Lightened Banana Bread

Ingredients (Makes 40 servings)

4bananas
4 egg whites

1/2c shortening
1/2c canned pears
1/2c ground flax seed
3 1/2c flour
1 1/4c sugar
1t salt
2t baking soda
2c fat free milk
1T lemon juice
1/2c chopped chocolate

 Calories 126126

Total Fat 4.2g4.2
Saturated Fat 1.3g1.3  6
Cholesterol  1mg1 0
Sodium 134mg1346
Total Carbohydrates 20.1g20.1 7
Dietary Fiber 1.3g1.3  5
Sugars 9.7g9.7
Protein 2.6g2.6

Next time I am going to cut the shortening down to 1/4 - 1/3 c to see how that effects texture and taste.   I made 2 good size loaves, and 24 mini muffins.

Happy Eating,
Team Healthy
Ne

Pumpkin ChocolateChip Muffins

1 c whole wheat flour
2 1/3 c white flour
1 1/2 c sugar
2 Tbsp pumkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt and baking powder
4 eggs
2 c pumpkin
1/3 c margarine
1/2 c canned pears
4 oz chopped chocolate chips

Bake at 350.  Makes about 30 muffins
Calories 141
Fat 3.4 g
Protein 2
sugar 11g
Carbs 26 g

Happy Eating,
Team Healthy

Rhubarb muffins

These are not out of the oven yet, but smell so good!
I found this recipe on cdkitchen.com My version is in parentheses.

1 1/2 c brown sugar (1 cup)
1 c buttermilk (1/2 c nonfat sour cream + 1/2 c 1% milk)
3 1/2 Tbsp oil (3 Tbsp applesauce + 1 T oil)
1 egg
2 1/2 c flour (1 1/4 c flour +1 1/4 c wholewheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
2 c finely diced rhubarb


Top with cinnamon and sugar before baking in a 375 oven for 15-20 minutes.

nutritional analysis:as written for 12 muffins: 287 calories, 9 grams of fat, 47 g carbs, 5 g protein

My variation for 16 muffings: calories 146, 1.6 g fat, 35 g carbs, 19 g sugars, 4 g protein


Out of the oven - they are a little tart, but still good. They are high in sugar, but I cannot justify adding more.

Cute Quote

"A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise."
A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh

So this is my quote for the summer. I am camping next week and then it's time to get back down to business. Haven't gained, but haven't lost much either! Have a few recipes I need to add, too!

Hope your summer is great!

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

BBQ Pork & Penne Skillet

So this was our DELICIOUS dinner tonight! 8 our of 8 loved it. So that is always great! Monday night I put 12 lbs of pork shoulder & butt in a crock pot with diced onion and ginger ale. Set to LOW for 12 hours. Drained the fat and ginger ale off. Threw the onions back in and started pulling the pork off. Threw in some jars of BBQ sauce and left on LOW for about 5 more hours. We had pulled pork tostadas and with all the extra made this recipe.

1 pkg (16 oz, but I only had 13.25 oz) whole wheat penne pasta
1 C chopped sweet red pepper
3/4 C chopped onion
oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
18 oz BBQ pork. I guess you can buy it in the freezer section
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes w/mild green chilies, undrained
1/2 C beef broth
1 t cumin
1 t pepper
1/4 t salt
1 1/4 C chedder, shredded
1/4 C chopped green onions

Cook pasta. Meanwhile in a large skillet, saute red pepper and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the pork, tomatoes, broth, cumin, pepper and salt; heat thru.

Drain pasta. Add pasta and cheese to pork mixture; Sprinkle with green onions.

I didn't add the cheese and green onions. I just put them in bowls on the table. I also forgot the cumin, pepper nad salt. Tasted great, but I love cumin, so I can imagine it would be even better! Serves 8

1 serving (1 1/2 C): 313.7 calories, 12.6 g fat (and I think there is less as I drained the fat. There was hardly any fat on the refrigerated stuff.) carbs 29.7 g, 3.2 g fiber, 9.9 g sugar (BBQ sauce....gonna look for a lower sugar one next time), 15.9 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Chicken Sausage Gyros

So my grandpa was greek. I LOVE greek food! Especially gyros. So when I came across this recipe I was really excited! It is really delicious, too! We used Jennie-O turkey sausage, those U shaped (I believe) 14 oz packages. I also didn't have olive oil, so I omitted it. Wal-Mart didn't sell whole wheat pita bread, just white.

