No dishes tonight!

Here is a recipe for you that requires no pots and pans! I'm telling ya, this is MY kind of meal!

Cheesy Burger Veggie Packets
1lb lean ground beef
3/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
1 bag (24oz) Green Giant frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower & cheese-flavored sauce


1) Pre-heat your outside grill. Cut 4 sheets of heavy duty foil; spray center of each with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix ground beef, seasoned salt and pepper. Shape mixture into 4 patties, 1/2 inch thick. 


2) In center of each sheet of foil, place 1 cup potatoes, 1/4 of the veggies and cheese sauce chips and 1 beef patty. Wrap each packet securely using  double-fold seals, allowing room for heat expansion.


3) Place packets, sealed side down, on grill; cover grill. Cook with med heat 10 minutes. Turn packets over; cook covered 15-18 minutes longer or until cooked thru and veggies are tender.


4 To serve, carefully open packets to allow steam to escape. Stir to mix in cheese sauce.

Serves 4 - 344 Calories per packet (using 93% ground beef)

Sorta Salisbury Steak

I was going to try out a recipe in a Kraft magazine for Salisbury Steak but didn't have any mushrooms so I decided to get creative and mix it up. Turned out pretty good. Served them with some mashed potatoes.

Sorta Salisbury Steak

1 lbs lean ground beef

1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken

1 1/4 C. water

1/2 C. chopped onions

1-2 cans of green beans

1 can of cream of mushroom soup (used healthy request)

1/2 C. milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing, water and onions until well blended. Shape into 6 oval patties. Place in baking dish. Drain green beans and put on top of patties. Mix milk and cream of mushroom soup together and pour over meat and green beans. Bake 25-30 min or until cooked through.

Serves 6 - 268 Calories per serving

Picnic Delight Spaghetti

If your in the mood for spaghetti but don't want to dirty up lots of pots and pans then try this recipe out. It has been in our family for a very long time. Its a nice twist on your regular spaghetti.

Picnic Delight Spaghetti

1 pound ground beef
1/4 C. onion (chopped)
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Chili Powder
2 T. BBQ Sauce
1/4 C. Ketchup
2 (14 oz. each) cans of Chef Boyardee spaghetti in tomato sauce

Brown beef with onions, salt and pepper and chili powder. Drain and place back into skillet. Add remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 15 min.


Serves 6  -  219 Calories per serving

Using up your fresh produce from the garden

A friend told me she was putting a lot of her garden produce in her crockpot for supper so I thought I'd do the same! Everything was FRESH from my mom's garden! Thanks mom :)

Depending on what your family size is you can determine how many veggies you need. What I did was peel and cut up red potatoes in cubes, washed and snapped my green beans, cut up a fresh onion and placed ham slices on top. I added a cup or so of water and seasoned it up with some salt and pepper. Turned the slow cooker on for 4-5 hours on high or until everything was tender. It was pretty good and healthy :)

Dinner Rolls for the bread machine

These dinner rolls are very easy to make and they taste just like you worked hard kneading the dough but the bread machine did it for you!! My mom gave me this recipe.  I made mine a little bigger and used them as buns instead of rolls.

Dinner Rolls (using bread machine)

2/3 C. Milk
4 T. Butter
1 Egg
1 tsp. Salt
2 1/4 C. Flour
1/4 C. Sugar
1 pkg. Yeast

Melt butter and add milk, egg and salt. Heat to luke warm in microwave then put into bread machine pan. Sift together flour and sugar and put on top of liquid. Make a dent and add yeast. Start bread machine for dough cycle. Remove and shape into rolls and let rise until doubled in size. Bake for 15 min at 375 degrees.

Been busy making pickles!!

Its been awhile since the last entry. I have a few recipes to share that I just haven't had time to get put on here. My kids have taken over my computer and I'm soooo ready for school to start in a few weeks! I made Lime pickles this week and they turned out pretty good! Below are pictures of the long process. You can find the recipe on the back of a pickling lime package.

Soaking the cucumbers in lime overnight!

Giving the filled jars a bath :)

 Finished Product!!

Cheeseburger Pasta

I got this out of my Healthy Cooking magazine, it was really good. If your tired of the same old tomato sauce over pasta, try this! 

Cheeseburger Pasta
1 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
3/4 pound lean ground beef
2 T finely chopped onion
1 can (14 1/2 oz) no salt added - diced tomatoes
2 T dill or sweet pickle relish
2 T prepared mustard
2 T ketchup
1 tsp. steak seasoning
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
3/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
chopped green onions, optional

1. Cook pasta according to pkg. directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Drain pasta; add to meat mixture.

