Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Great Ranch Dressing Substitute!!!
As a self-proclaimed ranch adict, I have had a very hard time giving it up while loosing weight. I was able to figure out a great substitute, though. Try it out and see what you think. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. It's super easy!
1/2c fat free sour cream
1/2 tsp dried dill
Mix well and serve... I told you it was easy! ;)
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
BBQ Chicken Taco
Makes 5 tacos
257 calories each
Cooks up super fast for a quick tasty lunch.
Filling:
112 calories/serving
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 can 98% fat free chicken breast
6 TBS BBQ sauce
1 TBS minced garlic
Cook onion and garlic in frying pan sprayed with cooking spray. Drain chicken and add to pan. Once hot, add BBQ sauce.
Taco:
1 whole wheat tortilla (81 calories)
1/5 filling recipe
1/4 c southwest blend frozen veggies (black beans, corn, peppers and onion)
1 TBS BBQ sauce
Heat frozen veggies in small microwave safe container. Add filling to tortilla, top with veggies and sauce.
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257 calories each
Cooks up super fast for a quick tasty lunch.
Filling:
112 calories/serving
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 can 98% fat free chicken breast
6 TBS BBQ sauce
1 TBS minced garlic
Cook onion and garlic in frying pan sprayed with cooking spray. Drain chicken and add to pan. Once hot, add BBQ sauce.
Taco:
1 whole wheat tortilla (81 calories)
1/5 filling recipe
1/4 c southwest blend frozen veggies (black beans, corn, peppers and onion)
1 TBS BBQ sauce
Heat frozen veggies in small microwave safe container. Add filling to tortilla, top with veggies and sauce.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
11 2c servings
379 calories per serving
Great on a chilly day!
32 oz lean stew meat (beef)
1 box (4 cups) fat free reduced sodium beef broth
7 small to medium russet potatoes, cubed
2 c roughly chopped onions
5 c roughly chopped carrots
4 c water
Add all ingredients to large crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours. Salt and pepper to taste, serve and store. Freezes well for apx. 3 months.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
379 calories per serving
Great on a chilly day!
32 oz lean stew meat (beef)
1 box (4 cups) fat free reduced sodium beef broth
7 small to medium russet potatoes, cubed
2 c roughly chopped onions
5 c roughly chopped carrots
4 c water
Add all ingredients to large crock pot and cook on high for 6-8 hours. Salt and pepper to taste, serve and store. Freezes well for apx. 3 months.
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Sausage Shepherd's Pie
So I call this a Shepherd's pie simply because it's topped with mashed potatoes, so don't send me comments challenging my cultural or historic accuracy, okay? :)
Makes 6 servings
350 calories per serving
4 Sausageless (soy) Sausage links (They're really good, I swear!)
2c fresh carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1c frozen peas
1c fresh yellow onion, diced
1 TBS oil
1 can cream of celery soup (98% fat free)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (98% fat free)
1 1/4 c (1 soup can) fat free milk
1 tsp poulty seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
6 servings instant mashed potatoes prepared according to package directions
In a large skillet, cook the vegetables in the oil until tender. Add the sliced (bite-sized) saugage links and continue cooking until browned. Add the soup and milk, along with the seasoning and mix well. After dishing the mixture into 6 equal servings, top with one serving of the mashed potatoes. Optional: brown potatoes under the broiler in the oven. Be sure to use an oven safe dish. TIP: I make these almost every weekend. I store them in 2-cup wide mouthed mason jars with plastic lids in the refidgerator. My husband and I just dump the contents in a bowl and heat it in the microwave when we need a quick homemade dinner that's low in calories. Enjoy!