Serves 4

12 oz fully cooked spinach and feta chicken sausage links or Italian flavor of your choice, cut into 1/4"slices - doesn't spinach and feta links sound DELICIOUS!!!
1 C (8 oz) fat free sour cream
1/4 C finely chopped cucumbers
1 1/2 t red wine vinegar
1 1/2 t olive oil
1/2 t garlic powder
4 whole wheat pita bread (6")
1 medium plum tomatoes, sliced (I used grape tomatoes quartered)
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray (I had to add water), cook chicken sausage over meadium heat until heated through.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, cucumber, vineagar, oil and garlic powder. Serve the chicken sausage on pita, with tomato, onion and sause.

One serving: 315.7 calories, 8.3 g fat, 39.9 g carbs, 1.8 g fiber, 4.2 g sugar, 17.8 g protein

LOTS of carbs, but that is the pita bread. I have eaten the left over meat, sauce and tomatoes today. That makes it more healthy. Next time I will try and make my own wrap.

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Beef & Blue Cheese Tart

So this is what we had last night for dinner. It was REALLY delicious, but only if you like blue cheese. Eat the middle pieces and you will have less carbs!

1/2 lb extra lean ground beef (97%)
1 3/4 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, thinkly sliced
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 tube (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 C fat free sour cream
2 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
3/4 C crumbled bleu cheese

Cook beef, onion and mushrooms until meat is not pink. Drain. Stir in salt & Pepper, set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll crust into a 15x12 inch rectangle. The recipe then says to transfer to a parchment paper. But I would do without the parchment paper next time. Not only is it a pain in the butt to transfer it, but when you are cutting the tart after it is cooked, it gets all cut up and if soggy, you might eat it because it is sticking to the tart!
IN a small bowl, combine sour cream, Italian seasoning and garlic powder; spread over crust within 2" of the edges. The put hamburger mixture on top of that. Fold up edges of crust over filling, leaving center uncovered. So I did the long sides first. So the 'window' of mixture you see will be about 10x7. This is when you transfer it to a cookie sheet.....have fun....it's tricky. Took 2 people, 2 spatulas and 4 hands!
Bake at 425 for 15-18 or until crust is golden brown. Spirnkle with blue cheese when it comes out and let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Makes 8 slices

1 slice: 208 carbs,5 g fat, 23 g carbs (eat center one and less carbs!), 2 g fiber, 3 g sugar and 18 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Green Enchilada Tostadas

Here is dinner tonight! It's delicious!

4 chicken breasts
2 small cans green enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 C sour cream (I used 1 C)
corn tortillas (or tostadas)
2-3 T veggie oil (if frying your tortillas)
Toppings: Cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro

Place the chicken in your crock pot (can place frozen in, add time for cooking). Pour enchilada sauce on top. Add the onion and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken is cooked thru and fork tender. Turn crockpot to warm, then stir in the sour cream.
If you don't use tostadas, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Fry tortillas one by one until they are crisy. Drain on paper towel. To serve, place chicken mixture on crispy tortilla then add your favorite toppings.
The chicken is kindof runny, so I a put refried beans on teh tostadas first so they wouldnt become soggy. VERY delicous....8 out of 8 thumbs up in our house!
8 - 4 oz servings

4 oz chicken = 188 calories, 2.5 g fat, 10.1 g carbs, 0.7 g fiber, 3.5 g sugar, 29.6 g protein. (this does not include the tostada or toppings)

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Crock Pot Chinese Cashew Chicken

So this is what we are eating for dinner tonight. I have sampled it already and I can't imagine it tasting better! YUM! I doubled it and it made quite a bit! Filled my crock pot up. Here is the single recipe:

4 C cooked diced chicken
2 C celery
2 cans 97% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 C chopped green onions
1 stick margarine
2 T soy sauce
8 oz sliced mushrooms, drained
2 C whole cashews
hot cooked rice

Combine chicken, soups, celery, onions, mushrooms, butter & soy sauce in crock pot. Mix well. Cook on LOW 4-6 hours or HIGH 2-3 hours.
Stir in cashews just before serving. Serve over rice.

I am actually not going to put the cashews in. I will sprinkle on after serving. That way I can control how much I get. They are MEGA numbers! Serves 8

1 serving (about 1 C minus cashews): 262 calories, 8.6 g fat, 7.3 g carbs, 1.5 g fiber, 0.6 g sugar, 37.3 g protein

3 T cashews: 148.1 calories, 12 g fat (mostly mono...so good one), 8.4 g carbs, 0.8 g fiber, 1.3 g sugar, 3.9 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Sugar Free Cake

It's been too long! I have a couple yummy recipes I need to add on! This is one I am making for FHE refreshments tonight:

Sugar Free Cake (Splenda)
Put in mixing bowl:

8 egg whites

Beat well. Add to this:
2 C splenda
1 C applesauce
1 C pumpkin

Beat again. Then add:
2 C flour
1 t bakign soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon
Nuts, if desired.
Spread into greased and floured 11x17 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

I am going to top with fat free cool whip! Sounds great and the numbers are not so bad either! This does NOT included nuts or cool whip:

20 servings: 1 serving = 61.7 calories, 0.2 g fat, 13.4 g carbs, 0.8 g fiber, 1.7 g sugar, 3.4 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Results!

