2)

Starter: Pan Seared Scallops (90 calories)
Main Course: Vegetable Lasagna (172 calories)
Side Dish: Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken (265 calories)
Dessert: Greek Style Rice Pudding (174 calories)
Total for Meal: 701 calories

Pan Seared Scallops
Serves 2
1 tbsp olive oil
4 sea scallops
salt

Heat olive oil in a pan to medium-high
Drop scallops in, sprinkle a little salt on top and don't touch. They should sizzle nicely.
Wait 90 seconds and flip, sprinkling with another little bit of salt.
Don't touch them again for another 1-2 minutes. You should see the opacity creeping up the edge of the scallop to meet in the middle.
You can cook them longer but slightly raw in the middle is lovely and overcooking makes them rubber. Just watch them and poke them with your finger and trust they will be great.

Vegetable Lasagna
Serves 12
Sauce:
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 diced onion
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (opt.)
1 cup water

Filling:
3 portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 tsbp smart balance spread (or butter if you are opposed to this and don't mind the calories)
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 zuchinni, sliced into strips lengthwise
2.5 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese

1 pkg lasagna noodles

Combine sauce ingredients and simmer at least 30 minutes (I like to simmer all day baby)
Sautee mushroom slices in smart balance spread/butter for about 5 minutes (until they are giving out liquid) and let cool. Line a baking sheet with foil, and lay out the zucchini slices, and sprinkle with salt. Broil for 3-4 minutes and let cool.

Put a scoop on sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, layer lasagna noodles on top. Top with 1/3 of the cheese and sauce, 1/2 of the mushrooms and spinach. Layer zucchini slices down. Repeat. Put final layer on noodles on top, and cover with remaining sauce and cheese. Cook at 350F for about 40 minutes.

Caesar Salad with Chicken
Serves 4
Dressing: (from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/08/skinny-caesar-dressing.html )
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 anchovy fillets
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt

24 leaves Romaine lettuce hearts
24 croutons (Kroger - Homestyle Seasoned Herb Croutons)
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In the bowl of a food processor add the cheese, the lemon juice, garlic clove, mustard and the anchovies. Turn the machine on and let it run for 15 to 20 seconds. Add the oil and yogurt and let the machine run for another 15 seconds. Set aside.
Place the chicken breasts in a glass or metal pan, season with salt & pepper and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes until a thermometer reads above 165*F in the thickest part or when you slice into it the juices run clear.
Tear the romaine into pieces, toss with a serving of the dressing, top with 6 croutons and 3 ounces of chicken per plate.

Greek Style Rice Pudding (rizogalo)
Serves 15 ( is 1/15th of a 13"x9" pan which looks like a piece cut a little larger than the size of a credit card. I mark out two horizontal lines and four vertical lines on the pan and then scoop out my serving.)

1 (scant) cup white rice (I use Basmati for extra flavour)
1 cup water
Pinch salt
1/2 gallon milk (This recipe's calorie count uses whole/homo; 2% works too though it's less rich)
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or split vanilla bean, scraped
Ground cinnamon

Parboil rice and water with salt in small saucepan, covered, until water is absorbed (about 5 min).
Meantime in a large pot bring milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, adding the rice whenever it's ready then stirring occasionally thereafter -- plus the vanilla bean, if using. Once milk boils, lower the heat so the milk bubbles gently, stirring frequently -- stir any skin that forms back into the milk -- until the mixture is somewhat reduced, thickened and rice is cooked.
This could take 30 minutes or more.

Lightly beat eggs with sugar.

Remove milk-rice from heat. Add some of the hot mixture, a tablespoon or two at a time, to the eggs and sugar, to temper. Don't rush it, you don't want the eggs to curdle. Then slowly stir all of egg-sugar mixture into pot.

Mixture should be fairly thick at this point, but return it to medium heat, and cook, stirring gently, until only until one or two bubbles appear (just for additional thickening, also to ensure yolks aren't completely raw). This should only take a minute or so. Don't cook beyond this, or eggs will curdle.

Remove pot from heat and discard vanilla bean (or add vanilla extract). Pour into 13x9 glass or metal pan (or similar volume), sprinkle with ground cinnamon and let cool. Pudding will thicken further as it cools.

