Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients:

• 1 C chopped onion
• 1 C chopped green bell pepper
• 1 Can (28 oz.) low sodium diced tomatoes, with liquid (you can substitute a can of reduced fat tomato soup)
• 1 Can (2 1/4 oz) sliced black olives, drained
• 4 oz. diced mushrooms (I use fresh mushrooms found in the produce section, but canned or jarred can be used)
• 1 Tbsp of Olive oil
• 1 tsp crushed basil, optional*
• 1 tsp crushed oregano, optional*
• 1 tsp Italian seasonings, optional*
• 1 1/2 - 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lb ground turkey, browned
• 12 oz. cooked spaghetti
• 2 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. In large skillet, saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil until tender.

2. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, seasonings, garlic powder, and ground turkey.

3. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

4. Place 1/2 of the spaghetti in a greased(use 0 calorie non-stick cooking spray) 13X9X2" casserole dish.

5. Top with 1/2 of the vegetable mixture.

6. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.

7. Repeat layers. 8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

9. Bake, uncovered at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through.

Hubby's Yum-O Meter:
(Scale of 1-10)
8.5

*With all of these seasonings, I didn't exactly measure them out. I just shook the container over the skillet for a few seconds and guesstimated on the actual amounts. Also, you do not have to use fresh seasonings, although they have better flavor and more nutrients. You can use the dried, seasoning rack kind. Just remember all of your dried seasonings need to be replaced after a year, by that time they have lost all of their nutrient value.

Original recipe was found here, but I made modifications to make it leaner. Sorry, no exact nutrient details for this recipe. I served my baked spaghetti with a side salad and garlic bread I made using whole wheat bread, garlic powder, Ms. Dash's no salt herb seasonings and 0 calorie spray butter.

"Fried" Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken tenders (not pictured)
• 1 quart lowfat buttermilk (not pictured)
• 2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon organic seasoning Salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• Large pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 egg whites, beaten to very soft peaks
• Pam cooking spray or olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Soak chicken tenders in refrigerator, in buttermilk, for 6 hours or overnight. (I soaked mine overnight)
2. Drain and blot with paper towels to remove excess buttermilk.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.
4. Lay bread crumbs out on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool. (I just used pre-packaged bread crumbs from the grocery store to save on time. There was only about 40 calories differences)
5. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees Farenheit.
6. Combine cornstarch, paprika, seasoning salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a large Pyrex dish - mix well.
7. Dredge drained and blotted chicken tenders in seasoned starch.8. Next, coat dredged tenders thoroughly with beaten egg whites. 9. Last, dip tenders in toasted panko to fully coat. 10. Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet, fitted with a baking rack. Lightly spray chicken on both sides with Pam and season lightly with salt, if desired.11. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until outside is crispy and chicken is just cooked through and juicy.

Hubby's Yum-O Meter:

(Scale of 1-10)

8

For Eight Servings

Nutrient Analysis – per serving

Calories: 270

Fat calories: 40

Total Fat: 4g

Sat Fat: 1g

Chol: 65mg

Sodium: 210mg

Total Carb: 27g

Fiber: 2g

Sugars: 4g

Protein: 28g

*I served my chicken tenders with mixed vegetables. Recipe is from Rocco Dispirto's Biggest Loser recipes found here.

Finally!

I have been wanting to start a recipe blog forever! Hubby is always making fun of me because I am always taking pictures of our food as I am preping it and after its ready, with all intentions to blog about it and I just never do. Well now I have a few pictures/recipes stacked up, so I finally got on here and here we are. Most of the dishes you will see on here are going to be more on the 'lean' side. I always cook with chicken or ground turkey (although if you want, you can always substitute ground beef), and I use garlic in almost everything I make. Now, I am not fancy my any means and the majority of these recipes can be made with things you usually have on hand. Some of what you will see are family recipes and some are from various sites or cookbooks that I have and love, if that is the case, I will always link to/tell where I found it. Hope you all enjoy this as much I am going to, now let's get cooking!