Gorgonzola Fettuccine with Asparagus

Tonight was our second time making this and we really like this meal because it can be a good compromise. Husband doesn't love gorgonzola so the first time we made it he used Parmesan instead and this time he used feta. Both tasted good but the feta was much better. I might actually consider using that variation once in a while when I don't have gorgonzola on hand. I like to put a little extra asparagus and like always we roasted the asparagus instead of boiling it. 4 out of 5 stars.

 

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 8 Oz uncooked fettuccine
• 3 cups (1 inch) diagonally sliced asparagus (about 10 oz)
• 2 tsp butter
• 4 garlic cloves minced, or 2 tsp bottled minced garlic
• 1 TBS all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 oz) Gorgonzola or other blue cheese crumbled
• 2 TBS chopped walnuts toasted

Directions

1. 1. Cook pasta in boiling water 6 minutes, ommitting salt and fat. Add asparagus; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Drain pasta and asparagus; place in large bowl.
2. 2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add flour, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in cream cheese and 1/4 tsp salt; cook until thick (about 3 minutes) stirring constantly.
3. 3. Add sauce to pasta, tossing to coat. Serve with Gorgonzola and walnuts; sprinkle with black pepper, if desired.
4. Yield: 4 servings (serving size 1 1/4 cup pasta, 2 TBS cheese and 1 1/2 tsp walnuts)

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 399

Fat: 12.8 g

Cholesterol: 28 mg

Sodium: 467 mg

Carbohydrate: 54.3 g

Protein: 18 g

Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies

Ever since I was pregnant with Thing 2 I've been craving good Oatmeal Raisin cookies. I tried a different recipe when we started this healthy eating thing and it was only ok. I decided to google 'cooking light oatmeal raisin cookies' and this is what I found. Since we had all of the ingredients thing 1 and I strapped on our aprons and tried it out tonight. It is a great kid-helper recipe since it is mostly just measure, dump and mix and of course then you have someone who actually needs the extra calories to lick the beater. Husband non-verbally protested oatmeal raisin when I suggested it but later said they "hit the spot." He and thing 1 both had 2 cookies. 4.5 out of 5 but remember to only eat one cookie... per day.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or stick margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup regular oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Beat first 6 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Add flour and oats to egg mixture; beat until blended. Stir in raisins. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on pan for 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pan; cool on wire racks.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 101

Fat: 28%

Cholesterol: 16mg

Sodium: 43mg

Carbohydrate: 17.3g

Fiber: 0.6g

Protein: 1.5g

Chilaquiles

Tonight's dinner is another favorite. The great thing about this dish is that it serves 8 so you either can make it when you have company or have lots of yummy left overs. It is a sort of Mexican lasagna or enchilada casserole. We love that this recipe doesn't taste healthy AT ALL. It's a total comfort food. We used fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies and they made all the difference. 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Recipe from The Juan-Carlos Cruz Calorie Countdown Cookbook

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• Salt
• 1 red onions chopped
• 4 garlic cloves -- minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 (15 ounce) cans tomatoes with green chilies with juice
• 1/2 to 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• cooking spray
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/2 pound light cream cheese softened
• 2 cups shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 bunch green onions sliced

Directions

1. 1. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the canola oil and add the ground turkey. Brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks until there is no trace of pink, about 7 minutes. Drain off liquid from the pan and transfer the meat to a bowl. Season to taste with salt.
2. 2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and stir together for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Return the meat to the pan and stir together with the onions and spices until well coated. Add the tomatoes and juice and additional chilies (to taste) and simmer for 15 minutes, or until thick.
3. 3. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Spray a 2 quart casserole with cooking spray and line with half the tortillas. Top with half the meat sauce. Add half the cream cheese, using a spoon to dollop it over the sauce, then sprinkle on half the cheddar and half the green onions. Repeat the layers. Spray the top layer of cheese with 1 second's worth of pan spray.
4. 4. Bake 30 minutes, until bubbling. Serve hot or warm.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 290

Fat: 11 g

Cholesterol: 58 mg

Carbohydrate: 21 g

Fiber: 4 g

Protein: 25 g

Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies

We stumbled across this at Sunflower Market and fell in love with it. We have a lot of recipes that call for diced tomatoes with green chilies and we use to just buy any brand we could find at Walmart or another store thinking they were all the same. Not true. We made the same recipe with just any old tomatoes and then with these and these took it from a 4-4.5 to a BIG 5 stars. Find them and use them. They are great.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Last night was girl's night so we made a girly meal. This Mediterranean Pasta Salad was good but I think our proportions were a little off. Some bites were great and other's not so good. Too many artichoke hearts in my opinion. I think I will make it again sometime and scale back on some of the more powerful flavors. I will definitely add more tomatoes, asparagus and kalamata olives. I do recommend it though. One change, I roasted the asparagus instead of boiling it since I think the texture is better when roasted. I just did 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Somewhere between 3 and 4.5 stars (depending on which bite you are judging.)

