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!

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!

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!!!

Baked Chicken Fingers

** Since my girls would normally whine about "weird foods" as a breading on thier nugs, I first crushed the almonds and the oats. That made them blend in well with the bread crumbs.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Spray (or your choice)
1 1/2 pds chicken breast (I used 2 breasts for my girls)
1/2 C Skim milk
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4C Sliced Almonds
1/4 C Rolled Oats
1/2 C bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Dried Parsley flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil.Trim any fat from chicken and cut into strips (approx. 6-8 per breast).

Stir milk and mustard together in a bowl. In a separate container mix together almonds, oats, bread crumbs, parsley, and black pepper. One at a time, dip chicken into milk mixture then dredge them in oatmeal mixture, making sure each piece is evenly coated.

Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, turning once, or until chicken is cooked through and coating is golden brown. Nutritional Information: Calories: 250, Fat: 8 g., Carbs: 7 g., Protein: 37 g.

Clean Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is something I found online, and baked this past weekend. They were really good for a weird cookie! :) I didn't find "sucanat" sugar while I was out, so I just used my organic cane sugar. I also didn't order $6.00 grain chocolate chips online (can you believe that?!?) So I guess my chocolate chips weren't up to snuff. ;) But I still felt these were pretty healthy considering!

Also, they have 115 calories each

Ingredients:

1 cup spelt flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup Sucanat
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl combine spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, Sucanat and salt. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract and canola oil until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix JUST until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Place teaspoonfuls of batter on cookie sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes.

Makes 12 cookies

*I found they were better chewy! Don't overbake!

Ham and Turkey Rollups

These are awesome! Tastes like your eating at a deli!

The recipe comes from Weight Watcher's 5 ingredient, 15 minute recipe book.

1/2 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell pepper
1 - (4 oz) tub light garlic and herbs spreadable cheese (such as Alouette)
6 - 8 inch tortillas
3 cups baby spinach leaves
6 oz thinly sliced ham
6 oz thinly sliced turkey

1. Pat peppers dry with paper towels
2. Combine peppers and cheese in a small bowl, stirring until blended.
3. Spread cheese mixture evenly over tortillas. Arrange 1/2 cup spinach on each tortilla. Top each with ham and turkey. Roll up wraps, cut in half.

Yield: 6 servings (2 halves each)

Note: wrap in parchment paper to keep together!

Cals: 256, fat 7, protien 17, carb 29, fiber .3, chol 35, iron 2.5

Pasta Roll-ups with Turkey and Spinach

This was really great as is, though I have to say I would have prefered it to have a more tomato sauce. Even something as simple as spagetti sauce. I plan on making playing with that in the future.

Serves: 8

Hands on time: 45 minutes (I found it really doesn't take that long.)

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey breast
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes in juice
1 tsp salt
8 sheets dried high-protein or whole-wheat lasagna
1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 15-oz container non-fat ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn heat to medium-high and add ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula until meat shows no sign of pink. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg, then add tomatoes and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, rinse and allow to cool in a colander.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Squeeze all remaining moisture from thawed spinach and place in large bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg and a 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese to bowl. Stir until combined.

4. Spread 1 cup of cooked tomato sauce into bottom of a 9" x 10" casserole dish. Lay a cooked lasagna noodle flat in front of you. Use your fingers to spread 1/8 of ricotta mixture across the noodle and roll it up. Place the rolled pasta seam side down, into the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining noodles. Spread remaining tomato sauce over roll-ups, then top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.

5. Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. Remove foil and broil for 5 minutes or until the rollups are browned and bubbly.

NUTRIENTS PER SERVING:
Calories: 234
Total Fat: 3 g
Sat. Fat: 0 g
Carbs: 27 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 28 g
Sodium: 508 mg
Cholesterol: 76 mg

NUTRITIONAL BONUS:
One serving of these lasagna-style roll-ups gives you 90 percent of your vitamin A requirement and a healthy dose of calcium – 366 milligrams to be precise.

Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ham-&-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
¼ cup grated Swiss, Monterey Jack or part-skim mozzarella cheese 2 tablespoons chopped ham2 teaspoons Dijon mustardFreshly ground pepper to taste4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1-1 ¼ pounds total)1 egg white½ cup plain dry breadcrumbs2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ham-&-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts Ingredients Cont.

Ham-&-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Use a baking sheet with sides and lightly coat it with cooking spray.2. Mix cheese, ham, mustard and pepper in a small bowl.3. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up the breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling. 4. Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in egg white, then dredge in breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.) 5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.
Ham-&-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts Instructions Cont.

Ham-&-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts Nutrition Information
Per serving: 236 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 1 g fiber; 287 mg sodium; 347 mg potassium.Nutrition Bonus: Selenium 38% daily value).1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Ham-&-Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts Nutrition Information Cont.

Spinach and Turkey Lasagna

This recipe is a great, healthy low calorie (fat) Lasagna. It's a favorite in our house. I do have to admit though, it doesn't get made often, because it does take some time to put together. Sometimes I will use the no cook lasagna noodles to avoid a step. That helps!

Spinach and Turkey Lasagna

Prep: 1 hour
Bake: 55 min + standing
Yield: 12 servings

3 tbsp butter
1/3 C flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 C fat free milk
3 Ounces reduced Fat cream cheese, cubed
¾ C Parmesan Cheese
1 Pd Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed and crumbled
1 med onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp fennel seed, crushed
1 jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained and chopped (7 ¼ oz)
½ C white wine, or chicken broth
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
¾ C small curd cottage cheese
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained
½ C shredded part skim mozzarella cheese


In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 1 – 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese just until melted. Remove from heat; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in oregano, marjoram and fennel; cook for 1 minute.

Add roasted peppers and wine or broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 3 tbsp. Remove from heat; set aside.

In a small bowl combine spinach, cottage cheese and nutmeg; set aside.

Spread ½ C reserved cheese sauce in a 13 in. x 9 in. x 2 in. baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with three noodles, half the sausage mixture, half the spinach mixture and 1 cup sauce; repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake at 375* for 40 minutes. Uncover, bake at 15-20 minutes longer or until heated through and top is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition facts: 1 piece equals 279 calories, 11 g fat, (6 g saturated fat) 43 mg cholesterol, 664 mg sodium, 27 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 19 g protein.