Ham and Potato Soup

Ham and Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced
potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or
black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.

1860 cals for the whole pot
4 servings
465 cals each

Beer-Battered Fish Fry

I got this recipe from Cooking Light (November 2009). You can find the original post here. For some reason it got bad reviews. I LOVED IT though, the fish anyhow. The chips stuck to the pan and never did seem like fries. So, I'll use frozen fries in the future. But the key is to get the oil up to temp before putting in the fish. The batter is a bit runny and kind of falls of off the fish, but for a lite fish fry recipe I was thrilled with the results. I had lots of left over batter and made onion rings too! It was great and I highly recommend trying it. I also didn't have a problem finding the specified beer at a liquor shop.

Beer-Battered Fish Fry

Use Alaskan cod in this dish. Serve with malt vinegar.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 4 ounces fish and about 1/2 cup chips)

Ingredients
The 5 ingredients:
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 cup dark beer (such as Negra Modelo), divided
1 pound baking potatoes, cut into (1/4-inch) strips
1/4 cup canola oil, divided
3.38 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°. Combine fish and 1/4 cup beer in a medium bowl. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Place potatoes on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until browned and crisp, stirring after 10 minutes. Drain fish; discard liquid. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine remaining 3/4 cup beer, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Add fish to beer mixture, tossing gently to coat. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from bowl, shaking off excess batter. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn fish over; cook 3 minutes or until done. Sprinkle fish with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve immediately with chips.

Nutritional Information
Calories:398
Fat:15g (sat 1.1g,mono 8.4g,poly 4.6g)
Protein:24.6g
Carbohydrate:40.7g
Fiber:2.2g
Cholesterol:40mg
Iron:2.4mg
Sodium:524mg
Calcium:30mg

Hearty Pineapple Pizza

*This recipe is from "Better Homes and Gardens Eat Well, Lose Weight cookbook

Ingredients:
1 8oz can pizza sauce
1 12 inch whole wheat, thin Italian bread shell (such as Boboli brand)
1 large sweet green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced quartered red onion
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 of a 3 1/2 ounce package pizza style Canadian bacon
3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)


1. Preheat oven to 450*. Spread pizza sauce on bread shell. Top with sweet pepper, red onion, pineapple, and Canadian style bacon. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Place pizza on a large baking pan.

2. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and pizza is heated through.

Makes 4 servings

Note: I am not a fan of onions at all, and don't like green peppers on my Hawaiian pizza. So needless to say, mine was only pineapple, bacon, sauce and cheese. It was still great though. Super easy to throw together, and felt like a treat! 2 slices and a salad was plenty, and tasted great. If you ever need a quick meal, or are not in the mood for a lot of fuss, this is an easy choice!

Green Pea Salad

This is another great recipe from Nancy S. Hughes and The 1,200-Calorie-a-Day Menu Cookbook.

I love this. I've eaten this countless times. Today I added chopped up baby carrots (raw) for an extra boost of veggies. I also don't worry about slicing and making everything pretty. I just throw it in my mini chopper. I usually like to eat this as a main course, though the book designed it as a side dish. Sometimes I add bits of cheese to give it more volume if its a meal. It's super easy and fast to make, but needs an hour to chill. Trust me, you NEED that hour. It does well the next day also, but gets a little liquid in the bottom.

Green Pea Salad

1/2 cup FF Mircale Whip (I prefer Lite)

1/3 cup Finely chopped Yellow Onion

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Pepper

24 small Green Olives stuffed with Pimentos, sliced

2 10oz packages Frozen Green Peas, steam cooked (I use 1 16oz pk and its fine)

Combine everything except peas and blend thouroughly. Add steamed peas. Toss gently, but coat. Chill for 1 hour.

155 Cals, 2.8g fat

Red Bean Stew

Ingredients:
2 tsp Canola Oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 ounce can veggie broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp snipped fresh oregano, or 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or 1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
1 15-16 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
2 cups hot cooked brown rice


1. In a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion in tender. Add veggie broth, tomato paste, dried oregano (if using), and adobo sauce. Stir in kidney beans. Mash mixture slightly with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro and fresh oregano (if using).

2. Serve stew with rice. If desired, serve with lime wedges.

Makes four servings
Prep to finish: 25 minutes

Nutrition facts:
Calories: 246
Fat: 4g (0 sat. fat)
Cholesterol: 0mg
Protein: 11g
Carb: 48g
Fiber: 9g
Sodium: 641mg

Note: This was a great, filling soup! I was actually full the entire evening! My girls don't like things too spicy, so I left out the adobo sauce. I also used beef broth instead of Veggie broth. I only added fresh oregano. It was lacking spice for sure. It reminded me a lot of chili, I think chili seasoning would be delish in this! Overall, this was a great low calorie dinner, packed with fiber and protein! We will definitely be making it again in our house!

