Archive | May, 2013

Hunry Girl Onion Rings

27 May

First and Foremost, I cannot take credit for coming up with this recipe. It came from the genius, hungry girl. Visit her website at www.hungry-girl.com

Ingredients:

– 1 large onion, sliced into rings
– 1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
– 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, or more to taste
– 1/8 tsp. onion powder, or more to taste
– 1/8 tsp. salt, or more to taste
– Black pepper, to taste
– 2 egg whites, mixed with 2 tbsp. water

Directions:

1. Using a blender or food processor, grind cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Season crumbs with the spices and transfer to a plate or bowl. Set aside.

2. Fill a small bowl with egg substitute. Prepare a baking sheet (or two) by spraying with nonstick spray. Set aside.

3. Use tongs or a fork to dip the rings into the egg whites and cereal crumbs

4. One at a time, dunk each ring in egg, give it a shake to remove any excess, and then coat it in the seasoned crumbs. Evenly place rings on the baking sheet(s).

5. Bake in the oven at 375 until outsides are crispy and insides are soft, 20 – 25 minutes, carefully flipping rings over about halfway through.

MAKES 3 SERVINGS

1 serving= 83 Calories!!

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Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa Salad

26 May

Ingredients:
– mixed greens (I use spring and romaine)
– goat cheese (2 tbsp. per serving)
– vinaigrette (raspberry, pomegranate, strawberry, etc)
– 4 oz grilled chicken per salad

Mango Salsa
– 2 mangoes (peeled, seeded and diced)
– 3 small tomatos diced
– 1 small purple onion, diced
– 1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers (seeds removed) (to taste)
– 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (to taste)
– salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Make Mango Salsa: Mix all ingredients for salsa together, and refrigerate.
2. Lay lettuce on foundation of salad.
3. Top with 1/2 cup mango salsa, 2 tbsp. of goat cheese, chopped chicken, and 2 tbsp. dressing.\

1 Salad= 310 Calories

** calories calculated using hidden valley farmhouse originals pomegranate vinaigrette- 2 tbsp.

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Black Bean Burritos

20 May

Ingredients
– 1 tablespoon olive oil
– 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
– 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
– 1 cup Muir Glen canned fire-roasted chopped tomatoes or 1 cup tomato sauce
– 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
– 1 bay leaf
– 1 teaspoon chili powder
– 1 teaspoon ground cumin
– 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
– 1 teaspoon salt and additional to taste
– 1 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
– 3 cups cooked black beans or 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
– 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
– Ground black pepper to taste
– 1 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)
– 8 tortillas (I use the ones that are 110 calories each)
– 1 cup shredded low- or reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
– 1 cup tomato salsa
– 2 tablespoons chopped scallions

Instructions:

1. Add the olive oil to a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Carefully add the broth and beans.

4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thickened and most of the broth has evaporated.

5. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.

6. Stir in the vinegar and cilantro. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and chile flakes, if desired. Keep the bean mixture warm.

7. Transfer the tortillas one at a time to a nonstick skillet over low heat and heat them for several seconds on each side to soften and warm them. Transfer them to your work surface.

8. Sprinkle each warm tortilla with 2 tablespoons of the cheese. Top with ½ cup hot bean filling in the center of each tortilla.

9. Fold 2 sides of the tortilla in over the bean filling, then roll up the burrito from an unfolded edge.

10. Place 1 burrito, seam side down, on each of 8 plates. Top with salsa and scallions.

8 servings= 330 Calories
4 servings= 660 Calories

*HINT: I like to serve with a little reduced fat sour cream on top, and jalapenos. YUM-O!

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My 2nd 5K! Glow in the night!

19 May

So, a couple of months ago, I reported that my husband and I had walked our first 5k, which was exciting. We pushed the stroller the whole way, so I was literally just walking the whole time, and I finished in 1 hr 6 minutes. Last night, we did a “glow in the dark” color run (where they throw all the colored powder at you along the way…) and it was super fun. We had a good time hanging out with a few of our friends and walking/running the course. My husband improved his time to finish in 32 minutes!!!! And I finished in 43! I can’t wait until the day when I can run all 5k’s, but for now, I’m pretty darn excited about this!

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Unstuffed Peppers

17 May

Ingredients:
– 1 lb lean ground beef (90%)
– 1 onion, diced
– 2 cloves of garlic, chopped (or 2 tbsp minced)
– 1 can diced tomatoes
– 1 1/2 cups brown instant rice
– 1 bag frozen mixed peppers
– 3 tsp worcestershire sauce
– 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
– 1 tsp italian seasoning
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1 cup of cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Cook Beef, garlic, and onion together, and drain fat.

2. Mix all remaining ingredients except for cheese, and pour into a 9X13 pan.

3. Top with cheese, cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

4. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. This is important. Don’t skip this step 🙂

6 Servings= 343 Calories per serving

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Roasted Garlic and Lemon Cauliflower

14 May

Wait! I know what you’re going to say… “cauliflower!? yuck!”. You’re wrong on this one. Trust me. THIS IS DELICIOUS and I have never met a cauliflower I liked. I also make this with a mix of fresh carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Ingredients:

– 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2-1/4 pounds), trimmed and cut into florets
– 3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced (or 3 tbsp. minced garlic)
– 2 tbsp. olive oil
– 2 tablespoons lemon juice
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
– 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine cauliflower and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

3. Transfer, in a single layer, to a large rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast at 450 degrees F for about 25 minutes, stirring once.
5. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately

4 servings= 125 Calories per serving  

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Orange-Pineapple Right-side-up Cake

13 May

Ingredients
– 1 box of orange cake mix
– 1 can of 20 oz crushed pineapple (in juice, not syrup)
– 5 egg whites
– 1 tub cool whip free* (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix cake, eggs, and pineapple together.
2. Pour into a prepared (sprayed with non-stick spray) glass 13×9 pan.
3. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
4. If desired, cool cake completely, and top with cool whip.

Variations: The cool whip on this is totally optional. The cake is awesome without it. If you choose to do the cool whip, you could also top with fresh berries to make this extra pretty.

You can also sub: white cake mix, orange, yellow, lemon, or angel food cake.

12 Servings= 210 calories per slice (without cool whip)
12 Servings- 240 Calories (with cool whip)
15 servings= 167 Calories (no cool whip)
15 servings= 187 Calories (with cool whip)

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Aside

Welcome to “Mommy’s on a Diet”

12 May

Hi There!  So, welcome to my blog! (That was for both me and you…since this is my first time blogging).  If you’re here, following me… well, i hope i can provide something valuable for you now and then.  This blog has been designed for me to document my weightloss journey as a working mom, who spends a lot of time in restaurants, hotels and airports.  This started when my husband and I joined a weight loss competition in January, 2013, and lost about 25 lbs in 11 weeks.  This is my place to document the continuation of that journey.  I love to cook, and have been trying lots of great new recipes since “lightening up” our lifestyle.  We’ve also started working out at the local Y, which I enjoy more than I ever expected I would.  So I’ll be posting things like Recipes, Favorite restaurant foods, exercise plans, and general updates on my progress… the good, the bad, and… the tasty 🙂 

French’s Fried Onion baked Chicken

12 May

I can’t take credit for creating this recipe, but I will take credit for sharing it with you 🙂  It’s delicious. One of my family’s favorites.  My daughter dips hers in honey.

Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 cups French’s Fried Onions (regular or cheddar)

– 1 egg

– 2 tablespoons flour

– 4 (4 oz) boneless chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Clean and dry chicken breasts.

2 Put fried onions into food processer, and grind until they’re well chopped.

3.  Mix onions and flour.

4. beat egg in a shallow bowl.

5. Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere.

6. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20 min.

4 servings= 365 Calories per serving

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Mixed Berry Cobbler

10 May

So, there are two ways you can make this.  You can make it pretty healthy, and use a regular yellow cake mix, or, you can make it very low calorie by using a sugar free cake mix, which is my preference.  However, my husband thinks it tastes a little “diet-y”.  I disagree.  I think this cobbler is great, particularly for a “diet” dessert.  Try it out, and you be the judge!

Ingredients:

– 1 box of yellow cake mix (sugar free or regular)

– 1 can of diet soda (i used mello yello zero.  diet sprite, sierra mist, sprite zero would all work)

– 4-5 cups of frozen fruit of your choice (i used cherries and blueberries)

Directions:

1. Spread Fruit on bottomo of a 9X13 baking dish.

2. Pour cake mix evenly over top.

3. Pour soda over the top of cake mix.  DO NOT MIX.

4. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Variations:  Spice cake and frozen apples or peaches.  White Cake instead of Yellow.

Serves: 12= 179 calories per serving*

*my calorie count was based on sugar free cake mix, and a mix of cherries and blueberries.

cobbler

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