Cranberry Chicken Salad Stuffed Cabbage

super crunchy!

I am always looking for ways to eliminate the bread in my lunch, frankly because I love pasta. I'd rather take the "budget" for my lunch and "spend" it on dinner. I also love using cabbage for a leafy crunch whether it be in tacos, cold wraps or hot dishes because it's a hardy green that doesn't seem to wilt easily when exposed to other foods or sauces.

I made a simple chicken salad and dressed it up a bit.

The key to this dish is blanching the cabbage leaves before you try to construct them. I fill a large skillet with lightly salted water, bring to a boil and have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Dip the cabbage leaves into the boiling water for about 20-30 seconds, just enough to make pliable. Immediately place them in the ice water bowl. This will stop the cooking process almost instantaneously. It will also enable you to wrap the leaves without breaking them. They hold up extremely well, even after biting into them. I had enough "salad" in this to stuff about 4 large cabbage leaves.

You will need:

4 cabbage leaves
1 - 4 oz piece of chicken breast
1 Tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
1/8 C dried craisins
1 tsp lemon rind
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 medium celery stalk
1 scallion
pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Boil the chicken and either shred or chop finely, whichever you prefer and set aside. Finely chop celery and scallion. Stir in mayo, lemon rind, craisins, chia,  pepper & paprika, to taste. Gradually add in chicken. Spoon into center of cabbage leaves and roll the back end first, then starting at one side, fold over. Lay seam-side down.

Each recipe above yields approxmiately:
Calories: 300
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 28g
Protein: 26g

Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers

Reinventing the leftover!

At some point, many of us end up with leftovers in the fridge. I hate to see any food go to waste and like to incorporate leftovers as much as possible, reinventing them into new dishes or spins into old classics. I had made a batch of brown rice and had some leftover. Usually, when I make my italian farro & turkey stuffed peppers, I mix farro into the stuffing, substituting the rice. However, the last time I made them I used all of my stuffing. Honestly, I managed to take the ground turkey out and then 4:00 p.m came and my first thought was "What am I going to do with this? I really don't feel like cooking." Of course take out is easier, some may assume, but is it really? Think about it, it costs more and you have way less control about what goes into it. Typically you're not getting your food in 20 minutes anyway and within 20-30 minutes you can whip up something that is not only better for your belly, but also is better for your budget!

It's no secret how much I love Aldi, so when I was in there last, I picked up a box of Fit & Active quick cooking brown rice. I threw it in the rice cooker according to the directions on the back and it was done in about 10 minutes. I love my rice cooker because it frees up a burner. After I hit the lottery, I'll get one of those fancy 6 burner stoves. In the meantime, I'm in a 7 square foot house with 4 burners on a range that doesn't even have a clock, but it works, so who cares?!

For this dish, throwing the chopped peppers in for the last 8 minutes or so of cooking helps to keep them crunchy. You can add more or less water to change the amount of moisture. I ate this with a side of sauteed zucchini and mushrooms and BAM! (nearly) instant dinner.

You will need:

1lb ground chicken or turkey (I used turkey)
1 large green pepper or 2 medium (I like it colorful, so I used a mix & finished up all of the chunks in the fridge)
1 1/3 C cooked brown rice (use leftovers or make separately - about 3/4C uncooked)
1 small onion
3 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder OR 1 garlic clove
black pepper, to taste
1 tsp fennel seeds (optional)
1/2 C water

In a large skillet, brown turkey and onion. While that's cooking, coarsely chop pepper and set aside. Gradually add in about 1/4 C of the water and simmer. Add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, garlic (or powder, if using), and black pepper. Gradually stir in brown rice, adding remaining water if necessary to keep moist. Stir in fennel and chopped pepper, stirring to heat through.

Each serving yields approximately:
Calories: 340
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 39g
Protein: 27g

Italian Farro & Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Italian farro gives this a protein punch!

