Stuffed Potatoes- Light calorie version!

I love potatoes.  I'm trying very hard to shed some pounds and become healthier.  My cooking is part of that journey- that's about more than loosing weight.  But this recipe helps on both counts. It worked out (according to Myfitnesspal.com) to 90calories per serving! I used the microwave to cut down on the length of time these took to prep- and finished in the oven. Preheat to 425F

• 3 russet potatoes- medium size
• 1 cup shredded lite cheese +2 tbsp kept aside (I used marble) 
• 1/2 cup broccoli frozen - chopped (the smaller the piece the easier to get the kids to eat it)
• 1 1/4 cup skim milk 
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp garlic
• salt

Microwave the potatoes (3 potatoes in my microwave was 12 minutes).  Don't forget to pierce them with a fork first. While they are in the microwave mix the flour nutmeg a dash of salt and the garlic in a sauce pan.  Whisk in slowly 1 cup of milk while warming over medium heat.  Bring to a boil for 5 minutes (or until thickens) stirring and keeping it from burning.  Add the cheese, remove from heat and stir until it melts together.

Remove the potatoes from the microwave (use oven mitts) and cut in half. Scoop out the insides leaving about 1/4" left.  In a bowl mash together the potato you scooped out and the milk.  Mix in 1/2 the cheese sauce and the broccoli. On a baking sheet place the empty shells and fill with the mashed mixture. Pour over the remaining cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.

Place in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the potatoes are warmed through, cheese melted on top.

Makes 6 servings.  We paired it up with Caesar salad (yes that was store bought) and steaks!

Yum Yum Pork Chops

A friend posted this recipe and I had to try it.  Though it got tweaked a bit to make it work with what I had on hand.

• 4 pork chops (mine weren't that big we made 6)
• 1/2 cup broth (I used beef) 
• 1/4 cup soya sauce
• 1/8 cup honey 
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1tbsp ketchup

Optional: veggies. We had sweet potatoes on hand- but potatoes, carrots etc would work great and taste delicious.

Preheat oven to 350F.
Brown the pork chops in a sauce pan and then transfer to a greased casserole dish.

Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over pork chops.
Cook for 1 hour.

If you do veggies a couple different ways to do them. 1- in the dish with the pork chops- worked really well. 2- make more of the sauce, toss in it and cook along side in the oven!

Steak sauce, Crushed Potatoes and Baked Asparagus fries

Yup tonight was a big one 3 newish ideas. I'm going to list them in the order I made them.

Crushed Potatoes

This is a Pioneer Woman inspired recipe.

• Potatoes- small red choose same number as you would if you were baking potatoes for the meal.  For us that meant 3-4 medium size potatoes. 
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• Rosemary or some other favorite herb
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

preheat oven 450F

Get your big pot out and boil the potatoes until they are firm but a fork can go through.  Place them onto a  non stick pan that you've lightly brushed with olive oil.  Don't cheat- don't use spray stuff.  Use the good stuff TRUST ME! Use your potato masher (or anything hard and flat ish) and squash that potato until it's sorta flat.

Brush with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt (Really no go add some more trust me you'll thank me after), pepper, your rosemary. I tossed some parmesan on because well I love my cheese.
Place in the oven top rack for 20-25minutes.

Baked Asparagus 

• Asparagus- 1/2 to a whole bunch of it
• bread crumbs (I used a blend of panko and Italian)
• seasoning (As I used Italian breadcrumbs this step wasn't necessary!)
• Parmesan (Optional)
• 1 egg

This is an easy peasy way to bake asparagus. Tip them so you have just the good parts (I personally use the bend them and they snap at the right spot method).  Mix your egg and a couple tbsp water. Mix your bread crumbs on another plate. Now I don't own grated Parmesan so I sprinkled my shaved Parmesan over top of them at the end.  If you have grated mix it on in with the bread crumbs. Dip in the egg mixture, roll in the bread crumbs place on your non stick pan. (and if your some lucky gal who a rack-use a rack over your pan to get them even crispier). 

Bake at 425 for 10 -15 minutes until crispy brown.  (Note since I had my potatoes in already I lowered the temp on the oven to 425F when I put these in and it took just 10 minutes.

