Traditional Chex Mix

Easy to make ahead of time and throw in a Tupperware for the big game!

Source: adapted from Chex

Ingredients:
5 T butter
1 1/2 t seasoned salt
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
9 cups of your favorite chex cereal (white, wheat and rice)
1 cup salted mixed nuts
1 cup pretzels

Preheat oven to 250. In a large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings and then pour in the other ingredients. Stir to coat all pieces. Bake 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. Spread out on a paper towel to absorb some of the grease.

*feel free to add ingredients you like....cheerios, cheese crackers, bagel chips etc.

Tailgaiting Cupcakes

We all know there is a ton of food at pre-game parties....if you're in charge of bringing a side, try to make some changes to the normal guilty pleasures we all fall victim to. Hopefully I can provide some tips all week long in an attempt to get ready for the college game day kickoff!!! Starting with dessert of course.Ingredients:
1 box devils food cake mix
1 can diet coke

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Mix cake mix and diet coke together. Pour into cupcake pan and cook for 15 minutes. Makes approx 18. 2 pts each

*Feel free to frost anyway you prefer or leave them plain! Good either way.

SATURDAY SUGGESTIONS: Menu to stay on track

Weekends are hard for us eaters....totally different schedule, possible parties at night or bumming around the house with the pantry and refrigerator screaming your name. Always good to have a plan so here is a day in the life of the "Everyday Cook" weekend style.

Breakfast:
Breakfast burrito with 1 slice of bacon, egg beaters scrambled eggs (you can have 1/2 cup of egg beaters for 1 point), less than 1/4 cup shredded cheese, salsa and "La Banderita Low Carb Low Fat" wheat tortilla. Points= 4

Mid morning snack:
Just depends on what we have but try to limit it to a 2-3 point snack

Lunch:
Turkey sandwich on a sandwich thin with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and a sprinkle of oregano. I left off the cheese because with all these other wonderful flavors, you can live without.
Weight Watchers yogurt and a pre-portioned bag of baked chips. Points: 5

If needed: afternoon snack. Maybe a piece of fruit or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. 2 points

Dinner:
Have some friends over and grill out!
Make Gingered Pork Skewers with grilled okra. 4 oz of pork per person, lots of veggies and with the pineapple, your skewers will be around 5 points. To grill okra: put about 1 t of oil on the okra, sprinkle with salt and pepper and skewer a bunch of them together. Put on the grill at the same time as the pork skewers and turn once. Delicious! Enjoy an ice cold light beer for a total dinner of 8 points!

Point total for the day: 22 points and you literally ate all day!!

Fruit Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen fruit (whatever mixture you like. Above picture has berry mixture)
1 box yellow cake mix
12 oz of fresca or diet soda clear in color

Directions: heat oven to 350
1. Spray bottom of cake pan with cooking spray. Pour in frozen fruit. If you're using peaches or strawberries, I would suggest cutting them into smaller pieces.

2. Sprinkle cake mix on top of fruit and then pour soda over cake. Put in heated oven.

3. About 20 minutes through, run a fork through the cake batter to let the fruit make its way to the top.

Total cook time is around 55 minutes. Serve with ice cream, plain or a little whipped cream.
*Serves 12- 3 pts each

Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients: 2 servings
1 chicken breast
1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables....whatever mixture you like.
Teriyaki marinade
1/2 brown rice

*marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes. I would suggest to go ahead and cut the chicken before putting it in the marinade.

1. Cook rice according to directions.
2. Cook chicken until almost done in skillet. Pour in veggies and cover with lid until veggies are cooked through. You can add more marinade or a little teriyaki sauce to give some more liquid and flavor to the veggies.

Serve with rice and possibly an egg roll!

*I've also added water chestnuts, mushrooms, onions, yellow squash and zucchini to bulk up on the veggies.

Gingered Pork Skewers

This was truly an all around wonderful meal.

Here we go!

Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients: serves 4, 5 pts each
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 t ginger root, freshly grated *see note below
1/2 t mined garlic
1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened pineapple chunks or 16 fresh chunks
8 oz lean pork tenderloin, cut into 16 chunks
1 med sweet red pepper, cut into 16 chunks
3 cups cooked while wheat couscous
1/4 cup scallions, sliced

-In a Ziploc, combine soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Finely chop 2 pineapple chunks and add to bag. Add pork, seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
-Preheat outdoor grill or broiler. If using broiler, line broiler pan rack with foil for easy clean up.
-Alternately thread 2 pieces of pork, 2 pieces of pepper and 2 pieces of pineapple onto each skewer. If you are using wood skewers, make sure you have soaked them in water for a min. of 20 minutes.
-Grill or broil skewers, turning once, until pork is just barely pink in center and pepper and pineapple are lightly charred and tender, about 6-8 minutes (depending on how thick your pork chunks are). Remove from heat. Combine couscous with scallions.

We absolutely loved this dish. We don't care for couscous so we had wild rice instead (points value will change). Also served with grilled okra. Grilling okra was a first (thanks Zane) and we will never fry again. So yummy, easy and healthy!

*Ginger root. A wonderful ingredient to so many things Asian. Found on the produce aisle normally on the top shelf. It normally has all these weird nobs on the sides. It's perfectly acceptable to break off a piece of the entire root they are trying to sell you. To prepare....peel the skin and grate the root. If you have a micro plane, use that. If not, use the smallest cheese grater you have.

Sauteed Orange Shrimp with Rice

Source: Taste of Home

Ingredients: for three servings
1 pkg. (8.8oz) ready to serve whole grain brown rice
1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Olive oil
1 T butter
1/4 t cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T mined fresh basil
1/4 t salt

1. Cook rice according to pkg directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute shrimp and garlic in oil and butter for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

2. Combine cornstarch and orange juice until smooth; stir in the basil and salt. Gradually stir into the skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve over rice.

Above is how the recipe is written....I, of course, make changes...here's how.
*1/2 T butter
*1 t oil
*I didn't have or want to buy orange juice (we'll never drink it) so I used fresh squeezed juice from two oranges
*boiled brown rice instead of ready to serve. Cooked 1/2 cup of rice for two people.
*I used already cooked shrimp...the only problem I saw with this was that it added a little extra juice in the pan. I just drained that off and continued to cook. I also cooked this for two people and just doubled the amount of shrimp to each person. For the most part...shrimp is 60 cals per serving.

Point count per serving:
Rice- 3 pts. This is if you cook 1/2 cup of brown for two people.
Shrimp- *about 7 medium- 1 pt
Butter and Oil (my alterations)- 1 pt
Orange juice- .5 pt

Note- You have to like orange to even think about making this because the orange flavoring is very prevalent. Also, serve with a side salad...needs a little something extra.

Gyro-Style Turkey Pitas

Source: taste of home

Ingredients: serves 4
1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t salt
2/3 cup sour cream
3 T mayo
2 T Ranch
1 small tomato, chopped
1/3 cup chopped cucumber
4 pits breads, halved and warmed
Shredded lettuce

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion, sauerkraut, brown sugar and salt over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Note: we used 93/7 turkey and there was nothing to drain
2. While the turkey is cooking....in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayo and Ranch. Stir in tomato and cucumber.
3. Fill pita halves with turkey mixture, lettuce and sauce.

What we did different:
Used fat free sour cream. Used light mayo. I stuffed as much as I could get into half a pita and then had a little salad on the side with the leftover.

What we'll do different next time:
Double the sauerkraut. Mix turkey mixture, dressing and lettuce all together and then put into the pita. Try it without the salt. And repeat "what we did different"

Flatout Pizza

Have you ever tried to order pizza for your family but no one can agree on the toppings? Well, make individuals pizzas! It will get everyone in the kitchen together and THEY can decide what they do and don't want on it. Here's a super easy and pretty healthy alternative to ordering out.



Ingredients (these are suggestions...feel free to add and make changes as you see fit)

Flatout- found either in the bakery or the bread aisle.
Pizza Sauce
Cheese
Turkey pepperoni
Onions
Bell pepper
Mushrooms (fresh or canned)
Green/black olives


Directions:
Lightly spray your Flat Out with cooking spray. Bake for 7-10 min in a 350 degree oven until it's crunchy. Spoon on pizza sauce and top away! Bake again for 10 min-12 min or until cheese is melted. One entire flatout is a serving!! Points will vary depending on the toppings you use but flatout is 1 pt.


We've also used....
turkey sausage (cook before putting on pizza), Canadian bacon and regular bacon, spinach and sliced tomato.

