Eggwhites and Applesauce

Chicken Shawarma

2015-11-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

We love this recipe!! This low-fat, high protein meal is great for Weight Watchers. I usually make my own pitas. I use the dough recipe from "Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day". You can find their books here. I also make the tzatziki sauce by itself sometimes. We use it on sandwiches and stuff.

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped or shredded
2 pounds chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows

16 ounces plain fat free yogurt   or greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced

Notes / Directions

1. Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
2. Return the onion to the food processor and add the chicken, garlic, marjoram, rosemary , salt, and pepper and pulse until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.

To cook in the oven as a meatloaf , proceed as follows:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.

To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.
Preheat the grill to high.
Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer . Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings . Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce , chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese .

Tzatziki Sauce
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator. (If using greek yogurt, you can skip this step, it already has less liquid)

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber , salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros . Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Kids Rainbow Cake

2013-03-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

Now that the baby is here, life is more hectic than ever. I certainly can't make mom food and kid food. So their treats are my treats and my treats are theirs. This rainbow cake is made according to package directions, exchanging egg whites for the eggs and applesauce for the oil. So, no fat. They say you eat with your eyes first. This is pretty enough to entice the kids (and me) even without the icing. You could sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I separated the batter into 3 containers and tinted each a different color. I poured one color in the bottom, and two colors over that at the same time. Use a butter knife or spatula to swirl the colors together.

I used two loaf pans for this cake mix. This helps portion control. I served one and froze the other for later. I am addicted to sweets, so when I bake something I eat it everyday until its gone. This way its gone in a day or two days instead of a week.

Here is my little helper at work :)

White Chocolate Mocha Brownies

2012-08-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

This might be the first time during this pregnancy that i tried to lighten a dessert. When I'm pregnant, I get the bad attitude that i can eat whatever I want... Hence the 40 lbs i gained with my first pregnancy. Anyway, this one is light, and I LOVE it! My oven is broken, so the first time I made them was in a Crockpot. I tried it again in a toaster oven, and it came out good both ways. I'm sure it would bake better in a real oven.

White Mocha Brownies

1 box lowfat brownie mix (Betty Crocker)
1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 egg
1 tbs applesauce
4 tsp instant coffee
1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake according to package directions.
**For Crockpot: Spray crock with non-stick spray and line with wax or parchment paper. Spray again. Spread a paper towel over the pot and cover with lid. Cook 2 hrs on low, lid on; remove lid and cook 20 min more. Remove the crock to a cooling rack until brownies are cool enough to touch, then turn out onto a plate.

--I posted this earlier and forgot the 'White Chocolate' part. Then with the commotion of Hurricane Isaac, I didn't get a chance to fix it and put it back up...Sorry!

Omelets

2012-07-19T11:11:00.001-07:00

Eggs are so good for you! High in protein, low in fat. I eat them almost every morning. When I skip the eggs, I'm hungry by ten. If you are trying to cut carbs, omelets are a great way to go. You won't miss the toast, or oatmeal at all! And the possibilities are endless. Here is the one above:

Italian Omelet

2 eggs

1 tbs milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tomato, sliced

1-2 oz fresh mozzarella

oregano

basil

Beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until frothy. Heat small skillet ( "Chefs Classic 8"" Non-Stick Hard Anodized Skillet" ) on med until hot. Spray the skillet with non-stick spray, then pour in eggs. Turn the heat down to med-low and cover. Check every minute or so, until the eggs barely begin to set. Add cheese, tomatoes, and herbs to one half of the omelet. Fold over and cover again until firm.

Some of my favorites include Italian diced tomatoes and goat cheese, cheese turkey and sour cream. A restaurant called Another Broken Egg , has an amazing omelet called the 'Bacado'. It has bacon, avocado, and Monterrey jack cheese. I make it at home using lower fat cheese, and bacon baked crispy (and fewer eggs of course)

What are your favorite toppings for an omelet?

Chili

2012-06-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is one if my favorite things to cook. It is quick. It's so low in fat and high in fiber. It fills me right up with very low points value. Its low enough to eat it with almost anything you like. On the night I make it, we eat it by itself, with cheese and fat free sour cream. Cornbread is a nice accompaniment. I eat left overs with baked potatoes, hot dogs, eggs,... Almost anything really. My husband and daughter like it with rice.

