A list of recipes I thought I'd share!

Banana Chips
Slice banana into thin chips, dip in lemon juice, and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for 2 hours @ 200 degrees and flip. Bake for another 1.5-2 hours or until crisp. (They won’t be totally crisp in the oven, but will harden as they cool) IMPORTANT STEP: Spray the cookie sheet with PAM otherwise you will get banana chunks glued to your pan.

LIGHTER AND LEANER PIMENTO CHEESE SANDWICHES
• 1 cup finely grated Cheddar
• 1/2 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella
• 2/3 cup plain nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 8 slices whole wheat bread
• 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
• Nonstick cooking spray
In a medium bowl, add the Cheddar, mozzarella, yogurt, chives, salt and pepper, green and red peppers and jalapeno. Stir well to combine. Spread the mixture evenly among 4 slices of bread and top with a couple of slices of tomato. Top with the remaining slices of bread. Spray a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat with nonstick spray. Place the 4 sandwiches in the pan and let cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the sandwiches and continue cooking until the cheese melts, another 4 minutes. Serve immediately.
SERVES: 4; Calories: 324; Total Fat: 14 grams; Saturated Fat: 8 grams; Protein: 21 grams; Total carbohydrates: 29 grams; Sugar: 6 grams Fiber: 5 grams; Cholesterol: 33 milligrams; Sodium: 680 milligrams

Mac N Cheese
Nonstick cooking spray
Salt
4 ounces whole wheat macaroni
1/2 cup onion-garlic puree (see "Rocco's Secret Weapon," below)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar
1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Mist an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set it aside.
2.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions, drain.
3.Meanwhile, bring onion-garlic puree, mustard, and cayenne to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Whisk in cheddar until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in yogurt.
4.In a medium bowl, toss the macaroni with the cheese sauce. Season with salt to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle panko over the top. Top with Parmesan.
5.Bake until Parmesan is melted and macaroni is hot throughout, about 10 minutes.
Nutrition facts per serving (about 2/3 cup): 237 calories, 17g protein, 31g carbohydrate, 7g fat (4g saturated), 3g fiber

Smoothie
1 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple - 1 banana - 1/2 cup greek yogurt - 1/2 cup ice - 1/2 cup pineapple juice or water.

Mozz Sticks
Mozzarella sticks- use egg roll wrappers and string cheese. Baked not fried Bake at 350 for 15-20min.

Baked Chicken
Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 min.
Mix in a Gallon Size Ziploc or Large Bowl:
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 T Season All
3/4 tsp Pepper
1 c. Flour
2 tsp. Paprika
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.
Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.
Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.
Place each piece of chicken in the pan.
Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.
Snacks
•1/2 c. Lowfat Yogurt (sprinkle with frozen blueberries, or with cinnamon, or nutmeg for variety)
•Large Hard Boiled Egg
•1 Orange, peeled and divided into segments
• 28 Grapes
• 29 pistachios
• 1 3/4 cups raspberries
• 1 c. Blueberries
• 1 c. Mango Chunks
• 1 3/4 c. Cantaloupe Chunks
• 1 3/4 c. Popcorn
• 6 Dried Apricots
• 3 small slices Dried Mango
•1 1/4 c. Blackberries
•2 Medium Kiwi's Sliced
• 15 strawberries dipped in 1/4 c. Cool whip (lite) (you can make your own)
• 60 Pepperidge Farm Baby Goldfish Crackers
• 25 EatSmart Café Fries
• 1 Small Baked Potato w/ 1/2 c. Salsa & 2 Tbls Fat Free Sour Cream
• 12 Back to Nature Sesame Ginger Rice Thins
• 12 Quaker Quakes Cheddar Cheese Rice Snacks
• 40 Rold Gold Classic Style Pretzel Sticks
• 5 Nabisco Nilla Wafers
• ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese with 5 strawberries
•3/4 c. Fruit Cocktail in light syrup
•3/4 c. Bran Cereal
• ½ mini bagel with 1 ounce smoked salmon
• 45 steamed edamame (green soybeans)
• 12-15 natural almonds
• 2 tablespoons each of mashed avocado and chopped tomatoes stuffed in 1⁄2 mini pita
• 1 hard-boiled egg with 1 slice Melba toast
• 1/2 cup of sugar-free gelatin, any flavor, and two tablespoons of low fat whipped topping.
• 15 chocolate-covered raisins
• 10 dry roasted cashews
• 1/4 cup of fat-free Ranch dressing to 1 cup of mixed fresh veggies such as zucchini, red bell pepper, celery, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of applesauce and 1 piece of toast cut into four sticks (for dunking, of course!)
• 6 saltine crackers or 2 graham cracker squares with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter or fruit jam.(One of my favorite snacks as a kid- saltines & grape Jelly... mmmmmmmmmm!)
• 1/2 cup of fat-free ice cream
• Easy Parfait- 1/2 cup of low-fat pudding layered with two crumbled vanilla wafers and a dollop of low fat whipped topping to garnish the top.
• 1 Medium apple cut into slices and spread with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
•a 2" slice of Angel Food Cake
•12 small Pretzel Twists
•1/2 c. Unsweetened Applesauce

