BT Pasta Salad

I was so excited to get my first issue of Food Network magazine yesterday, and spent an hour going over every page, excited about so many recipes to play with (I even got laughed at by a friend last night who said I need to lay off Food Network!).

I came across a recipe for BLT pasta salad, and thought, yum!!! Until I saw the calories per serving...960!!! 56 grams of fat and over 2000mg of sodium, no thank you!!!

So, I created my own version, using ingredients I had on hand, and I've got to say, while I'm sure their recipe would be delicious, ummm, not for half my daily calorie allotment for the day!

My version:

• 56g Barilla Plus elbow noodles
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 3 slices bacon
• 1.5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1TB extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tomato

Cook pasta according to directions (I let mine go for about 9-10 minutes, the box says 7). Drain and rinse with cold water.

Chop tomato, bell pepper, cooked bacon and mozzarella.

Combine ingredients, season with EVOO (I estimated mine was about a tablespoon and I included this in the recipe for the calorie calculation). I also used red wine vinegar (just a couple of splashes), salt, pepper and this McCormick Salad Supreme seasoning.

The result? Pretty tasty!! I don't miss the creamy dressing that the original recipe includes, and it's much lighter.

Nutritional information (you can probably get 2 servings out of this if served with a side and a light salad)

Calories: 521
Total Fat: 28g (14g comes from the EVOO, but it's a healthy fat!)
Sodium: 421mg
Carbs: 44g
Sugar: 3g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 21g

More casserole goodness

I'm calling it chicken asparagus casserole...

• 1 cup cooked Trader Joes Basmati Rice Medley (1/3 cup dry yields 1 cup cooked)
• 5 ounces chicken breast tenders, cooked and shredded (I poached mine with a mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme)
• 1 cup chopped asparagus (I sauteed mine in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and salt before combining everything)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup condensed cream of chicken soup (don't mix with any liquid)

Combine all ingredients in a small baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

Nutritional information: (this is for the entire dish, but I split it in half to get two servings)

Calories: 485
Total Fat: 12g
Sodium: 633mg
Carbs: 50g
Sugars: 5g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 41g

Coconut chicken

Healthy (and tasty) meal alert!

Shredded coconut was on sale today so I bought a couple of bags, and while I love me some breaded coconut chicken/shrimp/onion rings, I don't like the calories that go along with it, so I did my own version. It's something I've made in the past but am continually tweaking.

The following serves 1 (and most of the measurements are estimates, I just tossed stuff together:

• 4 ounces chicken breast tenders (you can use regular chicken breast and cut it up, but the tenders were on sale so I saved time, and money!)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 C shredded coconut
• Dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder

• Combine egg and milk and mix together
• In another pan (I use this great tray set from the Pampered Chef, keeps everything together) combine the flour, coconut, salt, pepper and garlic powder
• Dip the chicken tenders in the egg mix and then in the flour/coconut mix to evenly coat.
• Place in a baking pan and drizzle with a little butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray)

Cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

One suggestion? Flip the chicken halfway through cooking. The top was nice and browned and crispy but the bottom was a little soggy. But still delicious!

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce. I used poppyseed salad dressing that I had in the fridge, it was a nice compliment.

Nutritional information (not including the asparagus I made with it or the dressing)

Total Calories: 240
Total Fat: 11g
Cholesterol: 70mg
Carbs: 12g
Sodium: 200mg
Protein: 24g

Product Review: Barilla Pasta Plus

As someone who is always trying to get more protein in her diet (I aim for 90 grams a day, and believe me, it's difficult to get up there most days!), I was curious when I stumbled across the new line of pasta, Barilla Plus.

Each 100g serving has 17 grams of protein (compared to 7 grams in the traditional Barilla pasta, so not a huge difference there), but also contains 7 grams of fiber (2 grams in the traditional pasta) and 360mg of Omega 3's. (Now, I just made the "normal" 2 ounce serving, so that only has 10 grams of protein).

