One of my pet peeves when making lasagna is, that I NEVER have enough ingredients to fill a 9 X 13 in pan and that is what the recipe calls for. That always irritates me to know end. I decided to try an 8 X 11 baking dish this time and that worked way better. Now I am satisfied and can mark that down for future reference.

If you haven’t noticed yet, I’ve been making a lot of recipes with Quinoa recently. I had made some granola bars this past weekend and I never got to take a picture of them because Ben had eaten them all. They were one of his favorites. I think this by far is my favorite recipe I’ve tried using Quinoa. Who knew you could make lasagna with this hearty grain? The best part is there’s more protein in the quinoa which replaces the carb filled noodles you normally have with lasagna. Go ahead and give this one a try. You will be impressed this still tastes like lasagna!

Servings: 8

Points Plus: 8

Ingredients

1 cup of Quinoa, cooked
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 jar of store bought marinara sauce
1 16 oz container of low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the 1 cup of quinoa in a medium sauce pan with 2 cups of water until all the liquid has
been absorbed. Set a side.

In a skillet, cook the ground turkey, until brown addd in your favorite jar of marinara sauce. I added
in a pinch or 2 of crushed red pepper flakes but that is optional.

While the turkey is cooking in the skillet, mix together the cottage cheese, 1/8 cup of part skim
mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and the salt and pepper.

When the turkey is done cooking begin layering all the ingredients together in a 8 X 11 baking dish. Half of the quinoa,
then the turkey and marinara mixture, and then cheese. Repeat this a second time, and
the last time top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

I’m not a country western fan, but this soup might change my mind. This is Trisha Yearwood’s version of chicken tortilla soup. She had this on her show the weekend before Halloween and it looked really good, so I thought … Continue reading →

I’m so glad that I stumbled across this recipe on pinterest. Yes, I know…. another pinterest recipe. If you haven’t gotten on this website yet, I suggest you do and take a look around. There’s all sorts of things to look at on there, and you don’t just have to be a girl to like pinterest. Pinterest can be for men as well.

There was nothing wrong with this recipe at all and I didn’t change a thing to it. However, the cream cheese I added in had scallions in it, and I didn’t know whether or not it enhanced the flavor of it at all. The next time I make this, I’m going to throw different taco toppings on top like avocado, lettuce, and tomatoes. That would make it even better. This dish almost reminded me of a taco mac and cheese. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.

Taco Pasta Bake recipe from Canadian Moms Cook

Calories 310:  Fat: 10.57g, Carbs: 21.04g, Fiber: 1.1g, Protein:29.6g

Servings: 8

Points Plus: 8

Ingredients:

1/2 – 3/4 of a bag of large noodle pasta like ziti
approx. 1lb of ground beef
1 pkg/envelope of taco seasoning
1C water
1/2 pkg of cream cheese
1 1/2C shredded cheese (I used marble)

Directions:
1. boil pasta until just cooked, drain, run cold water over it
2. brown ground beef
3. mix together taco season and 1C of water, pour over cooked beef and let simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced
4. add the 1/2 pkg of cream cheese to the beef mixture, stir until melted and combined, remove from heat
5. put pasta in your casserole dish or pot, mix in 1C of the shredded cheese
6. top pasta and cheese with beef mixture, gently mix until the pasta is coated
7. top with remaining 1/2C of shredded cheese
8. bake at 350 uncovered for approx 30 minutes

I thought this casserole was way better than the Chicken Tamale Casserole I made about a week ago. I love the corn in this too and it’s very cheesy, very cheesy indeed. This casserole almost reminded me of a Mexican lasagna and the beef mixture had black beans, corn, and salsa in it. You get one really big  and filling slice for only 8 points. That’s not bad.

I ordered a new ice pop mold from amazon  and should be getting it this week sometime. I also ordered a cook book called Paletas. Be on the look out for some popsicle recipes coming soon!

Ingredients from Get off your Butt and Bake

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used lean ground turkey)
1 large onion, chopped may also substitute onion powder
2 1/2 cups salsa
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 1/4 cups frozen corn
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup sour cream
6-8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 ( 14 oz.) can Red Enchilada Sauce
2 cups shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook meat and onion until meat is browned and cooked completely through.

Stir in salsa, black beans, corn, taco seasoning, cumin, and sour cream to the meat. until evenly cooked.

Spread 1/3 of meat mixture onto the bottom of the greased 9×13 baking dish.

Sprinkle 2/3-3/4 cup shredded cheese over the top of meat mixture.

Layer with 2 tortillas. If desired, break and trim a third tortilla to fill in any gaps.

Pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce over the tops of the tortilla layer.

Continue layering as listed above until top layer is reached. End with toping the casserole with tortillas, last 1/3 of enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. Be generous on the cheese

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Serve with any toppings you would like.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I know I did. I went to the lakes with Ben’s family, read the book 50 Shades of Grey, and did a lot of shopping. I even caught my own walleye at the fish market, which is basically my idea of fishing. It was good walleye too. You can use whatever type of fish you like for this though. Walleye is a sweet fish and makes for great fish and chips.

Did you know that cereal can make a really good coating for chicken or fish? This recipe said to use corn flakes, so I opted for rice crispies instead. They turned the perfect golden brown color on one side. I also didn’t use the oil for the potatoes like the recipe said to and used it for the fish instead. You just cook the fish on both sides for a couple of minutes in the oil (make sure to measure it to and cook on medium high heat) until you can see the crust start to turn a golden brown, and then finish cooking the fish in the oven. I’ve tried just baking the fish or chicken before with the coating, and for some reason it never turns out the way I want it to. Soggy! I think this is a better way of getting that golden brown color that restaurant chefs always get on theirs. It was a great end to a Memorial Day weekend.

