Category Archives: Kid Friendly

Dinner, FiberGourmet, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta

Fettucine Carbonara

May 10, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Once again, FiberGourmet Pasta makes it possible to have a serving of this PLUS a side and that makes me a happy camper 🙂 This carbonara is very tasty and without any oil, it comes in at just 300 calories per serving. Enjoy !

4 servings
300 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet fettuccine noodles (without FiberGourmet pasta, you have to add another 80 calories per serving to this)
2/3 c fat free chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
3 oz. Canadian bacon, in thin strips
3 c sliced mushrooms
1 c frozen peas
¼ c grated parmesan cheese
2 T fat free sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the broth to a boil then add onion and cook 3 minutes. Then add the bacon and mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes or until mushrooms are very soft. Add the peas, salt and pepper and heat through and then stir in the cheese and sour cream. Cook pasta according to directions and serve with sauce.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pork, Summer

Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic

May 7, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Sometimes simple is the best. And pork chops are just great simply sprinkled with garlic and grilled. Here I added a dollop of My Salsa Verde for only a few extra calories. It gives the meat some extra moisture and a whole lotta extra flavor.

4 servings
135 calories per serving

4 4 oz. boneless pork chops
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder

Preheat grill. Place chops in a dish and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle with minced garlic and a bit of water to help keep them moist. Cool 5 minutes per side or until done.

Kid Friendly, Lunch

Homemade Hot Pockets

May 6, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Even your kids won’t recognize the carrots inside so why not boost their veggie intake ?!? And for us adults, it just makes the meal more nutritious without sacrificing any of the flavor. This is definitely a great lunch paired with a side salad.

4 servings
265 calories per serving

10 oz. can refrigerated pizza dough
¼ c pizza sauce
¼ c finely shredded carrot
24 turkey pepperoni slices
1 T fat free grated parmesan
1 t garlic powder
1 t oregano flakes
2 slices fat free mozzarella cheese (1.5 oz), cut in half

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into a 12×12 square and then cut into 4 equal squares. Spread 1 T sauce on each square leaving about ½ inch border then top with carrot, pepperoni, garlic powder, oregano, and cheeses and fold each in half and press edges to seal them then bake 12-15 minutes on an ungreased sheet.

Kid Friendly, Lunch, Sandwiches

Toasted Clubs

May 5, 2010 admin Leave a comment

A big meaty, juicy, tasty sandwich just doesn’t seem like it can fit into a 400 calorie per meal diet – but it does ! And this one is sooooo tasty. Bacon, avocado, mayonnaise, dill, meat, cheese – you just can’t go wrong !!

2 servings
328 calories per serving

2 T fat free mayo
¼ t dill weed
1/2 t lemon juice
1/8 t pepper
4 slices whole wheat toast
4 slices thin deli roast beef
4 slices thin deli ham
2 slices low fat provolone or swiss cheese
2 lettuce leaves
2 tomato slices
2 bacon strips cooked and crumbled
¼ c alfalfa sprouts
¼ c avocado sliced

Combine mayo, dill, juice and pepper and spread over the toast. Add the sandwich meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sprouts and bacon and the top with the avocado slices.

Breakfast, Kid Friendly

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

May 1, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Take the whole frying hassle out of French toast preparation – and add some great apples and nuts along the way. This was a really easy way to prep a great breakfast. Add some extra maple syrup over the top to give it even more flavor !

4 servings
280 calories per serving

½ c Egg Beaters
2 egg whites
¾ c skim milk
1 T Splenda
½ t vanilla extract
½ t cinnamon
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread (80 calories per slice) cut in half diagonally
1 t buttery spread
1 T maple syrup
2 apples sliced thinly
4 T sliced almonds
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with Pam. Whisk Egg Beaters, egg whites, milk, splenda, vanilla and cinnamon then pour into pan and top with the bread slices. Flip the bread over once to it gets a little coating on each side. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes then remove foil and bake another 8-10 minutes. Melt butter in skillet and add syrup, then apples. Cover and cook on low heat 10 minutes or until apples are soft then uncover and cook 1 minute to dry up the mix a little. Serve bread with the apple mixture over top and sprinkle with nuts.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Turkey

Turkey Stroganoff

April 25, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Think Hamburger Helper without the hamburger 🙂 For the stroganoff flavoring and the noodles, I just used a box of Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff. But then I substituted turkey and added a few twists. This one is really super good !

