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What Food Blogging is to Me…
Greek Chicken Pitas
The hummus spread inside the pita before inserting the other ingredients makes every bite full of flavor. And when you eat something with lots of flavor, you are apt to feel more satisfied !
4 servings
280 calories per serving
2 c chopped romaine lettuce
1 c chopped roasted chicken breast
2/3 c diced English cucumber
½ c red bell pepper, chopped very small
1/4 c crumbled feta cheese
2 T lemon juice
2 T oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
6 T roasted red bell pepper hummus (in the refrigerator section at the food market)
2 6 inch whole wheat pitas slit at the top so you can fill it
Combine lettuce, chicken, cucumber and feta. Add lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Spread hummus inside pitas and then add the chicken mix.
Pork Stew
This one is so easy to do and produces great results consistently (I have been making it for years). And there is nothing like throwing the meal in the crock pot in the morning and then not having to worry about it all afternoon!
6 servings
380 calories per serving
1 T oil
1 ½ lb. boneless pork cut into bite sized pieces
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper
8 small red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
2 c fresh baby carrots cut in half lengthwise
12 oz. jar fat free pork gravy
¼ c ketchup
¼ t pepper
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
1 ½ c frozen cut green beans, thawed
Heat oil in a large skillet and on high heat cool pork with salt and 1/8 t pepper. Cook 5 minutes or so, or until browned. Mix pork and the rest of the ingredients other than the green beans in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, stir in green beans and increase heat to high and continue cooking 20 minutes.
Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies
These are very rich and not very sweet – if you like a sweet cookie, you can almost double the amount of Splenda. But I prefer to keep these a little less sweet and top with some powdered sugar. I’m still on my search for the perfect low cal oatmeal cookie – this one is good, but not ‘the one’ yet.
40 servings
50 calories per serving (1 cookie=1 serving)
1 c flour
1 1/4 c rolled oats
6 T cocoa powder
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
6 T margarine
1/2 c Splenda
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla
1 t almond extract
Up to ½ c warm water
Pam
Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oats, cocoa, baking powder and salt. In a different bowl beat margarine and Splenda on medium speed 2 minutes or until light and fluffy and then beat in eggs one at a time, then add the extracts and stir in the dry ingredients and up to ½ c warm water to make the dough moist enough. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam and then flatten each with a couple of times with a fork (dip in water if the fork sticks to the dough). Bake 10 minutes or just until a bit puffy. Cool on baking sheets a minute and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Greek Orzo
Orzo is one of my favorite pastas – I have to be careful because when it’s around, I have a hard time keeping to my serving size ! This recipe is especially good and incorporates 2 strong flavors that go well together, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese. Next time I might add some fresh basil just before serving.
2 servings
293 calories per serving
1 ½ c chicken broth
½ c orzo
2 T minced sun dried tomatoes
2 T crumbled feta cheese
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
Bring broth to a boil and stir in orzo and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes and feta. Stir until feta melts a bit. Season with salt and pepper.
Sweet Muffins
A sweet alternative to cinnamon toast – this one is quick to make and wonderful tasting.
1 serving
146 calories per serving
1 100 calories whole wheat light English muffin
2 t lite buttery spread
10 sprays I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
3/4 t Splenda
1/2 t cinnamon
Combine Splenda and cinnamon. Spread muffin halves with butter and sprinkle with the sugar mix then spray each half with the butter spray and place in a toaster oven until warm and sugar is melted.
Apple Cinnamon Bake
This one gets prepped and then put in the refrigerator for a couple hours and then baked for about an hour. I find it makes an equally good breakfast as it does a dessert ! This one even had my non-breakfast eating daughter asking, “can I have some of that?” The aroma of cinnamon and apples gets ya every time !
8 servings
150 calories per serving
1/3 c Splenda
1 c Egg beaters
2/3 c skim milk
3/4 t maple flavor (like vanilla extract, but maple flavored instead)
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread
2 c apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 c low fat cream cheese
1 T Splenda
2 T cinnamon
Pam
Spray an 8×8 pan with Pam. Blend 1/3 c Splenda, eggs, milk and maple in a bowl. Tear the bread into 2 inch pieces and mix with apples and then stir into the egg mix being sure all the bread soaks up some of the liquid then turn it all into the prepared pan. Cut cream cheese into 10 pieces and place on top of bread and apples. Blend 1 T Splenda and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top the cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 50-60 minutes or until browned.
Turkey Paninis
Turning a regular sandwich into a Panini makes it much more special – and all you are doing is grilling it up and pressing it a bit to melt down all the contents really well. A have a Panini pan that goes right on the stovetop – I also have a George Foreman type grill, but I like doing it stovetop better.
4 servings
257 calories per serving
2 T fat free mayo
4 t pesto (get the prepared version from the refrigerator section of your grocer)
8 1 oz. slices sourdough bread
8 oz. deli turkey (low fat Sara Lee or Hormel prepackaged works great here)
2 oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
8 slices tomato
Pam
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray
Combine mayo and pesto and spread 1 T on each of 4 slices of bread. Top each slice with turkey, 1.2 oz. cheese, 2 tomato slices and the rest of the bread. Preheat grill pan and spray with Pam. Spray each sandwich with a few spritzes of the ICBINB Spray and add sandwiches and cook 3 minutes per side.
VIDEO: How to Use an Avocado Slicer
Whether you’re slicing avocados for sandwiches, salads or snacks, it’s nice to have pretty slices rather than gouged out chunks. Avocados are not the easiest things to work with – but they are well worth the work! Nothing tastes quite like an avocado. And there is now a kitchen tool out there that takes all the hard work out of it. Just slice your avocado in half, remove the pit, and then use the tool to do the rest. I made a quick video so you can see how they work.
[youtube]zRQH32BWtnQ[/youtube]
And here is a link to buy one on Amazon !
Zucchini and Tomato Salad
Most don’t think to use zucchini in its raw state – but it is marvelously crunchy and mellow and a great addition to salads. This salad is mainly zucchini and it’s really tasty.
5 servings
117 calories per serving
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T red vinegar
1 T fresh chopped parsley
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 c oil
2 1/4 c thinly sliced zucchini
1 1/2 c grape tomatoes, halved
1 T fresh chopped basil
Combine garlic, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Add oil and whisk well. Add zucchini and tomatoes and toss gently. Sprinkle with basil just before serving.