4)

Starter: Tomato Mini Pizzas (131 calories)
Main Dish: Broiled Swordfish with Mango Salsa (240 calories)
Side: Garlic corn on the cob ( 234 calories)
Dessert: Black and White Strawberries (97 calories)

Nutritional Facts for Total Meal:
Calories: 692
Fat: 26.2 g
Carbohydrates: 88.2 g
Protein: 36.2 g
Fiber: 9.1 g


Appetizer:
Tomato Mini Pizzas: ( 4 Servings)
2 large pocketless pitas
2 large plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tbsps. chopped basil
2 tsps. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large non-stick baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Place the pitas on the baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl,mix the tomatoes and salt;stir in the basil, oil, and garlic. Top the pitas with the tomato mixture, drizzling any liquid in the bowl over the toppings. Bake until the tomatoes are hot and softened, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese; bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes longer. cut the pitas in half before serving.

Per Serving: 131 calories, 4 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 4 mg Cholesterol, 346 mg sodium, 18 g Total carbohydrate, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 6 g Protein, 118 mg Calcium. Points per serving: 3.


Main Course:
Broiled Swordfish with Mango Salsa

(4) Prep time: 20 min Total time: 1 hour 6 min Makes: 6 servings

What You Need 3 swordfish steaks (1-1/2 lb.) 3/4 cup A.1. STEAKHOUSE Marinade for Seafood Mango Chipotle 2 mangos, peeled, chopped 1/2 cup chopped red peppers 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 tsp. finely chopped seeded jalapeño peppers 3 Tbsp. lime juice

Make It Place fish in resealable plastic bag. Add marinade; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat fish with marinade. Refrigerate 30 min. to marinate. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients; cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Preheat broiler. Remove fish from marinade; discard bag and marinade. Place fish on rack of broiler pan. Broil, 4 inches from heat, 6 to 8 min. on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork. Cut steaks in half. Serve with the mango mixture.

Nutritional information per serving Calories 240 , Total fat 5g , Saturated fat 1.5g , Cholesterol 45mg , Sodium 640mg , Carbohydrate 26g , Dietary fiber 2g , Sugars 22g , Protein 24g , Vitamin A 25%DV ,

Side Dish:
Garlic Corn on the Cob
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-corn-on-the-cob/

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS:
12 ears corn, husked and cleaned
12 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill for medium heat, or preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place each ear of corn on a separate square of aluminum foil. Place 1 tablespoon of butter on each one, and sprinkle with garlic powder. Wrap ears tightly with the foil.
3. Place ears of corn on the grill or in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, turning over occasionally.


Nutrition

Calories 234 kcal
Carbohydrates 29.2 g
Cholesterol 31 mg
Fat 13.2 g
Fiber 4.1 g
Protein 5.2 g
Sodium 104 mg
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Dessert:
Black and White Strawberries (makes 4 servings)

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsps. semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry liqueur (framboise)
1/2 ounce white chocolate, chopped or 2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
2 cups whole strawberries

Directions:
1. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. In a small microwavable bowl, combine the chocolate chips, liqueur and 1 1/2 teaspoons water; microwave on High, stirring twice, until melted and smooth, about 1 1/2 minutes. Holding a berry by the hull, dip the berry halfway into the chocolate; set on the wax paper. Repeat with the remaining berries and chocolate.
2. In another small microwavable bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave on High, stirring once, until melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Dip a fork in the white chocolate; drizzle over the strawberries. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens. Serve chilled.

Per serving: 97 calories, 4 g total fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 4 mg Sodium, 15 g Total Carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g Protein, 21 mg Calcium. Points Per Serving: 2

Recipe Challenge

Please vote for one team’s recipe as your favorite. Please try to keep this anonymous as to which team gave which entry, though you may vote for your own if you think it is the best. Please consider calorie and other possible nutritional content, as well as the appeal of the meal for taste and content, and the thoroughness of the recipes (could you repeat it) Positive comments are welcome (ie, wow that dessert sounds amazing!) but please keep negative ones to yourself. You only need to comment with the team number you are voting for and please only vote once

I did not receive recipes from every team at this point, so those that submitted in time will get the bonus points. If you team has not submitted and still wants to compete for this team challenge and extra bonus points please message me your recipe asap

How long is voting available?

Thanks!

I'll leave voting up until check ins are due - so tuesday 8 pm EST

I am so sorry for the delay everyone - I had one of the missing teams message me their recipe, but I had to go out of town unexpectedly and I didnt see it until this morning.

