Hi, my name is Aileen and it’s great to see you here sharing my blog. I have been cooking since I was a teen. My Mom put a home cooked meal on the table every night and so do I (it’s a challenge when you work full time, but it is well worth it!). I love food – I love making it, I love eating it. I love how it brings people together. My most favorite thing to do is share a meal with family and friends. And we often end up talking about other food while we are eating this food.
There’s pretty much nothing I can’t make, though I really prefer cooking savory meals to baking. I have made it all from scratch at one time or another and still cook mainly this way. I have a discerning palate and a taste for spicing things just the right way. My recipes are definitely not bland and that helps when creating satisfying meals – your mouth knows it ate after it’s done with one of my meals
I am one of 5 Neon Pigs, a self named group of foodies. How did we get the name? We decided it was sooooo appropriate because everything right in the world exists in a BBQ joint with a neon pig hung in the window
I was blessed with a great metabolism and for years and years ate anything I wished without gaining an ounce. From 35 forward I gained a few pounds here and a few pounds there and then after age 40 my metabolism came to a screeching halt and I could just not get off the weight that had compounded with just plain exercise. A drastic plan was needed….so here I am, 40 something and trying to make my world right by creating recipes that satisfy yet still fall into a healthful lifestyle that I know I will have to now forever follow if I want to maintain a healthy body.
Easy as pie and so much better for you then the predone ones you get in the freezer section. These take just a moment to prepare and are done cooking in 3-4 minutes. You just can’t go wrong with this crowd pleaser. Serve as an appetizer, lunch, or a quick after school snack !
Mini Pizzas
6 servings (1 bagel per serving)
120 calories per serving
6 mini bagels
1/4 c pizza sauce
1 t oregano flakes
1 t basil flakes
3/4 cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat broiler. Split the bagels and toast them lightly. Then spread with sauce and sprinkle with spices. Finally add the cheese and then broil 3-4 minutes to melt cheese. Add some crushed red pepper if you like it spicy !
A great sandwich that doesn’t send you over the top with calories – tasty, filling, and a great portable lunch.
Submarine Best
1 serving
395 calories per serving
1 small club roll
4 slices thin deli sliced lean ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
4 slices thin deli sliced lean turkey (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
2 slices Kraft fat free singles
½ green pepper, sliced thinly
2 slices tomato
2 T sliced black olives
1 T fat free balsamic vinaigrette
Place meats and cheese on roll. Top with peppers, olives and tomatoes then drizzle with dressing.
These taste just like the ones I get at my favorite Greek restaurant. So good and a great side to most any dish 🙂
Greek Potatoes
8 servings
214 calories per serving
4 medium russet baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 c water
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 T oregano flakes, plus more for garnish
1 t salt
½ t pepper
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Toss potatoes with water, oil, juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Turn potatoes and liquid onto a baking sheet and arrange in one layer. Bake uncovered about 50 minutes or until ford tender. Half way through, turn potatoes and add water if liquid is all absorbed. Garnish with extra oregano.
You make it like a grilled cheese, only it is sweet and delicious and utterly decadent. Serve for a sweet treat breakfast, as a dessert, or for a snack !
Chocolate Raspberry Delight
4 servings
345 calories per serving
8 slices 45 calorie wheat bread
½ c Nutella
12 oz. fresh raspberries (or defrosted frozen berries work fine too)
Spread 4 slices of bread with Nutella. Lightly mash the raspberries and add to the sandwiches and top with the remaining slices of bread.
To make this a hot sandwich, just follow the directions below:
Spray a heated pan with Pam. Spray outsides of sandwich with a couple spritzes of butter spray and cook 2-3 minutes per side in a hot skillet or a total of 3-4 minutes in a Panini press. Top with berries. Optionally, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar before serving.
There is an Italian dish called Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (spaghetti with garlic and olive oil) – the way it sounds and not being able to pronounce it, my daughter used to say we were having ‘Spaghetti Hallelujah’ for dinner. It still makes me giggle whenever I think about it 🙂 This recipe is for a similar dish, but with some added shrimp to make it a great complete meal. It is one of my favorite Italian dishes – so simple yet scrumptious… like some of the best homemade dishes.
This version removes a lot of the oil replacing it with chicken broth to save a ton of calories. The flavor profiles are still there, though and while not quite authentic, this is a great low cal version.
Garlic Shrimp with Spaghetti
4 servings
397 calories per serving
Pam
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
½ t pepper
Salt to taste
½ t garlic powder
8 oz. FiberGourmet Spaghetti
1 c chicken broth
1 T olive oil
5 T chopped parsley
4 T grated parmesan cheese
Spray skillet with Pam and add garlic and mushrooms and cook 4 minutes. Add shrimp, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and cook another 4 minutes or until shrimp get translucent. Cook linguini according to package instructions. Drain, cover and keep warm. Add broth to skillet and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer. Stir in parsley and cook another 4 minutes to meld flavors. Mix shrimp mix and pasta together with oil and serve each portion with 1 T of parmesan cheese over the top.
