Breakfast of champions

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. Very low Weight Watcher points and very filling.

1 egg
1 egg white
1 whole zucchini
mushrooms
1 high fiber English muffin
fat free jam
Cook zucchini and mushrooms in non-stick pan with Pam cooking spray. Scramble eggs and add to vegetables. Enjoy with toasted English muffin with jam on top
W.W. point value: 2

Cranberry-Citrus Spritzer

1 1/3 cups light cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
4 (12 ounce) cans diet citrus soda (such as original Fresca), chilled
4 lime wedges

1. Combine cranberry juice cocktail and soda in a pitcher. Pour into 4 tall glasses filled with crushed ice, and squeeze a lime wedge over each glass.

w.w. points value: 0

See panini picture below for picture of drink(sort of).

Grilled Chicken Caesar Panini

W.W. points value: 7

These are delicious.

1/4 cup light Caesar dressing
8 (0.5 ounce) slices Italian bread
4 (0.8 ounce) slices reduced-fat provolone cheese
(such as Alpine Lace)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 cup baby arugula or baby spinach
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray

1. Preheat panini grill.
2. Spread 1/2 Tbsp. dressing on each bread slice. Top each of 4 bread slices with 1 slice cheese, 1/2 cup chicken, 1/4 cup arugula, and a reamaining bread slice. Coat sandwiches with cooking spray; place on panini grill, and cook4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Yield 4 servings
cal - 289 fat 11g pro 29.8 carb 16.9 fib 0.9

Sidenote: If you don't have a panini grill, cook on nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place a piece of foil over sandwiches; top with with a heavy skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden and cheese melts.

Penne with Fresh Basil and Pasta

Penne with Fresh Basil and Pasta servings:4
8 oz. penne, cooked
3 c. chopped tomatoes
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach,
thawed and well drained
1/2 c. sliced scallions
1/2 c. snipped fresh basil or 1 1/2 T. dried
1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese
In a pot, combine pasta, tomatoes, spinach, scallions and basil. Cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in feta and cook for 1 minute.

I substituted green onions for scallions and I would use fresh spinach next time. The family liked it but not how the spinach was in clumps, that's why I would use fresh next time


per serving:
About 355 calories, 6.1 g fat,(15% of calories), 19 mg cholesterol, 474 mg sodium, 4.1 g dietary fiber

Serve with grilled garlic bread:

1 loaf Italian bread, halved lengthwise
1/4 c. fat-free Italian dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
Brush cut sides of bread with dressing. Sprinkle with garlic. I put in oven on 5oo for about 5 minutes or it say to grill it on the bbq.
per serving:
About 79 calories, 1 g fat(12% of calories), o mg cholesterol, 236 mg sodium, 0.1 g dietary fibe

I love the ingredients in this dish

Most of the family don't like tomatoes so I couldn't mix them in.

Finished product ready to eat.

Broccoli-Mushroom Calzone

1 c. sliced mushrooms
2 t. light margarine
1/4 c. grated parmesan or asagio cheese
3/4 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
5 T. fat-free egg substitute
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. finely chopped raw broccoli
1 sweet red pepper, roasted and sliced
4 black olives, sliced
1 lb. frozen bread dough, thawed

Heat oven ot 350. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick spray.

To make filling: Saute mushrooms in margarine until tender, about 5 minutes. Combine cheeses, 4 tablespoons egg substitute and black pepper. Stir in broccoli, roasted peppers, olives and mushrooms.

To assemble calzone: On baking sheet, stretch dough into a 6x16 inch rectangle. Spoon on filling, covering dough up to 1 inch from the edges. Fold dough over lengthwise; press edges together. Brush dough with remaining egg substitute. Bake until calzone is golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

Per serving:
about 449 calories, 13 g fat

secret to success:
Bake pizza on the lowest rack in a heated oven for a crisp crust.