2. Stir in tomatoes, relish, mustard, ketchup, steak seasoning and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions if desired.

Nutritional Info:

1 1/2 cups equals 391 calories, 12 g fat, 759 sodium, 4 g fiber

Slow Cooker Cheeseburgers and Cheesy Hasbrowns

We had these amazing cheeseburgers in the slow cooker! 

Yep Cheeseburgers in the slow cooker, cool right?!

I found this recipe from the msg boards on www.myfitnesspal.com. These are so easy to make and give a new twist to the tomato type sloppy joes. The best part about them is the kids LOVED them!

We also had a healthy version of hash brown casserole that was pretty tasty too!

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cheeseburgers

1 Pound Lean (96/4) Ground Beef

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

2 Tablespoons Skim Milk

1 Cup Chopped Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Tablespoon Prepared Mustard

1 Tablespoon Dill or Sweet Relish

8 oz. Velveeta Light Cheese

Grab a skillet and brown that beef:

Spray the crock pot with cooking spray and throw the beef in the crock pot: Add the Garlic Salt, Black Pepper and the Skim Milk. Add the onions on top: Then the garlic; Add the relish and Velveeta cheese. Now take a spoon and mix it all up

Close the crock pot with lid and cook on high for 1-2 hours or until the cheese melts!

8 servings @ 158 Calories per serving

Cheesy Hasbrowns

6 oz evaporated milk
3/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 oz of butter
1.2 oz of cornflakes, crushed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 package (2 lbs) frozen hashbrown potatoes, thawed

Combine all ingredients, transfer for a greased 11x7 baking dish, bake uncovered for 350 degree for 45-55 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

10 servings
3/4 cup= 74 cal, 5 g fat, 122 mg sodium, 7 g carbs, 2 g protein

Pita! Pita! mmmm! Pita!

I use to buy pitas and they sat on my counter, then I threw them in the freezer before they expired and then 6 months later I found them freezer-burnt while cleaning out my freezer. I just never knew the possibilities until I stumbled upon a  recipe on myfitnesspal.com msg boards, that's when the juices started flowing.

This following recipe for Bacon Breakfast Pizza is totally awesome! It only has 250 Calories in it, compare that to your favorite gas station breakfast pizza, around 540 calories for a bacon breakfast slice from Casey's!

 This is light and you won't feel guilty about eating every little bite!

Bacon Breakfast Pita Pizza

1 Pita Bread, cut around edge to make 2 "crusts" you will only need 1 of these -  90 calories

1/4 C. Egg Beaters - 30 calories 

1/4 C. Shredded Mozzarella - 80 calories 

2 T Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits - 50 calories 

Pour egg beaters in a sprayed small microwavable bowl and heat for about 40 seconds. Break up with a fork and top  pita crust with eggs. Top eggs with mozzarella then bacon bits on top (i find they get a little crisp when they're on top of the cheese). Put under broiler until cheese is melted and its brown and crispy.

250 Calories for entire pizza!!

Ham Egg and Cheese Pita Pocket

1/2 Pita - 90 Calories

1/4 C. Egg Beaters - 30 Calories

2 Slices Hormel Honey Ham, 35 Calories

1 Slice American Cheese - 50 Calories

Pour egg beaters in a sprayed small microwavable bowl and heat for about 35 seconds. Add ham and cheese on top and microwave another 15-20 seconds until hot and melted. Stuff it all in the pita and you got a very filling breakfast.

205 Calories for the pita pocket - 42 calories for 1/2 C. fresh blueberries

Homemade Chinese is Better :)

Its been quite awhile since we have posted anything! Its been kinda a crazy spring, sorry!

I have created a nice binder full of recipes I found online on blogs, message boards and various other websites. I am going to pick out what I want for the week and put it in the front and make my grocery list.

On today's menu we had three things, only because

I have picky eaters and I didn't know what they would like.

Vegetable Fried Rice
posted on My Fitness Pal msg boards

1 pkg of uncle ben's brown rice
1 10 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables, or 2 cups fresh vegetables, chopped (we use the frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten (I use Egg Beaters)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

Directions
1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and rice. Stir and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add vegetables to rice mixture. Cook 2 minutes for frozen vegetables and 5-7 minutes for fresh vegetables.
3. Spread the mixture out to the sides of the pan, leaving space in the middle for the eggs.
4. Add the eggs, and scramble until cooked firm.
5. Mix the eggs with the rice and vegetables, then sprinkle with soy sauce.

Makes 8 servings.

