – it’s just easier and gets you out the door quicker. This is one of my favorites and is a great nutritious breakfast. And it really keeps me filled up until lunch. Try almond butter or cashew butter instead to change it up !

Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas

1 serving
343 calories

2 slices 45 calories bread
2 T peanut butter
1/2 c banana slices

Toast bread and immediately spread peanut butter while toast is warm. Top with banana slices.

So easy to prep – and a great meal to do ahead of time and just throw into the oven later. All the creamy soup goodness and stuffing on top makes this one taste anything other than diet.

Chicken and Stuffing Bake

6 servings
399 calories per serving

6 oz. Stove Top stuffing mix
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
1/4 c low fat Daisy sour cream (any will do, but I find Daisy the best low fat one on the market)
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and vegetables. Place in a 13×9 baking pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

You can refrigerate at this stage and then finish later – if you do it this way, increase baking time by 10 minutes.

Or continue with the prep and cover the casserole with the stuffing. Bake 30 – 40 minutes or until chicken is done. This dish reheats well in the oven or the microwave.

This is another one of those very versatile lunches – swap out the black beans for refried beans, the red peppers for green peppers, the cumin for chili powder – and you have a whole different beast ! Just be sure to microwave the wraps for 15 seconds so that they are nice and pliable and don’t break when you are wrapping the contents.

Bean Burrito

4 servings
207 calories per serving

15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed, then mashed
1/2 t ground cumin
4 whole wheat tortillas (80 calorie version)
1 c chopped tomato
1 c chopped red bell pepper
1 c salsa
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix beans with cumin, salt, pepper and chopped red peppers. Microwave 1 minute to heat. Spread over tortillas. Sprinkle with salsa and tomato. Roll up and enjoy. Take a look at my instructional video to learn how to fold a wrap so the contents won’t fall out the end