Low Carb Strawberry Shortcake

Tomorrow is my hubby's birthday and I wanted to make him something yummy, but more geared towards his low carb diet. We have been "cheating" on our diets lately with Valentine's Day and other birthdays, so it is time to get back on track. My hubby loves those cakey cookies you see in the store...the yummy ones with the frosting. A few years ago, the funfetti cake mix had a recipe for them. I made them for him when I first met him and he LOVED them. It is actually what he requested for his birthday "cake." We stopped at a fruit stand yesterday and picked up a half flat of strawberries, so I put them together and viola, low carb strawberry shortcake. So delicious!

Low Carb Strawberry Shortcake

Shortcake/Cake cookies
1 box sugar free (or low sugar) cake mix- I used yellow (Pillsbury)
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (the recipe calls for oil, but I used the applesauce)

1 quart strawberries, sliced
1-2 tsp Splenda sweetner

Cool Whip Free (or ohter sugar free or low sugar whipped topping)

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, applesauce and mix until combined and minimal clumps. If too dry and stiff, I add 1 tsp water. The dough should be thick.
2. Grease baking sheet. Scoop dough onto baking sheet. With a floured spoon/fingers/glass, flatten tops of cookies.
3. Bake cookies at 375 F until lightly browned (approx 6-8 minutes). Allow to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine strawberries and Splenda. I add 1 Tbsp water. Allow to cool in refrigerator while cookies cool.
5. When ready to eat, place cookie on plate, top with strawberries and whipped topping. Enjoy!!

Smoky Lentil Soup

This recipe came to my inbox the other day along with an advertisement for a new soup making small appliance for the kitchen. I don't really feel that I would ever need something like this appliance (which is pretty much a blender that can heat up to cook ingredients prior to needing to be blended...I can achieve the same thing-although with a few more dishes to do- with a pot and a blender), but the recipe was intriguing. Now I can't believe in the dreadfully hot day we are having that I decided to make soup, but I did and it is delicious! So we will just sit under the fan in the A/C eating this yummy soup!

Using the Cuisinart soup maker and blender, you can sauté the vegetables, cook the soup and then puree it all in one vessel. For a quick and easy weeknight dinner, pair this hearty lentil soup with our Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (see related recipe at left).


3 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. smoked paprika (I didn't have this, so I used a little more than 1/2 tsp of chili powder)
1/4 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained (I also didn't have this, so I used crushed tomatoes)
3/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth

1. Preheat large pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned/crisp. Drain on paper towels and chop.

2. Return the pot to the heat and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste and paprika (or chili powder). Cook until the vegetables just start to soften. Add the tomatoes, lentils and broth. Cover and cook on high heat until the lentils are tender, approximatley 30 minutes. Add in bacon reserving a few pieces for garnish.

3. This step is optional. I used my stick blender and pureed until smooth and almost creamy. If you like yours more chunky, you can skip this or just blend it lightly. If you don't have a stick blender, you can pour the soup into a blender. Use the lid, but leave that central piece out and cover with a towel, blend on low.

Sausage, White Bean, and Spinach Stew

I saw this recipe in the most recent issue of Womans Day magazine and thought it looked pretty good. I decided to make it for dinner tonight. It was so delicious! I made a few changes, which I will post at the end (mostly changes to suit the hubby's picker eater palate). You can make this low carb by using Dreamfields Pasta. Chcek them out here...http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/

Sausage, White bean, and Spinach Stew

1 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz cooked turkey Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 thick coins
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (I left this out)
32 oz chicken broth
4 oz (approx 1 cup) uncooked small pasta (I used elbows)
15 oz can of white beans, rinsed (I used great white northern beans)
10 oz raw spinach with thick stems removed (I used frozen spinach)
Parmesean cheese

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage and set aside.
2. Add garlic to the pan and cook, but do not let brown. Add wine (if using, if not just skip this step) and allow to simmer for 1 minute.
3. Add broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer a few minutes less than recommended on package of pasta (eg- my elbows said to cook 8 minutes, so I simmered for 5 minutes).
4. Add beans, sausage and cook until heated through and pasta cooked. Remove from heat and stir in spinach until wilted.
Serve with parmesean.

