Morning Glory Muffins

I made these today because I had carrots to use up. It was either these or a luscious carrot cake complete with cream cheese frosting. You can understand why the Morning Glory Muffins won out. They turned out GREAT! My kids thought I'd lost my mind because I kept asking them if they'd like another muffin for a snack. I didn't bother telling them that they were pretty darn healthy so I was totally OK with them digging in! I omitted the nuts but everything else was as written. Enjoy!

Morning Glory Muffins

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp table salt

2 cups carrots shredded

1 cup apple(s) shredded

3/4 cup raisins

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

8 oz can of crushed pineapple, drained

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large egg(s)

2 items egg white(s)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour through salt in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in carrots through pineapple. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add oil, applesauce, vanilla, eggs and eggs whites. Stir until just moist. Spoon batter into 24 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

What I loved about this dish was the simplicity of the ingredients. I have to say that my absolute favorite part was the dressing on the salad! So simple but sooo good! I will add that my chicken was not done when cooked in the oven according to the directions on the recipe. So follow everything until you get to the oven part and go ahead and bake them at 350 F for 20 minutes. I pounded my chicken pretty flat but it was raw when I pulled them out after following the directions. I then put them back at 350 for 20 min and they came out juicy and perfect! I also did not use 1 cup of olive oil to fry. I used about 1/3C of canola oil. Don't use extra virgin olive oil to fry! The oil isn't meant to withstand such high temps needed and will burn. Use canola or vegetable oil if you don't have regular OLIVE oil.

Tuscan Lemon Chicken

Cutlets

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 3 eggs 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1 inch thickness

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad

2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 ounces baby greens

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Preheat oven to 300F and adjust rack to middle position.

2. To make the cutlets, put flour in a shallow pie plate or bowl. in a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs. Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip a chicken breast in flour, then eggs, and immediately place into the hot pan. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Pan-fry each about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through to get each side golden and crisp.

3. Place a cooling rack on top of a large cookie sheet, lay chicken pieces on rack, and place in oven; bake 7 minutes. the chicken is cooked through when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 160F.

4. To make the dressing, combine lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly pour in oil, whisking constantly to thoroughly combine ingredients. Put lettuce and tomatoes in a large salad bowl and toss with dressing.

5. To serve, place a chicken breast on each of 4 plates. Squeeze a lemon quarter over each breast and top with a healthy serving of salad.

Excerpted from Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt, published by International Focus Press. Copyright © 2010.

Crock Pot Sweet 'n Sour Chicken

This was a "throw together because I thawed Chicken Breasts 2 days ago and I need to cook them". Plus, it was a WW recipe so I knew that it would be diet friendly. It was really good and QUICK, EASY and the kids liked it. Trifecta if you ask me. Careful not to overcook the chicken in the crock pot. I cooked it for like 5 hours on low and it was PERFECT. You could also add some pineapple and peppers to this and it would be super! Add toward the end of the cooking cycle to avoid mushy veggies though.

Crock pot Sweet 'n Sour Chicken

3 pounds of boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts (I used 3 breasts and I cut them

into bite size pieces.)

3/4 C Apricot spreadable fruit (I used Simply Fruit brand)

1 8oz bottle of Kraft Fat Free Catalina Dressing

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients together and place into crock pot. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Serve over rice for additional points.

NI: 1/2 C Serving without rice: Cal 183 Fat 3g Carb 11g, Fiber trace, Cholesterol 69 mg, Sodium 374 mg.

Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

OK so I know I've reviewed and posted a recipe for this type of dish before. I however rescind my former review to add that THESE were the BEST manicotti I've eaten!! LOVE the fact that they're vegetarian (but you could easily add meat to this recipe), that they have cream cheese in them (one of my loves in life next to Tim Horton's coffee) and that the sauce is homemade and DELICIOUS!! Try these, aside from the pain they are to fill the shells (made a SMIDGE easier by putting the filling in a ziplock gallon bag, snipping off the corner and piping it into the shells) these were worth all the effort.

Spinach and Cheese Manicotti

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cans (8 ounces each) no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry red wine or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano

FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) 2% cottage cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti shells
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, wine, Italian seasoning, sugar and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, for filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the cottage cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs and salt.
Stuff cream cheese mixture into uncooked manicotti shells. Spread 1 cup sauce into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spay. Arrange manicotti over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top.
Cover and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until pasta is tender. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 2 stuffed manicotti equals 389 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 722 mg sodium, 50 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 25 g protein.