Lasagna
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 3 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• About 6 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into thirds & fully cooked
• 2 tablespoons parsley (dried or fresh)
Directions:
1.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Cook mixture until it thickens up a bit, around 5 minutes.
2.Add noodles to skillet and stir into the mixture well. Add scoops of ricotta cheese over the noodles; add in mozzarella and Parmesan. Stir in parsley. Cook about 2 more minutes, or until mixture is thick.
3.Serve immediately with additional basil or parsley.
Breakfast waffle
1 whole wheat toaster waffle
1/2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 C slightly crushed blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
Prepare the waffle according to the package directions. Spread the peanut butter on the waffle. Cup the waffle in your hand, add the berries, then squeeze lightly. Think of it as a berry breakfast taco.
CALORIES 170.6 CAL
FAT 8.6 G
SATURATED FAT 1.7 G
CHOLESTEROL 37.2 MG
SODIUM 162.1 MG
CARBOHYDRATES 18.5 G
TOTAL SUGARS 4.3 G
DIETARY FIBER 3.5 G
PROTEIN 5.7 G

Breakfast Burrito
2 tbsp salsa
1/4 C shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1/4 C fresh cilantro
1 large egg plus 4 large egg whites, beaten
1/2 C diced lean ham
1 large (8'') whole-wheat tortilla
In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, saute the diced ham over medium-high heat, just until the surface starts to brown. Place the cooked ham in the tortilla, then add more cooking spray to the skillet and scramble the eggs together with the cilantro. Add the eggs to the tortilla, top with the cheese and salsa, and fold.
CALORIES 345.9 CAL
FAT 9.6 G
SATURATED FAT 3.5 G
CHOLESTEROL 249.8 MG
SODIUM 1574.4 MG
CARBOHYDRATES 25.7 G
TOTAL SUGARS 2.5 G
DIETARY FIBER 2.4 G
PROTEIN 42.8 G

Tex- Mex Breakfast Sandwich
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 multigrain english muffin, toasted
2 thin slices avocado, about 1/2 ounce
4 teaspoons jarred chunky salsa
Coat a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the egg substitute and cheese; cook 2 minutes per side. Place the eggs on the bottom half of the English muffin. Top with the avocado slices and salsa, then replace the top of the muffin.
CALORIES 276.3 CAL
Pizza burger
1 vegetarian burger
1 whole-grain hamburger bun
2 tablespoons canned pizza sauce
1 slice part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Banana Snack
5 medium ripe bananas
1 tbsp. all natural creamy peanut butter
2 oz. nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
1.Peel one banana and mash it with the peanut butter and yogurt. Set aside.
2.Peel the other four bananas. Slice into half-inch thick slices. Smear the banana, peanut butter, and yogurt mixture on half the banana slices and top with the other halves, making banana sandwiches. Place on a wooden cutting board or a plate and freeze for at least two hours.

Roll ups
1/4 cup chopped cucumber
4 tablespoons softened cream cheese
3 large flour tortillas
1/4 pound sliced smoked turkey breast
Stir cucumber into cream cheese, spread on tortillas, layer with turkey slices and roll up.

Twice Baked Potatoes
3 large baking potatoes
1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/3 cup thin green onion slices
1/4 cup Light Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pierce potatoes in several places with tip of sharp knife. Bake 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until tender. Immediately cut potatoes lengthwise in half; scoop out centers, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells.
Beat potato pulp, broth, 1/2 cup cheese, onions, sour cream and mustard with mixer until well blended. Spoon into shells; top with remaining cheese and paprika.
Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.
Makes 6 Servings
Per Serving: 88 Calories; 1g Fat; 2.5g Protein; 17.3g Carbs; 2.3g Fiber

Oven Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2-1/4 pounds), trimmed and cut into florets
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine cauliflower and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Transfer, in a single layer, to a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F for about 25 minutes, stirring once. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately Yield: 6 servings.