For Te
total weight lost 14lbs
total muscle gain 4lbs
% of fat went from 27 to 19.3 in 12 weeks
I now have 105 lbs of lean, mean muscle :)
(I just had to put the mean part in)
Unfortunately, I was still in the bottom half of the competition, but I am happy with my results.

Am has great results, which she will post, but I'll just say she may be busy celebrating!

Scallops with citrus glaze

So the Scruptious Blueberry Lemon bread was just that....SCRUPTIOUS! SO moist and delicious! Definately try it!

Here is what we had for dinner. My 3 oldest boys and I loved it!

12 sea scallops (or 1 1/2 lbs)
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t salt
2 T olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C orange juice
1/4 C lemon juice
1 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 t grated orange peel

Sprinkle scallops iwth pepper and salt. In a large skillet, saute scallops in 1 T oil until firm and opaque. Remove and keep warm.

In same skillet, cook garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute. Add the juices, soy sauce and orange peel. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until thickened. Don't taste until then. Otherwise taste is VERY lemony. I put scallops and juice in a bowl. The longer the scallops set in juice the more citris-y they are. YUM!

It's hard to tell a serving size, but I did about 8 oz scallops and minimal juice:

267.2 calories, 7.3 g fat, 7.1 g carbs, 0.2 g fiber, 3.2 g sugar, 20.6 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Scruptious Blueberry Lemon Bread

I have this baking in the oven. So I haven't tried it, but it SURE looks good! The numbers don't look so bad either, for the contents. I didn't even sub anything to make it healthier!

1 1/3 C flour 2/3 C whole wheat flour
2/3 C sugar 2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt 2 egg whites
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce 1/2 C milk
3 T melted butter 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
2 t grated lemon peel (which I left out)
GLAZE:
1/3 C powdered sugar 2 T lemon juice

Mix egg, applesauce, milk and butter. Add flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Fold in blueberries and lemon peel. Transfer to loaf pan coated with spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Combine glaze ingredients and pour over warm loaf. Cook for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. I figured 14 slices?

per slice: 152.7 calories, 3.6 g fat, 28 g carbs, 1.4 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 3.1 g protein

Easy tortellini Soup

Taken from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine 1 medium onion 1 tsp olive oil 1 clove garlic 2 cans (14.5 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes 1 pkg (9 oz) refridgerated cheese tortellini 3 c chopped fresh spinach 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar 1/4 tsp pepper shredded parmesan cheese In Dutch oven saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute more. Stir in broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add tortellini, cook for 7-9 minutes or until tender. Stir in the spinach, vinegar and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through and spinach is wilted. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 6 1 cup servings Nutritional value calories 178 fat 4 carbs 27 fiber 3 protein 9 I added a bit of oregano and basil. I also wanted more protein, so I also added 1.25 lbs of ground turkey. Happy Eating! TeAm Healthy

Cupcakes!

I took this recipe from the blog dealstomeals.blogspot.com I think it is delicious, and will use it for all my cupcake needs. (Even though my cupcake snob friend thought it was a little too dry. She has yet to share a better recipe.) It is a little bit more dense than a regular cupcake. I think it is more like a muffin consistency...hmm cupcakes for breakfast! 1 cake mix 1 small instant pudding 4 egg whites 2/3 c sour cream 1 can beans (drained) 3/4 c water Puree beans and water. Add all other ingredients. Spoon into cupcake tins and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. 24 cupcakes For the nutritional data I used a german chocolate pillsbury mix, a Jello sugar-free fat free chocolate pudding, non fat sourcream, and pinto beans. And no frosting. calories 119 carbs 22.5 sugar 10.5 protein 3.4 fat 1.75 Happy Eating! TeAm Healthy

Peanut butter balls

1 c reduced fat creamy peanut butter 1 scoop protein powder 1 banana 3 T ground flax seed Mix it all together. I used electric beaters. Form into balls and roll in crushed cornflakes. Keep in freezer. Nutritional value is with Peter Pan peanut butter and Jillian Michaels vanilla protein powder. the original recipe called for a chocolate protein powder. I did not calculate the cornflakes in. Calories 90 Fat 4.7 Carb 8 Sugar 2.9 Protein 4.2 Happy Eating! TeAm Healthy

Shrimp & Veggie Pizza

Dinner tonight! BIG hit with all 8 of us!

