Summer Chicken Salad

Normally I am not a sweet and savory fan. I have never been an advocate for kettle corn and the same goes for sweet salads. This salad, despite my best efforts and prejudices, I actually liked. I thought it would be a good time to put on a light, summer dish, with the good weather we have been having lately.

1 5oz. prepackaged lettuce mix (preferably spring or spinach mix)
8 oz. of cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 1/2 cups of fresh mixed berries
1/4 cup Kraft Light Red Wine Vinaigrette
or Kraft Light Raspberry Vinaigrette (for a sweeter salad)

Slice larger berries (ie strawberries), if applicable. Toss together lettuce, berries, and dressing in a large mixing bowl. Top with chicken and serve.

Optional:
Before cooking chicken, marinate in a light italian dressing for extra flavor.
Top with sliced, toasted almonds or feta cheese.
Can also be prepared as a side dish, without chicken.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

Calories- 240 Carbs- 22g Protein- 25.5g Fat- 4g

Nutrition Facts (without chicken):

Calories- 130 Carbs- 22g Protein- 2.5g Fat- 3g

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elanaspantry/2066553912/

Sugar and Substitutes

Most of everything in our house is sugar-free. We have all assortments, from "No Sugar Added" to "Sweetened with Splenda." I will be the first to agree that it doesn't always taste like the real thing, but this is just another compromise that we make in our house to be healthy.
I do, however, recognize that there are many people out there who do not believe that anything artificial (like Splenda, Sweet and Low, etc.) is good for the body. The best advice I can give is to do what you think will work best for your body. To help you make those decisions, we found an article that ranks the most common sweeteners along the Glycemic Index.

http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/blog/healthy-sugar-alternatives.php


Find what type of sweeteners will work for you, but remember to always use moderation.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

6 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
1/3 cup reduced-fat parmesan cheese
2 Tbs basil (I prefer chopped, frozen)
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup fat free half and half

Cook spaghetti, drain and set aside. Mix parmesan, basil, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Spoon mixture into a saucepan, set to low heat, and whisk in half and half. When mixture is smooth, add in pasta. Stir gently until all noodles are coated with sauce. Serve warm (sauce will become thick as it cools).

Optional:
For a smoother consistency, add in 1 Tbs of white cooking wine to sauce mixture. This recipe works as a great meal with grilled chicken or shrimp.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

Calories- 225 Carbs- 35g Protein- 9g Fat- 6g

Parmesan Tilapia

I love watching Food Network. The other night they had a "Battle Tilapia" on Iron Chef America. The one thing that I heard the most during that program was different phrasings to the point of "tilapia has very little flavor." With that in mind, most of my tilapia recipes are heavy on extra flavors. If you happen to like the taste, what little there is of the fish, then please, go easy on the ingredients, otherwise, load 'em on!

4 tilapia fillets, thawed if previously frozen
4 Tbs low-fat parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the seasonings, including cheese, in a bowl. Remove excess moisture from tilapia fillets with a paper towel. (Optional- you can lightly brush melted lite margarine on each side of fillet before laying them in the seasoning. This is not necessary to make the seasoning stick, but it will make it crispier in the oven. Keep in mind that this will add more fat to the dish.) Lay each fillet in the season mixture, patting on extra to cover both sides. Line a pan with aluminum foil and set the fillets in the pan. Cook fillets for 10- 15 minutes or until done. Parmesan mixture will be a light, golden brown after baking.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

Calories-115 Carbs-0g Protein-21g Fat- 3g

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zorbs/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Green Bean Casserole

As far as greens go, this is not a bad way to eat your vegetables.

4 cans cut green beans, drained
2 cans Healthy Request or fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup onions, diced
3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onions and mushrooms (can also be added to ingredients raw). Whisk soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper together. Mix together ingredients and spoon into a 3 quart (9x16) glass casserole dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbling.

Casserole can also be topped with shredded cheese before baking, or after 20 minutes of baking, topped with toasted sliced almonds or fat free croutons.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

Calories- 65 Carbs- 10g Protein- 3g Fat- 1g

Ma-Ma-Ma-Mashed Potatoes

I love mashed potatoes for the holidays. Actually, I love mashed potatoes anytime! Just remember you can have too much of a good thing, so if you are watching your weight, control your portions.

12- 15 medium sized russet potatoes
4 cubes or 4 tsp chicken bouillon
3 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
3 Tbs margarine or butter (optional)

Peel the potatoes and dice into 1" cubes. Immerse cubes in lukewarm water. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then drain water and rinse off cubes. This will remove extra starch from potatoes. Next add potatoes and chicken bouillon cubes to a boiling pot of water. From this point, you can cook them one of two ways.
For thick potatoes:
Boil potatoes about 35 minutes. Boiling water will cloud, from potatoes breaking up. Drain excess water, and hand mash, adding pepper, salt, and margarine (leaving out milk).
For thinner potatoes:
Boil 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are barely tender. Drain water, and mash potatoes with a hand mixer, adding salt, pepper, margarine, and milk.

It is important to drain the boiling water before mashing potatoes because this will, again, remove extra starch from the potatoes.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):

Calories- 135 Carbs- 29g Protein- 3g Fat- 0g

Thanksgiving, Here We Come!

It's almost time for the holidays, which for many means an extra 10 pounds of holiday weight gained. Fear not! In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas, we'll be sharing tasty alternatives to traditional holiday dishes. If you are lucky enough (or unlucky, depending on how you see it) to be cooking for the holidays, you will have the opportunity to help yourself and your family avoid the extra pounds.