Meatloaf and Broccoli Casserole

Jealous? You should be.

I've been craving broccoli casserole since my family completely let me down Thanksgiving. So last night was comfort food heaven (plus some green beans).

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1.5-2 lbs ground beef

1 lb country sausage

3/4 cup onion, diced

3/4 cup quaker oats

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup egg beaters

1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Lightly mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into a loaf on a 13 x 9 pan. Bake 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 8.

Nutritional Information: (per serving) 360 calories, 20.5 grams fat, 1 gram fiber, 8.5 WW points.

Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

2 pkgs chopped broccoli, frozen

8 oz. velveeta cheese, 2%

30 ritz crackers, finely crushed

1 stick butter

dash of lemon juice

Instructions:

Prepare broccoli according to package directions. Mix broccoli, cheese, 1/2 stick of butter, and dash of lemon juice. Place into casserole dish. Combine ritz crackers and remaining butter and place on top of broccoli mixture. Serves 8.

Nutritional Info: (per serving) 240 calories, 15.5 grams fat, 2 grams fiber, 5.5 WW points.

Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:
2 (16oz) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (16oz) cans chili beans, drained
2 (14.5 oz) cans tomatoes, diced
2 lbs. coarsely ground chuck, browned & drained
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin

Instructions:
Put all the ingredients into a 5 quart crock pot. Stir until all is mixed well. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours (or high for 5-6). Makes 12 cups.

Comments:
Perfect for cold weather and super easy. It barely fits in my crock pot, so we'd recommend mixing half of it at a time. It makes a lot but reheats well. It's great for tailgating too. Wanna spice it up? (Me? No. Richie? Yes. ) Add red pepper flakes or jalapenos.

Nutritional Info: (per cup) 266 calories, 6.5 grams fat, 9.5 grams fiber, 4.5 WW points.

Yum. Cheese. 1/4 cup 2% cheese adds 80 calories, 6 grams fat, 0 fiber, 2 WW points

Parmesan Chicken

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

2 tbsp parmesan cheese

1/4 cup egg beaters

1/2 cup bread crumbs (italian style)

Instructions:

Place cheese, breadcrumbs and egg on separate plates. Press chicken into parmesan cheese then coat with egg and then bread crumbs. Heat 1-2 minutes in skillet over medium heat. Transfer to 350 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes.

Comments:

Best chicken EVER. Okay, not really, but it's pretty good. I also like to do this with pork chops, but someone isn't a fan of them. I served them with potatoes and green beans to keep the meal healthy, but it would be delicious with pasta and a tomato based sauce. (In which case, I would take the time to pound the chicken flat and would cook it completely on the skillet. ) You could just bake the chicken in the oven completely, but I like using the skillet to give it a nice golden crust.

Nutritional Info (per serving): 255 calories, 5.25 grams fat, 0.6 grams fiber, 5.5 WW. points . This information is for the chicken only. We each had two little red potatoes that added another 200 calories, 0 grams fat, 6 grams fiber, 2.5 WW points. The green beans were 60 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and 0.1 WW points.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup scallions, chopped, green and white parts
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cups cooked brown rice, kept hot
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium high heat. Add egg whites and cook, until scrambled, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Recoat skillet with cooking spray and place back over medium high heat. Add scallions, onions, and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and carrots; saute until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved cooked egg white, cooked brown rice, peas, and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Makes 6 servings. Serving size: 1 cup.

Comments:
Not our favorite, but still satisfying and very weight watchers friendly and filling. Would recommend more soy sauce and some spray butter. He used white rice instead because Richie dislikes brown rice. And, because he is lazy time efficient, he used pre-cooked and packaged diced chicken from Tyson.

Nutritional Information: (per serving) 4 WW points, 210 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 1.2 grams fiber, 17.7 grams protein.

This is me not commenting on how proud Richie is of his prep work. Lovely isn't it?