If you decide to make the fish baked in the oven the recipe below is 8 points including the potatoes. If you decide to make it the way I did above, it’s 8 points for one fish fillet and then whatever it is for the potatoes. I just used some store bought french fries that we had on hand and baked them in the oven. Just one fish was very filling with some french fries.

I’ve been wanting a fancier blog design, and so I’m teaching myself how to make my own wordpress themes. I do know html, css, and now even a little bit of XML coding. So, hopefully sometime in the near future I’ll have a new layout. I’m sick of using the free ones and not being able to edit them the way I want to, and I’m sure not going to pay for someone else to design my own theme when I went to school for Graphic Design.

Servings 3 (one  and 1/2 fish)

Points Plus: 8

325 calories, 5 g fat, 24 g protein, 3 g fiber, 45 g carbohydrates

Ingredients adapted from Eating Well

Canola or olive oil cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning, divided
2 cups cornflakes (I used rice crispies)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, beaten
1 pound cod, (see Tip) or haddock, cut into 4 portions

Preparation

Position racks in upper and lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Set a wire rack on another large baking sheet; coat with cooking spray.

Place potatoes in a colander. Thoroughly rinse with cold water, then pat dry completely with paper towels. Toss the potatoes, oil and 3/4 teaspoon Cajun (or Creole) seasoning in a large bowl. Spread on the baking sheet without the rack. Bake on the lower oven rack, turning every 10 minutes, until tender and golden, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, coarsely grind cornflakes in a food processor or blender or crush in a sealable plastic bag. Transfer to a shallow dish. Place flour, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon Cajun (or Creole) seasoning and salt in another shallow dish and egg whites in a third shallow dish. Dredge fish in the flour mixture, dip it in egg white and then coat all sides with the ground cornflakes. Place on the prepared wire rack. Coat both sides of the breaded fish with cooking spray.

Bake the fish on the upper oven rack until opaque in the center and the breading is golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.

You know what, I really hate the meteorologists where I live. They predicted about a foot of snow to fall between Tuesday and Wednesday, and we only got about 4 inches. What the heck??! Everyone in the area was expecting … Continue reading →

Another super easy recipe to make. While the pasta is cooking (which only takes 8 minutes), brown the sausage and once the sausage is done add in the kale. It will turn bright green. Add in the chicken broth and scrape off the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. There were quite a bit on mine. It’s almost like making a gravy. Top with some parmesan cheese and enjoy. In no time you’ll have dinner on the table.

If you’ve never tried kale before it kind of reminds me of spinach but more leafier. Feel free to add in whatever greens you like. Give kale a try if you haven’t. I think the only thing I would do differently next time is cook the kale longer. This recipe is directly from Weight Watchers website. There were quite a bit of reviews for this website, over 1000.

Note: Measure out two cups of rigatoni and cook. Doesn’t seem like much but in the end it is.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Servings: 4
Points Plus: 8

Ingredients:

2 cup(s) uncooked rigatoni
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste, for cooking pasta
8 oz uncooked turkey sausage(s), sweet Italian variety
4 cup(s) uncooked kale, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup(s) canned chicken broth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp table salt
1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended

Directions:

Cook rigatoni in salted water according to package directions.

Meanwhile, remove sausage from casing and cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up sausage as it cooks, about 3 minutes. Add kale; cook, stirring frequently, until limp, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add broth to skillet and scrape up browned bits on bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon; season with salt and pepper. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low; cook until kale is tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in rigatoni; heat through.

Sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons of cheese before serving. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

I remember this being a soup that my brother and I would always like, whenever my Mom made it. Dare I say this, but the one she used was way too cheesy. This recipe had just the right amount of cheese and it didn’t require a whole brick of Velveeta. Yes, this soup has velveeta cheese. Don’t judge! The soup almost reminded me of making that velveeta cheese dip, where you just add in a can of rotel tomatoes. That’s exactly what I added too, since I didn’t have any salsa at all in the house. It was delicious and spicy. Even the lactose intolerant husband said he enjoyed it. He took his pills of course.

This weekend, I plan on posting some Jamaican recipes for you all to try. I’ve been doing a lot of research on the web for recipes and found some for Jerk Seasoning, Johny Cakes, and I’m going to try and make the recipe we learned how to make at the resort. I believe the chef said it was called Escovitch, but we didn’t catch what the name of it was. The resort is supposed to be emailing me the recipe hopefully.

Recipe adapted from Krista’s Kitchen via Tasty Kitchen

Servings: 8
Points Plus: 8 (1 cup)
Calories 310 | Total Fat 14.96g | Carbohydrate 16.08g | Fiber 1.7g | Protein 27.36g

Ingredients

1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1-½ pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Diced
½ cups Chopped Onion
2 T Butter
1/3 cups Flour
2-½ cups low sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
8-12 oz. 2% Milk Velveeta, cubed
8 oz. Shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack or Mexican 4 cheese blend shredded cheese
1 jar salsa (any Variety)
1 cup 1% milk

Additonal Toppings
Fritos, green onion, and sour cream (for garnish)

Instructions

In a skillet, add seasoning and diced chicken. Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Drain, and set aside. (or cook chicken and toss with seasoning mix like I did)

In large saucepan (or pot), saute onion in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended, then gradually stir in the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes longer, or until thickened slightly. Add Velveeta, shredded cheese and salsa. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted.

Stir in half and half. Add the chicken back in. Stir. Heat through but do not boil. Remove from heat. Garnish with Fritos (you can also use guacamole, sour cream, and green onions). Enjoy!