Healthy Chicken Enchiladas
January 1, 2012
I created this recipe after researching traditional chicken enchiladas. I was able to cut out a lot of calories and fat just by using lighter versions of certain products and with just a little substitution. Overall, each enchilada has about 135 calories. I usually eat 2 and make some fresh guacamole and Spanish rice to complement – all for under 500 calories!
Ingredients
- 3/4 C light/fat free cream of mushroom soup
- 1/4 C light sour cream
- 1/2 C plain fat free Greek yogurt
- 1/4 white onion, diced
- 1 large chicken breast
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Boil chicken breast for 10-15 minutes or until no longer pink inside, dice or shred
- Mix soup, sour cream, yogurt and onion together in a large bowl
- Fill each of the 8 tortillas with chicken and a tbsp full of soup mixture, roll each tortilla and place side by side in a greased 8X8 glass baking dish
- Pour remaining soup mixture over rolled enchiladas
- Top with cheese
- Bake at 350° until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes
There are 2 enchiladas pictured here.
2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
October 17, 2011
Yes, you heard that right, 2 ingredients. I too was shocked when I first saw this recipe and even more shocked when I tasted one – it was the moistest cupcake I’d ever tasted despite the fact that I hadn’t added any water, oil or eggs! This is a great breakfast muffin, a delicious afternoon treat with your coffee, and an easy dessert — basically, it’s good any time of day!
Pumpkin Muffins
- One Yellow Super Moist Cake mix
- 1 -15 ounce can 100% pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix cake mix with pumpkin filling using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. DO NOT ADD ANY OTHER INGREDIENTS – NO water, NO eggs, NO oil – just simply the cake mix and the pumpkin! Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Fill cupcakes about ½ full. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Makes 20 cupcakes. You can make this as a cake too – just bake a little longer.
Apple Cider Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 T. apple cider
- 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
In a small bowl blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour over pumpkin cupcakes. Let set before covering.
Penne Pasta with Pistachio Pesto Cream Sauce
August 14, 2011
This recipe came out of the San Antonio Express News Taste section in a segment they call “Cook it Light”. Basically they take a recipe and substitute ingredients to lower the fat and calorie content. It looked easy enough and turned out to be very tasty.
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta (I used a gluten-free version)
- 4 to 6 cups bite-size fresh or frozen vegetables (I used diced eggplant & peas)
- 1 C fresh basil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 to 3 T fat-free chicken broth
- ¼ C shelled pistachio nuts, toasted
- 1 T cornstarch
- 2 C fat-free half-and-half
- ¾ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Drain and set aside.
- Steam the bite-sized veggies of choice till crisp-tender. Set aside.
- For the pesto, put the basil, garlic, chicken broth and pistachio nuts into food processor and pulse until finely chopped, scraping the sides as needed and adding more broth if necessary.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the fat-free half-and-half in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir constantly until thickened and boiling. Add the pesto and cheese and mix well.
- Cover the pasta and veggies with the sauce.
Served with warm bread
*I pan-seared a filet of salmon and flaked it into the finished pasta – it was delicious. You could add chicken as well.
Per Serving without salmon (makes 6 servings): — Calories: 338, Total Fat: 7g, Carbs: 57g, Fiber: 9g, Protein 13g
Grilled Zucchini & Red Bell Pepper Salad
May 22, 2011
This is the 2nd of 2 great summer vegetable salads that I got from Martha Stewart (from her website, not personally 
. Checkout the first recipe for Corn Avocado & Cilantro salad here.
Ingredients:
- 4 green zucchini, cut in half and then cut length-wise into thick strips
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick strips
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
Directions:
- Heat grill to medium-high.
- Grill veggies until soft, but not wilted (about 10 minutes or so depending on thickness of slices – I used a grill basket)
- Gently toss veggies with basil, olive oil and salt.
- Serve warm or cold (we ate it warm)
Zucchini & Red Bell Pepper Salad is on the left - Corn, Avocado & Cilantro Salad is on the right
Martha Stewart knows what she’s doing
May 22, 2011
Martha Stewart is a frequent guest on the Today Show (which D and I watch a few mornings a week while getting ready for work) and she is usually showing off some pretty extravagant recipes — that have 154 ingredients – which is exactly why I’ve never tried to conquer one in my own kitchen. But this past week she was showcasing low-fat summer salad recipes that did not include mayo and that had only 3 to 5 ingredients each. Dustin actually saw the segment and sent me the link to the recipes so we could try some. We made 2 to accompany our NY strips last night and they did not disappoint. I’d even go as far as saying that they were easy. If you need a quick veggie dish to add to your dinner or a salad to add to a picnic, these are both great…I’ll include the Corn Avocado & Cilantro Salad in this post and type the Grilled Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper Salad in the next.
