The Best Enchiladas Ever!! Filed under ( light recipes, main dishes, meat )

I discovered this recipe about three or so years ago in the Body for Life cookbook. I LOVE these enchiladas so much and they are always the first thing I think of whenever I have leftover chicken or turkey in the fridge (I'm pretty sure this picture right here is made up of Thanksgiving leftovers). These enchiladas are packed full of flavor, incredibly filling, and they're really good for you. The biggest difference is that rather than using a red sauce, or a cream base, they're made with two huge cans of the Verde enchilada sauce, which I had shamefully never had until making these. Don't let the fact that you're not on a diet sway you from giving these a try, I would make them often even in a world where calories never counted (oh and what a world it would be!)

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast

4 green onions, sliced

2 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno seeded and minced (if you get a hotter sauce, you may not need the jalapenos)

3 10 oz cans green enchilada sauce (I use 2 big 20-something oz cans, works just fine)

8 corn tortillas (I usually use at least 12)

1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup light sour cream

1 tomato, diced

1 can ripe olives, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Light coat a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

2. Place chicken breast in large pot and cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until no longer pink in the middle, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly, shred chicken with 2 forks.

3. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium high heat. Add green onion, cilantro and jalapeno; saute for two minutes. Add shredded chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Pour the 2 remaining cans of enchilada sauce in a medium bowl and microwave until warm, about two minutes. Dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with about 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

5. Pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

6. Divide lettuce onto four plates and place a portion of enchiladas on top. Top with a spoonful of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, tomatoes and olives. Enjoy!

The only downside to this cookbook is that there is no nutritional info posted on the recipes, which is a pet peeve of mine for any cookbook. However, if you are a die hard points counter, the ingredients are simple enough, I don't think you would have much trouble calculating it yourself.

ALSO

I've been offered another blog award! This one also came from Priscilla at Priscilla Bakes. This girl really knows her stuff when it comes to baking, and I just recently discovered how young she is, which really threw me for a loop because she is so talented! Definitely check out her blog. Thanks again Priscilla!

I'm going to pass this on to Christine at Cooking with Christine. She's got some very fun recipes with great pictures and stories to go with them.

I'm also going to pass this on to Nicole at Test Kitchen Recipes. I actually just discovered her blog last night, but she had me immediately at fish tacos. She's also got a lot of wonderful family friendly recipes that I can't wait to try out.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!

Crockpot Spicy Bean Soup Filed under ( crockpot recipes, main dishes, meat, Soup )

This is one of those recipes invented in the midst of scarcity. My pantry is always stocked with a variety of beans, broths and all types of tomato (sauces, diced, pureed) which always come in handy, especially when I'm low on ideas and food! So when I had a thawed 1/2 pound of beef in my fridge, behold this soup! My whole family loved it and it didn't take long before it was completely devoured. It's packed with flavor, and very healthy.

Ingredients

1/2lb-1lb ground beef or turkey

1 minced onion

4-5 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups diced carrots

2 15-oz cans chili beans, pinto beans or kidney beans (whatever you like really), drained and rinsed

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (if you don't like spicy foods, just use regular diced tomatoes)

2 cups beef, chicken or veggie broth (mine was a combination of all of them, because it's what I had in my fridge!)

1 TB garlic salt

1 TB parsley

1 TB dried oregano

1 TB cumin

1 tsp black pepper

1-2 TB chili powder

Directions

1. Brown beef or turkey and onions in a large nonstick skillet over med heat. Add carrots and celery and cook until just wilted. Place in a slow cooker.

2. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine.

3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

4. Serve with tortilla chips or crackers and shredded cheddar cheese.

Mexican Potato Casserole Filed under ( light recipes, main dishes, meat )

I really love this dish, it's a fun lowfat spin on meat and potatoes that the kids devour. It's also very easy and very comforting. It have slightly adapted it from Weight Watchers, Simply the Best. You must try this casserole.

