Dinner at our house: Mac N Cheese

Mmmmmac N Cheese!

Some of you saw this on my facebook tonight, and I thought I'd share the recipe. It turned out really yum! This is sure to become a regular in my house, and I plan to try and make my own alfredo sauce next time so I can make it lowfat. There is a skinnier version I can make I'm sure!

Ingredients:

1 lb corkscrew pasta

1 15 oz jar alfredo sauce (I used Bertolli)

3 cups shredded cheese (I used Kraft 2% Sharp Cheddar + 2% Colby Jack Blend)

Sour cream (I used low fat)

Bacon crumbles

Croutons (I bought an asiago blend)

Directions:

Cook your pasta as normal. While it's boiling, in a deep sauce pan heat up sauce over medium-high heat. Mix in your shredded cheese. Make sure it's smooth and not lumpy. Once it's melted all the way, you can go ahead and add in your bacon if you'd like (Tim didn't want it so I set it to the side). Add in your pasta and stir til covered. Add a dollup of the sour cream, bacon (if you didn't use it before) and top with crushed croutons. Eat!

Snacking at our house: Skinny Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

So I got back in the kitchen and finally tried something new this past week. I Love Skinny Taste! So amazing. We tried making the Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones.

Here's how we did:

They were ok, Tim ate most of them. I ate one warm with milk and it was good, but the next day...not so much. Make them for an occasion where you don't have to store them.

Dinner at Our House: Taco Soup

Tonight we tried something new! And SURPRISE it was really yum. I'm kind of weird about anything with "tomato juice" in it so I've always been hesitant when it comes to soups with tomatoes...but I was brave and we tried this version of taco soup.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 cups reduced-sodium V8 juice
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 
  TOPPINGS:
• 3/4 cup shredded lettuce
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh tomatoes [Mom thankfully put these to the side]
• 6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• Tortilla chips, optional

Directions

• In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the beef, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced.
• Add V8 juice and salsa; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons of lettuce, 1 tablespoon of tomato and cheese, and 2 teaspoons of green onions and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips if desired.

My mom also made this sort of taco-pizza too. It was good but it dried out before we could all get home to eat it.

Dinner at Our House: Buttermilk-Blue Cheese Smashed Red Potatoes

So, I got suckered into buying an alumni book from my undergrad college UWG and part of the "Thank you" was a subscription to three magazines. I cannot remember what all I subscribed for, but I did start getting Cooking Light. I think I'm in love! I was flipping through the pages and there is so much in there to inspire me to want to be a healthy eater and start cooking again! First up was this recipe. I actually doubled it because I know I come from a family of starch lovers.

We had it with Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches and salad- classy paper plate I know!

Like I said I doubled it so here is what I did:

Ingredients

• 2 pound small red potatoes
• 2/3 cup light buttermilk
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Place potatoes in a saucepan; cover with cold water to 2 inches above potatoes. 
• Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain.
• Return potatoes to pan. 
• Add buttermilk, blue cheese, salt, and pepper to pan; mash with potato masher to desired consistency. (I had to use a wooden spoon but it did the trick)

These were pretty yummy. Tim is not a fan of blue cheese, but he didn't know it was in them until after I told him. He also ate about half the pot so I am very glad I made doubles! I'm actually shocked there is a little leftover; so I'm surprisingly looking forward to lunch at work tomorrow ha!

Eleven in 11: Evaluating May

Where is this year going so quickly? Each day seems to zoom by! May was an incredibly busy month for us and I hardly had time to blog. But, let's see how we did.

The breakdown:
1. Volunteer opportunity- Check! I am now an advocate. I am also interested in volunteering for the libraries in town. A dear friend of mine is a librarian and I know he busts his for his patrons. I'm a little saddened by what I've read recently about the funding for the libraries in town, so my philosophy is to always be part of the solution, and not just someone who complains. We'll see.
2. The weight loss one- Ugggg. I have hit a plateau, however, I'm not gaining. Which is good. I'm maintaining the net loss of 33 lbs. Part of the problem is that I'm no longer tracking points as strictly. But, also, I've slacked up on the gym. We have a good incentive though for me to press on and finish my ultimate goal. This fall we are going to NY for a family member's engagement party! 
3. Plan and take honeymoon- We went to Amelia Island. Collectively, Tim and I decided that we simply didn't ever have a honeymoon. While the trip was a FABULOUS trip, it just wan't a honeymoon. We missed the boat 3 years ago, and it isn't something you can just have 3 years late. It's ok though, we still loved vacationing! You can see our recent trip photos from here and here.
4. Trying four new recipes- I think we managed to do it this time:

• Parmesan Parsley Chicken
• Roasted Red Ranch Potatoes
• Cube Steak Rollups
• and another roasted red potatoes recipe, only this time tried a French Onion mix

5. Blog three times a week- Only had 12 posts, but again...we were kind of swamped.

6. Student loan- Check!

7. Savings!- Check! 

8. Read 52 books- I bought another book, this time Chelsea Handler's newest release...but I've still only made it through the introduction...

