So, today I made another recipe from the Cooking Light cookbook-- slow cooker lasagna. It wasn't the best we ever had, but it was better than Stouffer's (which isn't bad to begin with):
Cook beef, garlic, and Italian seasoning in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until beef crumbles; drain.
Combine spaghetti sauce and water in a small bowl.
Place 4 uncooked noodles in bottom of a lightly greased crockpot. Layer with half each of beef mixture, spaghetti sauce mixture, and mushrooms.
Spread ricotta cheese over mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining noodles, meat, sauce mixture, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese.
Cover and cook on HIGH setting 1 hour; reduce heat and cook on LOW setting 5 hours.***
***I definitely didn't need 5 hours; I'd say that after the first hour on high, 2-3 hours on low would probably do it.
Year one of pharmacy school is doneand summer is here!!! And I recently bought a new cookbook (Cooking Light Superfast Suppers: Speedy Solutions for Dinner Dilemmas)...so, with these two things combined, I should hopefully be posting a bit more than I have this semester. School has just kept me soooo busy! But anyways, tonight's dinner was pretty yummy!! It was "Balsamic pan-seared steaks" along with "Pan fried potatoes with dill" (well actually, I had no dill...so it was really pan-fried potatoes, haha), both from the new cookbook. I also served some salad and rolls (FYI: Kroger frozen dinner rolls are delicious!) But anyways, here are the recipes:
This recipe is from Hungry Girl's new cookbook. Both John & I liked it, and it was easy to make:
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar-free apricot preserves, room temperature
1/2 tablespoon dry onion soup mix
Two 6-ounce raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast cutlets
Optional: salt and black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place butter in a small microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until just melted. Set aside.
Combine vinegar and cornstarch in a bowl, and stir until cornstarch dissolves.
Add preserves, melted butter, and soup mix. Mix well and set aside.
Place chicken in a large sealable plastic bag and, removing as much air as possible, seal the bag. Carefully pound chicken through the bag with a meat mallet or a heavy can, until it is uniformly about 1/2-inch thick.
Transfer chicken to the bowl with the preserves mixture, and flip until thoroughly coated.
Lay a large piece of heavy-duty foil on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Lay chicken flat in the center of the foil, and top with any remaining preserves mixture.
Fold together and seal the top and bottom edges of the foil, and then the side edges, to create a well-sealed packet.
Place baking sheet in the oven and cook for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Allow packet to cool for a few minutes, and then cut to release steam before opening it entirely.
(Careful -- steam will be hot.)
Plate chicken and top with any sauce remaining in the foil. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
This entry is entitled "Half & Half," because of the two recipes I prepared today, one was a low cal Hungry Girl recipe, and the other was a ... not-so-good-for-you recipe. The good recipe was Hungry Girl's take on Green Bean Casserole: "Rockin' Lean Bean Casserole," and the naughty one was a recipe entitled "Joy's Chicken" that was from a cookbook John's sweet grandma June gave me us as a shower gift. I'll go ahead and get the not-so-good-for-you one out of the way:
Joy's Chicken
Day 1
Ingredients
12 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
Directions
Wash chicken & pat dry.
Combine all other ingredients, and then coat chicken with mixture.
Let chicken marinate in fridge for 24 hours
Day 2
Ingredients
1.5 cups ritz cracker crumbs
1.5 cups saltine crumbs
1 cup butter*
*That's right, this recipe called for a whopping 1 cup of butter (that's two full sticks!) I did end up using that much, but both John and I felt like it was a bit too much (especially considering the calories).
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Combine ritz crumbs and saltines crumbs, and roll chicken in the crumbs.
Place chicken in a casserole dish (10 x 15 is good) coated w/cooking spray.
Pour melted butter on top and bake for 1.5 hours.
Nutrition Who would want to know?? I did use FF sour cream and reduced fat Ritz, but with all that butter, I shudder to think of the calorie and fat content.
The Verdict Yummy!! John gave it an 8/10, and I'd give it about the same. If only it wasn't loaded in fat, I might make it more!