Ingredients:
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 Hass avocado, sliced
- 1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
Directions:
- Heat grill to medium-high.
- Grill corn, rotating often, until lightly charred, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and then carefully slice kernels from cob.
- Gently toss corn with avocado, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt.
- Serve warm or cold (we ate it warm)
Zucchini & Red Bell Pepper Salad is on the left - Corn, Avocado & Cilantro salad is on the right.
Best Salmon I EVER made
May 22, 2011
The title to this post is actually a direct quote from Dustin during dinner while eating the recipe below. You see, Dustin ‘grades’ my recipes on a scale of 1 to 10 and we keep a spreadsheet with their grades so I know what he likes and doesn’t like. It also serves as a great go-to database to find dinner ideas quick. This recipe received the highest score Dustin has ever given any of my dinners – a whopping 8.5 (yes, he’s a hard judge!)! I was intrigued by this recipe because of how FEW ingredients it had and even more intrigued by how flavorful and scrumptious it was. If you like salmon, this stuffing is sure to be a simple and tasty addition to a old favorite.
Ingredients:
- 4 salmon filets (about 4 oz each)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 C baby spinach
- 1/3 C feta cheese
- 3 Tbsp red onion (chopped fine)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/3 C fresh basil (chopped)
Preparation:
- Combine spinach, feta, onion, garlic and basil in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice each salmon filet horizontally, stopping 1/2” from the edge
- Open the filets and divide stuffing mixture evenly between them
- Close filets and brush with oil
- Season with salt and pepper
- Saute in non-stick skillet, grill or bake. I baked at 350° for 8 to 12 minutes (until salmon flakes easily with a fork).
2 pictures of the stuffed salmon and 1 of the stuffing ingredients before being processed.
Chicken Souvlaki Pita (or Wraps)
May 22, 2011
I was looking for a simple wrap recipe to use the rest of the wraps I bought for the Eggplant Parmesan Paninis and although this recipe called for pita bread, I knew I could substitute for a wrap (which in turn lowered the calorie and fat content!). Even though the recipe looked great on paper, I didn’t expect the meat to be as yummy as it was. We ate these wraps warm (meat right off the grill) the night we made them and then ate them cold (put them together with meat coming right from the fridge) the next day – both were delicious.
Marinade:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 C onion (minced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 bay leaves (crushed)
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt & pepper
Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 C lowfat plain yogurt (I used nonfat Oikos)
- 1/4 C grated cucumber
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic salt (be careful, this stuff is potent and can easily ruin your sauce…add a little at a time and taste it as you go. This yogurt sauce should be a little thinner, but have the same flavor as a traditional tsatziki sauce served at Greek restaurants).
Garnishes for wrap:
- Raw spinach
- Feta Cheese
- Dived tomatoes
- Avocado
- Whole wheat wraps or pita bread
Directions:
- Put marinade in large ziplock baggie and add 1 lb chicken strips. Marinate chicken 1 hour or longer (I marinated it all day while I was at work).
- Cook chicken on grill or in skillet, flipping occasionally until cooked throughout.
- Combine all ingredients of yogurt sauce and refrigerate while cooking chicken.
- Place chicken, a few tablespoons of yogurt sauce, and 1/8 cup of feta on a wrap or in a pita. Add garnishes (tomato, avocado, etc.). Enjoy!
Creating the wrap - I wrapped my wrap in foil to pack it in my lunch (this worked well for eating it at my desk without making a mess!)
Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine
May 22, 2011
I got this recipe from Self magazine and while at first glance it looks complicated because the number of ingredients, it’s actually pretty easy to throw together. We used gluten free noodles for the pasta and it turned out great. Also, it tends to be much more flavorful the day after so you can look forward to yummy leftovers!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more!)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (we used about 1/2 onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 C dry white wine
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp instant chicken bouillon, crumbled
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (you can buy them already deveined at the seafood counter @ HEB!)
- 1/4 C fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (we actually used curly, not flat-leaf)
- 1/4 C grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz whole-grain fettuccine (again, we used gluten free pasta)
Preparation:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic, stirring until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes
- Combine 1/4 C water with wine, basil, bouillon, cornstarch and oregano in a bowl
- Add tomatoes and shrimp to skillet. Cook until shrimp begins to turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes
- Reduce heat to low, stir in wine mixture
- Cover; simmer until shrimp is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more
- Stir in parsley, cheese and pasta
- Serve immediately
Per Serving (makes 4 servings): — Calories: 400, Total Fat: 8.4g, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, arbs: 55.14g, Fiber: 6.7g, Protein 33.4g
First night - Leftovers the next day (with better lighting for a picture)
Eggplant Parmesan Panini
May 15, 2011
“This Clean Eating iteration of an Italian-American favorite honors the beloved flavors of complex marinara sauce, soft, earthy eggplant and decadent melted cheese without all the frying fuss.”
Well, that’s pretty elaborate, huh? I think I’d agree though – this panini is definitely earthy and the cheeses really help accentuate all the great flavors going on in this wrap.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 2 large cloves garlic, halved
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 C part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 oz part-skim mozzarella, grated (1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 large whole-wheat or multigrain wraps (about 12 inches in diameter)
Directions:
- Heat large saute pan on medium -high. When hot, add eggplant and tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until eggplant begins to soften and both vegetables release liquids.
- Add garlic and herbs and saute for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat to medium and cover pan and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, uncover, stir and let cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Spread 2 tbsp cheese mixture in center of 1 wrap, then place quarter of eggplant mixture (about 1/2 cup) in a pile on top of cheeses.
- Pull bottom of wrap up over filling. Fold both sides inward so creases form at the ends of the filling, creating a pouch. Fold top edge over pouch.
- Place wrap seam side down on panini press and press for 2 minutes on medium-high heat, until panini is slightly toasted. Slice panini diagonally down the center and serve immediately.
Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Strawberry Muffins
April 4, 2011
Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Strawberry Muffins – that’s just another way of saying YUMMY.
The past few nights as I’ve been cleaning up the kitchen after dinner I’ve noticed the half rotting bananas on the counter, but just couldn’t bring myself to throw them out. I can’t bare to throw away food these days, maybe because I’ve seen the grocery bill continually rise the past few months (and I’m only buying/cooking for 2!). So tonight I decided to put the poor little brown bananas to good use. I knew I didn’t want to make regular banana bread and after nearly 30 minutes of searching for a recipe that didn’t yield muffins with a gazillion calories each I finally landed on cooking blog that looked to be very promising.
While the only sweetener used in this original recipe is honey, I decided at the last minute to throw in 2 teaspoons of Truvia. The reason is because I’ve tried sugarless (honey or molasses sweetener only) muffins before (banana and blueberry) and both Dustin and I were not impressed. I think we’ve become too accustomed to boxed muffin mixes that contain all kinds of unnatural sugars. But this time I think I got it right. I’ll be taking some of these to work tomorrow to let my gym-buddies try them out and I’ll report back on what they think, but my overall opinion is that, although a lot less sweet than a ‘normal’ boxed or bakery bought pastry, these muffins are delightfully delicious and satisfying.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium overly-ripe bananas
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup & 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 2 tsp Truvia (OPTIONAL)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, honey, yogurt, egg, and a pinch of salt and beat until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour and beat until incorporated.
- Add remaining 3/4 cup of flour and baking powder, along with 2 tbsp of water and Truvia, and beat until incorporated.
- Stir in chopped strawberries gently.
- Pour batter into lightly greased or lined muffin pan. For me, the batter made 14 regular sized muffins.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean.
*The only thing I might change next time is to put fewer strawberries (maybe only a cup). I noticed that the very center of the muffins were still a little gooey even after nearly 28 minutes of cooking. They were OK to eat, but the gooeyness made it hard to remove the wrapper from the muffin and made the muffin fall apart easily. I could have probably cooked them longer too, but I was afraid that I was over-cooking them…but now I know I wasn’t.
Scrumptious!
Per Muffin: — Calories: 144, Total Fat: 1.13g, Saturated Fat: 0.11g, Cholesterol: 15.36mg, Sodium: 10.18mg, Carbs: 31.64g, Fiber: 6.21g, Sugars: 17.01g, Protein 4.04g
