Loco for my Cocorico

I am not one to be a product pusher, but if you want to invest in one item that will make your roast chicken/turkey experience unbelievable, you MUST invest in a Cocorico. The Cocorico makes roasting poultry so easy and so delicious. I got mine two years ago through the napastyle.com website. The above pictured turkey is from our 2008 Thanksgiving feast. Just season your chicken/poultry, seat it on the Cocorico cone, toss in your favorite veggies, and you will have a healthy meal in 1-2 hours. Two things you need to remember with the Cocorico:

1) If you get a ceramic Cocorico, you have to soak it for 15-30 minutes before you use it, or it will crack.
2) For the perfect roast, rotate the Cocorico ever so often while the chicken/turkey is cooking.

Easy Cocorico Chicken
1 oven roaster chicken
3 carrots, pealed and quartered
2 stalks of celery, quartered
2 onions, quartered
4 red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1/4 cup chicken broth

-Heat oven 350.
-Season your chicken with salt and pepper (to spice it up, I use Mrs. Dash--yummy, plus no calories).
-After soaking your Cocorico, spray with PAM and seat chicken on the cone with the legs facing up.
-Evenly distribute the veggies around the bird. Pour broth over veggies.
-Place Cocorico on bottom rack of your pre-heated oven.
-Every 15-20 minutes, turn the Cocorico a 1/4 turn to ensure an even roast. When you rotate the bird, also toss the veggies to make sure they don't stick.
-Chicken should be done in 1 hour. Let rest for 15 minutes prior to carving.

Chicken comes out to 1 point per ounce. Veggies have about 50 calories per 1/2 cup.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

A new twist on a garden favorite--Zucchini and Feta Quesadillas

I came across this recipe in a cooking magazine when I was trying to find up ways to use left over zucchini. I modified it to make it a quick and easy meal that you can make in no time. The combination of flavors surprised me at first, but both hubby and I agree that it is quiet tasty!

Zucchini and Feta Quesadillas--4 points per quesadilla
1 onion, chopped
3 small zucchini, shredded and squeezed dry
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
salt/pepper to taste
2 small tomatoes, or one large, cored, seeds removed, and diced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese
1 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella
8 whole wheat 8-inch tortillas

Over medium high heat, saute onions and zucchini together until soft. Season with garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Allow to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together tomatoes, olives, cheeses, and zucchini mixture. Place 1/8 of mixture on each tortilla and fold in half.
Spray frying pan with PAM. Brown each quesadilla for 3-4 minutes a side, or until crispy.

Serve with Corn and black bean salsa (recipe below)

1 can sweet yellow corn, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs cilantro
salt/pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Let sit over night for added flavor.
12 points in entire recipe.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Cacciatore Me if You Can

I love one pot meals, especially during the winter time. This recipe is great because you can do one of two things--make the sauce alone and freeze it for an easy heat-up meal, or make it with the chicken that basically cooks in the sauce. You will have enough sauce from this recipe to make 2 dinners out of it, so if you do freeze it without chicken, do it in 2 containers. If you make it with the chicken, have 1 container on-hand to freeze half of the sauce. The sauce is very low-cal, so all of the calories come from the chicken. Also, it has lots of veggies in it, which is always a bonus!

Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 5
4 PointsPlus values per serving
217 calories per serving

Ingredients
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
15oz chicken cutlets, or whole breasts cut into fillets
1 small red pepper, roughly chopped
1 small green pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
1 8oz container sliced mushrooms
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves

Directions
-Spray a large saute pan with PAM and heat up over medium high heat.
-Mix garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper together. Coat chicken in the spice mixture.
-Brown chicken in pan. Remove and add veggies, starting with the peppers and onions. Once they are soft add the mushrooms and let cooks until all liquid is evaporated.
-Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and bay leaves. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken back to sauce and and let simmer on low for 15 minutes.
-Serve with egg noodles or linguine.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Thankful for family and Apple Cake

Sometimes healthy cooking is over-rated! There are times (like Thanksgiving) that calorie counting goes out the window and we just want to make what is good. This apple cake fits that definition. Hubby and I can polish this off in a day or two--it goes great with coffee, for breakfast, or just as a mid-day/late-night/any-time snack! I am not even going to pretend I know how many points are in this because I don't. Anyhow, enjoy, cause this cake is amazing!

Apple Cake

3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. white sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 c. orange juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 tsp. white sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour one 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Using an apple cutter, slice apples, then cut each section lengthwise into thirds. Mix apples with lemon juice. Combine the ground cinnamon and 5 tsp. of the sugar together and mix with apple/lemon mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and 2 cups of the sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, beaten eggs, orange juice and vanilla. Combine both wet and dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with half of the sliced apples. Pour the remaining batter over the top and layer the remaining sliced apples.

