More Eggplant? Hell to the Yes.

I just had a fabulous eggplant dinner, and dare I say?  I like it more than the last one I posted.

My friend Christine posted this recipe on her Facebook, and it looked so deliciously amazing that I had to adopt and adapt it.  Here's my modified low carb version.  De- to the - licious!

Eggplant stacks:

-four 1/3 inch slices of eggplant
-four 1/3 inch slices of ripe tomatoes
-four 1/3 inch slices of fresh mozzerella
-basil for garnish (I didn't have any)

-fresh baby spinach
-balsamic vinegar
-one egg, lightly beaten
-Parmesan cheese (not the shredded kind... the Kraft kind.  Her recipe called for breadcrumbs, which I am instead using Parmesan cheese for here.)
-olive oil
-kosher salt

1. Salt one side of eggplant slices and lay salt-side down on paper towels. Salt the other side and cover with more paper towels. Let sit for 30 minutes or so. This brings out the excess moisture from the eggplant and keeps them from getting soggy! Pat dry.  (Mine were leftover slices from the last recipe I made and had been in the fridge.  They were already dried out so I didn't do this step.)

2. Heat olive oil in a pan. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in Parmesan cheese. Add to oil. Fry for 3ish minutes on each side. 

3. Layer tomato, mozzerella and eggplant on top of spinach heaps on a plate.  Garnish with basil leaf and drizzle balsamic vinegar on the top.

4. devour!

~Jenn

Cauliflower: Revolutionizing PIZZA!

Okay peeps, listen up.  I must share this with you all.

Anyone low carbing miss breadsticks and pizza?  Anyone who's DIETING miss breadsticks and pizza?  Anyone who is opposed to the term "dieting" because they're living a healthy lifestyle, but dammit, because of that they don't eat pizza... miss pizza?

Well, I found a super low carb, low calorie, amazing recipe to share with you.  Truly, it's gonna change my whole world.

 

Okay so I forgot to take a picture of the pizza before I put it on my plate and scarfed it so the photo on the bottom looks like a hot mess of veggies, so here's a shot done by someone who thought about it before diving face first into their food.

...But trust me.  Let me break this down for you.  These are not made with bread.  They are made with CAULIFLOWER.

I'll say that again.  This is VEGGIE, y'all.  VEGGIE.  (Oh, and Crysi pointed out that it's also Gluten Free!)

Some of you savvy folk may have already heard of this, but for anyone else... I'm going to share this amazing discovery.

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2tsp fennel
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley

pizza or alfredo sauce (I choose low carb, 4g carbs per serving.)
toppings (for Dan I used mushrooms and pepperoni - for me I used mushrooms, red onion, chopped artichoke hearts and sliced red bell pepper.)
mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with spices. 

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe). 

Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese.

 
Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted. 


The ENTIRE crust is only:

434 calories
25g fat
8 net carbs (13 total)
5g fiber
41g protein (Check out that protein count!)

Per serving, that's only 109 calories and 2 net carbs!  (This doesn't count your toppings/sauce/cheese on top, so make sure you count that!)

Here's the recipe for the breadsticks:


A batch of cauliflower pizza "dough" (mixed but not baked)
mozzarella cheese
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a greased 9X3 loaf pan, press about 1-1/2" deep cauliflower pizza dough. If any is left, use for pizza.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until set. With a spatula loosen the dough around the edges and remove the square of dough to a greased cookie sheet.

With a pizza cutter, slice strips through the set dough. Separate slightly. Sprinkle with garlic salt and/or extra mozzarella cheese. Bake at 450 degrees until the top browns.

Once the oven is preheated to 450 degrees, it is easy to pop in a couple of pizza crusts as well.

Serve with marinara sauce (optional).

Okay.  Had to share.  This shit is amazing.  The pizza is supposed to be pretty rigid and hold up the toppings.  Mine was a little softer and we ate them with a fork (I think I made it too thick.)  The breadsticks, however, were AMAZING!  

Dan loved this and is now saying "Cauli-sticks" and "That cauli-dinner was awesome."  The genius thing?  It does NOT taste like cauliflower.    :)


~J

What 10 Pounds Looks Like on Me.

Last week when I weighed in, I knew it'd be better this week.  And it was!  And now I'm SOMOTHERFLOCKINGCLOSE to the 150's that I want to freak out!

