Chicken Alfredo Pasta Salad

I took this to a last minute BBQ as a side dish and it was great! Everyone loved it! I made some changes to what I had on hand and noted it in bold. The serving size says 4, but everyone knows how BBQ's go, there is always so much food no one ever takes the full serving. But, I think it would be great on a hot day as a light main dish. Throw a lettuce salad and some fruit with it and it would be a great meal!





Chicken Alfredo Pasta Salad

Prep Time 30 Minutes

Total Time 30 Minutes

Makes 4 servings


1 box (7.75 oz) Betty Crocker® Suddenly Salad Classic pasta salad mix

1/2 cup refrigerated Alfredo sauce (I couldn’t find refrigerated, so I used reg. sauce)

1 1/2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (without skin) (I used a large can of chicken)

1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes

1 cup halved sliced cucumber

2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil leaves (I used 1T of dried basil)


In 3-quart saucepan, cook pasta as directed on box. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool.

In small bowl mix seasoning mix from packet and Alfredo sauce. Place cooked pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber and basil in serving bowl. Add Alfredo mixture; toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle with topping from packet and basil sprig, if desired. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving time.


Makes 4 servings (1 1/4 cups each)

Success
If the Alfredo sauce and seasoning mix is too thick when combined, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk.

Turkey & Veggie Meatloaf Minis inspired by Hungry Girl

So, I have tried yet another recipe from Hungry Girl's cookbook, Hungry Girl 1-2-3: The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet by Lisa Lillien. It is the Turkey & Veggie Meatloaf Minis. They were fabulous!! Everyone in my house loved them and wants them again sometime. If you do not have this cookbook, you need to go out and buy it! There are so many wonderful recipes in there and so far my family has loved all the ones I have made. There is so much more in there I am going to try! Amazon has it on sale I saw when I was perusing their site, if anyone is interested.

This is another recipe that I had to do some substitution with. I did not have everything on hand, but I so noted what I changed by bolding it. Along with this I made some mashed potatoes and a bag of sugar snap stir fry veggies that I added some fresh zucchini and some of the left over broccoli slaw to. YUM, YUM is all I have to say!



Ingredients:

1 small onion ( I used 1T dried onion)

1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp. ketchup, divided

1 1/4 lbs. raw lean ground turkey (I used 1lb ground turkey)

3 cups bagged dry broccoli slaw, roughly chopped (I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper to chop it into small pieces, the only way my daughter will eat it)

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (1/2 C is equal to 2 whole eggs) (like Egg Beaters Original) (I used 3 egg whites)

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using a box grater, grate onion into a large bowl (If I would have had an onion I would have used my Chopper for this as well). Add 1/4 cup ketchup and all other ingredients. Stir until thoroughly mixed.

Line 9 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray (I used nonstick olive oil spray). Evenly distribute turkey-veggie mixture among the muffin cups, and top each with 1 tsp. ketchup. (With my mix, I filled all 12 cups and did not use the full tsp of ketchup on top.)

Bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes (with my oven it took 40-45 minutes to bake), until firm with lightly browned edges. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!!

MAKES 9 SERVINGS (12 servings for me)

PER SERVING (1 mini meatloaf): 142 calories, 5.25g fat, 494mg sodium, 9g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 14g protein -- POINTS® value 3* (This is only accurate if you make it as is, I used what I had on hand and figured it to be a little less than that. I need to figure it out exactly, but I am guessing with my substitutions as noted the mini’s to be around 110-120 calories. I am not sure yet, but I will get around to figuring it out.)

http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=2022

Jen's Black Bean Salsa

Last night was another chicken night and I wanted to serve something with it that we haven't had before using items I had on hand. Voila! I came up with this. I baked chicken seasoned with a Creole seasoning, jasmine rice as a side, and put this on top of it all. It was great! I have found that I really love black beans, cilantro, and lime juice together, so I try it all different kinds of combination. This is also great with a burrito or fajita wrap.


Servings: 5 (1/2C servings)
Calories: 90 per 1/2 Cup


Ingredients:

8oz fresh tomatoes (about 2 med sized ones), chopped
1 15.25oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 C red pepper, bell or sweet, chopped
1/4 C onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 T lime juice
1/2 T cilantro, dried
salt and pepper to taste

I dislike big chunks of onion and pepper so I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper to make sure they were very small pieces.

Combine everything in a bowl, chill for 30-45 minutes, so the flavors can blend, and serve.

This could be served with chips, chicken, or rice.

Tagging my food

The other day as I was labeling my food, so it would be easier for people to find certain stuff, I realized that most of my food could be vegetarian. I have so many recipes that I love to cook and the meat could be omitted from it. This is what I love about the food I try, it does not have to be made the way I have it down. I love to play with my recipes and try new flavors. I encourage everyone to do the same! Find what you like and do not like, you may be surprised that you like a spice in one dish, but not another.

Happy Cooking!!

A Cheap and Easy Stress Reliever - From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels

I receive email subscription from LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels. I found this as I was cleaning out my email and I thought I would share it with everyone. I already keep a food journal, but this is something else I may have to start doing. Right now I am on a break from school, but once school starts up again my days can be very stressful. Even now with both girls home and I am off my schedule, I tend to get stressed easily. When Olivia is in school I like to take time during Alyssa's nap time to meditate and that helps a ton, but I think this would help as well.