Bake at 350F for 45 to 70 minutes. Cake is done when no batter comes out on the test stick.

Unhealthy meals to nourish your mind.

The Life of Pie

So, obviously I have a problem when it comes to Tex-Mex. I just can't get enough. I combined two of my favorite Tex-Mex dishes--Cheese Quesadillas and Turkey Tacos--to come up with this new favorite of mine, which I have dubbed Tex-Mex Pie. Again, super easy and healthy, it is great for either lunch or dinner, and freezes with no problem. Make one for tonight and freeze the other one for next week--you'll want it again, believe me :-)

Cut recipe in half to make just 1 pie, recipe below is for 2. Each pie serves 4, at 6 points a person.

1 pound 93% lean Turkey Breast (I just don't like the 97% lean, but if you do, more power to you)
1/2 cup Taco Sauce
1/2 red onion, diced
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Six 8-inch whole wheat or low-carb tortillas
1 cup low fat cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray two 8-inch cake pans with PAM.

-Saute red onions until soft.
-Add turkey meat and brown until pink color is gone.
-Add taco sauce, corn, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
-Stir until all ingredients are combined.
-Remove from heat and prepare to make your pies.
-In each cake pan, place 1 tortilla. Layer with 1/6 of mixture, and top each one with 2 tbs of cheese. Top with another tortilla, 1/6 mixture and 2 tbs more of cheese. You guessed it, 1 more tortilla, 1/6 mixture, but this time use 1/4 cup cheese on each pie to create a layer of cheesy goodness.
Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Cut each pie into 4 equal pieces. Serve with salsa.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Fall is here and it's getting a little Chili

Back to cooking this week! Here is the line-up:

Mexican Pie with fresh Pico de Gallo
Stuffed Shells with Italian Salad
Vegetarian Chili with Cornbread

I LOVE vegetarian chili. My friend from graduate school, Alyssa, introduced me to this recipe when we were enduring those cold Syracuse winters studying for our MSW degree. This chili is super easy to make, and tastes better if you make it a few days in advanced. As always, it is super healthy too!

Alyssa's Veggie Chili
1 green pepper, roughly chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cans stewed tomatoes, diced (if you can't find "diced" buy the "sliced" stewed tomotoes and just run your knife through the tomatoes before you add them)
1 can each--black beans, chick peas, kidney beans and pinto beans
1 cup salsa
1 packet chili seasoning
1 Tbs soy sauce

-In a large pot, saute onion and peppers until soft.
-Add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
-Remove lid and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Entire pot of chili has 24 points, or about 1200 calories. Believe me, you will get at least 10 servings out of it--that equals about 120 calories per serving, or 2.5 points. For extra goodness, top with 2 Tbs low fat cheddar cheese and 2 Tbs light sour cream. Adds about 2 more points (100 calories), but well worth it!

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Tuesday Night Vodka

Penne Vodka that is. I had never heard of Penne Vodka until I got to college, but since then I can't get enough of it! I can get enough of the calories and fat that each delicious mouthful contains, so I came up with this low-fat recipe to curb my cravings. Best part (actually there are two): Takes 10 minutes to make, and freezes so well! It makes A LOT, so be prepared to have tupperware on hand, or have a lot of hungry friends over :-)

Penne Vodka

56 oz crushed tomatoes

15 oz diced tomatoes

½ onion, diced

1/2 pint light cream

15 oz peas

4 oz mushrooms

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 oz vodka

2 Tbs Italian seasoning

salt/pepper

-In a large pot, combine all ingredients.

-Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until sauce begins to thicken.

-Serve over whole wheat pasta.

Makes 12 cups of sauce
1/2 cup of sauce--2 points

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Left over Chinese to Mexican Fiesta in 10 minutes

Last night Hubby and I ordered Chinese food--YUM! As always, there were leftover, including a whole container of brown rice. Did you know that one of those paper containers holds about 4 cups of brown rice? That's a lot of rice to waste, and lets face it, I am not a huge fan of leftover Chinese food. BUT, I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food. The common denominator here? RICE.

Since Quesadillas were on the menu for tonight anyway, this was the perfect opportunity to change my Chinese leftovers into a fab Mexican Fiesta, and it only took 10 minutes!

Mexican Rice and Beans (makes 6 cups)
4 cups brown rice--16 points
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed--7 points
1 packet GOYA Sason sin annato seasoning--0 points
1/4 cup frozen corn--1 point
1/4 cup diced peppers--0 points
1/4 cup diced onion--0 points

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, saute peppers and onions until soft. Reduce heat to medium. Add black beans, Sason and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes until most of liquid evaporates. Stir in rice.