Rockin' Lean Bean Casserole
Ingredients
Two 16-oz. bags frozen French-style green beans, thawed, drained & thoroughly dried
Two 10.75-oz. cans Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery Soup (98% FF Cream of Mushroom or 98% FF Cream of Chicken would work fine too)
**I couldn't find either of these, so I subbed Sun Chips French Onion (+ a little onion powder) instead. They do have a bit more fat/cals, but not tons. It probably increased the points value by 1, maybe 2 points.
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Make sure green beans are thoroughly drained and completely dry -- use a towel if you need to. Then, place half of the green beans in a casserole dish (a 2 - 3 quart rectangular one works best).
Pour 1 can of soup evenly on top of the layer of green beans. Place half of the sliced water chestnuts over the soup layer.
Cover with remaining green beans, and then top with the rest of the soup. Evenly top with the remaining water chestnuts. Place dish in the oven, and cook for 45 minutes.
Top with crushed soy crisps, and return dish to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until chips turn golden brown.
Nutrition PER SERVING (1/10th of casserole): 76 calories, 2g fat, 431mg sodium, 13g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 3g protein -- POINTS® value 1
The Verdict Pretty good! A much lower fat/calorie version, but still tasty.
So, when I first started this blog, I made a post about my favorite Enchiladas recipe (for that post, go here), which I initially found on All Recipes (entitled "Chicken Enchiladas V"). I have made these enchiladas multiple times since finding the recipe a few years ago, and have always loved how scrumptious they were. So, I just couldn't let the fact that I am reducing my cals/fat stop me from enjoying these, so I made a lower calorie/fat version. The recipe is below:
Ingredients (FF = Fat Free; RF= Reduced Fat)
1 (10.75 ounce) can 98% FF condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup FF sour cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (or 2 (10 oz) cans chicken breast chunks in water))
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
8 (8 inch) 96% FF Mission flour tortillas
1 bag RF Mexican Cheese Bland (Like Sargento)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a small bowl mix the soup and sour cream; set aside.
Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion and chili powder, and saute until tender. Stir in the chicken, chile peppers, and 2 tablespoons of the soup mixture. Cook and stir until heated through.
Spread 1/2 cup of the soup mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas, and place, seam-side-down, in the baking dish. Spoon remaining soup mixture on top, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Nutrition Per Enchilada: 306 Cals; 10 g Fat; 3 g Fiber... 6 Weight Watcher's Points (I double checked to make sure my calculations are correct, so hopefully they are)
The Verdict Considering all the swaps I made, I was pretty happy with these. They were still creamy and yummy, and not nearly as bad for you as the original! John liked them, too. =)
So tonight I made Hungry Girl versions of Chicken Parmesan and Fettuccine Alfredo. For the chicken, I once again used fiber "breadcrumbs" (hence the title of this post; fibra= Italian for fiber). Overall, John and I were pretty pleased with these recipes:
Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
2 (5 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts (raw)
2/3 cup Fiber One cereal
1/2 cup Egg Beaters, Original**
1.5 tsp. reduced fat grated parmesan cheese
2 oz. (approx. 1/2 cup) shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup canned tomato sauce
Optional: garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper
**This recipe calls for 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (for easy dunking), but it will only take approx. 1 tbsp. to coat the chicken. 1 tbsp. Egg Beaters was used when calculating nutritionals.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Add parmesan to crumbs (if desired, season crumbs with optional spices, as well).
Place crumbs in one small dish and Egg Beaters in another.
Next, pound your chicken so it's a bit flattened.
Coat raw chicken on both sides with Egg Beaters, and then coat with crumb mixture. Place chicken on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Spray a light mist of nonstick spray on top of chicken and place in oven.
Cook for 10 minutes, and then turn chicken over. Add another light mist of nonstick spray and cook for an additional 10 - 12 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked and coating looks crispy).
Meanwhile, if desired, mix tomato sauce with your seasonings of choice.
Remove chicken from oven, top with sauce and then cheese, and return chicken to oven until cheese is melted.