4 servings
395 calories per serving

1 lb. lean ground turkey
½ t pepper
½ t salt
1 t gravy master
1 t dehydrated onion flakes
3 ½ c water
1 package beef stroganoff sauce mix
3 c uncooked medium egg noodles
½ c sour cream
½ c canned peas
Parsley for garnish

Cook turkey in a hot skillet on medium high heat until it is no longer pink. Toward the end add 1 t of Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet so that the meat gets browner and more resembles ground beef. Mix in salt and pepper, onion flakes, water, sauce mix and noodles and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook 8 minutes or until noodles are tender. Half way through, stir in the peas. Stir in sour cream and heat through on low heat. Garnish with parsley just before serving.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Summer

Frosty Fruit Cups

April 23, 2010 admin 1 Comment

These little desserts very much remind me of a yogurt pie recipe which I actually have scheduled to make in a couple of weeks. These only take 5 minutes to throw together and they are so sweet and tart ! You can really use any flavor yogurt and any chopped fruit so mix it up and have some fun 🙂

12 servings
74 calories per serving

2 c nonfat orange yogurt
17 oz. can apricot halves, drained and chopped
¼ c chopped pecans

Combine yogurt and fruit. Divide among 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with nuts. Freeze 2 hours and them remove from cups and serve in small bowls. I use silicone cups for desserts such as these. (they are also great for making cupcakes !!)

If they remain frozen for more than a couple of hours, defrost for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Appetizers, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides, Snacks

Potato Skins

April 20, 2010 admin 1 Comment

These are very filling and make a great snack, appetizer or even a side to a low cal fish dish. You can always dress them up with more ‘stuff’ and just each one to keep the calorie count down – they are very filling, so one should do as a side. Tye adding some cooked crumbled turkey bacon, or some extra low fat cheddar cheese…maybe even some caramelized onions !

4 servings
262 calories per serving

4 large potatoes (8 oz. each)
2 t oil
¼ c parmesan cheese
½ c skim milk
3 T low fat cream cheese
¾ t salt
¼ t pepper
3 T low fat sour cream
3 T sliced scallions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash the potatoes and prick them with a fork. Microwave on high 10 minutes, then turn and microwave another 5 minutes. Let cook a bit and then slice in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flash keep the skins intact. Place the skins on a cookie sheet and brush with the oil and sprinkle with 2 t of the parmesan cheese. Bake 10 minutes or until golden. Meantime mix the rest of the parmesan with the potato, milk, cream cheese, salt and pepper. When skins are toasty, fill with the potato mix and bake another 7-9 minutes or until hot throughout. Dollop with sour cream and sprinkle with scallion just before serving.

Dinner, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta, Sides

Herbed Orzo

April 20, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Orzo is just one of my most favorite side dishes. It has to come in smaller portions nowadays, but it still fit into the meal plan, especially when served simply with lemon and cut up herbs.

4 servings
170 calories per serving

1 c dry orzo
3 T chopped fresh herbs (one or a mix – parsley, basil, cilantro, etc.)
2 t lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and mix with the remaining ingredients.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Strawberry Brownie Cake

April 19, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Since you start with brownie mix, this one couldn’t be easier. And the results are quite elegant, quite decadent and very chocolatey Make this one the next time you have guests over and you can have a full portion of dessert for under 400 calories !

8 servings
350 calories per serving

Brownie:
15.8 oz. package of fudge brownie mix
¼ c water
2 T oil
1 egg
Pam

Filling:
8 oz. Cool Whip Free
2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 nine inch round (you could use square as well) cake pans with foil and spray with Pam. Be sure to start at one side and press the foil down into the crease before moving around – if you try to do it all at once, the foil invariably rips. Combine brownie ingredients and mix well with a spoon and pour into the 2 pans and spread out so the whole pan is covered then bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool the pans 20 minutes and then lift out foil and then cool cakes 1 hour longer. Place one brownie top side down on plate and spread with ½ the Cool Whip and lay on ½ the strawberry slices. Place the second brownie on top, top side up and spread with the rest of the Cool Whip and the rest of the strawberries. Placing the first one down with the top toward the plate means the 2 layers where the cakes meet are both nice and flat and this way you don’t get one sliding off the other 🙂