Restaurant 'ish' style steak with sherry sauce

• Steaks- the thicker the better
• Soya sauce 
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Spice (I use montreal steak spice personally- but for sure salt and pepper)
• Butter (Not margarine!)
• Sherry or Red cooking wine.
• flour

I've been won over to cooking steaks this style- so easy and if the oven is on gives really nice taste.  My steaks marinated  (while defrosting) in  the Soya Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and montreal steak spice mixture.  In a cast iron pan (That can be placed in the oven) put a couple tablespoons of butter, a bit of salt and sear the steaks 2minutes on each side.  Spoon the butter back over the steaks and place into the oven at 425F. Leave in the oven for 6-7 minutes (gives me a medium well done steak when about 1" thick).

Remove from the oven and place the steaks aside to rest.  In the pan pour a 1/2 cup sherry/wine, a couple tablespoons flour and heat over low and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat. Spoon sauce over the steak.



Now I must say- I impressed myself with the fact I was able to time all this.  I got the potatoes into the oven.  The steaks had marinated while defrosting.  I prepped the asparagus and had it ready to place into the oven. I put them and the steaks into the oven at the same time.  And that lined up just about right time to remove the potatoes!


This meal turned out great. My kids all had seconds of the potatoes and fought over the last steak.  If there was more asparagus (We only had 1/2 a bunch to use) they would have had more of those too. I was hoping this would be lunch left overs for me tomorrow I thought wrong.

Cheesey crescent pinwheels

Yummmm.  You can twist this recipe so many ways.  This was a "wow we're stuck at home in a blizzard and can't make the grocery store- what can I cook" sort of recipe.

Idea came from Pillsbury recipe.

1 package crescent roll
3tbs mayo (I used Miracle whip)
2-3 oz shredded cheese-
1/4 tsp Garlic

I did Parmesan and marble cheddar- because well that's what we had on hand.  You could go sweeter and use Cream cheese.  You could choose a stronger cheese for a more savory taste.  Add Bacon what ever.  I added in powdered garlic. The mayo gives it a nice zing. 

This made JUST enough to cover the crescent roll- you could make more filling in it.

Take the cheese, mayo and garlic and mix in a small bowl.  Lay out the crescent rolls- flat- the rolls will automatically break into two sections. pinch together the seams.  Spread the cheese mixture and roll up pinching the ends together. 

Slice each roll into 8 pieces place cut side down.

Yes my cutting sucks- I need real knives! but they still turn out pretty!

Cook at 350F for 10-15 minutes (keep an eye on em!)

Just a bit of parsley sprinkled over top

Turkey Walnut Meatloaf & Asparagus

Turkey Meatloaf.  This comes from an inspiration recipe here. I followed it pretty close- but I came home to not able to find my sage. Eek! So we tweaked
The walnut taste was not very apparent- my plan is to up the walnut content next time and to use sage as planned not rosemary! Paired it up with saute asparagus and parmesan mashed potatoes (we tossed some asiago cheese in those this time to add a bit different taste) 

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large carrot, grated- we used several smaller ones straight from our garden
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg beaten- we used from our own chickens
• 1.5 pounds extra-lean ground turkey breast (99% fat-free)
• 1/2 tsp Parsley (Dried)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp Rosemary (dried) 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

 Preheat Oven to 350F
In a sauce pan heat oil and carrot, scallions and garlic until soft.
Chop until fine walnuts and bread (I toasted mine to make it easier) with a blender/processor.
In a bowl mix milk and the eggs. Add in turkey, an slowly gently mix in the  mixture from the sauce pan and the bread crumbs/nut mixture and any remaining ingredients..

Transfer to a loaf pan and cook until 155F in center or around 45-50 minutes.

While this was cooking and we got the potatoes boiling we got the asparagus started.

Did you know easy way to tip them is to just hold each end and bend.  They magically will snap where the woody area starts (If you think it through really this makes total sense).
Place a small amount of butter in sauce pan, I added some minced garlic (1 clove) as well.  Saute until the tenderness you prefer. Remove from heat- add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Delicious meal folks!

Ranch Pork Chops and Parmesan Garlic Potatoes

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while.  The original inspiration recipe is here.  That said i think next time i'm not going to make them in the crock pot- but in a sauce pan... or maybe in the oven.  Since we had to turn it on anyway.  This was my first time trying to roast garlic too- success!

