Spinach Stuffed Shells

Who doesn't like stuffed pasta shells! It's been years since I've made them, and in my hunt for low fat, low calorie recipes, I found this recipe. I made the sauce and cooked the shells last night, so that when I got home from work today, all I had to do was mix the spinach/cheese mixture and stuff 'em and then throw them in the oven. They'll be done in about 5 minutes, and they SMELL FANTASTIC!!!

This is adapted from yet another new-to-me site, www.skinnymom.com. It makes 10 servings - TEN SERVINGS!!! I'll be doing some freezing tonight!

First, the sauce:

Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Serves 10

•1 pound lean ground sirloin
•1 onion, chopped
•1 green pepper, chopped
•1 tbsp minced onion
•2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
•1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
•1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
•1 tbsp Italian seasoning
•2 basil leaves
•2 tablespoons Splenda granulated sweetener
•1 teaspoon salt
•1 teaspoon garlic powder

1.In a large skillet, brown lean ground sirloin for 4-5 minutes.
2.Add chopped onion, green pepper, and garlic and continue cooking meat until no longer pink and the onions and peppers start to soften.
3.Next, add tomato paste, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes to meat and onions. Add in 1/4 cup water and stir sauce.
4.Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and Splenda to sauce and stir until well mixed.
5.Add in basil leaves and turn heat down to low. Cover and let simmer for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with pasta immediately or

freeze or refrigerate for later.

Nutrition Info Per Serving: Calories: 165.9, Fat: 4.9g, Carbohydrates:19g, Fiber: 3.5g, Sugars: 9g, Protein: 13.3g; WW Points 3



.... and now the shells:

Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce

Serves 10

•1 box Barilla Jumbo Shells Pasta
•1 10 oz bag frozen spinach
•16 ounces Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
•1 tsp salt
•1 tsp pepper
•1 tsp garlic powder
•1/2 cup Tbsp reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
•1 Tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated
•10 Servings Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Add pasta shells to boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until almost al dente.
3.Drain pasta shells and spread pasta shells onto a sheet of wax paper to dry.
4.Place spinach in microwave and cook for 5-6 minutes
as directed on package.
5.Drain spinach and make sure to remove all of the moisture from spinach until it is dry.
6.In a medium sized bowl, mix spinach, fat-free ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
7.Using a 9×13 casserole dish, spoon a small amount of Skinny Spaghetti and Meat Sauce to cover the bottom of dish.
8.Next, fill pasta shells with spinach mixture by using a spoon to place mixture inside each pasta shell.
9.Place filled pasta shells face up into casserole dish.
10.Top filled pasta shells with Skinny Spaghetti Meat Sauce and sprinkle reduced-fat Mozzarella cheese on top.
11.Heat pasta shells in oven for 15-20 minutes and serve hot.

Nutrition Info (3 stuffed shells with meat sauce): Calories: 323.4, Fat: 7.2g, Carbohydrates: 48.1g, Protein: 22g, Fiber: 5.1g, Sugars: 11.3g; WW Points 7

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Yowza!! These are hot! And oh so good.

This one is a recipe from a site I hadn't used before, one more amazing healthy cooking site that I've found in my hours of searching for all these yummy recipes!

adapted from www.skinnyweek.com:

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Serves 4, 5 WW Points

1 spray Pam
1 1/4 lb. uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 16 strips
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tablespoons butter
4 tsp. hot sauce or to taste
1/2 cup fat-free blue cheese dressing
4 stalks celery cut into 4 sticks each

Coat a large nonstick skillet with Pam and heat over medium-high heat.
Place chicken on a plate and sprinkle with salt and paprika. Add chicken to skillet and cook, turning occasionally until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic; reduce heat to low, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Remove skillet from heat; stir in margarine and hot sauce until margarine melts, coating chicken with sauce. Serve chicken with celery and blue cheese dressing on the side. Yields about 4 pieces of chicken, 4 celery sticks and 2 tablespoons of dressing.

And if you like the heat like I do , add an extra splash of this:

Tex Mex Beans and Rice Casserole

My grandson, O, who is going on 4, stayed over last night. We had a blast!! This afternoon we went to see the movie "Chimpanzee". I highly recommend it!!! After the movie, we walked around the mall a bit, went to the play area, then took a ride on the carousel. He's still afraid to ride the horses, so we rode in one of the carriages, but he says that "next time, he'll ride a horse that doesn't go up and down, and his mom has to ride on the horse next to him!" To me it seems a little strange that he's afraid of them - I could never keep his big sisters off of the horses, even when they were younger than he is now!

Anyway, he had asked earlier yesterday what we were going to have for dinner. The answer was a new recipe, Tex Mex Bean and Rice Casserole. It's another one from my "low fat good cooking" group. It was pretty good, but next time I'll add some stuff, either another can of pinto beans or some precooked chicken breast, and a whole bunch of chopped veggies.

Tex Mex Bean and Rice Casserole

2 c cooked brown rice
1/4 c fat-free, cholesterol-free egg substitute
1 1/2 c picante sauce
1 c reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can pinto beans, drained (15 oz)
1/4 t chili powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray square casserole dish with
nonstick cooking spray. Mix rice, egg substitute, 1/2 cup
picante sauce and 1/2 cup cheese and press in bottom of baking
dish. Mix beans, remaining 1-cup picante sauce and spoon over
rice mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the chili
powder. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until cheese is
melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional information: 256 calories, 3 g fat, 11 g protein,
47 g carbohydrates, 3 mg cholesterol, 677 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Happy birthday to me!