Creamy Linguine With Ham

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 oz. lean ham, julienned
1/3 c. fat -free chicken broth
1/3 c. fat-free mayonnaise
1/4 t. red and black pepper blend
8 oz. linguine cooked

Coat a skillet with non-stick spray. Add zucchini and ham. Saute over medium-high heat until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Whisk broth, mayonnaise and pepper blend until smooth. Toss zucchini, ham and mayonnaise mixture with hot linguine. Delicious!

servings: 4

about 250 calories, 1.4 g fat

Classic Chocolate Fondue

This is one of my favorite desserts.

1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. skim milk
1 T. reduced-calorie margarine
1 T. orange extract
In a small saucepan, whisk sugar, cocoa and cornstarch.
Whisk in milk until well blended. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in margarine and extract. Transfer to a heated fondue pot, crockpot or small casserole with a warming unit.

Serve with whole strawberries; frozen banana slices; kiwifruit slices; graham crackers or cubes of reduced-calorie pound cake.

sidenote: I never use orange extract, I substitute vanilla and I usually serve with strawberries, angel food cake and bananas (not frozen). LOVE IT!

per serving: about 70 calories, 1 g fat

cabbage and ham

I got this recipe from Tracey. It is an easy, quick dinner.

cabbage
ham chunks
frozen potatoes (cubed)
shredded carrots
onion

There is no certain amount of any ingredient. I usually use half of a head of cabbage a bag of frozen potatoes and whatever looks good for the carrots and ham. Cook up the onion and potatoes first in a little bit of olive oil then add the rest.

Chicken soft tacos

We haven't made these since summer because we bbq the meat, but it is delicious.

1tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
cooking spray
12(6 inch) white corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat monterey jack cheese(such as Tillamook)
low-fat sour cream(optional)

Prepare grill. combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub spice mixture over chicken.
Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes; chop.
Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas; top each tortilla with 2 tbsp. cabbage and 1 tsp. cheese. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

asian cabbage

This is yummy and quick to make as a side dish.

1 tsp. canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cups packaged coleslaw
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute 2 minutes. Add coleslaw; saute 1 minute or until coleslaw begins to wilt. Place coleslaw in a medium bowl. Add sesame oil, salt and pepper, tossing to coat. Serve with main course.

Rosemary Roast Pork Sandwiches au jus

I made this the other night and we all loved it. From now on I'll take pictures of the meals we try and like.

2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dries rosemary
3/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 (14 ounce) can less-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 tbsp. tomato paste
6 (2 ounce) french breads
lettuce leaves
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 2. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; add 1tsp. olive oil. Rub evenly over pork. Let stand 15 minutes. 3. Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in a large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees(slightly oink). Let stand 5 minutes. Remove pork from pan; cut diagonally across grain into 12 slices. 4. Return pan to medium-high heat; add broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add sherry and tomato paste; stir with a wire whisk. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. 5. Cut french rolls in half horizontally. Place 2 pork slices on bottom half of each roll; top with a lettuce leaf, if desired. Cover with roll tops. Serve with au jus. 6 servings 270 calories 7g fat 22g protein
tip: my tenderloin was 2 pounds and it took about an hour to get to 160 degrees. Not quite the ten minutes but well worth the wait.

low-fat tips

Here are a few tips that I have picked up regarding cooking low-fat. I will add to this list as I learn more or remember some I forgot.
1. The fewer the ingredients the better in a pre-made item
2. several low-fat substitutions are just as good as their counterparts. The non-fat are not but the low-fat are.
3. I buy the small paper plates at Costco because if our plates are smaller, our portions are smaller(we use paper plates all the time)
4. Use Canola oil instead of vegetable
5. Use yogurt instead of sour cream
6. I know I have others.

Low-fat Life

I have always had a desire to learn to cook low-fat foods. I have picked up a few recipes and pointers here and there on cooking low-fat throughout the last few years. This is the year though that I am going to do more about it. My brother has taught himself how to be a great cook and I am going to do the same only my recipes are going have half the fat of Tony's. I am posting it through a blog so that I may 1. use it as a recipe book for me and 2. so that I can share delicious recipes that I find with others.