Another super quick soup that tastes like it’s been simmering for hours, but it’s just a ½ hour meal. Try using Perdue Shortcuts turkey strips if you don’t have any leftover turkey on hand.

Turkey Noodle Soup

2 servings
156 calories per serving

2 c water
¾ c cooked cubed turkey breast
1 rib celery, sliced
Leaves from top of celery
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt to taste
1/8 t marjoram flakes
1/8 t pepper
1 bay leaf
½ t onion powder
½ c canned diced potatoes
¼ c frozen peas and carrots mix
¼ c yolk free egg noodles
Dash Kitchen Bouquet

Mix water, turkey, celery, onion, garlic, salt, onion powder, marjoram, pepper and bay leaf and bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Then mix in the potatoes, peas and noodles. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Shake and Bake fans will love this one. Both the fish and the potatoes get a coating so the meal is crisp, the fish stays nice and moist, and the potatoes (‘chips’) are just a little different. This is crunchy goodness !

Baked Fish and Chips

4 servings
280 calories per serving

2 large baking potatoes cut into 8 wedges each
1/4 c light zesty Italian dressing
1 pack extra crispy Shake n’ Bake
1 lb. tilapia filets (or any other white fish)
1/4 c light mayo
Pam

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix potatoes with dressing and dust with ¼ c of the Shake n’ Bake. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and add the potatoes and bake 25 minutes. Spread mayo on fish and then dredge in the rest of the Shake n’ Bake to coat them evenly. Place fish in a wire rack sprayed with Pam and place that in the oven and bake 15 minutes or until done.

Cooking the potatoes and peppers in a foil packet basically steams them and they come out a wonderful consistency and packed with flavor. Serve alongside 3 oz. of broiled steak or a 4 oz. chicken cutlet for a meal balanced with protein, veggies and that all mighty carb that keeps you feeling more full

Foiled O'Brien

4 servings
155 calories per serving

1 lb. red potatoes, washed and sliced thinly
2 c red bell pepper slices
2 c yellow bell pepper slices
6 T sliced shallot (regular onion will work here too)
Pam
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 T chopped parsley
½ t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take 4 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 12 inches by 12 inches (about 1 inch longer and 4 inches wider than a sheet of paper) and place them on a flat surface. Spray each with a little bit of Pam. Divide the potatoes, peppers and shallots evenly among the foil sheets. Sprinkle with the minced garlic, parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Create a packet out of each by folding the foil sides up to make a tent and folding the edges over 2 times – then take each side and fold (roll) over twice and seal firmly so that the packet will say sealed keeping all the steam inside.

Place packets on a baking sheet and place in oven. Bake ½ hour to 45 minutes. Open packets and transfer contents to plates. Be careful opening packets as they will be full of steam.

For more instructions folding, Reynold’s says:
For each foil packet, bring up the two sides of the foil and double fold with about 1-inch wide folds. Leave room for heat circulation inside the packet as the food cooks. Double fold each end to form the foil packet.

And the Scouts site has a nice diagram.

Watching your diet does not mean you can’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day ! With sensible portions, you too can be eating corned beef and cabbage and reciting Irish tales and blessings

I personally do not like corned beef very much and never cook it (thank goodness our dear friend makes it for my husband) – - so you won’t see a picture or recipe creation here. But I wanted to lay it out for you calorie wise…

3 oz. of boiled corned beef is 180 calories
4 oz. of boiled corned beef is 240 calories
Cabbage is so low in calories it is silly – 1/2 c boiled cabbage is 17 calories
1/2 c of boiled potatoes is 68 calories
1 c of boiled potatoes is 136 calories

If I were going to eat this, I would do the lower meat and higher potato count because I am a verified carb hound So my meal would come in at 350 calories for:

3 oz. corned beef
1 c boiled cabbage
1 c boiled potatoes

But you can flip it and do more meat and less sides if you wish ! The recipes for this are pretty simple – throw the stuff in water with the seasoning packet that comes with the meat and boil like heck Here are links to a few recipes to help you judge timing:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Corned-Beef-and-Cabbage-I/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Corned-Beef-and-Cabbage-3/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Corned-Beef-and-Cabbage-II/Detail.aspx

AN IRISH BLESSING

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Simple ingredients combined to make a perfect complete meal – chicken, potatoes, spinach and a few other yummy things.

Chicken Hash

4 servings
295 calories per serving

2 6 oz. chicken breasts (bone in)
2 t oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, in ¼ inch pieces
2 large shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T water
½ lb. spinach, chopped
Fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with 2 t oil and season with salt and pepper and thyme. Roast 35 minutes or until done. Cut meat into bite sized pieces. Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water and cook 15 minutes or until tender. Heat 4 t oil in a skillet and cook shallots 3 minutes then add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add potatoes and cook 7 minutes or until browned. Then mix in chicken and spinach and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt, pepper and some fresh lemon juice.