I left out the wine because my hubby doesn't like cooking with wine. I also used frozen spinach (the hubby didn't want any spinach in his stew). I heated it in the microwave according to the directions and stirred a scoopful into my bowl along with my serving of soup.
This soup was a real hit!

Margarita Chicken

Chilis was having this awesome deal last week. $35 for an appetizer, 2 meals, 2 margaritas (top shelf I might add), and a dessert. My hubby really wanted to go, and although I looked forward to the yummy feast, I didn't want to go crazy with all of those calories (not such a good advertisement for Chilis, but I think I gained 2 pounds after eating all that yumminess). I usually go for the Chicken Fajitas, but decided instead to have the Margarita Grilled Chicken this time at the recommendation of the waiter. He said it wouldn't "weigh me down." Oh my it was SO delicious and I have been craving it ever since. That is why I decided to try to recreate it. Mine is not exactley like theirs. If you Google (or Bing, or Dogpile....whatever search you like to use) a copycat recipe, they use margarita mix. I wanted to avoid the temptation of having margarita mix in the house, so I decided to make it from scratch. The meal was very tasty! I will definitley make it again.

Margarita Chicken

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half NOTE- almost like butterflying, but seperate the pieces (to make them thinner so they cook more evenly and quicker)
Salt and pepper
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 2 limes
1 Tbsp honey
1-2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp triple sec (optional)
1 Tbsp tequila (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine the zest, lime juice, honey, 1 tsp brown sugar, triple sec and tequila. Taste. If too sour, add more brown sugar and stir to combine.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken in marinade and allow to marinate approximately 30 minutes.

3. Preheat grill (or grill pan which is what I used). Cook chicken until done.

I served mine over rice and beans (just like Chilis)!

Chicken Souvlaki

I have been craving Greek food for a while. Since the hubby doesn't like it, I decided to make a grilled (Greek seasoned) chicken breast so he could eat it plain, and I could make it more authentic with tzatiki sauce, greek salad, etc.
My bestie Christine and I used to go to the Sponge Docks and go to the restaurant dubbed "The Greek answer to McDonalds" and get the Chicken Souvlaki platter. From that time I have been hooked! So good!!

Chicken Souvlaki

1 lb boness, skinless chicken breasts (you can cut into bite sized pieces to skewer to make a kabob, but I cooked mine whole- I think I prefer the kabobs though)
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
1-2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Tzatziki sauce (see below)

1. Combine all ingredients except the chicken in a large bowl (or gallon ziploc), mix well. Add in chicken. Make sure chicken get coated with marinade. Allow to marinate at least 30 minutes up to overnight.
2. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard marinade. If using bite sized pieces, thread on skewers. Cook on grill (I used my cast iron grill pan) until cooked through.
3. You can serve this in a pita with Tzatziki sauce, tomato, and onion. I had mine with yellow rice and a Greek salad.

Tzatziki sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used low fat, but the zero fat Greek yogurt is the best)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt, pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Enjoy!

Filling low fat quesadillas

Have you ever come home from work and been so hungry you could eat your way through the entire refrigerator and not feel satisfied? I was having one of those days today and wanted a filling meal that would not break my diet. A few weeks ago, I was having dinner at my sister's house and she made us quesadillas and used some veggies to save on calories. I was having such a craving for those quesadillas, so I stopped at the grocery store on my way home and loaded up my basket with veggies. These were so tasty and so filling! I made a smaller amount, because my picky eater hubby didn't even want to try them, so up the recipe as much as you feel you need. I did have a little of everything left over for a yummy lunch tomorrow.

