Skinny Smothered Chicken

I found this recipe a few years ago but my family wasn't very keen on it. I decided to make a few changes. The changes were a success! My hubby loved it this time around!

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken (beat with meat mallet until even thickness is acheived)
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Heat olive oil in pan. Once hot, saute veggies until crisp tender. add garlic and oregano. remove from pan and set aside. add chicken to pan and brown until nearly cooked through. put veggies on top of chicken, top with cheese and cover with lid. After 2 minutes remove from heat but keep the lid on. Let rest for 5 minutes with lid on before serving. Enjoy!

Marinated Mushrooms

I love mushrooms! I never thought about the fact that mushrooms are low in calories and could make the perfect snack! These are marinated in olive oil but most of the marinade is left in the bottom of the bag when you eat them. I recommend letting these marinate for 24 hours but a minimum of 6 is necessary.

1 pound of small white mushrooms, just the tips of the stem trimmed and cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of water
1 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all of the ingredients, except mushrooms,  in a gallon ziplock bag. Add mushrooms. shake well to coat. Let chill in the fridge.

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

I LOVE suddenly salad, the bacon ranch is my favorite! However, I do not love that it's so salty and full of junk. So, why not make a version that's just as tasty, minus the junk and packed with fresh veggies too? This recipe makes a lot of pasta salad, I usually cut it half when I'm making it as a side for dinner. Keep in mind, you are welcome to use fresh bacon, cooked and chopped or even real bacon bits, I prefer to just use the imitation ones to save time and money and think they do the salad justice by adding just the right amount of bacon flavor!

1 pound large pasta (I like large elbows)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
1 large cucumber chopped
1.5 cups frozen peas, thawed (I thaw mine quickly by tossing them in with my pasta just as it's finishing cooking)
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 package hidden Valley Ranch mix (or 3 tablespoons from the Costco container)
2/3 cup imitation bacon bits (or 1 cup of real bacon cooked and crumbled)

Cook pasta, add frozen peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a small mixing bowl, mix sour cream, mayo, ranch seasoning and bacon bits. In a large bowl mix pasta, peas, cucumber and tomato. Add dressing. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Skillet

I've tried this dish several ways. The last way included rice. However, on my mission to eat better and keep track of my calories, I'm trying to avoid starches  (like rice,  pasta, potatoes, etc). I do still make a small pot of rice to serve this over for the other members of my family. This large skillet makes about 6 servings and comes in at under 250 calories for a large portion! So full of flavor!

1.5 pounds 93/7 ground turkey
1 small head of cabbage, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded or chopped carrots
2 stalks of celery, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 Oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups of shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet or pot, brown meat. When half way through, add onion, garlic, celery,  and carrots. Continue cooking until meat is thoroughly cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add tomato sauce, cans of tomatoes and cabbage. Mix well. Cover with lid and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until cabbage reaches desired consistency, stir occasionally.

Now, I do not like mine soupy. So, I quickly dump this in a strainer for about 60-90 seconds and then return to the pan. Place it back on the burner, heat off. Top with cheese and replace lid until cheese is melted!

Enjoy!

Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower

I was very skeptical to try this recipe but was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! I wasn't a big fan of the paprika shrimp but my hubby loved it! For this recipe you will need to "rice" the cauliflower. You can do this by pulsing it in a food processor or by using a boxed cheese grater (use the large holes ). I used the grater method and it was fast and easy! I simply cut the core out of my cauliflower and then cut my cauliflower into quarters. Don't grate too much of the core parts, use more of the florets.

1 small-medium head of cauliflower,  riced
1 pound of large cooked shrimp, peeled and tails removed
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons of lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

For the shrimp:
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

In a large zip lock bag or medium bowl combine the shrimp seasonings and then toss the shrimp to coat. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and toss for 1-2 minutes to warm. Remove from pan. Add a little more olive oil and heat up again. Sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 60 seconds. Add cauliflower and mix well. Cook the cauliflower for about 10 minutes over medium high heat, turning once or twice. Add cilantro, lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss the shrimp in and serve!

I added a few more squeezes of lime juice to my plate while the hubby opted to top his with Sriracha. This was a delicious, clean eating meal. Low on calories and low carb. Delicious!

Pasta E Fagioli Soup

This soup is a favorite!! I like to saute my veggies for a few minutes with the meat as it is finishing cooking but that's optional. This will make a ton of food. Be sure you are using a large crock pot. Feel free to freeze half after its cooled!

2  lbs ground beef or ground turkey
1   onion, chopped
3   carrots, chopped
4  stalks celery, chopped
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock
3  teaspoons oregano
1/2  teaspoon pepper
5  teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 (20 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8  ounces rotini pasta

DIRECTIONS

Brown beef in a skillet.
Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
During last 30 minutes add pasta. Top with parm and serve!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken (lightened up)

Parmesan crusted chicken is a favorite of ours. However, it's full of mayo which is not good for you. So, I've lightened it up! This definitely has a different taste but is yummy in it's own way!

3-4 chicken breasts
2/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
3/4 teaspoon of season salt
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Preheat over to 425. Trim your chicken breasts and use a meat mallet to make them uniform in thickness (about 1/2 an inch). Please in a 9x13 dish). Mix up the other ingredients. Spread evenly over chicken. Cook for 25 minutes.

If you are needing to make more chicken, it is very easy to bump up to 1 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of parmesan. Just sprinkle a little more of each seasoning to compensate.

Enjoy!