1/2 C sliced onion
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
3 asparagus spears, trimmed & cut into 1" pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
2 t olive oil
4 oz uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined & halved lengthwise
1 prebaked thin crust Italian bread shell crust (10 oz)
1/2 C pizza sauce
1 C shredde part-skim mozzarella cheese

Saute onion, mushrooms, asparagus and garlic until almost tender. Add shrimp; cook until it is all pink.
Place crust on a pizza pan (I used stoneware and it was nice and crispy). Spread iwth pizza sauce. Top with shrimp mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yields: 8 slices

1 slice: 161.25 calories, 5.25 g fat, 18 g carbs, .75 g fiber (sugar was not figured in this cookbook), 9.75 g protein

I think my pizza crust was bigger than 10 oz, too. Maybe 12?

Black Bean and Rice

So here is a new recipe I tried last night for dinner. VERY yummy! I would say it was comparable to restaurant rice & beans. It was a bit spicy, a few of us were fine. Others mixed more rice or sour cream in with theirs. So maybe cut back on the crushed red peppers.

Hot rice - I did 5 C for my family of 8
3 (15 oz) black beans, divided
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped green bell pepper (I didn't have one, so numbers do not reflect it)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t olive oil
14 oz can chicken broth (I just did water and chicken granuales)
6 oz can tomato paste
1 t ground cumin
3/4 t dried crushed red pepper
salt to taste
Topping: shredded cheddar, sliced radishes, chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced green olives, sliced jalapeno peppers, sour cream (numbers dont' reflect any of these toppings, either)

1. Prepare rice
2. Drain and rinse 2 cans of black beans. (Do not drain remaining can)
3. Saute onion, bell pepper nad garlic in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, tomato paste, cumin and dried crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve with hot rice and desired toppings. The full 30 minutes will boil out some juice and get the spices going! YUM!

1/2 C serving of beans: 113 calories, 0.6 g fat, 21.2 g carbs, 7 g fiber, 2.2 g sugar, 7.2 g protein

1/2 C serving of white rice: 121 calories, .2 g fat, 26.6 g carbs, .3 g fiber, 0 sugar, 2.2 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

PS Next week is our last week of this contest at the gym. It's down to the stretch now!

I'll be darned!

So I watch this show on the Food Channel (not Food Network....the one below it on th screen). At any rate, it's called Hungry Girl. She shows tricks and things to make foods healthier. I love it!

The other day she made guacamole with canned peas. YEP! CANNED PEAS! I just made some and LOVE IT! Here is the recipe:

2 ripe avocados
1 can peas, drained
lemon juice
garlic salt

So drain peas and pit and skin avocados. I just put my stick whisk (I don't know what it's called....hand wand mixer for shakes or whatever) put that in and blend well. Then add lemon juice and garlic salt to taste. Hungry girl added diced fresh tomatoes and onions. SO GOOD! If you eat it plain, you will probably taste a hint of peas. But on a chip....nothing!

1/4 C serving: 86.8 calories, 6 g fat (healthy kind!), 6.9 g carbs, 3.8 g fiber, 1.3 g sugar, 2 g protein

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy

Chicken Marsala

So I have fallen in love with Chicken Marsala! EASY! Good for you!

4 b/s chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
olive oil
2 C sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 C chicken broth (or marsala wine....I used broth)
2 T minched fresh parsley or 2 t dried parsley
1/4 t dried rosemary, crushed (I used AP rosemary garlic blend!)

Flatten chicken to 1/4". Brown chicken in skillet with olive oil. (Recipe called for coating chicken in flour first. I didn't.) Takes about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove and keep warm. In same skillet saute mushrooms. Add butter if desired, I add a little of the chicken broth next time. When mushrooms are tender add broth (or wine), parlsey and rosemary. Bring to a boil; cook for a few minutes for spices to start releasing their flavor. Serve over chicken. I put it over quinoa for me and rice for my family and the sauce added a great flavor to the rice! Also sprinkled a little grated parmesan.

1 serving (w/parmesan and using butter to saute) 226.2 calories, 8.0 g fat, 1.2 g carbs, .7 g sugar, .4 g fiber, 35 g protein

Rice not included

Happy Eating!
TeAm Healthy