Light Chili

3 tsp olive oil
8 oz uncooked 93% lean ground turkey
8 oz uncooked 93% lean ground beef
1 packet Chili Seasoning Mix- low sodium (or 3 tbs homemade chili seasoning mix)
30 oz canned tomato sauce or 2 cans diced tomatoes
15 oz fat-free canned refried beans

Brown the meat in olive oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer at least 30 min. ( the longer the better) Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

* Notes about ingredients:

I use this combo of meat because it is low in fat. You can use any combination you like, just strain it before adding the other ingredients if you have a higher fat mixture.
I like the 'Fire Roasted' diced tomatoes, there are plain, chili ready, with green peppers, and many other varieties. Use your favorite... (Someday, I'm gonna grow and jar my own!)
Sometimes, I exchange the refried beans for dried beans. I mix red with black or pinto beans, soak and cook ahead of time. Of course you can limit the sodium if you can limit the use of canned goods.

Saltines and Gingerale

2012-05-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I posted a recipe. It's because I can't think of anything I want to eat, much less cook. I am almost three months pregnant. I've been so nauseated the last several weeks, I can hardly think about food. Cooking smells make me sick, so what I have managed to eat is not healthful home-cooked meals. I've already gained about four pounds so far. When I first found out I was pregnant, I hoped to stick to Weight Watchers' Simply Filling plan. It's not cutting calories, but focusing on whole, healthy foods. Anyway, I haven't done well with that, since my tummy is so upset. I just want to eat whatever doesn't make me want to throw up at that particular moment. I'm hoping when I hit the second trimester I'll feel better, and can pay better attention to my eating habits. For my first pregnancy, I gained 40 lbs. Twenty with the second. I'm hoping to stay under 20 this time.

When I do cook, I'll need to make things that I can put away in the freezer. Hopefully that will save me some time, both in late pregnancy as well as postpartum. With a 4 yr old, 18 mo, and a newborn, I doubt I'll have time to think about healthy meals for a while.

Any ideas for freezable casseroles, soups, or stews that are light?...Or could be made light?

Crepe Cake

2012-05-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

I was having company a few weeks ago, and i wanted to make something nice, but not a whole meal. My Husband wanted chocolate cake, which i can't possibly resist, so I tried some variations on it. I wanted it to be special so i looked for something a little...extra. Here's is what i was going for:

here's where I found this one

This is what i actually came out with:

Here is what I did:

1 box yellow cake

1/3 cup applesauce

3 egg whites

2 cups water

1 can Pillsbury Sugar free Chocolate frosting

Mix as directed. Pour 3/4 cup of batter into a hot skillet. Cook as you would a crepe. Repeat with the remaining batter. Layer crepes and frosting.

Obviously these came out more like pancakes than crepes. It tasted fine, but wasn't very pretty. I think this may be one you can't use the box with. Also, I heated the frosting to get it thinner. I probably shouldn't have done that. One day I'll try this one totally from scratch. Any ideas, suggestions?

Bread, MMMM...

2012-04-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have a lot of food-related weaknesses. I think bread is my weakest weakness. Is there such a thing as a Breadetarian? 'Cause I could be one. I am the Baker of the family. Even my mama sometimes defers to me on baked goods. In the past I would bake breads all the time. Of course, bread is not 'good for you', strictly speaking. So I always feel guilty when I eat it. Unless it is whole grain, then I don't feel so bad. I hadn't had much success with home-made whole grain breads. They just weren't as wonderful as their warm white counterparts fresh from the oven. Until I found this recipe in a diabetes cookbook. (Diabetic Living, Holiday Cooking, Meridith ) It is not 100% whole wheat, but I still feel good about eating it. And this recipe has no added fat. Most of my favorite doughs call for oil, milk, or eggs. This one is just flour, water, salt, and yeast. It is a versatile dough, can be used for rolls, loaves, herbed focaccia, sweet breads, etc. I recently used it as a pizza crust, and it was delicious.The following recipe yielded enough dough to make 2 thin-crust pizzas about 9 x 13 each.

Basic Dough

2-2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt

1. Combine 1/3 cup all purpose flour, 1/3 cup warm water, and yeast. Stir until smooth. Loosely cover and let stand at room temp at least 8 hours, or overnight.

2. Gradually stir 3/4 cup warm water into the yeast mixture. Add whole wheat flour and salt, stir to combine. Stir in as much of the all purpose flour as you can. I only used a little over a cup. At this point I loosely covered the bowl and stored in the fridge overnight. Set out at room temp 20 min-1 hour before continuing. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough all purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and stretchy. After it's stay in the fridge I needed very little flour, and very little kneading to achieve this consistency. Shape dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover, let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 hour.

3. Shape and bake as desired.

* I always use unbleached all purpose flour. It gets a much better rise.

Great techniques tips and recipes for all kinds of quick breads here: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day I love their books!

Apple-Cinnimon Pancakes

2012-03-30T17:40:00.001-07:00

At my house, we LOVE breakfast food. Personally, I prefer eggs for breakfast. I need the protein, or I'll be hungry an hour later. But the family loves pancakes, even my 1 year old daughter can't get enough. So I adjusted Betty Crocker recipe. These are fat-free, and oh so delicious. I use sugar free syrup, but you could top them with applesauce or a fruit compote. These are 2 points for one pancake, so I can still have an egg or turkey sausage along with them.
Today my sister and nephew came over and we had these for lunch. Big hit with the kids. I like to double the recipe and store the batter in the fridge to use another day.

Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes

1 large egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fat-free skim milk

1 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp unsweetened apple sauce

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 medium apple, grated

Combine all ingredients except apple in blender. Blend until smooth. Stir in apple. Preheat skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into skillet. Yield: 9 pancakes.

Home-cookin'

2012-03-20T15:36:00.001-07:00

How do you eat smart when you grow up in a Cajun kitchen? I mean 75% of my Mama's recipes start with 1 cup of oil. No, it's not a typo. Most everything from her kitchen is roux-based. If you're not familiar with it, a roux is equal parts oil and flour browned to varying degrees of darkness depending on your intended dish. It's pretty much the base for a gravy. And all these recipes are served over rice.

So anyway, I can't lighten up these family favorites and do them justice. I certainly can't do it and expect my Daddy to claim me. He tells his friends that he had my sister and I trained to make a roux, and catch alligators by the time we were 18 so that we could find good husbands. And he's not kidding. (What can I say, its the Deep South.) So the best I can do with this is to strain the oil off the top of the pot! Also instead of using 1-2 cups of roux for a recipe, I'll use half a cup or less. And when watching calories, you could always skip the rice. Here is one I made this weekend. I think this one in particular is great on it's own- no rice needed.

Catfish Coubion

1/2 cup roux

1 large uncooked onion, chopped

10 oz Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, (we use Ro-tel brand)
salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp crushed bay leaves
1 pound uncooked catfish fillet(s)

1. make roux - a few shades lighter than peanut butter.
2. Add onions and tomatoes (could use more than listed here) cook about 5 min. Add the salt, pepper, and bay
3. Add about 4 cups water. Cook on med high about 3 hours. You will need to add more water throughout cooking time
4. Preheat oven to 350. In a large baking pan layer the stew, fish fillet/s and stew again. Bake for 30 min.

*Traditionally, catfish is used, but you could use any mild flavored fish you like. For best results use one large fillet rather than many small ones.

Roux Basics
Add equal parts oil and flour to a hot pot. Cook over med-hi heat, stirring constantly, about 10 min, to reach the target shade. The roux should be a little darker than you want you final dish to be.
For best results use a black iron pot and a flat edged spatula.
*This is VERY easy to burn, so if you are new to a roux, cook it slower on a lower heat.
*The darker your roux, the more is needed to thicken your final dish.
*For a dish using a lighter color roux, you could exchange butter for the oil.
*Try making a large roux and storing it in a glass jar in the fridge. Use it as you need it.
* When making a roux to use immediately, have your 'holy trinity' (onions, bell pepper, celery) chopped and ready to go before starting the roux, Drop it in to quickly halt the browning process.

What about you, do you 'lighten' your heirloom recipes? Or is it a case of 'everything in moderation'?

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What about activity?

2012-03-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

I love exercising. I love the burn while I'm working out. I love the exhaustion afterward. I love the energy and good mood that lasts all day long. And I love the morning after ache. Now that i have two small children, it's really hard to get it done. DS is 4 and DD is almost 1; so you can imagine what it takes to get us all packed up, out the door and in the car. I've considered making it 'me-time'. It would be really nice to have 20-30 minutes a day to myself to workout, or just go for a walk. But for me, it's just not realistic. I'm going to have to make it a family affair. A few blocks from my house we have an indoor track and playground. I'd like to make it part our routine to go for a run/walk, then let the kids play for a while. At least a few times a week.
I go home to my parents once a week too. When I'm there, my sister and I try to take our boys to play tennis early in the morning. None of us are any good, but we have a blast! And I get a great burn. If I'm going to involve the kids, it's gotta be fun. Do you have any ideas?

Choco-holic

2012-03-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I am a chocoholic. (aren't we all?...) I am always trying to make my favorite recipes lighter. Here is one I recently tried.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites ( test 1)

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 15 min

Serves: 28

Ingredients

1 box fudge brownie mix, mix only

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 egg white(s)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, warmed

Instructions

preheat oven 350 and spray cupcake tins with non-stick spray
1. Mix box brownie mix with the applesauce and egg whites.
2. Pour into prepared cupcake tins. (approximately 1/8 cup batter in each) Drop about 1/2 tsp peanut butter onto each cupcake. Use a toothpick to swirl a design in each one.
3. Bake about 15 minutes until tester comes out clean.
**use mini muffin tins for even lower calorie treat

These brownies are a little more cake-like than I prefer. I am thinking of omitting the water and maybe adding baking powder... What do you think?