Chicken Florentine

Ingedients:

1 cup uncooked penne pasta
6 ounces chicken breast cuts (cooked)
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 jar (7-1/4 ounces) roasted sweet red peppers, drained and sliced
3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup Alfredo sauce
3-4 tablespoons prepared pesto
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the chicken, spinach, red peppers, rosemary, garlic powder and pepper in butter until spinach is wilted.
4. Stir in the broth, Alfredo sauce and pesto
5. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.
6. Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Sprinkle with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

Yields: 5 cups.

*Courtesy of The Busy Mom's Cookbook

Crash Hot Potatoes

Ingredients:

10-12 New Potatoes -or other small, round potato

Olive Oil
Kosher Salt

Black Pepper

any herbs/extras you like: pressed garlic, rosemary, chives, parmesan cheese, bacon bits, thyme, etc.

*serves 4

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add clean potatoes and cook until the are fork-tender. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. Generously drizzle olive oil on a cookie sheet. Place potatoes on sheet 2-3" apart.

3. Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes. Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it.

4. Brush tops of potatoes generously with olive oil mixed with the garlic. Then add a generous amount of kosher salt and pepper.

5. Next add any herb that you wish - finely chopped & preferably fresh (I used chives & bacon bits - yum!)

6. Put cookie sheet on top rack of the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

"Cook Yourself Thin" Southwestern Burger & Sweet Potatoe Fries

Serves 4

Calories per serving, turkey burger: 342

sweet potato fries: 89

sweet potato fries:

2 sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling

Juice of 1/2 lime

turkey burgers:

1 1/3 pounds lean ground turkey

1 4-ounce can diced green chiles, drained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2–3 spritzes canola oil in a mister

3 ounces 50%-reduced-fat pepper-jack cheese, cut into thin slices

4 whole-wheat Kaiser rolls (or Arnolds 'Thin' Buns to save a few more calories)

Romaine lettuce leaves

Tomato, sliced

Red onion, sliced

1/2 avocado, sliced

1. For the sweet potato fries, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the potatoes and, with the skin on, slice into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; cut the rounds into 1/2-inch-thick finger-shaped pieces. Toss the potatoes in a bowl with the oil, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.

3. On a baking sheet, spread the sweet potato fries in a single layer and roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until brown and tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter or bowl and sprinkle with a little more salt.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the lean ground turkey with the diced chiles and season with salt and pepper. Shape into patties and refrigerate until ready to cook.

5. Heat a large grill pan or nonstick skillet on medium heat and spritz with canola oil. Add the turkey patties to the grill pan and cook until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip, reduce the heat to low, cover (if using a skillet) and cook until the juices run pale pink, about 4 more minutes. Top with the reduced-fat pepper-jack cheese during the last minute.

6. Toast the rolls in the oven or in a toaster oven. Alternatively, grill them 1 minute on each side.

7. To assemble: On a platter, place the fries and a burger on a bun and top with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado slices. Squeeze lime juice over the fries and serve.

"Cook Yourself Thin" Cookie's & Cream Milkshake

Serves 4
Calories per serving: 169

1 pint low-fat chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
2 packages low-calorie chocolate wafers (about 30 total)
1/3 cup low-fat (1-percent) milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a blender, place the ice cream, chocolate wafers and 1-percent milk. Add the pure vanilla extract and blend until most of the wafers are broken, leaving a few larger chunks. Pour into 4 glasses and enjoy.

"Cook Yourself Thin" French Onion Soup

4 servings
300 calories each

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large white onions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices crosswise
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
4 (1-inch-thick) slices whole-wheat baguette
toasted and cooled
2 ounces Gruyere, shaved into paper-thin slices with a cheese plane or vegetable peeler

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden (not brown) and nearly melting, about 45 minutes. Stir in wine and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. Stir in stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
3. Place 4 soup crocks or ovenproof bowls (no larger than 4 inches round) on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a baguette slice in each crock. Divide the soup among the bowls and top each with a single layer of cheese slices.
4. Transfer to the oven and bake until cheese melts and is golden brown in spots and soup is bubbling, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

"cook yourself thin"

I have a new tv show addiction, "cook yourself thin" which airs on Lifetime at 5:30 pm weekdays. the idea of the show it to teach you how to cook satisifying, healthy, tasty meals, that are also low in calories & fat.

today mark found out at his annual physical for work that he has high blood pressure. the dr. encouraged to get control of it now while it isnt too bad. we definitely dont want him to be on bp meds for the rest of his life. so this is a wake up call to us & i will be making even more of an effort to cook healthy meals.

stay tuned for my favorite recipes...

Garlic Roasted Veggies

*This is one of mine and Mark's new favorite sides. Its pretty healthy too if you go easy with the olive oil

Ingredients:
3-4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3-6 garlic cloves (crushed, pressed or chopped)
your favorite veggies
I like to use:
potatoes (skins on, cut in bite-size pieces)
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
whole vidalia onion (cut thick)
carrots
broccoli
cauliflower

Directions:
1. wash & cut veggies
2. spread on a cookie sheet
3. drizzle with evoo & garlic
4. cook at 450 degrees for 30-45 mins, or until lightly browned