Going Greek

Doing something a little different this time: i am blogging about a recipe I HAVE NOT tried yet! May sound a little strange, but this is one i found the other day in my Cooking Light 5 ingredients 15 minute Cookbook. And I soooooo want to try it. I am a new fan of the Greek salad, and this sandwich sounds right up my alley! My husband has already said there's no way he's eating it - so its one i'll have to fix just for me. As i have said many times before, my hubby is a picky one & doesn't try new foods much. I asked him to try some hummus- he said no way- because he didn't like the name. I just looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Oh well, he's missing out ! Already put the ingredients on my shopping list :-)

GREEK CHICKEN PITAS-

you'll need:
   cooking spray
   1 pound chicken breast tenders
   1 tsp. Greek seasoning
   1/2 cup hummus
   4 (8 inch) pita bread rounds
   1 cup torn romaine lettuce
   2 plum tomatoes, sliced
   1 small cucumber, cut into strips
   1/4 cup (2 ounces) crumbled basil & tomato flavored feta cheese

here's what you do :
   Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray & place over medium high heat until hot. Sprinkle the chicken with the Greek seasoning & add to skillet. Cook chicken for 6-8 minutes or until light brown, stirring occasionally.  While the chicken is cooking, spread hummus evenly over pita rounds. Arrange chicken, lettuce, and remaining ingredients evenly on one half of each pita round. Fold pitas over filling . Secure with toothpicks if needed before serving,  Yields 4 servings.
314 calories per pita- not bad !

Enjoy :-)

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 :-)