Archive from June, 2012
Jun 29, 2012 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    1 Comment

Skillet Lasagna

Lasagna, comfort food at its finest. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or patience to boil noodles, and then layer and wait for baking time. Plus, I’m pretty sure my husband once voiced his distaste for lasagna. That said, I did make him my mom’s Fish lasagna [LINK] with a white sauce and he seemed pretty happy about it. This week seems to be dragging. Midweek can feel either closer or further away from the weekend, depending on how Monday and Tuesday panned out. This week, Wednesday felt a long way away from Friday. The thought that Friday wouldn’t get here any sooner only made me lazier, not wanting to run errands or tidy around the house. Instead, I started dinner, and curled up out on our small but quaint balcony with my new favorite app – iBooks.

I go through book-reading phases. My longest-lasting phase was about three years ago when I decided to read a number of books for which movies would be released. Not really sure why, since the books are always better than the movies. At that time I had gone through a couple Nicholas Sparks books; The Last Song, Dear John; My Sister’s Keeper; The De Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol.  Let’s not forget about The Time Traveler’s Wife, oh and my 5 day Twilight Saga reading marathon. While I love holding physical books and turning the pages, I’ve followed the latest trend and started a trilogy. I started with a hard copy, but when I was left hanging at the end of book one, I couldn’t wait. That’s when I downloaded iBooks. And I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. My initial worries about the bright screen affecting my vision were subsided when I realized I spend longer staring at my computer screen at work.

Do you have any other e-reader apps you enjoy?

 

 

Skillet Lasagna

Adapted from Tracy’s Culinary Adventures  

Ingredients

2 14oz cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Garlic Cloves, smashed or minced
Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
1 lb Ground Beef, 93% lean
10 lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste mixed with ½ cup water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil
 

 

Directions

Add 1 can diced tomatoes along with their juice to a 2 cup measuring cup, then add enough water to bring it up to 2 cups. Repeat with the second can.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
Add onion and salt and sauté for 5 minutes, until translucent.
Add garlic and red pepper.
Add ground beef. Cook until browned.
Add the noodles, without stirring.
Pour diced tomatoes and tomato paste mixture over the noodles without stirring.
Once simmering, turn down the heat so that it remains at a steady simmer for about 20 minutes. Carefully stir occasionally.
Turn off the heat and stir in ½ cup parmesan.
Drop heaping spoons of ricotta, cover and allow to soften.
Sprinkle with basil and remaining Parmesan and serve warm.
 

 

We had tons of extras, so after cooling, freeze in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag.

 

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information: Cals 407. Carbs 39g. Fat 14g. Sodium 577mg.

 

 

Jun 23, 2012 - Posts    No Comments

Peach Popsicles

It’s been upwards of 90 degrees for the last few days. We’ve been enduring a not-so-nice heat wave – which I’m hoping will subside by next week. When I saw “101” flashing at me from the thermometer in my car, I knew that light-colored clothing and water wasn’t going to be enough. I needed an icy treat that could keep me cool … that is, if it didn’t melt before I could enjoy it in its entirety. Enter fruit popsicles. The great thing about making your own popsicles, is that you can mix up the fruits and flavors however you like.

 

 

Peach Popsicles Recipe 

Ingredients

3 cups sliced peaches (I used a frozen bag, that I defrosted in the microwave)
2/3 cup no-pulp orange juice
¼ cup granulated Sugar
 

Directions

Blend together sliced peaches and orange juice until creamy
Carefully fill up the popsicle molds.
Freeze overnight
[To remove from mold, run the molds under hot water until they pry loose]  

Servings: 6

Nutrition Information: Cals 70. Carbs 18g. Sugar 17g


Jun 17, 2012 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    No Comments

Cilantro-Lime Rice

After spending some time with my mother this weekend, I decided to take some of her advice. Mom suggested I find a hobby to keep me busy while the hubby is off building our future between his day job and his soccer job. That would have been easy, if I could think of one activity that could keep me interested and entertained during all that down time. Cooking can’t keep me busy all the time. That’s when I realized, it’s time to get cracking on my “Before I’m 30 List.” Yes. Such a list does exist. It started when I was 15 on a piece of college-ruled paper. When I got my first laptop, I digitized my list and have been crossing things off ever since. Some have heard about this list … not many have actually seen it, or know what’s on it. That’s probably because, I’ll admit, there are some things on there that I should have accomplished by now.

