Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Green Beans with Bacon

I was going to serve this with the meatloaf dish that I made for dinner last night but, Id forgotten to defrost the bacon so, I served this alongside of garlic chicken.  It was delicious and had quite a nice kick.

Recipe from Better Homes Test Kitchen
Yields 6 servings
106 calories per serving


INGREDIENTS
12 oz green beans, trimmed
1 red pepper, cut into strips
2 slices bacon
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, cook the green beans & sweet pepper in boiling water for 3 minutes.

In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.
Remove bacon from skillet & let cool; crumble.

Add green beans & peppers, garlic, bacon, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper to skillet.
Cook for about 5 more minutes & serve.

Skinny Meatloaf

I love meatloaf and Ive made variations of this throughout the span of this blog.  I thought Id try making it the 'regular' way.

Recipe from Skinny Kitchen dot com
Yields 5 servings
214 calories per serving


INGREDIENTS
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1/2 c whole wheat bread crumbs
1 c onions, chopped
2 egg whites
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
Salt & pepper, to taste

Topping
1/4 c ketchup
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 tsp brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil & set aside.

Place ground beef in a large bowl.
Add bread crumbs, onions, egg whites, ketchup, mustard, salt, & pepper.
Mash ingredients together with hands.

Place the meat mixture on the baking sheet & free form a loaf by hand.

In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients & spread across the top of the loaf.

Bake for 55 minutes & let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.


Monday, February 25, 2013

Corn Chowder

I have to admit, when I pulled this recipe to make for my lunch, all I could think about was the scene in The Devil Wears Prada where Anne Hathaway's character is getting a ton of shit about eating corn chowder for lunch because one of the main ingredients is lard or something silly.  However, this recipe contains no lard.  :]  In fact, it's actually pretty healthy & delicious!

Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens
Yields 5 servings
274 calories per serving


INGREDIENTS
1/2 c chopped onion
3 c corn
1/2 c chopped celery
1 tbsp cooking oil
14.5 oz chicken broth
1 potato, peeled & cubed
1 c skim milk
4 tsp flour
1/8 tsp pepper
Dash ground red pepper
1/2 c ham, diced
1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
Place 1 3/4 c corn in food processor & process until smooth.
Set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook onion & celery in hot oil until onion is tender but not brown.
Stir in chicken broth & potato.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, & simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the corn puree & remaining corn.
Cook uncovered for 10 more minutes.

In a small bowl, combine milk, flour, pepper, & ground red pepper.
Stir into corn mixture.
Cook & stir for one minute.
Stir in ham & cheese and cook until cheese has melted.

Mexican Beef Stir Fry

Ever since I got back from AZ a few weeks ago, Ive been wanting nothing but Mexican food.  My poor roommates; they're probably so sick of it.  Haha.

Recipe from Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes.
Yields 6 servings
180 calories per serving


INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp canola oil
1.5 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 3 in strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, cut into strips
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp cumin

DIRECTIONS
Over medium-high heat, heat canola oil.
Add beef & saute.
Drain any fat and remove beef from pan.

Add garlic & onions to pan & saute for 5 minutes.
Add red pepper & cook for 5 more minutes.
Add chili powder & lime juice and coat veggies.

Add beef back into the pan & then add the cumin.
Heat for one minute.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Country Fried Potatoes

Ive been making a lot of potatoes lately.  A large reason for that is because my roommates said that I dont make enough things with carbs in them so, that's my answer.  Personally, I tend to eat a lot more green veggies as opposed to root veggies.  This was pretty fast in prep and in actually cooking the dish.

Recipe is from Skinny Kitchen dot com.
Yields 6 servings.
154 calories per serving.


INGREDIENTS
1/4 margarine
2 c onions, chopped
1.5 lbs baby yellow potatoes, quartered
Salt & pepper
2 tsp scallions

DIRECTIONS
In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the onions, potatoes, salt, pepper, & scallions & cook over medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes.
Turn occasionally with a spatula.

Skinny Lasagna Ole

This is basically enchiladas layered lasagna style.  It was pretty tasty but, I felt like it was missing something.  I think next time Im going to add a little cumin to further add to the Tex Mex taste.

Recipe from Skinny Kitchen dot com.
Yields 6 sevings.
239 calories per serving.


INGREDIENTS
1.5 c reduced-fat cottage cheese
1 c chicken, cooked & cubed
1/3 c corn (I used canned)
1/2 can diced green chilies
2/3 c pasta sauce
6 corn tortillas, quartered
8 oz fat-free refried beans
2/3 c salsa
1/4 c reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
Prehat oven to 350.
Coat a 9 inch square pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine cottage cheese, chicken, corn, & green chilies.