Makes 6 cups of rice and beans, all for 24 measly points! That is 4 points a cup, or 2 points for a half cup. Not bad, not bad at all.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

What's for Dinner

Every weekend Hubby and I plan out our dinners for the week. This way we can go shopping once, and since the arrival of little E, once is enough! Just cooking for the two of us this week as my friend who I normally cook for is out of town and will resume her meal pick-up next week.

Here is our game plan--all Weight Watchers friendly:
Sunday--Chicken Quesadillas with Rice and Beans
Monday--Cornflake Chicken with Sweet Potato Fries
Tuesday--Penne Vodka with Peas and Mushrooms
Wednesday--Chicken Special Sandwiches
Thursday--Chicken Parm
Friday--Brisket and Challah
Saturday--Burgers and Fries

All of these are part of our normal dinner rotation, but the Cornflake Chicken is a new addition. Here is what I was thinking:

Cornflake Chicken (serves 2 people, 9 points per serving):
(2) 6-0z chicken breast, cut into strips--12 points
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream--2 points
2 cup cornflakes, crushed--4 points
1/2 packet onion soup mix--0 points
salt/pepper

Pre-heat oven 400 degrees.
Place crushed cornflakes, onion soup mix and salt and pepper in a large zip lock bag.
Toss chicken with sour cream. Remove each piece and shake off excess liquid.
Place chicken into zip lock bag, seal and shake well.
Remove chicken from bag and shake off excess cornflake mixture.
Lay chicken onto a tin-foil lined cookie sheet that has been sprayed with PAM.
Spray chicken with PAM and bake for 15-20 minutes. Flip each piece and bake for 10 more minutes, or until light golden brown.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Falling for Falafel

Some nights I just don't want to cook (I KNOW, crazy right), but that doesn't mean I want to eat high calorie take out either. My solution? Find foods that can be made into fab dinners in less than 10 minutes. Example--falafel pitas with cucumber-tomato dressing.

Now, I did not grow up eating falafel, so I apologize to all you fried chick-pea loving people out there who are probably gasping at this recipe. But I am here to share my ideas for yummy low-point meals, and well, this is one of them.

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Tomato Dressing
3 Falafel Balls (Amnons are my personal favorite)--4 points
1 Whole Wheat Pita--2 points
2 Tbs diced Cucumber--0 points
2 Tbs diced Tomato--0 points
1 Tbs diced Red Onion--0 points
2 Tbs low fat Sour Cream--1 point
1 tsp chopped Parsley--0 points
1/4 cup shredded Lettuce
salt/pepper

-Heat falafel acording to directions on package (bake, do not fry).
-Mix together cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, sour cream, salt and pepper (I know it sounds gross, but it is really yummy)
-Split open pita at the very top. Fill with lettuce, cucumber-tomato dressing and falafel balls.

Simple, fast, and delicious.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

Fall Back into Food Prep

Daylight Savings offered a little extra time for cooking this weekend, which was nice.

Dinner 1:
Turkey Cowboy Burger on Whole Wheat Bun-9 point
Home on the Range Fries-4 point

Dinner 2:
Spanikopita--9 points
Greek Salad—2.5 points

Dinner 3:
Chicken Papas--9 points
Roasted potatoes—4 points

Featured recipe:

Turkey Cowboy Burgers
8 oz 93% lean ground turkey breast
1 egg
3 Tbs bread crumbs
2 Tbs BBQ sauce
½ onion, diced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley

-Mix together breadcrumbs, egg and BBQ sauce.
-Add in onion, salt and pepper.
-Mix in meat until just blended.
-Form into 4 patties.
-Grill each side for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.

Calories-161
Fat-5.6
Fiber-.6
Protein-18.5
4 points per patty

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.

The Beginning

Here's how it works: 3 meals + 3 sides = healthy meals to nourish your mind. I started doing this for a girlfriend of mine who just didn't have time to cook the healthy meals she wanted to provide to her family.

"I just don't have time to cook"
"I'll cook for you. I love to cook. It is so relaxing"
"But we are on Weight Watchers" she said.
"No problem, us too" was my reply.
"So you would be willing to cook 3 meals for me a week that I could pick up on Mondays?"
"Willing? That is my dream job!"

And that was it. I started cooking 3 meals a week for my friend, and we both thought it was a great deal. She picks up her meals from my West Orange, New Jersey house on Mondays, and I get to spend two joy-filled hours on Sundays cooking :-)

So that brings us to this blog. Just a fun way for me to post my weekly menu and share new ideas I have for those trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle. Enjoy!