Mix and Match is where we take 2-3 recipes and match them up to create a complete meal that is tasty, filling, and nutritious. Flavor profiles are taken into consideration as are calories – these COMPLETE meals all come in right around 400 calories. So sit down and enjoy a BIG PLATE of food without any guilt !
356 calories
Pork Piccata
Cheesy Spinach and Rice
This has a definite Middle Eastern flair to it with the coriander and cumin as the main seasoning. Serve next to Eastern Fried Rice for a great vegetarian meal.
4 servings
107 calories per serving
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
½ T oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 oz. button or Portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 t ground coriander
¾ t ground cumin
½ c chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 T lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with Pam. Scoop the flesh out of the middle of the zucchinis to create boats for the filling. Chop the removed flash and reserve. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions 5 minutes then add garlic and cook another minute. Add chopped zucchini and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes then add coriander, cumin, chick peas, lemon, parsley, salt and pepper. Stuff the zucchini shells and bake 35-40 minutes.
V-8 juice is not just for beverage consumption (though a nice tall Bloody Mary comes to mind whenever I pour it!). Their ‘Spicy Hot’ variety makes a GREAT ingredient for cooking. From sauces to soups, this product is a great addition to your pantry staples. And they even have a low sodium version that has 70% less sodium than regular V-8 Spicy Hot 🙂
1 cup is only 50 calories and gives you 2 full servings of vegetables. So as well as being a tasty ingredient, it’s a very healthful one. There’s no fat and no cholesterol, but tons of flavor. And that makes it great for using in recipes.
I have a soup recipe coming up soon that uses V-8 as a main part of the soup base – it is DELICIOUS, and it’s very healthy – I can’t wait to get it posted for you. I am sure you will enjoy 🙂
In the meantime, think about using it in some of your favorite recipes for a low sodium, spicy, HEALTHY kick !
chili – instead of tomato sauce, try some V-8 and a few tablespoons of tomato paste (since you will need a little thickener)
tomato sauces for over pasta – as well as diced tomatoes, add some V-8 Spicy Hot to kick up the flavor
soups – use Spicy Hot V-8 as the main base or mixed with broth – such depth of flavor is added this way that quick soups taste slow simmered
New chicken recipes for the crock are always welcome in my house ! I love to be able to put a meal together and then walk away and have it ready to eat hours later. This one has all the flavor of a nice chicken soup, but has a thick sauce and is more like a chicken stew. As with any crock recipe, if you like you meat browned (which the crock will not do), either pre-sear it, or at the end place under a hot broiler for just a few minutes.
4 servings
190 calories per serving
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 c potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, cut in small pieces
½ onion, chopped small
1 rib celery, chopped
½ c frozen lima beans
¾ c water
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
½ t basil flakes
½ can low fat cream of chicken soup
Place chicken in crock and add vegetables, water, salt, pepper and other spices. Pour soup over the veggies. Cover and cook on high 4 hours.
It is amazing how creamy of a product this turns out considering there is no ice cream maker involved. I’ve made it many times, always with good results. It’s well worth the calories 🙂
12 ½ c servings
299 calories per serving
½ c whole milk
1 T vanilla
2 T instant coffee powder
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 t salt
2 c heavy cream
Stir milk and coffee together so coffee dissolves than add vanilla, condensed milk and salt. Beat heavy cream to stiff peaks (but don’t over beat or the cream will begin to break down) and then fold into the milk mix. Folding is just a method to mix things a little gentler than stirring. You just keep inserting a spatula or spoon UNDER the ingredients and left or fold them up on top – keep repeating to fully incorporate the ingredients. Pour into a shallow 1 ½ quart METAL (because it conducts the cold better) bowl and freeze the mix 4 hours, stirring once halfway through.
If you keep this in the freezer for more than a day, it will get very hard and you need to let it sit a few minutes before scooping out servings.
Mix and Match is where we take 2-3 recipes and match them up to create a complete meal that is tasty, filling, and nutritious. Flavor profiles are taken into consideration as are calories – these COMPLETE meals all come in right around 400 calories. So sit down and enjoy a BIG PLATE of food without any guilt !
372 calories
Tuna Gremolata
Tomatoes and Orzo
Simple, quick, and a great tasting lunch wrap.
2 servings
340 calories per serving
1 T light Ranch dressing
1 Whole wheat wrap (80 calorie version by Smart and Delicious)
1 lettuce leaf
6 slices deli turkey breast
2 slices tomato
1 Laughing Cow light cheese wedge
2 avocado slices
Spread the cheese on the wrap then fill with the rest of the ingredients and wrap it up. Here is a video that shows you how to make a wrap that does not leak 🙂
This is a super fish recipe – very fresh and light. Serve with a pasta or rice, like Greek Orzo Salad.
4 servings
175 calories per serving
2 c grape tomatoes, halved
¾ c Kirby or English cucumber, finely chopped
1/3 c yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
3 T basil, sliced finely
1 ½ T shallots, finely chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 t grated lemon zest
1 t salt
¼ t pepper
1 T oil
4 6 oz. sole fillets
Combine tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, basil, shallots, vinegar and lemon in a bowl along with ½ t salt and 1/8 t pepper. Sprinkle the rest of the salt and pepper directly on the fish. Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Cook fish 2 minutes each side or until it flakes and is done. Plate the fish and put the tomato salsa on top.
It’s amazing how such a quick cook soup can produce such a flavorful broth ! The mushrooms really release all their mushroomy goodness in this one 🙂
4 servings
140 calories per serving
1 t oil
½ c finely chopped onion
¼ c chopped parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 lb. slices assorted mushrooms (canned and fresh)
32 oz. fat free chicken or beef broth
1 c water
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t garlic powder
½ t onion powder
½ c nonfat sour cream
In large saucepan heat oil and add onion, parsley and garlic and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add mushrooms, broth, water, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper and bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes then stir in sour cream and serve.