Makes 6 servings
350 calories per serving
4 Sausageless (soy) Sausage links (They're really good, I swear!)
2c fresh carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1c frozen peas
1c fresh yellow onion, diced
1 TBS oil
1 can cream of celery soup (98% fat free)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (98% fat free)
1 1/4 c (1 soup can) fat free milk
1 tsp poulty seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
6 servings instant mashed potatoes prepared according to package directions
In a large skillet, cook the vegetables in the oil until tender. Add the sliced (bite-sized) saugage links and continue cooking until browned. Add the soup and milk, along with the seasoning and mix well. After dishing the mixture into 6 equal servings, top with one serving of the mashed potatoes. Optional: brown potatoes under the broiler in the oven. Be sure to use an oven safe dish. TIP: I make these almost every weekend. I store them in 2-cup wide mouthed mason jars with plastic lids in the refidgerator. My husband and I just dump the contents in a bowl and heat it in the microwave when we need a quick homemade dinner that's low in calories. Enjoy!
Vegetable Lasagna (with a dash of ground beef)
You'll never believe this is low-calorie! My husband thought we were cheating on our diets the first time I made this. And one recipe makes 15 servings! I usually pop half in the freezer for John to reheat on nights when I have class.
270 calories per serving
Makes 15 servings
Ingredients:
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (about 15 pieces)
2c sliced fresh zuccini squash
1 32oz jar speghetti sauce
12oz extra lean ground beef
2c chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
10 tsp minced garlic (used in almost every step! yumm!)
*See the tips and tricks page for a time-saving step!
1 diced bell pepper, excluding seeds (I use green, but any color will do)
1 32oz can diced tomatoes (drained and rinsed)
2c fresh sliced mushrooms
4c fat free cottage cheese
2 1/4c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4c shredded (not powdered) parmesan cheese
1 16oz can artichoke hearts in water, quartered
3 tsp Italian seasoning blend
salt
pepper
Directions:
In a large skillet, brown your beef with the onion, 3 tsp garlic, italian seasoning, zuccini, and bell pepper. When the beef is just about done, add the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Reserve 1/2c speghetti sauce and set aside. Pour in the diced tomatoes and remaining spaghetti sauce. Stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Revove from heat. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 3c cottage cheese with all the mozzarella. mix well. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining cottage cheese with the parmesan. This will be your top layer.
Spread the 1/2c reserved speghetti sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. This will prevent sticking and help to cook the bottom layer of pasta. Layer the lasagna noodles, covering the entire dish in a single layer, breaking the noodles as necessary to make them fit. I usually use 4-5 noodles per layer. Next, layer the cottage cheese/mozzarella mixture, using about 1/2 of the total mixure in your bowl. Then add a layer of the meat/vegitable mixture, using 1/3. If you have leftovers of any of these mixtures, they are great to eat alone or with a side of whole wheat pasta. Try to be aware of how ful your dish is getting. With each layer of noodles, you should be 1/3 higher on the side of the dish. Your layers should follow the order below:
speghetti sauce
noodles
mozzarella mixture
beff/veggies
noodles
mozzarella mixture
beff/veggies
noodles
beef/veggies
parmesan mixture
Bake at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until the cheese is slightly toasty. If you aren't sure whether it's done, just check a bite of the pasta. If it's done, the whole thing is done. Remember, everythign was cokked when you put it in so it's safe to eat. When it comes out of the oven, let it set for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 15 equally sized portions. This recipe is great to freeze and reheat later. Enjoy!
Please let me know what you think of this recipe! Post a comment on my blog. :)
270 calories per serving
Makes 15 servings
Ingredients:
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (about 15 pieces)
2c sliced fresh zuccini squash
1 32oz jar speghetti sauce
12oz extra lean ground beef
2c chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
10 tsp minced garlic (used in almost every step! yumm!)
*See the tips and tricks page for a time-saving step!
1 diced bell pepper, excluding seeds (I use green, but any color will do)
1 32oz can diced tomatoes (drained and rinsed)
2c fresh sliced mushrooms
4c fat free cottage cheese
2 1/4c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4c shredded (not powdered) parmesan cheese
1 16oz can artichoke hearts in water, quartered
3 tsp Italian seasoning blend
salt
pepper
Directions:
In a large skillet, brown your beef with the onion, 3 tsp garlic, italian seasoning, zuccini, and bell pepper. When the beef is just about done, add the mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Reserve 1/2c speghetti sauce and set aside. Pour in the diced tomatoes and remaining spaghetti sauce. Stir well. Salt and pepper to taste. Revove from heat. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine 3c cottage cheese with all the mozzarella. mix well. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining cottage cheese with the parmesan. This will be your top layer.
