Vanilla Snack (Cup)Cake

Modified this recipe from Family Circle My 2010 (Again, seriously, sign up- Ebates).  I accidentally purchased Fat Free cream cheese at the store, but next time would buy 1/3 Fat and I think it would help make the icing a bit thicker.  My son wouldn't touch the icing but ate 3 without today (and I shamelessly coaxed him to eat his dinner by offering one as a treat after).  My daughter loved all parts of the cupcake- icing and cake which says something.  Usually they only lick off the icing.

Vanilla Snack Cake
Servings: 28 cupcakes or 24 slices of cake

Indredients:
Cake:
1 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 t salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted light butter
1 1/2 cups light agave syrup
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup skim milk

Icing:
2 packages (8 oz each) 1/3 fat cream cheese, softened
1 stick of unsalted light butter, softened
 6 Tbsp light agave syrup

Directions:
Heat oven to 325.  If making cake, great a 9 x 13 in pan with non stick cooking spray.  If making cupcakes, line muffin tins with wrappers. (I love these: Wilton Easy Flex Silicone Baking Cups 12 Count)

Whisk together dry cake ingredients.
Beat together agave syrup and butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time beating after each.  Beat in vanilla.

On low, beat flour mixture alternating additions of wet ingredients and milk.  Pour in to prepared pan.  If using cupcakes, I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to help make them even.

Bake at 325 for 45 minutes for the cake, 25-30 minutes for cupcakes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. (Don't have a toothpick? Try a wooden skewer.)  Cool cake completely.

While cake cools, prepare icing.  Beat together cream cheese, butter and agave syrup until fluffy.  Beat until good spreading consistency. (This is where I stumbled a bit- mine was sort of runny with the fat free so I added 1/2 cup of powdered sugar which helped some...)

Spread icing on to cooled cake & store in fridge.

NI (as I made it, per cupcake):  205 cals, 6 g fat, 41.5 mg chol, 329 mg sodium, 33 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 5.3 g protein
NI (with 1/3 fat cream cheese, per cupcake): 219 cals, 9 g fat, 48 mg chol, 272 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 4.9 g protein

As printed in Family Circle, per slice of cake: 313 cals, 19 g fat, 86 mg chol, 203 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein

Proscuitto Pasta Toss

Originally from Simple&Delicious (Seriously, check here before ordering- I just added 3 new subscriptions and got 21% back in Ebates) Mar-Apr 2007 edition.  I've edited only a few minor things. Fabulous, quick weeknight dinner.

Proscuitto Pasta Toss
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 package (12 oz) Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Fettucini
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1.5 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1/4 c olive oil
3 oz package proscuitto (could alter the amount of change to turkey bacon, regular bacon, or deli ham)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta according to box directions (7-9 mins in boiling water).  Add peas during the last 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper in oil for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in proscuitto.
Drain pasta and peas and add to skillet.  Toss to coat pasta and mix.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese & serve hot.
NI: 340 cals, 12 g fat, 10 mg chol, 460 mg sodium, 44 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 14. 6 g protein

Food News: New Dirty/Clean 15 Produce Items Released

Printable Shopping Tip Guide

Last year, we also joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm in our local area.  Literally, 5 miles down the street.  It was a fabulous opportunity for us.  Not only did we get organically grown, local, fresh produce for about $40/week, but we got to learn together as a family.  Every Saturday morning, we'd all drive down to the farm and the kids would help pick out what we'd eat that week.  While we didn't grab the onions, lettuce or tomatoes, the kids saw what they were, we could talk about colors, etc.  The walk to the barn where you picked out your produce for the week also gave us the opportunity to point out what foods looked like as they grew.  And it challenged me to cook with new items such as rhubarb if that was one of the items we ended up taking. There were always many choices (though of course it would depend on your farm's offerings) and we always found things we would enjoy be it fruit, vegetable, herb, etc.