2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
Salt and black pepper, to taste
**They do not sell these ANYWHERE near me, and they are expensive to buy online. You can try and find them where you live--it will be in the Tofu section, not the pasta section. Their website says where they are sold, so you can look their first. Anyways, apparently they have like a 0 points value, but I just had to use pasta. So, if you need to, substitute 2 cups cooked noodles for tofu noodles.
Directions
Use a strainer to rinse and drain shirataki noodles well. Pat dry. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute. Drain excess liquid. Dry as thoroughly as possible, using paper towels. Cut noodles up a bit, using kitchen shears if you've got 'em.//Or, if using real pasta noodles: cook noodles, strain, and separate out 2 cups of it.
To noodles, add sour cream, grated topping, and cheese wedges, breaking cheese wedges into pieces as you add them. Microwave for 2 minute.
Stir well and then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutrition PER SERVING (half of recipe): 99 calories, 4g fat, 376mg sodium, 9.5g carbs, 4g fiber, 1g sugars, 5.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2 **
**This is assuming you use the tofu noodles. If you sub whole wheat pasta, points value changes to about 5. If regular pasta, about 6. Those are still better nutrition wise than what you'd get at a restaurant!
Tonight's menu included two more Hungry Girl recipes: "Just Fondue It" and "Cheesy Beefy Quesadillas." The quesadillas were very yummy, and the cheese dip was good too. I would definitely recommend these, especially the quesadillas!: Cheesy Beefy Quesadillas
2/3 cup frozen ground-beef-style soy crumbles (like the ones by Boca and Morningstar Farms)
1/2 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
One wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
2 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1 tbsp. chopped scallions
1/2 tsp. dry taco seasoning mix
Optional: additional fat-free sour cream, for dipping
Directions:
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine soy crumbles, cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, and seasoning mix, stirring thoroughly. Microwave for 1 minute, stir again, and set aside.
Lay tortillas flat and spread cheese wedge evenly over one half of each.
Bring a medium-large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat, and lay one of the tortillas in it with the cheesy side up, and cook for about 30 seconds. Top the cheesy tortilla half with half of the soy crumble mixture. Using a spatula, carefully fold the plain tortilla half over the other half, pressing down with the spatula to seal. Cook for about 1 minute, until slightly toasted on the bottom. Flip and continue to cook for about 1 minute, until both sides are toasted. Remove from heat and cut into four triangles.
Repeat for other quesadilla.
Serve with sour cream for dipping, if you like. Enjoy!
2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
2 slices reduced-fat swiss cheese, torn into pieces
2 tbs fat free cream cheese
2 tbs dry white wine
chili powder, if desired
Directions
Bring saucepan sprayed w/nonstick spray to medium low heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add soymilk, all four cheeses, and salt. Cook for 3-4 mins (or however long it takes), stirring continuously, till cheeses have melted and sauce is thoroughly mixed.
Reduce heat to low and add wine (and chili powder if desired). Stir until combined. Transfer mixture to fondue pot and set temperature to low.
Nutrition Makes 4 servings PER SERVING (about 3 tablespoons): 89 calories, 2.5g fat, 548mg sodium, 3g carbs, 0g fiber, 2g sugars, 10g protein POINTS® value 2*
Tonight I made Hungry's girls "Planet Hungrywood Sweet & Cap'n Crunchy Chicken" and "Lord of the Onion Rings." The "secret ingredient" for both? Fiber One cereal. Yes, that's correct. Hungry Girl is a big fan of putting the stuff in a food processor/blender, and grinding till you have "bread crumbs" for coating things. But what kind of food does using this yield? Read on to found out.
...Cap'n Crunchy Chicken
Ingredients
8 oz. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast tenders
2 tbsp. honey mustard (actual mustard, not dressing)
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
dash salt
dash black pepper
Directions
Place Fiber One in a blender or food processor, and grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Set aside.
