Taco Pie

I had an old friend of mine over last night & I decided that I would make us dinner. She, too, is working on weight loss & I thought it would be a good way for both of us to stay on track.

Recipe from Old El Paso.
Yields 6 servings.
290 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 can green chilies, chopped
2 eggs
1 c 1% milk
1/2 c Heart Smart Bisquick
3/4 c reduced fat cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400.
Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet cook ground beef, stirring occasionally, until browned.
Stir in taco seasoning & spoon into pie pan.

In a small bowl or larger measuring cup stir together eggs, milk, & Bisquick until blended.
Pour over top of ground beef.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Top with cheese & chilies & bake for about 5 more minutes.

Chicken Pizza with a Kick

This was an interesting combination and I actually did half of the pizza according to this recipe. The other side, I did to my boyfriend's liking. He isnt crazy about onions & prefers pepperoni on pizza, instead of chicken. It's good because you can change up the toppings to those who dont necessary pay attention to their eating habits. Im going to edit the ingredients list based on what I did. (Really, the only change is the amount of chicken.) The other great thing about this is that the portions are HUGE.

Recipe from BHG dot com.
Yields 6 servings.
305 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS
6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
2 tsp cooking oil
1/2 small onion, diced
non - stick cooking spray
10 oz pkg refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 c mild taco sauce
1/2 reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat, about 1 minute.
Place chicken & skillet & cook for about 5 minutes, until no longer pink & set aside.
Add onions to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400.

Coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
Unroll pizza dough onto pan & pinch border to form a crust.
(Im really retarded at this, which is why my crust is SUPER uneven!)

Spread taco sauce across the dough.
Top with chicken, onions, & cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden & cheese has melted.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

My boyfriend makes a version of this without the crunchies & I thought Id try my hand at this one. I will say that I like his better but, this one is still really good. Also very filling, which is such a positive when it comes to low calorie meals. This recipe yields 6 servings but, I only made 4 because I wanted some leftovers for my lunch during the week. Im going to post the original recipe, though. It's what I used and I just had a little extra of the two mixtures.

Recipe from Betty Crocker.
Yields 6 servings.
280 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 c margarine, melted
2 tbsp 1% milk
1 tbsp chives, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 c whole grain Total cereal, crushed
1/2 tsp paprika
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425.
Spray a 13x9 dish with cooking spray.

In a shallow bowl, mix 2 tbsp of the margarine, the milk, chives, salt, and garlic powder.
In a different shallow bowl, mix cereal and paprika.

Dip chicken into milk mixture coating both sides & then into cereal mixture also coating both sides.
Repeat with each breast & place into baking dish.

Drizzle remaining melted margarine over top of the breasts.

Bake uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes.

Sloppy Joe Supreme

This was another fast weeknight dinner. I actually meant to make this for dinner last night but, Im brilliant and forgot to defrost the meat. This was pretty delicious but, on the higher end of the calorie spectrum. It ended up being okay though because I didnt serve anything along side of it.

Recipe from Betty Crocker via Recipe dot com email.
Yields 3 servings.
270 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 c Bisquick Heart Smart mix
3/4 c reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c water
1 egg white
1/2 lb 93% lean ground beef
1/2 c tomato sauce
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl stir together Bisquick, 1/2 c cheese, water, & egg white & set aside.

In a skillet cook beef over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until brown.
Drain & place back into skillet.
Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, & salt.
Heat over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until hot.
Transfer into baking pan.
Pour Bisquick mixture over top.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c cheese.

Spaghetti Carbonara

This is a dish Ive never actually tried before & thought that it would be quick to make for dinner some night. Not to mention, it's got quite a bit of bacon in it so I knew my boyfriend would be game.

Recipe from Family Circle via Recipe dot com emails.
Yields 6 servings.
250 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS
1 box whole wheat spaghetti
8 slices thick cut bacon, diced
2 large eggs
2 egg whites
1 1/4 c parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add pasta & cook for 10 - 12 minutes.

While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the bacon & cook until crisp, about 6 minutes.
Drain all but about 1 tbsp of fat.

Reserve 1/2 c of past water & drain pasta.
Add pasta to skillet of bacon & toss to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and egg whites.
Turn off the heat under the skillet & add eggs and 1 c of cheese.
Toss to thoroughly combine.
Add pasta water if needed.

Season with salt & a generous amount of pepper.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese & serve immediately.

Potato Pizza

Technically this recipe is an appetizer but, I served it for dinner last night along with some broccoli & it was incredibly filling, not to mention delicious. Also very fast & easy. My only real suggestion is that if you're mincing your own cloves, dont keep the larger chunks that you accumulate.

Yields 10 servings.
206 calories per serving.
Recipe from BHG dot com.

INGREDIENTS
10 oz pkg refrigerated pizza dough
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 medium red potatoes, cooked & cut into 1/4 in slices
2 tsp rosemary

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425.
Lightly grease baking pan.
Unroll pizza dough onto pan & slightly build edges.
Bake for 7 minutes & remove from oven.

Combine olive oil & garlic in a small bowl.
Brush over hot crust.
Sprinkle with half of the cheese & arrange potatoes on top.
Sprinkle remaining cheese and rosemary over potatoes.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Cheeseburger Bake

I wanted to make something fast this Sunday because we had a lot going on this past weekend, primarily on Sunday. For me, Sunday dinner is usually a meal that I like to take the time to prepare. I like the idea of a somewhat decadent Sunday dinner as a way to wind down before the week starts on Monday.

Recipe from Betty Crocker.
Yields 2 servings.
210 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 lb 96% lean ground beef
1/4 c onion, chopped
1/3 c reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c Bisquick Heartsmart mix
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c 1% milk
2 egg whites

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400.
Spray pan with cooking spray.

In a skillet cook beef and onion over medium-high heat for 5 - 7 minutes stirring frequently.
Spread in pan & sprinkle with cheese.

In a small bowl sitr together Bizquick, salt, milk, & egg whites.
Pour into pan.

Bake for 20 minutes.