The Healthy Tales

Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

I am really liking this meal planning on a monthly basis. I have already discovered a tweak for next month though; I need to add a designation to my calendar as to whether the recipe is a slow cooker recipe or not. I had to shift a few things around late last week when I failed to notice that this recipe is a slow cooker recipe, not an oven baked recipe.  It was well worth the wait of an extra day though.  The other tidbit of information to share is that I failed to check my freezer while making the grocery list so I didn’t have frozen broccoli. I did have frozen peas and carrots and they went really well with this recipe. Next time I’ll try to use broccoli but if I forget it again I know I can still  make a yummy meal with another veggie.

Rice, Ham and Broccoli Casserole

1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli cuts, thawed and drained
3 cups cubed cooked ham
1 can (10 and 3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (8 oz) reduced fat cheez whiz
1 cup milk
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 celery rib, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

In slow cooker, combine the ham and broccoli. In a mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients; stir. Pour the mixture over the ham and broccoli and stir it all together.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until rice is tender.

About 4-5 servings.

For lunch today, I consulted my meal plan and noted that on Friday, Mike and I were scheduled to eat the BBQ Chicken Chop Chop Salad – a HungryGirl recipe. Unfortunately, I was trapped in New Orleans waiting for the Houston airport to reopen so I could get home. Therefore, no salad for me (I had this “deli” salad) and Mike had a BBQ chicken wrap. I decided to just swap things up and make the salad today as I had a huge bag of lettuce needing to be eaten.

I really liked this salad. It was quick and easy to put together and is a great use of left over Diet Coke Chicken. I didn’t have red onions or jicama so I had to do without. It wasn’t a huge issue but I did notice that they would have provided a nice crunch to the salad. We topped ours off with Ranch dressing – Full fat for Mike and Spritzer Ranch for me. Very tasty.

6 Weight Watcher Points

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
For Salad:
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 ounces cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
1/2 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped jicama
1/4 cup chopped red onions
2 tbsp canned sweet corn kernels
2 tbsp canned black beans
Optional: 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For dressing:
1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar (not packed)
2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Chopping it up:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Coat chicken in sauce. Heat if desired.
2. Place all other ingredients in a bowl and toss until mixed.
3. Top salad with BBQ chicken and enjoy

To make things even easier, use the Diet Coke chicken and coat with 1/4 cup of bottled BBQ sauce.

In a quest to be healthier and more budget friendly, I decided last week to meal plan for the rest of June and all of July. So far so good. I’ve made fish tacos as scheduled. Tonight was a Big Bowl of Breakfast which is a Hungry Girl recipe from the 1-2-3 recipe book.  I was skeptical on how good this would be as a dinner as it is marketed as a breakfast and past attempts of breakfast for dinner have been so-so. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this recipe was and how much food it made when I doubled the recipe for Mike and I. One small minor adjustment I made to the recipe was to add about 2/3 a cup of frozen Cajun Mirepoux blend veggies (green bell pepper, onion, and celery) while I was cooking the potatoes. I also added salsa to my bowl while serving.  All in all it was a hit and will be made again.

Ingredients:
1 tray frozen Green Giant Just for One Broccoli and Cheese Sauce
3/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (egg Beaters)
3/4 cup frozen potatoes (O’Brien)
1 slice Canadian bacon, chopped
2 tbsp shredded, fat-free cheddar cheese

Making it into a meal:

1. Prepare Broccoli and Cheese sauce according to package directions. Set aside
2. Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add egg substitute and scramble for 2-3 minutes, until fully cooked. Place scrambled egg substitute into a microwave safe bowl and set aside.
3. Remove skillet from heat, re-spray with nonstick spray, and return to heat. Raise heat to medium-high and add potatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thawed and lightly browned.
4. Add Canadian Bacon and cook until hot and a little crispy, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add potato-bacon mix to the bowl with the egg scramble and then add broccoli and cheese and stir.
6. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the bowl and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.

5 Weight Watcher points per serving

I don’t know why it is so damn hard to update this blog and keep it current. I mean, I eat every day, I cook each week, and I half-ass count my Weight Watcher points online. One would think I could post my meals and reviews but apparently I have gotten totally lazy! This is going to change and it will begin tonight since I spent my hour lunch break at work creating my July 2010 menu. I’ve never done this but I’ve read about it all over the internet and have been meaning to do it. Now that I’m not working 12 hours + a day, I can think about planning and being healthier.

So I am hoping to accomplish a few things with this menu planning thing. The first is I hope to cut my calories down by preplanning fun, new recipes and mixing them in with some tried and true favorites. Second, I am hoping Mike and I can cut our grocery shopping list down and save a little money here and there. Fingers crossed!

So if this works right, here is the July 2010 menu. I have added known Weight Watcher points where I could and plan to add points after I make something and can calculate the points. I have linked to recipes that I have posted in the Sunshine Rewards Forum or recipes I found there. Any other recipes are from the Hungry-Girl cookbooks and I’ll post them as I make them. Just yell at me if there is a recipe you want and I haven’t shared it in a timely manner or if you want to skip ahead.

July 2010 Menu Plan

In an effort to be healthier, my husband and I are trying something new. Well, I say new but it is new to us not a new idea. We are going to start incorporating 1 fish meal a week. It is my take on the mediterrean diet once a week and possibly twice a week. Last night was our first attempt and it turned out really well except the hives my husband broke out in after he finished eating the shrimp couscous.

Anywho, if you are looking for a new fish meal to spice things up around your house let me suggest the following:
Fish packet with Asparagus and Lemon
Whole wheat couscous with shrimp, fat free feta, and broccoli

All you need is foil, an aluminum baking sheet, a skillet and a sauce pan.
For the fish:
1 bag of tilapia or cod (any flaky white fish really)
1 lemon
1 teaspoon of garlic
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bunch asparagus

1. Line baking sheet with foil. Wash and trim asparagus. Line bottom of cookie sheet with asparagus.
2. Place fish on top of asparagus (frozen or thawed).
3. Mix butter, garlic, and parsley. Then rub into each fish piece.
4. Cut lemon into slices and put 1-2 slices on each fish.
5. Cover fish with foil forming a packet and cook 10-15 minutes.

For the couscous:
1.5 cups Water, 1 cup whole wheat couscous, 2 tablespoons garlic, 1 tablespoon oil. Bring water and oil to a boil. Remove from heat and add garlic and couscous. Let sit covered for 5 minutes. Add in as much broccoli as you like (defrost the frozen kind) and then add as much crumbled fat free feta as you like. Same with lemon juice.