Turkey Chicken Chili

On a super cold day we all have our comfort foods and for some of us Chili is just that. One problem! Chili can be loaded with fat and calories and can weigh you down! Try this one out you'll never miss the ground beef!

I say you won't miss it, however if you prefer you can use extra lean ground beef as well, but I do love the flavor of the chicken and turkey.

16 oz extra lean ground chicken
16-20 oz extra lean ground turkey
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Black Beans
1 Red bell pepper (diced)
1 Green bell pepper (diced)
1 large onion (diced) + more for topping
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced)
1 cherry pepper (seeded and minced)
1 yellow chili pepper (seeded and minced)
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 can Stewed tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 Tbsp hot sauce
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tsp Pepper (white, black or mixed)
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Onion Powder
1 pinch Red pepper flakes
cheese for topping

Brown the meats in a skillet using non stick cooking spray and once cooked through, strain.
Add all of the ingredients to the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

If you don't have a crock pot and don't want to invest in one you can cook this in a pot on the stove over a low heat for 3-4 hours stirring occasionally in order to not burn the bottom.

For 1/8th of a pot - 300 calories, 2g fat, 25g carbs, 37g protein (plus your toppings, 60 calories for 1/2 oz cheese and a couple T of onions)

If you don't like beans- DON'T ADD THEM!
If you prefer to have extra lean ground beef - GO FOR IT!
If you want super SPICY - Add lots of peppers and some cayenne pepper and hot sauce
If you don't do spice - Don't add peppers or hot sauce!

Play with it a little, and have fun! Its super tasty!

Mini Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Casserole

Talk about delicious wrapped into an individual little portion for everyone!!! So I love everything Mediterranean food wise. And this is no different. I came up with this because I love stuffed chicken but figured it would be more fun to have individualized!

12-16 oz of diced chicken
2 oz crumbled feta cheese
3 button mushrooms - finely chopped
1/4 onion diced
1 clove garlic
2 cups spinach - sauteed
1/4 cup + 2 T panko bread crumbs
Spray butter
2 ramekins

preheat oven to 350 degrees

-Saute spinach in oil with garlic, salt and pepper until wilted
-While that is cooking mix together in a bowl the feta, mushrooms, onion, pepper and 2T panko.
-Once spinach is wilted add to the mixture.
-Spray ramekins with non stick cooking spray
-Salt and pepper the chicken
-place 3-4 oz of diced chicken in the bottom of the ramekin
-add a layer of the filling
-add another 3-4 oz of diced chicken on top
-top with a couple tablespoons of panko bread crumbs
-Spray the top with a few sprays of spray butter (this will give it a little a nice golden brown)

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden brown all over on top!

Let cool for a few minutes and ENJOY!

Oh and if you have any filling left over save it! It makes a great breakfast burrito with some eggs and white American cheese mixed in OR a delicious little vegetarian lunch wrap!

Counts - Calories 315 per ramekin, 11 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbs, 42 grams of protein!

Variations

The great thing about this recipe is you can add ingredients that you love! If I had kalamata olives I would have added those, sun dried tomatoes also work great and even some chopped bacon. If you want a little more of a creamy sauce you can add in 2 T of nonfat greek yogurt or sour cream into your filling.

If you preferred an Italian version use this filling -
4 T marinara sauce
2T panko bread crumbs
1 handful basil - wilted in garlic salt and pepper
2 oz mozzarella cheese

and for an Italian topping
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 T parmesan cheese
spray butter

Bake and assemble the same way!

Roasted Pineapple Variations and Additions

So in my YouTube Video of this recipe I said I would list a couple of options for variations.

Here is the ORIGINAL RECIPE

To this you could add

1/4 cup of red or orange bell peppers
1/4 cup of green bell peppers

(saute these with the onion and garlic)

Or

2 cups of sauteed spinach
- saute fresh spinach with garlic and add toward the end of the cooking process
- or just add thawed and drained frozen chopped spinach towards the end of the cooking process, cooking long enough to heat through

Or

3-4 stalks of asparagus per person, cut into 3/4 inch segments, also sauteed with the onion and garlic

Or

I LOVE sugar snap peas with it, but since I like my sugar snap peas to have quite the crunch to them I usually saute them separately with a little butter and minced garlic until heated through and fold them into the sauce when done.