Spread the 1/2c reserved speghetti sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. This will prevent sticking and help to cook the bottom layer of pasta. Layer the lasagna noodles, covering the entire dish in a single layer, breaking the noodles as necessary to make them fit. I usually use 4-5 noodles per layer. Next, layer the cottage cheese/mozzarella mixture, using about 1/2 of the total mixure in your bowl. Then add a layer of the meat/vegitable mixture, using 1/3. If you have leftovers of any of these mixtures, they are great to eat alone or with a side of whole wheat pasta. Try to be aware of how ful your dish is getting. With each layer of noodles, you should be 1/3 higher on the side of the dish. Your layers should follow the order below:
speghetti sauce
noodles
mozzarella mixture
beff/veggies
noodles
mozzarella mixture
beff/veggies
noodles
beef/veggies
parmesan mixture
Bake at 425 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until the cheese is slightly toasty. If you aren't sure whether it's done, just check a bite of the pasta. If it's done, the whole thing is done. Remember, everythign was cokked when you put it in so it's safe to eat. When it comes out of the oven, let it set for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut into 15 equally sized portions. This recipe is great to freeze and reheat later. Enjoy!
Please let me know what you think of this recipe! Post a comment on my blog. :)
Slow Cooker Chili
I use this recipe as a hearty meal served with cornbread and also as a topping on a variety of dishes. It is much lower in fat and calories than the canned chili you can buy in the store... and yummier too!
256 Calories per 2-cup serving
8 calories per tablespoon when used as a topping!
Makes 10 2c servings
Ingredients:
2c dried pinto beans
1c dried black beans
1c dried large lima beans
1 large can (about 4 1/2c) diced tomatoes
2 TBS chili pwder
1 TBS minced garlic
4c (about one large) yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 box (4c) fat free, low sodium beef broth
about 10c water
This is so easy! Just dump everything but the water into your extra large slow-cooker. Then pour in the water to fill within one inch of the rim (for my cooker it takes 10 cups). This leaves enough room so that it won't boil over. Set it on low for 8-24 hours. The longer it cooks the tastier it will be. Just be sure the water level stays up. I usually turn it on the night before and check the water level in the morning. If its a little low, just top it of with plain water. When dinner time rolls around, you should be good to go! Enjoy! :)
256 Calories per 2-cup serving
8 calories per tablespoon when used as a topping!
Makes 10 2c servings
Ingredients:
2c dried pinto beans
1c dried black beans
1c dried large lima beans
1 large can (about 4 1/2c) diced tomatoes
2 TBS chili pwder
1 TBS minced garlic
4c (about one large) yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 box (4c) fat free, low sodium beef broth
about 10c water
This is so easy! Just dump everything but the water into your extra large slow-cooker. Then pour in the water to fill within one inch of the rim (for my cooker it takes 10 cups). This leaves enough room so that it won't boil over. Set it on low for 8-24 hours. The longer it cooks the tastier it will be. Just be sure the water level stays up. I usually turn it on the night before and check the water level in the morning. If its a little low, just top it of with plain water. When dinner time rolls around, you should be good to go! Enjoy! :)
Simple Tuna Salad
sweet and simple.
Makes 2 servings (just split it in half in your bowl before serving)
61 cal per serving
1 3oz can light tuna in water, drained
2 TBS fat free mayo
3TBS dill relish
1/2 tsp dried dill
mix well and serv with low cal crackers or whole wheat bread
Makes 2 servings (just split it in half in your bowl before serving)
61 cal per serving
1 3oz can light tuna in water, drained
2 TBS fat free mayo
3TBS dill relish
1/2 tsp dried dill
mix well and serv with low cal crackers or whole wheat bread
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