Crock Pot Chops

Crock Pot Chops

1 Tbs. olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1/2 in. thick
salt & pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper - chopped
2 Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. brown sugar

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Brown the chops on both sides, seasoning with the salt and pepper as you go. Set aside.

Now saute the onion and bell pepper together for 1 or 2 minutes, till wilted. Place at the botton of the crock pot. Place the browned pork chops on top of that.

In a small bowl, mix the ketchup and brown sugar; smear over the top of the chops. Cover and cook 7 to 9 hours on low, depending on the type of slow cooker you have.

Per Serving:
305 cal; 18g fat; 24g protein; 11g carb; 1g fiber; 74mg cholesterol; 151mg sodium

Baked Cheesy Cauliflower

Made this tonight for the first time and it was excellent!

Baked Cheesy Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, steamed whole, about 1 lb
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. low-fat Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400° F
Place the hot steam head of cauliflower in a baking dish. Rub the butter over the top evenly. Then brush on the mustard. Now cover the top with the cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Per Serving:
80 Cal; 4g Fat; 6g Protein; 6g Carb; 3g Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 173 Sodium

So I only made a 1/2 of the head because I'm usually the only one who eats it, but tonight, even hubby & daughter ate it!

Italian Tilapia & Pasta

Dawn's Italian Tilapia & Pasta

1 lb. tilapia fillets
1 jar store-brand spaghetti sauce
2 oz. Dreamfield Spaghetti
4 oz. store-brand spaghetti
garlic salt
onion powder
parmesan cheese

On a foil-lined baking dish, I placed the fish fillets and sprinkled them with the garlic salt & onion powder. I then spooned approximately 1-2 Tbls. of pasta sauce over each fillet, put in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I boiled the pans of pasta and cooked them (seperately, of course). On the Dreamfield's, I only about 1-2 tsp. of margerine and then served the fish with that, so my carb count for this was the 5carbs for the pasta, plus approximately 1 carb for the pasta sauce. I then finished it off with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and added a salad. My kids & hubby had the regular spaghetti w/sauce, and we all practically licked our plates! My son, who hates everything, LOVED it (and subsequently ate ALL the leftovers this weekend!).

This is a photo of his dish, but mine was prettier and my salad :)

Low-carb Mexican Casserole

Low-carb Mexican Casserole

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 c. chopped green onion, divided
• 3/4 c. salsa
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped black olives
• 4 Tbls. sour cream

In a skillet, over medium-high heat, cook turkey. Stir in seasoning mix and remove from heat. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread cooked turkey mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 the green onions over the turkey and top with salsa, then sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and hot. Garnish with the rest of the green onions, olives and a blob of sour cream.

LC serving suggestion: make taco chips from low-carb tortillas by cutting them into 8 sections, brush lightly with olive oil and bake at 400 for 5 minutes.

I can't make enough of this recipe. My family loves it and I have to double the recipe because they always come back for 2nds! Note, I do not use the black olives, which does remove 2 carbs from the the count.

Per Serving:
368 calories; 23g fat; 29g protein; 11g carbohydrate; 2g dietary fiber; 126mg cholesterol; 1172 sodium

tuscan meatballs

We picked up this recipe card from a Walmart Supercenter and I was shocked to find out how good it was.

I serve this on top of a bed of spaghetti squash and a salad and it's very filling. And best of all, it's fast. Prep Time: 19 min. Cook time 11 min.

• 1 lb. ground beef chuck
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sm. onion, finely chopped
• 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup thin sliced fresh basil leaves

In a medium bowl, mix beef, parmesan & chopped basil, 1 clove garlic, and egg until well blended. Shape into 24 meatballs (about 1 scant tablespoon each), 1 to 1-1/4 inches round.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until evenly browned, turning occasionally.

Add onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir 1 minutes. Increase temperature to medium-high heat. Stir in tomatoes, tomatoe paste, and salt. Reduce heat; cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked (internal temp of 160°f). Stir in strips of basil.

Per Serving: 187 cal, 13g fat, 49mg chol., 474 mg sodium, 3g carb, 16g protein, 1g fiber.

Enjoy!

Tomato & Shredded Cabbage Soup

I made this soup today with my kids and it turned out excellent. So excellent in fact that my son- Mr. Bologna Sandwich, even wanted to eat it. With CABBAGE. Gasp!

Here's the original recipe:

Tomato & Shredded Cabbage Soup
(From Healthy Living Magazine)

• 1 Tbs. ex-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 8oz bag shredded cabbage & carrots
• 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes, no salt, drained
• 4 c. fat-free, reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. honey
• salt & fresh black pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste, optional
  

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until onion begins to brown lightly, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to saute another minute. Add cabbage, carrots and tomatoes. Saute for 3 more minutes. Add broth and cumin. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and honey. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayeene pepper, if using.

Per Serving: 70 calories, 3g protein, 10g carb, 2g fiber, 3g total fat (2g mono), 104 mg. sodium. Vitamin A, C, B3, Folate.

So my substitutions were:

I didn't have vegetable broth, so I used this:

0 carbs, which is all that really counted for me lol

So anyways, I tried it when it was finished simmering, etc. and it was really good. This is also when my son tried it and liked it. But I'd been told about adding some ground beef on a low carb recipe list I'm on, so I decided to try that. I put about 1/2 lb of ground beef in and it was even better! I finished it by shredding just a bit of fresh parmesan cheese over the top and voila! Yum!

Dawn's Super Tasty Chicken Salad

Look at what a pretty dinner I made last night for the whole family. It was so simple to make!

Now, the chicken I used I'd already pre-cooked when I bought it (AWESOME deal on boneless breasts), so all I had to do was slice it into about 1/2" slices and then I put it in the frying pan with about a tbls. of olive oil. I sprinkled some cajun seasoning on it and let it heat up. When they were getting some color, I flipped and added some paprika (just a sprinkle to give it some color). Meanwhile, I put on the plate:

• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 4 strips of fresh orange pepper
• some red onion on mine
• thinly sliced tomato wedges
• 1 tsp. milled flax seed
• 3 oz. chicken breast
  

I finished it off with 2 tbls of ranch dressing (after the photo) and it was awesome!

Spaghetti Squash

I buy a spaghetti squash at least once a week. This is how I cook it.

I split the squash in half length-wise, scoop out the seeds & pump. I cover each side with aluminum foil and back in the oven for about an hour at 400. I check it by poking it with a fork. Then I scoop it out with a fork and "fluff" it. I use this with sesame shrimp, these AWESOME meatballs that I found a recipe for... I love it!