Mommy's on a diet

This is inspired by the Napa Chicken at Applebees. It’s pretty tasty, and the whole meal (this and the roasted potatoes) together is less than 500 Calories.

Ingredients:

– 12 oz of boneless chicken breasts (3 chicken breasts, 4 oz each)
– Salt, pepper, paprika to taste
– 1 large onion, sliced
– 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
– 1/2 cup red wine
– 1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides. Grill chicken breasts on medium heat until cooked through. You could also bake them i the weather is bad, but I like them grilled.

2. While chicken is grilling, melt butter in a large skillet. Sautee onions until about halfway done. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to soften. Add 1/2 cup red wine to skillet, and cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until wine has reduced to just a few tablespoons of liquid.

3. Divide onion and mushroom mixture evenly between 3 plates, and place a chicken breast on top of onions. Pour any remaining “sauce” in the pan over the chicken.

I serve this with roasted potatoes, just like Applebees does, and altogether the whole meal is less than 500 Calories. Enjoy.

3 Servings of Napa Chicken= 309 Calories
Appx 10 weight watchers points plus

3 Servings of Napa Chicken with q cup of Roasted Potatoes= 490 Calories

So, I made these tonight, and I liked them pretty well. Now, you should know something about me. I’m really not a burger girl. If given 5 options on a menu, a burger would be in the bottom 2 choices nearly every time. But, for the sake of trying new things, and keeping my (burger eating) family happy, I tried this one today. In my approximation, it wasn’t bad. My husband really seemed to like it (he’s a burger guy). I will say this. Serve it with a soft cheese. I used goat cheese, which added a lot of flavor and went well with the hot burger. I imagine blue cheese would work well too, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Ingredients:

– 1 lb ground turkey
– 1 1/2 tbsp franks hot sauce
– 2 tbsp minced garlic
– 2 teaspoons ground cumin
– 2 tsp chili powder
– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix turkey, hot sauce, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper together. Mix well.

2. Separate meat into 4 equal sections.

3. Form 4 patties. I like to roll out a sheet of plastic wrap, lie my meat balls down, cover with another sheet of plastic, and smoosh them out that way. It’s less messy.

4. Heat a non-stick skillet on the stove, and spray with nonstick spray.

5. Cook patties about 4 1/2 minutes on each side, or until meat reaches 165* in center.

Makes 4 Servings: 1 Patty Only= 160 calories

TOP IT:

For me, the most important thing with this burger, is how you top it! I used 90 calorie buns. I sprayed them with fat free spray butter and grilled them to toast the edges. Then I topped each burger as follows:

Bottom bun: 1 tbsp goat cheese, 1 tbsp chopped onion, 1 tsp franks red hot sauce
Top bun: Romaine lettuce, 1 tsp light ranch dressing

1 Burger topped as listed above: 284 Calories

Patty alone= appx. 4 weight watchers points plus
topped as mine= appx 7 weight watchers points plus

I adapted this recipe from one of my family’s favorites, chicken cordon bleu. I prepared all the ingredients to make cordon bleu tonight, before discovering that my husband had eaten all the ham! This was a great chance to improvise, so I did!

Ingredients:

– 6 Thin sliced Chicken Breasts (appx 3 oz each)

– salt and pepper

– garlic powder to taste

– 2 egg whites

– 2 tbsp water

– 1 1/4 cups italian seasoned breadcrumbs

– 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional, mix with bread crumbs)

– 1 cup baby fresh spinach leaves

– 6 slices swiss cheese (peppridge farm thin slices)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450. Spray a large non-stick baking pan with PAM.

2. wash and dry the chicken, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3. Lay the chicken flat on a plate, and lay a layer of spinach leaves, and a slice of cheese down the center of each breast.

4. Mix egg whites with 2 tbsp water. Set aside in a dish.

5. Tightly roll chicken breasts until spinach and cheese are tightly rolled in the center.

6. Holding the chicken “roll” tightly together, dip chicken into egg, and then coat with breadcrumbs.

7. Place chicken seam side down on baking dish.

8. Spray tops of chicken lightly with PAM, and bake 25 min.

6 servings= 280 calories each

Appx 8 weight watchers points plus per serving

This is an Asian dish. The sauce is mild, and tastes a lot like the sauce you would find in beef and broccoli… In fact, it’s inspired me to try beef and broccoli soon. For now, enjoy this Yummy Chicken dish!

Ingredients:
– 1 lb boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
– 3 tbsp. oil, divided
– 1 tsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp. Cornstarch (divided)
– 2 tsp soy sauce + 3 tbsp. soy sauce (divided)
– 1 can chicken broth
– 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger root (I have a jar from the produce aisle)
– 1 onion, sliced
– 1 red pepper, sliced
– 1 clove minced garlic (or 1 tbsp. pre-minced)
– 2 cups broccoli florets (fresh)
– 1 8 oz can of sliced water chestnuts, drained
– 1 1/2 cups (before cooking) of white rice (I use jasmine)
– 1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (I baked mine at 425 for about 5 min, turning twice during baking)

Directions:

1. Mix 1 tsp cornstarch with 2 tsp soy sauce and mix until smooth. Add sliced chicken, and stir to coat. Refrigerate for 30 min.

2. In another bowl, mix remaining corn starch and remaining soy sauce together until smooth. Add broth and ginger, and set aside.

3. In a large non-stick skillet (with a lid) heat 1 1/2 tbsp. oil, and cook chicken until no longer pink. Remove Chicken and set aside. Now’s a good time to cook the rice according to directions on package.

4. Add additional 1 1/2 tbsp. oil to skillet and heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until Onions begin to soften. Add red pepper, broccoli, and water chestnuts, and continue to cook until vegetables are cooked, but still crunchy.

5. Stir broth mixture, and add to vegetables in skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly, and allow to boil 2 minutes before returning chicken to pan. Mix well and heat through.

6. Serve with Rice, and top with walnuts.

4 Servings= 620 Calories per serving appx
16 weight watchers points plus per serving

5 Servings= 500 Calories per serving
appx 13 weight watchers points plus per serving