Veggie and chicken quesadillas

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes and cooked (I sauteed mine in a pan)
1 zuchinni cut up into bite sized pieces
1 corn on the cob- cut kernels off the cob
1/2 bag of Birds Eye pepper stir fry frozen veggies (this was the only one I could find with peppers and onions)
1 Tbsp Sante Fe cooking cream (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese
Tortillas
1 tomato diced
Sour cream

1. In frying pan, saute zuchinni to your liking (I like mine with a little bite, but not crunchy). Put cooked zuchinni aside.
2. In same emptied frying pan, saute corn kernels over medium high heat until heated through and some of the skins have browned. Set aside.
3. Using same frying pan (emptied of corn), saute peppers and onions until heated through and starts to brown. Set aside.
4. Now to assemble the quesadilla. If using the cooking cream, smear a small amount on one half of a tortilla. Cover one half of tortilla with chicken and veggies. Sprinkle with cheese. Fold over and cook in frying pan until crisp and brown, then flip and cook other side. Repeat for each tortilla.
5. Serve with tomatoes and sour cream.

Low fat, low carb brownie cupcakes

I was watching the Food Network this weekend and the Hungry Girl was on. She was making foods that you could replace some of your guilty pleasures with. She made kale chips to replace potato chips. She made butternut squash fries. The one I knew I had to try though, were these brownie cupcakes. So easy, low fat and they are so delicious!

Brownie cupcakes

1 box chocolate cake mix (I used the Sugar Free type)
1 can pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie mix)

1. Preheat oven to temperature instructed on package of cake mix. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin and cake mix. Stir until combined. It will seem dry, but it will come together, just keep mixing. Fill cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake as instructed on package of cake mix for cupcakes.
3. Allow to cool and you can either frost or eat as is. YUM!

Yummy Easy Side Dish

This recipe is so easy and quick and so delicious! It seems like such a fancy dish, but it literally took me less than 2 minutes to put together. I used canned veggies, but you could use fresh.

Green Beans with Sundried Tomatoes and Garlic
Makes 1 serving of sundried tomato topping (because the hubby won't even try it)

1 can of green beans (I used the sodium free canned green beans)
2 sundried tomatoes
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp water (or oil)

1. In a food processor or blender (I used a small one), blend water, garlic clove and sundried tomatoes. I like mine a little chunky, but you can make it any consistency you like.
2. Heat (or cook) green beans.
3. Spoon sundried tomato topping over green beans and ENJOY!

This would be a great low fat, low salt, low carb, quick and easy side dish!

Baked crab rangoon

My brother (who attends the University of Florida...GO GATORS) was in town due to a three day weekend. The parents were going to be out for the evening, so dinner was up to me. My other brother was scheduled for surgery the following day. I wanted to make something both brothers would enjoy that would also be healthy. John loves Chinese food, and everytime we get Chinese, Jacob orders crab rangoons, so I decided to make these. They are SO easy, and being baked, you can enjoy more of them without the guilty feelings!

Baked crab rangoons

1 6oz can crab meat drained
4oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softended
2 green onions chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Wonton wrappers

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
3. Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place wonton wrapper in each muffin cup.
4. Fill each wonton wrapper with crab mixture.
5. Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes, or until wonton wrapper has browned and crab mixture is heated through.

Italian Pulled Beef

I came across this recipe a while ago. A chuck roast was on sale, so I decided to buy it and give the recipe a try. Another success. So easy and so tasty!

Italian Shredded Beef

5 pound chuck roast (I had a 7 bone roast)
29 ounce can diced tomatoes (any kind will do, but I used Hunts diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano)
3 cloves of garlic minced (you may want to use more depending on your preference)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put chuck roast into a slow cooker. Add tomatoes and garlic. Allow to cook 6 hours or until meat is cooked through and shreds.
2. Shred meat and serve.

NOTES-
Now that I have made this, I would probably add a small can of tomato paste to sweeten and thicken the sauce.
Also, I recommend skimming off some fat prior to serving.
You can serve this over pasta or on buns as a sandwich.

Lighter Mac and Cheese, with buffalo sauce

My hubs loves buffalo chicken. He gets a buffalo chicken sandwich with cheese on it when we go to Beef O'Bradys. When I saw a recipe for buffalo chicken mac and cheese, I knew I had to try it! Of course, I had to make it low carb to meet his needs and lower fat to meet mine. I left the chicken out and had this mac and cheese as a side to a baked chicken breast dinner. You can also leave out the buffalo wing sauce, and this would make a yummy mac and cheese, but you will probably want to add more salt.

