Saturday, November 01, 2008

Reduced Fat Breakfast Casserole

6-8 slices Heiner's 35 vegetable fiber white bread
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray
1 package Jimmy Dean precooked turkey sausage (8 patties)
2 c. Kraft shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese
1 16-oz. package Egg Beaters
2 cups skim milk
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. dry mustard

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with bread slices. Spray bread with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray.

Dice sausage and sprinkle it over bread. Top with cheese.

Combine Egg Beaters, skim milk, salt & mustard then pour over cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Bake 40-45 minutes at 400 degrees.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Mexican Lasagna

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
4 flour tortillas
1 small container sour cream
2-3 cups shredded Mexican Cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray 2 quart square casserole with Pam, then spoon some of the juice from the tomatoes in the bottom to lightly cover it.

Brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning, water and 1/2 can tomatoes and mix.

Lay one tortilla on bottom of casserole dish and cover with 1/3 of the meat mixture. Spoon 4 dollops of sour cream over meat. Cover with shredded cheese.  Repeat twice.

Top with last tortilla, rest of tomatoes and cheese.

Cover and bake 45 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips.

 Great warmed over.


Saturday, August 30, 2008

Hungry Girl's Brownie Muffins

This may have originally been a Weight Watchers recipe? Although it has pumpkin in it, you CANNOT taste the pumpkin! Just makes them really moist.

1 box devil's food cake mix
1 can solid pack pumpkin (15 oz.)

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix ingredients. Mixture will be very thick and difficult to stir, but DON'T ADD ANYTHING ELSE!

Place batter into muffin tins lined with paper or sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 12 regular or 36 mini muffins.

VARIATION: Try your favorite cake mix. I've also had them made with french vanilla and spice cake mixes and they were great! And you can't taste the pumpkin in any of them.





(1 Muffin or 3 minis = 181 calories, 3.5g fat, 37g carbs, 2g fiber, 2g protein - 4 WW points)

http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=614

Photos by Jamie

Sharon's Night Before French Toast Casserole

  • 10"x4" french bread baguette, sliced into 1 1/2"-2" thick slices (optional: may remove crusts if desired)
  • Cinnamon (for sprinkling)
  • 10 eggs
  • 2 cups hazelnut creamer
  • 1 cup skim milk or half & half
  • 3/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
  • Your favorite french toast toppings (butter, pecans, syrup, powdered sugar, fruit, yogurt, etc.)


Spray 13x9x2 glass pyrex dish with Pam. Line bottom of dish with bread slices, as many as you can fit in without mashing the bread. (Usually 6-8, more if baguette is thinner). Sprinkle slices liberally with cinnamon, if you like cinnamon.

In large bowl, crack 10 eggs, whipping with a whisk. Gently whisk in the hazelnut creamer, skim milk, sea salt, cinnamon (1 Tbsp.) and vanilla extract. 

Pour mixture slowly over and around bread and cover with foil. Refrigerate overnight.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, until bread is puffy and lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Great served with butter, toasted pecans and heated maple syrup; some prefer powdered sugar or sliced fruit and yogurt.

Excellent the next day. Cut a big slice, top with butter, pecans and syrup, and microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds at 80% power.
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Monday, July 07, 2008

Italian Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground turkey
2-3 slices stale bread or buns, crumbled
1/4 cup Egg Beaters
1/3 cup minced onion
2-3 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. Seasoned Salt
2-3 tsp. Italian seasoning

IMPORTANT NOTE: I don't measure the seasonings, so you may need to experiment with the amounts to your taste. Turkey is a little more bland than beef so keep that in mind.

Mix all ingredients well and form into walnut-sized balls. Spray frying pan with Olive Oil cooking spray. Add meatballs and cook over medium heat, stirring and turning frequently, until done. Add to your favorite pasta sauce.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Sauteed Zucchini & Squash

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea Salt to taste

Heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add vegetables and garlic powder. Saute for 7-10 minutes. Season with salt.
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Saturday, June 21, 2008

GeorgeAnn's Apricot Slush

Got this recipe from my Dad, who got it from his neighbor

1 large frozen lemonade
1 small frozen orange juice
2 cups apricot brandy
4 cups strong tea (made w/7 tea bags)
1 cup sugar
5 cups water
---------------
Ginger Ale

Mix first set of ingredients and freeze until slushy. 

Scoop into glass - fill glass until approx. 2/3 of the way full.  Fill the rest of the way with ginger ale.

Stir and enjoy!  Great summertime drink.
Blogged with the Flock Browser

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Hungry Girl's Sangria-Seltzer Twist

"Cocktail Time!