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 1/2 9 oz package refrigerated rainbow three cheese tortellini
• 1 quart water
• 1/4 pound asparagus spears trimmed
• 1/3 cup chopped red pepper or roasted red pepper, depending on preference
• 1 ounce Pepper Jack cheese cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 6 drained canned quartered artichoke hearts
• 8 grape tomatoes or 3 seeded and diced tomatoes
• 8 black or kalamata olives
• 2 thin slices prosciutto cut crosswise into strips
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette

Directions

1. 1. Cook pasta in 1 quart boiling water 6 minutes. Add asparagus to boiling water, and cook 1 minute. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water until cooled. Drain.
2. 2. While pasta and asparagus cook, combine bell pepper and next seven ingredients into large bowl. Add tortellini and asparagus; toss gently.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 304

Fat: 16.2g

Cholesterol: 28mg

Sodium: 876mg

Carbohydrate: 29.7g

Fiber: 2.2g

Protein: 11.2g

Turkey Antipasto Panini

Today's lunch is another Panini. We are obviously big panini fans in this house. I've made this a few times and the thing I love about it is you can customize it to each person. Leave out the red bell peppers or artichoke hearts, swap out the turkey for some good ole' prociutto and use any kid of cheese you like! And if you don't have a panini maker it's not a problem. We use our foreman but we've also done them on the griddle. Just a yummy quick sandwich. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 8 (0.9-ounce) slices crusty Chicago-style Italian bread
• 8 ounces shaved lower-sodium deli turkey (such as Boar's Head)
• 1 (6-ounce) jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup moist sun-dried tomato halves packed without oil and sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers
• 12 basil leaves
• 4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat provolone cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat panini grill.
2. Spread mayonnaise evenly over each bread slice. Top each of 4 bread slices evenly with turkey, artichokes, tomato, bell pepper, basil leaves, and cheese. Top with remaining bread slices. Coat both sides of sandwiches with cooking spray.
3. Place sandwiches on panini grill. Grill 3 to 4 minutes or until bread is browned and cheese melts. Cut panini in half before serving, if desired.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 361

Fat: 10g

Cholesterol: 35mg

Sodium: 1087mg

Carbohydrate: 39.8g

Fiber: 4.5g

Protein: 26.9g

Another plus is that while you are making a sandwich for you it's super easy to slap together a fancy grilled cheese for the kiddo. Thing one ate this before I could even say slow down!

Play with your food!

Today for breakfast we decided to have a little fun with the cousins and play with our food. We saw this on an episode of PeeWee's Playhouse (pancakes with fruit faces instead of waffles) and decided it would be fun. Everyone's was a little different but awesome and I thought it went great. Give it a try and let us know what the kid's think.

Prosciutto, Pear and Blue Cheese Sandwiches

Yes, that is my half eaten sandwich you are looking at. In a desperate attempt to have something to blog tonight I had husband take a picture of my sandwich half way through eating it. We were invited to a spur of the moment family picnic at the park tonight so we decided to ditch our plans for dinner and do sandwiches and wraps. A fine decision in my opinion. I saw this sandwich in an add in my Cooking Light magazine and tracked it down online. It has all the flavors I love (and possibly flavors only I love) and is fairly simple to make. For time sake I threw the bread in the toaster instead of broiling which I will try next time. I left out the butter and the pepper and swapped gorgonzola crumbles for the blue cheese. I give it 4.5 out of 5 but plan to re-rate it when I make it again for our anniversary picnic in a week. I hope to get a better picture next time too!

