New England Clam Chowder

New England Clam Chowder

New England Clam Chowder

Serves 8

Prep time: 15minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Estimated values per serving:

Calories = 195                      Fat = 2 grams                        Points: 4

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

4 slices turkey bacon

1 onion – chopped

2 celery ribs chopped

4 cans (6 ½ ounces) minced clams  – drained with liquid reserved

3 cups fat free half and half

2 cups clam broth (including the reserved clam liquid)

1 cup skim milk

¼ cup flour

3 potatoes – peeled and diced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Heat sauce pot on medium high heat and add bacon.  Cook until bacon is crisp.  Remove from heat, cool and chop.
2. Add onion and celery to the pot and cook about 5 minutes until soft and tender.  Add bacon back to the pot.
3. Add half and half, clam broth and potatoes in the sauce pot.  Cook on medium heat until mixture begins to bubble.
4. I n a small mixing bowl, mix together skim milk and flour then add to sauce pot and stir.  Lower heat and continue to cook soup until potatoes are soft.
5. Remove from heat and cool.
6. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and serve.

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Ravioli Lunchalicious and Light

Ravioli Lunchalicious and Light

Ravioli Lunchalicious and Light

Serves 1

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 – 7 minutes

Estimated Values per Serving:

Calories: 375                        Fat: 7 grams                          Points: 4

Ingredients:

10 mini cheese ravioli

1/3 cup tomato sauce (jarred or homemade)

¼ cup cucumber slices

1 tablespoon fat free Ranch dressing

½ serving apple streusel (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Boil a pot of water and cook ravioli as per package directions.
2. Drain and cool ravioli.
3. Using a 3 section container, spoon tomato sauce on the bottom of the largest section of the container and then spoon ravioli on top.
4. Place sliced cucumbers in another section of container and pour dressing on top.
5. Place cooled apple crisp in third section of container.

Apple Streusel

Serves 6

Preheat oven 375^o

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 45 minutes

Estimated Values per Serving:

Calories: 225                        Fat: 5 grams                          Points: 4

Filling Ingredients:

3 apples – peeled and diced

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Streusel Topping:

1 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup low calories butter spread – melted

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.
2. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and spoon in apple mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and cinnamon.  Pour in melted butter and mix until combined.
4. Spoon streusel crisp on top of apple mixture and bake for 45 minutes.
5. Serve hot or cool to room temperature.

Back to School Lunch

Last year my son Nicholas asked me to buy him “Lunchables” for the days he ate lunch at pre-school.  When I looked at the nutritional values, I almost fell over and told him it was out of the question. 

This year, I researched their menus and decided to make our version of “Lunchalicious and Light” meals that he could have fun eating while keeping a healthy balance of  calories and fat grams. I found these Ziploc containers at Target (just in case you were looking).

Here is the first of a series of our “Lunchalicious and Light”.

Breaded Chicken Breast Slider Lunch

Breaded Chicken Breast Slider Lunch

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Estimated Values per Serving:

Calories: 250                        Fat:2 grams                           Points: 5

Ingredients:

1-  4 ounce chicken cutlet – pounded thin

¼ cup egg substitute

1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 ounces shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

2 slider rolls

20 – 30 grapes

5 – 6 cherry tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut pounded chicken breast with a biscuit cutter so that the chicken is the same size as the slider rolls.
2. Dip each breast in egg substitute then in bread crumbs.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add chicken breasts and cook for 5 – 7 minutes on each side until done.
4. Place one slider roll in each lunch container and top with chicken breast.
5. Place 1 ounce of cheese in another section of each container and 10 – 15 grapes in the third section of each container.
6. Decorate with tomatoes.

Crazy Day

It was a crazy day so the only meal we ate at home was breakfast.  On the weekends, we often make open-faced omelets for breakfast and is what we did this morning.  Since, the chives in our herb planter have sprouted I included them in the omelets today but you can have fun and use whatever herbs or seasonings you like.  To keep it low fat but still get the omelet to “puff”, I use 2 eggs with about ¾ cup of egg substitute.  This morning I made individual omelets for each person so that we can add what we like to them but you can also make one in a large oven safe skillet and cut it into wedges as well.

Open Egg Omelets

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Preheat oven 425o

Serves 3

Ingredients:

2 eggs – beaten

¾ cup egg substitute

1 tablespoon chives

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ounces farmer’s cheese – crumbled

Directions:

1. Beat eggs, egg substitute, chives and salt and pepper in a large measuring cup.
2. Heat 3 oven safe omelet pans (or one large oven safe skillet) on medium high heat and spray with cooking spray then pour equal amounts of egg mixture in each.
3. Add equal amounts of farmer’s cheese on top.
4. Nick’s omelet: cut small pieces from 1 slice of low fat American cheese and add on top.
5. Dean’s omelet: add crumbled goat cheese on top.
6. Dina’s omelet: spoon about 2 tablespoons of salsa on top.
7. Allow omelets to “set” on the bottom of each pan then transfer them to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted and egg mixture does not move when you shake the pan.
8. Remove from oven, and, using a spatula, transfer onto individual plates and serve.

Estimated Values per serving:

American cheese omelet calories = 190                 Fat = 9

Goat cheese omelet calories = 220                           Fat = 11

Salsa omelet calories = 170                                          Fat = 5