Put Cap'n Crunch in a sealable plastic bag and seal. Using a rolling pin or a can, coarsely crush cereal through the bag. In a wide bowl, combine Fiber One crumbs, crushed Cap'n Crunch, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Place chicken tenders in a separate medium bowl. Pour egg substitute over the chicken, and flip chicken to coat. Shake off any excess egg substitute, and then coat chicken in the cereal mixture.
Bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Place coated chicken pieces gently into the pan, spacing them out as much as possible. Cook for 5 minutes, and then carefully flip pieces over. Cook for about 4 additional minutes, until chicken is cooked through.**
Combine the Dijonnaise and honey mustard in a small dish, and mix well for a tasty dipping sauce. Enjoy!
**I used nonstick cooking spray, and they got a little burnt on each side. So I would recommend maybe adding a little bit of oil, just so they don't burn. Also, it took me more like 4 minutes on the first side, and 2-3 on the second (and that was on medium LOW heat)--but that might have just been my stove.
Nutrition PER SERVING (1/2 of recipe/2-2.5 chicken tenders): 234 calories, 2g fat, 617mg sodium, 23.5g carbs, 4g fiber, 10g sugars, 29g protein -- POINTS® value 4
Note, this should make about 4-5 chicken fingers TOTAL. If you want to make enough for two people, double the amount of chicken...I did, but didn't have to double the other ingredients (though you can if you want).
Lord of the Onion Rings
Ingredients
1 large onion
1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
Dash of salt
Optional: additional salt, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the ends off of the onion, and remove the outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2-inch-wide slices, and separate into rings.
Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour Fiber One “breadcrumbs” into a small dish and mix in salt, and any optional spices you like.
Next, fill a small bowl (just large enough for onion rings to fit in) with egg substitute. One by one, coat each ring first in egg and then in the “breadcrumbs” (give each ring a shake after the egg bath).
Evenly place rings on a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through.
Nutrition Per serving (appx 15 rings, or however many you make): Calories: 153; Fat: 1g; Sodium: 225mg; Carbs: 41g; Fiber: 16g; Sugars: 7g; Protein: 9g; POINTS® value 2
The Verdict This meal was fairly good-it probably would have been better if it wasn't my first time making it. The chicken was good, but would have been better had it not burnt some. The onion rings, considering they were cereal + onions, were pretty good. As good as normal fried onion rings? Taste wise--no. Though yummy, they simply can't compare in taste to normal onion rings. But as far as calories/fat goes, they make a good substitute. I mean, consider this: 13 normal onion rings contain (approximately) 700+ calories, 40 grams of fat, and a whopping 18 POINTS®! So, for a meal that had this few calories/fat/points, it was good.
So, I haven't had them in a while, but I highly recommend "No Pudge!" Fat Free Brownie Mix. (It comes in 3 flavors--fudge, mint fudge, and raspberry fudge. I've only tried straight up fudge.) Basically you take the mix, blend with fat free yogurt, and what you end up getting is 12** brownies, each containing 120 calories and no fat (= 2 WW points)! But, how do they taste? IMO, pretty yummy! The times I have made them, I have been pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted. Topped w/some fat free cool whip, and you have yourself one tasty treat!
Where to find them? In Auburn, I have found them at Kroger with the other brownie/cakes mixes (usually on the top shelf of that section). To find where they sell them near you, go here. I think I will be buying some on my next Kroger visit.
**They also have a single serving recipe, if you can't trust yourself w/all of them at once. Taken directly from there website, it is: "One of our consumers created this. In a small microwaveable container mix 2 tablespoons of your favorite flavor No Pudge! Brownie mix with 1 tablespoon of non-fat vanilla yogurt. Microwave on high for one minute. Top with fat-free frozen yogurt or whipped topping. Tastes like a warm, fudgy brownie pudding - Yum!!!"
Melt 1 tsp of butter in nonstick skillet over medium high heat
Add veal and cook till lightly browned, about 2 mins/side. Add broth, lemon juice, wine, and oregano; bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, turning the veal once, till the veal is cooked through, about 2 mins
Nutrition Serving size = 2 veal cutlets and 2 tbs sauce Per serving: 4 weight watchers points (171 cals; 6 g fat) The Verdict Somehow I cooked the veal in such a way that it was too chewy for me to eat--but John liked it (as evidence by how much he ate of it).
Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
2 medium sized baking potatos
2 Slices Kraft Fat Free Cheese - American
2 oz. Fat Free Original Liquid Coffee-mate (or other non-dairy creamer)
Paprika, salt, parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 375
Peel the skin off the top side of the potatoes, and bake in microwave until soft. (Times vary for different microwaves. Poke holes in potatos with fork, and cover for best results.)
When potatos are cooked, scoop out the inside of the potatos, leaving behind empty potato "shells." Take steaming hot potatoes, add cheese, Coffee-mate and a little salt. Mash it all together until the cheese melts and you're left with a creamy, cheesy mashed potato mixture.
Place potato mixture back into the potato shells, sprinkle with paprika & parsley. Bake in a for 20-30 minutes or until top is nice and brown.
Nutrition Per Potato: 156 calories, 0g of fat, 3g protein, 31 carbs, 3g fiber. (3 WW points) The Verdict These were good. Not as good as say, a regular twice baked potato, but pretty darn good for only 3 points.
Blue Cheese Dressing
Ingredients
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
2 tbs reduced-cal mayo
2 tbs crumbled blue cheese
1/4 tsp minced garlic
pinch cayenne
2 tsp fresh chives
Directions In blender/food processor, combine everything but the chives (pulse till nearly smooth). Sprinkle in the chives. Cover and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour (or up to 2 days) to allow flavors to blend.
Nutrition 1 serving= 2 tbs Per serving: 27 cal, 2 g fat (1 Weight Watcher's Point) Note, this really only makes enough dressing for 2-4 people.
The Verdict I have made this before and liked it--and this was still true today.
So, the Veal and Twice baked potatoes I was going to make last night I decided to wait and make this Saturday instead, so those recipes are coming later. Tonight I made "Fettuccine With Chicken and Broccoli Rabe," from a Weight Watcher's cookbook (the picture above is said book cover, and the dish on the cover is this one). I was not able to find Broccoli Rabe, but did find Broccolini (neither is a form of broccoli, and they aren't that similar to each other...but the broccolini worked fine in the dish). John and I both thought it was good; I definitely will make it again. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned and chopped
6 ounces spinach fettuccine
4 tsp olive oil, divided
4 (4 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp tried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings (I just used onion powder)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 head radicchio, shredded
2 tbs grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Directions
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the broccoli rabe 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. In the boiling water, cook the fettuccine according to package directions; drain.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsps of the oil. Add the chicken, salt, oregano, and red pepper and saute until cooked through, 4-5 mins on each side. Transfer to plates
In the skillet, heat the remaining 2 tsps oil; saute onions and garlic till tender, 3-4 mins. Stir in the broccoli rabe and radicchio; cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the fettuccine, then sprinkle with the cheese and black pepper. Serve topped with the chicken and sprinkled with the basil.
Nutrition Servings: 4 (1 serving = 1/4 pasta w/1 chicken breast) Per serving:
So, today I made some awesome (not to mention low in fat/cal/sugar) Red Velvet Cupcakes--Hungry Girl's Red Velvet Insanity Cupcakes, to be exact. But before I share the recipe, I will share the ditzy thing I did while making them:
So, in the recipe, she warns you not to worry if your batter is thin--that the cupcakes will fluff up. Well, I made my batter...and it wasn't thin at all. In fact, it was pretty thick, and, even once I had put batter in all the cupcake cups, I had tons left over. Come to find out, I was supposed to use just one cup of each cake mix...and I used the entire box of each! I should have realize when I was pouring them in that I was putting in a lot of cake vs the other ingredients...but alas, I did not. However, the batter still tasted great, it didn't really change the nutrition too much, and I just saved the extra to make later. The cupcakes I did make were pretty good--a little chewy, but both John and I liked them. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients: For Frosting 6 tbsp. Jet-Puffed Marshmellow cream
6 tbsp. Cool Whip Free, thawed
1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
For Cupcakes 1 cup Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Devil's Food**
1 cup Pillsbury Moist Supreme Reduced Sugar Cake Mix, Classic Yellow**
Two 25-calorie diet hot cocoa mix packets
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 oz. red food coloring
1 tsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/8 tsp. salt
Directions:
1.Place half of your chocolate chips (2 tbsp.) and the contents of both cocoa packets in a tall glass. Add 12 ounces of boiling water, and stir until chips and cocoa mix have dissolved.
