TURKEY BURGERS

This recipe is simple, good and 365 calories for the entire dish! 

INGREDIENTS:  1 1/2 pounds of extra lean ground turkey, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red onion, salt, pepper, 1 cup of A-1 sauce (optional), Natures Own Whole Wheat Buns (110 calories a bun), Kraft Fat Free sliced Sharp Cheddar (45 calories a slice), 3 Smart Baking Potatoes (70 calories per potato), Pam Olive Oil Cooking Spray. 

POTATO WEDGE DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees, slice each potato into eight equal wedges, spray with Pam olive oil cooking spray and season with garlic salt, pepper, onion salt and dash of chili powder.  You can season the potato wedges however you like, there are even potato seasoning packages in the veggie section of most grocery stores.  Place the seasoned wedges into the oven for 30 minutes or until browned and tender.

PATTY DIRECTIONS:  Finely chop the onion and bell pepper (use a food processor if you can).  Mix the onions, bell peppers, A-1 sauce, salt and pepper with the ground turkey into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal sized rounds. Make 2 equal sized patties out of each round so you have 8 patties total. Place a skillet on medium high OR grill on a pit, spray the top of the patties with Pam olive oil cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes per side.  

To serve, place on a bun with a slice of cheese.  Remember to add the calories of your condiments to your meal.

ENJOY AND GOD BLESS!

CRAB CAKES

I have to say that this is one of my favorites! Coming in at 220 for two, yes I said two...crab cakes, this makes for one super delicious meal!  To give props to Food Network, I did get this recipe from the Healthy Every Week page and modified it to use everyday ingredients.

INGREDIENTS: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 onion thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped green bell pepper , 1 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs, you can find them with the fresh fish at HEB) , 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons milk ( I use almond milk), 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard , 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, 1 pound crab meat ( I use leg meat since its less expensive), salt, ground pepper , Pam olive-oil cooking spray.

DIRECTIONS:  Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Mix 1/2 cup panko, the egg and milk in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay and Tabasco sauce.....then slowly fold in the crabmeat, panko mixture, onion and bell pepper mixture,  season with salt and pepper.

Shape into roughly eight patties and refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. Then

coat the crab cakes with the remaining panko. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the crab cakes with Pam Olive oil cooking spray and cook, sprayed-side down, 3 to 4 minutes. Spray the tops, flip and cook 3 to 4 more minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

TIPS & TOOLS FOR HEALTHY LIVING

June has marked the second month of posting on my blog and I can honestly say that creating these recipes has turned into quite an experience.  When we started this in January I found that recipes and advice were hard to come by, even in a media dependant world, but we prevailed and now I can pass some of these tips on to you.

• First and foremost, DRINK WATER.....only WATER!!!!! I know its hard, you have to know that I hated water with a passion.  I only drank sweet tea and water was not an option.  So I started by slowly taking away the amount of sugar that I used to sweeten the tea and eventually it became obsolete.  Then I began drinking more and more water.  Now, I am proud to say that water is my friend!

• The next thing is checking the nutrition facts on the foods that you purchase.  I never buy anything that has more than 10 ingredients UNLESS those ingredients are natural (fruit, herbs, spices, etc.)  DON'T FOCUS on anything but the ingredients.  If something says it has 5g of sugar, look to see why.  Is it because sugar is listed in the ingredients OR is it because it has strawberries in it....which have natural sugars.  Think of what your eating, if you cant pronounce it DON'T EAT IT!!!!!

• My third tip, is watch when you eat!  DON'T EAT PAST 7:00 PM, I cannot stress this enough. My family eats between 5 and 5:30 everyday, giving the food that we eat ample time to burn off.  When eating dinner, limit your calorie intake to under 500.  The bulk of your calories should be ingested at breakfast and lunch.  DO NOT skip breakfast, eat a piece of whole wheat toast or a granola bar...just don't think that not eating will help.

• No more fast food.  I have not had a fast food hamburger since 2010 and I don't miss it.  McDonald's, Sonic, Whataburger and Burger King are not your friends...however Subway is a great friend to have.

• Call in the REPLACEMENTS! Swap white bread for whole wheat, vegetable oil for extra virgin olive oil, milk for almond or coconut milk.  You see where I am going with this....take something you use all the time and replace with something good for you.  If your not sure what to replace it with, let me know and I can help!

• My final tip is get up and get moving.  I am not saying to jump up and run a marathon.  Just do little things, for example, park farther in a parking lot and walk....stand up while your reading...take a walk around the block...play outside with your kids.  A body in motion stays in motion and being in motion burns calories and burnt calories means you lose weight.

I have many more suggestions and I promise that I will list them, but in the mean time, just making these few changes will jump start a lifestyle change that could take any diet down!

If you have any questions, email or comment!  GOD BLESS!!!!!

CREAMY ITALIAN PASTA

This recipe is morphed from one I found on the Philadelphia Cream Cheese package, so I cant call it an original....but I will call it better!  This one comes in closer to 425 calories, but you get a nice size portion.

INGREDIENTS:  3 Boneless Chicken Breasts, 1 container of Philadelphia Cream Cheese Italian and Herb, 2 Zucchini, 1 jar of Roasted Piquillo Peppers, 1 box of Whole Grain Fusilli (spiral) Pasta, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and assorted seasoning (onion, garlic, roasted red pepper, salt and pepper).

DIRECTIONS: Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Slice the chicken breast into cubes, season and place into a  skillet with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat until done.  Wash and cube the zucchini, set aside, then remove about half the of piquillo peppers from the jar and slice.  Take the zucchini and piquillo peppers and cook for about 8 minutes on medium heat with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  You want the zucchini to have a little crunch to them, so don't over cook or they will become soggy.  Once the pasta is done, drain and place into a large serving bowl, then combine the chicken, zucchini and pepper mixture along with the entire container of the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Italian and Herb.  Mix well and serve!

I served this with a salad and it was delicious!  I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.....God Bless!

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

I searched and searched for a good stuffed squash recipe and came up empty handed, so I decided to make my own.  This recipe is simple, quick and a very large serving runs 367 calories!  This recipe was approved by my hubby, mother and 14 year old daughter,  we all love it and hope that you do also!

INGREDIENTS: 3 acorn squash, 1 head of cabbage (chopped), 1 large onion (chopped), 3 lean fresh pork chops, extra virgin olive oil and seasonings (salt, pepper and garlic flakes or minced garlic).

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees, cut squash into halves, scrape strings and seeds from inside discarding the stringy pulp. On medium high heat season the pork chops and place in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until cooked.  REMEMBER not to over cook the pork chops or they become very dry.  In another pan on medium high heat, place the chopped cabbage and onion with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and cook until tender.  When the pork chops are done, place on a cutting board and slice into small cubes and add to the cabbage and onions.  Continue to cook until the cabbage is tender.
Place the squash, cut side down in a pan with just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender.

Once the pork chops and cabbage are cooked the squash should be nice and tender.  Now, remove the squash from the oven, season with salt and pepper, sit them up like a bowl and overstuff each of them with the cabbage/pork chop combo.

This is officially one of my favorites so far, I hope you enjoy it.....God Bless!