Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-and-Feta-Turkey-Burgers/Detail.aspx

This is a summertime favorite of ours and I had almost forgotten about it until I saw it on allrecipes.com the other day and bookmarked it. Of course, you could make this any time of year. I use fat-free feta and I can't tell the difference from the full fat kind. It adds a nice saltiness to the burger and I don't feel the need to add any extra salt to it. Also, make sure to really squeeze out all of the water from your spinach after defrosting it in the microwave so your burgers aren't mushy.

This was the first thing I made on my new indoor grill and they turned out perfect! I added some sliced portobello mushrooms also just to have on the side. Delish!

New Indoor Grill

I decided to use my Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card from my sister and brother-in-law today and got myself an Emeril cast iron indoor grill. I love it!! I had been wanting one for a while because sometimes Chris doesn't get home for dinner until sort of late and I am not the best at working our outdoor grill so this makes things a whole lot simpler!

So THANK YOU, Amy and Jay! :-)

San Diego Grilled Chicken

I made this tonight and used the chicken as tacos with whole grain tortillas. This was very good! The citrus flavors add a really nice touch to the meat. I marinated it in the fridge for about 4 hours before grilling it. Also, I cut the chicken into strips before marinating it so it could soak up more marinade and help it grill faster too.

I will make this again but I think I would add some soy sauce or something similar to the marinade next time.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/San-Diego-Grilled-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Yoplait Frozen Smoothies

This is one of my semi-recent grocery store finds. They come in the frozen fruit section of the grocery store. Inside the bags are frozen fruit and cubes of sweetened yogurt. The flavors they offer are strawberry banana, strawberry mango pineapple and triple berry. I've tried all three and they're all great. All you do is dump the bag into your blender and add a cup or two of skim milk and hit puree! So yummy! If I am just making one for myself, I only use half of the bag. The whole bag is enough for two tall smoothies. This is a great alternative to a strawberry milkshake and is very satisfying. Great way to get in your milk and fruit servings for the day. :-)

Light Desserts

I've found several recipes from Eat Better America that I'm going to try in the near future. Just wanted to post these on here in case any of you wanted to also give them a try. If so, please feel free to leave feedback or e-mail me.

Healthified Cocoa Squares

Lemon Sorbet with Blueberry Sauce

Fudgy Banana Pudding Pops (this one looks especially good for summertime!)

*Edit- I made these pudding pops today and they were just alright, in my opinion. Great for a cold dessert that satisfies a sweet craving, but they are sort of "diet-y" tasting.

This one also looks yummy from AllRecipes~

Berry-Filled Lemon Cake

Lemon Thyme Chicken Tenders

We had this for dinner tonight along with some roasted zucchini. I will be making this chicken again in the future! Very flavorful! The fresh thyme really makes a big difference!

The only change I made was to put all of these ingredients into a large Ziploc and marinate the chicken for about 2 hours in the fridge before cooking on the stovetop.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lemon-Thyme-Chicken-Tenders/Detail.aspx

Classic Deli Cole Slaw (with or without fruit)

This is another recipe from my First Place class. It is a low fat, healthy coleslaw that is a good value for your calorie budget. The addition of the fruit makes this one a real keeper!

1 package (16 oz) Fresh Express 3-color deli cole slaw in bag

1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons skim milk

1 tablespoon celery seeds

**Optional Additions:

1/2 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup diced apple

1/2 cup red, seedless grapes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrional value:

Calories: 25 Total Fat: 2.1g, Trans Fat 0.0, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 136mg, Total Carbs: 1.6g, Sugar 1.1 g

Nutritional Value with Fruit:

Calories: 41 Total fat 2.2g, Trans fat 0.0g, Cholesterol 0.0, Sodium 136mg, Total Carbs: 5.9g, Sugars 4.4g, Protein 0.3g

Mix sugar, ground celery seed and milk into mayonnaise. Add apple cider vinegar and whisk until smooth. Add to Fresh Express 3-Color Deli Cole Slaw and enjoy!

Caesar Tortellini Salad

I received this recipe through my First Place class a couple of weeks back. I made it as a side dish tonight for dinner and this is a KEEPER! Highly recommended!

My only changes: Omitted the onion and I cooked the asparagus in boiling water for about 3 minutes before cooling and adding it to the salad.

Caesar Tortellini Salad

1 package Three Cheese Tortellini

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup purple onion

1/4 cup sliced or whole ripe olives

1 to 2 bunches asparagus, ends cut about 1 1/2 inches for salad

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

cracked pepper to taste

4 cups romaine lettuce

3/4 cup (or more, according to taste) Caesar Dressing (I used Ken's Light Caesar Dressing)

Cook tortellini according to package directions. When done, drain. Drizzle some Caesar dressing over tortellini and let cool. You can put this in a container and place in the fridge even overnight if you want. Store drizzled tortellini in separate container from your salad mixture until ready to toss together.

If you want, cut your vegetables and place in an airtight container, along with the olives. This will keep nicely overnight as well.

Right before time to serve the salad, mix your salad greens, vegetables, tortellini, parmesan and dressing together.

This makes a large salad. You can adjust according to the number of people you are serving. This is also a great salad to add extras like grilled chicken strips, croutons, etc...

Hope you enjoy this one!

Special K Low-Fat Granola

This has recently become my favorite cereal. It's really crunchy, sweet and goes with anything. I usually have it with vanilla yogurt with some sort of fruit mixed in. Very filling and I don't get hungry for quite a while after having this for breakfast.

Chobani Greek Yogurt

This is one of my newest finds at the grocery store. (I shop at Target, although I bet they sell this at many stores) and I looooove this stuff! I use the plain kind to add to things to give it a little tangy, creaminess instead of sour cream. And I eat the flavored kinds for snacks all the time. It has a lot more protein in it than regular yogurt and there is very little or no fat. But it tastes more creamy than other yogurt. Sooooo yummy! If you've never tried Greek yogurt, you really should :)

http://www.chobani.com/