What's for Dinner? 1/29/09 Dad's Fav Sloppy Joes

Dad's Fav Sloppy Joes

WW Points - 4  (this does not include the bun)

Serves 8

Notes: This is one of our all time favorite recipes. We LOVE this recipe. I've made it as a meal gift for people after having a baby. We make this often. If you want to lighten it up even more, split 1/2 beef and 1/2 turkey or just use all ground turkey! If you want, you can even substitute splenda brown sugar for the brown sugar! We usually double the recipe to make sure there are leftovers for later!

Recipe from Saving Dinner.Com

Ingredients:

* 1 lb extra lean ground beef 

* 1/2 onion, finely chopped 

* 1 cup ketchup 

* 1/4 cup brown sugar 

* 1 tbsp white vinegar 

* 1 1/2 tbsp mustard 

* Hamburger buns

Instructions:

In a large skillet brown beef; add onion and saute until tender and beef is cooked through. Drain out fat from the pan.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard.

Simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

Nutritional Information:

160 cals, 8 gm fat, 1 g fiber

What's for Dinner? 1/28/09 Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

WW Points - 4

Serves 8

Notes: First off Joe made this recipe! It was really good. The kids really enjoyed this. It will go in our recipe box!

Recipe from Healthy Cooking *This is a subscriber only recipe so if you aren't a subscriber, this specific recipe you won't be able to view (well except below).

Ingredients:

* 1 small onion, chopped

* 1 celery rib, chopped **

* 1 garlic clove, minced

* 2 tablespoons butter, divided

* 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules

* 1/4 cup boiling water

* 3 cups soft bread crumbs  (Joe says 3 cups is way to much. 1 cup is sufficient.)

* 3 tablespoons fat-free milk

* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

* 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

* 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

In a small nonstick skillet, saute the onion, celery and garlic in 1 tablespoon butter until tender. In a large bowl, dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Stir in the bread crumbs, milk, herbs and celery mixture. Set aside.

Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread bread crumb mixture over chicken; roll up. Secure with toothpicks.

Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes. Melt remaining butter and brush over chicken. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks. Yield: 8 servings.

** ** We omitted these due to family personal dislikes or the item was not available and we decided to do without! 

* One serving: 1 stuffed chicken breast half, Calories: 200, Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 71 mg, Sodium: 368 mg, Carbohydrate: 10 g, Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 25 g

What's for Dinner? 1/27/09 Southwestern Pasta & Cheese

Southwestern Pasta & Cheese

WW Points -5

Serves 8

** First off Joe made this recipe! Joe really liked this recipe. I thought it was lacking 'something' - perhaps one of the ingredient we omitted below. I think it would be really good with added turkey. 

Recipe from Healthy Cooking *This is a subscriber only recipe so if you aren't a subscriber, this specific recipe you won't be able to view (well except below).

Ingredients:

* 3-1/3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta

* 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped  **

* 8 green onions, chopped

* 1 tablespoon Crisco® Extra Virgin Olive Oil

* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon chili powder

* 1 teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce  **

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

* 2-1/4 cups fat-free milk

* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

* 4 center-cut bacon strips, cooked and crumbled  **

* 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute pepper and onions in oil until tender. Stir in the flour, chili powder, chipotle pepper, salt and cumin until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese until melted.

Drain pasta; toss with sauce. Stir in bacon and cilantro. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

** We omitted these due to family personal dislikes or the item was not available and we decided to do without!

Nutrition Facts


* One serving: 3/4 cup; Calories: 240, Fat: 8 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 20 mg, Sodium: 327 mg, Carbohydrate: 32 g, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 12 g

What's for Dinner? 1/24/09 Chicken Provolone

Chicken Provolone

WW Points - 6

Serves 4

Recipe from Healthy Cooking  *This is a subscriber only recipe so if you aren't a subscriber, this specific recipe you won't be able to view (well except below).

Ingredients:

* 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

* Butter-flavored cooking spray

* 8 fresh basil leaves  (we omitted this)

* 4 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham

* 4 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large nonstick skillet coated with butter-flavored cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet; top with basil, prosciutto and cheese. Broil 6-8 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts: One serving: 1 chicken breast half, Calories: 236, Fat: 11 g, Saturated Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 89 mg, Sodium: 435 mg, Carbohydrate: 1 g, Fiber: 0 g, Protein: 33 g

What's for Dinner? 1/22/09 Stir-fried steak & veggies

This was the first time that we tried this recipe and it was excellent. We'll definitely put it on our recipe card rotation.

