Drinks, FiberGourmet, Kid Friendly, Pasta, Sides

Baked Mac and Cheese

December 3, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Add a layer of healthy spinach, use low fat cheese and FiberGourmet pasta and quickly you have a healthy alternative and a fan favorite 🙂

4 servings
366 calories per serving

3 T breadcrumbs
1 t oil
½ t paprika
20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed
1 3/4 c skim milk, divided
3 T flour
2 c shredded low fat extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1 c low fat cottage cheese
1/8 t nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces FiberGourmet penne or elbow pasta
Pam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with Pam. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika. Squeeze out spinach in a colander so it is very dry. Mix ¼ c milk with flour. Heat 1 ½ c milk until steaming and them whisk in the rest of the milk and continue whisking until it is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar until melted. Then stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook pasta about 4 minutes (do not cook all the way or it will be too mushy after it bakes). Mix pasta and cheese and place half of it in the baking dish. Then add the spinach and top with the rest of the pasta. Sprinkle with the breadcrumb mix and then bake 30 minutes or until golden.

Dessert, Kid Friendly

Peaches and Cream

December 1, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I love fruit with vanilla yogurt. Adding some jam and graham cracker crumbs just makes it that much better ! This is a special dessert that the family will love.

1 serving
270 calories per serving

1/2 c frozen vanilla yogurt (I love Turkey Hill brand)
½ can (OZ) canned peaches in juice, drained and pat dry a bit
1 T raspberry or strawberry jam, warmed in the microwave
2 T Cool Whip
2 T crushed graham cracker

Place yogurt in bowl and add peaches. Drizzle jam on top then add whipped topping and graham crackers.

Crock pot, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Pork

Crock Pot Pork Loin

November 30, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This tenderloin comes out juicy and tender after cooking all day. There is nothing quite as convenient as a crock pot ! The onion soup mix holds all the flavor you need to make this a family favorite.

6 servings
291 calories per serving

2 lb. pork tenderloin
1 oz. envelope dry onion soup mix
1 c water
3/4 c red or white cooking wine
3 T garlic, minced
3 T soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Place meat in crock and sprinkle with the soup mix. Add water, wine and soy and turn the meat to coat it. Spread garlic on top of roast and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook on high 4 hours or low 7-8 hours. If you like the top to be brown, broil for a few minutes before slicing.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides, Vegetables

Broccoli AuGratin

November 28, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I like when you can take a healthy vegetable and disguise it enough that you can get a picky kids to eat it 🙂 This one has enough cheese and crumbly topping to make it disappear !

8 servings
120 calories per serving

3 c water
2 c baby carrots, cut in half
4 c broccoli florets (very small pieces)
10 whole wheat Ritz crackers, crushed
3 T grated parmesan cheese
1 T butter, melted
4 oz. light Velveeta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 oz. light cream cheese

Preheat broiler. Boil water and add carrots. Simmer for 8 minutes then add broccoli and simmer another 3 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl.

Microwave Velveeta and cream cheese on high 1 minute then stir and cook another 30 seconds or until completely melted. Pour on top of veggies. Mix crackers and parm and butter and sprinkle on top of the veggies and cheese and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the crumbs.

Appetizers

Roasted Garlic Dip

November 26, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Just the right amount of garlic in a great savory dip that is perfect for any occasion.

4 servings
155 calories per serving

2 whole garlic heads
4 T mayonnaise
5 T plain Greek yogurt
1 t mustard
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Separate the garlic cloves from the whole head, peel them and place in a baking dish and mix with the oil and salt. Cover with foil and bake / roast 30-40 minutes (or until very tender) and then let cool 5 minutes. Mash garlic with a fork then combine with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and chill. Sprinkle with black pepper just before serving.

Chicken, Crock pot, Dinner

Chicken Marrakesh (Crock Pot)

November 25, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I love being able to throw together a meal in the morning and not think about it again until it’s time to put it on the table. Chicken Marrakesh is a great dish with the subtle flavors of cuisine from Morocco.

8 servings
290 calories per serving

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
15 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground turmeric
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t black pepper
2 t parsley flakes
Salt to taste
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

Place the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, chick peas, and chicken into a slow cooker. Stir herbs into tomatoes then pour tomatoes over and stir well. Cover and cook on high 5 hours or low 8-9 hours.

Dinner

Roasted Pepper Sauce

November 23, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is great served on top of any simple grilled beef, chicken, pork or fish but I personally think the sweetness of the red peppers pairs the best with a simple roasted chicken.

6 ¼ c servings
46 calories per serving

4 medium red bell peppers, washed, cored, cut in half and seeded
1 ½ c no fat chicken broth
½ c white wine
1 T chopped basil
2 T margarine
¼ t salt

Preheat broiler and place peppers skin side up on a baking sheet lined with foil. Cook 15 minutes or until blackened. Cover and let cool 15 minutes. The skins should now peel off easily. Blend peppers, broth and wine until smooth and then place in a saucepan with the basil. Bring to a boil and the reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Then add margarine and salt and stir until melted. Cover and keep warm. You can also refrigerate this and just reheat individual portions in the microwave.

Appetizers, Mediterranean

Olive Tapenade

November 22, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I can’t stop eating this !! It is just delicious. Serve as a spread on sandwiches, or as an appetizer with melba toasts or some other cracker.

16 servings (1 serving = 2T)
37 calories per serving

1 c kalamata olives, pitted
1 c green olives, pitted
1 T chopped parsley
1 t chopped thyme
1 t grated lemon rind
¼ t pepper
10 oil cured olives, pitted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t red pepper flakes

Place all in a food processor and pulse until chopped pretty fine. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides, Vegetables

Corn Salsa

November 21, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This can be eaten as a side, or use in smaller portions as a salsa over the top of broiled fish or chicken. Very savory, very easy to put together and very healthy !

4 servings
58 calories per serving

4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 c corn kernels (frozen and thawed or fresh)
¼ c chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno or ¼ of a green bell pepper, chopped finely
¼ c fat free zesty Italian dressing
Squirt of lime

Mix all together and chill at least 1 hour.

Dinner, Fish

Quick Whitefish and Vegetables

November 20, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Fish smothered in diced veggies. What a great pesto flavor shines through for using so little of it. This was an awesome meal and it is very quick to prepare !

4 servings
180 calories per serving

4 4 oz. tilapia or other white fish filets
1/4 c low fat Italian dressing, divided
1 T pesto (prepared pesto is available in the refrigerator section at your grocer)
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 c grape tomatoes, halved
3 T chopped basil or parsley
Pepper to taste

Brush fish with half the dressing and sauté 4-5 minutes per side or until done. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add veggies, pesto, pepper and the rest of the dressing and sauté 5-7 minutes or until slightly tender. Garnish with basil or any other fresh herb.