Watermelon-Jalapeno Ice Pops

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one cupcake and one slice of watermelon. That night he had a stomach ache."

If this combination sounds weird to you then don't make it. If it sounds good you might like it. Husband took about 3 bites (forced by me) and didn't want any more while I finished the popsicle and still wasn't sure how I felt about it. It wasn't spicy but you could definitely taste the jalapeno. I would probably give it 2 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh red or yellow watermelon cubes chilled
• ¹⁄₂ cup sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon light-colored corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon liquid pectin
• 1 large jalapeño pepper halved and seeded
• 2 teaspoons grated lime rind

Directions

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a blender, and process until pureed. Stir in lime rind. Pour into 8 (3-ounce) ice pop molds. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 76

Fat: 0.1g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Sodium: 3mg

Carbohydrate: 19.7g

Fiber: 0.4g

Protein: 0.4g

Oatmeal Muffins

"On Saturday he ate through one peice of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage, one cupcake..."

Muffins, cupcakes... potato, potato. Ok, I feel awful. Both times we've made something from my sister in law's AWESOME food blog we've had execution issues and ended up with crap. I promise you the muffins she made looked 10 times better than the ones that husband made this weekend. I think his main issue was that the batter seemed too thick and he didn't add more water. I was on a walk when this happened so he says I get to blame him. He ate it. I spit it out. We will go with his rating although I think these would be awesome if they were made correctly. Check out my sis-in-law's blog for a better picture and some other good recipes. Also, make sure you always spray your muffin liners so you actually get to eat your whole muffin. Husband gave these 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: eatmindfully.weebly.com

Ingredients

Crumble topping:

• scant 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup rolled oats
• ¹⁄₃ cup organic brown sugar
• scant 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ¹⁄₄ cup unsalted butter melted

Muffin batter:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ⁷⁄₈ cup unsalted butter
• ¹⁄₂ cup organic brown sugar
• 12 oz plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs whisked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper liners and spray them with cooking spray.

1. Get your crumble topping for your muffins started first. Use a fork to combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Divide the mixture into three portions, and use your hands to form into three flat-ish patties. Place the patties in a bowl in the freezer for about ten minutes.
2. Now, onto the muffin batter. In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the yogurt, and then the eggs. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir just until combined. Do your best to avoid over mixing.
4. Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Pull the crumble from the freezer and break it up into small and medium pieces. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with crumble, place the muffins in the oven and bake 30 - 35 minutes or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool just a minute or so, then turn out onto a cooling rack - important!

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 210

Carbs: 19

Fat: 13

Protein: 5

Sausage, Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie, one sausage..."

This is the third lasagna we've made since starting our healthy eating and this one much more flavor than the others. I loved the mushrooms and the spinach. I'm not usually a fan of this kind of sausage but with all the other good flavors I really didn't mind it. Husband made this himself and he says it was worth the effort. Plus there are lots of yummy leftovers. Also see below for a vegetarian option. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Eating Well

Prep Time:
30 Min

Total Time:
30 Min

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole-wheat lasagna noodles
• 1 pound lean spicy Italian turkey sausage casings removed (see Variation)
• 4 cups sliced mushrooms (10 ounces)
• ¹⁄₄ cup water
• 1 pound frozen spinach thawed
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes preferably chunky
• ¹⁄₄ cup chopped fresh basil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese (2 cups)
• 8 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded (about 2 cups), divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until not quite tender, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain; return the noodles to the pot, cover with cool water and set aside.
3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and water; cook, stirring occasionally and crumbling the sausage more, until it is cooked through, the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Squeeze spinach to remove excess water, then stir into the pan; remove from heat.
4. Mix tomatoes with basil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
5. To assemble lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatoes in the prepared baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, trimming to fit if necessary. Evenly dollop half the ricotta over the noodles. Top with half the sausage mixture, one-third of the remaining tomatoes and one-third of the mozzarella. Continue with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta, the remaining sausage, half the remaining tomatoes and half the remaining mozzarella. Top with a third layer of noodles and the remaining tomatoes.
6. Cover the lasagna with foil and bake until bubbling and heated through, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove the foil; sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is just melted but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Vegetarian Variation: Use a sausage-style soy product, such as Gimme Lean, or simply omit the sausage altogether.
7. Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 5 up to 1 day ahead.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 333

Fat: 14 g

Cholesterol: 41 m

Carbohydrate: 28 g

Fiber: 7 g

Protein: 26 g

Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie..."