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 green bell peppers seeded and chopped
8 scallions, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (Rotelle)
1 TB chili powder
1 TB ground cumin
1 TB garlic powder (I use garlic salt, of course)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 large baking potatoes scrubbed and thinly sliced
3/4 cup nonfat cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Add the beef, bell peppers, and scallions; cook, stirring as needed, until the beef is browned and the vegetables are softened, 6-8 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt; cook, stirring as needed, until the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes.

4. Arrange alternate layers of the potatoes and beef mixture in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer.

4 Servings
Points per serving 7
327 cal, 10g fat, 3g sat fat, 46mg chol, 386mg sod, 37g carb, 6g fib, 27g prot

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Filed under ( crockpot recipes, light recipes, main dishes, meat )

I love the world of food blogging, there are so many great food blogs out there that I could probably spend all day cruising them! I found this gem on mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, who in turn found it on prudencepennywise.blogspot.com. It was a great find at a time when I had no dinner plans and no ambition to spend time in the kitchen.

This recipe is DELICIOUS and so easy that it almost shouldn't be allowed. It will most definitely become a regular in our house. I added a WW friendly alternative, but either way will be great. I will also add that if you are sensitive to meat that has a sweet flavor, you may want to alter the amount of brown sugar in it, but I personally loved the sweetness. It was wonderful on tacos but I absolutely loved it on a bed of brown rice with a side of steamed peas, ah, slurpalicious! Next time I make this I'm doubling it because I was sad when I ate the rest of the leftovers!

Sweet and Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts1

(14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained (if you are interested in a really spicy chicken, use Rotelle

1/3 cup brown sugar (use Splenda brown sugar to save calories)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Coat the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, or until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Chicken will absorb liquid after it is shredded.) Serve in tacos or however your little heart desires.

1 serving=1/2 cup chicken (when using Splenda)

2 points per serving

If you do put this on rice, 1/2 cup of white or brown rice is 2 pts

Corn Fritters with Roasted Tomatoes and Lime Aioli Filed under ( Appetizers, bread, light recipes, main dishes, meat, veggies )

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away?! It's so hard to believe how fast this month has been going. I am starting to look forward to my turkey and mashed potatoes!

I made this a few months ago as a summer dish, but I also think it would serve as a pretty great appetizer for you Thanksgiving spread. The corn fritters are savory with a hint of sweetness, and paired with the roasted tomatoes, prosciutto and aioli, it's a dynamite combo. And if you're not up for adding another dish to Thanksgiving, it can stand pretty well on it's own, we actually enjoyed these for dinner. Enjoy and happy Wednesday!


Corn Fritters with Roasted Tomatoes and Lime Aioli
By Cooking Light

Ingredients

4 ripe tomatoes, halved (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (3 ears)
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cold water
4 cups loosely packed arugula
4 (1/4-ounce) slices prosciutto

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Arrange tomato halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle tomatoes with 1 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and have lost a lot of their moisture.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add milk and egg; stir until smooth. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, corn, green onions, and salt.

4. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by level tablespoonfuls into pan to make 6 fritters; cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges are golden. Carefully turn fritters over; cook 2 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and remaining batter.

5. Combine mayonnaise, juice, garlic, and water. Place 1 fritter on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1 tomato half and 1/2 cup arugula. Repeat layers with remaining fritters, tomato halves, and arugula, ending with fritters. Top each serving with 1 prosciutto slice; drizzle with 4 teaspoons aioli.

Chicken Tetrazzini Filed under ( light recipes, main dishes, meat, pasta )

I really liked this recipe because, it's lowfat and WW friendly for one, but it also act as a great "blank slate" for whatever extra flavors you want to add to it. You could easily sub tuna, or even steak for a different, but delicious casserole.

When I made this, I added red pepper flakes for a bit of heat, as well as some garlic salt (of course). It was warm and comfy in our bellies, and the kids loved it, which always makes it a winner!

Ingredients
2 tsp unsalted stick marg
2 celery stalks, diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 TB all purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup shredded reduced fat cheese
1 cup cubed skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup frozen peas
7 fat free saltine crackers crumbled (I used breadcrumbs)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large nonstick saucepan melt the marg. Add the celery and scallions; cook, stirring as needed, until softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the milk and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about three minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted.
4. Stir in the chicken, macaroni, and peas; cook, stirring as needed, until heated through and the peas are thawed, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart casserole; top with cracker crumbs. Bake until crackers are lightly browned, about ten minutes.

