Easy Healthy Recipes

Weight Watchers 5 Point Juicy Hamburgers

2012-06-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

As the author of this blog, I am also a Weight Watchers member. I know the challenge of trying to keep the WW program exciting. Sometimes, we get stuck in a rut when dieting. I have started trying to find recipes online to keep me going on the program in general. I got used to eating the same things over and over on WW, and what that does it puts you in the path to want to cheat, and eat the high fat foods, that we dont need.

We know it's easier to stop at McDonald's and grab a 15 point burger, or we can cook and make something healthy.

This is a great recipe, that I found on Food.com, along with many other great Weight Watchers recipes.

Here is the recipe: Weight Watchers Juicy Hamburgers, 5 Pts.

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1 lb uncooked 93% lean ground beef (with 7% fat)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

4 reduced-calorie hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Coat a large griddle, outdoor grill rack or stovetop grill pan with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high.

2. In a large bowl, combine beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and shape mixture into 4 patties, about 1 inch thick.

3. Place burgers on hot griddle or grill and cook 5 minutes per side for medium (or longer until desired doneness).

4. Serve burgers on buns with your favorite 0 point value toppings.

This was recipe is from food.com

Easy Vegetarian Recipes

2012-06-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Easy Vegetarian Recipes on Kindle

Easy Vegetarian Recipes gives you full step-by-step instructions for crafting Vegetarian dishes that even die-hard meat eaters will love. Learn how to make Effortless Chili, Scrumptious Caponata, and Spicy Pumkin Samosas! All projects, are written by veggie experts, and contain pictures for each step so you can easily make it yourself, even if it’s your first time in the kitchen. Let's get cooking!

294 Pages to get you preparing and making delicious vegetarian recipes.

Best Taco Recipes

2012-06-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

View all Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

With simple recipes for a weeknight meal and some fit for a more extravagant night of entertaining, tacos are just right for most any occasion. With a variety of ingredients to please any palate, these combinations are among Cooking Light's best, as decided by our readers.

First, we start off with an authentic Mexican-style taco. Bring this taste to your table by cooking the chicken in a mixture of ancho chili powder and cumin and serving over corn tortillas topped with slaw and avocado cream.

View Recipe: Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

NextTacos Al Pastor with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Tasty Muffins

2012-06-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

just follow our tips and you will be on your way.

Five Tips for Perfect Muffins:

1. Leave a few lumps. Over stirring can toughen a muffin.
2. Spray the liners with cooking spray before adding batter.
3. Check for doneness early (about 5 minutes before specified time) since ovens can vary.
4. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then eat warm or remove to a rack so muffins don't get soggy.
5. Store correctly so muffins stay fresh. Keep in an airtight container for a day or two. Or wrap individually in plastic wrap, place all in a zip-top bag, and freeze up to one month. Thaw at room temperature or in microwave for 10 to 30 seconds.

NextTuscan Lemon Muffins

Summer Desserts

2012-06-01T13:05:00.001-07:00

with sweet-tart grapes, a tangy goat cheese mixture, earthy walnuts, and a honeyed port sauce all layered between airy and crisp phyllo, who could ask for anything more?

View Recipe: Sautéed Grape Napoleons with Port Reduction

NextGingered Blueberry Shortcake

Dulche De Leche Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

2011-07-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
4 slices of Cinnamon Raisin Bread
4 Tablespoons of Neufchatel Cheese, at room temp.
1 Tablespoon of Dulce De Leche
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Small Apple, seeded cored and sliced thin.

In a small bowl, mix cheese dulce de leche and cinnamon until well combined. Spread mixture on two slices of bread. Arrange apple slices over each and top with the remaining slices of bread. Spray a large non stick skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium high. Place the sandwiches in the skillet and grill for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and enjoy while nice and warm.

*If you do not have dulce de leche, you can substitute with a caramel sauce.

Makes 2 sandwiches
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Per Serving: 250 calories, 7g fat, 3g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 42g carbohydrate, 4g fiber and 6g protein.

Lemon Herb Baked Salmon Recipe

2011-07-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 lb. Salmon Fillets
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
2 Teaspoons Crushed Garlic
Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
Fresh Parsley for Garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place fillets in baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spray fillets lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle lemon juice. Rub lemon zest and garlic onto fillets and sprinkle with pepper and rosemary. Bake 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until internal temperatures reaches 145 degrees F. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Makes 4 4 ounce servings.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Per Serving: 200 calories, 10g fat, 2g saturated fat, 70mg cholesterol, 55mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 24g protein

Grilled Sausage, Peppers & Onion Recipe

2011-07-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats the delicious summer grilled foods. Here in NJ sausage, peppers and onions is a favorite. You can smell them from miles on the boardwalks of the NJ shore's.

Here is my own recipe, simple and easy. Remember, I am a busy lady, so I try to put together recipes, that are not only easy, but healthy and meals that really hit the spot.