Crock Pot Pork Chop Portion:
Our crock pot uses a probe to measure temperature- but it worked out to approximately 2.5-3 hours on high.

1 can ready to serve cream of chicken soup
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
4-6 pork chops.  (We used bone in and fairly thick- but thinner boneless would work well too)

Potatoes:

First roast a bulb of garlic: oven at 350F lightly wrap the garlic in tinfoil and roast for 45 minutes- 1 hour.  let cool for 15 minutes and then peel the skins off and mash.  I used 12 cloves total (about one bulb)

4lbs potatoes cubed skins on
roasted garlic
1 cup parmesan- shaved or grated- fresh is best
Milk (approx 1 cup)
5 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain. Now you have the option hand mashing or transferring to your stand mixer and mixing there. Mash and add in the butter and milk until the consistancey you want.  Add in the Parmesan and mix until well distributed.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork chop over a bed of potatoes.  Garnish with parsley

Taco night & Smoothies

Ok this isn't an exciting recipe- it' sorta recipe less if you want to get down to it. But our version of tacos. Missing tonight was fresh tomatoes- our garden needs to get going!

• 1lb ground beef 
• taco shells
• Light marble cheese shredded 
• romaine lettuce
• salsa
• light sour cream

On each taco there is 1tsp of sour cream and about 1tsp of cheese- i shread it super fine so it feels like more.  I admit these were so good I had two.
WW Points: 6/Taco (PS Two = 13 points!) 

Very Merry Berry Smoothies
Love my new Kitchen Aid immersion blender that my Mom and Dad got us this year. (It matches the mixer and toaster :) )

Easy recipe

• 3 cups berries
• 2 cups milk 
• 2 tsp Splenda
• a few drops of flavoring if you want- we put banana and coconut in

Tasty!!! It makes 3 cups- because those berries are frozen- there's lots of space between them to fill with milk.
WW Points:3
Servings: 3 

Mustard Chicken and Curried Veggies and the Yummiest desert around

It's Wednesday- my work has cancelled so meal plan day got pushed up and we headed to the grocery store.

Mustard Breaded Chicken

WHOOPS NO PHOTO
Sorry folks- one of my bff's phoned while i just finished cooking- i got eating before i realized WHOOPS no photo! So you'll have to imagine it.

I tweaked the recipe and made it as follows:

• 1/2 cup Sour cream- (I used light) 
• 1 tbs Mustard- Dijon or honey- i used honey because that's what's in the house
• 1/2 cup Bread crumbs- I used an Italian bread crumb mix that has some romano cheese and herbs in it. 
• 3-4 chicken breasts- skinless and boneless.

Mix the sour cream and mustard in a bowl and let the chicken breasts marinate for 15 minutes.  Then take them out, bread with the crumbs.
Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes until done. These were crispy on the outside moist on the inside. Not sure if this is my favorite recipe for breaded chicken- but it was interesting to try. If I could find Panko I'd try it with that for the bread crumbs. Kids loved it!
WW Point/breast: 8

Curried Veggies: 
Simple and decently good- next time more curry!
Head of Cauliflower (we also did some broccoli)
2-3 TBS Olive Oil
Curry powder to taste

So easy- toss them in the oil and curry powder- bake at 475F for 6 minutes until just getting brown and crispy- serve immediately!
Yeah yeah just like above- no photo sorry!
WW Points: 0!

Doughboy Cheesecake= Delicious! 
The idea for this desert came from here via Pinterest
However I tweaked it to bring down the points and well I'm lazy :) Next time if I think ahead I'll buy light cream cheese and use splenda in place of the sugar. Because this is GOOD and needs to be made again!
I did 1/2 the recipe and made it in a pie dish.

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• cinnamon/Sugar

Easy peasy this is.  Take 1/2 the container of crescent roll stretch it out and cover the bottom of the pie pan
Mix Softened cream cheese and sugar Spread over the crescent roll dough.  Take the other 1/2 of the crescent rolls- stretch out and cover the top.  Mine didn't cover it perfect- but that does not matter.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix over top.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes until just lightly brown  I admit I overcooked just a bit.  Best served warm- but not hot.
8 servings
WW Points: 6