Need some of your favorite recipes.

blessdmomof4

I am just getting started on this site and love it so far! What I really need are a few good dinner (any meal really) recipes that my family will enjoy but will still be reasonably lowcal. I am a "from scratch" kind of cook and avoid processed foods whenever possible. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

cdavis1126

Pasta with peanut sauce: I had some whole wheat pasta leftover from the other night so I put a cup in an bowl and threw it in the nuker for 30 seconds.

In a small saucepan, I melted 1 tbsp smart balance butter, added about ½ tbsp of toasted sesame seeds and 1 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (which is really not spicy at all) and let it melt real slow.

I added it to the pasta I nuked and mixed it all together. It was so good and I know you all are saying “gross” right now but if you like ethnic food, you’ll love this quick and easy meal at lunch or dinner.

It was only 276 calories and 448 in sodium.

Add ½ cup of cooked, diced chicken for more protein and it brings it to 391 in calories and 500 in sodium.

Chicken Cacciatore:
This was a nice hearty quick meal. I already had leftover pasta in the fridge from another dinner.

1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
28 oz chicken, cubed (I had about 4 chicken breasts and weighed them out after I cut them up so i could put the correct amount into the recipe calculator)
2 cups Del Monte diced no salt tomatoes, pureed in blender
1 tbsp oregano
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup green beans, french style (it's what I had in the panty. I rinsed them before adding)

Cube up chicken and saute in a little chicken broth until no longer pink, set aside. Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, green beans and bell pepper until soft. Add chicken back in. Add pureed tomatoes and oregano and let simmer about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I served this over 1 cup of pasta (Healthy Harvest) per person.

I would say it makes about 6 servings at 1 cup, maybe 1 1/2 cups.

Calories 195.2
Total Fat 1.9 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Cholesterol 76.7 mg
Sodium 235.5 mg
Potassium 534.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate 10.8 g
Dietary Fiber 2.6 g
Sugars 4.1 g
Protein 33.2 g

Crock Pot Pepper Chicken with Stewed Tomatoes Recipe

Talk about an easy way to create a healthy lunch or dinner that has a balance of protein, fiber, fat and Carbs. All you need is a few ingredients and a crock pot and electricity. After a long day at work it is nice to arrive home with a hot meal ready to be served. This crock pot recipe is practical, proven and provided to save you time and energy. Enjoy!

Note: You may substitute 16 ounces of cubed tofu for the chicken breasts.

Ingredients:

4 - 4 oz skinless chicken breasts
2 green bell peppers, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 - 12 oz can Muir Glen organic stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup non-fat Italian dressing

Method:

Place chicken breasts, green bell peppers, carrots, stewed tomatoes and non-fat Italian dressing in the slow cooker or crock pot and cook all day on low.

Serves: 4

Approximate nutritional value per serving: 293 calories (39 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, and 4.4 grams of fat).

This is a great recipe to make on a Sunday, have it for dinner and then split the rest into two other meals and freeze.

The only way to describe this lasagna is umm good!!! Made with turkey as a red meat alternative, this Fat Loss Solo (blend with the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber) is the perfect dish and demonstration of how you can eat Carbs and lose weight. Made with the right balance of ingredients to start your metabolism, this main course goes well with a side salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey*
6 cups (2 (26 oz) jars) Classico® Tomato & Basil spaghetti sauce
4 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups (8 oz) partly-skim, shredded mozzarella cheese ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium-sized zucchini, diced
9 oz. spinach bag
16 pieces Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Lasagna, uncooked

Method:

1. Bring 6 quarts of water along with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a rapid boil.

2. Add pasta 2 to 3 pieces at a time and stir; return to rapid boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

3. When pasta pieces are cooked, poor into strainer and rinse with cold water. Drain well.

4. Separate cooked pasta pieces and lay them on wax paper, cutting board or aluminum foil to keep pieces from sticking.

5. Steam spinach and press out excess water. Allow to cool.

6. In 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, brown meat; drain and set aside.

7. Spray saucepan with non-stick cooking spray, saute vegetables and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Add cooked meat and sauce to vegetables and garlic, simmer for 5 minutes.

9. In a medium size bowl combine cooked spinach, cottage cheese and egg, mix well.

10. Heat oven to 350°F.

11. Spray 15x11x2 baking dish with non-stick spray. Lightly spread a little bit of sauce (no more than ¼ cup) on the baking dish. Arrange 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce. Then take 1 pasta piece and cut to fit the width of the pan. Then spread a layer of sauce evenly over pasta pieces (the sauce is thick enough to cover noodles).

12. Cut 6 pasta pieces to fit the width of the pan, layer over the sauce.

13. Evenly spread cottage cheese and spinach mixture over pasta pieces.

14. Sprinkle 1 ½ cup of mozzarella evenly over cottage cheese and spinach mixture.

15. Arrange 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over mozzarella. Then take 1 pasta piece and cut to fit and cover the area remaining (width of the pan).

16. Spread last layer of sauce evenly over pasta pieces.

17. Then evenly top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

18. Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes.

19. Remove foil and bake another 5 to 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

20. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Servings: 12

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 370 calories (29 grams of protein, 41.5 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of fat, 7.7 grams of fiber).

blessdmomof4

Those all sound great. Thanks so much!
Melissa