Bruschetta Chicken over Roasted Veggies

What a delicious and healthy meal! This definitely curbed my appetite for Italian food! I wasn't even missing pasta when I ate this! With buying the bruschetta instead of making it myself, I was able to save a lot of time on my busy week night!

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken tenders or thin sliced chicken breast
1 bunch of asparagus
1 purple onion
1 ball of mozzarella cheese
1 container of bruschetta (I used the Trader Joe's brand and it was delicious!)
1 tablespoon of EVOO
Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Salt and pepper for garnish

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400. Chop the asparagus in half and chop up your purple onion. Place the asparagus and onion, along with the EVOO drizzled on top in a casserole dish and place in the oven.The vegetables will need about 35-40 minutes to cook. Next, grill up your chicken. While your chicken is grilling, warm up your bruschetta and thinly slice your mozzarella. Once the chicken is finished cooking, top with thin slices of mozzarella and top with the bruschetta. Plate up with the vegetables underneath and garnish with fresh basil leaves, salt and pepper. Dig in and enjoy!

Zucchini "Pasta" Bolognese

So zucchini noodles seem to be all the rage on pinterest at the moment, so I decided to give them a try! Let me tell you, they turned out great! They obviously don't taste like pasta but had a similar texture and were super filling! I bought an OXO brand mandolin and it was a great purchase! I think I only paid $7 for mine at TJMAXX. If you are un-familiar with what a mandolin looks like, I have a picture of mine below.

Ingredients:

3 summer squash

2 zucchini 

1 tablespoon of garlic

Non-stick spray

1 lb of ground turkey meat

1 jar of sauce (I use my favorite sauce - Trader Joe's Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce)

Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions:

Cook the ground turkey as directed on package. While that is cooking, begin slicing your summer squash and zucchini with your mandolin. Be careful! The blades are sharp and I always end up cutting myself somehow. Once all of your squash is sliced, place in a medium to large sized sauce pan. Be sure to spray it first with non-stick spray. The noodles only take about 5-7 minutes to cook. I used tongs to stir them mid way. Be very careful because if you are too rough, the noddles will become mush.

When the noodles are almost done cooking, add your garlic and stir. Once the meat is all done cooking, add the jar of sauce to the mixture and mix well. Once everything is warm and finished cooking, plate up and garnish with the Parmesan cheese. Now how easy was that? Feel free to add other veggies to the mixture! I was experimenting so I was playing it safe this time! I can't wait to try new combinations.

Seafood Sauté

Last night, I had to work with what I had on hand since it was below zero outside and there was no way I was going out to the grocery store! Surprisingly, this meal came out wonderful! It left me feeling full and pleased! This meal yields about 2 large servings. If  you are cooking for 4, double it.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 lb of fresh sea scallops
- 1/2 lb of fresh jumbo shrimp cocktail
- 1.5 cups of frozen shelled soy beans (edamame)
- 1 white onion
- 1 package of raw mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon of EVOO
- 1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- Greek seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of beef broth base
- fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

Rinse the scallops and shrimp and drain. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Butterfly and take the tails off the shrimp. In a medium frying pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO and place on medium.Chop up the onion and mushrooms to your desired size. Place them in the frying pan and top with seasoning, stirring occasionally.

In a separate frying pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of EVOO and place on medium. Add the scallops first and top with your seasoning. Allow them to sear on one side. Once they are well seared, flip them over allowing the other side to sear. At this time, add your butterflied shrimp and season both sides.

Going back to your vegetables. They should be just about done by now. Add in the soy beans and lower the temperature to low heat.

Now for the finishing touches. Add the butter and garlic to your seafood pan and toss well. In your vegetable pan, add the beef broth base and stir, allowing the beef broth to fully incorporate into the vegetables.

Plate up the vegetables and top with your seafood. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!

Not Your Average Wedge Salad

I just love a nice wedge salad! It so refreshing and satisfying!

Ingredients:

1/4 of an iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup of diced tomatoes
1/8 cup of diced purple onion
1 slice of turkey bacon
2 tablespoons of fat free or light blue cheese dressing

Directions:

Cook the turkey bacon as directed on the package. Wash the ice berg lettuce and cut into quarters. Place 1 quarter on a plate. Chop up the tomato and onion. When the turkey bacon is finished cooking, crumble into pieces. Drizzle the blue cheese dressing on the ice berg wedge. Sprinkle and top with the bacon, tomato and onion. Serve with your choice of wine ;)

Nutrition Information - (This recipe makes 1 serving)

Calories - 127

Carbs - 12

Fat - 5

Protein - 10

Sodium - 143

Fiber - 1

Asian Chicken Wings

Who doesn't love chicken wings? Check out this twist on Chinese Chicken!

Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon of soy sauce (low sodium)
-1 tablespoon of brown sugar
-1/4 cup orange marmalade
-1/4 cup of Asian sesame salad dressing
-2 Lbs of chicken wings

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450. Mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, orange marmalade and Asian sesame dressing. Once the oven is preheated, line a baking sheet with tin-foil. Place the chicken wings on the sheet so that they are not touching. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip over the chicken wings and brush with the mixture. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Serve with your favorite dressing or eat plain!