Find a CSA Near You

Chipotle Brown Sugar Pork Roast & Mashed Potatoes

So, I admit my friends that this was not a success with the young ones in the family.  It was too spicy.  The potatoes would have been a hit had I had the foresight of using white pepper instead of cracked fresh black pepper.  The result of my error was picking the black specks out of my son's mashed potatoes.  The things we do for love.  But, we loved it.  And my mouth waters thinking about the quesadillas the leftovers will have the honor of making.  Though, the pork was fantastic with the mashed potatoes & also served with green peas.

Roast, NI*: 380 cals, 26 g fat, 99 mg chol, 296 mg sodium, 11 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 25 g protein
* This is probably a best guess- when I shred the meat, I separate out all the fat & don't consume all the sauce that is made in the recipe.  But, I don't really know how to take that "out" of the calculation so I realize it's probably a little high especially in the calories and fat, but it's good enough for government work, or so they say.

The before:  If you notice something strange here (my friend refers to it as the "Crock Pot Condom") I decided to use Reynolds Aluminum 00504 Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner to make clean up a bit easier since we had a busy day & I knew I was making mashed potatoes which take up several pots/pans.

And the after: meat falling in to pieces just trying to remove it from the slow cooker. 

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

Here's an example of morphing a recipe.  The original was done by Gina and looked incredible!

But, me and my family won't eat many of the ingredients.  So I modified.  I left enough filling out for another complete enchilada and my two toddlers split the filling.  The enchilada itself is too messy for them to really eat, but the filling was perfect served with corn and whole grain rice.  They both had seconds & were so quiet during the meal.  A testimony to success.  That and my husband eating 2, claiming to be stuffed and asking for it to make a repeat appearance on our menu! 

And now, with pictures!  I didn't get one before we eat, but here are the leftovers.  Definitely enough for a lunch (3 were leftover, 2 for him & 1 for me).  I get asked about how I've lost weight a lot and this is the key- portion size.  And filling our diet with (excuse the pun) filling, wholesome foods that don't leave you hungry an hour later.  Check out the fiber in this dish as an example! 

Additionally (I know, get to the recipe already!), I have many friends going through deployments.  This would be an extremely simple dish to freeze for yourself for quick dinners during the week.  Freeze portions of the enchilada and sauce separately (ziploc bags in regular sandwich bag size then in snack size for the sauce) and stick in the fridge the night before to thaw.  Healthy dinner for one!  You could also freeze the filling for quick toddler meals.

Turkey & Black Bean Enchiladas
Servings: 7
Total Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
Filling:
1 lb extra lean (93%) ground turkey
15.5 oz low sodium black beans
1/2 c low fat or fat free chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
7, large La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat High Fiber Low Carb Tortillas
1 cup Weight Watchers Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
Nonstick cooking spray

Sauce:
2 cloves garlic minced
1 can tomato sauce (calculated with normal, would prefer low sodium)
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup low fat or fat free chicken broth
kosher salt & fresh pepper to taste (calculated without)

Directions:
Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

For sauce:
In a sauce pan, saute 2 cloves garlic with cooking spray & onion powder for about 4 minutes. Add spices, chicken broth & tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Set aside.

For filling:
Brown turkey in a large skillet and season with salt. Add onion powder, garlic, black beans (drained & rinsed), cumin, tomato paste, chicken broth & chili powder. Mix well and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Wrap 1/2 cup of filling in an enchilada. Place seam down in greased 9x13 baking dish. Repeat. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese. Bake, covered with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes, removing cover with 5 minutes remaining. Serve warm with choice of sides.

NI: 298 cals, 10 g fat, 55 mg chol, 1,154 mg sodium, 38 g carbs, 17 g fiber, 30 g protein

Crock Pot Lasagna

Crock Pot Lasagna
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
1 tsp onion powder
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
6 dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion powder and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.  
NI: 418 cals, 16 g fat, 77 mg chol, 2039 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 3.6 g fiber, 36.5 g protein

Edited to add: This can (and has been) be prepared in an oven as well.  Bake at 350 for an hour, topping with cheese and parmesan cheese for the last 10 minutes. 

Springtime Fun!