* Amount Per Serving
* Calories: 137.5
* Total Fat: 3.1 g
* Cholesterol: 46.7 mg
* Sodium: 147.3 mg
* Total Carbs: 23.5 g
* Dietary Fiber: 3.0 g
* Protein: 4.5 g

Beef with Snow Peas & Mushrooms

adapted by Iowa Girl Eats

Serves 5 - 297 calories per serving

Ingredients:

1lb flank steak or flat iron steak

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons beef broth

2 cups fresh mushrooms

8oz fresh snow peas

4 scallions, chopped

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Rice or thin noodles (if desired, not counted in calorie count above)

Directions:

1. Slice beef very thin and on an angle against the grain

(freeze for 10-15 minutes before slicing to make it easier.)

2. Whisk together soy sauce, water, brown sugar, cornstarch, beef broth in a bowl. Add beef slices and set aside.

3. Trim snow peas by zipping off ends.

4. Pre-heat a very large pan to high or an electric wok to 375 degrees with olive oil (don’t forget to turn on a fan!) Add in snow peas and mushrooms and allow to cook for 1 minute, stirring a few times. Remove snow peas and mushrooms to a plate.

5. Allow wok or pan to re-heat, then add in half the beef. Let the beef sit in the wok until it star

ts to get golden brown on one side, then stirfry until it’s barely cooked, ~30 more seconds. Don’t let it burn! Remove to the plate with snow peas. Add in second half of beef with the green onions and let it get golden brown on one side.

6. When the first side of the second batch of beef is golden brown, add snow peas, first half of beef and remaining marinade back into the wok. Stir to mix everything together, then turn the heat off. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits.

Baked Egg Rolls

posted on My Fitness Pal msg boards

73 Calories per eggroll

I usually buy vegetable egg rolls in the frozen section but I am going the extra mile this week and trying to make them from scratch. Here is the recipe I am using:

1 Package of Coleslaw Mix

Green Onions, sliced

Sliced Mushrooms, chopped & diced

Zucchini, diced

1 Can Bean Sprouts, drained

Soy Sauce

Oyster Sauce

Fresh minced garlic

Fresh grated ginger

Egg Roll Wrappers

Egg, beaten

PAM Spray

For the filling:

Add all the veggies to the pot on a medium heat and mix for a few minutes until the veggies are warmed up. Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger in bowl and dump over the veggies and mix well. Set veggies aside to cool for a few minutes.

Once the veggies are cooled, fill your egg roll wrappers with filling and assemble (there are tons of instructions online on how to assemble an egg roll. It is even on the back of the egg roll wrapper). Be sure to use a little egg to seal the wrapper.

Spray a cookie sheet with PAM and line the egg rolls on cookie sheet. Spray the top of the egg rolls with PAM (just a little, you don't want to coat too much).

Bake on 350 for a good 25 minutes.

You might want to broil for a few minutes too to get them crispy on top!

Each egg roll is only 73 calories and they are a pretty good size!

*** Recipes adapted from- www.myfitnesspal.com and http://iowagirleats.com/

Mock Breaded Tenderloin from another IOWA Gal

Found another "IOWA" girl with a blog with recipes so decided to try one of hers out for lunch! That girl has got some good taste :)

Here is her blog - Iowa Girl Eats

http://iowagirleats.com/2010/07/27/pain-is-temporary-accomplishment-is-forever/

On this page you will find her recipe for breaded BAKED tenderloins. Instead of using pork chops, I used pork cutlets and I added some italian bread crumbs into the panko bread crumbs.

They were really awesome, especially if you are craving a fried really bad for you tenderloin, give this a try, you wont be disappointed!

Here is what mine looked like and a pic of my husband taking a big bite outta it! Too bad this sandwich doesn't grow hair, huh? LOL :)

Chocolate PB Cup Pie

I got some PB2, which is Peanut Butter Powder, they pretty much suck all the oil out of the peanuts and make it into powder, leaving it with A WHOLE LOT less in calories. I have a love for chocolate and peanut butter as I'm sure many of you do, right? ummm yea! :) Its in the fridge now and I can't wait to try it!!

Chocolate PB Cup Pie

1 chocolate graham cracker crust

2 boxes sugar free - fat free instant chocolate pudding

1/4 C. PB2

2 3/4 C. 1% milk

Topping

1/2 Container of cool whip

2 T. PB2

Mix the pudding mix, 1/4 c PB2 and milk until it thickens up a bit. Pour it into the pie crust. Next mix the cool whip with the 2 T PB2 and put on top. Chill for 2-3 hours or until set.

