Sandy's Kitchen: mvegetables

Showing posts with label mvegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mvegetables. Show all posts
This is an excellent quick and easy meal that is so simple to prepare with the use of salad dressings as the main ingredient. The salad dressings add tons of flavor to the meat and veggies. Newman's Own Lighten Up dressings make wonderful marinades for meats and are a great way to get your healthy fats in for the day. The chicken recipe below is marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette and a combination of spices I marinated the chicken overnight for maximum flavor. Then I grilled the chicken for about 8 minutes. The chicken came out very moist and had just the right amount of flavor from the balsamic dressing. Serve with the Al Fresco Green Bean and Tomato Saute for the perfect meal! Yum!


Grilled Balsamic Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:
16 oz raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts - should yield 12 oz cooked (2 Leaner)
1/4 cup Newman's Own Lighten Up Balsamic Vinaigrette (2 Healthy Fats)
1 teaspoon dried basil (1/2 Condiment)
1/2 teaspoon salt (2 Condiments)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (1/2 Condiment)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (1/2 Condiment)
1/4 tsp onion powder (1/2 Condiment)

Directions:
Combine chicken with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and dried basil tossing to coat chicken. 
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight for best results. Discard Marinade
Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Grill chicken until cooked for about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through or you can air fry the chicken at 360 degrees for 16 to 20 min, flipping halfway through.

Makes 2 servings 
Each serving provides 
1 Leaner Lean, 2 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat per serving

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Al Fresco Green Bean and Tomato Saute

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups fresh green beans (5 Greens)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved (1 Green)
1 tbsp Ken's Lite Northern Italian Dressing with Basil and Romano  (1 Condiment)
2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese (1 Condiment)


Directions:
 Place green beans and 1/2 cup water in covered microwaveable container and microwave for 5 minutes. Drain green beans and place in a skillet with tomatoes. Add salad dressing and saute until tomatoes are soft. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top.

Makes 2 Servings
Each serving provides
3 Greens and 1 Condiment

Happy St. Patty's Day! Here is something green for you! I love stuffed jalapenos with cream cheese and three cheese blend. Ohhhh they are so good, but I used to make them wrapped in bacon or with bacon sprinkled on the top. I know I was bad! Hey, how do you think I got to be on this program LOL. I had this recipe for some time now from http://www.allrecipes.com/. The person who posted the recipe got it from a man in a grocery store who was buying a bunch of jalapeno peppers. She politely asked him what he was making with them and he gave her the recipe right there in the store. How sweet! Thanks for sharing nice gentleman that you are :) This makes a nice snack or appetizer because you still have 3/4 Lean and 2 Greens left over for your lean and green. You can have 3.75 oz beef, 4.5 oz chicken, 5.25 oz shrimp or fish as your other lean with one other condiment such as salad dressing as a marinade. Throw it on the grill or bake it. Yum! Also, I say 3 to 4 jalapenos because the size varies. You will probably have to weigh it to get the correct serving size. Enjoy!


Cut in half with seeds and membranes removed.


Boil for 5 to 10 minutes. I boiled for 10 minutes to make them more milder.


Fill with cheese mixture and top with crushed Parmesan cheese puffs.


Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos 

Ingredients:
2 light laughing cow cream cheese (1 Healthy Fat)
1/4 cup 2% reduced fat Mexican Three Cheese Blend (1/4 Lean)
1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce (1/4 Condiment)
3 to 4 Jalapenos, depends on size (1 Green)
2 tbsp grated reduced fat parmesan cheese (1 Condiment)

Directions:
Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes. In a large saucepan, boil peppers in water for 5-10 minutes (the longer you boil the peppers, the milder they become). Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the laughing cow cream cheese, cheddar cheese and Worcestershire sauce (optional). Spoon 2 teaspoonfuls into each jalapeno half; sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

1/4 Lean, 1 Green, 1.25 Condiments and 1 Healthy Fat


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I really wanted to like this because I heard great reviews about how good they were. I was very anxious to try them since I was craving fries so I went to the grocery store to pick some up. If you have never bought turnips before like me, make sure you get regular turnips and not the waxed turnips. The waxed ones are known as rutabagas and are not on plan. The ones you want are white on the bottom and purplish at the top.