Recipe from Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 slices 100% multigrain bread
• 1 tablespoon butter softened
• 3 cups arugula
• 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 1 ripe pear cored and thinly sliced
• 2 ounces blue cheese sliced

Directions

1. Preheat broiler. 2. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet; broil 3 minutes or until toasted. Turn bread slices over; spread butter evenly over bread slices. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until toasted. 3. Combine arugula and shallot in a medium bowl. Drizzle arugula mixture with oil and vinegar; sprinkle with pepper. Toss well to coat. Divide arugula mixture evenly among 4 bread slices, buttered side up; top evenly with prosciutto. Divide pear slices and cheese evenly among sandwiches; top each sandwich with 1 bread slice, buttered side down.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 324

Fat: 13.8g

Cholesterol: 26mg

Sodium: 706mg

Carbohydrate: 36.4g

Fiber: 9.7g

Protein: 15g

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Since tonight was left overs night you get your weekly dessert recipe. Instead of cutting out sweets altogether we try one "healthy" dessert a week. If you are someone who cannot eat just one cookie you might just want to skip it but if you are craving something sweet and can eat one and take the rest to your coworkers or neighbors than this is a great recipe. Everyone that has tried these cookies (with the exception of our super sweet super picky 11 year old niece) has loved them. And the good news is one cookies is under my acceptable snack calorie allowance. Just be aware that this recipe is supposed to make 24 cookies and one cookie is a serving. They are not going to be large. An overwhelming 5 out of 5 stars.

 

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 ounces dark chocolate (70% cacao) chopped
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Arrange coconut in a single layer in a small baking pan. Bake at 350 for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring once. Set aside to cool.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until blended. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in vanilla and egg. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Stir in toasted coconut and chocolate.
4. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until bottoms of cookies just begin to brown. Remove from pan, and cool completely on wire racks.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 88

Fat: 3.8g

Cholesterol: 12mg

Sodium: 38mg

Carbohydrate: 13g

Fiber: 0.4g

Protein: 1g

Savory Sausage, Spinach and Onion Turnovers

Tonight's dinner is something a little out of my comfort zone. This may not make any sense but typically I prefer "cool" flavors to "warm" flavors and this is more of a "warm". We also had some trouble taking a good picture of it. Meh, you get the idea. We substituted Jennie O Turkey Kielbasa for the chicken sausage which is a completely different kind of taste and texture. Husband says he would like to try it again following the recipe exactly. We also used less red pepper flakes because the first time we made it it was a little too spicy for me. (I can be a wuss when it comes to spice.) Husband says he preferred it spicy. We make ours smaller than suggested because I think they are very filling. They do reheat well and are almost better the next day. I want to try this again using something like spinach, feta, artichoke hearts and the like. I welcome suggestions.  3.5 out of 5 stars. (We reserve the right to re-rate it once we follow the directions exactly.)

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2/3 cup diced peeled red potatoes
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 (3.5-ounce) links hot chicken Italian sausage casings removed
• 3 cups bagged washed baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large egg white lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400. 2. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add potatoes, bell pepper, and onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until onion begins to brown, stirring frequently. Add sausage; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Stir in basil, salt, and crushed red pepper. Remove from heat. 3. Cut dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 5-inch circle. Spoon about 1/2 cup potato mixture on half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over potato mixture until edges almost meet. Bring bottom edge of dough over top edge; crimp edges of dough to form a rim. 4. Place turnovers on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Combine 2 tablespoons water and egg white in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; brush evenly over dough. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons cheese over each turnover. Bake at 400 for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 344

Fat: 17.9g

Cholesterol: 44mg

Sodium: 691mg

Carbohydrate: 33g

Fiber: 1.9g

Protein: 12.1g

Chicken Tacos with Charred Tomatoes

Tonight's dinner is a lot like a street taco with lots of flavor but not too much spice (unless you like spice in which case you can add a jalapeno or 2.) It's one of those rare recipes that is naturally dairy and gluten free and still tastes good! Since plum tomatoes are harder to find in Utah we use grape tomatoes and we use green onions instead of scallions. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 2 plum tomatoes cored
• 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons canola oil divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
• 2 teaspoons lime juice plus lime wedges for garnish
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 scallions chopped
• 6 small corn tortillas heated

Directions

1. Heat a medium skillet over high heat until very hot. Add tomatoes and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until charred on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise; squeeze to discard seeds. Remove cores and chop the remaining pulp and skin.
2. Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and heat over high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add lime juice, the chicken and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and scallions. Divide the chicken mixture among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges. Makes 2 servings.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 297

