Category Archives: Kid Friendly

Quick and Easy Mushroom Risotto

July 12, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto. Get creative with your mushrooms – mix it up, use some canned, some fresh, some baby bellas, some portobellos – have fun 🙂

4 servings
164 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c mushrooms (your choice on type of mushroom) diced very small
Pam
½ t onion powder
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and cook shallots until tender. Add rice and cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in water, flavoring, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Spray a small skillet with Pam and sauté mushrooms with onion powder for 3-4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into finished rice (it will still be quite moist) and let stand covered 5 minutes. If not a creamy texture, add in some hot water. Finally stir in parmesan cheese.

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Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pasta

Chicken Piccata and Orzo

July 5, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Orzo, chicken, piccata sauce – – pure heaven ! This is one of my favorite dishes. It is definitely restaurant worthy and it’s so easy to do. It’s a great dish to make when entertaining – your guests won’t even know they are eating healthy 🙂

4 servings
346 calories per serving

1 c uncooked orzo
2 t grated lemon rind
4 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken cutlets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil
1/4 c white wine
1/2 c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice plus 1 t lemon juice
1 T chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Cook orzo according to package instructions. Stir in the lemon zest. 1 t lemon juice, salt and pepper and keep warm. Heat oil in a skillet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and then cook chicken 3-4 minutes each site or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep it warm. Add wine to pan and cook 2 minutes then add broth and 1 T lemon juice and bring to a boil and cook another 2 minutes or until it’s reduced to ½ c total. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and butter until the butter is melted. Serve chicken over orzo.

Dinner, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta, Turkey

Spaghetti with Sausage

June 30, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Spaghetti. Sausage. ‘Nuff said ! 🙂

4 servings
380 calories per serving

8 oz. hot Italian turkey sausage
8 oz. FiberGourmet spaghetti (if you use regular spaghetti, you have to add 80 calories per serving)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 T oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t kosher salt
½ t onion powder
½ t basil flakes
½ t oregano flakes
1/4 c basil, chopped
2 oz. shaved Parmesan cheese

Preheat broiler and cook sausage 5 minutes per side or until completely cooked. Slice sausage into ¼ inch thick pieces and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil another 2 minutes to get them nice and brown. Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat oil in a skillet and add pepper and garlic and sauté then add tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and onion powder and cook 5-7 minutes. Add sausage and cook another 5 minutes. Garnish with cheese and basil.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pork, Summer

Grilled Hawaiian Pork Chops

June 28, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Great chops grilled to perfection ! The Hawaiian marinade is world class.

4 servings
219 calories per serving

2 lb. bone in pork chops (4 chops)
3 oz. pineapple juice
3 T soy sauce
4 T water
½ t pepper
½ t ground mustard seed
2 t minced garlic

Prepare marinade and let pork chops marinate for at least ½ hour. Heat grill and cook pork chops until done.

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Kid Friendly, Lunch, Sandwiches, Turkey

Turkey Melt

June 27, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Hot turkey and gravy out of the oven are good enough along – but add in bacon and cheese and you definitely have a winner ! I can’t believe this is only 293 calories – it tastes so decadent.

4 servings
293 calories per serving

8 slices wheat bread (45 calories per slice or less) toasted
1 lb. sliced cooked turkey
1/2 c water
1 c condensed low fat Cream of Mushroom soup
1 c shredded low fat sharp cheddar cheese
8 slices lightly cooked turkey bacon

Preheat broiler. Lay toast on a baking sheet and distribute turkey slices among bread. Mix water and soup and heat thoroughly. Spoon heated soup over turkey and sprinkle with the cheese and then top with bacon. Broil 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Butterscotch Bars

June 25, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Sweet, chewy, yummy Butterscotch Bars that the whole family will love !