And last but not least

You can take just about any frozen veggies you want (preferably ones without a sauce) cook them in the microwave or in a separate pan and stir them in at the end. The very first time I made this, that is exactly what I did!

All of these options add more nutrition to this dish without adding a whole lot of extra calories! Have fun with it!

And remember you can switch up the protein with tons of different options!

-ground turkey or chicken (cook separately and fold in at the end or made into meatballs)
-turkey tenderloins
-chicken tenderloins
-light fish (cod, haddock, talapia, etc)
-shrimp
-scallops
-ham (preferably a lean thick cut)
-pork tenderloin (or any lean cut of pork)

Remember these will change the calorie count a little, but definitely give you many many options on how to change this dish up whenever you're craving something a little different! Just season them up with you favorite Cajun seasoning, and play around with the amount of the Cajun seasoning! The more you put the spicier it will be come and that's what really makes this sweet and spicy contrast work so well together!

My First Ever Video Blog!

So this was my first attempt at a video blog. I am a littler nervous about how I came off to people, but I guess you have to start somewhere right? I also did a mini cooking demo this morning of my favorite breakfast sandwich, but for that I used a video camera and since it is Nick's I don't know how to move it to the computer or how to edit it afterward. So hopefully tonight he will show me how to do that and I'll be able to post another video.

Its official!

I will be making my first video blog tomorrow! I'm really excited, but really nervous about it!!! I played around with some video editing software this evening, so I think I'm ready to get it started! I haven't decided what I am going to make yet. I'm thinking maybe some fresh pasta, its easy and delicious! And I've been craving it! Or maybe a marsala dish... hmm we shall see. Stay tuned, tomorrow is going to be a big day!

Talapia with Orange Sauce

Ok, so Nick and I had this the other night and it was actually way tastier than I expected it to be. I got the idea from a cookbook but changed the ingredients up a bit to make it my own.

2 T melted butter
1 orange zested and juiced
1/4 t ground ginger
1/2 t white pepper
1 t salt
1 T flour
1/2 c milk
cayenne pepper for garnish

2 4 oz talapia fillets

stir together the first 5 ingredients.
Brush a little over the talapia fillets
broil talapia for approx 10 mins until cooked through
while cooking in a small sauce pan heat the first 5 ingredients
once boiling, add flour and whisk together
add milk whisk until thickened, if too thick, add more milk to thin out

pour over talapia
serve with rice or couscous and a veggie of your choice (we used broccoli but snap peas or something else would work too)
sprinkle just a tiny bit of cayenne pepper on top for color and a little kick! don't forget it, it really makes all the difference in the world... makes the dish not too sweet

Serves 2 - Calories - Approx 270 each (does not include side dishes, just main dish and sauce)

Creative Comfort Foods

So everyone has their comfort food, mine is Mac and Cheese, with bacon and chicken, Nick's on the other hand is Pork Pie. His mom brings us pork pies on a regular basis frozen so that we can just bake them off whenever we want... However, while we were eating some yesterday it dawned on me that I could make it a little different and still give it the comfort food feel. I'll keep you guys posted on how it turns out! I have high hopes for it!

What are your favorites that you would like to be healthy and I'll work on a recipe!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pancakes

3/4 c - Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 c - All Purpose Flour
3 T - Splenda or Sugar
2 t - Baking powder
1/4 t - Salt

2 - large eggs separated
1 c - fat free milk
3 T - Butter melted

Non stick cooking spray
Griddle heated to 350 degrees

Ok, so these pancakes take a little longer to make but they are delicious!!!