Ingredients:

Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage
Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic
Bell Peppers (Green, Red or Both)
1 Medium Onion

Normally, this is just easier for me. I start by boiling the sausage links, because any pork should be cooked thoroughly. Once the sausage has been boiled, grill the sausage links. Since, they are already cooked, this will ensure you will not burn them on the grill.

Next, in a non-stick frying pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and fresh garlic, start saute' the garlic, now simply add and the sliced peppers and onions. Cook until veggies are tender, and feel free to add seasoning, such as fresh pepper, garlic and or onion powder.

Serve sausage, peppers and onions on fresh Italian bread or even hot dog rolls. You can also jazz it up by adding tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella. There you go, this meal can be made in about 30 minutes and it's a definite summer hit

Grilled Pizza Margherita

2011-07-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 Cup of Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce
1 (12 inch) Pre-baked Pizza Crust
4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Thin Sliced or Shredded
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves

Instructions: Evenly spread sauce on pizza crust, then top with cheese. Grill covered over medium heat, rotating occasionally, 10 minutes or until sauce is hot and cheese is melted. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.

Serves: 4, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes.

Alternative to Low Fat Brownies

2011-07-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

An alternative for Lowfat brownies for the people like myself who have a sweet tooth, and has to watch their calorie intake. I myself am a Weight Watchers member, but I love my chocolates and my sweets. A while ago, while shopping at BJ's Wholesale Club I came across Fiber One Brownies. I figured why not try them. Weight Watchers endorses their program to high fiber and low calorie foods. These are only 90 calories, and are out of this world. You would not know you were eating a Fiber product. This is my advice to anyone who has a sweet tooth, loves chocolate and brownies, try them. Nothing is better than satisfying your sweet tooth and watching your weight without the guilt all at the same time.

Crabby Patties

2011-07-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

A nice seafood recipe for the summer.

These lump crab crab cakes have almost no filler, and can be served plain or on a bun. Make extra if you want leftovers!

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 small onion, minced

1 teaspoon garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1/8 cup crushed Ritz Crackers

4 tablespoon vegetable oil (for frying)

Mix all ingredients until well-blended (best to mix with your hands). Form mixture into individual patties, and fry in oil for three to four minutes on each side. Serves four.

Strawberry Lemonade Ice Pop Recipe

2011-06-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Easy and just great to serve the kids or guests on a hot summer day. I like to get creative in the kitchen. I also enjoy to get a bit experimental in the summer, while the kids are home on summer break. This is such a simple recipe, and you can mix up with any fruits or any of your favorite juice.

Simple: You can use store lemonade, or make your own from powdered lemonade (similar to an ice tea mix). Remember this is a simple easy refreshing recipe. Simply take some fresh strawberries, chop them into some pieces, and take your lemonade and add both ingredients to a blender. Blend until all strawberries, are blended and not large chunks. Simply put in an ice cup tray with tooth pics. You can also buy the plastic ice pop molds at most stores or even online. The fun part is you can be creative with the molds you also purchase.

Enjoy and stay cool this summer!

Fat Free Spinach Lasagna Recipe

2011-06-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Enjoy a tasty guilt free lasagna if you just so happen to love Italian food like myself. This is still tasty, and of course healthy for the family.

Ingredients:

1 can tomato paste (6 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)
1 3/4 cups of cold water
2 "eggs" Egg substitutes (e.g., Egg Beaters--Fat Free)
1 container Fat Free Ricotta cheese (15 oz)
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach (10 oz.), thawed and drained
1/2 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese--Fat Free or Low Fat cheese
1/2 lb. Uncooked lasagna noodled, broken in half

Instructions:
Empty spaghetti sauce mix into saucepan, add tomato paste, tomato sauce and
water. Heat, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat. Beat Egg
substitutes in a large bowl and add Ricotta cheese, spinach, salt and 1/4
cup Parmesan cheese. Lightly grease (cooking oil spray, 1 second) bottom of
13x9x2-inch baking dish; cover with a little sauce. Layer noodles, half of
the cheese-spinach mixture, half of the mozzarella cheese, and half of the
tomato sauce. Repeat layers, ending with tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4
cup Parmesan cheese. Cover dish with a lightly greased (cooking oil spray,
1/2 second) sheet of aluminum foil and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for
60 minutes or until noodles are tender. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting
into squares and serving.
Serves 8.

Three Important Rules for Healthy Eating.

2011-06-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

The 3 Rules To Get You on Your Way To Healthy Eating.

1. Use low sodium products, this is heart healthy. More American's have high blood pressure, this is a factor, high sodium in the diet. Try shopping for LOW SODIUM products.

2. Reduced or Low Fat. This will help your health and your waist. The fat free products, you can also use. I will personally say, I enjoy low fat products. LOW FAT does not take out the flavor. Fat free to me has a rubbery taste, so if you still want to enjoy flavor and stay healthy start trying to implement this into your everyday living.

3. Fiber is another key to important dieting. HIGH FIBER diets have proven to weight loss in such programs as Weight Watchers. I have used the Weight Watchers plan, and it is proven. I lost 45 pounds with their program. Fiber helps you lose weight, and is very healthy.