Soda Pop Chops with smashed potatoes

These were soooo good!! I'm very hesitant to post the N.I. for them but keep in mind that it INCLUDES the smashed potatoes. I used pork chops from tenderloin so they were much lower in fat and decreased the sodium when I could (read lesser amount in the breading). Also, the N.I. takes into account the use of the olive oil for browning purposes. That being said, this was excellent and I'll make it again for sure! Even the kids LOVED it which is virtually unheard of.

Soda Pop Chops with Smashed Potatoes
TOH Simple and Delicious Magazine


1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes, halved
1 cup root beer (I used diet root beer)
1 cup ketchup (I used low sugar ketchup)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 bone-in pork loin chops (7 ounces each) ( I used boneless pork loin)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the root beer, ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add pork chops, one at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet, brown chops in oil. Add root beer mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until meat is tender, turning once. Remove pork and keep warm.
Bring sauce to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Meanwhile, drain potatoes; mash with butter, garlic powder and remaining salt and pepper. Serve with pork chops and sauce.
Yield: 4 servings.


Nutrition Facts: 1 pork chop with 1/2 cup potatoes and 1/3 cup sauce equals 637 calories, 29 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 112 mg cholesterol, 1,222 mg sodium, 59 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 36 g protein.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

This was super easy and quite tasty. Taken from the cookbook "Eat what you love" by Marlene Koch. I loved the BBQ sauce because it was homemade and low in calories/sugar/fat/etc. I'd definitely make this again. Next time I think I'll BBQ the breasts on the grill and baste with the sauce during the last few minutes of cook time. Either way this is a delicious, low calorie/sugar/fat dinner that everyone liked.

Slow cooker BBQ chicken

Makes 6 servings

Sauce
1 cup sugar-free root beer*
1 cup reduced-sugar ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika

2 1/2 to 3 pounds skinless chicken breasts and thighs

*Sweetened with sucralose

1. To make the sauce, whisk together all the sauce ingredients (through the paprika) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Place the chicken in a slow cooker and pour 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce on top. Cover and cook for 3 to 4 hours on high, or 7 to 8 hours on low. Heat the remaining barbecue sauce for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve with cooked chicken.

Or try this: For Oven Root Beer Barbequed Chicken, brown the chicken piece in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and coat with 3/4 cup of the barbecue sauce. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes at 350˚F, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, simmer the remaining sauce for 10 to 15 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Baste chicken with sauce before serving.

Marlene Says: Most barbecue sauces average 12 to 16 grams of carbohydrate (with 9 to 12 of them coming from sugar) per typical 2-tablespoon serving. To reduce the amount of sugar, make your own, or look for a reduced-sugar brand like KC Masterpiece Classic Blend.

Nutrition information per serving (1/6 recipe): Calories: 210; Carbohydrate: 6 g (Sugars: 3 g); Total Fat: 7 g (Sat Fat: 2 g); Protein: 29 g; Fiber: 1 g; Cholesterol: 90 mg; Sodium: 420 mg

Food Exchanges: 4 Lean Meat
Carbohydrate Choice: 1/2
Weight Watcher Point Comparison: 4

Asian Chicken Burgers

These are awesome!! My husband actually thought it was beef. So if you have a beef lover out there, give this recipe a try with the ground turkey and I guarantee they won't be able to tell the difference! Love this recipe!

Asian Chicken Burgers

• Cooking spray
• 1 small carrot
• 1 small red onion, halved
• 1 pound ground chicken (I used ground turkey)
• 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
• 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons hot Asian chili sauce, such as sambal oelek (omitted this, had no idea what it was or where to get it)
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced (omitted)
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (omitted)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 whole-wheat sesame hamburger buns

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. Grate the carrot and 1/2 onion into a large bowl. Add the chicken, panko, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, the ginger, 3 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sambal oelek and mix until combined. Shape the chicken mixture into 4 patties and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

**I grilled these babies on the gas grill. This is how I would suggest doing it**

Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining 1/2 onion. Toss with the mushrooms, sesame oil, lime juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce and 2 teaspoons sambal oelek with 1 tablespoon water in another bowl.

(I omitted the entire sauce portion. I used what was called for in the meat mixture but that's it)

Warm the hamburger buns in the oven. Serve the burgers on the buns with a drizzle of the hoisin-sambal sauce and some of the mushroom mixture.

Per serving: Calories 360; Fat 14 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 1,143 mg; Carbohydrate 40 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 24 g