Portobello Cacciatore

I saw this on Rachael Ray last week and decided to give it a try. I have been wanting to eat more meat-free meals lately and thought this sounded delicious! And we really enjoyed this. I did, as almost always, make a few changes. And I have a few suggestions for anyone who wants to make this. I will list those below.

My changes:

Omitted: onion, cubanelle peppers, dried mushrooms (used fresh portobello and white), red pepper flakes, used fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of stewed, butter

I suggest:

Not adding the entire quart of chicken or vegetable stock to this, as it calls for. It made my sauce too runny for my taste. I think maybe half a quart would be a good amount. Just my .02!

This was a very filling and flavorful dish and I didn't miss the meat at all!

Here's the recipe

Lime Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Made this last night and it was the perfect type of dinner for us since we were eating at different times due to church and a late work schedule.

I couldn't find a marinade that said "mesquite lime" so I got one that was called "chile lime" at Target. It was pretty good. I actually let the chicken marinade for about 4-5 hours in the fridge. It turned out very tender. I "grilled" it on our indoor cast iron grill that you set on top of a burner. Perfect option for these chilly days!

Also, Kraft makes a low-fat creamy Caesar that is very good and a lot less fat than your typical Caesar.

Here's the recipe

Low-Fat Alfredo with Chicken and Vegetables

I made this tonight and it is a good alternative to a high-fat typical chicken alfredo. Bechumel sauce is soooo easy to make and so much better for you than alfredo sauce. I was disappointed when I realized I had accidentally left out the sun-dried tomatoes that were in the pantry. Oh well... it was pretty tasty anyway. I would suggest adding a little bit more parmesan cheese for flavor than what they call for.

My changes:

Skim milk instead of 2%- that's all I buy.

Instead of sauteing the veggies separately, I just added them to the bechumel sauce to cook.

Used whole-wheat linguine instead of fettucini- not a huge difference.

At the bottom of this recipe, check out the difference in fat, sodium and calories from the Olive Garden version to this one!!

Here's the recipe

Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings

This was soooo yummy! We just finished dinner and I definitely think this is a keeper recipe! Perfect for when you aren't feeling well or on a very cold night.

Yay- I found a Paula Deen recipe that isn't horrible for you! Hahaha- sorry, no offense to Paula Deen fans- I'm actually one too, but I can't make a lot of her recipes very often.

I also got to use my brand new dutch oven I received for Christmas for the first time! Definitely felt like a homemaker using it tonight. :)

Here are my changes to Paula's recipe:

Omitted the onion

Used dried herbs instead of fresh- still had a lot of good flavor

Didn't strain out the vegetables, I kept them in. I did take out most of the liquid before adding the cream of celery soup.

For the dumplings- I used 2 cups of Bisquick mixed with about 1 cup of milk and dropped the mixture by tablespoonfuls. I let this cook on low for about 10 mintues uncovered and then 10 minutes covered.

Simply delicious!

Here's the recipe

Spinach Tortellini Soup

Here's another great recipe from Skinny Taste that I loved! I decided to make this yesterday since we had been eating a lot of holiday, calorie-rich foods lately. This was filling without making you feel like you had overeaten. This is just what we needed after all of the Christmas meals we had had the few days prior.

This only took me about 15 minutes to put together. So simple and yummy!

Here's the recipe

Mile-High Lasagna

I have to preface this by saying this probably isn't very low-calorie- but I don't make this type of meal very often. :) But you could do several things to this to make it healthier. Ex: ground turkey, low fat cheese

I made this for the first time tonight for our Christmas get-together with my Dad's side. This was pretty delicious, although mine didn't end up near "a mile high" like the title says - haha!

Here are my changes:

Omitted the onion- didn't miss it

Used a shredded mix of Italian cheeses in between the layers (I bought two bags of this and it was barely enough for the two loaf pans)

Didn't see how it was possible to use all of the lasagna noodles. We did two pans and had a ton leftover. We probably could have gotten by with only one box. The San Marzano tomatoes are really delicious! Most grocery stores carry this now and I think it's worth the little bit extra you pay.

I love how Rachael Ray puts a video on her website to show you how to make each recipe. Very helpful!

Here's the recipe

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I received this recipe from my First Place leader, Connie earlier this month and loved it! I made it for family this past Saturday at our Christmas gathering and received several compliments and promised to post the recipe on here. I did make a couple of small changes to the original. So here you go--

Chicken Tortilla Soup- for the Crockpot

4 chicken breast halves or boneless chicken tenders

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

2- 14 oz. cans chicken broth

2- 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot- whichever you prefer)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (see note at bottom for a helpful tip!)

1 tablespoon, or more, ground cumin

8 oz. reduced-fat monterey jack cheese, shredded

Baked tortilla chips

Add minced garlic and oil to crockpot. Put chicken on top. Then, add all ingredients except the cheese and chips. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on crockpot temperature. Shred chicken with two forks and put back into the crockpot. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with crushed chips and cheese. Add additional broth if soup is too thick.

Makes approx. 12 servings

Exchange value: 1 cup= 1 1/2 veg. 1 1/2 meat

Basic nutritional value:

Calories: 234

Total fat: 7 g

Sat. fat 3.4 g

cholesterol 69mg

sodium 669mg

When I was shopping for these ingredients at Kroger, I noticed a new product I hadn't seen before (pictured above.) These squeeze bottles are perfect for storing herbs in the fridge and so convenient! You use what you need and refrigerate the rest. Since it seemed like the cilantro was pretty concentrated in this bottle, I didn't measure out a half cup as the recipe calls for. I think it equaled about 3 tablespoons. You could still taste it very well. Just thought I would let you all know about my newest discovery!

Smoky Roasted Eggplant Marinara with Spaghetti Squash

If you haven't ever tried spaghetti squash, I recommend it! This is such an easy and fun recipe! The squash half is actually your spaghetti "bowl" in this recipe. The only hard part for me was splitting the squash down the middle with a knife. But after that was done, and I scooped out the seeds, it was so simple!

You roast the squash cut-side down on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes. Then, you scrape down the insides with a fork to make it look like spaghetti. I also roasted large slices of peeled eggplant next to it for about 30 minutes. I opted out of roasting the red bell pepper garlic and didn't miss it. I just added garlic to my tomatoes. After the eggplant was done, I chopped it into bite-sized pieces and added it to the tomatoes on the stove. And topped it with parmesan cheese. I served it with some whole-grain garlic bread!

Delicious- and SO filling. I had to save half of my bowl for the next day's lunch. A great vegetarian meal - and I didn't miss the meat at all!

Here's the recipe

Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Shallots

We really enjoyed this tonight! These chops turn out very tender since they are cooked in the chicken stock. I recommend keeping them in the pan instead of taking them out halfway through, like this recipe suggests.

My changes:

I used 2 tablespoons of olive oil and no butter.

I lightly dredged the chops in flour before adding to the pan

I have to admit mine didn't look nearly as pretty as Gina's from Skinnytaste.com. So I decided not to post a picture - haha! But they were great tasting and that's what counts in our house. :)

Here's the recipe

Mexican Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas

I made these two nights ago. Definitely a success! They were mild enough that they didn't bother Chris's reflux, but very tender and flavorful. So easy too! The meat was so moist that it tasted the same even with leftovers.

Here are my changes:

I used 2 lbs. pork tenderloin instead of shoulder

I omitted the peppers in adobo sauce

Added salsa and low-fat shredded cheddar after they were cooked

Here's the recipe