Stuffed Eggplant

We u'sed to have this all the time as a child but I don't think I've made this for my family ever. So tonight is the night for something new.

Stuffed Eggplant

5 med eggplant

1 large onion, chopped

2 lbs ground turkey

Slap ya Mama seasoning to taste

Worchestire and pepper corn burger seasoning to taste

salt to taste

2 cups Panko bead crumbs

2 T. Colby jack cheese grated for each boat

1 T. Parmesan cheese for each boat

Slice eggplant long wise in half to make boats. Scoop out inside of eggplant leaving about 1/4" around the edges. Set aside

Spray large sauce pan with olive oil spray and turn on medium heat. Place chopped onion in pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender. Put ground turkey in sauce pan and cook until browned. Drain.

Put turkey mixture back into saucepan and add eggplant you scooped out of the center and seasonings. Cook until all is tender. I use my hand blender to make it smooth once eggplant is tender.

I used my broiler pan. Cover the bottom with water and place grill pan on top. Place each eggplant boat on the grill pan. Evenly fill each boat with the meat and eggplant filling. Cover with foil and cook in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and top each boat with 2 T Colby jack and 1 T Parmesan cheese. Cook another 10 min. Serve and enjoy.

Servings per recipe: 10

Serving size: 1 boat

Calories per serving: 338 

Stuffed eggplant with a side of roasted Brussel sprouts (1 cup)
for a total of 410 cal)
Not a very colorful meal but very tasty

Warm Coleslaw

The original recipe was adapted from Paula Dean's Warm Coleslaw Recipe
Warm Coleslaw

Dressing
3 TB apple cider vinegar
2 tsp splenda
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp siracha

Mix well. Set aside

olive oil spray
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1 TB poppy seed
4 cups shredded cabbage coleslaw mix
1/2 cup real bacon bits

Spray pan with olive oil and heat on medium heat.  Cook onion and peppers until slightly wilted. Add cabbage and cook until slightly soft - just 2-3 minutes. Add vinegar dressing, bacon bits and poppy seeds. Mix well. Serve warm.

Servings per recipe: 8
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories per serving: 40

Chicken Cardon Bleu Spaghetti Squash

It's been a few months again since I've been able to post.  The move from GA to MS has gotten us way out of our routine.  We are trying to get back into it and trying to start eating healthy again.  We all gained a little weight during this transition but now we are back to where we left off. A total of 236 lbs down for the family.  We have a total of 90lbs left to lose.  A lot closer than when we started.
Anyway, here is our latest new recipe.

Chicken Cardon Bleu Spaghetti Squash

2 spaghetti squash
1 TB olive oil
4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
8 slices deli ham, chopped
1 large onion, diced
Salt to taste
Italian seasoning to taste

Cream Sauce
2 TB butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups almond milk
1 cup grated Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Poke holes with a fork or knife.  Place in oven directly on rack and cook for 1 hour.  Let cool for 15-20 minutes. When cool, slice in half long ways and scoop out seeds with a spoon.  Then rake inside of squash with a fork and scoop out into a bowl. Set aside.

Heat pan on medium heat. Place olive oil in pan. Put in onion and ham. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes. Mix in shredded chicken and heat until warm. Mix in spaghetti squash and set aside.

To make cream sauce, put butter in a medium sauce pan and melt. Add flour and mix well. With wire whisk mix in milk slowly making sure to get all lumps out.  Once sauce is smooth, add cheese and continue whisking until cheese is melted. Add to spaghetti squash mixture and mix well. Serve and enjoy. You can add parmesan cheese to each plate after serving - add another 20 cal/serving.

Servings per recipe: 8
Serving size: 1- 1 1/2 cups
Calories per servings: 297

Finally, a new recipe

It's been a long time since I updated or added a recipe.  We've had lots of changes in the last few months, sickness, surgery for my 17 y/o and movRe to a new state - which also includes new house, new job, new friends.  It's been busy but we are finally settling back in to a new routine and back on the diet.  The race is on.  A contest dad started to help motivate the kids.  Girls must lose 10lbs in 8 weeks and boys must lose 20lbs. For every 1 lb over the goal they get $10 and dad gets $10 for every 2 lbs over his goal - he loses quicker than we do. Well money must talk in this family because it has motivated - plus dad has been trash talking.