Nutrition Information (for 1 chicken wing - this recipe should make about 13 chicken wings total)

Calories - 122
Fat - 7
Carbs - 6
Protein - 9
Sodium - 100
Fiber - 0

Thai Lettuce Wraps - 317 Calories

This is a favorite in my household. We make this at least every other week because its so delicious and so easy to make!

Ingredients:

- 1 Lb ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup of roasted peanuts (you can also substitute with cashews)
- 2 tablespoons of peanut sauce
- 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup of shredded chives
- 4 Large lettuce leaves for wrapping

Directions:

Cook up the ground beef until cooked through. Chop up the chives and carrots and mix together with the peanut butter, peanuts and peanut sauce. Once it is well mixed, add to the frying pan with the ground turkey. Stir well and cook on low for 1 minute. Distribute mixture evenly throughout the 4 lettuce wraps. And that's it! Easy huh?

Nutrition Information - This recipe makes 4 servings, nutrition information is for 1 serving

Calories - 317
Carbs - 9
Fat - 20
Protein - 27
Sodium - 287
Fiber - 2

Taco Chicken Salad - 227 Calories!

I am finally back! Since graduating I haven't been able to find the time to update my blog, but I have been doing a lot of cooking so there are lots of recipes to be added! I made this meal as a post workout meal and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup of chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of canned corn (rinsed)
- 1/4 cup of black beans (rinsed)
- 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce
- 3 slices of avocado
- 2 teaspoons of low sodium taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
- (2) 4oz chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup of fat free shredded cheese for topping

Directions:

Cook up the chicken and chop up into bite sized pieces. In a small mixing bowl, mix the mayonnaise and taco seasoning until smooth. In a larger mixing bowl, add the chicken, tomatoes, corn, beans and mayonnaise mixture and mix well. ***If you are making this and will be eating it right away, add the lettuce and avocado and sprinkle the cheese on top. ***If you are making this for the future, hold off on adding the lettuce avocado and cheese and don't add until you are ready to eat it.

Nutrition Facts - (This makes 2 servings. Nutrition information is for 1/2 of the recipe - 1 serving)

Calories - 227
Carbs - 11
Fat - 9
Protein - 27
Sodium - 579
Fiber - 4

Cheeseburger Soup - 194 Calories a serving!

I found a new healthy addiction: Cheeseburger Soup. Cheeseburgers are one of the things that I crave most on this diet... or "lifestyle change." Since they are pretty much terrible for you and so high in calories, I absolutely had to find an alternative. This soup is awesome, and even better the next day! This recipe makes 12 servings and will last all week... if you don't eat it all on the first night that is!

Ingredients: 

- 8oz Block of Kraft Velveta Cheese (cut into cubes)
- 1 lb of ground hamburg
- 1 white onion
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 cup of carrots
- 1 can of Campbell's cheddar cheese soup
- 1 can of Campbell's 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
- 2 tablespoons of low fat sour cream
- 1.5 cups of skim milk
- 2 tablespoons of light butter (I used smart balance)
- 3 cups of water

Directions:

In a medium sized frying pan, add the hamburg. Cook on medium heat until there is no more red. Put aside. While the meat is cooking, chop up the onion, celery and carrots to desired size. Add the chopped up vegetables and 2 tablespoons of butter to another medium sized frying pan on medium heat. Cook until the onions are transparent. Chop up the Velveta cheese into small cubes.Once the vegetables are cooked, combine in a large sized pot with the cooked hamburg, cubed Velveta, both cans of soup, sour cream, milk and water. Stir well and place on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to let this cook until it starts to bubble. All done :) Yummmm!

Nutrition Facts (for 1 cup. This recipe should make 12 servings.)

Calories - 194
Carbs - 11
Fat - 9
Protein - 17
Sodium - 568
Fiber - 1

Caprese Salad

As simple as it is, there are probably over 100 different ways to make and present a caprese salad. I figured I'd make a blog post for one of my never forgotten favorite Low Calorie Italian foods. Made as a lower calorie version with all natural ingredients, you can't go wrong!


Ingredients

- 8 Cherry tomatoes
- 1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 basil leaf
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic dressing (I used Newman's Own Light Roasted Garlic Balsamic)

Directions

Slice up the tomatoes into quarters. Dice up the mozzarella into even small cubes. Shred the basil leaf into small pieces. Add the 1 tablespoon of dressing. Mix all of the ingredients together and serve! What an easy lunch!

Nutrition Facts (For 1 serving - This recipe makes 1 serving)

Calories - 160
Carbs - 8
Fat - 7
Protein - 6
Sodium - 255
Fiber - 2

Cheesy Sweet Potato Pancake Crisps

I found a recipe similar to this one online and i had to modify it (to be healthy of course) This recipe works great as an appetizer, breakfast, side, or snack - it's that great!

