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.

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.

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.