Here is the meal

5)

Starter: Butternut Squash Soup with Sage (56 cals)
Main course: Citrus Chicken (142 cals)
Side dish: Watermelon and Feta Salad (157 cals)
Dessert: Low Fat No Bake Cheesecake (222)
total for meal: 577 calories



Butternut Squash Soup with Sage
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: about 1 1/3 cups • Old Points: 1 pt • Points+: 1 pt
Calories: 56.2 • Fat: 0.3 g • Protein: 2.6 g • Carb: 11.4 g • Fiber: 2.6 g


1 butternut squash, about 2 cups cubed
1 carrot, peeled
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
6 cups fat free chicken or vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, halved
4 sage leaves
1/2 cup 1% milk

salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel the squash and remove the seeds. Cut into medium size cubes.*
In a large heavy pot, combine squash, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, sage and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes, until squash is tender.
Discard the sage and using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add milk and adjust the salt and pepper to taste and serve. Great topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

* The easiest way to peel butternut squash is to first cut the top and bottom off the squash. Then cut the squash length wise
Citrus Chicken

Ingredients

½ cup chicken broth
packet (1 ounce) 1 Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
4 boneless,skinless chicken breast,halves

Directions


Main Dish
Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the chicken breasts and cook until brown on both sides.
In a small bowl, mix the seasoning mix, broth and marmalade, and stir until smooth.
Pour the liquid into the skillet with the chicken. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until most of the liquid has reduced, chicken is nicely glazed, and an internal temperature of 165°F is reached.
Serve immediately.

142 Calories, 6 grams fat, 620 sodium
For a side dish: Watermelon and Feta Salad
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 4 - Size 1/4 of salad - Old Points: 4 pts - Points+: 4 pts-Calories: 157.4 - Fat: 11.4g - Carb: 11.1 g - Fiber: 1g - Protein: 4 g - Sugar: 8.9 g - Sodium: 219.6 mg (without salt)...

Ingredients:

* 3 cups seedless watermelon, cubed and chilled
* 1/2 cup crumbled feta
* 7 oz arugula
* 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
* 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* kosher salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

Wash arugula and dry well. In a large bowl whisk vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss with the remaining in

No Bake Cheese Cake

222 Calories, 17 grams Sugar, 6 grams Fat

Whip 1 package LOW FAT CREAM CHEESE with 1/4 cup SUGAR and 1tsp VANILLA. Fold in 1 tub LOW FAT COOL WHIP. Pour into GRAHM CRACKER PIE CRUST. Chill in the fridge for an hour. Top with FRESH BERRIES if desired *note this will raise the sugar content*

I just want to say I am sorry for #5, that it was posted after most had voted already. I know a lot voted for their own team, but I want to say, I was honest on my vote. I was not able to help choose our meal and I came to the voting first (before I had seen our meal on our link). I looked at your recipe #5 and it does sound good. What I noticed is your servings are off per main meal/salads etc. some are 4 servings some 6. So that was part of my vote between #1 and #5. I still pick #1 (not because it is my team), but because it has lower calories, seems very simple/easy (and I love easy) to make. And sounds very delicious. pineapple and chicken, yummm

May I make a suggestion for future votes on food dishes/recipe's... In stead of having people vote in the main thread, have them message their vote to one person. That way if people want to be fair and see another teams looks better than their own, they won't feel pressured to vote for their team (and not get flack back from that team) It would be annonomous. Just a suggestion. I think all recipes sound really really good too. I do love the butternut soup from #5, but the salad just wasn't my thing (I love salad, but I just can't picture watermelon in my salads.. sorry #5

the blame for #5 being late is part the teams, and part mine. I didnt recieve an email with the recipe from that team until almost 24 hours after it was due, and by then was out of town without access to a computer, so it should have been posted friday night but I wasnt able to. Things get in the way, both for myself and for you guys and I know the members of that team would have liked to get things in on time, but just werent able to this time. They understand that and we've discussed how we're handling it since they missed most of the voting.

Regarding the voting on the meals, it actually never occured to me that people would be "unfair" and vote for their team, just to they could win! I figured people might be more inclined to go for their teams, yes, but that if there was one that sounded more appealing that they would vote for that one instead. I REALLY hope that coaches/ other players arent telling you that you HAVE to vote for your team and giving any sort of flack or negative response if someone doesnt vote for their team. If I see something like that, I think its fair that there be a negative reprecussion for such things.

In situations like this if you want your vote to be truly annonymous than it can always be messaged directly to me. I thought I had put that in the main thread, but quite possibly didnt!

As a reminder, voting ends tonight at 8pm est. There has been less than 20% participation in voting for this, probably because its not required, but I hope people do continue to vote for their favorites (and not just because its your team!)