Ingredients:

- 1 sweet potato

- 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites

- 1/2 cup of shredded romano cheese

- pinch of salt and pepper

- pinch of garlic salt

- a few shakes of mccormick perfect pinch parmesan herb seasoning (you don't have to use this but it tastes so good!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take a sweet potato and peel it. Begin to grate the sweet potato using a cheese grater. Once it is all grated (it may take a while since the potato will be hard), mix it with all of the ingredients and mix. It should look something like....

Take a table spoon and shape the mixture into little balls and flatten them out (roll it like you would with cookie dough.) Take a paper towel and squeeze some of the juices out. Place on a PAM sprayed cookie sheet, and repeat for the rest of the mixture. It should make about 12 per batch. It should look like this...

Spray the tops of the pancakes with PAM. Bake for around 20 minutes, being sure to flip them to evenly brown. They're done when they're crispy. I served mine with fat free ranch... yum!  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts for 1 pancake (this recipe should make 12 servings)

Calories - 28

Carbs - 2

Fat - 1

Protein - 2

Sodium - 88

Fiber - 0

Southwestern Salsa

I think it's time for some salsa to go with that under 100 calorie margarita! This is a really easy recipe since all you need to do is chop and mix.

Ingredients:

- 1 onion
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 green pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup of canned corn (Rinsed)
- 1/2 cup of black beans (Rinsed)
- 1 lime
- Splash of vinegar

Directions:

Chop up the onion, pepper, garlic, and tomatoes to your desired size (if you want chunky salsa, cut them  large) Combine the onion, pepper, garlic, and tomatoes with the rinsed corn and beans. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juices into the mixture. Splash the mixture with vinegar. Take a potato masher and lightly press down on the mixture causing some of the juices to come out. How easy was that?!

Nutrition Facts for 1/4 cup - this recipe should make around 8 servings.

Calories - 23
Carbs - 4
Fat - 0
Protein - 1
Sodium - 42
Fiber - 1

Happy Cinco De Mayo! Under 100 Calorie Margarita!

Inspired by the holiday, I thought it would be nice to put up a recipe for some low calorie goodness! What better than to celebrate with a margarita? Not only does this taste delicious, but it's also full of vitamins (25% of your daily needed vitamin c) and it's made with real fruit! What's the secret you ask? Edy's no sugar added fruit bars. The  best part is each box comes with 3 flavors - lime, strawberry, and wildberry. 3 perfect flavors for margaritas!

Ingredients:

- 1-2 Edy's no sugar added fruit bars (I used wild berry - use 2 if you want a lot of flavor. Nutrition is for margarita with 1 bar.)

- 1 oz of your desired tequila

- 6 ice cubes

- lime wedge for garnish

- salt or sweetener for the rim

Directions:

In a blender, combine the fruit bar(s), tequila, and ice cubes. Blend until it is to your desired consistency. I added a few drops of water to help it blend easier. Take your margarita glass and wet the rim. On a plate lay out either salt or sweetener (I used truvia.) Roll the rim around the sweetener so that it sticks to the edges. Pour the margarita into the glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Enjoy the holiday!

Nutrition facts for 1 margarita

Calories - 94

Carbs - 6

Fat  - 0

Protein - 0

Sodium - 0

Fiber - 1

Another good substitute for a margarita is the Skinny Girl brand margarita. They sell it at most liquor stores and at some restaurants. It's a good substitute if you're going out and don't want to waste your calories on liquor. They come pre-made so it's a good drink for those of you that don't have the time. At 130 calories per glass, not bad!

Turkey Sausage and Veggie Quiche To Go!

This is a great quick recipe if you never have enough time in the morning. The best part about it is that you can make a big batch and have them for the whole week. You can also be creative and add different vegetables/meat/cheese. There are endless possibilities! Oh and did I mention, perfect for a grab and go breakfast! I just had this for dinner, and I can't get over how filling they were! I only had 2 and was stuffed!

Ingredients:

- 3 egg whites

- 1 whole egg

- 3 links of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage

- Desired veggies –( I am using onions, mushrooms, and broccoli)

-1/4 cup of skim milk

-1/2 cup of fat free shredded cheese (I use kraft fat free cheddar)

- 7 cupcake liners

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Chop up and stir fry desired veggies until cooked well. Wisk egg whites and egg together with milk. Once the eggs are wisked, add the vegetables. Chop up the turkey sausage in small pieces and combine to the egg mixture, along with 1/2 of the cheese (1/4 cup) and mix.  Pour the mixture into the cupcake liners and place in a cupcake tray and place in the oven. About 25 minutes in, sprinkle the mini quiches with the remaining fat free cheese and place back in the oven to allow the cheese to melt. Once the cheese is melted, they are done!

Nutrition Facts for 1 Quiche (This recipe should make 7 quiches)

Calories-  61

Carbs- 6

Fat- 2

Protien-26

Sodium-347

Fiber- 0