The Perfect 195 Calorie Snack

Before I did some research about losing weight...I thought not eating was the way to go. Clearly, that is unhealthy and really not a good method to lose weight. Basically I guess you are supposed to have three balanced meals a day and a snack or two. At least that's what I've been doing and I have lost 2 pounds in a week. Grabbing a snack is easy, but it's important to pay attention to portions and choose items that are filling. My favorite snack to eat is light yogurt (100 calories), a wedge of light Laughing Cow Cheese (35 calories) and 5 saltine crackers (60 calories). It's a very filling snack for only 195 calories and it never gets boring because there are endless flavors of yogurt and a wide variety of spreadable cheese. IMPORTANT: You will never lose weight if you drink a lot of soda or other high calorie drinks. Water is the best way to go, but I can't stand water. So, thank the lord for Crystal Light. I get all the water I need but it doesn't taste like it...my favorite flavor is peach mango green tea!

My Favorite Snack :-)

Italian Pizza Bake served with Fresh Tomato Mozzarella Salad

This is a great Friday night dinner...it doesn't take long to prepare and you can spend time with your family, boyfriend/girlfriend, get ready to go out, etc while it is baking. I chose to serve the pizza with a wonderful Tomato Mozzarella Salad. Growing up this salad was a staple in my home. The salad is optional and the pizza can be served with whatever side you want. I'm not going to explain how to make the salad...if you look at the photo it is pretty self explanatory. The dressing on it is low fat balsamic vinaigrette. I used just 1 tablespoon.

1/3	cup Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
2	tablespoons fat-free egg product or 1 egg white
1	tablespoon water
1/8	teaspoon garlic powder (Surprisingly I did not have garlic powder so I used 1 tbs of minced garlic instead)
1/4	cup diced red pepper (I used diced green, red, and yellow pepper that were already packaged)
1/4	cup chopped onion
1/2	cup cut-up cooked chicken breast (TIME SAVER: I used frozen cooked and already diced chicken)
1/2	cup diced tomatoes
1/4	teaspoon Italian seasoning (I didn't use this because I did not have it)
1/4	cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (Since my boyfriend was eating this as well and he LOVES cheese...I added an additional 1/4 cup Italian cheese)

The whole meal...my boyfriend is so cut..he helps me "pose" my food so it looks appealing.

Italian Pizza Bake (1 serving)

Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In small bowl, stir Bisquick mix, egg product, water and garlic powder; spread in pan. NOTE: I followed the directions and did not feel like there was enough mixture for the crust, so I made a second batch and added it to the pan. Maybe I was using the wrong size pan???
In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook bell pepper and onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and Italian seasoning; cook until hot. Spoon over batter. Sprinkle with cheese. NOTE: I added oregano since I did not have Italian seasoning.

Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until golden brown; loosen from sides.

Nutrition if you use the original recipe (without the extra cheese and crust mixture):

1 Serving: Calories 190 (Calories from Fat 40); Total Fat 4 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 35mg; Sodium 390mg; Total Carbohydrate 20g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 4g); Protein 18g

Nutrition with my modifications (pizza bake only):

9.2g Fat and 278 calories

Nutrition info for Tomato Mozzarella Salad:

10g Fat and 165 calories

Corn And Green Chili Spoon Bread (side dish) Paired with Salsa Chicken (optional)

I scour the internet in my spare time (which I have A LOT of since I am currently unemployed) looking for healthy recipes. I have a folder full of them. I will not post a recipe on this blog that I have not made myself and approved. The Corn and Green Chili Spoon Bread was good...but it wasn't great. I think the reason I didn't LOVE this recipe is because I was expecting the caserole to be a different texture. I was expecting it to be thicker and drier...like bread, but it was moist and had the consistency of quiche. Maybe I didn't cook it right...who knows. This is a side dish. Since this was the recipe for dinner I needed to pair it with a main dish that was I already knew how to make and was quick. I chose to bread a chicken breast, bake it, and top it with salsa. For the breading I used regular bread crumbs and put in some taco seasoning (the spoon bread has a Mexican vibe to it, so I wanted the chicken to go enhance it). After the chicken was done baking I just put salsa on it and called it "Salsa Chicken". Tips on baking breaded chicken: Pour the bread crumbs in a big Ziploc bag and coat the chicken that way. Pour breadcrumbs ALL OVER bottom of baking sheet..that way both sides will be crispy. IMPORTANT: For this recipe you have to use 2 pans...one pan that has the ingredients of the spoon bread and another  larger pan that you fill with warm water...the pan with the ingredients goes inside the larger pan when you bake it. This little step at the bottom almost ruined my recipe as I have limited baking pans. 