Makes 2 servings
Serving Size: 1/2 of casserole
Per Serving: 406 cal, 10g fat, 4g sat fat, 64 mg chol, 410mg sod, 3g fiber
8 points per serving

Butterflied Cuban Style Pork Chops Filed under ( main dishes, meat )

As you well know, I really love pork chops, but I needed a new idea for the fresh new package in my fridge just waiting for an adventure. I went to the Food Network site (best site in the universe), typed "pork chops" and picked the very first one that came up. The recipe, designed by Bobby Flay, had my eyebrows raised for a moment, but all the different flavors combined really added up to something delicious! If you're in the mood for an adventure, I highly recommend this recipe.


Ingredients
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup canola oil
4 (8-ounce) pork chops, butterflied and thinly pounded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 (1/4-inch) thick slices Swiss cheese
8 (1/4-inch) thick slices boiled ham
2 sour dill pickles, thinly sliced (need about 16 slices)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions
Heat the grill to high.
Whisk together 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 3 tablespoons oregano, the garlic, cumin, and canola oil in a large baking dish. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry. Place the chops on a flat surface, cut-side up and season with salt and pepper. Place 1 slice of cheese, 2 slices of ham, a few slices of pickle and another slice of cheese on 1 half of the chop. Fold over brush the top with oil and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Place the chops on the grill, oil side down and grill until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chops over and continue grilling until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Whisk the remaining orange and lime juices, oregano, and the cilantro with the olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon over the chops and serve.

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs Filed under ( food tip, main dishes, meat )

I got this recipe from Ellie Krieger off the Food Network and I love it. It's incredibly easy and require little work. And it's low-fat, which you will hopefully seeing a lot more as I am trying to "health-en" it up around here!

Ingredients

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 TB brown sugar

2 TB dry sherry (if you omit this, it's just as good)

2 TB rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press, or minced

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I get boneless and skinless thighs)

2 tsp sesame seeds

Directions

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, sherry, vinegar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and stir until sugar dissolves. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and add the chicken. Seal the bag and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning once, for 1-4 hours.

Heat the broiler to high. Arrange the chicken on a broiler pan skin side down and broil until brown and crispy, 8-10 minutes. Flip the chicken and broil until almost cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Sprinkle with seeds and cook until the seeds turn golden brown and the chicken is done, 1-2 minutes longer.

Food Tips

1. Fresh ginger is the best, but it can be annoying because you have to buy a huge piece of it, to only use a tip. Fortunately it freezes great, so just place in a zip lock and throw in the freezer until your next use.

2. If you are not a fan of cooking with wine or sherry (I can't stand it, I've tried so many times and just ended up dry heaving from the smell), it's usually an ingredient that can be omitted, or substituted with whatever broth or stock is most appropriate. Of course, some recipes are "wine based" so you may just want to forget about cooking those completely.

Oven baked chicken nuggets Filed under ( main dishes, meat )

It's fun to see what kind of inventions you can come up with when your cupboard is getting bare!

This is one of those times to pull out that notorious bottle of salad dressing that is quickly reaching that horrible date stamped to it's side, marking the end of it's time! I've done this with ranch and honey mustard as well, and it always turns out great! Plus, the kids love them.

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup italian dressing (or whatever dressing sounds good)
1 cup italian breadcrumbs (or plain, I've also used crush cornflakes, or crackers. I've even used Honey Bunches and Oats cereal, it was all great!)

Use two round cake pans, one for your dressing, one for your breadcrumbs. Cut chicken into "nugget" sized pieces. Coat chicken pieces in dressing, and then coat in breadcrumbs. Spread chicken pieces evenly on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked completely through. Be sure not to overcook.

Pork-choppin' it! Filed under ( food tip, main dishes, meat, quick and easy )

I don't remember growing up eating a lot of pork, besides the occasional ham, or pork roast. Maybe my memory is just bad, sorry mom!