Fat: 9 g

Cholesterol: 63 mg

Sodium: 415 mg

Carbohydrate: 27 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 27 g

Portobello and Black Bean Quesadillas

Tonight's dinner was another favorite.We were a little hesitant when we first made these but the combination of the mushrooms and black beans are super tasty. We used balsamic vinegar instead of the vinaigrette called for in the recipe but I'm sure it tastes good either way. The only issue I have with them is that they don't reheat well. These can also be made gluten free if using corn tortillas. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• 2 (4 1/2-inch) portobello caps chopped
• 2 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette
• 1 cup no-salt-added black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimiento drained
• 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• Salsa (optional)
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Stack tortillas; microwave at HIGH 1 minute. Leave in microwave to keep warm while preparing filling.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Add vinaigrette, beans, and pimiento; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until liquid evaporates. Mash bean mixture slightly with a potato masher.
3. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture onto each tortilla. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and onions. Fold tortillas in half.
4. Wipe skillet with paper towels; heat over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cheese melts. Repeat with remaining 2 quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges. Serve immediately with salsa and cilantro, if desired.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 251

Fat: 9g

Cholesterol: 10mg

Sodium: 695mg

Carbohydrate: 25.8g

Fiber: 7.5g

Protein: 18.9g

Open-Faced Turkey Patty Melt

Tonight's dinner was of course another favorite (we've been making all of our favorites to get pictures for the blog.) We don't love rye bread so we use whatever other bread we have on hand. Tonight was ciabatta bread. We also peel a clove of garlic, cut it in half and rub it on the bread straight out of the oven to give it more flavor. Occasionally the ground turkey is a consistency that is hard to work with when forming patties but once we put it on the foreman grill (we use this instead of a pan) it ends up just fine. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup vertically sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 large egg white
• Cooking spray
• 4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese
• 4 slices light rye bread
• 1/4 cup country-style Dijon mustard

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned; stir occasionally. Transfer onion to a bowl.
2. Preheat broiler.
3. Combine cheese and next 4 ingredients (through egg white). Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Return pan to medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes or until brown. Turn patties over; cook 1 minute. Top each patty with 1 cheese slice; cook 3 minutes or until cheese melts and patties are done.
4. Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; broil 2 minutes or until toasted. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on each bread slice; top each serving with 1 patty. Divide onion mixture evenly among sandwiches.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 348

Fat: 9g

Cholesterol: 50mg

Sodium: 848mg

Carbohydrate: 22.4g

Fiber: 1.5g

Protein: 43.4g

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Today's breakfast is another favorite. The concept might sound gross to some but trust me it is yummy. The fresh carrots are a great flavor and the honey butter tastes phenomenal. A very good way to start a Sunday. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts toasted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• Dash of ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound)
• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons butter softened
• 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrot.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat procedure twice with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 315

Fat: 13.3g

Cholesterol: 78mg

Sodium: 381mg

Carbohydrate: 41.6g

Fiber: 2.2g

Protein: 7.8g

Unless you have a super picky kid these are also a great kid recipe. All husband had to do for Thing 1 to eat it was make it in the shape of Mickey Mouse. He gobbled it right up! It is also a good one to have them help with if they like to be in the kitchen. Thing 1 enjoyed helping me grate the carrots last time we made them.

Prosciutto and Fontina Panini

Today's lunch was one of our absolute favorites. It's a great quick recipe that can be assembled ahead of time and cooked fresh for a nice warm sandwich. We used to have "Panini Wednesdays" when husband had a Wednesday night class. Unfortunately they didn't have our normal focaccia bread so we had to try a new one with tomatoes today when we took the picture. Still great. We've also been known to use Gruyere or any other "fancy" cheese left over from another recipe. Love this recipe.

A HUGE 5 out of 5 stars!

Recipe from Cooking Light with slight alterations

Ingredients

• 1 (5.25-ounce) package focaccia (Italian flatbread) or 1 (8-ounce) package Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
• 8 very thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded fontina cheese
• 1 cup trimmed arugula or watercress
• 2 (1/8-inch-thick) red onion slices separated into rings
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Slice each bread round in half horizontally. Divide prosciutto slices between bottom halves of bread, and top each bread half with fontina cheese, arugula, and red onion slices. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over sandwiches and cover with top halves of bread. Wrap sandwiches tightly in aluminum foil, and bake at 300 for 15 minutes.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 330