Corn and Green Chili Spoon Bread

Plated Spoon Bread served with Breaded Salsa Chicken

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (I used frozen)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (I used a combo of red, green, and yellow peppers that were already sliced and diced...I highly recommend that)
• 1/2 cup diced green chilies
• 1 - 2 jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded, and diced (I used jalapenos we had in a jar and just cut them up until it filled 1/4 cup_
• Egg substitute equivalent to 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 - 2 tbsp Parmesan/Romano cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. If using fresh corn, cut the corn kernels from the cobs and set aside. If using frozen, microwave before using.
3. Bring the chicken broth and milk to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly add the cornmeal, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the corn and set aside.
4. Spray a medium skillet with a nonstick vegetable coating spray and place over medium heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and both chilies, and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion mixture and egg substitute to the cornmeal mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with sugar until stiff (I didn't know what "stiff" meant...just beat the egg whites/sugar until whites thicken). Fold some of the whites into the cornmeal to lighten the mixture.
6. Spray a 2-quart oblong pan with a nonstick spray and pour the batter into the pan (I did not have an oblong pay...I used an 8 x8 baking dish). Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Place the pan in a larger pan, partially filled with warm water. Bake for 1 hour.
7. You may turn the oven down to the lowest setting, leave the door ajar, and "hold" the spoon bread up to 30 minutes. Allow the oven to cool down by leaving the door wide open for 5 minutes.

Note: If you want to serve the baked salsa chicken with the spoon bread go ahead and prepare it once the dish is in the oven. I guess I baked the chicken for 20 minutes or so...when there is 20 minutes left for the spoon bread...pop in the chicken and they will be ready at the same time :-)

Chocolate Cherry Carnation Instant Breakfast Smoothie

I am not a breakfast person. I either don't want to cook in the morning, don't have time, or I'm not hungry. I'm usually not hungry. Most days I just drink a Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials (the no sugar added one) mixed with skim milk. A lot of people need food in their tummy in the morning before they take certain medications...so have some toast with it. Everyone says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day...so it's important to eat something...or in my case DRINK something that has your daily essential vitamins to stat your day off right.

Before I go any further, I should tell everyone that I once worked at Smoothie King...many years ago. I know the "secrets" to making smoothies that are exceptional. The two secrets are...use DRY MILK and PURE CANE SUGAR (the brown kind). Use those in ANY smoothie recipe and it will taste a million times better. For 1 serving use 1 tbs of the Pure Cane Sugar and about 1/3 cup of dry milk. I'm not really sure about the dry milk, because I just pour it straight from the box...I've never measured it. Back to my recipe...

Ingredients:

1 packet Rich Milk Chocolate Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials (no sugar added kind)
4-5 ice cubes
1 cup frozen sweet black cherries
1 tbs pure cane sugar
1/3 cup dry milk
1/3 cup 2% milk (or the milk or your choosing)

Directions:
 
Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend. Easy enough.

Note: If your smoothie is too think and isn't "smoothie like" add just a little bit of water and continue blending. Add water until the consistincey you desire.

Nutrition:

253 calories/ 1 gram fat and tons of vitamins!!!

* Not everyone has frozen dark sweet cherries in their freezer...you can pick any fruit that would go well with chocolate...banana (use a whole one), strawberries...be creative!

Instant Party - Spiced Pineapple Cocktail

My boyfriend and I will be drinking these this weekend. When watching your calories, drinking can ruin all your hard work. Think about how many calories are in soda, or a beer, etc. This cocktail is not low in calories, but every now and then you gotta have a little fun and cut yourself some slack! There is no photo with this recipe because I KNOW it will be good!