36 servings
148 calories per serving

1 c packed brown sugar
5 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
9 oz. flour
2 1/2 c quick oats
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
Pam
3/4 c fat free sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 c butterscotch morsels
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar and butter with a mixer until light colored and then stir in egg and vanilla. Mix flour, oats, salt and baking soda then add this mix to the sugar mix stirring with a fork until combined. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam and then take 3 c of the oat mix and press it into the pan making a crust. Heat morsels and condensed milk until morsels are all melted and then stir in nuts. Spread this mix over the crust and then sprinkle with the rest of the oat mix. Bake ½ hour or until golden brown. When it comes out of the oven, loosen the edges with a knife and then let cool completely before cutting into bars.

Kid Friendly, Snacks

Microwave Chips

June 22, 2011 admin 1 Comment

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You can’t get a potato chip fresher than this. In just a couple of minutes you have a perfect snack size serving and they are sooooo good. I don’t even peel the potato first.

4 servings (1 serving = 12-14 chips)
141 calories per serving

1 1/3 lb Yukon gold unpeeled
2 t oil
½ t salt
Pam

Slice potatoes super thin (I use a mandolin to do this – just be sure to user the guard !). Mix slices with oil and salt. Spray a glass dish with Pam and spread a single layer of potatoes on the plate. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes or until they start to brown. Turn and microwave until they start to crisp around the edges (another 2 minutes or so). Work in batches. Cool completely.

Beef, Dinner, FiberGourmet, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta

Pasta and Beef Bake

June 20, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Sometimes baking prepared pasta and sauce makes it taste like a whole different meal – and when you add in a layer of decadent cheese, then it really feels special 🙂 This is super easy to do and tastes GREAT !

4 servings
392 calories

8 oz. Uncooked FiberGourmet penne or rotini (without using FiberGourmet pasta, you add 80 calories per serving)
½ lb. extra lean ground beef
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
4.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 t basil flakes or 1 T fresh basil, chopped
½ t oregano flakes
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
½ t onion powder
½ t garlic powder
Red pepper flakes if you like it spicy
½ c fat free shredded mozzarella cheese
Pam

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 inch baking dish with Pam. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Brown ground beef and drain then add tomato sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms herbs and spices and bring to a boil them remove from heat and stir in pasta then turn into the baking dish and cover and bake 15 minutes. Then uncover and sprinkle with cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes.

Breakfast, Kid Friendly, Mexican

Sausage Breakfast Wraps

June 19, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I love a dish you can make for a hungry breakfast crowd that doesn’t entail you standing at the stove being a short order cook 😉 You can put this one together and throw it in the oven then sit and have coffee and chat while it cooks up perfectly. It turns out a flavorful Mexican inspired dish that everyone enjoys !

10 servings
277 calories per serving

1 lb. Italian seasoned turkey sausage, casing removed
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
32 oz. Egg Beaters
4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 t chili powder
10 flour tortillas, warmed
1 ¼ c salsa
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage, peppers and onions in a skillet until sausage is done, and then drain on paper towels. Place in a 13×9 baking dish sprayed with Pam. Mix eggs, green chilies and chili powder and pour over the turkey mix. Bake uncovered 30-35 minutes or until set then break up with a spoon. Place 2/3 c of egg mix down the center of each tortilla then wrap up securely.

Here is a video that will show you how to fold up a wrap securely

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Fish, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Sandwiches

Tuna Pitas

June 16, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Serve up your tuna in a pita and it just become a whole different animal ! This is one of my favorite ways to eat tuna – with lotsa celery bits. But if you don’t like celery, substitute chopped up pickles or onions. The addition of the lemon pepper seasoing gives this extra special flavor !

1 serving
373 calories per serving

6 oz. light tuna packed in water, drained
2 T light mayo
3 T chopped celery
½ t onion powder
¼ t salt
¾ t lemon pepper seasoning
1 Sahara Pita bread (or any other brand that comes in at 170 calories or less)

Mix tuna, mayo, celery, salt, onion powder and lemon pepper. Spoon into pitas and serve.