Mexican Mac & Cheese

Hey guys!  Hope you're as stoked as I am about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.  It's my one cheat day this month.  It's especially exciting because I get to break out my family recipes that I only make on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  My family is SUPER Polish so we eat kielbasa at all holidays and man, it's delicious!

Anyways, that has nothing to do with this recipe.  This is another recipe Ive adapted to be healthier than the original.  It was a lot of simple swaps to ensure the calorie count is low enough for my intake levels.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Yields 12 servings
287 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1 box whole wheat penne

1 lb turkey sausage, casings removed

1 onion, chopped

16 oz salsa

16 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Cook pasta according to box directions, drain, & set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook sausage & onion until meat is browned & onion is tender.

Stir in salsa.

Layer half of pasta, half of sausage mixture, & half of cheese in baking dish.

Repeat layers & bake for 35 minutes.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ive been big on pasta for lunch the past couple of weeks.  I find that carbs are energizing in the middle of the day.  This looked delicious and I love all things Cajun -- almost as much as I love Mexican food.

Recipe from Eating Well

Yields 6 servings

329 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

8 oz whole wheat rotini

1 tbsp canola oil

2 slices turkey bacon, chopped

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces

1 green bell pepper, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

28 oz diced tomatoes

1/3 c lowfat sour cream

1/2 c scallions, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Cook pasta until tender, according to package directions.

Drain & set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Add bacon and onion & cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes until starting to brown.

Add chicken, bell pepper, cumin, and black pepper.

Cook, stirring, until the onion and bell pepper start to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add flour and stir to coat.

Add tomatoes, undrained, & bring to a simmer.

Cook, while stirring, until the sauce is bubbled and thickened and chicken is cooked through.

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

Stir pasta into sauce and sprinkle with scallions.

Turkey Spinach Pasta Bake

I swiped this from Budget Bytes.  I cant say how much I love this blog!  Ive said before that her recipes are great and cheap but not always healthy.  This recipe I did not adapt, though.

Yields 9 servings
350 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1 box whole wheat penne

1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed

12 oz Italian turkey sausage

2 c part skim mozzarella

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried basil

pinch red pepper flakes

cracked black pepper

24 oz marinara sauce

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to box directions.

Drain pasta, return to pot & stir in marinara sauce.

Meanwhile, cook sausage over medium heat.

Cut into pieces and set aside.

Place spinach, cheese, garlic powder, basil, red pepper flakes, & black pepper into a bowl.

Add sausage to bowl & stir well.

Coat a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

Pour half of the pasta mixture on the bottom of the pan.

Layer half of the spinach mixture on top.

Repeat layers once.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Skinny Chimichangas

Another nod to white girl Mexican food.  Hah!  This I found on Recipe Girl.  Ive never actually made my own chimichangas before and this seemed like the time to try it out.  My only real complaint is that you have to wait forever for them to cool down.  Maybe it's just because we were starving.  When we could eat them, they were delicious.

Yields 4 servings
172 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb ground turkey 

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

8 oz tomato sauce

2 tbsp mild green chilies

1/3 c reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

4 flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray & heat over medium high heat.

Add turkey, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano, & cumin.

Cook until turkey is browned, 6 minutes.

Stir in tomato sauce and chilies; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat & stir in cheddar.

Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and place in the oven for 10 minutes to warm.

Spoon about 1/2 c of the filling into the center of each tortilla.

Wrap and place seam-side down on baking sheet.

Lightly spray with cooking spray and bake for 20 minutes.

Skinny Beef Enchilada Dip

I found this recipe on Emily Bites.  My roommate and I made it for dinner earlier this week and as part of dinner last night; a night we fondly refer to as white girl Mexican night.  It was delicious and almost addictive.  Hats off, Miss Emily!

Yields 12 servings
129 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 c enchilada sauce

6 oz lowfat monteray jack cheese

DIRECTIONS

Heat the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it browns.

Drain, put back into skillet, add diced onion & garlic and stir to combine.

Cook for an additional 4 minutes until onions are softened.

Add the enchilada sauce and stir to coat.

Reduce the heat to simmer and sprinkle cheese on top.

Cover the pan and let simmer 3 - 4 minutes, until cheese is melted and dip is heated through.

Mexican Mac & Cheese

This is another adaptation for a lunch dish this week.  And some more white girl Mexican food.  I may not make authentic Mexican food but, it's still pretty damned good.

Yields 12 servings.
215.4 calories per serving.
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

INGREDIENTS

12 oz whole wheat penne

1 lb ground turkey

1 c onion, chopped

16 oz salsa

16 oz lowfat Mexican style cheese

1 tsp ground cumin

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Grease a baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook pasta according to box directions; al dente.

Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook turkey & onion until meat is browned & onion is soft.

Drain fat, return sausage & onion to skillet & stir in salsa.

Add pasta & mix together.

Pour into baking dish, top with cheese, & bake for 30 minutes.

Mexicali Hamburger Casserole

Ive decided to try something new here on my blog.  Ive been doing the weight loss/eating healthy thing for a little while now.  While Im no nutritionist, I feel like I have enough knowledge to be able to challenge myself to make dishes that have too many calories and bring them down to a healthier level.

The original calorie count for this recipe was 506 calories.  With a couple of easy swaps, I managed to bring it down to 346 calories per serving.

The only thing I wouldve done differently is add some cumin.  This was tasty but a little bland.

Recipe originally from Better Homes & Gardens.
Yields 6 servings
346 calories per serving

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lb lean ground turkey

15 oz can diced tomatoes

12 oz can corn, drained

1/2 c plus 2 tbsp lowfat Mexican cheese

1/2 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c cornmeal

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

2/3 c skim milk

2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large skillet cook & brown turkey; drain off fat.

Stir in tomatoes & corn and heat through.

Transfer to a baking dish & sprinkle with 1/2 c cheese.

For corn bread topping, in a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in egg, milk, & oil.

Evenly spread on beef mixture and top with 2 tbsp cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes.