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Cajun Chicken Pasta

23 Jul

I have to say, I have had this recipe in my “to make” list for a LONG time… like, a few years. For some reason, I never made it. I guess I was skeptical of the idea of making alfredo sauce for some reason. Tonight, I’m SO glad I made this. It’s a delicious alternative to one of the most prohibitive pasta dishes. I hope you enjoy as much as I did 🙂

Ingredients:

-1 lb chicken breast (I used tenders this time)
– Cajun Seasoning (I used Old Bay)
– 1 box (8 oz) whole wheat fetuccini or linguini
– steamed broccoli (I made 1/2 a bag from the produce section)
РSaut̩ed peppers, onion (I made red, and yellow peppers, and purple onion)

Sauce Ingredients:

– 6 wedges laughing cow cheese- original swiss, lite
– 1 cup 1% milk
– 2 tbsp. unsalted butter

– 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
– 1 tsp garlic
– 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Season chicken with the desired amount of blackening seasoning (I was generous, I like spicy)

2. Preheat grill or oven for chicken

3. Sautee veggies on stovetop.

4. Start a pan of boiling water for pasta.

5. Mix all ingredients for sauce together in a small sauce pan, and heat on low, stirring often. Cook sauce until all ingredients are blended, melted, and somewhat thickened. About 20 min.

6. In the meantime, when water begins to boil, break noodles in half, and cook until done to your preference.

7. While noodles, veggies, and sauce continue to cook, grill or broil the chicken until done.

8. Steam Broccoli toward end of cooking process.

9. When everything is done, pour drained noodles into large pan or bowl, and pour sauce over noodles. Add Peppers and onions here if you like. Stir all these items together.

10. Portion out into 4 equal portions, and top with sliced chicken. Add broccoli on top, or as a side.

4 Servings= 575 Calories per serving

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Goulash

18 Jul

My Grandma and my Mom both made Goulash when I was a child, so I guess it’s probably a “comfort food” for me. It’s hot, hardy, delicious, and a little sweet. Really hits the spot on a fall or winter evening. There are a lot of different types of goulash. Some folks will argue that by “hungarian goulash” terms this isn’t a goulash at all. However, I guess this is “hillbilly goulash” because…this is what we ate in Kentucky when I was a kid, and in my house still today. When I first calculated the calories after coming up with a “slimmed down” recipe, i was excited to see just how calorie friendly it actually can be. Serve with a mixed green salad with lite dressing if you want.

Ingredients:
-1 lb lean beef (i use Laura’s lean, 97% ff)
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– 1 green bell pepper, chopped
– 1 can of tomato sauce (about 1.5 cups)
– 1 can of diced tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
– 1 tsp brown sugar
– 1 tsp (or 3 packets) of splenda (you can use more brown sugar, but I used splenda in the calories)
– 1 tsp paprika
– salt and pepper to taste

– 8 oz of barilla elbow macarroni noodles

Directions:
1. brown beef, onions and peppers together until done. Drain fat. At same time boil noodles al dente.

2. Add noodles to beef, then add all other ingredients.

3. Cook on medium until noodles are soft and flavors are well blended.

4. Divide equal portions into a bowl, and enjoy!

4 Servings= 430 Calories per serving

Note: I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes my Granny would add a can of pineapple tidbits or chunks to this recipe. If you’re feeling a little culinary-adventurous, go ahead…drain a can of pineapple and dump it in there 🙂

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Low Calorie Spaghetti with Meat sauce

28 Jun

I’m not sure that I can even call this a “recipe” since it’s really just a list of pre-packaged ingredients thrown together to make a “much more calorie friendly version” of something we all already know how to make. This is more just a “calories figured for you” documentation of what you can use to lighten up this comfort food!

Editors note: Make this a “real” recipe by using my homemade marinara!

Serves 4

Ingredients:
-1 (12 oz)box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Spaghetti (the purple box)
-1 jar of Prego SmartLight* spaghetti sauce
-1 package of Butterball turkey italian sausage (5 links)

Mushrooms, Onions, Green pepper, fresh garlic- all optional

Directions:

1. remove sausages from casing, and fry meat on medium heat, crumbling into peices as you go. Now’s a good time to add those optional ingredients like mushrooms or onions as well.
2. Drain excess grease from meat mixture.
3. Add spaghetti sauce, and any additional spices you like (I add about 1 tbsp oregano and some garlic powder)
4. Cook sauce on low in a covered pan, stirring occassionally.
5. Break pasta into manageable pieces and add to boiling water (with 1 tbsp salt if you like).
6. Cook pasta until it reaches your preferred texture.
7. Serve with sauce over drained pasta, in 4 equal parts.

4 Servings= 525 Calories per serving

*Note: Prego SmartLight is the key here. this suace has about 1/2 the calories of any other pasta sauce i’ve found out there, and it tastes good too.

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Roasted Red Pepper and Swiss stuffed Chicken Breast

18 Jun

Ingredients:
– (4) 5 oz chicken breasts
– 2 wedges of light laughing cow swiss cheese
– Roasted Red Peppers, diced (about 1/4 cup)
– 4 tsp fat free mayo
– 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425, and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. with a fork mix together laughing cow wedges and red peppers until blended.

3. Use a knife to cut a small pocket about 2/12 inches long, into the side of each chicken breast. Fill pocket with 1/4 cheese/pepper mixture, and press the edges closed (use a toothpick if needed)

4. brush the top of each chicken breast with Mayo, and then press the mayo side of the chicken into the breadcrumbs.

5. Place on baking sheet, coated side up, and spray top of chicken lightly with nonstick spray.

6. Bake until golden brown and done in the middle. About 25 minutes.

**Variation: this works great with sundried tomatos too, instead of roasted red peppers.

4 Servings= 230 Calories per serving

Appx 6 weight watchers points plus

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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

IMG_4431[1]IMG_4433[1]

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Flatout Flatbread Pizzas

5 May

– 4 flat out flatbreads (seen below)
– 1 cup of premade pizza sauce, divided into 4 parts
– 1 cup mozzarella cheese- 2%, shredded
– Sliced Mushrooms
– Turkey pepperoni (9 per pizza)
– 1 cup Jimmy Dean premade, crumbled turkey sausage, divided into 4 parts
– Diced onion
– Garlic Powder
– other pizza toppings of your choice (olives, banana peppers, ham, pineapple)

1. preheat oven to 400

2. Arrange 4 flatbreads on 2 baking sheets.

3. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce on each flatbread.

4. Add all desired toppings, except cheese

5. Sprinkle with garlic powder.

6. Top each pizza with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.

7. Bake Pizzas for about 10 min. Give or take, depending on your preferred crispness.

4 servings- 351 calories per pizza (based on the toppings I’ve listed above)

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Here’s what I used

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Here they are, pre-oven.

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Spaghetti Squash Marinara

2 May

Spaghetti Squash Marinara
2 servings

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash
2 cups of Prego “light smart” Marinara sauce*
2 cups of fresh, sliced mushrooms
1 Red Pepper, sliced
PAM nonstick cooking spray- olive oil flavored

1. Slice Spaghetti squash in 1/2 long-ways and scoop out all the seeds.

2. Place in a pan with 1/2 inch water, cut side down.

3. Microwave squash for 10 min.

4. Meanwhile, spray a baking sheet with PAM, and roast the red peppers at 450 until soft and beginning to blacken.

5. Sautee mushrooms in a pan on stovetop, using PAM to keep from sticking.

6. heat sauce in a pan on stove.

7. When squash has finished cooking, use a fork to scrape the insides out, long-ways, from one end to the other. Squash will come out in strands. Scrape them into a strainer or onto a paper towel to drain excess liquid absorbed during cooking.

8. Divide squash evenly between two plates. Top with one cup of sauce, and half of mushrooms and peppers.

* Instead of the Smart Light sauce, you could make my easy, homemade marinara!

Enjoy. YUM!

300 calories per serving.

spaghetti squ

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