Well I never really liked turnips, but I thought you never know... I may actually like these. Tastes change especially on the Medifast plan. I remember when I was little, my mom used to make beef stew with potatoes and turnips inside of it. Those turnips always fooled me into thinking they were potatoes until I took a bite into them LOL. Then I would spit them out and try to hide them in my napkin but that napkin was never big enough. I had to sneak and try to take them out of my stew and then I would get into trouble for wasting food. Oh, wonderful child memories. Right! Not!

So I started on the task of cutting them up. I didn't peel them first, but some say it makes a difference and others say it doesn't. Maybe I will try it one more time and peel them. Well, when they came out, I had big expectations. It tasted like a turnip LOL. I know, call me crazy because you are probably saying "Of course Sandy, it is a turnip". I know... I know, but I was expecting more. I tried dipping it into Walden Farms Ketchup (which I bought specifically for these) but I just don't like the taste. Like I said before, I may try it again but this time I won't expect too much from them. I will say the texture came out well. I am still sharing the recipe with you since some do like the taste. Enjoy!


Turnip Fries

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups turnips, sliced into steak fries (3 Greens)
1 tsp olive oil (1 healthy fat)
Sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine olive oil, turnips, and seasonings. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

3 Greens and 1 Healthy Fat
Condiments are optional




Blah, blah, blah, and blah! That is how I feel today. I am stuck at home with a cold that I have been fighting for a few days now. I am one of those people that catches colds very easily. All you have to do is look at me and I have a cold. Ha, ha! The good news is that I feel way better than yesterday! I think my immune system is getting much better since being on plan! I better not jinx myself. Knock on wood. Another bit of good news, I lost another 4.2 lbs so I am one happy girl today. It may have been easier for me to lose the 4.2 lbs in just a few days since I haven't been really hungry due to being sick. Today I have more of an appetite so I can finish up this soup I am about to share with you!

This is really a chicken noodle soup recipe I used to make all the time when I would get sick or just for hubby simply because he loves it. I left out the egg noodles and added lots of yummy veggies! I used zucchini, yellow squash, and green beans, but feel free to use whatever veggies you like. This soup is delicious and you get soooo much for one serving. You really need to divide the soup into 2 big bowls and eat it twice in a day. It makes a lot of soup! Enjoy the soup! Remember, you don't have to save this soup for when you are sick like me! It is also good on a cold chilly day!


Quick and Easy 
Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
6 oz chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (1 Leaner Lean)
1/2 cup yellow squash, cubed  (1 Green)
1/2 cup zucchini, cubed (1 Green)
1/2 cup green beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces (1 Green)
2 cups chicken broth (2 Condiments)
1/4 tsp oregano leaves (1/4 Condiment)
1/4 tsp basil leaves (1/8 Condiment)
 1/8 tsp black pepper (1/4 Condiment)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cover and simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes or until veggies or tender.

Makes 1 Serving
Each serving provides
1 Lean, 3 Greens, and 3 Condiments

* I cooked my chicken in 1 tsp of olive oil for 1 healthy fat required.

This is one of those cheesy dishes that uses only cheese as the lean, but I never seem to mind those recipes because I am a cheese lover you just need to watch the sodium. I also love green beans so this dish tastes very delicious to me. I know it isn't the same as regular lasagna but it is definitely a good substitute if you are craving it. Keep in mind to try and use 2% low fat cheese rather than fat free cheese because it melts better and won't taste as rubbery. Another choice to add to your lean and green meals! 


Green Bean Lasagna

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups green beans or 202.5 grams, cooked from frozen or canned (3 Greens)
1/4 tsp garlic salt (1 condiment)
1/2 tsp basil (1/4 condiment)
3/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese, (3/4 lean)
1/4 cup part skim ricotta cheese (1/4 lean)
2 tbsp Rao's Marinara Sauce (1 condiment)
1 tbsp reduced fat Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 condiment)

Directions:
Prepare green beans and place in a baking dish. Mix the garlic salt and basil with the ricotta cheese. Spread over green beans. Spread marinara sauce over the ricotta cheese mixture. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and then broil until cheese is lightly browned. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

1 Lean, 3 Greens and 2.75 Condiments




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