And We're Back.

After weeks of holiday travels, prelim studying, and celebratory dinners for passing said prelim, we final were able to resume our weekly dinner. It was Richie's week and he chose a Tandoori Chicken recipe. It was a FAIL disappointing and we both agreed we didn't want to try it again. So, I'm not even going to post the recipe. (As usual, Richie completely disregarded slightly altered the recipe given, so there is hope that we will try this dish again in the distant future.)

In the meantime, I've lately been making this mushroom omelet for breakfast. Yum.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. egg beaters
1 slice cheese
1/4 c. mushrooms
Directions:
Lightly brown mushrooms over medium heat and set aside. Pour egg beaters in skillet and let cook 1-2 minutes until bottom is slightly brown. Flip. (I'm not so good at this step. It takes practice). On top, place cheese, torn into pieces, and mushrooms. Let cook 1-2 minutes. Fold eggs over to make omelet.

Nutritional Info: 3 WW points.

I had this for breakfast/lunch today. I used 1 cup of egg beaters, 2 slices cheese, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 4 strips of bacon, 2 slices of Arnold Bread. All for 8 WW points.

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.

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 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 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.

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!