Drum Roll Please...

160.4

(teeny dance of joy inserted here.)  (Oh, and you guys keep commenting on my hideous toenails... I know.  Seriously, I know.  I'm  booked for a spa day on the 10th.  Until then, I can't be bothered.)

So!  Here's a sum-up of all my numbers:

Weight:  160.4 (-2.2lbs)
Arm:  11.5 (-5.)
Bust:  37  (-0)
Ribcage: 33 (I swear this is never changing)
Waist: 28.5  (What! -.5)
Butt:  40  (-0)
Hips:  38 (-1)
Thigh:  24  (-0)

This means my BMI as of today is 25.1.  ARGH!  I am SO close to "normal" it's not even funny!  Plus, I'm .4 pounds away from that 65 pounds lost button, so I'm waiting anxiously. ;)

So, I'm updating my little ticker thinggie:

This ticker will take me to 145 pounds.  That's my goal weight.  Ultimately I'd like to see 140 so I might end up readjusting the ticker when I get down so I can be working on those last five pounds, but for now I'm keeping it how it is.

And, now it's just a wait!  I definitely feel confident I can break the 160 mark by next weigh in.  I also think I'm totally on track to hitting my goal for going back to Denver.  In my head I am thinking that I want to lose another 5 pounds before then (August 15th).  I have 18 days until then (2.5 weeks) - and so technically it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibilities to hit that 155 number by my birthday.  Back when I started this I wanted to lose 15 pounds by my birthday.  Oh, wait.  It was actually to lose 13 pounds from 172.5 which actually means I wanted to be 160 or 159.whatever.  And somehow I upped the ante to being 155.

Why do we do that!?

/sigh.

Also I wanted to share with you guys what 10 pounds looks like on me.  I took the before photo on June 16th when I was at 170.8, and today I'm at 160.4.

Anyhoodle!  I wanted to share with you the most DELICIOUS eggplant I made last night!

Cut up the bastard.  I chose 1/2 inch-ish slices.  Nice and thick.

Then I whisked up the delicious marinade:

4 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs balsamic vinegar (I was out so I used balsamic vinaigrette dressing)

2 cloves garlic chopped finely

salt and pepper to taste

Then I brushed both sides of the eggplant slices with the marinade.  I also cut some groove slices into the meat of the eggplant (on one side only, criss crossed, not going all the way through) so the marinade would soak in.  I let it sit for about 15 minutes.

And voila!  This is after putting them on the grill for about 12-15 minutes total, flipping once.  DELICIOUS!  The flavor was so good you guys, I can't wait to make more. <3

~Jenn

Harder, not in a good way.

Hello lovelies.

Well, Today is Wednesday, so I'm weighing in, and the number is not so pretty, but I think it's because I ate something like six stuffed mushrooms right before bed last night.  :)

Really, I think the closer you get to goal, the slower the weight wants to come off, and that's the truth, dammit.

Weigh in:  162.6

That's a miserable, lame loss of only .4 pounds for the week.  I DO, however, think it'll be way further down next week.  Here's why:

Dan and I ate out a lot this week.  Even though I made healthy choices the whole way (salads, grilled everything, burger with no bun, etc) - I still have NO clue how much salt was in all the stuff they gave me.  Plus a burger I'd make at home would be around 200 calories.  One they'd give me could be closer to 500 or more!  So, I need to take a break from eating out and focus on my huge salads and at-home recipes.

Here are the official numbers for the day:






7/21/10

162.6  (-8.2lbs in five weeks)
Average loss of 1.64 lbs per week for the last 5 weeks.
-17.4 lbs since 5/21 (2 months)
Average loss of 2.1 lbs per week over the last 2 months.



Arm: 12 (-0)

Chest:  37  (-.5)


Ribcage: 33  (-0)


Waist:  29  (-0)


Butt:  40  (-.5)


Hips:  39  (-.5)


Thigh:  24   (-0)

So!  I'd now like to share with you a few recipes.  (grin)

Something I'm munching on right now:

Cucumber Salad!

Peel and slice one large cucumber.  (This one was my ginormous cucumber so I did half of it.)

Chop into thick slices, one sweet onion.  Mix them together in a bowl with:

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp Splenda

Pepper to your preference

Chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

It's the most refreshing summery crisp salad!  If you like a sweet/vinegary type of taste, you'll love this.