Stir-fried steak & veggies

Serves 6

WW Points = 6 per serving

Recipe from Healthy Cooking Magazine

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice

* 1 tablespoon cornstarch

* 1 tablespoon brown sugar

* 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

* 1/2 cup cold water

* 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

* 1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

* 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

* 1 package (16 ounces) frozen stir-fry vegetable blend, thawed

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar and seasonings. Stir in water and soy sauce until smooth; set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with cooking spray, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. Stir-fry vegetables in remaining oil until crisp-tender.

Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add beef; heat through. Serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

What's for Dinner? 1/21/09 Chicken Balsamic

This recipe is another favorite of ours. We make it often. This is from Leanne's Menu Mailer. Her menu mailer is awesome and worth the very small amount of money. We have found so many great recipes using it! This is one of our favs.

Chicken Balsamic

WW Points - 4

Serves 4

Recipe from Menu Mailer

Ingredients

* 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

* Salt and pepper, to taste

* 2 tablespoons flour

* 1 tablespoon olive oil

* 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

* 2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth

* 1 teaspoon thyme

Directions

1. On a dinner plate, combine flour and salt and pepper; dredge chicken and tap off any excess flour mixture. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add chicken and brown quickly, about 2 minutes per side. Add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vinegar is reduced by about two-thirds. Add broth and continue to simmer until chicken is fully cooked and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm. Add the thyme to the skillet and keep the sauce boiling until it's reduced some more, about another 10 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce spooned over the top.

NUTRITION per serving: 187 Calories; 5g Fat; 28g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 68mg Cholesterol; 205mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat. 

Points: 4

What's for Dinner? 1/19/09 Grilled Pork with Soy Mustard Sauce

Believe it or not this is my own recipe. The unfortunate thing is I forgot to take a photo of it (I know, the best part) so you'll just have to believe it's good and try it for yourself. We make this recipe a lot!

Grilled Pork with Soy Mustard Sauce

Serves 4

Recipe from Briana

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork loin
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard (I like honey dijon myself)
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (brown sugar splenda can be substituted for good results but only use half of a 1/4 cup)
• 2 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

Mix all ingredients together (besides the pork) in a bowl. Use the mixture to brush on the pork while cooking. Cook until pork is no longer pink and serve.

What's for Dinner? 1/18/09 BBQ Chicken

Dinner was easy tonight. BBQ chicken. If you don't know how to BBQ chicken, then we are in big trouble. Joe basted bbq on chicken and put it on the grill. Yum!

What's for Dinner? 1/17/09 Smoky Roasted Chicken and Corn Chowder

This one was a little out of the box for us. We don't normally have soup as a main dinner meal. Joe thought it looked good and said, 'What the heck' and made it for dinner tonight. It's different but really good!

Smoky Roasted Chicken and Corn Chowder
Servings - 6

WW pts - 5/serving
From Healthy Cooking Magazine  


Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, chopped (we used turkey bacon which lowers the fat content even more!)
• 1 cup diced onions 
• 1/2 cup each of diced celery and bell pepper ***
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (12oz) 2% evaporated milk (we used FF evaporated with no issues)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, well drained *** - and see NOTE Below.
• 1 can (14.5oz) cream-style corn
• 2 cups chopped roasted chicken breast (you can buy a rotisserie chicken and remove the skin and use the breast meat)
• 1 tbsp hickory-flavored bbq sauce
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1. Cook chopped bacon in large, non-stick soup pot over medium-high heat until slightly brown (not crispy). Stir in onions, celery, red pepper and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.


2. Add thyme and flour. Mix well. Stir in broth and evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and stir continuously until soup thickens slightly.


3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.


NOTE - To drain, empty canned tomatoes into a sieve and press down to remove as much liquid as possible. You want the tomato chunks, not their juice, which would make the soup bitter.



*** We omitted these since Joe does not like these veggies. 

Nutritional Information: Per serving: 270 calories, 7.1g fat, 24 g protein, 30 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 53 mg cholesterol, 619 mg sodium

What's for Dinner? 1/16/09 Mongolian Beef

Ok, this recipe does look a bit more complicated, but it's sooo yummy. Joe loves Mongolian Beef from the Chinese restaurants so I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and Joe says it's a dead ringer for the stuff at the restaurant. We love it and make it often at home! We serve this over brown rice.