Serves 8 - 240 Calories per slice

Pictures of the Pork Recipe below

Sorry, I'm having difficulties with the way its posting tonight!!

Best BBQ Pork Sandwiches EVERRRRRR!

In my opinion anyways, these are the BEST!

BBQ Pork Sandwiches from the Grill

2-3 lb Boneless Pork Loin Roast

2 Cans Dt. Coke

McCormicks Pork Rub

Minced Onion

Tastefully Simple Sweet Paprika and Garlic Mix

BBQ Sauce (I used Famous Daves, Sweet n Sassy)

1. Rub the pork with the pork rub.

2. Preheat your grill. Put the pork directly on it and get some nice grill marks on each side.

3. Place meat in foil pan, sprinkle some minced onion and Paprkia mix over it, along with ONE can of dt coke. Cover it with foil and let it simmer.

4. After about 20-30 min, turn the meat over and check the liquids in the pan, if its getting low crack open another can of pop and pour it over the meat. Continue to flip the meat every 20 min or so, keeping the fluids simmering. I grilled mine for about 2-3 hours.

5. After the meat is tender, take some kitchen shears or two forks and shred up the meat. Leave it in the pan and pour some BBQ sauce over it, cover and let simmer once again. Keep an eye on it and stir it occasionally.

I know this seems like a lot of work but trust me, its worth it!!

Breakfast for Supper in the Crockpot!

We are going to have this tomorrow night for supper! I made it up tonight so I can just put it on in the morning on low and come home to a yummy supper!

"Breakfast" in the Crock Pot
1 Container of Egg Beaters
1 pkg (28oz) frozen hash browns
1 pkg Farmland Diced Ham
12 slices of American Cheese (mine were 50 calories a piece)
1/2 C. Hormel crumbled bacon

I added some fresh mushrooms to ours b/c we had them leftover. You can put onions, peppers or anything your family likes. Sorry about the pic, i had a piece of cheese cut up so thats why it looks like its missing one :)

Spray crock pot with cooking spray, layer starting with hash browns, meats and then cheese. (I made two layers of each) After done layering pour the egg beaters over everything. Put on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours or until done.

6 Servings - 362 Calories
8 Servings - 271 per serving

Meatball Sub-wich

Tonight I modified this version of a meatball sub! It was soooo good!

1 lb 93% ground beef

1/2 panko bread crumbs

1/2 C. egg beaters

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1 T italian seasoning

1 T garlic powder

1 Bottle Bartilla garden vegetable pasta sauce

1/4 C. mozzarella cheese PER Sandwich

Village Hearth Light Italian Bread

Combine beef, bread crumbs, onion, seasonings, garlic and eggs. Mix well with hands and form mini meatballs. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and brown the meatballs on each side. Add the pasta sauce and turn to medium heat and let simmer for 15 min or until no longer pink inside.

Toast the bread under broiler on both sides. Set aside one piece of toast to top each sandwich. Place 3-4 meatballs on the remaining toast and sprinkle each with 1/4 C of cheese, place under broil until melted.

Calories per sandwich- 356 includes, 3-4 meatballs, cheese and two slices of bread.

Please be patient with the blog...

I had surgery last week and I am trying to stay off my feet for a while so the blog might be a little slow.  I am trying to still stay on track with my diet & eat healthy but my husband will be doing most of the cooking so....  Stay Tuned!!

Potato Smashers

Sorry I haven't updated for awhile, I haven't tried many new recipes out lately! Here is something we had today with our burgers, very yummy!!

Potato Smashers

12 small red potatoes

Finely Shredded Colby/Jack Cheese

Hormel real bacon pieces

- Place potatoes in a microwave safe dish with about an inch of water on bottom, microwave for 10 min or until tender.

- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place potatos on pan, smashing them with a cup. Next sprinkle bacon and cheese over potatos and bake at 400 until cheese is melted.

Nutritional info- 2 potatoes w/ 2 tablespoon of bacon and 1/4 Cup of cheese is 280 Calories

Makeover Toffee Crunch Dessert

I got this one from the 2011 Taste of Home Comfort Diet Cookbook.

1 1/2 cups cold fat-free milk

1 pkg (1 oz.) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cartons (8 oz each) fat-free whipped topping, thawed

1 prepared angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

- In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 min. Let stand 2 min or until soft-set. Stir in 2 cups whipped topping. Fold in the remaining whipped topping.