Lightened Buffalo Mac and Cheese
(Printable Recipe)

8 oz of elbow noodles (we used low carb)
1/3-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Franks)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk (I used skim)
8 oz shredded cheddar (you could get creative and use any cheese you like, I used 2% sharp cheddar)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare an 8 x 8 casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until just slightly underdone.
3. In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add flour and cook for 1 minute (do not brown). Add milk and hot sauce (which you could leave out at this point and have a yummy cheese sauce). Stir until thickened (about 2 minutes). Add in cheese and mix until smooth. (I put some cheese to the side to melt on top).
4. Put macaroni into prepared baking dish. Top with cheese sauce and stir to combine. Add reserved cheese (if you decided to do this) to top. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Pork Burgers

My hubby made us a delicious dinner last night...Pork Burgers! With this stupid winter being as long as it had, I was itching to get out the grill. Well last night, it seemed like it was warm enough to do so. I was hoping to eat dinner outside and get some fresh air, but the breeze was too chilly.
Now my hubby had a pork burger for the first time at the fair and was amazed at how good it was. I never even thought of making pork burgers until them, but since, we have made them every so often. They are so tasty! The pork itself doesn't have too much flavor, so you can really flavor them any way you like and they would be delicious. You could go asian and add some soy sauce, sesame oil, and other asian spices. You could make them italian with oregano and tomato sauce, topped with mozz cheese. Really whatever you can imagine. We decided to go the bbq route.

Pork Burgers
(Printable Recipe)

1 lb ground pork
Seasonings of your choice (we used McCormick Barbeque seasoning and Lowrys Seasoned Salt)

1. Make pattys with ground pork (we made 6)
2. Season pattys on both sides
3. Light the grill. You will know it is ready when the coals are white.
4. Cook the pattys on the grill until firm to touch, white, clear juices (to temp of 160).
5. Enjoy!

Super easy and super tasty.

Chicken with Cordon Blue filling

So another leftover I had after the party was some cream cheese. I was trying to come up with a quick recipe one night and I remembered how I love the stuffed chicken breasts I had in the past. I wasn't too in the mood for the buffalo version after consuming all of that buffalo chicken dip. I didn't have the right stuff to make the pizza version. I did, however, have some swiss cheese and ham. Viola, chicken cordon blue! I didn't feel like pounding out the chicken, so instead I cut a slit in the side and stuffed it that way. So easy and so yummy!!!

Chicken with Cordon Blue filling
(Printable Recipe)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 oz cream cheese (I used the low fat kind) softened
1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 oz deli ham, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Make a slit in the side of each chicken breast and cut through to the center (do not butterfly the breast, you are only trying to make a pocket).
3. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, swiss cheese, ham, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill the pocket in each chicken breast with this filling. Secure sides of breasts with toothpicks.
4. Coat the breasts with breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish. Add 1/8 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil.
5. Bake approx 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

YUM! I served this with rice and brocolli and used the filling that leaked into the pan as a sauce on the rice. It was so delicious!

Skyline Chili

There is a restaurant in Clearwater called Skyline Chili. They originally started up in Cincinnati, Ohio and have a few chains around the country. Their chili is really more like a chili sauce which can be served over pasta, fries, hot dogs, etc. My husband LOVES their 3-way chili (more about this in a bit) and has taken me over there for a few lunches throughout our courtship. Yum...that's all I have to say about it. Immediatly upon tasting it, I noticed a hint of a cinnamony flavor...my hubs HATES cinnamon....or so he says. I read over their menu and the original owners (who of course made the recipe) are Greek.
We have had this chili on pasta and on fries....I have had it as a burrito filling...all so good! I found the following recipe on recipezaar.com and tried it at home. Almost exactley the same. It is still missing something, and I can't put my finger on it....but close enough that I would never miss the original recipe. I have made it twice over the past few weeks and we just love it! I hope you try it and enjo! Serving suggestions at the end of the recipe. (PS- some of the ingredients may sound strange, but believe me, combined they taste amazing!)

