Friday, February 24, 2012

On a Roll with Healthy Eating!

I've really been loving this Hungry Girl Cookbook. I'm sorta working my way from the front to the back. I'm going to post the ones I try - and give a mini review of sorts. Here is one that I tried the other day and it came out great! I made it with ground chicken (because that's what I had thawed at the time) but it calls for lean ground beef. While it was still super yummy with the ground chicken, I'm thinking that this would be even BETTER with the lean ground beef.







Pizza Burgers a La HG!! Loved them - these did take longer to prep - the book says 10 min - but it seemed like for me it was longer. It was worth it all. They were great and will probably be thrown in my rotation of usual dinners! This recipe was also found in the Hungry Girl 300 under 300 cookbook.

What you'll need:
Large skillet
Nonstick Spray
Large bowl
blender or food processor (Optional)

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min


Pizza Burgers A LA HG


Ingredients

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 sticks light string cheese

1 pound raw extra-lean ground beef

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Dash each salt and pepper

1/2 cup pizza sauce

12 slices turkey pepperoni

Optional: lettuce leaves, for wrapping


Directions


Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add veggies and stirring occasionally, cook until softened, about 5 min. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.


Break each string cheese stick into thirds and place in a blender or food processor - blend at high speed until cheese take on a shredded or grated consistency. (or just tear string cheese into pieces and roughly chop.) set aside


Add beef, ketchup, and spices to the bowl with the cooked veggies. Use your hands to mix thoroughly. Evenly divide and form mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.


Remove skillet from heat, re-spray, and bring to medium-high heat on the stove. Place patties in the skillet and cook to your liking, at least 3 min per side.


Reduce heat to medium low. Carefully top each patty in the skillet with 2 tablespoons of sauce, 1/4 of the shredded/grated cheese, and 3 slices peperoni. Continue to cook until sauce is hot and cheese has melted, about 2 min.


Plate your patties, maybe wrap them up in some lettuce and dig in!


Makes 4 servings

Per serving (1/4 of the recipe, 1 patty with cheese and sauce)

223 calories

7g fat

559mg sodium

9g carbs

1.5g fiber

5g sugars

31g protein

Getting Back To Basics

I've been struggling with my weight over the last few years. Up and down the same 10lbs or so. I feel that it's finally time to get back to basics and get back on track! I've been planing out my meals now for the last week or so, and I wanted to share some recipes that I tried out that are really good and maybe some of my readers will like!

Here is one of the first ones:






It's Hungry Girl's Cheesy Pigs in Bacon Blankies - found in the Hungry Girl 300 under 300 cookbook. I have all of the HG cookbooks and I love them!! I would recommend them to EVERYONE I know. Great to have all the recipes in one place. You can find the books on Amazon.com or another places that sells books usually! Totally worth the money! Check it out!

I made this recipe last night after a LONG Zumba class. I have to say, one of the reasons I love this recipe is that its simple, easy to prepare and cooks fast! Let's not forget that it's SUPER yummy!!

What you'll need for this recipe is:
Baking Sheet
Nonstick Spray
Rolling pin (optional)

Prep: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
WW PTs+ : 4pts+ per dog

Ok..now on to the recipe!




Cheesy Pigs in Bacon Blankies



Ingredients

1 package Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent rolls refrigerated dough
4 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
8 dashes garlic powder, or more to taste
8 hot dogs with about 40 calories and 1g fat or less each
1/4 cup precooked real crumbled bacon
Optional dips: Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise, Ketchup, Salsa



Directions

Preheat oven to 375

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside

Slightly stretch or roll out 1 of the 8 triangle-shaped pieces of dough to make a larger triangle. Evenly spread with half a wedge of cheese, and then sprinkle with a dash of garlic powder. Place hot dog along the base and gently but firmly roll it up. Squeeze the dough gently to ensure it is secure around the hot dog.

Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon bacon on you work surface and roll the dough-wrapped dog in it, so the bacon sticks to the outside. Press any remaining bacon into the dough. Place on the baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining ingredients, so that you have 8 evenly spaced pigs in a blanket on the sheet.

Bake in the oven until dough is lightly browned, 12-14 min.


Let cool slightly. If you like, dip your dog into one or more of the optional ingredients. Enjoy!



Per Serving (1/8 of recipe, 1 pig in blanket)

164 calories
6.75g fat
877mg sodium
16g carbs
0g fiber
3.5g sugars
10.5g protein









Wow...where has the time gone?!

It's been awhile since I've posted - and I've been doing really well lately on WW - and wanting to share some recipes and things that I'm doing ....I thought..HEY I have a blog don't I??? AND YES!! I do...so I'm back to hopefully update more often and keep you posted on things I'm doing and tips and tricks of WW!! I hope the people that follow me are still interested!

Here's to tons of exciting things going on in my world!

Lo