The avocado topping brings back much needed moisture to an often dry turkey burger. Feel free to add tomato and onion slices – they carry a minimum of calories. If you can’t get your hands on a nice ripe avocado, substitute Wholly Guacamole (a super fresh guac available in the refrigerator section of your market).
Turkey Burger with Avocado
2 servings
330 calories per serving
2 turkey burgers (Jennie-O)
2 100 calorie buns (Arnold Select Sandwich Thins – multi grain)
Pam
1/2 c worth of avocado slices (about 6 slices) – or use some Wholly Guacamole (available at most markets)
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Heat a pan on medium high. Remove from heat to spray with Pam. Heat frozen burgers according to package instructions (you can alternately grill or broil the burgers, but cook them slow so they do not dry out). When done, place on a bun and add 3 slices of avocado on the top.
This makes the job of making avocado slices a breeze – tools such as these make perfect slices all the time !
FLAVOR EXPLOSION ! There are tons of bold flavors in this salad and dressing – and they mix to perfection ! Feta cheese, mustard, orange, radicchio, basil, feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes – – all mingling together to serve up a big, bold salad.
Chicken Salad with White Beans
4 servings
398 calories per serving
Vinaigrette
1 clove garlic, chopped and mashed
¼ teaspoon salt
4 T oil
6 T orange juice
¼ c vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
Salad
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 ½ c diced cooked chicken breast (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !)
2 c diced zucchini
1 ½ c cups diced celery
¼ c crumbled low fat feta cheese
¼ c chopped, sun-dried tomatoes (rinse them off in water and dry them with a paper towel first)
1 c coarsely chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c torn escarole or romaine
2 cups torn radicchio
Mash garlic with ¼ t salt and then whisk in the oil. Add juice, vinegar and mustard and whisk to combine. Add more salt if necessary. Prepare all salad ingredients and toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
Quick and simple yet sooooo flavorful, I love restaurant quality meals that whip up in no time ! Serve with quick brown rice.
Lemon Ginger Tenders
4 servings
150 calories per serving
1 t cornstarch
1 T soy sauce
12 oz. chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c chicken broth (fat free)
1 t fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T Splenda
1 t cornstarch
1 T oil
1/4 c red bell pepper in strips
1/4 c green bell pepper in strips
Mix 1 t cornstarch and 1 T soy in a bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Put bowl in the frig for 10 minutes. Stir lemon juice, 1/4 c soy, broth, ginger, garlic, Splenda and 1 t cornstarch in a bowl. Heat oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes then add sauce and sliced peppers and cook 3-4 minutes.
The Morningstar Farms sausage links are made out of all veggies – the consistency is not quite there, but the sausage flavor is AWESOME. When placed on a nice big roll and smothered in peppers and onions, you don’t even realize that you are not eating real sausage ! This is a great way to still have one of your favorites but have a guilt free version.
'Sausage' and Pepper Sandwich
1 serving
375 calories per serving
4 bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
Pam
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
hot water
1 link Morningstar sausage heated according to package instructions
1 small club roll
Place oil in large skillet and heat to medium high. Put onions in pan and saute 5 minutes. Move onions to the side, remove pan from heat and spray skillet with Pam. Return to heat and add peppers to skillet. Let cook down a little and then season with all the spices. After about 5 minutes, lower heat to medium and continue cooking to desired doneness. I like mine pretty soft and let them cook a good 20 minutes. If you do the same, you will likely need to add a couple tablespoons of hot water a couple times during the cooking process so that the veggie stay moist and do not burn.
Place sausage on roll and top with peppers and onions.
You won’t even miss the frosting when you make this awesome raspberry sauce – the extra flair is a nice touch to add to a holiday table.
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
8 servings
210 calories per serving
Cake:
9 oz. package devil’s food cake mix
1/3 c light sour cream
¼ c water
¼ c Egg Beaters
2 t powdered sugar
Pan prep:
Pam
1 T flour
Sauce:
10 oz. frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
3 T sugar
1 t cornstarch
¼ t vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan with Pam and then lightly flour it. (INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO) Combine all cake ingredients except the powdered sugar and beat 2 minutes at medium speed then spread into prepared pan. Bake 25 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool ½ hour and then invert onto a plate and sprinkle with sugar. In a blender puree berries until smooth and strain out the seeds by pushing the puree through a sieve. Combine puree, sugar and starch in a saucepan and cook on low heat until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm sauce over cake. Garnish with fresh raspberries.
