Didn't your mama ever tell you breakfast is THE most important meal of the day ???

And its true- breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Doctors have said it gets your metabolism going for the day (mine needs to be started as early as possible...lol ) Sometimes you want something really good, but just don't have a lotta time . Here's something really fabulous that beats a bowl of cereal ! (from the awesome folks at Kraft)

Grab and Go Breakfast Sandwich-

You'll need:  1/4 cup Egg Beaters, 1 english muffin (spilt & toasted), 1 slice of Kraft 2% milk Sharp Cheddar Singles, 1 slice turkey bacon (cooked & cut in half).

Here's what you do :  Cook the Egg Beaters in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat for about 3 minutes- or until set- stirring occasionally. Fill the muffin halves with egg, cheese & bacon.

Now- wasn't that easy ? And only 270 calories :-)

Enjoy !!

Who knew a little rabbit food could go a long way ?

Its hot outside, and you just don't feel like a 'hot' meal- a salad sounds good, right ? I love meal salads- maybe even with a side of garlic bread. My hubby always wonders where the rest of the meal is - maybe thats a man thing ! This is a meal salad i fix frequently (minus the purple onions- for my onion hating hubby!)

Caesar Tortellini Salad:
you'll need:
 1 - 9oz. package of refrigerated or frozen tortellini
 2 cups cherry tomatoes
 1/2 cup chopped purple onions
 1/2 cup sliced black olives
 1/4 cup refridgerated Parmesan cheese
 1/2 tsp. pepper
 1 medium cucumber - thinly sliced
 3/4 cup light Caesar salad dressing
 8 cups of shredded romaine lettuce (about 1 head)

here's what you do :
 *Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Combine pasta , tomatoes, and the next 6 ingredients; toss well. Cover & chill thoroughly. Serve over lettuce.

YUM ! Enjoy- and stay cool in this heat :-)

It's been a while, but i'm back ! Ready to eat ??

It's been a good year or so since i did this blog. I decided it was way past time to get back to it. As you may remember- my husband is a picky eater (and a diabetic) - so finding things he will eat is sometimes a challenge. And with my own weight & health issues- we both need to eat better. This is one recipe i found- courtesy of Kraft- that is hearty AND healthy all at the same time.

Hearty Round Steak Dinner-

you'll need :
1 pound round steak (about a 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 cup A1 Thick & Hearty Steak Sauce
1/4 cup Kraft fat free Italian dressing
1/2 cup chopped onion ( i had to cut back on my onions- husband is not an onion fan !)
2 small cloves of garlic- minced
1 pound of new potatoes- quartered
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 package (16oz) frozen broccoli, cauliflower, & carrot blend

here's what you do :
Cut steak up into 6 equal portions; place in a large baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Mix steak sauce , dressing, oniion & garlic; pour over steak.  Cover & marinade in the fridge for 1 hour.
Add potatoes and mushrooms to the items in the baking dish ; cover.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until steak is cooked through and potatoes are tender; adding frozen veggie mixture to the baking dish after 45 minutes.

* if you'd like your steak more tender- marinate the steak in the steak sauce overnight.

You'll get 6 servings out of this. And it only has 190 calories and  3g fat per serving.

Enjoy !

Mini Cheese Balls

Ever wonder what to make for a party thats a great appetizer, but doesn't cost alot to make ? I've got your answer ;-)   One of my doctors I work for, and fellow crafter- we'll call her Dr. B- gave me this great recipe to make for our monthly Stampin Up club . I made it- and it was a big hit ! And they're bite size- can't beat that.....

Mini Cheese Balls-
  you'll need : 2 blocks cream cheese (softened), 2 cups shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup chopped green onions (more or less to taste ), 1/2 cup real bacon bits, 1 ounce package of Ranch dressing mix, 2 cups chopped pecans.

here's what you do :
   Mix all of the ingredients together except pecans. Roll into bite sized balls (about the size of a ping pong ball- about 2 bites). Roll into chopped pecans. Store in the fridge. You can make them ahead of time- just don't roll them into the pecans until the day of.
Serve with your favorite crackers  ( I like 'em with Triscuits!)

Enjoy !!

Baked Apple Pancake

Learning how to cook for a diabetic has been tough- and learning to cook for a PICKY diabetic is even harder !  I'll get there one day :-)  This is one recipe we tried recently- and Mr. Picky actually liked it ! So I'll definatley keep it in the recipe box for future use....
This recipe is courtesy of Kraft- gotta love Kraft ;-)


Baked Apple Pancake:

you'll need : 2 tbsp. margarine (divided), 3 Granny Smith apples (thinly sliced) , 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese , 1 oz. Neufchatel cheese -softened (can be found with the cream cheese in the grocery store) , 1/2 fat free milk, 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup egg product (I use Egg Beaters), 1/4 cup Splenda (divided), 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.

here's what you do : Heat oven to 475 degrees. Melt 1 tbsp. margarine in a large ovenproof skillet on medium heat. Add apples ; cook for 5 minutes . Top with cheddar. Whisk Neufchatel & milk in a medium bowl until blended. Stir in the flour , egg product,  1 tbsp. Splenda, and salt ; pour over the apples. Sprinkle with combined remaining Splenda and cinnamon; dot with remaining margarine.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until puffed & golden brown. 

Yum ! Enjoy :-) 

Better -Than-Ever Cheesy Meat Lasagna

Lasagna is one thing that always goes over well in our house. I have lasagna recipes, but i like to 

try new ones out every once in a while - searching for one that takes less time, fewer ingredients, tastes better....

This one is courtesy of Kraft. I made a couple of variations- I've made it twice- and its not bad !

See what you think....

Better-Than-Ever Cheesy Meat Lasagna

You'll need : 3/4 lb. extra lean ground beef , 3 minced cloves garlic, 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce (I use 2 jars- hubby likes extra sauce) , 1 large chopped tomato (I used a can of diced tomatoes- italian style instead ) , 1 egg, 1 (16 oz) container lowfat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese ( I always use more !) , 9 lasagna noodles ( I use the Barilla lasagna noodles- they don't require boiling!) , 1 package mozzarella cheese shredded.

here's what you do :  Heat over to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef with the garlic & oregano in a large saucepan.  Stir in spaghetti sauce & tomato- simmer for 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Mix together in a bowl  the egg, cottage cheese, & Parmesan. Spread 1/2 cup of meat sauce onto the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish - top with layers of noodles, half the cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 cup of mozzarella , and a cup of sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles sauce . Cover.  Bake for 30 minutes. Top with remaining mozzarella & bake for 5 additional minutes uncovered.

Enjoy :-)

  

 

White Chocolate Mousse Pie

  We recently found out my husband has Type 2 Diabetes. It has been like learning to cook all over again- knowing what he can & cannot eat. There has been more than a few times I have been scratching my head come dinner time ! And my hubby LOVES some sweets- so i had to come up with something to take care of his sweet tooth . I got this recipe from a friend of mine who also has a diabetic husband. And it is sooooo easy!

White Chocolate Mousse Pie-

you'll need : 2 pie crusts, 1 bar of cream cheese ( i used reduced fat)  , 1 container sugar free Cool Whip, 2 boxes sugar free instant Jello White Chocolate pudding, 2 cups milk ( i used 1% milk).

here's what you do :
Melt cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl for 1 minute.  Stir. Add 1/2 cup milk, then add the boxes of pudding & the remaining milk. Using  a mixer, mix for 2 minutes. Then fold in the Cool Whip. Once blended, pour into pie crusts & refridgerate for atleast an hour.

Enjoy :-)