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
2 cans mixed vegetables
9 oz. mushrooms
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken, diced

Instructions:
Mix ingredients together and put into a 9 by 13 pan. Top with crust (below). Brush with milk or cream and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Crust:
Mix 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2/3 cups oil, 1 Tbsp milk (or cream), and 1 packet equal. Place between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll into rectangle.

Comments:
Yummy (and inexpensive) way to get all your vegetables. I completely forgot decided not to brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with paprika and yet it was still delicious. To make it more healthy, I think you could make without (or with less) crust and still be satisfied. Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Info (per serving) : 13 WW points.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:
3 cups diced chicken
8 oz. spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 lb. velveeta cheese

Instructions:
Mix the cans of soup, chicken broth, milk and cheese. Heat on medium heat until cheese melts. In the meantime, cook spaghetti and drain. Put spaghetti in bottom of 9 by 13 in casserole dish then put layer of chicken. Pour heated sauce over chicken. Bake 30-45 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Comments:
This is the recipe as I got it from Elizabeth. Of course, boys can't follow directions and so this isn't exactly what we ate. :) Instead, he used 1 can chicken broth and 1 lb. of velveeta cheese, added 16 oz. mushrooms, and put a layer of bread crumbs on top. It was delicious, but (and I can't believe I am saying this) too cheesy. I would definitely recommend adding the mushrooms, they were yummy. The bread crumbs were so-so. We'll have to work on it.

P.S. This makes a ton. Cut the recipe in half or be prepared to eat leftovers for a week.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

16oz low fat sour cream
7 oz chopped green chilies
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
8 oz. low fat grated mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
8 large flour tortillas
24 oz. salsa

Instructions:
Mix sour cream, 1 cup cheese and remaining ingredients (except salsa). Spoon 1/2 cup filling down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in 13 by 9 inch pan. Pour salsa on top and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove, sprinkle cheese on top, return to oven to melt cheese.

Comments:
Favorite yet! I could eat these once a week. This is another recipe that I blatantly stole borrowed from Kate. I couldn't find green chilies so I used small green peppers and I used medium salsa. It was spicy, but not mouth-on-fire-sweat-running-down-your-face hot.

Bacon Caesar and Mozzarella Panini

Ingredients:
1 can Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust
4 tsp. basil pesto
1/2 cup Caesar salad dressing (creamy or vinaigrette style)
8 oz. water-packed fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and cut into 8 slices
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
12 slices cooked bacon
2 plum (roma)tomatoes, each cut into 4 slices
8 large basil leaves
1/4 cup butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray large cookie sheet with original no stick cooking spray.
3. Unroll pizza dough on cookie sheet, press dough into 16 x 11 inch rectangle
4. Bake 9 to 16 minutes or until light brown
5. Coll about 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle
6. Cut pizza crust into 8 squares
7. On 4 slices of pizza crust, spread 1 tsp. pesto. Set aside
8. On the remaining slices, spread 1 tbsp. caesar dressing and place 2 cheese slices.
9. Top cheese with pepper, 3 slices of bacon, 2 tomato slices, and 2 basil leaves.
10. Top with remaining crust slices.
11. Heat an iron skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter.
12. Place sandwiches in skillet (2 at a time), cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Comments:
Yummy! (Not recommended to make extra for leftovers.)

Turkey Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey meat
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried whole basil
1 can tomatoes, undrained
2 cans tomato paste
1/2 (160z.) package lasagna noodles (no cook variety)
2 eggs, beaten
12 oz. cottage cheese
12 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 lb. sliced mozzarella
Instructions:
Cook beef until browned, drain. Add garlic, parsley, basil, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Simmer for 15 minutes or until thick, stir occasionally. Combine eggs, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce in a greased 13" x 9" dish. Then layer half of each: noodles, cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 3o minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Comments:
This is a recipe I stole borrowed from a friend (Kristin). It is beyond cheesy. Yum! She claims it serves 8-10 people, which is true if these 8-10 people are light eaters (ie sorority sisters). However, whenever I've made this and there has been a boy at the dinner table, you are lucky to get 4-6 servings. :) Enjoy!