Sunday night, I clicked open my list and found (gasp) that I’m running out of time. I only have a few years, and a little less than half the list has been completed. Time to get cracking. Projects this week include: signing up for a course I’ve been meaning to take for 7 years, donating blood, and working on a puzzle (that I decided to buy at 9pm when I realized Target was open until 10pm on Sundays. Score.) It wasn’t until I dumped all 550 pieces out, that I began having doubts. I’m hoping that moving to a new location – another room – may get my puzzle-solving brain cells to start working. Stay tuned for updates on the puzzle.

Before I got all creative, and courageous, I was able to get in some cooking in. An easy Sunday night dinner; Cilantro-Lime Rice.

Adapted from US-Masala

 

 

Cilantro-Lime Rice Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup cooked basmati rice, cooled.
Lime Juice, from ½ lime
1 teaspoon Lime Zest
Salt, to taste
¼ cup chopped Cilantro Leaves
½ teaspoon Green Chilies
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
 

Directions

 In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat.
Add the green chilies and sauté for  minute.
Add cilantro (if frozen, sauté cilantro before adding rice)
Add rice and mix well.
 Cook for 5 minutes, then add lime juice and lime zest.
Stir well and cook for 2 more minutes.

 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 404. Carbs 77g. Fat 11g. Protein 8g.

Jun 12, 2012 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    No Comments

Caesar Chicken and Romaine

I have been drooling over this recipe for weeks. The day I found it, I thought to myself “I’m going to add this to my list of delicious but easy dishes to make for my in-laws.” That is, my ongoing list of recipes to make for my parents-in-law when they stay here. I can’t have them think that I’m starving their son or that haven’t been working improving my cooking skills in the year and few months since I got married. Recipe ideas are welcome. I think this one will be a winner. It’s light and yet while low on calories and carbs, the chicken and lettuce are bursting with flavor.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

 

Caesar Chicken and Romaine

Ingredients

2 Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons Olive Oil, and olive oil spray
1 tablespoon chopped Parsley
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 heart of romaine, sliced in half
3-4 Anchovy Filets
1/2 Lemon, halved
 

Directions

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
Mix together parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs, parsley and 1 garlic clove. 
Place the chicken on a baking sheet, spray with olive oil cooking spray, and pat the mixture onto the chicken. 
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Lay the romaine alongside the chicken. Sprinkle with garlic, and any remaining mixture . Drizzle with olive oil, and spray with cooking spray. Bake for another 7 minutes.
Top the lettuce with the chopped anchovies.
Squeeze lemon over chicken and lettuce before serving.
 

 

Servings: 2

Nutrition Information: Cals 323. Carbs 11g. Fat 18g. Protein 30g. Sodium 681mg.

Jun 2, 2012 - 500 Calories or Less, Posts    No Comments

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

Making delicious food doesn’t always mean you have to make it from scratch. It needs to be balanced, though. You can’t buy store-prepared food and try to take credit for the entire meal. It’s a balancing act. Full disclosure – I think the smart ones are the ones who can pull off a multiple-course dinner combining their own cooking, with some boxed help. It doesn’t make you a bad person … it makes you a smart entertainer. Spending all day in the kitchen prepping for a dinner doesn’t leave you much energy to do the actual entertaining.

 

 

Ingredients

2 Bell Peppers (red, yellow or green)
1-2 servings Herbed Couscous from the box (Near East has a good one)
Water
Feta Cheese, optional
 

Directions

Cook the couscous as directed on the box
In the meantime, wash and core your peppers, then slice them in half.
Place the peppers in a deep pan (skin-side down)
Add about 1 inch of water, cover and boil.
Once boiling, bring the heat down to low, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the pepper halves from the pan.
Line a baking dish with aluminum foil, and place the peppers, skin-side down in the dish.
Spoon the cooked couscous into each pepper.
Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Top with feta cheese, if desired.
 

Servings: 4

Nutrition Information: Cals 114. Carbs 78g. Sodium 303mg.