Fat: 11.5g

Cholesterol: 33mg

Sodium: 846mg

Carbohydrate: 40.3g

Fiber: 4.3g

Protein: 20.2g

Cashew Chicken

Tonight's dinner was Cashew Chicken and was a little hard for me to rate. We don't eat a ton of stir-fry type foods but as far as they go this one was pretty good. My favorite part was the snow peas and husband really liked the cashews. He did say he thought something was missing so please try it and tell us what that thing might be! A rough estimate of 3 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Healthy Cooking magazine.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce divided
• 1 tablespoon sherry or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil divided
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons canola oil divided
• 1-1/2 cups fresh snow peas
• 2 medium carrots julienned
• 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts drained
• 1/4 cup unsalted cashews toasted
• Hot cooked rice optional

Directions

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sherry or broth and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and broth until smooth. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, hoisin sauce, ginger, salt, and remaining soy sauce and sesame oil; set aside.
3. Drain chicken and discard marinade. In a large nonstick wok or skillet, stir-fry chicken in 1 teaspoon oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
4. In the same pan, stir-fry peas and carrots in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Add water chestnuts.
5. Return chicken to the pan. Stir sauce mixture and stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Sprinkle with cashews. Serve with rice if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 301

Fat: 10 g

Carbohydrate: 25 g

Fiber: 4 g

Protein: 28 g

Panko Bread Crumbs

In the previous post I mentioned Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) which you will see in a lot of our recipes and I got a question on what they are like. Panko are a lighter, crispier bread crumb that doesn't soak up grease or liquid as easily and stay crunchy longer. They are more of a flake than a crumb and make food taste less heavy and greasy. One of our favorite recipes containing Panko is our Chicken Parmesan but we also use it to top any of our casseroles that would require bread crumbs. We get ours at Sunflower Market but they can be found at any Asian market or specialty grocery store and possibly in the Asian food section at a regular grocery store. Try them out and let us know what you think!

Smoked Gouda Macaroni and Cheese

Tonight's dinner was a Cooking Light version of Gouda Mac and Cheese. Before we switched to our healthy cooking lifestyle we had a recipe for a smoked gouda mac and cheese that was amazing but not the healthiest. This was not quite the same but still pretty good. We substituted panko (Japanese bread crumbs) instead of using the wheat bread which also cut down on calories a bit. 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

SIDE NOTE: I figured out how to import my recipes from Plan to Eat so hopefully this will make the format more consistent.

Ingredients

• 1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 5 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• 4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 2 minutes). Add cheeses; stir until melted. Add spinach and macaroni to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 399

Fat: 10.9g
Cholesterol: 33mg

Sodium: 725mg

Carbohydrate: 54.9g

Fiber: 3.7g

Protein: 20.1g

Rustic Crust

There's more to food than good recipes; you have to have good ingredients. This is a pizza crust we found at Sunflower Market and have fallen in love with. We started out making our pizzas with Boboli crust and will never go back after trying this. It's healthier and still as yummy. We do a lot of pizza in our house so it is good to keep this on hand. Big thumbs up from us.

(Also found at Whole Foods, Smiths and various other grocery stores in case you don't have a Sunflower Market in your area)

Fresh Tomato, Basil and Cheese Pizza

This pizza is one of the first recipes in our healthy food endeavor which resulted in a "WOW, this is really good!"  While it may seem too simple to have a lot of flavor, the opposite is true. The lack of sauce on this pizza is made up for by the juicy fresh tomatoes and olive oil. This is one of our most made recipes. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Cooking Light with some minor alterations



2 teaspoons Olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 1/2 lbs)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust, (such as boboli or rustic crust)


1. Preheat oven to 450*

2. Brush crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange tomato slices over cheese, overlapping edges; top with garlic slices, and 1/4 cup cheese.

3. Bake pizza at 450* for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove pizza to a cutting board, and top with fresh basil leaves. Let stand 5 minutes. Makes 6 servings.


With Boboli crust (per serving):
Calories 260, Fat 7.5g, cholesterol 4 mg, 515 mg, Carbohydrate 38.2 g, Fiber 1.6 g, Protein 11.3 g
(with Rustic crust subtract 40 calories, 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 180 mg sodium)

You might as well eat healthy!

In the past few months husband and I have lost a total of almost 60 lbs just by changing our eating habits. A lot of our friends and family have been asking us to "share our secrets" and the truth is... we have no secrets. We eat healthy.  We have decided to "share our secrets" with everyone by starting this blog and posting our favorite healthy recipes.  Please try them and let us know what you think by either commenting or emailing us at the4menn@gmail.com. We also welcome any healthy recipes you might have and will post them on here once we can try them out. We hope you enjoy our food and our blog and check back often. Hey, if you have to eat, you might as well eat healthy and it might as well taste good!