9. Facebook birthdays- I really am reconnecting with some folks because of this!

10. Visit 12 new restaurants- Koreana was soooo yum! I highly recommend!

11. Etsy- I think I'm going to use Fridays as a crafting day. Did I mention I now work 4 days a week? Yay! 10 hours is a little rough M-Th...but having 3 day weekends is a blast!

I hope many of you are getting to take some time off this summer to do fun things. I want to go to six flags at least once. Any takers?

Dinner at Our House: Cube Steak Rollups

So tonight my brother cooked dinner. And to be honest, it probably isn't that weight watcher friendly, but I thought I'd share it anyways.

My half of the finished product (Tim and I split one)

There was no "actual" recipe. I'm typing this as my brother told it to me.

Ingredients:

• Cube steak
• Cream cheese (softened)
• Marinade (he used Dale's steak seasoning)
• Bacon
• Toothpicks

How he does it: 

1. Put marinade on the steaks in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
2. Soften the cream cheese and spread it on the cube steaks.
3. Roll the steaks, wrap bacon around the steak. Fasten with toothpicks.
4. Grill on medium heat 5-7 minutes on each side.

Overall, pretty interesting. They also made potatoes, green beans, and rolls.

Full plate.

Dinner at Our House: Parmesan Parsley Chicken

Last night the family tried something new. I found a recipe on lowfatlifestyle.com for Parmesan Parsley Chicken.

It was really yum, but I think in the future when we make it we should have a side of spaghetti or pasta with sauce. I really recommend this one! It weighs in at 3 old WW pts. (shocking!)

Ingredients:
• Vegetable oil spray 
• 4 slices whole-wheat bread for bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 
• 1-1/2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley 
• 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika 
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled 
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk 
• 6 (4 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, all visible fat removed 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly spray a rectangular baking sheet and slightly smaller cooling rack with vegetable oil spray. Put rack on baking sheet. Set aside. 
2. In a food processor or blender, process bread into fine crumbs. Pour into a shallow bowl. Stir Parmesan, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, and thyme into crumbs. 
3. Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl. 
4. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Dip chicken into buttermilk, shake off excess liquid, dredge in crumbs, and shake off excess crumbs. Put chicken on cooling rack. Spray each breast with vegetable oil spray. 
5. Bake for 15 minutes, turn chicken, and bake for 10 minutes, or until done. 

Mmmm. And yes, it's on our fine Chinet paper plates! :)

Restaurant Review: Wood Stone Restaurant

For a while, my dad and I have wanted to try Wood Stone. A long time ago, in Columbus, there was a place called Mediterranean Cafe and our family looooooved it dearly. Unfortunately, sometime while I was away in either college or grad school or wherever, it closed. Seems like we both had heard that there was a connection though between the old Med Cafe and this newer place. Dad's work recently had catering from Wood Stone and he loved it. (Come to think of it, maybe it was dad who had heard then that the two restaurants were related...)

Anyways, to get back on track- we all piled in to my parents new (well used, but recently acquired) grandkid-mobile (minivan), and headed to Wood Stone. We got there right before 7 p.m. which I think was probably a good idea. We were seated right away and our waiter came and greeted us. At first, he was very quick with everything, but then I think he slowed down some because traffic picked up- tables started filling fast. He was very polite and as attentive as he could be. I just wish he had brought the check with the to-go box because that added on an extra 10 - 15 minutes of waiting (which hey, I'm looking out for the restaurant), I'm sure they wanted to clear our table and sit some more folks!

As far as taste goes, I am in love. You get bread as an appetizer. It's a good balance of crunch and softness. It's dusted with Parmesan cheese and served cut into strips with a little bowl of what I think was oil, garlic and pepper. I inhaled 2.5 pieces... so not WW friendly I'm sure...

My parents were trying to get back that taste of Mediterranean Cafe Pizza, so they "built their own" using what they remembered was on the sort of "house pizza" from back then. I couldn't decide on getting a pasta dish, big salad, or pizza. Tim and I ended up splitting a "Meat Pizza" without the prosciutto (also not very WW friendly). I also ordered a Caesar salad with balsamic vinaigrette instead of Caesar dressing.

My salad was fresh, yum, and a good size. Our pizza was fabulous. My only comment about it was that it seemed like all the toppings were in the center of the pizza and not evenly dispersed. It felt like after the first few bites it became a cheese pizza. But, nonetheless, it was very, very tasty. I look forward to having leftover for lunch tomorrow. I even specially told Tim, that half of our leftovers were mine and not to eat them tonight as a snack.