Homeade Chips

Now, don't be overwhelemed by the thought of making your own chips...it's much easier than you would think, easy to portion control and extra good!





Ingredients: 16 chips 1-2 pts depending on the brand of corn tortillas
Corn tortillas
Sea salt


Directions:

1. Cut the corn tortillas into 8 triangles. Get a big stack of them at one time and cut with a bread knife.

2. Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray and lay out your triangles (you will only spray the sheet for the first batch). Try to fit as many on the sheet without overlapping. Lightly spray the chips with cooking spray and then sprinkle salt on top.

3. Cook in a 375 degree oven for 8-12 minutes. Be very careful with cooking times...they go from raw to burnt in a matter of a minutes. Golden brown is what you're looking for...

4. Cook as many as you want.

5. Let cool and store in an air tight container!

Pineapple Salmon

I know...another foil pack. But they are so easy, quick and yummy!

Pineapple Salmon Teriyaki
Source: Hungry Girl 1-2-3

Ingredients: for one pack (8 points per pack)
One 5 oz salmon fillet
1/2 T thick teriyaki marinade
1/2 T sweet Asian chili sauce
2 pineapple rings
Dash Cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 375 or grill to med/high heat

In a small bowl, mix teriyaki sauce with chili sauce. Set aside.

Take a piece of foil and spray with nonstick spray. Place the salmon in the center and top with the teriyaki-chili sauce. Flip salmon over to coat evenly on both sides.

Top fish with pineapple slices and sprinkle with cayenne pepper (I did not use any cayenne). Fold up foil and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Note: At first I was a little nervous about the asian chili sauce because I don't like spicey food...but I could have actually stood for a little bit more of both teriyaki and the chili sauce.

Chicken Fiesta Pack

This was a first time recipe for us and it won't be the last! Party in your mouth with lots of flavors and goodness....

Chicken-with-a-kick pack
Source: Hungry Girl 1-2-3

Ingredients: for one pack
4 oz raw boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
1/3 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup seasoned black beans, drained
1/4 cup canned sweet corn, drained
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 t Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

1. Preheat oven to 375 (or grill)
2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
3. Scoop mixture into the center of a foil piece that was sprayed with cooking spray. Fold in sides and top and cook for 15-20 minutes.

Normally I change something in recipes but there was no need with this one! I served it in a bowl because of the juices. And for those of you that know me know that I DON'T like hot food....even I added some "Franks" hot sauce (just a few shakes) and it was so yummy. Can't wait to cook this easy no mess no fuss meal again.

Note: Try to buy the no salt added tomato sauce and corn. If at all possible, weigh your chicken. The chicken breasts we buy in the store are NOT one portion breasts....whole pack 4-5 points!

For more delicious Hungry Girl recipes, you can find her at http://www.hungry-girl.com/

Chicken Marsala

Source: adapted from All Recipes Cookbook

Ingredients for two:
2- chicken breasts (one will do if it's a larger breast) pounded out
1/4 cup flour
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1/2 t dried oregano
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine- found by the vinegar
1/4 cup cooking sherry- found by the vinegar

1. In a shallow dish (I normally use a pie pan) mix flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan and lightly brown them. Turn chicken pieces and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry and cover. Simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Suggestions: I have also used turkey breast in place of the chicken and it turned out great. When you are pounding the chicken, place plastic wrap over them to help with clean up and to not make an e coli mess in your kitchen. The pounding will help with cooking time. Feel free to double or even triple the amount of mushrooms you use and add more sherry and Marsala for a more intense flavor. Serve with green beans, side salad, mashed potatoes (the gravy from the Marsala is wonderful) or even some summer fresh tomatoes.

Some facts about button mushrooms:
*a 5 oz serving has more than 50% of the daily value for the cancer fighting trace mineral selenium, 40% of the daily value for riboflavin and 35% of copper.
*Mushrooms also contain an antioxidant called L-ergothioneine. In studies, this antioxidant seems to act as a metabolic energy enhancer, stimulating the breakdown of sugar in red blood cells and mimicking caritine in its ability to transport fat into the mitochondria of the cells where the fat can be burned for energy. (What over-the-counter weight loss supplements promise)

Source: Jonny Bowden, Ph.D.