Skyline Chili knock off
(Printable Recipe)

1 cup onion finely chopped (no chunks in chili at the restaurant- I grated mine with a cheese grater- oh and feel free to use more, the hubby says he doesn't like onion, so I am starting small and putting more in each time)
2 pounds ground beef (I used 90% lean with no problems)
4 cups beef stock
16 oz tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used white)
1/2 oz grated unsweetened chocolate (or substitute cocoa powder- look for conversion on this)
2-4 cloves of garlic smashed or finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste depending how spicy you want it)
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

1. Brown onion over medium high heat. Add broth and ground beef. Seperate ground beef so it is fine (no clumps). Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, assemble spices and other ingredients. (I usely put all the ingredients in 1 bowl and dump in at the same time). After simmering 10 minutes, put all other ingredients into the pot. Allow to simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
3. Skim off fat (if you have any, with 90% lean there isn't even enough to skim).
4. Serve over pasta, in a burrito, over nachos, over hot dogs, on a baked potato, on french fries, on a salad, etc.

Now at the restaurant, their most ordered dish is the pasta...they serve it different ways....3-way, 4-way, 5-way.
The 3-way is the spaghetti, chili, and a heaping amount of finely shredded cheddar cheese
The 4-way is the 3-way with either diced onions or red beans
The 5-way is the 3-way with both red beans and diced onions

I prefer mine with onions and NO beans. I also will sometimes ask for tomatoes. Oh one other thing, they always give you a bowl of oyster crackers with your meal. Yum...hope you like it!

Low Fat Chicken Alfredo and a Contest

Tonight I made a very yummy dinner. Chicken Alfredo. Instead of cream, I used skim milk. In order to have a low carb meal, serve over low carb pasta, or even just eat it alone. My picker eater hubby liked it and so did I!

Low Fat Chicken Alfredo
(Printable Recipe)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese
(I used other cheeses that I had in the fridge and needed to use up)
1 tsp garlic powder
3 cups skim milk (or more or less depending on desired consistency)
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Over medium high heat, cook cubed chicken until no longer pink. Drain any juices.
2. Melt butter in pan with chicken. Add flour. Allow to cook for about 1 minute. Add milk, spices, grated cheeses. Bring to slow boil. Allow to thicken.
3. Enjoy!

Using up leftover chicken

After I made my chicken and dumplings, I had some shredded chicken left over. I was going to make chicken tacos with it, but the picky eater husband didn't want that. Since I did want tacos, that is what I made for me, but for him I made Buffalo Chicken wraps....super simple and it was quite a hit.

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Cooked chicken (enough for 2 burrito wrappers)- we used shredded, but any kind you like will work (baked tenders, fried tenders, cubed chicken breasts, etc)
1/4 cup hot sauce (I used Texas Pete)
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Burrito wrappers (we used low carb)
2 slices of cheese (we used American)

1. In medium saucepan, heat hot sauce and butter over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add chicken to sauce and stir to combine. Allow to heat through.
3. Spoon 1/2 of the chicken over the middle of 1 burrito, top with american cheese. Repeat for second burrito. Wrap edges up like burrito. Enjoy!

Super easy and only takes a few minutes to make!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts...Calzone and Buffalo

We have been going to the Land and Sea Market lately after realizing they have pretty good prices on meats. We have tried over half of their stuffed chicken breasts and we love them. I decided to try my hand at it tonight and YUM. They turned out great! We usually get two flavors and split them so we can each taste one. So, in tradition, I made two flavors....Calzone and Buffalo. I have to say, the Buffalo version I made, I prefer over the Land and Sea Market's. The calzone is about equivalent. I can't wait to try different variations!

(Printable Recipes)

Calzone Stuffed Chicken Breast (makes 1, increase ingredients to make more)
(Printable Recipes)

1 chicken breast pounded flat
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
3-4 Pepperoni slices (I used turkey pepperoni)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, tomato paste. Place mixture in center of flattened chicken breast. Top with pepperoni slices. Roll chicken breast around filling, tucking in sides. Place seam side down in a baking dish. Pour water around chicken breast (until about 1/2 inch up side of chicken). Cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
3. Remove foil and continue baking until cooked through (at least 10 minutes more).