For starters, put first 5 ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl
In a small bowl mix together melted butter, milk and egg yolks
And lastly whip up egg whites (with a CLEAN whisk!) until firm peaks
Add the milk mixture to the dry mixture and stir till combined
fold in the egg whites into the mixture (don't stir or won't be as light and fluffy)

Take a large soup spoon and on a greased (sprayed) griddle use 2 spoon fulls in each pancake, cook until bubbles set on top (about 3-5 mins) then flip and cook for another 2-3 mins!

Thats it! This recipe makes about 12 pancakes, and I'm putting a serving size down as 2 pancakes, although since they are low calorie, and relatively low fat you could easily have 3 and not feel guilty!

Stats - 178 calories; 8 g fat; 6 g protein; 21 g carbs.

They may not be the best, but they are definitely a million times better than what you would get in other places. They are super tasty!

Roasted Pineapple Alfredo with Cajun Chicken

Roasted Pineapple Alfredo with Cajun Chicken

This one may sound a little strange, but give it a chance! Its absolutely delicious with the spicy/sweet combination! I came up with it on my own, and LOVE it! Its a staple in our home!

1 can Pineapple slices in JUICE (if not roasting go with tidbits and save a step)
4 oz Feta Cheese (low fat or regular, the calorie count is usually the same, or close to it)
1/3 cup low fat or fat free milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 c diced onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T flour
2 T canola oil or butter for creamier flavor

1/2 lb of fettuccine (I like the thickness of this noodle with the sauce, it mops up a little more)

4 - 4 oz chicken breasts, or 4 oz fillets of white fish (think cod, talapia, haddock), or 4 oz shrimp
Cajun spice blend (the grocery store offers Many options of these, the one I have right now is Webber brand)

Roast pineapple by laying slices on a broiler pan spraying with non stick cooking spray and sticking under the broiler for a few mins until lightly golden in color. Remove and let cool slice into small pieces once cooled.

Heat up the oil and saute the garlic and onion until softened, then add in the pineapple.
Add in the flour, stir for a moment then deglaze the pan with the pineapple juice, allow to come to a simmer for a few moments
add the chicken broth, return to a simmer.
Add the feta cheese and let thicken, thin out with the milk.
allow to cook down until fully combined and delicious

While the sauce is cooking, season the protein with your favorite cajun spice blend, and cook in non stick cooking spray. when using chicken, you can either dice up chicken before hand if you want it to cook quicker, serve it whole, or dice it up afterward.

serve both the protein and the sauce over the cooked pasta!

1/4 recipe of sauce is - 230 calories - 9 g fat, 23 g carbs, and 23 g protein
the pasta - approx 200 calories for 2 oz dried pasta (may vary by brand)
the chicken - approx 120 calories (may vary)

Total calorie count - 550 calories! Talk about a delicious dish that's low calorie! And its beyond delicious too!





And for an even better tasting dish make your own pasta!
One of the best gifts I ever received was a pasta roller, but it isn't necessary to have one as long as you have a rolling pin and either a knife or pizza cutter.

Stay tuned for my blog on home made pasta!

Breakfast Wednesdays

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and NEVER get sick of it, so I figured I'd give some ideas for that too!

Mini Bagel Sandwiches

1 - mini bagel (like thomas whole wheat)
1 T - Philadelphia Light Cream Cheese
1 - large egg
2 slices - thin sliced bacon, or turkey bacon whichever you prefer

fry egg in non stick cooking spray
toast bagel
spread 1/2 T cream cheese on each side
cook bacon in pan, let drain if using regular bacon
cut bacon in half

layer sandwich accordingly

top
bacon
egg
bacon
bottom

Stats - 245 calories

If you want a more filling sandwich or would prefer 2 eggs for breakfast subsitute the mini bagel for bagel thins, so that you have more surface area, use 2 T cream cheese, and 2 or 4 slices of bacon depending on what you prefer

Stats - 380 calories

Much better than any breakfast you could get at a place!
Stay tuned for more delicious breakfasts!

Bon Appetit!