It seems just seems that lately I have either discovered, or re-discovered how great pork chops are. They are fairly inexpensive, versatile, and a fast and easy dinner solution. So, as my tribute to pork chops, I thought I would list my four favorite, and quickest ways to prepare them.

1. Arrange 4-6 chops in a 9x13 casserole pan. Sprinkle both sides with onion soup mix. Pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
*My favorite sides for this dish are applesauce (what else), cornbread, summer squash and zucchini.

2. Layer 4-8 pork chops in crockpot and add 2-3 cans of your favorite cream based soups. I usually combine cream of mushroom with cream of chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (great for Sundays, wink). Pork chops should be practically falling apart, creating more of a pork chop gravy!
*Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and a green salad.

3. Brown 4 pork chops for two minutes on each side and arrange on a 8x8 inch pan. In the same skillet soften 1 chopped green bell pepper, and 1 chopped onion. Add 1 14 1/2 oz can stewed tomatoes, 2 cups fresh, or thawed corn kernels, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Pour mixture over pork chops and bake covered for about 45 minutes, or until pork chops are tender. So healthy, so colorful, so summery!
*Serve with baked potatoes and sour cream with a big helping of diced summer melons.

4. Arrange 4-6 chops in a 9x13 inch casserole pan. Sprinkle each side with 1/2 packet of a dry ranch dip mixture. Pour 1/2 cup water into bottom of the pan. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, or until chops are cooked through.
*Serve with seasoned rice, steamed carrots and hmmm, applesauce!

*Food tip: Anyone who watches Food Network as religiously as I did already knows this, but whenever dealing with pork, or steak, you should let your meat rest for just a few minutes before serving, or cutting into it. The juice gets a chance to redistribute and you're meat will be much juicier and flavorful if you let it sit, just 3-5 minutes.

Cluck-cluck! Filed under ( food tip, meat )

Chicken is a staple in our home, and it's probably safe to say, that we consume it over any other meat. But I get annoyed with chicken, particularly boneless, skinless chicken breasts, because for the longest time, it was coming out dry! A lot of recipes that call for the chicken breast require that you either saute or poach (boil) the chicken, which lead the chicken to have the consistency of cardboard, with perhaps similar flavor. Now, a lot of this may have to do with the fact that I just don't have the skill, or patience to learn how to cook chicken this way succesfully, so for those of you like me, here is an alternative.

I've learned (thanks to Ina Garten, one of my Food Network faves!), is to drizzle your poultry with olive oil, sprinkle with S&P, and roast in the oven at 400, until cooked through. The time will completely depend on the cut of chicken you are cooking, but count on between 20-40 minutes. It will come out so juicy, tender, and best of all FLAVORFUL! You can either eat it right out of the oven, or cut it up and add to whatever dish you were making. The difference is amazing.

Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce Filed under ( beef, chicken, grill, light recipes, main dishes, meat, quick and easy )

Sadly, I believe that our grilling days are just about over for now. Our apartment does not allow grills, so we had to take ours to a better place. The one thing that consoled me was that summer is over, and grilling is not the primary way to cook anymore. I will still miss my grill all the same...a moment of silence please.

And now onto the food. I love BBQ sauce, but I just don't think you can beat the homemade stuff, especially when it's made like this. The base is balsamic vinegar, which makes it a very tangy dipping sauce, but comes out so sweet and gooey when grilled right onto the meat. You can't go wrong. And the good news is you can do it in your oven too, so don't let the cool weather get in the way of having fabulous BBQ chicken or steak!

Chicken or Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce
By Giada DiLaurentiis

Ingredients

For the Balsamic BBQ sauce:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken or steak:
4 pieces chicken (any combination of breast or leg-and-thigh pieces) or 4 pieces of New York strip or Club strip steak
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

For BBQ Sauce:
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15 to 20 minutes.

For the chicken or steak:
Place a grill pan over medium heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Lightly coat with some of the BBQ sauce using a pastry brush. Place the meat on the grill. Place the remaining BBQ sauce, still in the small saucepan, over low heat or on the edge of a gas or charcoal grill and allow to gently simmer while the meat cooks.