Well, it was really yesterday, but by the time I got home, I was exhausted, so this didn't get written till now!

My daughter cooked dinner for me! She made one of my comfort foods, something we've been making for probably 15 years. Cincinnati Chili!

And... she made my FAVORITE dessert, apple crisp! With homemade vanilla ice cream!!! Yum-Mo!!!

She gave me some awesome gifts, too! A reversible apron that she made, with kitty fabric, because, you know, I'm "Kitty Gramma". Sorry for the funky pics, I had it tied to a chair in order to take the pic. In retrospect, I should have put it on, and taken a pic of me in the mirror:

and a menu board:

"Because you've been cooking a lot lately," she said! Beautiful gifts.

Baked Potato Soup

I was a little nervous about trying this recipe - I have an aversion (although unfounded) about cauliflower replacing other vegetables - but it was very good. Next time I'll salt the cauliflower as it steams, or I'll boil the potatoes in salted water instead of baking, because it was just a little lacking in saltiness, but otherwise very good!

Another one courtesy of www.skinnytaste.com.

Baked Potato Soup

Servings: 5 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 207.6 • Fat: 7.8 g • Carb: 22.5 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Protein: 11.9 g


2 russet potatoes, washed and dried
1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets
1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup light sour cream
10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 tbsp chopped chives, divided
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)

Pierce potatoes with a fork; microwave on high for 5 minutes turn over and microwave another 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Or if you prefer to use your oven, bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes.

Meanwhile, steam cauliflower with water in a large covered pot until tender. Drain and return to pot. On medium heat, add chicken broth, milk, potatoes and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add sour cream, half the chives, salt and pepper and cook on low another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 tbsp cheese, remaining chives, and bacon.

Something quilty!

It's been a very long time since I've posted one of my quilty creations, but I HAVE been working some.

Here's my latest, which is a "mug rug" - bigger than a coaster, but smaller than a placemat - for an online swap that I'm in. The theme was "rainbow".

I'm excited to see what I receive from my swap partner - she's so incredibly talented!!!

The front:

... and the back:

A li'l motivation!

I've read sooo much today about weight loss - I've found some more INCREDIBLE healthy eating/weight loss websites, and right now, because of them, I feel like I could move a mountain!

I went looking thru some pics on facebook tonight, and courtesy of "Knead to Cook", here's an awesome quote from the late, great Mr. Steve Jobs. Well said, Mr. Jobs!

Ginger Beef and Broccoli

I've been on an Asian dinner kick lately. Filipino Adobo Chicken; Red Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp; Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce; and tonight, it was Ginger Beef and Broccoli. This time, it's from a Yahoo Group that I belong to, called LowFatGoodCooking. And yes, it's good cooking!!

Ginger Beef and Broccoli

Prep time 20 minutes, cooking time about 10 minutes
Makes 4 servings

1 lb. sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 T. chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 T. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
3 T. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
4 c. small broccoli florets
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. rice vinegar
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. beef stock

Place the steak in a bowl. Add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and cornstarch and toss to coat. Marinate the beef 20 to 30 minutes. Heat 2 T. of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until nicely colored, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the onion and broccoli and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Return the beef to the pan and heat through. Spoon onto a platter and serve.

per serving: about 306 calories; 27.4 g protein; 14.5 g fat (2.4 g saturated); 16.2 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 54 mg cholesterol; 1158 mg sodium

7 WW Points (original Points plan)

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

Again, another winner from skinnytaste.com!!!

I don't even know where to start! The curry sauce in this recipe is very mild. The only thing I'd do differntly is to use fresh shrimp instead of the prefrozen stuff that I used. Excellent recipe!!

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp
www.skinnytaste.com

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 135 • Fat: 4.4 g • Protein: 18.5 g • Carb: 4.7 g • Fiber: 0.9 g

Ingredients:

1 tsp oil
4 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz light coconut milk
2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt to taste

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add scallion whites and red curry paste and sauté one minute. Add shrimp and garlic, season with salt and cook about 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens and cilantro. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Weigh-in, end of week #1

Are you ready?

Drumroll, please:




Weight lost this past week (10 days actually): 4 lbs.
Total lost since I started losing weight (5.2 lost in the 10 days before I posted my goal here: 9.2 lbs.

Filipino Adobo Chicken

And yet another fantastic find from www.skinnytaste.com!!! My six year old granddaughter "Rye" and I had this for lunch yesterday. She devoured the chicken quite quickly (granted, she is definitely a carnivore!). She wasn't sure she wanted the sauce on the rice, so she had butter on hers instead. We started the meal off with a very colorful salad.

Here's this fantastic find: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/11/filipino-adobo-chicken.html


Filipino Adobo Chicken
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

8 chicken legs on the bone (skin removed)
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 small head of garlic, crushed
6 ground peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)


Marinate chicken in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, jalapeño and pepper, for at least an hour (overnight is ideal). Add chicken, 1/2 cup water, bay leaves and marinade into a deep nonstick skillet and cook on medium-low heat. Cover and cook until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the cover and cook an additional 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces. Discard bay leaves and serve over rice.