Overall, I give this place a double thumbs up. It's close to our home in North Columbus, cute on the inside, quiet, pretty artwork for sale in the front area, obviously great food, and pretty good service. I would recommend this to anyone for either a date night or a family dinner. I really want to try this place for lunch sometimes. Unfortunately, it isn't close to work so it would have to be a Friday or Saturday lunch if I've read their hours correctly.

Give it a try if you haven't!

Dinner at Our House: Baked Onion Rings w/ BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Well, it's getting close to the end of the month and I really need to hit that magic number for trying new things. I thought I'd try something easy. I found this recipe online for baked onion rings and thought it would go well with a burger or some kind of sandwich. When I saw BBQ cause on sale at Publix for B1G1 free I thought, might as well make BBQ Chicken Sandwiches. Mom still had some leftover chicken in the freezer, so this was a pretty cheap meal.

First of all, making BBQ chicken is super easy in the crock pot. You put in frozen boneless chicken breasts, add sauce of your choice, cook on low 6 - 8 hours or high 3 - 4 hours (well roughly based also on how much you put in...). Anyways, that isn't the new that I want to highlight...

I want to tell you about the baked onion rings. I'm not really an onion ring kind of gal. I don't readily eat an onion unless it's cooked in an Asian dish. But, I'm trying to explore new things. So tonight I opted to try the baked onion ring.

Onion rings out of the oven.

Don't you love this paper plate?

They were pretty good. However, when it says out of the oven, it means it. Don't wait around to eat these. When they got colder I ate them with a little ketchup. I did like that they tasted fried, even thought they were baked. They had a very nice crunch and I'm a gal who loves her crunch.

I used the following:

2 medium onions, sliced into rings
1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
1 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
cooking spray


First you need to soak the onion rings in the buttermilk for 1 - 2 hours. (Thanks, Mom, for helping with that)
Next, you'll put them into the crumbs and shake them around. I did a few at a time in a plastic container. *tip* Don't use all your breadcrumbs at once. The buttermilk makes it clump up. Use a little at a time to coat the rings.
Lay them all out on a lined pan. Spritz with cooking spray.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes depending on how hot your oven gets.
Pop them outta the oven and into your mouth.

Dinner at Our House: Tortilla Pie aka Fiesta Lasagna

 I have to preface tonight's post with a shout out to my friend Megan. I just posted on my facebook that I was making a tortilla pie to which she said: "Megan: I thought you hate pie."

Ha! I do actually hate dessert pies, so she has a point. But, since I altered this recipe I feel I now have the right to rename it, so I'm dubbing it: Fiesta Lasagna.

Anywho, I saw the recipe in my Taste of Home book but thought it looked a little complicated with all the chop this etc. Mondays can be crazy days so I got the idea to substitute a jar of salsa for some of the ingredients. It worked out well. I'll link you the original, but I'll post what I actually did.

Looks a little messy but it is so so so yum I promise. This is actually dad's plate. He had Spanish Rice and a garden salad.

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef (93% lean)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 jar (16 ounces) Salsa (your choice of heat, we used Mild)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

dash of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

4 low-fat flour tortillas (8 inches)

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese

Directions

Season your beef in a large nonstick skillet with the chili powder, ground cumin and throw in a dash of garlic powder.

Cook the beef and chopped onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salsa. Heat til you get a little bit of a boil then reduce heat. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Place one tortilla in a 9-in. round baking pan coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat sauce, one tortilla, all of the ricotta mixture, another tortilla and the remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining tortilla; sprinkle with Mexican cheese.

Cover and bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

For those on WW (old points, sorry I'm to cheap to pay for meetings and learn new points) a 1/8 serving is 4 points and a 1/4 serving is 8. Tonight mom went for 1/8 and I went for a 1/4 because I was starved! Either way, for all the yummy gooey cheesy-ness it's a great way to spend the points.  

Dinner at Our House: Honey Mustard Chicken and MacNCheese Bake

Honey Mustard Baked Chicken Tenders, Homemade Mac N Cheese Bake + "Baseball Peas"

So, I bet you thought I had abandoned my dinner-making duties. And, you are partially right. We've been very busy lately and having to eat out more, or let my mom cook some of the usual. But, have no fear I've got a brand new recipe for you to try, as well as an old-faithful of mine that I don't think I've shared with you all yet.

Tonight we made Honey Mustard Baked Chicken and a MacNCheese Bake. Tim and my parents had peas, but I swore those off long ago as a child, and I opted for a green salad. (Yes, I really do have a serious pea-phobia. Looking at them in the photo is fine, but smelling them in real life makes me gag. Ask my best friend Mel about what I do at the Chinese restaurants where they make fried rice...).