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup lime juice
3 tbs agave nectar
1 cup pineapple juice
2 cups fresh or frozen pineapple
1/4 cup triple sec 
2 cups ice
1 1/2 tps chili powder
1 1/2 tps sugar
1/2 tps coarse salt

Directions

Stir together lime juice and agave nectar.
Add to blender along with pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, triple sec, tequila and ice. Blend until smooth and frothy.

In a small, shallow bowl combine chili powder, sugar, and salt. Wet the rim of glass. Then dip glass in spice mix to coat. 

Makes 4 Servings...ENJOY! And remember not to drink and drive!

UPDATE!

I am slacking on posting my recipes...been very busy lately. I still need to post the recipe for my Chocolate Cherry Carnation Breakfast Smoothie and Corn and Green Chili Spoon Bread (a side dish I served with salsa chicken). I will post those tomorrow. It's Friday night and I want to spend time having fun with my boyfriend. Tonight for dinner is Italian Pizza Bake with fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Salad...YUMMY! I started this blog and made the decision to eat healthy balanced meals about a week ago. My goal was to loose ten pounds...one pound a week. It as been a week and I have lost 2 pounds!!! YAY!!! I also have been working out. Nothing hard core...a walk around my complex with my dog, the shake weight (I do the 6 minute DVD and just shake it around when I'm bored), and a 10 minute butt and then 10 minute ab workout I found as an app on my phone. I do all this 4-6 times a week. The shake weight is not a gimmick...I hated my arms, it was one part I could never tone, and now they are starting to look so much better.

Getting ready to work out at home...note the shake weight in hand and yoga mat on floor. Yes, I really am that tan. I am a tanorexic.

My 6 pound bundle of joy, Axle, sleeping with his favorite toy, Mr. Flea.

My boyfriend recently got into working out. He's hard core and taking tons of supplements. If you are trying to bulk up by working out and have questions...ask me and then I'll ask him...he knows EVERYTHING.

The Situation and Pauly D stopped by to ask Dominic if he had any work out tips lol. Oh BTW...my boyfriend is NOT that tan. Clearly the picture is photoshopped.

Dominic and Me Playing Putt Putt (which counts as a form of light exercise!)

Grilled Chicken Club Sandwhich

All of the recipes posted on my blog are ideas I have found somewhere else and either followed the instructions exactly or tweaked them to my liking. This recipe is my own concoction. It's nothing fancy...quick, simple, healthy, and filling.

NOTE: Since I have become such the cooking enthusiast I finally purchased cookware. Until yesterday all I had to work with was one big skillet pan, one pot, and baking sheets. My favorite pan so far is the grill pan. If you don't have a grill pan...GET ONE! I have a feeling a lot of my recipes will involve the use this item. I saw one for $18.00 at Wal-Mart the other day.

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast
1 Hamburger Bun
1 Slice American Cheese (Kraft Singles)
1 tbs Honey Mustard
Red Onion (sliced)
2 Strips Bacon (I use the pre-cooked turkey bacon that you just zap in the microwave for 20 seconds).
1 Slice Tomato

Directions:

Defrost chicken breast if necessary.

Cut tomato slice and set aside.

Take a few slices of red onion and grill on grill pan and then set aside. 

Before you place chicken in grill pan to cook...coat it with 1 tbs of Honey Mustard (you could use a different mustard if you don't like honey)

Grill chicken breast in pan until cooked and then set aside.

Place cheese on the BOTTOM slice of bun. Then place both pieces of pun in grill pan. Wait for cheese to get warm and grill both sides of top hamburger bun. Put on serving plate.

Microwave 2 slices of bacon.

Assemble your sandwich. I put additional honey mustard on the chicken breast after cooked.

OPTIONAL: Serve with celery sticks and a wedge of low fat blue cheese Laughing Cow Cheese (only 35 calories)!

Nutritional Info:

10 grams fat/420 calories, 33g carbs, 42g protein

Salmon with Thai Peanut Sauce (AMAZING!!!)