I love many things about this picture...  I love how adorable my son looks in the jacket itself, I love that he's jumping for joy after spelling out a word and I love how beautiful the day was when we took it.  These kits from Kerry found on TwoPeas Cherry Blossom, Coordinating Frames & M is for Monogram were so helpful in preserving the memory.

Fenway Park Revisited!

I had the joy of working with Kerry on her kit Take Me Out to the Ballgame when it was released at TwoPeas.  It's an awesome, nostaglic kit that was just perfect for our trip to Fenway in 2008.  I loved picking out pictures for this layout because it was such a happy memory for us. The alpha I used is from Meredith Fenwick available here at Design House Digital.  The frames are from Mary Ann Wise available here.  And font is from Ali Edwards downloadable free here

Black Bean Turkey Chili

Black Bean Turkey Chili
Makes 8, 1 cup servings
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey
2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural GoodnessTMor Certified Organic)
1 can (about 15 ounces) reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (about 16 ounces) reduced sodium/no salt added whole kernel corn, drained


Directions:
Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook until the turkey is well browned, stirring often to separate meat.


Stir the broth, tomato paste, beans and corn in the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.
NI: 200 cals, 7 g fat, 40 mg chol, 308 mg sodium, 23 g cabs, 5 g fiber, 16.5 g protein

Cheeseburger Roll Up

Cheeseburger Roll Up
Servings: 6


1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz reduced-fat crescent roll dough
2 tsp Grill Mates Montreal steak seasoning
1 lb extra lean ground beef, raw
5 oz Kraft Velveeta Light Reduced-Fat Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product

1.  In a skillet,  brown the beef with the Worchestershire sauce and steak seasoning.
2.  When thoroughly cooked, add the cubed Velveeta.  Reduce heat & let the cheese melt, stirring often. 
3.  Meanwhile, spray a cooking sheet with cooking spray and unroll the crescent dough carefully.
4. Pour beef and cheese mixture on to dough.  Spead out evenly.
5. Roll carefully & recenter on baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes or until browned.
7. Slice & serve.

NI: 346 cals, 21 g fat, 60 mg chol, 942 mg sodium, 20 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 21 g protein

Banana Pancakes

Admittedly, the chips are the best part but really yummy & I consider it healthy- there is fruit in them after all!


Banana Chip Pancakes
Ingredients
2 cups Heart Healthy Bisquick
1 egg
1 cup skim milk
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup swirled milk chocolate and peanut butter chips
Maple syrup and additional swirled milk chocolate and peanut butter chips, optional


Directions
Place biscuit mix in a large bowl. Combine the egg, milk and bananas; stir into biscuit mix just until moistened. Stir in chips.
Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on top. Cook until the second side is golden brown. Serve with syrup and additional chips if desired.
Yield: 12 pancakes.
Leftover pancakes may be frozen by using paper towels or parchment paper between pancakes, store in Ziploc freezer bag and reheat in the toaster for a quick week-day breakfast.
NI (pancakes only): 174 cals, 6 g fat, 15 mg chol, 213 mg sodium, 25 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein

Corn Casserole

Love this side dish for a party or family dinner!

Corn Casserole
Servings: 12
1 8 oz container low fat sour cream

1 pkg corn bread mix
2, 15 oz cans low sodium canned corn kernels, drained
1 15 oz can cream corn, low sodium
1 egg (or egg substitute)
1/8 t salt


Combine above ingredients and put in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 55-60 mins or until top is browned.
NI: 120 cals, 3.6 g fat, 23 mg cholesterol, 191 mg sodium, 18 g carbs, 3 g protein

World's Best Burger

In honor of our new grill, we'll be having these tonight.  The recipe is courtesy of my friend Jena.  I've mention I'm a recovering picky eater and to give an example, I'll be putting the onion soup through a strainer to remove the actual onion pieces.  To make up some volume, I add a few plain bread crumbs. If you can stomach (or actually enjoy onions, gasp!), omit the bread crumbs.  The nutritional information includes them.

