Chicken Parmesan

I substituted crushed Bran Flakes cereal for the coating instead of regular bread crumbs and then added a bunch of seasonings to give it more flavor. You can add whatever seasonings you like depending on your tastes. I brown my cutlets in a bit of oil before baking but I am sure you could just bake the cutlets in the oven and add a little cooking spray to each side and they would crisp up nicely, then you could add the sauce and cheese the last few minutes. That would certainly cut down on the fat calories. I may try it that way next time I make this.

CHICKEN PARMESAN

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6.5 oz. each)
1 1/4 cups of crushed bran flakes
1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese
4 T Smart Balance Omega Oil Blend
1/2 cup of egg substitute
3/4 cup of Kraft 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 T cracked pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup pasta sauce (I used my own Pasta Sauce)

Preheat oven to 400

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise so you have 4 thin chicken cutlets. Mix egg substitute and water in shallow bowl and set aside. In another shallow bowl combine the bran flakes, Parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.

In a large skillet heat the oil. Dip one of the chicken cutlets in the egg mixture, coating thoroughly and place into the bran flakes mixture. Cover the cutlet with the crumbs well while pressing down. When it is well coated place in the skillet. Repeat this with all 4 cutlets.

Cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they look brown and crispy. Remove from oil and place in a shallow casserole dish.

Spoon the pasta sauce evenly over each cutlet and sprinkle each with the mozzarella cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for about 7 to 10 min.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 338.2

• Total Fat: 19.5 g
• Cholesterol: 60.9 mg
• Sodium: 568.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 13.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
• Protein: 29.5 g

NOTE: Please keep in mind the nutritional info is based on the specific brands that I use for each ingredient so they may be different depending on the brand you use.

Lasagna Roll Ups

There isn't much to say about this recipe. I have been making these for years but when I made it this time I tried to lighten it up a bit by using whole wheat lasagna noodles and lean ground turkey. I found that the whole wheat lasagna noodles are a little bit harder to work with so you might want to make extra.

For the pasta sauce I used my own recipe.



LASAGNA ROLL UPS

3 cups part skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoon parmesan, reduced fat
12 oz lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cups low sodium mozzarella; shredded
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 cup onion; chopped
1 cup fresh spinach; chopped
2 cups pasta sauce My own recipe
1 clove garlic; minced
9 - 10 whole wheat lasagna noodles (you might want to make extra)
1 tablespoon smart balance oil
1/4 cup egg substitute

Preheat oven to 375°F

Cook noodles according to package. You make want to make a few extra because I found that the wheat noodles tend to break easier.

In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta, parmesan, egg substitute, 1 cup of the mozzarella and italian seasoning. Mix well and put aside.

In a large skillet heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic. Add the turkey and cook while breaking it up into very small crumbles. Add the chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted and the turkey is cooked through. Remove from heat.

Spray a 2 1/2 quart shallow casserole dish with cooking spray.

Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan.

Take one of the lasagna noodles and spread a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture down the entire noodle. Take about 1 1/2 Tbls of the turkey meat and sprinkle it evenly over the cheese layer and press it lightly into the cheese. Starting at one end roll up the lasagna noodle being careful to keep the cheese and meat from falling out the sides.

Place it seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat this until you have filled all the noodles or until you run out of filler.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the roll ups and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake in the oven for about 20 - 30 min. Remove from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes.

Barbi's Pasta Sauce (low sodium)

I wanted to make a large batch of pasta sauce that I could use with several recipes and freeze the rest for future use. I basically just made this one up as I went along using ideas I got from several recipes I saw on the internet. For my tomato base I tried to use as many "no salt added" products as I could find. The only one I could not get in the low sodium version was the crushed tomatoes but I think spread out over the whole recipe it still had little impact.

After adding all the vegetables I found that they did not seem like all that much once all the sauces were added so if you like a chunkier sauce then I would increase amounts of veggies. This is also a very low fat sauce in comparison to store bought brands.

If you are not a Diabetic or don't mind a few extra calories from sugar then you can replace the Splenda with regular sugar.

As always, every taste is different so you can use this as a base and then just add or subtract from there to make it suit your tastes.

BARBI'S PASTA SAUCE (low sodium)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
5 8 oz cans tomato sauce, no salt added
2 6 oz. cans Tomato paste, no salt added
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoon Splenda
1 carrot; chopped
1 medium onion; chopped
1 medium zucchini; chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms; chopped
2 clove garlic; minced
2 tablespoon Smart Balance Omega Oil

Heat oil in large skillet. Saute the onion, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic until tender.

While that is cooking in a large crockpot (6 qt) add the crushed tomatoes plus one can of water, then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and the diced tomatoes. Stir until blended well. Add the basil, bay leaves, Italian seasoning and Splenda. Stir until everything is well mixed and turn the crockpot on high.

When the vegetables are done add to the sauce and blend. Cover the crockpot and cook on high for one hour.

Stir sauce and taste to see if it needs anything then turn heat down to low.

Simmer on low for 4 to 5 hours stirring occasionally.

Use over your favorite pasta or to make lasagna.