Mongolian Beef I

Serves 6

3 WW points
Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sesame seeds  (We don't add these)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound beef round steak, cut into thin strips

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 carrots, thinly sliced  (we omit carrots because Joe dislikes them)

1 bunch green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

Directions:

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds for 1 to2 minutes, or until the seeds begin to turn golden brown; set aside.   (If not using sesame seeds, omit this step)

2. In a medium bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and minced garlic. Stir in beef strips. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.

3. In a separate small bowl, mix together water, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, sugar, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes; set aside.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Cook and stir beef in hot oil for 1 minute; remove, and set aside. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Saute carrots and white part of green onions for 2 minutes. Stir in green parts of the green onion, and saute for 1 minute. Stir in sesame seed mixture and beef. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.

Nutritional Information

Mongolian Beef I

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving

• Calories: 155
  
• Total Fat: 8.9g
• Cholesterol: 18mg
• Sodium: 492mg
• Total Carbs: 8.7g
•     Dietary Fiber: 1.9g
• Protein: 10.6g

What's for Dinner? 1/15/09 Garlic Lime Chicken

If any of you subscribe to Flylady.net, you've heard of Leanne from Saving Dinner.com. Leanne has this signature dish she swears by called Garlic Lime Chicken. It's a family favorite that we make often.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Serves 6

8 WW points
Recipe from SavingDinner.com

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 teaspoon pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon paprika

* 1 teaspoon garlic powder

* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

* 1/2 teaspoon thyme

* 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

* 2 tablespoons butter

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 1/2 cup chicken broth

* 4 tablespoons lime juice

In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat, remove the chicken (keeping warm) and add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Per Serving: 343 Calories; 11g Fat (31.1% calories from fat); 55g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 147mg Cholesterol; 612mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat.

What's for Dinner? 1/14/09 Sausage 'n' Chicken Skillet Recipe

This is one of our family favorites. We use instant brown rice instead of long grain rice so it cooks faster (and we just like brown rice in our family!). 

Sausage 'n' Chicken Skillet

Serves 4

6 WW points

Recipe from Healthy Cooking Magazine

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1-1/2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/4 pound smoked turkey kiebasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small green pepper, finely chopped  **
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups water  (if you substitute brown rice, you only need about 1 cup water)
  
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice  (we use instant brown rice)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon thyme and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. 

In the same skillet, saute the kielbasa, onion, green pepper and garlic until vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, rice, bouillon, hot pepper sauce, and remaining thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes (about 10 if using instant brown rice) or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Return chicken to the pan; heat through. 

**I omit green peppers because people in our family do not like them. 

Nutrition Facts

• One serving:1-1/4 cups, Calories:296, Fat:5 g, Saturated Fat:1 g, Cholesterol:49 mg, Sodium:352 mg, Carbohydrate:41 g, Fiber:1 g, Protein:20 g, Diabetic Exchange:2-1/2 starch, 2 very lean meat, 1/2 fat.
  

What's for Dinner? 1/13/09 Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

This recipe was modified from a Quick Cooking magazine recipe. I normally don't 'change' the original recipe because it's been disasterous before, but this time it turned out to be really good. Granted this is not probably a really low fat recipe, but it's not too bad either. If you want to lighten it up, use a low fat cream of chicken soup!

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Serves 8

My own creation

Ingredients:

* 8 bone-in chicken breast halves (8 ounces each)

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

* 2 green onions, chopped

* 1 can cream of chicken soup

* 1 tablespoons butter

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

* 1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown chicken over medium heat in oil . Cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken; keep warm.

In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onions until tender. Stir in cream of chicken soup, butter, salt, water and pepper. Stir sauce until smooth.

Let cook for a few minutes; Return chicken to skillet; heat through.

Welcome!

I've been wanting to start this blog for a long time.

My name is Briana. As a means to save money, I started cooking every night.

Once a week my husband, Joe, picks out 7 days worth of recipes. We then scour the cupboards and the fridge to see if we have all the ingredients. If we don't, we add it to our weekly shopping list. Now after we go shopping I can make any of the 7 recipes and not have to run to the store and drop another $50 for things we didn't need in the first place!

Eating out is fun (even I love to go out) but it's expensive. We normally can't feed our family of four for less than $30. This is why I cook most nights and in general the recipes are fairly easy. My five year old loves to help mommy cook. I measure out the ingredients for him and then let him pour it in.

So I hope you can find some family favorites on my website!

I also would love it if you shared YOUR family favorites - especially main dinners and sides. I will test them with our family and let you know what I think!

Enjoy!