So!  Also I wanted to show you my favorite breakfast:

This is 3 eggs scrambled with spinach, broccoli, turkey, red bell pepper, cheddar cheese and topped with chopped tomato, sour cream and 1/2 sliced avocado.  I also like to chop up zucchini lately and sautee it in the pan with mushrooms and broccoli, then add the other things.  As many veggies as I can pack in to my "scrambles" in the morning, the better! :)

Artichoke and Asparagus Pasta

I know it's been a long time since I've done a recipe, so here we go! I made a delicious pasta dish tonight and I wanted to share it with you guys.

1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped
1/2 bunch asparagus
10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 can medium or small artichoke hearts, drained
1 tbsp butter, margarine, or olive oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 servings whole wheat thin spaghetti

Boil a large pot of water and blanch asparagus for 3-5 minutes or until just tender. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Put bell pepper, tomatoes and artichoke hearts in a skillet on medium heat. Add butter and garlic, coat. Saute for around 5-6 minutes or until veggies are heated. Chop the asparagus and add to the veggie mixture.

Pour veggies over pasta. There should be enough liquid in the pan to keep the pasta pleasantly moist. If not, drizzle a bit more olive oil on top.

VERY delicious, light, refreshing and flavorful.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Kiwi Dessert Cups

This is a delicious treat - even Dan loved them! Really refreshing and light, and two cups are under 200 calories!

Pack of dessert cups - (160 calories for two)
Fresh strawberries and kiwis
Fat free whipped cream

Cut up the fruit and arrange it in/on the dessert cups. Top with whipped cream and garnish with small slices of the fruit. Enjoy!

Jenn's Light Veggie Pasta and Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Okay, so I know that I shouldn't be eating potatoes and pasta in one sitting, but I decided to live a little bit. Dan wanted to do a romantic night of cooking a badass dinner for both of us and renting Changeling.

Well, his idea for steak sounded awful to me, particularly since I don't eat red meat. He wanted roasted garlic new potatoes and asparagus. I agreed as long as he went to the store and got the asparagus and picked up some thin wheat pasta for me.


Jenn's Light Veggie Pasta

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup broccoli heads, bite sized pieces*
1 cup cooked asparagus spears, cut into bite sized pieces*
2 servings thin whole wheat pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning

*the asparagus and broccoli can either be raw and sauteed with the rest of the veggies, or if you do microwave pouches, add them just before putting the mixture of all veggies onto the cooked pasta.

Spray a pan with nonstick cooking spray. Coat chopped veggies (except for asparagus and broccoli if using pouch cooking) with extra virgin olive oil. Put the veggies into the pan on medium heat. When the veggies start to warm up, sprinkle with black pepper, Italian seasoning and mix in the garlic. Pour water into pan and cover, steaming for 10 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Meanwhile, boil noodles in a pot until they are at your desired tenderness.

Drain the noodles when finished, pour veggies on top and voila! Top with light butter and Parmesan cheese for a nice extra flavor.




Jenn's Garlic Roasted New Potatoes

12 new potatoes (gold or red)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Wash potatoes and cut into bite-size pieces (I do eighths.) Put the pieces in a bowl and stir in the olive oil until pieces are all coated. Mix in all the seasonings and stir until evenly coated.

Put the potatoes on the baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes, remove the top sheet of aluminum foil and put back into oven for another 15 minutes to get the outside nice and crispy.

Enjoy! :)



And here's a picture of Dan's dinner for all you meat lovers out there:

Jenn's Kick ASS Lasagna

This is a vast improvement upon the lasagna recipe I posted a while back from Quick & Healthy Recipes and Ides. (Where I get most of my recipes for the week.)

I liked it well enough but it was too thin, and just didn't have enough substance. So, I modified!


Jenn's Kick ASS Lasagna

1 large container fat free cottage cheese (small curd)
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Prego's heart healthy sundried tomato and vegetable chunk)
1 box whole wheat uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups Italian cheese blend (shredded)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 package sliced portobello mushrooms
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 cup spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix cottage cheese, parsley and chopped garlic.

Pour a bit of sauce in the pan and spread it around to cover the bottom. Layer in this order: 4 noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/3 shredded cheese, 1 cup sauce, spinach leaves. Then 4 more noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, 1/3 shredded cheese, portobello mushrooms, squash slices, 1 cup sauce. Then, 4 more noodles and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.