This has been my favorite recipe yet. It is easy to prepare and a fresh take on salmon. My boyfriend and I agreed that we should have this meal once a week. I served the salmon over jasmine rise and grilled tomatoes and red onions. If you want to save yourself time prepping in all recipes buy the packages of vegetables that are already diced for you. I also served a bowl of hot and sour rice noodle soup as the side dish. I found the soup in the ethnic foods aisle. The one prepackaged soup bowl was plenty for 2 people. The jasmine rice was Uncle Ben's 90 second rice. The original recipe gave the ingredients to make your own peanut sauce...that was a little to much for me. I went the easy route and bought peanut sauce, which is also found in the ethnic food aisle. If you like salmon and Thai food then this dish will be a favorite!

Ingredients (2 servings):

Salmon (I used a frozen salmon fillet, which came on a wooden plank. It was actually just 1 piece and I cut in half to make 2 servings. I don't think one person could eat the WHOLE thing. You can find this frozen plank salmon at Publix. It was only $9.99)
Peanut Sauce
Diced Tomatoes
Diced red onions
Jasmine rice (optional)
The green parts of scallions for garnish (optional)
Thai Kitchen Hot & Sour Rice Noodle Soup Bowl (optional)

Directions:

If you are using FROZEN salmon follow the directions to defrost it. In my case I had to submerge the vacuum sealed salmon on wood plank in cold water for 30-40 min.

I suppose cooking methods may vary depending on what type of salmon you have (fresh, frozen, frozen with a plank, etc), so you may have to tweak my directions a bit.

While the salmon is defrosting, preheat oven to 425. Once my fish was defrosted I just had to remove it from the package and place the plank with the fish on it in the oven. Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Using a grill pan, grill the red onions and tomatoes and then set aside.

If you want to serve the soup as a side dish, put it in the microwave about 3 minutes before fish is done baking in oven. After the soup is done cooking, set aside.

When the salmon is done baking, transfer from oven to grill pan. Grill for a few minutes in pan and spread peanut sauce over fillet. Grill for a few minutes more (to let sauce seep in).

If you want to serve the salmon over rice, now is the time to microwave the Jasmine rice for 90 seconds. When the rice is done cooking, put 1 cup on each plate.

Sprinkle grilled red onions and tomatoes over rice and place the salmon on top.

Note: The salmon I used had skin on one side. When we cut the fillet in half my boyfriend kept the skin on his half and I cut the skin off of mine.

Drizzle more peanut sauce over salmon when plated (optional)

Sprinkle scallion to garnish (optional)

If you chose to serve the soup as a side, pour it into 2 bowls and serve with plated fish.

Nutrition: 

Salmon on Rice - 490 calories and 17 grams of fat.
Hot and Sour Soup - 150 calories and 2 grams of fat
*I was so full from the salmon I could barely eat half of my soup. If you serve a side dish, make sure it is light.



This dish was so simple to prepare and the best meal I have had in a long time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Veggie Crunch Wraps

I went grocery shopping at publix and all the vegetables that were already diced for you were on sale (2 for $4). That made making this recipe a snap because I didn't have to chop any of the vegetables. I had this for lunch over 2 hours ago and I still feel STUFFED. I'm not even sure if I'm going to be hungry for the dinner I'm supposed to cook tonight (recipe to be posted after I have approved it)! When I made this wrap, clearly my eyes were  bigger than my stomach and the flatbread to wrap the veggies in. You might not want to make your wrap as full as mine. If you do...break out the napkins because it's going to be messy. I didn't think a veggie wrap would be so filling, so I paired it with a cup of vegetable soup. I was so full after eating the wrap I could only have a few spoonfuls of soup. This would be a great meal for 2...each person gets one half of the wrap and a cup of soup.

  

Ingredients:

1 Flatbread Wrap

1 cup packed cole slaw mix

Diced Veggies of your choice and as much of them as you want and think can fit in the wrap. My wrap has diced tomatoes, yellow onions, celery, and red onion.

Low Fat/Fat Free Ranch dressing (or the flavor of your choice). The amount of dressing used will varies on individual taste and dietary needs. I think I used just under 1/4 of a cup of ranch dressing. 

1/4 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese

1/2 Zucchini cut into strips

Directions:

Place the cole slaw, and all of your diced veggies into a bowl.

Add the ranch dressing and stir to mix well. Then set aside.

Cut Zucchini strips.

Sprinkle cheese on flatbread and toast/bake in toaster oven or regular oven until cheese melts. (only takes a few minutes, so be careful not to let it burn).

Take out cooked flatbread. Spread with the ranch vegetable mixture and put zucchini strips on top.

Roll of the flatbread (if you can...lol) then cut in half and serve with soup. 

Nutrition:

Since I barely touched my soup, I did not figure in the nutritional info for it. Everyone's wrap will be different so be mindful of serving sizes of salad dressings and the type of flatbread/tortilla you use. I have this great app on my phone where I can scan the barcodes of  food items (or I can do a manual search) and it logs the nutritional content of EVERYTHING I eat.I even scan and factor in the 15 calories that are in my gummy multi-vitamins. The app is called MyFitnessPal...if you have access to it then get it..and it's FREE! I scanned all my food and the wrap I had for lunch contained 340 calories and 10 grams of fat.  

Eating Healthy and Fatigue

I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome when I was a college. For those of you that don't know what chronic fatigue is...it's basically mono that never goes away. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a debilitating disease. It has made my life very difficult. I missed a whole semester of college because I literally was so tired I could not get out of bed. I would go days without leaving the house. Waking up for work or school was a battle every day.

For years my chronic fatigue was treated with stimulants. If I took my prescribed medication when it was time to wake up in the morning I could function; however, the medication would wear off and at some point I would just crash. All of the doctors told me to "eat healthy", "eat balanced meals", "exercise"...but I was either too busy to cook healthy meals or too tired to exercise, so I usually just had fast food or a frozen dinner once a day.

I am not overweight now, but I do want to lose a few pounds. I especially want to tone up. To motivate me, I started looking up healthy recipes and decided to try a few of them. I am not an experienced cook...I frequently burn things in the MICROWAVE...but I knew that the key to me feeling better physically wasn't relying on prescription medication...it was eating healthy. Since I have been making these recipes, I have never felt better! I no longer take my stimulants to get through the day. I have energy. I can now exercise and do all the things I could never do before. Also, I am learning to cook, which is actually fun and I'm not half bad at it.I just wanted to share the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet. It has worked wonders for me in such a short time.

Southern Fried Pork Chops

I made up my mind when I was a little girl that I did not like pork (except bacon)...that was until today when I made Southern Fried Pork Chops. Actually, my boyfriend made the pork chops, but it was my idea. This recipe is great for kids who are picky eaters or adults because it tastes JUST LIKE CHICKEN and is so simple to make.

Ingredients

1 4oz Boneless Pork Loin Chop
1 box Southern Style Pork Bake (bread crumbs seasoned "southern style"

Directions: The directions for the pork bake I used were on the back of the box - House Autry Southern Baked Pork Bake.

Preheat oven to 425.
Defrost pork chops if necessary.
Pour contents of box (coating) into a plastic bag. (depending on how many chops you want to coat...only use half of the contents of box).
Line a baking sheet with foil and spread a generous amount of pork bake on bottom. (Keeps the bottom of the meat crispy)
Moisten meat with water.
Shake meat in bag until coated.
Place meat on baking sheet.
Bake until cooked...between 15-20 min. (My boyfriend cooked 3 chops for 20 min and they were a little dry)

I dipped my pork in honey mustard and it tasted just like chicken tenders, My boyfriend brushed his chop with Dijon mustard BEFORE he coated it. There are lot of ways you can tweak this recipe to your liking. Pork chop served with microwavable cheesy broccoli and rice (Green Giant). Pick any side you want...that's just a quick fix we had in the freezer.

Nutritional Info:

1 4oz southern fried pork job: 6g fat, 180 calories, 2g saturated fat, 160mg cholesterol, 348mg sodium, 23g protein, 7g carbs

Cheesy Rice and Broccoli (Green Giant) - info is for HALF of the serving size: 2.5g fat, 0.8g saturated fat, 135 calories, 2.5mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium, 25.5 carbs

Total for meal: 8.5g fat and 315 calories.

Very good, healthy, and low fat/calorie dinner. Now that I realize pork isn't so bad...I plan on finding more pork recipes. Enjoy <3

Egg White Omelet with Zucchini Fries

This is what I had for lunch today - egg white omelet with zucchini fries. I made a pretty big lunch because all I had for breakfast was a carnation instant breakfast...so I could afford to make whatever I wanted. You don't have to pair these two together, however, they do go well together. My entire meal was 508 calories. All of the fat came from the omelet.

I'm not going to explain how to make an omelet...I think most of you know. If you don't know how then you can look it up online. If you want to follow my exact omelet here is the info: I used Egg Beaters Egg Whites to make my omelet (3/4 of a cup). Inside my omelet I put in diced onion and celery, 1/4 cup REGULAR Kraft shredded cheddar cheese, and 2 slices of turkey bacon (crumbled).

Now the hard part of the meal...the Zucchini Fries. There is a trick to making these. The first time around you may have some issues. I did. The key is to spray a lot of olive oil/cooking spray over all exposed areas of flour in order to make the "fries: crispy. It's worth the hassle. A crispy outside with warm tender zucchini on the inside. And dip them in low fat ranch dressing...sooooooooooo yummy.

--- Portions of ingredients will vary depending on how many fries you are making.

Nutritional Content for Zucchini Fries (prepared as I made them):

213 calories
0.6 grams fat


Ingredients (based on what I prepared)

1 1/2 zucchini (cut into sticks.) 
Canola oil cooking spray 
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/4 teaspoon pepper 
1 egg whites, lightly beaten <--- I used egg white substitute

Directions (The picture below is how the fries are SUPPOSED to look. But mine were still really good :-P)

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine flours, cornmeal, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl
3. Pour egg whites into a bowl.
4. Dip zucchini in egg whites and then coat with flour mixture. 
5. Place zucchini on baking sheet, coat all exposed sides with cooking spray.
6. Bake on center rack for 7 minutes,
7. Turn zucchini and coat any floury spots with cooking spray. Continue to bake until golden and just tender, about 5 minutes more. Serve hot and with the dipping sauce of your choice. 

 

Chocolate Cake In A Cup

I love love love this recipe. It's so easy and fast and satisfies your sweet tooth. When I make this, I usually use a coffee mug. For the purpose of this blog I used a clear glass so you could see what the cake looks like. It's not the prettiest food in the world, but it sure does taste good!

Ingredients:
A coffee mug
2 tbs self rising flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 1/2 tbs sugar
2 tbs 2% milk (you can use any kind but skim)
1 tbs water
A dash of salt.

Directions
Coat the coffee mug with baking spray.
Mix all the ingredients very well in the cup. Add more milk if substance isn't that of regular cake batter.
Microwave for 35 seconds...that's it!
*I like to put fat free cool whip on mine. Fat free vanilla ice cream would be good as well.With or without a topping it's still good.

1.5 grams of fat/160 calories.  <---- CAN'T BEAT THAT

Baked Egg Cups

I found this recipe online and it seemed super easy to prepare...which it was. What I did not anticipate was how long it actually takes for the egg cups to bake. It's pretty much a scrambled egg muffin and you can add WHATEVER you want to it. It's a great breakfast on the go or a snack...but since I am dieting and can only have one, unless I need to make several (to feed my boyfriend or if I had kids), then I would not recommend taking the time to make just one egg cup.

Ingredients:

Eggs (one for each egg cup you want to make)

1/4 cup Shredded Cheese (any kind you want - as long as it's 2% - I used mild cheddar)
*I used 1/4 cheese to make these 2 egg cups. If you are making more, adjust the amount)

Sliced Deli Ham (try to get the larger slices because the ham is what lines the muffin pan and holds the egg)

Anything you would like to have in the egg cup...I chopped up microwavable turkey bacon and onions and used that. I would have used more items if I had them in my fridge.
*Nutritional info is based off of what I used in my cups.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Arrange the ham slices so they line the muffin cup completely, edges should stick up above the rim.
*That's why it is important to get larger sliced ham. The sliced ham I used was too small. Also, if the ham is very thin then you may want to put two slices to line the muffin cups.

Place pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes.

While ham is cooking in oven - prepare your "batter": crack an egg per cup into a bowl. Stir (like you are making scrambled eggs). Add in cheese, sliced bacon, diced onions...or ANYTHING you want. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

When the ham is done cooking, evenly spoon the egg batter into each ham cup. Put back in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove egg cups and enjoy!