These few tips sound simple, and truly they really are. If you can just change these 3 small habits, you are on the way to a new you!

Lowfat Soup Recipes: Homemade Cabbage Keilbasa Soup

2011-06-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite homemade soup recipes. You would not think, but my kids also enjoy this. Most children hate veggies, but this recipe is just packed with veggies and is a hit in my house. This is a recipe my Grandmother gave me, which like most recipes I tweaked to make my own. Overall, this is a healthy lowfat soup recipe.

Ingredients:

10-12 Cups of Water, 1 Teaspoon or Bullion Cube of Low Sodium Chicken broth.

1 Small Head of Cabbage

1 Medium White/Spanish Onion.

4 Fresh Whole Potatoes Cleaned and Peeled.

1 Link of Lowfat Turkey Keilbasa. (This is one of the reasons, this makes this a low calorie soup recipe. You can also use a fresh keilbasa from your favorite Polish Deli, but that will defeat the low cal soup recipe).

Start off by boiling the 10-12 cups per water, use an eye level with how large your pot is your making the soup in. Add the keilbasa to the water and boil this, even if it pre cooked. This will add such flavor to the soup. Once, the water is boiled remove the keilbasa and put on a plate or cooking board and let it cool. Once you remove the keilbasa add your low sodium chicken flavored bullion cubes or if you do not have cubes, you can add 1 teaspoon per cup of bullion, directly to the water the keilbasa was boiling in. The reason, for adding the broth mixture to the keilbasa water, is just for flavor. This is one of the key parts to this recipe.

After the broth is boiling, you can simmer the broth. Next is dice your cabbage, potatoes and onion to the size you would like and add the veggies to the broth, as the broth simmers.

After the keilbasa is cooled down, simply cut the link into small bite sizes pieces. Add this to the soup next.

Lastly, just let the soup simmer for about 45-minutes to an hour, until the vegetables are soft and tender. You should cover the pot with a lid during this time.

Now, you have created a delicious lowfat soup. This is generally a fast soup recipe. The total preparation time is about 15-20 minutes. Now you can enjoy a soup that is not only healthy and low fat, but absolutely delicious.

For more recipes and weight loss ideas you can purchase this set of 20 cookbooks for only $20. I have gotten some incredible recipes, and could not believe how inexpensive it also was. Sometimes, I get bored of making the same meals, and do need new ideas from time to time. Most important, as long as these are simple easy recipes that are healthy for my family I am a happy camper, so that is why I purchased this set of books. You can take a look if your interested, 20 Recipes Books for Only $20!

Recipe for Homemade Low Fat Pizza

2011-06-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

If your looking to eat healthy or find a great recipe if your concerned about your weight this is the recipe. I had to get creative a while ago, with healthy meal ideas. I was like a lot of Americans, I had fallen into the obese category. This is also normal for a lot of women after pregnancy. You gain a little bit of weight, some of us can shed the pounds after birth. By the time the second or third pregnancy rolls around, your tired, busy and not focusing on yourself as much as your children. That is my story. Last year, I tried the Weight Watchers system. It worked wonders for me I lost over 45 pounds. Did this happen overnight? No, it did not. This article is not about weight loss, but about eating healthy and looking for easy healthy recipes.

This is my own pizza recipe, which was inspired by learning how to eat healthy. This is very simple. Total preparation to cook time is about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

12" Round Whole Wheat Tortilla or Burrito Wraps. (Generally, Whole Wheat, Low-Carb. You can find these for under 100 calories. Also look for High Fiber between 4 to 6 grams)

2 Tablespoons of Tomato Sauce ( You can use any kind, Ragu, Hunts, etc.)

1/4 Cup of Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese. (I prefer Low Fat vs Fat Free, in regards to flavor)

Spices/Seasons of Your Choice: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Basil, Italian Season, Sage, which ever you prefer to season the sauce)

Toppings: Green or Red Pepper, Fresh Tomato, Onion, or any other Veggie Topping.

The reason, I do not list Pepperoni or Sausage is because those are generally fattening.

First thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your wheat wrap on a cookie sheet. Next add tomato sauce, and your choice of seasonings. Now you sprinkle only a 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Lastly, add your healthy toppings. Bake about 10 minutes, until cheese is lightly golden brown.

This is not only a very filling pizza, but is so delicious too. You can tweak this recipe to be your own, however you like. This entire pizza is probably around 120-160 calories, depending on your ingredients.

I know as a mother, we want to feed our families healthy, but schedules are sometimes hectic. I have gotten creative reading recipes and sometimes where I get my ideas. Bottom line is you can't have fast food and take out every night. For more ideas and resources, try checking out the same ebooks I downloaded. I paid $20 for 20 books, can't beat it. I dont have the time to hit the library anymore for recipe ideas, but I know one thing, after my weight loss journey and help from Weight Watchers, I had to find a little something to help me out, and my review of this product, is just one word awesome. Keep an eye out for more recipe ideas. For more information on cooking healthy you can find more information here