Oatmeal Pancakes

September 11, 2010 admin Leave a comment

These are nice hearty pancakes and make a great weekend breakfast.

4 servings
328 calories per serving

1 c quick oats
½ c flour
½ c whole wheat flour
1 T sugar
2 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 c buttermilk
2 T canola oil
1 t vanilla
Berries for the topping
Pam

Combine the first 7 ingredients. Combine eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix well. Stir into the dry ingredients. Pour batter by ¼ cupfuls onto a hot griddle sprayed with Pam. Turn when bubbles form and cook another minute or 2.

Serve with fruit, nuts, and a bit of sugar free maple syrup if you like. I usually serve with bananas 🙂

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Summer

Lemon Mousse

September 11, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is so super refreshing – so very lemony ! And just the perfect dessert on a hot summer night. The consistency is VERY light – it’s like eating a lemon cloud.

12 servings
99 calories per serving

2 .3 oz. sugar free lemon jello
2 c boiling water
14 oz. diet Sprite
¼ c lemon juice
12 oz. Cool Whip Lite, thawed

Mix jello with water and stir to dissolve then add soda and lemon juice and chill until slightly thickened. Beat until frothy and then stir in Cool Whip. Pour into individual cups and chill at least one hour.

Dinner, Fish

Broiled Cod with Chili Powder

September 10, 2010 admin 1 Comment

Cod is a nice white fish available in all fish markets and in most super markets. It is the fish of choice for fish sticks, but in its fresher unfrozen form, it has so much more flavor. If you can’t get cod, halibut will work nicely too. This is a great simple dish that doesn’t skimp on the flavor.

4 servings
122 calories per serving

4 4 oz. cod filets
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 T chili powder
4 lemon wedges
Pam

Preheat broiler. Spray baking sheet with Pam and place filets on it. Sprinkle filets with half the salt, pepper and chili powder. Broil 3 minutes. Turn and sprinkle with the remaining salt, pepper and chili powder. Continue broiling another 3-4 minutes or until opaque and done.

When out of the oven, spritz with the juice of one lemon wedge. Serve immediately.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Rice and Veggies

September 9, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Since your carbs and veggies are together in one dish, this recipe is a great side dish to complete a fish or chicken dish. It has just the right amount of veggies and a lovely mild flavor.

6 servings
147 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 c chopped onion
½ c chopped carrots
1/2 c chopped celery
½ c chopped red peppers
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 ½ c Minute white rice, raw
1 c frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and sauté onions, carrots, celery, peppers, salt and pepper for 7 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil and stir in the rice and peas. Cover and simmer 5 minutes then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes so liquid is absorbed.

Dinner, Pork

Pork Filets

September 8, 2010 admin Leave a comment

What a great pork recipe ! Any time you serve a sauce with something, it just makes it so much more special. And this sauce is special unto itself ! It is very flavorful with just the right amount of tang from the mustard and Worcestershire. Put the 2 together and you get a meal fit for a king !

2 servings
255 calories per serving

Pork:
8 oz. pork tenderloin
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
2 t oil

Sauce:
2 T minced shallots
¼ c white cooking wine
½ c chicken broth
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t lemon juice
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t butter
1/8 t kosher salt
Tabasco sauce to taste

Cut pork loin into 4 thick pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet until browned, about 6 minutes per side. Also sear the edges cooking the pork for a total of 16 minutes or until done throughout. Remove pork and keep warm. Saute shallots in same skillet 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in broth, Worcestershire, Dijon and lemon juice and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in parsley, butter and Tabasco. Drizzle sauce over filets.

Dinner, Sides, Videos

Pesto Potato Salad

September 7, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Instead of basil, this pesto is made with arugula and adds a nice tang to the salad. Sometimes instead of the yukon gold potatoes I use unpeeled new potatoes and the recipe is just as delicious !

8 servings
208 calories per serving

2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes
2 ½ c arugula leaves
1/3 c parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c pine nuts, toasted
3 T water
2 t lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ t salt
½ t pepper
¼ c olive oil
1 c grape tomatoes, halved

Cook potatoes covered in salted water 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Then peel the potatoes and cube them. Here is a great video on how to easily boil and peel potatoes.
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In a food processor mix arugula, 1/3 c cheese, 1/3 c pine nuts, water, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper then slowly add the oil and mix thoroughly. Pour mix over potatoes and stir in tomatoes. Serve at room temperature.

Dessert, Kid Friendly, Snacks, Summer

Fruit and Yogurt Pops

September 4, 2010 admin Leave a comment

Take one hot and sunny day, add 6 frozen fruit and yogurt pops, and you end up with a perfect way to spend the summer 🙂

6 servings
98 calories per serving

1 ½ c strawberry slices
¼ c sugar
1 ½ c blueberries
1 ¼ c low fat plain yogurt

Puree strawberries in food processor with 1 T sugar. Whisk yogurt and 2 T sugar. Puree blueberries in food processor with 1 T sugar. Make layers of fruit and yogurt in your ice pop mold, insert sticks and freeze at least 3 hours.

Appetizers, Lunch, Vegetables

Quiche with Rice Crust

September 3, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This is an excellent quiche – no one would ever know you never even opened the oven ! The Swiss cheese is just perfect with the spinach and mushrooms. And the crust is so much more flavorful than a regular crust. You’ll definitely make this one again and again.

8 servings
116 calories per serving

1 ½ c cooked brown rice
1 c shredded low fat swiss cheese
¾ c Egg Beaters
¼ t curry powder
10 oz. package of frozen spinach, thawed and pressed dry in a colander
¾ c evaporated skim milk
½ c sliced mushrooms
2 T chopped shallots
¼ t garlic powder
¼ t onion powder
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper

Combine rice, ½ c cheese, ¼ c Egg Beaters and curry and press into the bottom of a 9” glass pie plate. Microwave 4 minutes or until firm. Combine spinach, milk, mushrooms, onion, spices, ½ c cheese and ½ c Egg Beaters and mix well then pour into the crust and microwave on 50% power 20 minutes (rotate it every 5 minutes or so if your microwave does not have a turntable) or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Summer

Mojo Chicken

September 2, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This marinade is reminiscent of a Mojito – it makes a great, refreshing, summery chicken recipe. Sometimes instead of boneless breasts I par boil split breasts and then slightly score the breast meat before marinating and grilling.

6 servings
200 calories per serving

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Perdue Perfect Portions work great here !)

Marinade:
¾ c orange juice
3 T lime juice
3 T oil
2 T parsley, minced
2 t mint, minced
2 t oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t salt
½ t ground ginger
½ t ground allspice
Pam

Make some shallow slits in the chicken and place in a zip loc bag along with all the other ingredients. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Spray a grill with High Heat Pam and grill chicken to desired doneness.

Kid Friendly, Snacks

Lo Cal Ranch Dip

September 2, 2010 admin Leave a comment

This dip would be equally as good used as a salad dressing (even though it is nice and thick). But as a dip for vegetables, it makes the perfect healthy snack.

2 cups
87 calories per serving (1 serving=3 T)

1 c light mayonnaise
2 T lemon juice
2 T chopped parsley
2 T chopped green onion
1 packet Equal
1 T dry ranch salad dressing mix
1 T Dijon mustard
1 ½ t minced garlic
¼ t salt
¾ c buttermilk

Combine mayo, juice, parsley, onion, Equal, mustard, garlic, ranch mix and salt and whisk well. Then whisk in buttermilk and cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Serve with veggies.