Ohhh farro, how I love thee! One of the greatest supermarket finds for me, was farro. It has a firm texture and I have found it to be the best replacements for rice or pasta to date. If you haven't heard of it, it's an ancient grain that packs in 7g protein, 5g dietary fiber & 170 calories per serving. One serving is 1/4C.  I decided to use it as a stuffing previously in large mushrooms and when my husband mentioned that we hadn't had stuffed peppers in a while, I thought this would make the perfect substitution for rice. My beef (or lack thereof) with peppers is that I'm not a huge fan of them cooked. I don't like them soggy. I always say, I love my vegetables hot but raw. Preparing the stuffing and having it fully cooked enables me to bake the peppers just long enough to make them warm, but still crunchy.

You will need:

4 large peppers
1/2 C cooked farro
1 lb ground turkey

3 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 C water
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 Tbso minced garlic (or 2 cloves)
1 C part-skim shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400.

Prepare farro according to package directions and set aside. In a large skillet sautee ground turkey with onion. When fully cooked, add ketchup, worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt & pepper (to taste). Add 1/2 C water and slowly stir in cooked farro. Continue to sautee until the water has been fully incorporated.

Cut tops off of peppers and clean out the seeds. Stuff with farro & turkey mixture 7 top with part-skim mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Each stuffed pepper yields approximately:
Calories: 428
Fat: 18g
Carbs: 27g
Protein: 48g

Lemon Coconut Crusted Chicken

These were delicious! Very simple and only took about 20 minutes to cook. I had these with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Anytime dinner is on the table within 30 minutes, it's a win (assuming I actually took the meat out of the freezer before noon!). They were super juicy and packed such a nice flavor. I used 4 chicken breasts that were about 4-6 ounces each.

You will need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C crispy rice cereal
2 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp lemon rind
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 tsp paprika
garlic powder & black pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine reduced fat mayonnaise, 1/2 of the lemon rind, lemon juice, pepper, paprika, & garlic powder. Rinse chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. With a small spreader, spread mayonnaise mixture over the top of the chicken.

To make the breading, crush crispy rice cereal, unsweetened coconut flakes, grated parmesan and remaining lemon rind. I used a food processor and it comes out like very fine sawdust. Sprinkle it with a spoon and pat down with the back side of the spoon. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until top is slightly browned and chicken is done.

In each serving yields approximately:
Calories: 148
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 4g
Protein: 23g

Skinny Coconut Macaroons

The other day, a friend of mine had posted a recipe for
coconut macaroons from SkinnyTaste.Com. I love all of her recipes that I have tried, especially the butternut squash and spinach lasagne rolls. I was inspired by her recipe so with a few changes, I came up with my own.

You will need:

2 C unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 C sugar

1 Tbsp honey

3/4 C egg whites (about 5 large eggs)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract (I love vanilla)

1/2 tsp almond extract

*Optional: dark chocolate chips for melting & drizzling over the top.

In a saucepan, whisk egg whites & sugar until thoroughly incorporated on low heat for 10-15 minutes. You want the mixture to be moist and sticky with a nice shine to it. Empty into a large glass bowl and incorporate coconut. After the coconut is mixed thoroughly, add honey, vanilla and almond. Mixture shouldn't be dry, but crumbly, yet packable (like brown sugar). To shape the balls, I used a 1 Tbsp coffee scoop. I scooped some of the mixture in and packed well, then tapped out the ball. The bottom is flat which makes it great for baking. bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until golden brown. You can drizzle chocolate on some of them if you wish. The numbers below are for coconut macaroons without chocolate. Makes 24.

In each macaroon:

Calories: 48
Fat: 3.35g
Protein: 1.16g
Carbs: 4.19g
Sugar: 3.15g

Sinfully Sweet Peanut Butter Coconut Cups

So tasty, minimal ingredients!