Cook the chicken about 8 minutes per side. Cook the steaks starting at about 4 minutes per side until a meat thermometer reads the desired temperature, 120 degrees F for medium rare, 135 degrees F for medium (about 6 minutes per side), 155 degrees F for well done (about 9 minutes per side). Continually brush the meat with BBQ sauce every few minutes. Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with the heated BBQ sauce alongside.

Alternately, the chicken can be baked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the chicken skin side up in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and spoon the BBQ sauce all over the top of the chicken. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia Filed under ( light recipes, main dishes, meat, quick and easy, seafood )

Vacations are awesome, lots of relaxing, chatting with friends, staying up late, and eating, Eating, EATING. And not eating just any food, you're eating vacation food. I'm talking potato salad, french fries, cookies and brownies. All the Mexican food you can get your hands on, seeing as it's not so easy to get to in Philly. Lots of fast food and restaurant food, because who wants to cook, or DIET while on vacation? And it's fun...until you get home, when the last thing you want to see on this green earth is a hamburger.

So what do you do when you've just gotten home from vacation, and you're tired, and hungry and detoxing from a month of vacation-style eating? Enter tilapia from Cooking Light.

A quick trip to pick up some tilapia and limes and we were in business. One great thing about sea food is that it takes very little time to marinate and cook. Only fifteen minutes soaking in a sauce that is made of things you most likely already have, and fifteen to bake, and you have a fish that the whole family will hoover down. I could not believe how quickly both of my picky munchkins gobbled this up. My husband and I were also crazy about this dish, especially given that we aren't really that crazy about tilapia. But the flavor is wonderful and it's so healthy. You must give this a try! The recipe can be found here.

Cantaloupe, Proscuitto and Blue Cheese Salad and a Summer Break Filed under ( cheese, fruit, light recipes, meat, melon, salad )

I'm as giddy as a kid in a candy shop right now! By this afternoon I'll be greeted by two of my very favorite people in the world.

And it's so appropriate that we're sitting with food in this picture because one of things we love to do most, besides laugh, is EAT! We've already had several discussions on what we will be making and where we will be eating when they get here. My reason for sharing this is that I am going to be MIA, for a week, or month, or two. It's hard to say really, but I just really want to soak up all the time with my family while I have them with me.

But as a goodbye, I'd like to share my new favorite summer salad. When I came across this recipe in this month's edition of Cooking Light, I got scared, and then a little intrigued, and then really excited to make it. It's an interesting combination of foods, but all of their flavors come together so well, making this a very filling, yet very refreshing salad. Definitely give it a try, you can find the original recipe here.

A few changes I made, I couldn't find Cabrales cheese, so I just used a low-fat blue cheese, which was delicious. I also used red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar, but the second time, instead of making a vinaigrette, I just used my Newman's Own balsamic dressing, which was also very good. This is one that I can't wait to make for my mom and sister!

Enjoy your summer months! Soak up the sun, eat great food, and I'll be back soon to read all about it!

Dinner with The Sister's Cafe Filed under ( beef, cheese, chicken, main dishes, meat, Mexican food, tortillas )

If you've never visited the Sister's Cafe before, you are missing out. They were actually one of the very first food blogs I had discovered when joining this new world of food bloggers and I've been in love with them ever since. I don't think they've ever posted anything that didn't look good to me. Here are two things that I've recently made from their blog.

My husband lives for his meatloaf. He requests it often and it's what he gets for his birthday every year. I like it okay, but it's not necessarily anything I crave. However, I CRAVE this meatloaf. It's made of half turkey, half beef and is full of all sorts of goodies like sour cream and a box of stuffing! It's insanely easy to put together, but it makes a lot, so be sure to half it if you only want one. Check out the recipe here.

These Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas we made a while ago, and they've been our favorite enchiladas since. I prefer the green sauce when it comes to enchiladas, which is what this recipe uses. However, it also adds a fabulous spin by coating your chicken in a deliciously sweet honey lime sauce, giving the whole dish a burst of delicious flavor. They are also wonderful light and healthy. Go check them out here.


Thanks for all of the fabulous recipes ladies, keep them coming!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells Filed under ( cheese, light recipes, main dishes, meat, onions, pasta, spinach, turkey )

Since we are (hopefully) moving in a year, I've been trying to get rid of as much stuff as possible lately. And as painful as it's been, I've even been getting rid of some of my books, including my cookbooks. Let's face it, as much as I love cookbooks, there's no point in holding on to a book that hasn't been used in years.

I feel like I gained way more then I lost by getting rid of a few cookbooks though. Since I was forced to leaf through all of my cooking books and magazines, I was able to rediscover a TON of recipes that I haven't tried yet. I almost felt like I had just gotten a whole new stack of books and magazines, just by going through them.

This was a recipe that I couldn't wait to try. I have never made stuffed shells before, but when I saw that they were full about about five different kinds of cheese, there was no hesitation. These are hearty, meaty, gooey and very family friendly. They're also made over to be lighter, so pretty much everyone wins with this one. Enjoy!


Cheesy Stuffed Shells
Adapted from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking, April/May 2008

This recipe serves 12! It makes a ton, so you may consider halving if you aren't feeding a crowd.

Ingredients

3/4 pound ground beef (I used turkey)
1 Italian turkey sausage link, casings removed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 large onion
1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided
1 1/2 cups 1% cottage cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasonings (I always like extra seasoning, so go by taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-2 teaspoons garlic salt (optional)
24-32 pasta shells, cooked and drained

SAUCE:

3 8-oz cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
salt to taste (lighter recipes always omit salt, I know it's better for you, but I just can't stand it, so salt according to taste)

Directions

1. Crumble turkey or beef and sausage into a large nonstick skillet, add fennel seeds and onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is cooked through. Drain if needed.

2. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in spinach, ricotta and egg. Add 1 cup mozzarella, cottage cheese, Parmesan, cheddar, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Mix well.

3. Stuff pasta shells with meat mixture. Arrange in two 11x7 baking dishes, coated with cooking spray (I filled one 9x13 and one 8x8 for later). Combine sauce ingredients; spoon over shells. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Philly Cheese Steak Pasta Filed under ( beef, cheese, light recipes, main dishes, meat, onions, pasta )

Thank you for all the kind words concerning my daughter! She appreciated them too!


Our very first meal here in Philly was, of course, the Philly Cheese Steak. But when you live in Philly, they're not called Philly Cheese Steak, they're just called "steaks." You learn these things. And when you go to the famous Pat's or Geno's, there's a very specific way of ordering them. You can't use a lot of words, and you can't hesitate. You use the term "wit" if you want onions, specify what kind of cheese you want, and you get the heck out of the way, otherwise their is going to be trouble. It's a very serious business.

I LOVE our city's sandwich, especially with bacon, ohmygosh, drippy, greasy goodness. But as you can imagine, when you eat one, it's there to stay, usually right in my thighs, so I don't eat them often.

Instead, it's fun to find substitutes like this, still delicious, still cheesy and flavorful, but a lot nicer to my hips.

Philly Cheese Steak Pasta
Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

3 cups uncooked dumpling or wide egg noodles
1 lb beef boneless sirloin steak, about 3/4 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
14 oz can beef broth
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray 11x7 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.

2. Meanwhile, remove fat from beef. Cut beef into 3/4 inch pieces. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook beef and pepper in skillet 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown. Stir in onions and bell pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into baking dish.

3. In medium bowl, beat broth and flour with wire whisk until smooth. Add to skillet; heat to boiling. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens; remove from heat. Stir in half and half and mustard. Spoon over beef mixture. Stir in cooked noodles.

4. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Serves 6: 1 1/3 cups

Per Serving: 260 cal, 5g fat, 2g fiber, 24g prot, 30g carb

Our Philadelphia Family!

Portobello Mushrooms and Sirloin Strips over Spinach Pasta Filed under ( beef, light recipes, main dishes, meat, mushrooms, pasta )

Life definitely has a sense of humor. My last post I complained about my awful day, which, let's face it, involved a wet bathroom floor and a whiny son. Two days later we ended up in the ER with our daughter who had insane stomach pains. We were admitted, a million tests were done, and nothing could explain why she was in so much pain. The pain lasted for days and was incredibly stressful. Thankfully she's better, back to school and happy as ever. I'll tell you one thing though...