Bake for 1 hour. After 45 minutes sprinkle remaining 1/3 of cheese on top and bake for the last 15 minutes. (I like a crunchy top, but if you want it to remain soft, cover the pan with aluminum foil before baking.)

Deeeelicious!




Original Nutrient Analysis:
1/12th lasagna

218 calories
5g fat
2g saturated fat
9mg cholesterol
596mg sodium
28g total carbohydrate
2g dietary fiber
6g sugar
15g protein


The difference is lots more veggies in mine, and 1 extra cup of cheese. Plus I use fat free cottage cheese instead of low fat like the original recipe called for. Additionally I use the whole wheat noodles so I am sure to have a lot more fiber in my version. The trade off is a lot more flavor, and I'm sure it'll still keep the calories under 300. :)

~J

Super Food...

This is the most nutrient dense meal I eat. I don't eat it enough, and decided to have this for dessert tonight:

Jenn's Oatmeal Supernova

1 packet Quaker Simple Harvest oatmeal (prepared with water)
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin seeds
2 tsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp dried fruit mix
1 scoop vanilla protein powder



Mix and dig in! This meal would be the ultimate pre-workout meal, or BREAKFAST. Please remember to eat a nice, healthy, nutrient dense breakfast. Carbs and protein. This fuels up your metabolism and gives you energy for the day. Plus you'll be less likely to binge, eat badly, cheat, or snack throughout the day. :)

May 25, 2008

In a study conducted by the American Heart Association (AHA), researchers found that among the 2,831 study volunteers, those who ate breakfast were less likely to be obese and to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not eat breakfast.

Nutrient Analysis:
682 calories
35g fat (all good fats!) (40-50g per day is recommended)
3mg cholesterol
175mg sodium (2400 US recommended 1600 UK recommended per day)
75g carbohydrate (130 g per day is recommended)
33g sugar (no more than 50g per day of refined sugars recommended)
15g fiber (25g per day is recommended)
41g protein (84 g per day is recommended)


*I think this estimation of nutrient info is a little high - I couldn't find exact information on the dried fruit mix I use and I don't measure it, and I also think the estimation on the nuts is a bit high because I don't measure them in grams.

Meat Loaf

I loved this. Really juicy and flavorful! I added a few things to zest it up a bit. :)

3/4 cup oatmeal or oat bran
3/4 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup egg substitute or one egg
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp ground mustard (omitted for ours)
1 tsp salt (optional, omitted for ours)
1/2 tsp chopped garlic (I doubled this for ours)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
*I added 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (I substituted 1 tbsp dried onion flakes)
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper or celery (I did green pepper)
1.5 lbs extra lean ground beef or ground turkey (7% fat), (I did ground turkey!)


Mix everything all together, put into a loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for one hour.

Voila!



I LOVE how easy meatloaf is. And this was delicious.

Makes 6 servings


Nutritional Analysis
244 calories
9g fat
3g saturated fat
341g sodium
16g carbohydrate
2g dietary fiber
7g sugars
26g protein

And served with yummy salads :)

Friggin Yummy Enchiladas

We totally dug these enchiladas last night. I forgot to take a picture again, so I decided to take a picture of the leftovers. :)

Chicken Enchiladas
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 cup chopped onion (I omitted this for ours)
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese or Ricotta cheese
1 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated, reduced fat cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) grated, reduced fat mozzarella cheese
2 cans (10 oz each) enchilada sauce, divided
12 corn tortillas (6 inch)

*note: You can buy pre cooked, cubed chicken, but I cooked and cubed my own to avoid preservatives and sugars.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 in ch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 1/2 can of enchilada sauce in bottom of pan.

Place about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling on each tortilla and roll gently to enclose. (cracks in tortillas are not as noticeable after cooking.) Place seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated thoroughly.



Makes 8 servings.

Nutrient Analysis:
237 calories
6g fat
2g saturated fat
757mg sodium
26g carbohydrate
3g dietary fiber
4g sugar
19g protein

Baked BBQ Chicken Dinner and Baked Apple Dessert

Tonight I basically did my own thing for dinner. I started out following the recipe in the book, but wound up doing my own version. :)

Jenn's BBQ Chicken

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1/4 cup fat-free beef broth (low sodium)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp BBQ sauce of your choice

Put the chicken pieces into a dish. Pour mixture of beef broth, soy sauce and ginger over the chicken. Refrigerate and let chicken marinate in the mixture for 1-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain and discard marinade. Transfer chicken to a baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Put dollops of BBQ sauce over the chicken breasts and spread with the back of a spoon to make coverage even. Bake for 20-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

I served this with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and wheat rolls.