Anyways, let's get to it. I found the chicken recipe on allrecipes.com under one of their low-fat options. We were supposed to use chicken breasts, but we used these tiny little tenders instead. In fact, I have a feeling I might prefer that we used the tenders. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, basil, paprika, and parsley. Mix well. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over the chicken, and brush to cover.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and brush with the remaining 1/2 of the honey mustard mixture. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Like I said, we used tenders instead of breasts so watch the oven for your chicken's done-ness. Now, I linked you to the MacNCheese Bake as well. But, if you make it their way you are looking at about 6 points of more (still using old school WW points). I make it with lower fat ingredients and change how I mix it up. I think it tastes just fine. So below I'll post how I do it to make it 4 WW points.

Ingredients

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup 98% Fat Free
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 pound elbow macaroni [I used shells!]
• 6 oz shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan, heat soup and milk over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat. Add shells to your 9x13 baking dish, and stir in the soup mixture. Sprinkle half of your cheese on the mixture and stir it in. Top the dish with your other half of the cheese.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Presto! You have pretty delicious, and healthy, dinner for the family. Another option I read is to grill the chicken. I may have to recruit dad and try that one out! Stay tuned for the delicious "Yummy Chocolate Cake" that I made last night.

Restaurant Review: Johnny's Pizza

Tonight was our last chance at squeezing in a "new" place as part of my Eleven in 11. I'll be honest, we tried to go somewhere else tonight in Columbus and it was closed....so needless to say, Mom, Tim and I were in a hunger jam.

We had passed by the Johnny's pizza place and I couldn't remember if it was the same one that is in Auburn (though I'm pretty sure it's Johnny Buscos)...however, upon getting inside and checking out the menu...I'm almost positive I've been to one of these in Carrollton. So, I didn't want to cheat. I wanted to make the geniune effort to try something new. And I did. I opted for the Hawaiian. It always sounds like it could be tasty, but I always grab a calzone. Well, since starting WW, calzones are not really an option. I ordered the slice and a small salad with reduced fat dressing.

All in all it wasn't that bad. It was certainly different. But, not bad. It hasn't become my new favorite, but I'm sure I'd eat it again if we stopped by. I'm very excited that their website contains nutrition facts. ALWAYS a huge plus for me since I'm constantly calculating things. Between the slice, the salad, and the dressing my whole meal was 16 points. Not bad for someone who saves the majority of her points for dinners anyways, and certainly not bad for eating out. (Maybe one day I'll blog about the tragedy that is Applebee's lunch menu- SCARY POINTS!).

If you like the crusty thin pizza, you'll love the place.

Dinner at Our House: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Mmmm. Starchy goodness round II. Tonight we tried another recipe from our tasteofhome cookbook. We made the Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes minus the chives (mostly due to not having chive). I wish we had them though, it would have added green to the plate. Note my attempt at trying to slide over the green salad to add color...

Dinner!

We also grilled chicken tonight. We bought a new marinade to try: Newman's Own Mesquite with Lime. It was the best marinade I've tried in a long time- I highly recommend it.

But, back to the potatoes. It wasn't a home run, but it wasn't a strike out either. I learned that when making mashed potatoes they can't be done too far in advance, and I think next time I'll leave out a little more of the broth so they are a little thicker. A 3/4 cup serving was 3 WW points so I ate them guilt-free.

Without further ado, the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 large), peeled and quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) fat-free sour cream
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, warmed
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Place the potatoes, garlic and paprika in a large saucepan or Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
• In a large bowl, beat the potatoes and garlic. Add sour cream, broth, chives, salt and pepper; beat until smooth. Yield: 10 servings.

And because it was cute:

Jackson hanging out in the kitchen, hoping to catch something dropped.

Dinner at Our House: Baked Basil Fries

Can you believe we're already posting again? Yay!

Tonight was an exciting night because I used a new recipe from my new cookbook (gifted to me by Tim's mom). The book is a tasteofhome book and it's the Guilt Free cooking version. I am in love.

Tonight we tried our first recipe: baked basil fries. We are a family that loves our starchy goodness so anytime we can bake something instead of fry it I get really happy. We had these with my dad's famous grilled hamburgers.

Which, by the way brings up my other new toy for the kitchen: food scale! I was able to precisely measure my hamburger so I knew exactly how to calculate my WW points more. Also, very exciting.

You can find the recipe for the fries online here. But, I'll also post it below along with the photos we took. Using their nutrition info I calculated these bad boys at 3 WW pts per serving (NOT BAD AT ALL!)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 medium red potatoes

Directions

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Parmesan cheese, oil, basil and garlic powder. Cut potatoes into 1/4-in. sticks. Add to bag, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
• Place in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes on each side or until crisp and tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Putting it all together in the bowl

Putting it in the pan (we cut them too thing but eh its ok)

Cooked and on the plate!