Spread pasta sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Arrange 2 tortillas (8 pieces) on top of the pasta sauce.

Remove beans from the can, place in a small bowl, & microwave for about a minute & a half to soften.
Spread beans evenly over tortillas.
Arrange 2 more tortillas (8 pieces) over the beans.
Spread the cheese mixture evenly over top of the tortillas.
Cover the pan with foil & bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven & place the remainder of the tortillas on top of the casserole.
Spread salsa & cheese over top.

Cover again and bake for 15 more minutes.

When cool, cut into 6 pieces and serve.

Chicken & Cheddar Pasta Toss

Cheese, veggies, & chicken?  Who could resist.  This is my lunch for the week.

Recipe from BHG dot com
Yield 6 servings
252 calories per serving


INGREDIENTS
6 oz no-boil lasagna noodles, broken
9 oz cooked chicken, chopped
3 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 oz pepperoni, chopped
Black pepper
1 c red cherry tomatoes, halved

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, pour boiling water over noodles.
Let stand for 10 minutes.
Drain & rinse with cold water.
Place noodles back in bowl.

Stir in chicken, cheese, pepper strips, pepperoni, & tomatoes.
Add black pepper & toss to coat.


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Bacon & Egg Muffins

I like to get up and cook or bake on Saturday morning.  I think that a lot of it is feeling productive or a morning where I dont have to rush out the door.


Recipe from BHG dot com
Yields 12 servings
202 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS
4 slices bacon, cut into thirds
5 eggs
salt and pepper
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c yellow cornmeal
2 tbsp sugar
2.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c skim milk
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c reduced-fat cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400.

In a large skillet cook bacon just until it begins to crisp.
Drain skillet & set aside.

For scrambled eggs, beat 3 of the eggs in a bowl with a dash of salt and pepper.
Cook eggs in hot skillet over medium heat.
Cook until set but still moist.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray & set aside.

In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, & 1/2 tsp salt.
In a separate bowl combine milk, oil & remaining 2 eggs.
Stir in flour mixture.
Fold in scrambled eggs and cheese.
Spoon into muffin cups.

Place one strip of bacon on each muffin.
Bake for 15 - 17 minutes.


Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

I made this for dinner last night and it was quite fast.  The chicken turned out perfectly and the portions were spot on as well.  I think I impressed by brother (who was over for dinner last night) because he texted me a few times after he left to say "Thanks for dinner.  It was delicious!".  This is ideal for a weeknight.


Recipe from BHG dot com
Yields 4 servings
295 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt & pepper
8 oz mushrooms, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
3 c fresh broccoli florets
10 oz light alfredo sauce

DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with salt & pepper.
In a large skillet, brown chicken and mushrooms for 4 minutes in olive oil, turning chicken halfway through.
Add broccoli to skillet.
Cover & cook for 8 minutes.

Place chicken & veggies on serving plates.
Add alfredo sauce to skillet & heat through.
Pour over each serving of chicken & veggies.

Serve and enjoy!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Ziti with Meat Sauce

When I told my roommates I was going to make ziti for Sunday dinner, they practically did cartwheels.  This is actually different from the usual ziti dish I make but, it was a little faster.  It's not as good as my other one but, I dont like to repeat myself too often.  Plus. this was a good way to wean myself off of the Mexican food binge Id been on for the past couple of weeks.


Recipe from Better Homes Test Kitchen
Yields 8 servings
297 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS
1 lb 96% lean ground beef
2 c shredded carrot
2 cans condensed tomato soup
2.5 c water
8 oz whole wheat rotini
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 c part-skim mozarella, shredded
1/4 c parmesan cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot cook ground beef & shredded carrot over medium heat until meat is brown.
Stir in tomato soup, water, pasta, onion powder, & garlic powder.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, & cook for 25 minutes stirring occasionally.
Stir in mozzarella cheese.

Spoon into bowls & sprinkle with parmesan cheese.


BBQ White Beans with Peppers

So for the past few weeks, Ive been making my father a southern-style bean dish so, I thought that I might make another version that I found for myself for lunch this week.


Recipe from BHG.com
Yields 6 servings
169 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS
1 green pepper, chopped
4 oz cooked ham, cut into strips
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15 oz cans cannelli beans, rinsed & drained
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.

In a skillet over medium high heat, cook ham in oil until browned.
Remove from skillet & add onion & garlic.
Cook 3 -4 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile in a casserole dish, place beans, ham, onion, garlic, pepper, mustard, vinegar, & maple syrup.
Stir together & bake for 30 minutes.