Makes 4 servings, each roughly 120 calories. (Just the chicken.)
Total calories estimated to be ~ 375 calories
(With 2/3 corn on the cob, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes and 1 80 calorie wheat roll.) :)


Baked Apples

4 granny smith apples
3 tbsp brown sugar
60 grams chopped walnuts (roughly 1/3 cup)
4 tsp raisins
Cinnamon and nutmeg to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350. Core each apple (make sure to get the entire core and all seeds out, but be careful not to poke through the bottom of the apples.) Place into a baking dish.



In a separate small bowl mix together raisins, brown sugar and walnuts. Spoon the mixture into each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top of each apple.



Put about 1/2 inch of water into the bottom of the dish. Bake apples between 20-30 minutes, until fork soft. Serve and enjoy!

Cross-section:


Makes 4 servings (each serving is one apple.)

Calories roughly 215 each. :)

Three-Bean Soup

This one is a vegetarian meal - no chicken or beef stock, and no meat! It's a nice, tasty mild soup. It doesn't have an overwhelming amount of flavor, but was very pleasant and nice on a cold day. :) We omit a few ingredients in ours because Dan hates onions and mustard. I'm sure with those ingredients in the soup, it would be a lot more flavorful.

Three-Bean Soup

3 cups water
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, not drained (low sodium)
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste (I forgot this in mine!)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard (omitted for mine)
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/3 cups frozen whole-kernel corn (forgot this too)
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped zucchini or celery
1 medium onion, chopped (omitted for mine)


Combine the first set of ingredients in a large stockpot.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir in remaining vegetables and simmer, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.



Nutritional Information:
124 calories
1g fat
125mg sodium
25g carbohydrate
8g dietary fiber
7g sugar
7g protein

I served this with some whole wheat rolls and a nice salad, as well as our leftover fingerling potatoes. :)

Grilled Salmon with Corn Salsa

Deeelicious! This combination of flavor is awesome, and totally refreshing.

Grilled Salmon with Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa:
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (low sodium), not drained
2/3 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup chopped cucumber, not peeled
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, red or green (I used yellow)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder and ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 lbs salmon fillets
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper


Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.

Serve over cooked fish.

OVEN METHOD to cook fish: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange fish in a 9x13 inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes per half inch thickness of fish. Drain any liquids.

Makes 8 servings (4 cups salsa and fish for 8)

Nutrient Analysis:
189 calories
7g fat
1g saturated fat
59mg sodium
6g carbohydrate
1g dietary fiber
4g sugar
24g protein


I served this with roasted fingerling potatoes.

(Jenn's Recipe):
1 lb fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp dried onion flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp herbs de province

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Line a baking pan or cookie sheet with tin foil. Arrange fingerling potato halves (insides up) on sheet. Spray the potatoes with non stick cooking spray. Sprinkle herbs over potatoes. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until tender.

Delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken

For all you Zume-tastic chinese food fans out there! This one is really good, and trust me... you won't miss the deep fried gunk on the chicken. :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 can (8 oz) unsweetened pineapple chunks, in juice
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup fat-free chicken broth (low sodium)
1/4 cup cider or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 3 tbsp molasses)
2 tsp lite soy sauce
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup sliced celery
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 small onion, quartered
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice.

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a medium saucepan. Add reserved pineapple juice, broth, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Add vegetables and pineapple. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine cornstarch and water. Gradually stir into hot mixture. Continue to cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve with brown rice.

((If you prefer to use artificial sweetener in place of brown sugar or molasses, add it after you put in the corn starch.))

Makes 5 servings.

Nutrient Analysis (Not including brown rice):
193 calories
1g fat
239mg sodium
23g carbohydrate (with artificial sweetener 12g)
2g dietary fiber
16g sugar (with artificial sweetener 5g)
22g protein



Sorry I don't have a picture... I accidentally deleted it when I was clearing card space for my shoot yesterday. But trust me, it's delicious. :)

~J

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

This one is a great source of fiber and protein.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 8 strips
*I use farm raised chicken - I haven't figured out local growers yet, but if you choose free-range, it's better for you, and better for the chicken.