Buffalo Stuffed Chicken Breasts (makes 1, increase ingredients to make more)

1 chicken breast pounded flat
3 oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
3 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp hot sauce (I used Texas Pete- you can add more or less to your taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a bowl combine cream cheese, cheddar, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Place mixture in center of flattened chicken breast. Roll chicken breast around filling, tucking in sides. Place seam side down in a baking dish. Pour water around chicken breast (until about 1/2 inch up side of chicken). Cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
3. Remove foil and continue baking until cooked through (at least 10 minutes more).

Ginger/Garlic Beef Stir Fry

I got this recipe a LONG time ago while watching a show on the Food Network called How To Boil Water. I have made this for myself a Million times. I made it for my family many times and they LOVE it. I cannot make it for my husband, though, because he doesn't eat onions, garlic, ginger, or chunks of tomatoes....all of these ingredients in this DELICIOUS recipe. I changed a few things along the way which I will type in the recipe. I hope you all enjoy it!

Ginger/Garlic Beef Stir Fry- altered recipe from the Food Network's How to Boil Water (their recipe is called Beef with Scallions, Tomato, and Ginger)

1 pound beef cut up into bite sized pieces (original recipe calls for flank steak, I use top round steaks or mock tenders, whatever is on sale)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Original recipe calso alls for 2 Tbsp dry sherry- I have used it and haven't and don't really miss it
3 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 bunch of scallions cut into 2 inch pieces- seperate whites and greens
1 Tbsp chopped/grated ginger (I have used garlic as a complete substitution or use half garlic and half ginger)
1 pound of tomatoes cut into large pieces (a little bigger than bite sized)
Original recipe calls for hoison sauce...I don't like it!

1. In a large bowl, mix together soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar and sherry if you are going to use it
2. Put beef into mixture and allow to marinate for a least 10 minutes.
3. Heat pan and add beef mixture with all liquid and scallion whites. Cook without stirring until beef is pink (about 1 minute). Transfer to a bowl
4. Return pan to heat and add 1 tsp sesame oil. Add the ginger/garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the scallion greens and tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are slightly soft.
6. Add beef back to pan and cook until heated through and sauce has thickened.
7. Enjoy!

Original recipe courtesy of Food Network

Pumpkin "Pie"- Low Carb, Low Fat

This weekend, we were at Target and they were giving samples of Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses. My husband decided to give them a try! I couldn't believe it...I have to say he has been more brave about food lately and I am SO proud! Well turns out, he LIKED them! I did too. They tasted like a creamy yummy pumpkin pie. I got inspired to then try to make him a homemade pumpkin pie. The dilemma, we needed it to be low carb for him and low fat for me. Also, I had NO evaporated milk...so we had a substitution. Yummy. Still waiting for him to try it.
This is basically the recipe on the back of Libby's pumpkin can, with a few change ups.

Pumpkin "Pie"

1 15 oz can Libby's Pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs (I used 1 egg and 1 egg white)
3/4 cup Splenda
1/4 cup Vanilla (or any flavor you might venture to try) coffee creamer (I used low sugar)
1/2 cup Skim Milk (Or you could substitute 1 12 oz can evaporated milk or 12 oz cream)

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Beat eggs. Add in spice, Splenda, pumpkin and mix well until combined.
3. Add in milk and creamer and mix well until combined.
4. Pour mixture into pie plate and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
5. Turn oven heat down to 350 and bake for 30 minutes.
6. Allow to cool and serve!

I made this crustless because the crust is full of butter and sugar (aka fat and carbs). It is so yummy you won't need it!

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

This is a quick and very tasty dinner.

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

1lb ground turkey
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 egg
1 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cheese stick cut into pieces

1. Combine all ingredients above except for cheese. Make 6 meatballs and place in muffin pan.
2. Push 1 piece of cheese into center of each meatball and cover with meat.
3. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy. So tasty, so simple!