When you’re at someone else’s BBQ, your beverage choices may be limited. But before you give up and start guzzling the frozen margaritas (which can contain as much as 500 calories each!), try our clever Sangria-Seltzer Twist! Easy to assemble -- anywhere, anytime!

HG’s Sangria-Seltzer Twist - Grab a glass and make a beeline for the fruit tray. No fruit tray? Hit up the bar for slices of orange, lemon, and lime. Give your favorite fruit wedges a little squeeze before dropping them into your glass. Add 1 oz. of liquor (rum or vodka is yummy) and top with calorie-free seltzer. If your party-throwers are winos, top your glass with a splash of red or blush wine. Now you’ve got a fancy, signature drink that only contains around 100 calories!"

http://www.hungry-girl.com/fridaypreview.php?newsletterid=904

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Herb Roasted Pork Chops and Vegetables

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 small new red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
2 cups ready-to-eat baby carrots
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat

Heat oven to 450F. Line 15x10x1 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray.

In small bowl, mix Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

In large bowl, mix potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with oil and half of herb mixture. Toss to coat evenly. Place in center of pan.

Bake 20 minutes. Stir vegetables. Place pork chops around vegetables. Sprinkle remaining herb mixture over pork chops and rub into meat.

Bake 15-20 minutes more, until pork is no longer pink and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160F and vegetables are tender. (I cooked mine about 25 minutes more, but I had thick chops).


[from Recipes Inspired by The Best Life Diet;, modified by me only slightly]

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Pancakes, Low Fat

2 cups reduced fat Bisquick
1 1/4 cups fat free milk
1/4 cup Egg Beaters

Mix ingredients together. Spray skillet or griddle with Pam. Cook on medium heat. Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour batter onto skillet. Cook until bubbles break on top then turn and cook until the other side is lightly browned.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Baked Tilapia

My first time cooking fish - for some reason I had been intimidated but it was so easy and quick.

Tilapia fillet(s) [or cod or flounder or whatever]
Olive oil
Pampered Chef dill seasoning
Seasoned salt
Garlic powder

Place fish on foil, drizzle with olive oil and season (Tilapia is very mild - I didn't put much seasoning on and should have used more. This is something I'll have to experiment with).

Close foil, bake @ 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes (mine was partially frozen and took about 13 or 14 minutes)

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is surprisingly low on calories and fat but quite delicious. I wanted to note how I made this one for future reference

First I took a baking sheet and put two layers of aluminum foil on it. I placed my whole pork tenderloin on it. I put about 1-2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil in my hands and rubbed it all over the tenderloin. Then I sprinkled both sides with seasoned salt, garlic powder and Kroger brand steak seasoning (the kind like Montreal steak seasoning). Then rubbed all of that seasoning in and pressed it into the meat.

Baked at 375 for 30 minutes. Turned the oven off and left it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes while I made the salad.

Tender and juicy!

For the Kroger brand tenderloin I had, the numbers for a 4 oz. serving (not
counting the olive oil and seasoning I added) were approximately:

100 Calories
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 1g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 50mg
Sodium 390mg
Total Carbohydrate 1g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 0g
Protein 22g

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Garlic & Herb Baked Chicken

We need lots of good (and easy) heart healthy chicken recipes, if you have any! This is what I made last night. I experimented with cooking it in foil and it came out pretty good.

1 envelope McCormick Grill Mates® Garlic, Herb & Wine Marinade
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil (actually I used a little less than this)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Mix marinade with water then add olive oil and stir well. In glass bowl or plastic bag, coat chicken with marinade and refrigerate for 15 minutes or so. [The marinade mix calls for some vinegar also but I didn't have any.]

Line baking pan with a couple of layers of aluminum foil. Place chicken on foil. Top with another layer of foil and seal edges. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

I served this with Uncle Ben's whole grain brown & wild rice mix that you cook in the bag in the microwave for 90 seconds and steamed green beans.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Vegetable Beef Soup 2

1 pound of stew meat
1/2 package Mrs. Grass Hearty Beef Vegetable soup mix
4 cups water
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/3 can of water (using tomato can)
1/2 can tomato paste
8 petite red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 can DelMonte "Fresh Cut" sliced carrots
1 can DelMonte "Fresh Cut" cut green beans
Garlic
Chili Powder
2 bay leaves

Brown meat in a little oil, add water and soup mix, stir well, add remaining ingredients, stir.

Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours

Friday, June 08, 2007

Chicken Quesadillas

(first time I ever made them - noting what I did although I don't have exact ingredients)

1 package Tyson pre-cooked diced roasted chicken
1 package Taco bell fajita seasoning (or some kind of taco seasoning)
2 large tortillas
Pam spray
1-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend*

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare chicken according to package directions, except for that amount of chicken I only used half of the dry mix. Stir and warm on the stove.

Spray tortillas and place sprayed side down on baking sheet. Put half of chicken on each tortilla (on one side). I also spooned a little of the liquid over the chicken after putting it on the tortilla.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake @ 350 for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Cut into slices with a pizza cutter and serve with salsa and sour cream.

-----
*I actually didn't have any so I used some cheddar and a mozzarella/provolone mix

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Pigs in a Blanket

  • Hungry Jack flaky biscuits
  • Hot dogs
  • shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • Garlic powder
  • PAM olive oil cooking spray

    Preheat oven to 350.

    Spray baking sheet with olive oil Pam.

    Press biscuit flat into a rectangle as long as a hot dog and about 3 times as wide. Sprinkle very lightly with garlic powder and sprinkle about a tablespoon of cheese over the biscuit. Lay hot dog down at one edge and roll up. Repeat for each hot dog.

    Bake at 350 for approx. 12 minutes.
  • Thursday, March 15, 2007

    Quick Taco Pie

    New recipe I tried last night. The only thing I didn't like about it was the crescent roll crust. I didn't like the sweet flavor it gave it. Next time, I think I will try just using a tortilla or two for the crust. Or maybe a premade pizza crust.

    1 package taco seasoning mix
    1 to 1.5 pounds ground chuck (I can never find 1 pound pkgs anymore)
    1/2 cup water
    1/3 cup sliced black olives (optional - didn't include; Husband doesn't like them)
    1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls (see note above)
    2 cups crushed Fritos corn chips
    1 cup sour cream
    2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (I used monterey jack & cheddar mix)

    In a large fry pan, brown the ground chuck. Drain. Stir in seasoning mix, water, and olives. Simmer for 5 minutes.

    Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Place triangles in an ungreased 10-inch pie pan (I used the Pampered Chef 9x9 square baker), pressing to form a crust. Sprinkle 1 cup corn chips over the bottom of crust. Spoon meat mixture over corn chips. Spread sour cream over meat mixture. Cover with cheese. Sprinkle remaining corn chips over the top.

    Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

    Based on this recipe from allrecipes.com, with minor changes.

    Friday, December 22, 2006

    Festive Rice Crispie Squares w/M&M's

    Rice Crispie Treats (Marshmallow Treats)

    1 stick butter
    13 oz. jar Marshmallow Cream
    8 cups rice crispies
    1 1/2 cups holiday M&M's (optional)*

    Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add Marshmallow Cream and cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

    Add crispy rice cereal and M&M's. Stir until well coated.

    Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into buttered 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan (this makes thick treats - for thinner ones, either half the recipe or split it up between 2 pans).

    Cut into squares when cool.

    *I used red & green Christmas M&M's for a festive treat! They make different colors at Halloween and Easter too. Maybe other holidays as well, I'm not sure

    Sunday, November 26, 2006

    Pumpkin Bread in a Jar

    1 3/4 cups flour
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    1 tsp. soda
    1 tsp. cinnamon
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. ground cloves
    1/2 tsp. nutmeg
    1/2 cup oil
    1 cup pumpkin
    1 egg, beaten
    1/3 cup water
    1/2 cup chopped walnuts

    Grease four wide mouth pint jars. Preheat oven to 350.

    Sift dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

    Fill jars halfway with batter. Do NOT put lids on them. Keep the rims clean, wiping off any batter that gets on the rims.

    Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

    Meanwhile, sterilize lids and rings in boiling water.

    As soon as bread is done, remove from oven one at a time, wipe rims of jars and put on lid and ring. Jars will seal as bread cools. Place jars on the counter and listen for them to "ping" as they seal. If you miss the "ping", wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it's sealed.

    The recipe I got the jar idea from said you can keep them sealed in the refrigerator for up to a week.

    When you serve them, just open the jar and the bread will slide right out. It stays VERY moist and is really really good this way. Much better than loaves!



    (recipe from a friend; jar idea from AllRecipes.com)

    Grilled Ribeye Steak

    Marinate steak in Kraft Free Zesty Italian salad dressing in refrigerator overnight or for several hours.

    About a half hour before cooking, while the grill is heating up, remove steak from refrigerator and season to taste with Montreal Steak Seasoning.

    Tell your husband to grill it to medium rare (or use a thermometer fork and cook it to your liking).