Chiken Taco Pizza

Healthy Pizza??? Yep, it can be done. Just make sure you don't eat the WHOLE pizza! 2 slices is a good portion with a hearty side of steamed veggies. I really like the chicken taco pizza because you can set out the ingredients on the table, and you can make your pizza slice with whatever you want on it. Great family dinner. I just cook for myself and my fiance so if you are cooking for more, you will probably want to make 2 pizzas!

Basic Pizza Ingredients:

1 prebaked thin Italian Pizza Crust
1/2 cup Taco Sauce
2 cups chopped deli rotisserie chicken
1 and 1/2 cups shredded 2% mozzarella and 2% cheddar cheese blend

Toppings (You can use anything you want...the ingredients below are what I used)

Light Sour Cream (just a dollop)
Shredded Lettuce
Diced Tomato
Southwestern Bean Salad
Crushed tortilla chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 450. Place pizza crust on a cookie sheet or pizza pan. Mix together taco sauce and chicken in a bowl.

Spread chicken mixture over pizza crust, leaving 1 inch border. Top with cheese blend. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pizza is heated.

Cut pizza into wedges and top with your favorite ingredients.

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Soy Protein Smoothie

Since I spent almost a year working at Smoothie King for almost a year as a teenager, I consider myself somewhat of a pro at making smoothies. My fiance makes protein shakes/smoothies and uses whey protein...but I don't like the taste or consistency of the smoothie when you add whey protein to it. Instead, I use soy protein powder that has 20 vitamins and minerals...made by Genisoy. I didn't take a photo of my smoothie - it's not very attractive, but it tastes so good and is perfect for a snack or before/after working out!

1 cup Chocolate Soy Milk
1 banana - sliced
1 Tbsp Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
3 Tbsp soy protein powder
5-6 ice cubes

Put all the ingredients and blend together. Enjoy!

Asian Peanut Beef and Noodles

This is a great healthy alternative if you are craving Chinese food. This recipe is very simple to make and a great meal for two people and it is ready in 30 minutes or less. The photo below is my fiance's portion...if you are watching what you eat then you will probably want to make your serving size a little bit less. If you are cooking for more than two people, just adjust the amount of ingredients accordingly.

4 oz whole wheat spaghetti
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas (I used fresh ones, not frozen)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips (You can find jarred roasted red peppers in the grocery store...just cut them up into strips).
1/4 cup LIGHT Catalina Dressing
1/2 lb (8oz) well-trimmed boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (use the REAL thing, not reduced fat)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cups Dry Roasted Peanuts

Directions:

Cook spaghetti as directed on package, adding snap peas to the cooking water for the last 2 minutes of the spaghetti cooking time. 

Meanwhile, heat dressing in a LARGE skillet on med-high heat. Add meat; stir-fry for 3 minutes or until meat is barely pink in center. Add peanut butter and soy sauce; stir-fry for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Drain spaghetti and peas. Add to skillet. Toss with meat mixture. Stir in green onions and roasted red pepper strips. Plate beef and noodles, then sprinkle with peanuts.

Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

I brought these to a dinner party as an appetizer. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I loved them and I'm not even a big fan of mushrooms!

24	large fresh whole mushrooms (1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)
2	tablespoons reduced-fat balsamic vinaigrette
2	slices bacon
1 1/2	teaspoons olive oil
1/2	cup chopped red onion
1/3	cup finely shredded reduced-fat Italian cheese blend
1/3	cup reduced-fat garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese
1/2	teaspoon Dijon mustard
2	tablespoons plain bread crumbs (I used Italian flavored)
2	teaspoons chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.
Remove stems from mushrooms; reserve caps.
Chop enough steams to fill 3/4 of a cup. Discard remaining stems or reserve for another use.
In a large bowl toss mushroom caps with balsamic vinaigrette. Then place stem side down in an ungreased glass pan.
Bake mushroom caps for 10 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle; drain.
Meanwhile, in a 10 inch skillet, cook bacon until crisp (I used precooked bacon that you microwave).
In same skillet, heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and chopped mushroom stems. Cook 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.
In a medium bowl, stir onion mixture, bacon, cheeses and mustard until blended. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps and place in pan.
In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 tsp olive oil; stir in parsley. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over filled mushroom caps.
Bake 10-15 minutes until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

1 serving = 3 stuffed mushrooms
90 calories and 4.5 grams of fat :-)

Cheddar Ranch Burgers

If I didn't live with my boyfriend, I would probably never make any recipes with beef in them. But since I cook for both of us, I have to have red meat on the menu at least once a week. Surprisingly, I have found that I actually do like red meet - especially ground beef. I am constantly on the search for new burger recipes, so if you have any suggestions, please post!

Make 4 Burgers:

4 rolls/hamburger buns
1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
1 packet ranch seasoning
1/4 cub and 2 Tbsp Crushed Saltine Crackers
2 Tbsp substitute egg product (do not use egg whites)
1/2 small red onion (diced)
4 slices 2% American Cheese (optional)
4 slices tomato
Low Fat/Fat Free Ranch Dressing (for burger topping)
-- To spice things up, add in some chopped jalapenos.

Directions:
Add ground beef, ranch seasoning, crushed crackers, egg product, and onion into a large bowl. Mix all ingredients together and form 4 patties.

Cook patties on a grill or grill pan. If desired, melt cheese on burger right before it is done cooking.

I don't like my rolls toasted, but if you do, toast your hamburger rolls.

Assemble your burger and enjoy!

Note: I either spend my time cooking the main dish or a side dish. For quick and simple side dishes I buy the cheap low fat frozen dinners. I microwave them right as the main meal is almost done and then divide it between my boyfriend and myself. It's perfect if cooking for two. I served the burger with a frozen dinner macaroni and cheese bake.

Grilled Chicken Greek Wrap

I eat this wrap at least twice a week for lunch. It super easy to make and so good. You can either use grilled chicken (I use the cheap, frozen chicken when I make these) or sliced turkey or chicken.

Ingredients:

1 tortilla or flatbread (I like the spinach tortilla wraps)
1 Tbsp low fat sour cream
Dill Weed (add as much as you want)
Diced Red Onion
Grilled Chicken (sliced into thin pieces)
Feta Cheese (I just sprinkle a little over mine - I like the garlic and herb flavored feta)

Directions:

Cook chicken in skillet over medium heat. When chicken is done, cut into thin strips.
Spread sour cream on tortilla.
Sprinkle dill over sour cream.
Throw in some diced red onion.
Place chicken strips on tortilla.
Sprinkle feta cheese on top and wrap it up!

Strawberry Cupcakes With Cheese Cake Icing (made with Sierra Mist)

While searching for healthy dessert recipes I came across dozens of cake/cupcake recipes that are made using diet soda. I have never heard of this before and thought they would be horrible. This is now my new favorite thing to bake. You can pick any cake batter, any soda, any icing and create so many tasty goodies! It is so simple and cuts out almost all the fat and calories! You can make this dessert as a cake or pour in a muffin pan. I like to make desserts as muffins (if possible) so I can control my portions, otherwise I think I might have eaten the whole cake! The cake mix will make 24 cupcakes. Since I am just cooking for my boyfriend and I, I cut the ingredients listed below in half.

 Makes 24 Cupcakes.

1 box Duncan Hines Moist Supreme Strawberry Cake mix
12 oz Sierra Mist (I couldn't find diet)
1 package sugar free/fat free Cheesecake Instant Pudding
1 package fat free cool whip

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place cupcake liners in muffin tin.

Pour cake mix into a bowl and add 12 oz of Sierra Mist. Whisk together until blended.

Bake cupcakes for 18-22 minutes.

While cupcakes are cooking, make your icing.

Make instant pudding according to package. Then whisk in cool whip. Refridgerate for an hour.

When ready to serve, spoon 1 Tbsp of icing on top of cupcake.

ENJOY!

A friend told me a trick to the diet soda cake recipes...if using dark cake mix use diet coke or diet cherry coke. If using white cake mix or flavored cake mix (like strawberry) then use diet Sprite, Sierra Mist, etc. If using a plain white cake mix you can get creative and use diet Sunkist or a flavored soda.

BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes

This recipe is a deviation from a dish Rachael Ray created. The original recipe calls for cheesy waffle fries to be piled on top of the sloppy joes. Since I am watching what I eat, I opted to not use the waffle fries. I also modified the ingredients according to what I had on hand. To save time, I used veggies that are already diced. Do not cut corners and use bottled BBQ sauce...use the ingredients to make your own! This recipe is in my top 5 of things I have made so far.

Makes 4 Servings

1 1/4 lb ground chicken
1 Medium red onion, chopped
1 Small Red Bell Pepper, chopped
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar (I used Splenda Brown Sugar)
3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Grill Seasoning
1 Tbsp Worcesteshire Sauce
1/2 Can Pasta/Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Hot Sauce
4 Crusty Rolls (or Hamburger Buns)

Directions:

Pour some olive oil, or use a spray to coat a large non stick skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and break it up so it browns evenly.

When the chicken has browned, add the onion and pepper.

While the vegetables are cooking, make the BBQ sauce. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, vinegar, grill seasoning, Worcestershire Sauce, tomato/pasta sauce, and hot sauce. Stir until blended.

When the vegetables become tender, add the BBQ sauce to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes.

If desired toast the rolls/buns. Pile on the sloppy joe filling and enjoy! You will need a lot of napkins!

Note: The sloppy joe mix is even better the next day as leftovers. When I heated up the leftovers I put the sloppy joe mix in a tortilla wrap and it was really good and less messy!