World's Best Burger Recipe
Makes 6 burgers (approx)
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg Beefy Onion Soup mix
2 Tbsp Worchesestershire Sauce
1/2 cup apple sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
3T bread crumbs (optional)

Make in to burgers.  Tip for making flat burgers: when you form the patty, make a slight indent in the middle of the burger so it's thinner there.  As it cooks, the middle will swell and make the patty itself flat and bun-friendly!  We'll be topping these with Kraft's Garlic & Herb Deli Sliced American Cheese and 100 calorie whole wheat sandwich thins.  I'm also serving whole wheat Velveeta Rotini Mac and Cheese and peas.
NI (for patty alone): 151 cals, 6 g fat, 44 mg chol, 732 mg sodium, 8.5 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 17 g protein

Buffalo Shredded Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Servings: 16-18, 1/4 cup servings

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
The original recipe calls for 1 lb, but it was just too much sauce when I tried it, so thought I'd double the chicken this time
1 cup Frank's Wing Sauce
1 cup Light Ranch Dressing
4 oz, 1/3 less fat cream cheese
Cooking spray

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add all ingredients to pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove chicken breasts carefully and shred.  Return to slow cooker and cook another 10-15 minutes.  Serve over baked potato or 100 calorie sandwich thin.
NI for buffalo chicken only:  106 cals, 5 g fat, 38 mg chol, 788 mg sodium, 3 g total carbs, 0 g fiber, 12 g protein

Rachel's Mexican Chili

Pretty much all my recipes are adapted from someone, somewhere.  I'm not adventurous, creative, knowledgeable enough about the food world to start from scratch and I'm too picky to try.  So, I just swap out what I or my family won't eat and go from there.  I've grown significantly in this since I became a mom- trying to set a good example for my children but there are things that texture wise just won't fly no matter how I try.  Onions and tomatoes are two of those things.  Shown here with reduced fat cheddar cheese & a corn muffin VitaTop.  So... feel free to tweak or change, but here's how I make it:

Rachel's Mexican Chili
Servings: 7, 1 cup portions

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
1-2 t onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (16 oz) can chili beans with liquid
2 (16 oz each) cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1 (28oz) can tomato sauce- low sodium if you can find it
1 pkg low/reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 t chipotle chili powder
Cooking spray

Directions:
Brown ground turkey in a skillet with garlic and onion powder.  Dump in to crock pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray along with all other ingredients.  Mix to blend together.  Cook on low for 8 hours.
NI: 361 cals, 6.2 g total fat, 46 mg chol, 1762 mg sodium*, 54 total carbs, 15 g fiber, 26.5 g protein
* I believe this may include the liquid with the beans which I don't use.  Either way, I admit it's a higher sodium recipe than I'd like & I'll be really looking for lower sodium tomato sauce as soon as I get my bearings in this town.

Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, tortilla chips
I also think this would be great served over a baked potato or frozen if you make a double batch then taken for lunches during the week.

And here's the slow cooker I make it with.  When the movers broke my old one, I had to get a new one fast- I use mine ALL the time!  I found this one and am in love with it.  Seriously, if you're in the market for one, this is fabulous!
 Hamilton Beach 33956 Set 'n Forget 5-Quart Slow Cooker, White

Almost No Fat Banana Bread

Another recipe from a friend- makes a great breakfast or snack & my kids both will eat it.  I caution to say they "love" it, but they will eat some when I do.  You could easily experiement as well- other options would be to add walnuts or some peanut butter chocolate chips!

