Chicken and Vegetable Chowder

This is a wonderfully rich chowder that can easily be changed up just by changing some of the veggies you include. I just suggest keeping the corn – to me, it’s not chowder if it does not have corn ! Today I added some frozen broccoli florets.

Chicken and Vegetable Chowder
Chicken and Vegetable Chowder

6 servings
168 calories per serving

9 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes (Perdue Shortcuts work great here!)
1 c carrots, sliced
½ c chopped onion
1 c corn
4.5 oz. sliced mushrooms, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t thyme leaves
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 can cream of potato soup
1/3 c half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except the half and half in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low 5 hours or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender. Then stir in half and half and cook covered on high another 15-20 minutes.

Pesto and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheesy sandwiches – they make it on this ‘diet’ plan of mine and I am so happy about it ! To make them more sensible, use low fat cheeses, add flavor in the way of herbs, and be sure to use Pam and buttery spray. And then off you go – the variations are endless and here is a great Italian inspired one.

Pesto and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese
Pesto and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese

6 servings
285 calories per serving

1/4 c low fat pesto
12 1 oz. slices sourdough bread
12 3/4 oz. slices part skim mozzarella cheese
6 1/4 inch thick slices tomato
18 large basil leaves
I can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray
Pam

Spread 1 t pesto on each slice of bread. Top 6 slices of bread with a cheese slice, a tomato slice, 3 basil leaves, and another cheese slice. Top with remaining bread slice. Spray outsides of sandwiches with at least 5 sprays per side. Heat skillet on medium heat and spray with Pam. Add sandwiches, as many as will fit in a batch. Cook 2-3 minutes each side or until cheese is melted. You can use a Panini press here and the cheese will melt even nicer 🙂

Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce

Pierogies are the Polish version of the Italian ravioli or the Mexican empanada. They are little pockets of dough filled with a mixture of cheese and potato. There is nothing NOT to like and tons to love – it’s carbs wrapped up in carbs with some cheese thrown in for good measure 🙂

Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce
Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce

4 servings
233 calories per serving

1 t oil
2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 T flour
2/3 c skim milk
1/2 c vegetable broth
1 lb. frozen low fat potato pierogies (I used the mini ones)
2 T light sour cream

Heat oil in skillet and add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over and stir well. Add milk and broth and stir until smooth. Add the pierogies and bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat 4 minutes or until heated throughout. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the sour cream. Be sure to remove from heat or the sour cream may curdle. Serve immediately.

Greek Chicken Pitas

The hummus spread inside the pita before inserting the other ingredients makes every bite full of flavor. And when you eat something with lots of flavor, you are apt to feel more satisfied !

Greek Chicken Pitas
Greek Chicken Pitas

4 servings
280 calories per serving

2 c chopped romaine lettuce
1 c chopped roasted chicken breast
2/3 c diced English cucumber
½ c red bell pepper, chopped very small
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
2 T lemon juice
2 T oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
6 T roasted red bell pepper hummus (in the refrigerator section at the food market)
2 6 inch whole wheat pitas slit at the top so you can fill it

Combine lettuce, chicken, cucumber and feta. Add lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Spread hummus inside pitas and then add the chicken mix.

Pork Stew

This one is so easy to do and produces great results consistently (I have been making it for years). And there is nothing like throwing the meal in the crock pot in the morning and then not having to worry about it all afternoon!

Pork Stew
Pork Stew

6 servings
380 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 ½ lb. boneless pork cut into bite sized pieces
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
8 small red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
2 c fresh baby carrots cut in half lengthwise
12 oz. jar fat free pork gravy
¼ c ketchup
¼ t pepper
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
1 ½ c frozen cut green beans, thawed

Heat oil in a large skillet and on high heat cool pork with salt and 1/8 t pepper. Cook 5 minutes or so, or until browned. Mix pork and the rest of the ingredients other than the green beans in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, stir in green beans and increase heat to high and continue cooking 20 minutes.

Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies

These are very rich and not very sweet – if you like a sweet cookie, you can almost double the amount of Splenda. But I prefer to keep these a little less sweet and top with some powdered sugar. I’m still on my search for the perfect low cal oatmeal cookie – this one is good, but not ‘the one’ yet.

Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies
Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies

40 servings
50 calories per serving (1 cookie=1 serving)

1 c flour
1 1/4 c rolled oats
6 T cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T margarine
1/2 c Splenda
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
1 t almond extract
Up to ½ c warm water
Pam
Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oats, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a different bowl beat margarine and Splenda on medium speed 2 minutes or until light and fluffy and then beat in eggs one at a time, then add the extracts and stir in the dry ingredients and up to ½ c warm water to make the dough moist enough. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam and then flatten each with a couple of times with a fork (dip in water if the fork sticks to the dough). Bake 10 minutes or just until a bit puffy. Cool on baking sheets a minute and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

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