Today is Husband's birthday and he loves cheesecake so I took the opportunity to change the pie to a cheesecake and make this for him. I am not usually a big fan of cheesecake since it is usually too rich but this was SO good. It is lighter than normal cheesecake and the cherries are a great flavor to tie it all together. It does take some time to make but it is not too difficult and definitely worth the time spent. Everybody who ate it enjoyed and I think it would be kid friendly as well. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 4 ¹⁄₂ ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled butter cut into small pieces
• 3 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons ice water
• 1 ¹⁄₄ cups chopped pitted fresh cherries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cornstarch
• ³⁄₄ cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• ¹⁄₃ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• ¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Line an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish with parchment paper. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Add chilled butter, and drizzle with ice water. Pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish (mixture will be crumbly). Press mixture into bottom of dish. Bake at 350 for 23 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325. 3. Place cherries, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until cherries are tender. Combine lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into cherry mixture; cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Cool mixture slightly. Spoon the cherry mixture into food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon pureed mixture into a bowl, and set aside. 4. Wipe food processor clean. Place cream cheese and remaining ingredients in food processor; process until smooth. Spoon cream cheese mixture over cooled crust; spread evenly. Dollop cherry mixture over cream cheese mixture, and swirl together with a knife. Bake at 325 for 36 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 136

Fat: 6.9g

Cholesterol: 33mg

Sodium: 92mg

Carbohydrate: 16g

Fiber: 0.5g

Protein: 2.9g

Pineapple Chicken Satay

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop..."

Hey give me some credit, it's a chicken lollipop! And it is SO good!!! Pardon the absence of our caterpillar friend in the picture we forgot until after I devoured all the food. We used tiny pieces of meat so I ended up eating more than 2 (not saying how many) but I think it added up to the same amount. Just be careful with this because it is hard to stop eating. The funny thing is that I normally am a wuss when it comes to spice but I enjoyed ever bead of sweat rolling down my face while I ate it. I seriously even licked the sauce bowl. That is the BEST part! My sister in law makes a mean peanut sauce but she adds more ingredients and does it over the stove. I think this is an easy yummy alternative although I might scale back on the chili sauce next time to tone it down. The pineapple mixture is also very spicy because of the cayenne pepper. Thing 1 enjoyed the chicken without any of the side stuff so I do call this kid friendly. I will definitely make this again with much larger pieces of chicken. Yummy. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ¹⁄₄ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
• ¹⁄₄ cup sweet chili sauce (such as Mae Ploy)
• ¹⁄₄ cup natural-style crunchy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons peanut oil
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon curry powder
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders cut lengthwise into 8 pieces
• Cooking spray
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups diced pineapple
• ¹⁄₃ cup vertically sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground red pepper

Directions

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. 2. Place peanut oil, curry powder, and chicken in a bowl; toss to coat. Thread chicken onto 8 (6-inch) skewers. 3. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. 4. While chicken cooks, combine 1 1/2 cups pineapple, 1/3 cup red onion, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper. Serve chicken with soy sauce mixture and pineapple mixture.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 330

Fat: 11.9g

Cholesterol: 66mg

Sodium: 528mg

Carbohydrate: 22.7g

Fiber: 2.2g

Protein: 31.2g

Warm Prosciutto-Stuffed Focaccia

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami..."

After a hiatus the caterpillar is back and cheating a little bit. We agonized over the salami and ended up using prosciutto instead. Not the same at all but we couldn't figure out a healthy use for salami so this will have to do. We liked this sandwich but we make a similar panini that we like better. I did like the roasted red bell peppers which the other panini doesn't have but there were some flavors missing. All in all a good sandwich and 3.5 out of 5 stars.



Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 (9-ounce) round loaf focaccia bread
• 3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto*
• 4 ounces thinly sliced Muenster cheese
• 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
• ¹⁄₄ cup bottled roasted red bell peppers drained
• 2 tablespoons light balsamic vinaigrette

Directions

1. Cut bread in half horizontally, using a serrated knife. Top bottom bread half with prosciutto and next 3 ingredients. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette; cover with top bread half. Wrap in aluminum foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until warm. Cut focaccia into six wedges. Serve immediately. *6 ounces of ham may be substituted for prosciutto for approximately the same amount of calories.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 233

Fat: 35%

Cholesterol: 30mg

Sodium: 648mg

Carbohydrate: 24.9g

Fiber: 1.4g

Protein: 13.5g