Warm soup on a cold day; nothing could be better. This soup is a little bit pasta fagioli, a little bit chicken soup, a little bit minestrone and a little bit straccitella – it’s everything soup

Tuscan Chicken Soup

6 servings
390 calories per serving

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c coarsely chopped carrot
1 medium onion, chopped
13.25 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 c diced potatoes
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained – take ½ c and mash them; leave the rest whole
4 cups fat free chicken broth
2 cups vegetable broth
1 c water
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t oregano flakes
1 t parsley flakes
3 c cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
10 oz. spinach
3 T chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and oil in a soup pot – sauté onion 4 minutes. Add garlic, carrot, mushroom and potato and sauté another 7 minutes. Add broth, beans, mashed beans and seasoning and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes. Add basil and spinach and cook another 3 minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

Whether you serve these as a dinner side, a snack or an appetizer, you’ll be in love. Cheese and potatoes are just meant to go together !

Cheesy Stuffed Potatoes

16 servings
142 calories per serving (1 serving = ½ potato)

3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes (equaling roughly 8 potatoes)
1 c milk
1/3 c light sour cream
1/4 c low fat buttermilk
1 c shredded fontina or swiss cheese
1/4 c finely chopped chives (or 1 t dried chives)
2 T butter
Salt and pepper to taste
6 T grated parmesan cheese
paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean potatoes and pierce them then bake one hour or until tender. Let cool a bit and then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the flesh leaving a shell and about ¼ inch of potato on it. Preheat your broiler at this point. Mix the scooped out flesh with milk, sour cream, buttermilk, salt and pepper then stir in the fontina, chives and butter and place potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with parm and paprika. Broil 3-5 minutes or until cheese is all melted.

Make this casserole and watch it disappear ! The is good old all American food and it feeds a crowd !

Beef and Broccoli Casserole

8 servings
351 calories per serving

24 oz. broccoli, cut into small florets (about 6 cups)
2 T oil
1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
4 c skim milk
1/3 c cornstarch
2 c shredded low fat sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 c frozen hash browns or precooked shredded potatoes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 t pepper
Pam
1/4 t paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix broccoli florets with 1 T oil and toss to coat them lay on a baking sheet and cook 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Heat 1 T oil in a skillet and add onion and sauté 3 minutes then add beef and cook 10 minutes or until beef is browned. Be sure to break up the clumps of beef as it cooks. Add Worchestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and spoon into a 9×13 baking dish then top with the broccoli.

Whikh milk and starch and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Cook until bubbly and thick, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add in cheese, salt and turmeric. Pour over the beef and broccoli.

Mix potatoes, egg, salt and pepper and spoon over casserole. Spray the top with a bit of Pam so it will brown nicely and bake 45 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.

Nothing is better in winter than a pot of beef stew. And when you make it in the crock pot, the meat is so super tender. This one is a little more work than your typical crock pot recipe since different things have to happen at different times. But it is well worth it – the meat is super tender and the flavor is just great.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

8 servings
240 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. boneless chuck roast (trim off any fat)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
½ t pepper
6 c water
2 c red potatoes, cubed
8 carrots, cut into chunks
1 c frozen peas, thawed
1 c frozen corn, thawed
5 T cornstarch
6 T water

Put beef in crock and sprinkle with soup mix and pepper. Pour water around meat and cover. Cook on high 5 hours. Remove meat and cut into cubes. Return to crock with veggies and cook on low 2 hours or until veggies are soft. Combine cornstarch and cold water and then stir into crock. Cover and cook on low one more hour. If the gravy does not thicken up enough, you can take a bunch of the liquid and add another cornstarch mix, bring to a boil and then simmer 2 minutes. That will get it nice and thick. Then just add back to the stew pot and serve immediately.

The flavors in this dish remind me of a chicken and sausage casserole that my Mom used to make in the winters. This is a very filling meal – real comfort food !

Chicken and Sausage

4 servings
360 calories per serving

2 t oil
½ pound turkey sausage, casing removed and crumbled up
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (10 oz. total)
Kosher salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 onion, diced
1 lb. potatoes, quartered
3 ribs celery cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c chicken broth
2 T red vinegar
1 T chopped parsley

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat oil then add sausage and cook 5 minutes. Remove to plate. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan and cook until golden, about 6 minutes, flipping half way through. Move to plate. Add onion and celery and cook 5 minutes, then add potatoes and season with salt and pepper and cook 15 minutes. Add sausage back to pot and then chicken and broth. Bring to a boil them cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are done. Take off the lid and bring back to a boil and cook until liquid equals only ½ c. Place chicken on a platter and add vinegar and parsley to pot and stir. Then add the rest to the platter with a slotted spoon.