It made my last "bad day" post look like a walk in the park. It was a good lesson to learn, I'll be a lot slower to whine about the everyday inconveniences, that's for sure!

On to the food...

I have this big red cookbook that doesn't have a single picture in it. Being the five year old that I am, I've never used it. If there's not a big pretty picture next to a recipe, how can it possibly be good?

Turns out, it can.

This was a really fun recipe because of how different it was. Tangy sauteed steak and portobello mushrooms over a bed of spinach fettuccine. It was packed with great flavor and very filling. The whole family slurped it up.

Portobello Mushrooms and Sirloin Strips over Spinach Pasta
Adapted from The New American Heart Association Cookbook

Ingredients

12 oz boneless sirloin steak
1/2 cup red wine
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 medium cloves minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoons dried oregano, crumbled
12 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
8 oz dried spinach fettuccine

Directions

Trim all fat off steak, slice into strips.

Combine wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, olive oil and oregano in a large plastic bag. Add mushrooms and beef to marinade. Seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning often.

Prepare pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for one minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half the beef mixture to the skillet. Cook for 4 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Cook the remaining beef mixture.

Return the reserved beef mixture with any juices to the skillet. Increase the heat to high. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

To serve, spoon the pasta onto plate. Spoon the beef mixture and sauce over the pasta.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 381 cal, 29g prot, 47g carb, 4g fiber, 7.5g fat

Rubs vs. Marinades Filed under ( main dishes, meat )

I've tried to get a lot more creative when cooking meat, especially so I don't get bored with it. Before it was just a little salt and pepper, and throw it on the Foreman grill! Now I'm trying different cooking styles, as well as different ways to season it. It seems when really trying to infuse good flavor into your meats, the most effective two ways are dry/wet rubs, and marinades. I tried a dry rub tonight which consisted mostly of paprika mixed with salt, brown sugar, cumin and other flavors. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed. I even let the chicken sit in it for a while before grilling. It just didn't add much to the chicken and we ended up slathering on the BBQ sauce anyway!

So far, in my opinion, if you want a juicy, high flavored piece of meat, marinading is the way to go. And it's really fun and easy to make your own using common cupboard items. Here's one of my favorites:

3/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 TB Worchestershire sauce
1 TB dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 TB apple cider vinegar
1 tsp parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 c. lemon juice
Mix it all up and pour over whatever meat you have. Keep in the fridge at most 24 hours. Best when grilled. ENJOY!

My Favorite Pasta Salad Filed under ( cheese, main dishes, meat, pasta, quick and easy, salad, side dish )

People always say that summertime is a good time to lose weight. Since it's hot out, your appetite lessens, and everyone would rather munch on fruit and veggies instead of rich soups and casseroles.

And it makes sense, but somehow summer still ends up being the toughest season for me to maintain my weight. And the reason is that I'm such a sucker for those delicious potluck and barbecue foods. Potato salad, pasta salad, apple pie, lemon bars, cheeseburgers and hotdogs grilled over charcoal, the list goes on. Give me a plate of that goodness, combined with awesome friends and a warm summer night, and life truly doesn't get better. I'm already looking forward to it, I just might have to replace the extra potato salad with a juicy slice of watermelon instead.



This pasta is one of my summer faves. It's so easy to make, keeps for several days and is delicious either cold or room temp, making it a very convenient picnic item. You have most likely had a version of pasta salad similar to this, but I had to post this anyway because it's just so dang good.


Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 packets Italian Dressing, prepared according to directions, I used the less oil option (using the stuff from the packet vs. the bottle really does make a difference, it's worth the extra step!)
1 lb tricolor pasta
8 oz salami, diced
8 oz provolone or pepperjack cheese, diced (I used provolone for this, but next time I will use pepperjack, I like a good kick)
8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper
2 cans olives, sliced

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions, drain and cool.

2. Combine all ingredients and toss well. Keep chilled, it tastes best after it has a few hours to sit and blend flavors.

When is it hardest for you to eat healthy. Any tips on maintaining during those times?