I had slight problem getting the egg cups to bake all the way. The recipe initially said they only needed to bake for 10 min. I could still see a little soggy yolk, so I put them back in for an additional 5 min. I guess you could always pop it in the microwave for a minute or so if there is just a little left to be cooked.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 128.1

• Total Fat: 5.1 g
• Cholesterol: 127.8 mg
• Sodium: 325.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 1.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
• Protein: 14.0 g

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

I made this for my boyfriend and I the other night. It was amazing! I didn't get a chance to take a photo of it :(

Ingredients

6- 4 ounce boneless skinless chicken breast 

1/4 cup chopped celery 

1-package low cal whole wheat buns(Publix have only 80 cal. each) 

6 tsp. hot sauce or wing sauce (I used wing sauce) 

1 tbsp. smart balance light margarine

1/2 cup bread crumbs 

3/4 cup blue cheese dressing (low fat)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Rinse chicken,coat with bread crumbs, place on baking sheet and bake until no longer pink in center(about 20 min.)
Meanwhile stir chopped celery into dressing.
place hot sauce and smart balance into a  bowl and heat until margarine is melted.Stir and set aside.
 When chicken is done brush with hot sauce mixture,place on bun and top with dressing.

*makes 6 sandwiches...clearly I only had 1

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 269.2

• Total Fat: 4.9 g
• Cholesterol: 55.0 mg
• Sodium: 969.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 27.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
• Protein: 30.3 g

 

Low Fat Chicken Parmesean

This recipe is for 4 people. If cooking for less, adjust accordingly.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk (2 %)
• seasoned bread crumbs (Italian) 
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese slices (low fat)
• 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
• Parmesan cheese

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving	%DV
Serving Size 266g
Recipe makes 4 servings
Calories 405
Calories from Fat 237	55%
Total Fat 18g	34%
Saturated Fat 10.47g	42%
Trans Fat 0.01g
Cholesterol 123mg	41%
Sodium 878mg	37%
Potassium 578mg	17%
Total Carbs 18.31g	5%
Dietary Fiber 2.9g	10%
Sugars 12.3g	8%
Protein 27.6g	44%

 

Directions

The ingredients have been scaled to 4 servings. These directions are for 4 servings.

1. Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.
2. Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast (just a suggestion...I used less to cut back on fat). Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad                  
3. ***Spaghetti is not factored into nutritional content. I did not have it with mine...just the chicken and a salad.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 slice reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 slice tomato
• 1 tablespoon basil leaf (optional - I didn't use it)
• 1 tsp butter

Instructions

1. Lay the cheese on one slice of bread. Top with the tomato, basil, and the second slice of bread.
2. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Cook the sandwich for about 2 minutes per side, or until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown.

*** I added diced onions to mine and skipped the basil ***

Nutrition Information

Per serving: 90 Calories, 18g Protein, 10g Total Fat, 29g Carbohydrates, 8g Sugars, total , 6g Dietary Fiber, 183mg Calcium, 6mg Iron, 441mg Sodium,  5mg Vitamin C, 17mg Cholesterol, 6g Saturated Fat.

Served with my sandwich is 1 cup of roasted chicken rice ( the easy steam in bag kind).

Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients

Low Fat Mozzarella String Cheese

Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Egg Beaters

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Spaghetti Sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut cheese sticks in half, so that you have 2 sticks.

Pour a LOT of the bread crumbs into any container.

Place cheese sticks in a small bowl, and pour egg substitute over the top of the sticks.

Swirl egg substitute around so that it thoroughly coats the sticks.

One by one, transfer sticks to the container with the crumbs. Cover container, and give it a shake to coat the sticks in the crumbs.

Carefully return sticks to the dish with the egg substitute, and coat them
again.

Next put sticks back in the crumbs container, cover, and shake once more to coat.

Place sticks on a baking dish sprayed lightly with Olive oil. Spritz the tops of the sticks with a quick mist of the spray. Place dish in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes (or until the first sign of cheese oozing out). If desired, serve with warm marinara sauce.
Best when eaten immediately, while cheese is hot and gooey!

Nutritional content varies on which brand of ingredients you use and how many you eat. Sorry I can't give you exact info. This portion was for my boyfriend and I. I had 4 and he had the rest.