Chicken Penne Alfredo

Ingredients:
6 ounces whole wheat Penne pasta
2 cups packaged peeled baby carrots
3 cups broccoli florets
1 9 ounce package frozen grilled chicken breast strips, thawed
1/2 to 1 cup fat free milk
1/2 of an 8 ounce tub light cream cheese spread
1/2 tsp cracked pepper

1. In a 4 qt. dutch oven cook pasta and carrots according to pasta package directions; add broccoli for the last 6 minutes of cooking time. Drain pasta and vegetables; return to dutch oven.

2. Stir chicken strips, cream cheese spread, 1/2 cup milk, and pepper into pasta mixture. Cook and stir over low heat until cream cheese is melted. If necessary, stir in enough of the remaining 1/2 cup milk to make sauce desired consistency. If desired, sprinkle individual servings with additional pepper. Makes 4 (2 cup) servings.

Nutrition info:
Calories - 354
Fat - 8g (4g sat fat)
Cholesterol - 59
Protein - 30g
Carb - 43g
Fiber - 7g
Sodium - 627 mg

Note - I made this for dinner tonight, and it was a smashing success, even with the girls! (all but the cooked carrots, but they did eat one!) I didn't need the extra milk. I will definitely be making again! The cream cheese added a great saucy flavor, where has this idea been hiding? Fabulous!

Chicken-Almond Hoisin Wraps

Another wonderful meal from Nancy S. Hughes and her great 1,500 Calories-a-Day-Menu Cookbook!

I invited friends over and made this for lunch, and it was super fun. It was also fast and easy to make and I think everyone liked it, even the munchkins. The book suggest serving it with Scallioned Soup, Sesame Seed Rice Crackers (wha??) and Dried Apricots. I served it with Mandarin Oranges. I put everything on the table and let everyone assemble their own. I omitted the pepper flakes because of the kids and after my first flake free wrap decided to put them on my own wraps, which really made the wraps a lot more complete and ever so tasty. My first impression was that they were bland, but the flakes added a great deal. I also omitted the red peppers, and I'm sure that would have added a ton of additional flavor. I also forgot to toast the almonds, so I'm sure that would have been even better!! The more I ate the more I really enjoyed and later found myself smacking my lips and thinking it was a quite wonderful little meal! Fun too! And food should be fun!! Especially when you're trying to eat healthy! Ugh!


*Hoisin Sauce is a sweet dark thick sauce that comes in a small jelly like jar in the Asian food section, by the Soy Sauce.

** Slivered Almonds should be used as opposed to any other cut.


Chicken-Almond Hoisin Wraps

3 tbs Hoisin Sauce
1/2 tsp Grated Orange Rind
1/3 c Orange Juice
1/8 tsp Dried Pepper Flakes
3 c Shredded Coleslaw Mix w/ Carrots (by the lettuce)
1 med Red Bell Pepper, Chopped (1c)
1 c Cooked Diced Chicken Breast (5oz, I used Rotisserie)
3/4 c Slivered Almonds, toasted (3oz)
12 Boston or Bibb green-leaf Lettuce Leaves (1 head)

Mix together Hoisin, orange rind, juice and pepper flakes in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine everything else and drizzle sauce over the top and stir to combine.
Divide chicken mixture onto the 12 lettuce leaves.

Cals 240
Fat 12g
Protein 17g
Carbs 18g

***Scallioned Soup: 3c red-sodium Chicken Broth heated and mixed with 4 med green onions, chopped (1/2c) and 1tsp light soy sauce.

Super Simple Beef Stew

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook time: 8 to 9 hours (low) or 4 to 41/2 hours high;plus 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 Pds boneless beef chuck roast
12 Oz tiny new potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup lower sodium beef broth
1 tsp dried marjoram or died thyme, crushed
2 cups loose pack frozen green beans (9 oz)

1. Trim the fat from beef; cut beef into 1 inch cubes. Coat an unheated large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef cubes. Cood and stir until browned; remove from skillet. Add remaining beef cubes; cook and stir until browned. Drain fat off of beef.

2. Place beef in a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker. Add potatoes, carrots, onions, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, and marjoram. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

3. If using low heat setting, turn to high heat setting. Stir in green beans. Cover and cook about 30 minutes more or just until green beans are tender. Makes about 6 (1 1/3 cup) servings.

Nutrition facts:
Calories - 317
Fat - 9g
Cholesterol - 92 mg
Protein - 35g
Carb. - 22g
fiber - 4g
Sodium - 396 mg

Note: I didn't have any beef broth and used 1 Cup of water instead. It was much more "watery" than I liked at the end of cooking, so when I added the green beans for the last half an hour, I also added a 2nd can of cream of mushroom soup. It made it a lot creamier. Also, I'm sure added a lot more calories! But 1 can of soup, spread out over 6 servings, isn't that bad. Anyway, next time I will be sure to have beef broth on hand! The entire family loved this!!!