Almost No Fat Banana Bread
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1 egg
3 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup applesauce
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F.  Lightly spray an 8x4 loaf pan with cooking spray.  (I use my 9x5 instead, so obviously, use what you've got handy!)
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add egg, bananas, applesauce, vanilla and almond extracts, salt and stir until just combined.  Fold in mini chocolate chips.  Pour batter in to loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Turn on to wire rack and allow to cool before serving.
4. Slice in to 12 servings or freeze to enjoy later.
NI: 144 cals, 1.9 g fat, 15 mg chol, 158 mg sodium, 30 total carbs, 2.2 g fiber, 2.8 g protein

Pork Tenderloin Morph Recipes

Courtesty of Robin Miller, slightly adapted
*Third recipe for Pork Sloppy Joes omitted- we made it once & never again.  It wasn't awful just sharing my favorites here :)

Main Dish: Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin



Ingredients
Cooking spray
2, 2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed if necessary (I use a pork loin if that’s what I have)
Salt & fresh ground pepper
¼ c balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 t chopped fresh thyme or ½ t dried


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place pork in pan and season with salt and black pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together other ingredients. Spoon over meat. Roast until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F or about 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes if possible.
4. Let the pork stand 10 minutes before slicing. While I understand the importance of this step, it’s always the hardest one for me to personally observe.
5. Serve 1/3 as sliced tenderloin with side dishes. Cut the remaining meat in to 1 inch slices and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. (This is according to the actual recipe. I tend to put all leftovers in to the second dish in which case, I dice the remaining meat and store.)
*I served with my first attempt at baked potatoes made in the slow cooker.  Wash, halve (optional), coat with olive oil & kosher salt, wrap in foil, place in slow cooker for 4-5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  They were perfectly done.  Needed a bit of extra seasoning and some butter for topping but otherwise extremely happy with the outcome!



Second Dish: Pork Fried Rice

Ingredients:
4 tsp peanut oil, divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp onion powder (or ½ cup diced onion)
1 cup frozen peas/carrots mix
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quick cooking brown rice
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 cups reduced fat, low sodium chicken broth
1 ½ cup diced leftover pork
salt & fresh black pepper to taste
Low sodium soy sauce, optional


Directions:
1. Heat 2 tsp of peanut oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add eggs, scrambled, and cook, stirring frequently until cooked through. Set aside and keep warm (I just stick them in the microwave with a paper towel over them).
2. In the same skillet, heat remaining oil. Sauté the onions and garlic until tender.Add the rice and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently coating rice with oil. Add the broth, pork, peas and carrots, and bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender- refer to rice packaging for time estimate. Fluff with fork and season with salt and pepper.
3. Chop egg in to small pieces and top over 4 individual portions of rice just before serving.
NI: 470 cals, 243 g fat, 160 mg chol, 746 mg sodium, 28 g total carbs, 4 g fiber, 32 g protein

Easter Layout

Another great kit from Kerry'd Away Designs!  I used Bunny Tales and Curvalicious Clipping Masks by Kerry along with a photo mask from Carina Gardner called 365 Masks Ver 3.  I love photo masks and have a few sets from Carina.  It really helps me showcase the pictures quickly in my layout and still gives me the flexibility I want.  Just place the mask in your page, then merge pictures in.  Journaling spot in the corner is retired from Erica Zane on Scrap Matters so here's a link to her shop instead of the kit.  I am excited- tomorrow's the new releases on Design House Digital!

For privacy, I'm blocking out personal details & faces, but you get the idea of what I've done :)

Breakfast/Snack Power Bars

A friend got this recipe out of a Biggest Loser cookbook.  Another friend made the comment that it could be improved given that their cereal of choice was cornflakes in lieu of a healther, more filling, less sugary option.  I love that they are healthier and a cheaper alternative to actual power/nutrition/snack bars.  I love that I know exactly what goes in them when I feed them to my family.  And I love the flexibility!  You can easily swap out any number of ingredients and come up with your own take.  I'm supplying NI for the versions I've made but use a site like SparkPeople to calculate the info for your own versions.  I like to put the calories on the baggie where I store these so it's less temptation to eat the whole bag at once... This is also a great snack for nursing or pregnant moms or toddlers- a good source of protein.  Just be careful with using the nuts if you have a toddler with untested or known nut allergies.