There is really no difference in taste between the new and the old noodles, and when I added in a chicken sausage link (spinach, roasted garlic and fontina cheese from Trader Joes) and some shredded cheese (stick under the broiler for a few minutes), you've got a complete meal!

Making the most out of leftovers

Almost everyone I know is on a budget these days, and grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do. I stock up way too much sometimes (I have like 10 cans of tuna, and haven't bought any in at least 6 months...haven't eaten any either!).

Last week, Hollywood Market had sirloin steak on sale for $5.99/lb, so I bought one, and, when following the correct serving size, that will make about 5 servings. Total cost per person? $1.20! Love it!

Anyway, I have way too much food I need to use, so tonights dinner is Steak Casserole (I couldn't think of another name).

• 3 ounces steak
• 1/4 cup Trader Joes Basmati Rice
• 1/4 cup black beans (the rice and black beans were already cooked yesterday)
• 1/4 cup Kraft natural shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients in an oven-proof bowl, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

The results? Not bad! I should have added crushed red pepper though to give it a little kick. Trial and error!

Calories: 394
Total Fat: 15 grams
Saturated Fat: 8 grams
Carbs: 24 grams
Protein: 38 grams (yay for lean cuts of meat with 26 grams of protein!)
Fiber: 4 grams

Steak

If you know me, you know I love a good steak. But I never order them at restaurants because 1) they are always overpriced and 2) I don't like how they are cooked. I order it medium and it's either overcooked or undercooked. So instead, I make my own at home.

A couple of years ago I discovered a new cut at the grocery store called a Teres Filet (also called Shoulder Tender, Bistro Tender and Petite Tender). The Certified Angus Beef website puts it in the Chuck category and says it's one of the most tender beef cuts, it resembles a pork tenderloin in shape and size, and it's a lean yet juicy, with excellent flavor.

And they are right! On the rare occasion that I splurge on myself and get steak to cook, I usually end up with this. It's only $5.99/lb and it is delicious. It is extremely tender and the flavor is delicious. A while back one of the steak restaurants in the area decided to buy the entire supply of these and market them as their own "signature" cut, and were charging like $15 for one. Ridiculous! Again, this is why I prefer to cook at home.

I prefer to grill it (because really, a steak always tastes better on the grill) and marinate it for a couple of hours with some A-1 steak sauce and worcestershire sauce (just enough to coat the steak) and grill on medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness, mine are usually about an inch thick) for a medium cooked steak.

I tried to find the nutritional information on this cut, but it was hard enough to just find a description of it, but if you happen to see one at the meat counter, pick one up, you won't be disappointed! (And if I ate a balanced meal like the one above every day, well, one can dream...)

Eggs

So, I'm doing this new workout program called ChaLEAN Extreme, and of course, with any workout program comes a food program too.

Those that know me know I hate the word "diet" and don't want to follow a structured eating plan, because even if I didn't want to eat say, artichokes, if you tell me I can't, then I want them.

Anywhoo, I was reading through the food guide that came with this, and a lot of the meals I would actually eat! It's real food! A burger with (gasp) RED MEAT! Everyone is all about ground turkey on a burger, but I'm sorry, if I want a burger, I want it to come from a cow (sorry, my vegetarian friends!). And the burger in the book is just that, ground sirloin on a whole wheat bun with oven baked fries. Something I make quite often. Her whole premise is picking leaner meats (which I already do). And steak quesadillas! Can't wait to make those.

Back to my post....I'm in the "burn" phase right now (the first phase of the program) and she has "burn breakfasts" and I just made my first, a goat cheese and tomato omelet.

• 2 whole eggs with 2TB skim milk (I omitted the milk since I didn't have any)
• 1 ounce crumbled goat cheese
• Chopped tomato
• I added an ounce of cubed ham

Well, the omelet came out kind of messy (hence the lack of picture), but it is really good! I love goat cheese but never thought to put it in eggs, but it has such a creamy texture, it's just delicious. (I just took another bite, and oh yeah, it's good, and good for you!)