So here is a new recipe we tried today.  It was great.  A definite do over.

Asian Chicken Salad

2 bags Asian Chopped Salad Blend
1 Rotisserie Roast Chicken
4 Med Avocados, cut into chunks
1 Red onion, diced
1 bag frozen sweet kernel corn
1 bottle Ginger salad dressing

Take skin and chicken off bone. Discard the skin and shred the chicken. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to make sure dressing is well dispersed through the salad.  It is delicious.

Serving size 1 1/2 cups
Servings per recipe 10
Calories per serving 392

You can cut down the calories by using canned chicken or just boiled chicken breast or by using shrimp.
Also the avocados bring 1000 calories to the entire dish (250 per avocado) but to me its well worth those calories.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Veggies

Sometimes we just have to have our pasta. And I found a recipe low in calories that made it possible.  Another one dish meal (love those).  Again the original recipe came from an All You Magazine.  And of course I changed it up again (because I can rarely follow a recipe just as it is written.

Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Veggies

1 pkg of fresh broccoli florets
3 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 lb shrimp, peeled
1 TB red pepper flakes
1 TB ground ginger
1 (10 oz pkg) of baby spinach
1 cup Fresh Basil, ruff chopped
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (14 oz) pkg of angel hair pasta, cooked and drained

Toss broccoli in 1 TB olive oil. Place on baking sheet.  Cook for 15-20 min in 400 degree oven until browned.

While broccoli is cooking. Saute garlic in 2 TB olive oil until slightly browned. Add shrimp cook 4-5 min more until pink. Add seasonings and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. Add pasta, broccoli and cheese.  Mix well and serve warm. Top each serving with an additional  1 TB Parmesan.  Melt in your mouth good.

Servings per recipe: 8
Serving size: 1 1/2 - 2 cups
Calories per serving: 340

Beef with Broccll

This is a quick, easy crock pot meal.  The kids loved it

3 lb flank steak
1 pkg onion soup mix
3 TB terriaki sauce
2 TB red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 TB ground ginger
24 oz frozen broccoli florets, cooked*
1 small can straw mushrooms
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
1/2 TB sesame oil

Place first 6 ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hrs until meat is tender. Approx 30 min prior to serving place the rest of the ingredients in the crock pot and cook until warmed through.

You can serve it over rice or cauliflower rice.  We just ate it plain as a one dish meal

Servings per container 7
Serving size: about 1 1/2 cups (give or take a little)
Calories per serving 380

*I use the Schwans Livesmart Micro steam baby broccoli florets. You cook it in the microwave in its bag. Easy and no clean up.

Asian Fish Cakes

These were so awesome. They were so good I want to make them again tomorrow - except I don't have the ingredients for them :(.  The original recipe was in the All You Magazine but as always I changed it up a  bit to accommodate the stuff I had on hand (and of course to make it less calories)

Asian Fish Cakes

2 lbs tilapia fillets
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 TB fennel seed
1 TB red pepper flakes
1 TB spoon ground ginger
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place each fillet in a piece of foil. Season each fillet with fennel, pepper and ginger (you can use as much of these seasonings as you want - amounts are estimated) Sprinkle lime juice over each fillet (or put 1-2 slices fresh lime on each fillet). Wrap each fillet up in the foil, place on pan and bake for 12-15 minutes
While fish is cooking, mix together

1/2 cup of egg beaters
2 TB oyster sauce
2 TB Hoisin sauce
3 TB fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1 TB ground ginger
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (I used chipoltle seasoned panko)

When fish is cooked, flake the fish with a fork and put it into the mixture. Stir well. form into 10 patties.

Mix together
2 cups panko bread crumbs (again I used chipoltle seasoned)
1 cup plain bread crumbs

Dredge each patty through bread crumbs until well coated.

Spray pan with olive oil spray. Place each patty on the pan. Spray tops of patties with olive oil spray. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

We really enjoyed these and I absolutely can't wait to make them again. The original recipe called for fresh lime and ginger to season the fish.  Sounds yum!

Servings per recipe: 10
Serving size: 1 patty
Calories per serving: 175

We served this with  2/3 cup Schwans Asian style vegetable stir fry and 1/2 peaches with splenda for a total of 308 calories (The boys in the family ate 2 patties which made their total 483 for the meal) Not bad!