You can also divide it up and freeze it for later use, just be sure to let it cool completely first.

Makes about 17 cups

Number of Servings: 17

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 17
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 83.7

• Total Fat: 1.7 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 137.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 10.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g
• Protein: 2.1 g

NOTE: Please keep in mind the nutritional info is based on the specific brands that I use for each ingredient so they may be different depending on the brand you use.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas - Revamped!

I actually posted this recipe a while ago on my blog but besides the fact that it had a crappy picture I also managed to tweak it a bit to make it healthier. Part of the reason for it being healthier is my wonderful discovery of LaTortilla Factory tortillas. LaTortilla Factory makes a delicious line of healthy high fiber tortillas that come in many flavors.

The only problem I found with these tortillas is they were a little large for this recipe so I ended up putting the filling across 2/3 of the tortilla, rolling it up and then cutting about 2 inches off the end with no filling. I know that seems wasteful but until I can find a smaller size this is what I have to do. On the plus side it means that the nutritional info listed below is actually higher than what you are really eating.

I will warn you though that while these have less fat and carbs and more fiber they are still quite high in sodium so if you are on a strict low sodium diet you may want to avoid these.

FIESTA CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 med to lg. chicken breasts;
1 1/4 cup thick 'n chunky salsa, divided
8 oz. light cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. taco seasoning
1 cup shredded light cheddar cheese, divided
10 flour low carb tortillas (I use LaTortilla Factory 100 Calorie Tortillas)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
Dice chicken into 1/4 inch chunks.

Heat large skillet and add butter on medium heat. Add chicken and cook through. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese and cilantro; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.

SPOON about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 1 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

Number of Servings: 10

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 294.6

• Total Fat: 10.2 g
• Cholesterol: 62.1 mg
• Sodium: 818.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 29.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.8 g
• Protein: 20.4 g
  

Quick and Easy Spanish Rice

I discovered an easy way to make Spanish Rice one night while making dinner using Cheddar Cheese Soup and it was a big hit but this weekend as I started to make it I thought about the high sodium content in the soup. It's always such a balancing act trying to make meals that are low in fat and carbs but also lower in sodium. One of them usually has to give. At the last minute I swapped out the cheese soup with a bag (7 oz) of Sargento Reduced Sodium Mild Cheddar Cheese. It tasted just as good if not better and definitely had less sodium. I love the fact that Sargento is now putting out a line of Reduced Sodium cheeses!

Another great find was Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice. As a Diabetic white rice is usually on my no-no list but this rice tastes like white rice but has 4g of fiber per serving which means I can have a little now and then without spiking my blood sugar out of range.

While this recipe isn't guilt-free it is certainly a little healthier than the average version. Now if I could only find a "No salt added" version of the Rotel Tomato and Green Chilies I would be in heaven :)

QUICK AND EASY SPANISH RICE

2 4.40 oz. Boxes of Uncle Ben's Whole Grain White Rice
1 7 oz. pkg. Sargento Reduced Sodium Mild Cheddar Cheese
1 10 oz. can Rotel Tomato and Green Chilies
1 Small onion finely chopped
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 Tb. Smart Balance Light Butter Spread

Cook both boxes of rice according to directions.

In a large skillet melt butter and add cooked rice and stir for about 5 minutes. Add onion, can of tomato and green chilies (with juice) and garlic powder. Stir and heat through another 5 minutes then add the bag of shredded cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is melted and the rice mixture becomes bubbly. Remove from heat and serve.

Makes 10 - 1/2 cup servings

Number of Servings: 10

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 259.2

• Total Fat: 7.8 g
• Cholesterol: 21.0 mg
• Sodium: 242.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 40.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
• Protein: 9.0 g

Ham and Peas Casserole

Yes at long last I am back. I really have no excuse for neglecting my blog so long except that I now babysit my grandson 3 days a week so I have less time to play on the computer but I am going to try my hardest to keep my blog up to date. I really need to get serious about eating healthier so I have been searching the internet for ideas on creating healthier recipes. I will also try and add the nutritional values for some of the recipes I am going to post here.

This first recipe I found in a magazine and it tasted pretty good so I will probably make it again. As always I tweaked it a bit here and there to make it healthier.

The recipe calls for adding crushed Saltine Crackers to the top when you bake it which I did but probably won't the next time. It tasted alright when it was first baked but when you reheat the leftovers the Saltines just seemed kind of gummy and pasty. You could lightly sprinkle some bread crumbs or add shredded cheese to the top to replace the Saltines if you wanted.



HAM AND PEAS CASSEROLE
12 oz. Whole wheat bowtie pasta
4 Tbl. Smart Balance Light Butter spread
1/4 C Flour
1 tsp. Dry mustard
2 C Skim milk
1 C Fat Free Half and Half
3 C Low Fat Mild Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
1 1/2 C Frozen Peas
3/4 C Diced Ham

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour and mustard until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and half-and-half and bring just to a simmer. Stir in cheese, a little at a time, until melted. Remove pan from heat and stir in peas, ham and pasta. Stir to coat with sauce.

Pour into a 2.5 quart baking dish. Sprinkle cracker crumbs over top of pasta and dot with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes.