This tenderloin comes out juicy and tender after cooking all day. There is nothing quite as convenient as a crock pot ! The onion soup mix holds all the flavor you need to make this a family favorite.

Crock Pot Pork Loin

6 servings
291 calories per serving

2 lb. pork tenderloin
1 oz. envelope dry onion soup mix
1 c water
3/4 c red or white cooking wine
3 T garlic, minced
3 T soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Place meat in crock and sprinkle with the soup mix. Add water, wine and soy and turn the meat to coat it. Spread garlic on top of roast and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on high 4 hours or low 7-8 hours. If you like the top to be brown, broil for a few minutes before slicing.

I like when you can take a healthy vegetable and disguise it enough that you can get a picky kids to eat it This one has enough cheese and crumbly topping to make it disappear !

Broccoli AuGratin

8 servings
120 calories per serving

3 c water
2 c baby carrots, cut in half
4 c broccoli florets (very small pieces)
10 whole wheat Ritz crackers, crushed
3 T grated parmesan cheese
1 T butter, melted
4 oz. light Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 oz. light cream cheese

Preheat broiler. Boil water and add carrots. Simmer for 8 minutes then add broccoli and simmer another 3 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl.

Microwave Velveeta and cream cheese on high 1 minute then stir and cook another 30 seconds or until completely melted. Pour on top of veggies. Mix crackers and parm and butter and sprinkle on top of the veggies and cheese and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the crumbs.

Turkey with a zesty cheese sauce is the perfect lunch !

Turkey Panini

4 servings
272 calories per serving

3 T lowfat mayonnaise
2 T nonfat plain yogurt
2 T shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese
2 T chopped basil
1 t lemon juice
Pepper to taste
8 slices light whole wheat bread
8 oz. thinly sliced deli turkey
8 slices tomato
2 t canola oil
ICBINB spray

Mix mayo, yogurt, cheese, basil, lemon juice and pepper. Spread 2 t of the mixture on each slice of bread and then fill the sandwiches with turkey and tomato. Heat 1 t oil in a large nonstick pan and put in 2 sandwiches. Use a Panini press to weight down the sandwiches. Cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Spray the top with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray and then flip the sandwich and cook until the second side is golden. Repeat with the 2 remaining sandwiches.

Just the right amount of garlic in a great savory dip that is perfect for any occasion.

Roasted Garlic Dip

4 servings
155 calories per serving

2 whole garlic heads
4 T mayonnaise
5 T plain Greek yogurt
1 t mustard
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Separate the garlic cloves from the whole head, peel them and place in a baking dish and mix with the oil and salt. Cover with foil and bake / roast 30-40 minutes (or until very tender) and then let cool 5 minutes. Mash garlic with a fork then combine with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and chill. Sprinkle with black pepper just before serving.

I love being able to throw together a meal in the morning and not think about it again until it’s time to put it on the table. Chicken Marrakesh is a great dish with the subtle flavors of cuisine from Morocco.

Chicken Marrakesh (Crock Pot)

8 servings
290 calories per serving

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
15 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground turmeric
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t black pepper
2 t parsley flakes
Salt to taste
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

Place the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, chick peas, and chicken into a slow cooker. Stir herbs into tomatoes then pour tomatoes over and stir well. Cover and cook on high 5 hours or low 8-9 hours.

This is great served on top of any simple grilled beef, chicken, pork or fish but I personally think the sweetness of the red peppers pairs the best with a simple roasted chicken.

Roasted Pepper Sauce

6 ¼ c servings
46 calories per serving

4 medium red bell peppers, washed, cored, cut in half and seeded
1 ½ c no fat chicken broth
½ c white wine
1 T chopped basil
2 T margarine
¼ t salt

Preheat broiler and place peppers skin side up on a baking sheet lined with foil. Cook 15 minutes or until blackened. Cover and let cool 15 minutes. The skins should now peel off easily. Blend peppers, broth and wine until smooth and then place in a saucepan with the basil. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Then add margarine and salt and stir until melted. Cover and keep warm. You can also refrigerate this and just reheat individual portions in the microwave.

I can’t stop eating this !! It is just delicious. Serve as a spread on sandwiches, or as an appetizer with melba toasts or some other cracker.

Olive Tapenade

16 servings (1 serving = 2T)
37 calories per serving

1 c kalamata olives, pitted
1 c green olives, pitted
1 T chopped parsley
1 t chopped thyme
1 t grated lemon rind
¼ t pepper
10 oil cured olives, pitted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes

Place all in a food processor and pulse until chopped pretty fine. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

This can be eaten as a side, or use in smaller portions as a salsa over the top of broiled fish or chicken. Very savory, very easy to put together and very healthy !

Corn Salsa

4 servings
58 calories per serving

4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 c corn kernels (frozen and thawed or fresh)
¼ c chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno or ¼ of a green bell pepper, chopped finely
¼ c fat free zesty Italian dressing
Squirt of lime

Mix all together and chill at least 1 hour.

Fish smothered in diced veggies. What a great pesto flavor shines through for using so little of it. This was an awesome meal and it is very quick to prepare !

Quick Whitefish and Vegetables

4 servings
180 calories per serving

4 4 oz. tilapia or other white fish filets
1/4 c low fat Italian dressing, divided
1 T pesto (prepared pesto is available in the refrigerator section at your grocer)
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 c grape tomatoes, halved
3 T chopped basil or parsley
Pepper to taste

Brush fish with half the dressing and sauté 4-5 minutes per side or until done. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add veggies, pesto, pepper and the rest of the dressing and sauté 5-7 minutes or until slightly tender. Garnish with basil or any other fresh herb.

How easy was that? Fudge in a snap ! Make up a batch and put it in a pretty container for a great holiday gift !

Chocobutter Fudge Bars

25 servings
140 calories per serving

1 pkg. (8 squares) Baker’s semisweet chocolate
3/4 c sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c cocktail peanuts, chopped
1 pkg. (6 squares) Baker’s white chocolate
1/4 c creamy peanut butter

Microwave semisweet chocolate and milk on high 1 minute. Stir and microwave another minute or until mostly melted. Then stir well and add nuts. Line the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with foil and spread the mix in the pan. Microwave white chocolate on high 1 minute. Stir and microwave another minute or until mostly melted. Stir until completely melted. Add peanut butter and stir well then spread over the other layer and refrigerate 2 hours. Cut into 25 fudge squares.