A few days ago, in my weight-loss challenge group, a member had posted this recipe for "Easy Chocolate Almond Butter Cups" from paleOMG. I love how she used minimal ingredients and they looked like they took a short amount of time to make. As a mother of 3, I'm always looking for desserts I can make my children that don't have a scary list of ingredients while not making my kitchen a disaster in the process. Let's face it, nobody feels like cleaning up after a day of baking fun. This uses about 3 bowls, a knife and a few spoons. I set out on Holy Thursday to make those almond butter cups for the upcoming Easter holiday, but ended up stumbling across a little gem in the food store. Apparently, I have been living under a rock because Earth Balance makes these all-natural nut butter spreads. This one, in particular was creamy coconut & peanut spread and is one of the most delicious concoctions I have ever tasted. Since cutting back my sugar drastically, I find sweetness in the most natural food items. Earth Balance's creamy coconut & peanut spread contains only 2g of sugar. I can't wait to discover what else I can make with it. Next up will definitely be some of my no-bake homemade energy oat bars. But for now, we're on to these little cups of heaven.

You will need:
12 Tbsp Earth Balance creamy coconut & peanut spread (about 3/4C)
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
6 Tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes (I use "Let's Do Organic" brand)
10 Tbsp 85% dark chocolate chips

In a bowl, combine melted coconut oil, honey and creamy coconut & peanut spread until mixed thoroughly. Gradually add in coconut flakes, reserving about 1 Tbsp to garnish cups. Spoon (and I use a baby spoon - approx 1tsp) 1 spoonful into a mini muffin pan. To make even, start in the middle and "swirl" the mixture evenly throughout the pan. If you are using a non-stick pan, greasing is unnecessary. Melt chocolate chips (I have a 600W tiny microwave and melt for about 3 minutes at 30-40%) and pour about 1/2-1 tsp over each cup. Sprinkle with reserved coconut and set in the freezer for about 20 minutes. To store, refrigerate and keep in an airtight container. Makes 24 cups, which contain good fats and minimally processed ingredients

In each "cup":
Calories: 93
Fat: 8.5g
Carbs: 4.79g
Protein: 0.29g
Sugar: 4.08g

Skinny Chicken Cordon Bleu "Cupcakes"

I love chicken cordon bleu, but anything revolving around French cuisine is hardly "light". I decided to change things up a bit and make a "skinny" version. I also made them into little "cupcakes" using Nasoya egg roll wrappers. This not only turns them into portion-controlled sizes, but also super portable for gatherings and parties.

For the main parts of this recipe you will need:
18 egg roll wrappers (I use Nasoya brand)
12 oz chicken (about 3 4 ounce boneless breasts)
4 ounces boiled or baked ham, cubed (I get a thick slice from the deli - Healthy Ones, 1/4 lb)
1/2 C panko crumbs (optional) to top over "cupcakes" before cooking

For the sauce:
2 C milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter
4 ounces swiss cheese (I use Jarlsberg)
3 Tbsp grated parmesan
1 Tbsp whipped cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
ground black peppercorns, to taste

In a pan, boil the chicken until done. Remove from water and slice into tiny pieces (or shred if you are able to). Put in in a large bowl and set aside. Cut the ham into 1/8" strips and cube. I end up with tiny dices of ham that are about the size of the capital "O" letter on a standard keyboard. Set ham and chicken aside, in a large glass bowl.

To make the sauce, first heat butter and gently whisk in flour. Gradually stir in milk. Continue stirring while heating and add garlic powder, optional pepper, parmesan, swiss, and whipped cream cheese. Continue stirring until fully melted and sauce has a smooth texture. Top with grated black pepper and stir to incorporate. Add mixture to ham and chicken that's in the glass bowl.

To assemble, spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray or coat with oil. Fill each muffin compartment with one large egg roll wrapper and fill with creamy chicken and ham mixture. Optional* Top each "cupcake" using the 1/2 C of panko crumbs, if desired.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until egg roll wrappers are crispy. Due to varying oven times, check after 10 minutes.

Each "cupcake" contains:
Calories: 127
Fat: 3.75g
Carbs: 14.06g
Protein: 9.3g

*Nutritional information above includes panko. Picture above omits panko.