Chocolate Granola Bars
Servings: 6
1/2 cup chunky almond butter
2 Tbsp honey
2/3 cup Cascadian Farms Dark Chocolate Almond Granola
1/3 Saco Nonfat dry milk


1. Use food processor to grind or otherwise crush cereal.
2. Knead all ingredients together.
3. Form in to loaf and cut in to 6 equal size "bars".
4. Form and store in either an air tight container or wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in freezer.  Shelf life in freezer is up to 8 weeks, but they will not last that long, I guarantee!
NI: 188 cals, 12 g fat, 1 mg chol, 94 mg sodium, 17 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 6.5 g protein

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Servings- 6
Ingredients:
12 oz whole wheat pasta- cooked & drained
12 oz cooked chicken breast, diced
3/4 cup low fat Ranch dressing (could also use Blue Cheese, subject to personal taste)
3/4 cup fat free sour cream
3/4 low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Buffalo wing sauce


Combine ingredients.  Top with either a small amount of additional cheese or bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until hot and slightly browned on top.
NI: 423 cals, 7.6 g fat, 53 mg chol, 1015 mg sodium, 57 total carbs, 4.4 g fiber,28 g protein.
DELICIOUS!

White Bean Turkey Chili

Here's another fabulous staple recipe in my house.  If you can't tell, I love  Gina's Blog .  Her White Turkey Chili is a favorite and I love that it makes about 8 cups, so plenty of leftovers.  I make some small modifications: 2 pounds of ground turkey instead of 3, 2 cans of chicken broth instead of 1 and replace onion with onion powder.  Often, it's so creamy and delicious I forget to put in any sour cream and don't notice a difference until I go to enter the calories on sparkpeople.

Turkey Sausage and Tomato Sauce over Pasta

Another fabulous quick and delicious dinner! I think next time I'll substitute the crushed tomatoes with tomato sauce to appease my own texture issues, but otherwise, it was tasty and made great leftovers. I find the key is measuring out leftovers as if I was measuring out my dinner- with the measuring cups and that helps keeps portions in check instead of dishing out of a larger container. Store them in a glass container and you can reheat in it, allowing you to also minimize the number of dishes left to wash :)

Turkey Sausage and Tomato Sauce over Pasta

Creative Team work- Track Team!

I am loving, loving, loving being a part of the Creative Team for Kerry'd Away Designs!  Seriously, Kerry is an amazing woman & mother, not to mention designer!  Here's the first page I've had the chance to work on for her in a while from her newest releases at Two Peas in a Bucket.  The kits used are: Sports Overlays, Track Team & Curvalicious Clipping Masks.
Enjoy!

Penne with Chicken & Peas

Penne with Chicken & Peas
We made this for a dinner & it easily made 2 additional lunches. The kids weren't fans, but I loved it, even with the red pepper which was a stretch since I'm a recovering, life-long picky eater.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat penne or other tube pasta
1/2 c Low Fat, low sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & diced (I froze the other half)
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in to 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 c Romano or Parmesan cheese


Instructions:
Cook pasta according to directions. Set aside.
Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper & chicken breast in olive oil until chicken is thoroughly cooked & browned. (This could be done ahead of time.)
Combine chicken broth & 1/2 cup of peas in a blender/food processor and puree.
Add pea puree & peas, salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Stir in pasta and heat through.
Add grated cheese immediately before serving. May wish to use additional cheee for topping.


Yield: 4 servings, approx 1 1/2 cup each serving.
Unsure of recipe origin- will credit if I find the source

Sticky Pork Chops

Sticky Pork Chops
Could also be made with chicken


We made this for dinner tonight & everyone loved it, even my picky children. I didn't the chops thawed in time last night, so ended up marinating it overnight then baking it today. Total cook time of thawed meat was about 30-40 minutes until it reached the right internal temp.


Ingredients:
1/2 c ketchup
3 Tbsp unpacked brown sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp mustard
2 chicken breasts or pork chops


Instructions:
Mix wet ingredients, spoon over meat & bake at 350 until appropriate internal temperature is reached.


Side items I served: green peas & sweet potato french fries


To calculate calories for the main dish, I just used what was in the meat itself. I omitted the marinade since I didn't eat any except what was on the meat when pulled from the dish.


Originally posted by:LYSSIEMAMA on WeightWatchers Recipe Chat Board