Cheesy Sweet Potato Crisps
■2 sweet potatoes
■1/2 cup liquid egg whites
■1 cup Parmesan cheese
■1/2 teaspoon rosemary
■1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Spray rack with non-stick spray.
Peal sweet potatoes.
Grate sweet potatoes and then squeeze the moisture from them. (I just used my hands to press out the liquid.) The more moisture you remove, the crispier they get in the oven.
To the grated sweet potatoes, add the egg whites, cheese, pepper, and rosemary. Mix until combined.
Scoop out potato mixture and set on wire rack. (I used an ice cream scoop.)
Press sweet potato mixture as thin as possible. Repeat until potatoes are gone.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are dark around the edges and crispy.
Smokey Yogurt Dip
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Serve as dipping sauce.

Lunch ideas:
Turkey and cheese roll ups on a multigrain tortilla, pretzel rods, chedder bunnies, strawberries and raisins.
Sandwich (peppered turkey, havarti cheese, lettuce and mustard on whole grain bread), baby carrots and green grapes and SunChips.
Spinach salad with feta cheese, almonds, grape tomatoes. Strawberries, turkey and cheese rolled in a whole wheat flour tortilla.
Meat and cheese, fruit, pasta in pesto, egg whites and some crunchy veggie sticks
Turkey and cheese wrap in whole wheat flat bread w/a little mayo and mustard. Colorful fruit and a salad completes this meal.

Weight Watchers Parmesan Chicken Cutlets
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In resealable plastic bag, combine cheese, crumbs and all seasonings; shake well.
Transfer mixture to plate; dip each chicken breast in cheese mixture, turning to coat all sides.
Arrange on nonstick baking sheet.
Bake until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Shrimp Scampi
4 tsp olive oil
1 1/4 pounds med shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 lemon wedges
1.In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Sautee the shrimp until just pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter and keep them warm.
2.In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; and bring it to a boil. Boil uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half.
3.Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley.
4.Makes 4 servings

Egg Muffins
•100% whole wheat English muffins
• whole eggs -- you can use Egg Beaters or all egg whites, if you prefer
•sliced cheese -- I used regular cheddar cheese that comes in ultra-thin slices, only 45 calories per slice; you can also use reduced-fat cheese, but it doesn't melt as well. McDonalds uses American cheese, if you're looking for a more authentic taste.
•Canadian bacon slices
•Cooked turkey sausage patties -- you can purchase reduced fat or turkey sausage, but it's surprisingly easy to make your own.
I recommend using either jumbo muffin tins or ramekins for baking multiple eggs at one time. I'd seen the idea for using muffin tins for baking eggs from several sources on Pinterest. Great idea! However, I found that regular muffin tins are too small for shaping the eggs to fit the English muffins. Jumbo muffin tins worked better. 7-oz. ramekins worked the best; they're closest to diameter of English muffins. Both are available on Amazon.
Step 2. Spray the ramekins or jumbo muffin tins with cooking spray and add an egg to each one. (Or, add the equivalent amount of Egg Beaters or egg whites.) If using ramekins, put them on a baking sheet to make it easier to get them in and out of the oven.
Step 3. Add freshly ground black pepper to your liking. I like a lot of pepper, can you tell??? I don't think additional salt is necessary, since the cheese and meats are already salted. This helps lower the sodium amount in these healthier McMuffins.
Step 4. Bake eggs at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until set. Although I normally like my egg yolks a little runny, I cooked these completely since I'd be freezing them. That's the way McDonald's makes them, too.
The baked eggs are easy to lift out with a small spatula. If they're stuck around the edges, loosen them gently with a thin knife.
Before they cook the eggs for McMuffins, they use a spatula to break the egg yolk so it flattens and spreads some in the egg white-

Ranch Roasted Red Potatoes Recipe
•12 oz red potatoes, washed and quartered
•1 packet Ranch Dressing Dry Mix
•Non fat, olive oil cooking spray
•1 tsp salt
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.In a large bowl add potatoes and spray lightly with the cooking spray. Then, add in the Ranch mix and salt, and toss well to coat each potato piece evenly.
3.Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and spread out potatoes evenly on sheet.
4.Bake in oven until potatoes are cooked through, and edges start to turn very dark brown, approximately 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately.


Baked Chicken Parmesan
4 (8 oz) chicken breast halves, sliced in half to make 8
3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter, melted (or olive oil)
3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese (I used Polly-o)
1 cup marinara or Filetto di Pomodoro
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450°. Spray a large baking sheet lightly with spray.
Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl. Melt the butter in another bowl. Lightly brush the butter onto the chicken, then dip into breadcrumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Lightly spray a little more oil on top and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over, bake another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven, spoon 1 tbsp sauce over each piece of chicken and top each with 1 1/2 tbsp of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Turkey Wrap
1 Flatout Wrap (I used the multi-grain with flax)
2 ounce of smoked turkey (I used Plainville)
1/2 slice sharp american cheese
2 slices cooked bacon** (I use Applegate farms)
1 tablespoon Ranch yogurt dressing (I use Wegman’s brand)
2 tomato slices
Romaine lettuce (you could also use baby spinach)
Directions:
Step 1. Spread ranch dressing over the center of wrap. Add turkey, cheese, bacon, tomato, and romaine.
Step 2. Fold sides in and then roll up.
**Bacon can be cooked in skillet, oven, or microwave.

taco casserole
■24 Tortilla Chips, plus additional for serving
■1 Tbs Chili Oil (or olive oil and red pepper flakes)
■1 Onion, chopped
■2 cloves Garlic, minced
■1 pound Ground Chicken
■2 Tbs Taco Seasoning
■1 can Black Beans, drained
■1 cup Salsa
■1 cup shredded fat free or reduced fat Cheese
■Optional: Other toppings such as jalepenios, olives, etc.
Heat oven to 350.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and sautee until soft. Add meat and taco seasoning. Cook, breaking up meat with a spatula, for about 5 minutes. Add beans and salsa. Mix well and continue to cook until salsa thickens.
Line the bottom of a large baking dish with tortilla chips, pressing down on them lightly to break them into bite-sized pieces. Spread the meat and bean mixture over the chips and top with cheese. Add sliced jalepenos or other toppings that you ant to be cooked. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and gooey.

Garlic baked Chicken
For the marinade, combine ingredients in a ziplock bag:
•1 egg, beaten
•1/2 cup of milk
•1 Tbs of lemon juice
•1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
Let marinate for a few hours.
Ingredients:
1.1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2.1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
3.1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4.6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.Mix cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder.
3.Remove chicken from marinade and coat with dry mixture. Place in shallow baking dish.
4.Bake 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.


Oven Baked Tater Tots
6 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
2-3 eggs, beaten
2 cups crushed Pop Chips
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Boil potatoes in a large pot until barely fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
Gradually add the milk and mash the potatoes with a potato masher until mashed, but still lumpy. You might not need to use up all the milk. It is important to keep the potatoes lumpy and a little dry so it is not so messy to roll into balls.
Separate the eggs, flour and potato chips in three bowls; set aside.
Form the potato mixture into 1-inch balls and place on wax or parchment paper. Roll each ball first into the bowl of flour, then the egg and finishing with the chips. Once coated, form the balls into the tots formation. Place on baking sheet.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Under 100 calorie snacks
*1/2 Cup Slow-Churned Ice Cream
*Mini Quesadilla
You may not expect cheese quesadillas to make a list of low-calorie snacks, but try this recipe: sprinkle an ounce of grated low-fat cheddar cheese over a corn tortilla. Fold in half and microwave for 20 seconds. This quick and tasty snack has only 100 calories and 1.3 g of saturated fat.
*Choosing whole-grain crackers is the key to this classic snack. The fiber will keep you feeling full between meals, and the cheese provides protein and calcium. To stay under 100 calories, cut up one slice of low-fat cheese and split it over three crackers.
*Six Whole-Grain Pretzel Sticks
*whole-grain pita pocket and stuff it with 1/2 ounce part-skim ricotta cheese.
*spreading two tablespoons of nonfat frozen yogurt between two graham cracker squares. Even with chocolate frozen yogurt, you're only looking at 84 calories.
*Slice several peeled bananas in half and insert popsicle sticks. Coat each half with an ounce of low-fat plain yogurt. Put the pops in the freezer, and soon you'll have ready-to-eat low-calorie treats. At just under 80 calories a pop, this is a snack you can feel good about.