- In 13x9 dish coated with cooking spray, layer half of the cake cubes, pudding mixture and crushed candy bars. Repeat layers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Yield - 15 servings

3/4 Cup per serving - 177 calories, 3 g fat, 255 mg sodium, 33g carb, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

TGIF

I need to get my "honey" to realize that just because it's Friday doesn't mean we can pig out! We had Apple Bee's tonight. I hate those stupid $20 deals where you get two meals and an appetizer. Geeze... we don't need the stupid appetizer! If there's one thing I've learned about losing weight it is that planning ahead and making your meals at home is the best way to lose weight. In this fast paced world it is really hard to do this, but if you can get your week organized and have the ingredients on hand it is definitely how you lose weight. I need to be better at that. Everyone go out there and organize your week starting with this weekend!!!

Super Easy Side Dish

Cheesy Broccoli and Corn
1 (12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli

1 (12oz.) pkg. frozen corn

1 can healthy request cream of chicken

4 oz. Velveeta cheese (cubed)

1/2 C. skim milk

I bought the green giant steamers and put them in microwave for a couple minutes so they were thawed out.

Mix Corn and Broccoli with cheese. Mix soup and milk and pour over top. Put in crock pot on high for 2-3 hours or until heated through.

Serves 6 - 132 Calories per serving (approx 3/4 cup)

Homemade Fish Sticks

Homemade Fish Sticks

1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/2 C. corn flake crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning

1/2 tsp paprika

1 pound cod fillets, cut into 1-inch strips

Butter-flavored cooking spray

- Place flour and egg in separate shallow bowls. In another shallow bowl, combine the corn flake crumbs and seasonings. Dip the fish fillets in the flour, then egg, then roll in the crumb mixture.

- Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spritz fish sticks with butter-flavored spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 min or until fish flakes easily with a fork, turning once.

Yield - 3 servings @ 263 Calories per serving.

Brunch Enchiladas

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted a recipe!



Here is a good one for brunch or anytime of the day to try for your family. I got this one from Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet cookbook.

Brunch Enchiladas

2 C. fully cooked ham

1/2 C. chopped green onions

10 whole-wheat tortillas

2 C. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

1 T flour

2 C. skim milk

1 1/2 C. egg substitute

- Combine ham and onions; place 1/3 C. down the center of each tortilla. Top with 2 T cheese. Roll up and place in a greased 13x9 baking dish.

- In another large bowl, combine the flour, milk and egg substitue until smooth. Pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

- Remove from the fridge 30 min before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 min. Uncover; bake for 10 min. Sprinkle with remanining cheese; bake 3 min longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 min before serving.

10 servings - 289 Calories per enchilada

Agave Nectar

I have been sick but I am feeling better - I will try to update the weekly menu plans soon!

I have been wanted to post about Agave Nectar.  I have started using it a lot in place of sugar/sweeteners and you can even use it instead of syrup on pancakes.  I use it in place of sugar for smoothies & it works great. 

I found a great website that has a lot of information on it:
http://www.allaboutagave.com/substituting-agave-nectar-for-other-sugars.php

Meaty Breakfast Bake

We are having this for supper. You can change many options on this dish. We decided to make it meaty but you could just chose one meat or no meat, or add veggies, or use egg beaters instead of eggs! The possibilities are endless! :)

6 Eggs

1/2 C. Skim Milk

5 oz. Fully Cooked Diced Ham

1 pkg. Frozen Shredded Hash Browns

1/2 pkg. Jennie-o Breakfast Lovers Sausage

1 C. Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Finely Shredded Cheese

2 T Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon

Spray baking dish with non-stick spray, lay 1/2 of hash browns in bottom, top with meats and sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese. Repeat. Mix the eggs and milk and pour over top. Bake 40-45 min at 400 degrees or until knife comes out clean.

Depending on how much you want here are two different servings and calories.

Serves 6 - 373 Calories

Serves 8 - 279 Calories

More Roasted Veggies

Cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms! YUMMMM!

Cheeseburger Soup

Tonight was a good night for soup! This was really good and comforting considering we are all sick in our house. :( I made warm breadsticks to go along with it.

Cheeseburger Soup

1 pound 93% Ground Beef (browned)

1 carton of chicken stock (broth) or 4 cups

1 C. Shredded Carrots

2 T minced Onion (I used Tastefully Simple Onion Onion)

1 pkg Uncle Bens Whole Grain Brown and Wild Rice Pouch (90 sec in microwave)

3 C skim milk

1/2 pkg (1 pound) Velvetta Cheese (cubed)

1 C light sour cream

In a big pot put chicken stock and add carrots and onion. Cook until tender. Add browned meat, cheese, heated up rice, milk. Simmer, stirring occasionally, but don't boil. Right before serving whisk in sour cream.

Serves 10 - 1 Cup Servings

281 Calories per cup