Balsamic Chicken

Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar and Vegetables

Chicken on sale and you are tired of the same old recipes??? There is nothing like chicken for low-fat, low calorie meals. This recipe- thanks to Joy Bauer is also filled with what is good for you. This is only about 250 calories and packed with flavor! This is pretty pungent so plan to serve it with something pretty simple. I was stuck at home without a car and substituted green peppers for the red ones. I think the balsamic vinegar overwhelms either so you would not know the difference. I even had to substitute part of the balsamic vinegar with some pomegranate infused balsamic vinegar- it still worked. It might have even been better.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion, yellow, thinly sliced
1 large pepper red, bell, sliced
4 garlic, cloves, minced (may substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
4 chicken, breast, boneless, skinless, medium-thin (may substitute 8 chicken tenders)
1/2 cup vinegar, balsamic
1 can tomatoes, diced, (15-ounce) with liquids, preferably no salt added

DIRECTIONS:

1. Liberally coat a large sauté pan with oil spray, and preheat it over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic (or sprinkle in the garlic powder if using). Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions and peppers begin to soften. Add additional oil spray or a tablespoon of water if the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the skillet.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté for about 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with optional salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Good for:
Heart Health
Eye Health
Arthritis
Celiac Disease
Type 2 Diabetes
Mood
Hair
Skin
Cancer Prevention

"Skinny" Eggplant Parmesan 70 calories

Only 70 Calories!

I "borrowed" this from Joy Bauer from the Today Show. She shared this on her segment of KLG and Hoda this morning. The regular Eggplant Parmesan is a weakness of Kathy Lee and she did not want to put her fork down after sampling this version. I cannot wait to try it myself. Jerilyn had Eggplant Parmesan at Olive Garden this weekend and I had to have a couple bites- we both love it. With only 70 calories, it is almost too good to believe. Cross your fingers!
I have made this about 5 times already and it is wonderful!

Ingredients:
Eggplant
Olive oil
Kosher Salt
Marinara Sauce
Shredded Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Parmesan
Oregano
Crushed Red Pepper

Directions:
Slice an eggplant into rounds and place on a baking sheet.
Mist rounds on both sides with olive oil spray, and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt.
Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Top each roasted eggplant slice with marinara sauce, shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, some grated Parmesan cheese, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
Pop back in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Pork Scaloppine

This is really Jerilyn's recipe that she found from "Real Simple" Magazine. Yummy!

Ingredients
8 ounces egg noodles
1 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin, sliced 3/4 inch thick, pounded 1/4 inch thick
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, season the pork with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Coat it in the flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
In batches, brown the pork, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the wine and butter and cook for 1 minute.
Add the pork back to the skillet and sprinkle with the parsley.
Serve the pork and sauce over the noodles.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Easy Stuffed Green Peppers

I always loved Mom's stuffed green peppers, but don't have her recipe. I think she may have used a meatloaf recipe like the ones on the rolled oats box. I bought found some beautiful peppers on sale and looked for a recipe that I could make with what I had on hand. This is a sort of my combination of recipes I found online. This will make 3 stuffed peppers- super easy to dinner for more. Some of the measurements are approximations- I just started tossing in what I like. Fell free to adjust the recipe to your own taste! Also I froze one of mine- if Stouffers can freeze them I don't see any reason I can't!

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef- I used ground chuck

a little less than 1/4 cup of diced onion- depending on taste (I love onion)- no big chunks!

about 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

about 1 teaspoon of basil

1/2 bottle or can of spaghetti sauce (I used 1/2 can of Hunts 30 ounce Zesty spaghetti sauce)

3/4 cup of uncooked rice

3 large green peppers

In a large skillet, brown ground beef.

Add onion and cook until tender.

Season with garlic powder and basil.

Mix in uncooked rice and spaghetti sauce well.

Reduce heat and cover to allow the rice to absorb moisture.

Meanwhile, cut off the tops and core peppers, boil in water for 8-10 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Stuff mixture in peppers. Use any extra mixture or green pepper around the stuffed peppers to keep them upright.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Let me know if you like them!

Dump Cake

Dump Cake

Also known as 1-2-3-4 Dump Cake, this is for people who don't have time to grate cocoanut, zest lemons and limes, shave chocolate, peel apples, sift together ingredients, buy extra spices that you may never use again, etc. There are many versions of "Dump Cake" around. I like this one because it has fruit, it only takes 4 ingredients and it is EASY! My Mom always kept the ingredients on-hand so in a pinch she could throw it together and be ready for company or a covered dish meal in less than an hour with something home-made.

Ingredients:

1 can of pineapple chunks

1 can of cherry pie filling

1 white or yellow cake mix

1 stick of butter or margarine

Directions:
Get a 13x9 baking dish, dump the fruit in there, sprinkle the cake mix over evenly, then cut the butter/margarine into chunks over the cake mix powder. Bake for 40 min at 350 (or until crusty stuff is golden brown).
(You can also substitute the fruit fillings with various fruit pie fillings.)

Chicken Cornbread Pot Pie

Chicken Cornbreak Pot Pie

Very simple!

Use frozen corn and reduced sodium/fat soup for healthful options.

Cook time: 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 400

• 1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
• 1 can/cup whole kernel corn
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey ( I usually use 4 or so tenderloins and if I have a whole package of tenders then I use the rest for salad toppings the next day)
• 1 package (8.5 oz) corn muffin mix
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Square glass dish or pie plate mix soup, corn, chicken and half of the cheese
2. Separately combine muffin mix, milk and egg. Pour over chicken/soup/corn
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown
4. Top with remaining cheese