Zucchini Chips

"I had bookmarked this a while ago and just happened to find it today, and had zucchini in the fridge. Wow...these are awesome! You can find the original recipe HERE....my changes are included in this recipe."


INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper
heaping 1/2 cup flour
1 cup cold milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sliced zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese and black pepper.
In separate bowl add flour, milk and vinegar. Gently stir until combined but do not over stir.
Dip zucchini slices in flour mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
Place coated zucchini slices on a baking sheet (I line mine with non stick foil for easy clean up!) and bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp.

Curried Red Quinoa

"After hearing about how Quinoa (keen-wa) is such a good grain to eat when dieting I bought some. The texture is different than anything I've had. I found this recipe on the website for the brand I bought. The original recipe called for peas instead of peppers and onions."


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup red quinoa
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 c. chopped onions
1/3 c. chopped red pepper
1/3 c. chopped green pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Add red quinoa, curry powder, turmeric and peppers and onions to 2 cups of stock. Cover and simmer about 10-15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. Serves 4

Jen's Orange Strawberry Salad

"Was looking for something different to serve the family and came up with this....YUM!"


INGREDIENTS:

1 small to medium head of lettuce shredded
1/2 c. canned Mandarin oranges diced
6 strawberries diced
1/4 c. sunflower seeds

DRESSING:

1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1 T. strawberry jam or preserves
1 T. orange juice
1 T. sweet and sour sauce
2 t. honey

Jen's Turkey Bacon Cheddar Meatballs

"I bought some lean ground turkey at the store Friday and didn't know what I was going to do with it to get the kids to eat it....I decided to make meatballs, but not the standard Italian flavored beef meatballs, and the kids loved them SCORE!"


INGREDIENTS:

1 pkg. Butterball Fresh ground turkey breast or white turkey
2 T. low sodium precooked diced turkey bacon
1/2 c. 2% milk shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 c. light ranch dressing
1 T. Franks red hot sauce
1/4 t. ground pepper
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place all ingredients in large bowl and mix with hands. Roll into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. Place on large cookie sheet covered in foil (with cooking spray added) or parchment paper. Bake for 40 minutes total turning over after 20 minutes.

Tip: I made a dipping sauce with mustard and light ranch mixed together (1/4 mustard to 3/4 ranch)

Jen's Mashed Sweet Potatoes

"I was looking for a healthier alternative to my sweet potato casserole, so I made these today....I pureed them in the food processor so my infant son could eat them too, but you could use a mixer for a chunkier texture."


INGREDIENTS:

3-4 averaged sized sweet potatoes, diced
2 T. butter cut into small pieces
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. cloves
1/2 c. skim milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place diced potatoes into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish/pan. Dot with butter pieces. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves over top. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr. and 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft when poked with fork. Mix or puree with milk, return to dish/pan and bake additional 15 minutes uncovered.

Jen's Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms

"I threw this together for a quick low-carb lunch and they were awesome."



INGREDIENTS:

Small package of white mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
1 t. olive oil
3 c. fresh baby spinach
6 sun-dried tomatoes diced
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/4 c. feta cheese smooshed with fork to make fine
1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Saute spinach with olive oil, garlic and sundried tomatoes in medium fry pan until spinach is wilted. In small bowl mix spinach mixture with cheeses. Spoon into mushroom caps and bake for 15 minutes.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

"I originally found this recipe on allrecipes.com, but I've modified it to make it healthier."


INGREDIENTS:

2 cups fresh fruit diced (my favorite combo is strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and peaches...1/2 cup each)

6 standard sized tortillas cut into 8 wedges each (I used wheat tortillas...and you can also use pita)

3 Tablespoons sugar / 1 Tablespoon cinnamon mixed

cooking spray (I like Pam baking spray because it's sweet)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out tortilla wedges on large rectangular cookie sheet (you can only bake 1/2 at a time). Spray tops only with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with mixed fruit.

Chicken (Pork) with Egglant-Pepper Sauce

"Obviously the photo is of pork chops. That is what I had, so I'm sure what I made was a little more fattening. I found this is Cooking Light magazine. Also what is pictured is only three chops because I did not put the sauce on one chop for the kids."


INGREDIENTS:

1 medium eggplant (about 1/2 pound)
2 medium red bell peppers (about 1 pound)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper, divided
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Slice eggplant in half lengthwise, and pierce skin with a fork. Cut tops off bell peppers; discard tops, seeds, and membranes. Place eggplant and bell peppers on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 8 minutes or until tender.

While the eggplant cooks, combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, ginger, garlic powder, and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper; sprinkle the chicken with the ginger mixture. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

Combine eggplant and bell peppers in a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper, 1 teaspoon oil, paprika, and juice; process until smooth. Serve chicken with sauce.


Nutritional Information:

Calories: 194 (19% from fat)
Fat: 4.1g (sat 0.7g,mono 2g,poly 0.7g)
Protein: 27.9g
Carbohydrate: 11.8g
Fiber: 3.9g
Cholesterol: 66mg
Iron: 1.7mg
Sodium: 518mg
Calcium: 29mg

Sarah's Applesauce

"I was looking for a good healthy apple recipe I could use after going apple picking, and I came across this one on allrecipes.com. I tripled the recipe but only doubled the sugar, and I used 2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon for the triple recipe instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons. It took 50 minutes to simmer. Next time I think I might add some raisins and not mash the apples."

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher. *I used a food processor
   

Jen's Ratatouille

"I've been wanting to make this, but I haven't found a recipe in which all the ingredients sounded good to me. I decided instead to add and subtract from a recipe I found and make it more Italian flavored."
INGREDIENTS:

1 zucchini sliced thin
1 yellow squash sliced thin
1 Chinese eggplant sliced thin (you can also use a regular eggplant and cut the slices in quarters or about the same size as the zucchini and squash)
3 plum/roma tomatoes sliced thin
1 medium onion sliced in rings
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
20 fresh basil leaves ground in food processor (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large pan until hot. Saute onions and eggplant until both are soft (about 10 minutes). In 13x9 baking dish coat bottom with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Make rows of veggie slices alternating eggplant, tomato, squash and zucchini. Top with sauted onions. Sprinkle with fresh or dried basil. In small bowl mix together cheese with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese mixture on top of veggies. Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes removing foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.

Salsa Black Bean Soup

"I got this recipe from Cooking Light magazine a few years ago. I have made it at least a half dozen times. The last time I made it, I finally put in chipotle chili powder, instead of the regular chili powder I'd been substituting, and it really made a difference."

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

3 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. salsa

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dried cilantro

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Stir in water, chipotle chili powder, cilantro, beans and salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Place 3 cups of mixture into blender, blend, and return to pot. Stir in lime juice, and simmer another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Makes 4 - one and a half cup servings