2.Place glass in the freezer until mixture is cold (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together marshmallow creme, cream cheese, and 1 tbsp. Splenda until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Place bowl in the fridge to chill until cupcakes are ready to be frosted.
3.Once the cocoa in the freezer has chilled, give it a stir, and pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the cake mixes, egg substitute, remaining chocolate chips, red food coloring, 1 tsp. Splenda, and salt. Using a whisk or fork, mix batter for about 2 minutes (until smooth and blended). Batter will be thin, but don't worry, your cupcakes will puff up once baked!
4.Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups, and spray lightly with nonstick spray (or simply spray the pan with nonstick spray). Evenly spoon batter into the pan. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Cupcakes will look shiny when done.
5.Once cupcakes have cooled completely, evenly spread the frosting over them. Enjoy!
**Can't find the reduced-sugar cake mix? No problem! Make this recipe with regular cake mix, and each cupcake will have just 140 calories and a POINTS® value of 3*.
Only 3 points, AND yummy?? Sounds like a winner to me!
So, I need to improve my health/get in shape. Obviously, one way to do this is to improve my diet. I have several Weight Watchers' cookbooks, a Hungry Girl cookbook, and a low-carb Rachael Ray cookbook, not to mention the internet, at my disposal...and so I am going to try and start making more dishes that are lower in calorie/fat/etc. When nutrition and/or Weight Watcher's Points are available for a dish, I will try and include them.
Anyways, what I made tonight was Chicken Saltimbocca, i.e., chicken "rolls." It is from a Weight Watcher's cookbook called "Shortcuts." The recipe is below: Ingredients
2 (1/2 ounce) slices fully cooked lean ham, cut in half
2 (1/2 ounce) slices fat-free swiss cheese, cut in half
8 large fresh basil leaves (I actually used dried herbs instead, and it turned out fine)
1 large lemon
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
Directions
Arrange chicken breasts on work surface w/short sides near you. Top each one w/1 slice of the ham, 1 slice of cheese, and 2 basil leaves. Roll up, jelly-role style, and secure w/toothpick(s).
Grate 1 tbs of zest from lemon; squeeze 1 tbs of lemon juice.
Spray large nonstick skillet w/cooking spray, and set to medium-high heat.
Add chicken rolls, seam side down, and cook till lightly browned--about 2 minutes on each side.
Add broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, just until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Nutrition Per serving (1 chicken roll with 1/4 cup sauce):
167 cals
4g fat (1 g Sat fat ; 0 g trans fat)
72 mg Chol
371 mg Sod
2 g Carb
0 g fiber
29 g protein
Weight Watchers points value: 4
Both John and I thought it was good. I served it with some white rice (cooked in reduced sodium chicken broth for more flavor, and zero calories) and some Sister Schubert Wheat Dinner Rolls, which are pretty good for wheat.
Later on in the week I will be trying Veal Scallopine w/twice baked potatoes (from Weight Watchers and Hungry Girl), a Chicken Pasta Dish (Weight Watchers), and a potato soup w/blue cheese salad (Weight Watchers)...hopefully they will turn out well. I might also try some Hungry Girl' red velvet cupcakes... =)
Most people I know would agree that I could very accurately be described as a "foodie" (that is, according to dictionary.com,"a person keenly interested in food, esp. in eating or cooking"). But so what? Why does my love of consuming delicious food constitute the creation of a blog? Well, I am often looking for new recipes to try out, and thought this would be a good way to share them with others so that they too might enjoy them. So, here you are!
Also, if you have any recipes you'd like me to post, please e-mail them to me at holly.gipson@gmail.com!