She has great tips in her newsletters and think everyone should take a look! I have included the website at the end of the article.



From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Friday, July 23, 2010

A Cheap and Easy Stress Reliever

Ever had one of those days when you have so much to do that you don't even know where to begin? Or when you have so many thoughts and emotions swimming in your head that you don't know which end is up? I know what that's like! When I'm stressed out or something is bothering me, I sit down and write. Getting my thoughts on paper helps me identify my stressors and come up with solutions. Plus, it just feels good to get it all out!

If you don't do so already, I recommend keeping a journal and writing in it regularly. Writing for just 10 to 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference in your stress level and your mind-set. Many members of my online program use their Fitness Diary for this purpose, but you can also do it the old-fashioned way — with pen and paper.

Need some ideas to get started? Here are some topics you can write about in your journal:

* Your day. Simply writing down a play-by-play of your day can get your thoughts flowing and steer you to other topics.
* Your goals. Writing about the person you want to be and the life you want to live can help you visualize your dreams and come up with a plan for making them real.
* Specific problems or worries. Write about the things that stress you out or events that have upset you in the past. Describe how these things make you feel — and why — and brainstorm a list of actions you can take to counter these problems and feel better.
* Priorities and to-do lists. This is a must for all you multitaskers and responsibility jugglers! When you feel overwhelmed, write down all the things you have to do and prioritize them.
* What you're thankful for. This might sound cheesy, but trust me — it can help you think more positively. Your life will always have room for improvement, of course, but taking time out to acknowledge and appreciate the good things can help you put everything else in perspective.

When you're writing, resist any perfectionist urges. Don't edit yourself, and don't worry about spelling or how your prose sounds. You're not writing for posterity, or for anyone else's sake — you're doing it for you.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

As I have said in the last couple posts, I love the Hungry Girl's cookbook, Hungry Girl 1-2-3: The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet by Lisa Lillien. We love soup, we could eat soup all the time. So, in her book I found a soup recipe in there called Hungry Chick Chunky Soup that I was going to make, but had to modify it with what I had on hand. I do have to say it turned out great, very filling and not as many calories as hers, I used a lot less chicken.

Servings: 10
Calories: 85 per 1 cup


Ingredients:

3 1/2 C Water
3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1 can (15.5 oz) Great Northern Beans
4 oz baby carrots, cut up
3 oz Broccoli Cole Slaw
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes, petite diced, undrained
1 C peas, frozen
8 oz chicken, skinless, boneless, breast, raw, diced
3/4 C Seasoning Blend (onions, peppers, celery mix, found in frozen food aisle with vegetables)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground thyme
1 bay leaf

Directions:

Heat water and Bouillon Cubes in microwave until dissolved.

Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and stir.

Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked. Remove bay leaf and enjoy!

Fajitas in a Foil Pack

Here is another recipe I found in my Hungry Girl cookbook, Hungry Girl 1-2-3 : The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet by Lisa Lillien . This was a great dinner that both of us enjoyed! I only had half a zucchini, so I used a small yellow squash in it as well. The seasonings blended so well together it reminded me of a tandoori chicken I have made before, but not as spicy. I needed a few more calories for the day so I added some jasmine rice with it, but my husband just ate it as is. The serving size is more than adequate and we had some left for his lunch the next day.


Ingredients:

1½ tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cumin
12 ounces raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 bell pepper (any color), sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced into thin strips
Half an onion, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine lime juice and cornstarch in a large bowl, and mix until cornstarch dissolves.Stir in all the seasonings to form a thick paste. Add chicken and veggies and stir to coat.Set aside. Lay a large piece of heavy-duty foil on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray.

Spoon chicken-veggie mixture into the center of the foil and spread it out a bit. Place another large piece of foil over the chicken-veggie mixture. Fold together and seal all four edges of the two foil pieces, forming a well-sealed packet.
Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.
Let cool slightly. Using oven mitts, carefully flip packet over to mix contents, and then return to right-side-up. Cut packet to release steam before opening it entirely. (Careful—steam will be hot.) Enjoy!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Per serving (½ of recipe): 244 calories, 2.5g fat,
716mg sodium, 13g carbs, 3g fiber, 5.5g sugars, 41.5g protein

http://www.booksamillioninc.com/save/images/hungry_girl/fajitas.pdf

Banana Bread

I love banana bread, it is one of my all time favorites! Counting calories and watching what I eat makes it difficult to eat it and not feel guilty. I have found a person/site that I love to follow, Hungry Girl, she has some of the best recipes and make over recipes. I found this one on her site and it is great! There is not a thing I would change about it. It is full of flavor and satisfied my sweet tooth. I bought her cookbook, 1-2-3 and plan on making a few things this week that I will post.


Banana Bread


Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
Optional Toppings: no-calorie spray butter, Cool Whip Free

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (in other words, all dry ingredients). In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, egg substitute, applesauce, and vanilla extract (all the wet ingredients). Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean (I only baked mine for 40 and it was done). Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 8 slices. If you like, spritz with some spray butter or spread on some Cool Whip Free.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 (thick!) slice
Calories: 140
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 267mg
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 3.75g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 5g

POINTS® value 2*