4 cups bite-size broccoli pieces
1 can (13 oz) mushroom pieces and stems, drained and rinsed
1 can (10.75 oz) low-fat, condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 can water
1/2 tsp dried rosemary (I used herbs de province)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in an 8x8 baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Top with broccoli and mushrooms.


Mix soup, water and rosemary. Spread over chicken and vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.


Bake, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and broccoli is tender. Let set 10 minutes before serving.


Makes 5 servings.


Nutrient Analysis:
168 calories
3g fat
1g saturated fat
351mg sodium
10g carbohydrate
4g dietary fiber
2g sugar
25g protein

Served with a salad:


And we have leftovers! :)

Frickin' Delicious Hamburgers

Also known as "Meat Patties," which sounds disgusting... these hamburgers rocked our faces off.



I served these on Natural Ovens Better Wheat Buns:
Serving Size: 1 Bun

Calories 170
Total Fat 2.5g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 140mg
Total Carbohydrate 30g
Dietary Fiber 3g
Sugars 5g
Protein 7g

Meat Patties:
1/2 cup oatmeal or oat bran
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup egg substitute (I forgot this, but they came out fine)
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp ground mustard (omitted for mine)
1 tsp dried or 1 tbsp fresh minced onion
1/2 tsp salt (omitted for mine)
1/4 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey (7% fat)

Mix the first 9 ingredients. Add ground meat and mix well. Shape into four patties. Cook in the microwave, in the conventional oven, or on the grill.

Conventional Oven:
Preheat to 425 degrees. Arrange patties on a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes.

Microwave Oven: Arrange meat patties in a circle, on a microwave-safe dish, leaving the center empty. Cover with wax paper and cook on high for 7-8 minutes, rotating 1/4 turn halfway through cooking time.

Grill: Cook over hot coals, turning once, until done. *I used my George Forman. Because I forgot the egg, it was super juicy and didn't stick together 100%, so I just sprayed the grill with nonstick cooking spray and it was fine. They were delicious and I saved a bit of calories too! :)

Nutritional Info:
(makes 4 servings)
222 calories
9g fat
3g saturated fat
71mg cholesterol
127mg sodium
9g carbohydrate
1g dietary fiber
2g sugar
26g protein


With these kinds of nutrition numbers... you just can't beat a delicious, juicy, healthy burger with the kind of staying power that hungry guys (and girls) need! :)




Oh, and don't forget a nice salad! :)

Barbecued Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Casserole

Alrighty!

This one was not one of our favorites... the sausage was GOOD! But, the veggies were (not) so good. Just a matter of personal taste.

If you like cooked cabbage and bell pepper, you might really like this, so I'll post it. :)

Barbecued Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Casserole
4 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped onion (we omitted this)
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup sliced bell pepper, red or green (I did orange! I'm a rebel.)
1 package (16 oz) low-fat turkey smoked sausage, cut into slices
1/3 cup bbq sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Spray a 2.5 quart covered casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Add all ingredients. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Totally easy!



We served this with some whole-grain bread.

Nutritional Breakdown:
203 calories
8g fat
1013mg sodium (whoa!)
17g carbohydrate
3g dietary fiber
12g sugars
15g protein

If you look for a lower sugar bbq sauce you can reduce the sugar. Also, I'd recommend looking for a natural bbq sauce... one that does NOT include high fructose corn syrup. I let Dan pick the bbq sauce, and didn't think about that until I was making it. Ugh!


I had 1/2 a head of cabbage left so I made a quick and healthy coleslaw.


Jenn's Healthy Coleslaw
1/2 small head of cabbage, shredded (roughly 5-6 cups)
1 carrot, shredded
1 cup fat free plain yogurt
3 tbsp apple vinegar (or vinegar of preference)
2 tsp ground flax seed (I put it in just about everything now.)
1 tbsp artificial sweetener of choice
black pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl and chill! :)




Also a few things I ate today and yesterday:

Whole wheat bun with Morningstar veggie burger:


Another batch of Lemon Fish (Dan asked for it!) :)


And my new power breakfast... Jenn's Egg, Spinach, Turkey and Swiss Sandwich!




J