I have been looking for a good breakfast that is quick and easy with protein. I found this recipe and decide to try it. It is really yummy with plenty of protein. I make these on Sunday evening and have them for the week. I simply heat a couple of them up in the morning for about 30 seconds in the microwave and have them with an English muffin. Very yummy and healthy breakfast.
Cottage Cheese and Egg Custard
From: http://www.recipezaar.com/278257
Ingredients
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
3 eggs or 6 egg whites (I used egg beaters)
1/2 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese , divided
fresh herbs , such as tarragon, parsley (optional) or chives (optional) or fresh spinach , chopped (optional) - I used chopped spinach
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place cottage cheese and eggs in a blender and run on medium speed for 1 minute or until fully combined.
Add half of the cheddar cheese and blend for 10 seconds.
Pour mixture into a bowl and fold in the remaining cheese and herbs or spinach (if using) with a spoon.
Pour into muffin pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until puffy and starting to brown.
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Cottage Cheese and Egg Custard
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Mini Turkey Meatloaf
For several years I have been using a turkey meatloaf recipe I got from Shape Magazine back in January 2001. It is a healthier and lower fat take on the traditional meatloaf by making a few substitutions. I never really follow all the actual measurements in the recipe but instead estimate as I mix. This time around I baked my turkey meatloaf in a muffin pan to make mini meatloaves. This technique helps to control portion size and decreases the time needed for cooking.
The recipe from Shape Magazine uses a technique to drain the fat away from the meatloaf by using a baking sheet or baking pan instead of the traditional loaf pan. So instead of the fat being absorbed into the meat as it bakes, the fat is drained away to the side of the pan. Well, the draining away of the fat is lost by using the muffin pan so this would probably slightly increase the calorie and fat content of the mini meatloaves.
When Mr. Bear came into the kitchen to see what was for dinner, he thought I made muffins again and was quite confused when I served him meatloaf muffins, LOL. The mini meatloaves were good and it was nice that they cooked in half the time. We didn't eat the entire loaf like we usually would so there was enough leftover to use with my spagetti sauce for dinner tonight. This mini meatloaf technique was definitely helpful to control portion size, if only I could drain the fat too as with the Shape Magazine technique and then I would have the best of both worlds.
Barbeque Turkey Meatloaf
from: Shape Magazine, January 2001 (pp. 64-67 - I still have the torn out copy from the magazine)
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 egg whites or 1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 13 X 9 inch baking pan or baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (or muffin pan if making mini meatloaves).
In a large bowl combine all ingredients (except the 1/4 cup of barbeque sauce).
Place meatloaf mixture in the center of a baking pan and shape into a loaf by hand (or place small loaves into muffin pan). Spread remaining barbeque sauce evenly over the top of the loaf. Bake for 1 hour and let stand for 5 minutes before draining fat and slicing (for mini meatloaves you only have to bake for 30 minutes).
Nurtition Info per serving (2 1 inch slices): 190 calories, 16% fat (3.5 g; 0.9 saturated), 41% carbs (17.7 g), 43% protein (18.7 g), 0.7 g fiber.
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Crock Pot Yummy!
The crock pot is such a great kitchen item for busy families. It is so wonderful to come home from a long work day and have dinner ready and waiting for you. I have a programmable crock pot by Rival that I received as a wedding gift and I have used it several times. My friend shared one of her favorite crock pot recipes with me and I finally tried it. Mr. Bear loved it and ate it all up. Definitely an easy yummy dish! Thanks Bryn!
Crock pot salsa chicken
Ingredients:
4 Frozen Chicken Breasts
1/2 a packet of Taco Seasoning (or you can make your own Taco Seasoning)
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup (I used 99% fat free)
1/2 a jar of salsa
Spray crock pot with some non-stick spray and then put all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Top with sour cream (we used low-fat) and cheddar cheese (we used 2% cheese). Eat with flour tortilla or tortilla chips.
It is a very yummy meal. Nice and easy for the working woman!
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Enchiladas and Cottage Cheese
I tried a new enchilada recipe today. I found this recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ a while back and have been meaning to give it a try. I had extra cottage cheese that I needed to use pretty soon, so I figured it was a good time to give it a shot.
Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
from http://www.allrecipes.com/
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (I used 28 ounce can)
DIRECTIONS
1. To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.
2. To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
A few suggestions: use extra enchilada sauce and put sauce on the bottom of the baking dish too. From making enchiladas in the past, I have learned that you want to make sure the sauce covers the enchiladas while baking so they don't get dry. I used low-fat cottage cheese and sour cream to make it little bit lower in fat and my own little taco seasoning mix (also from http://www.allrecipes.com/).
The Muffin Woman
The last couple of weeks, I have been on a quest to find a yummy healthy muffin recipe. I tried a blueberry muffin recipe last week and I did not like muffins at all, they were dry and dense, almost like a scone but not very good. That was a bummer since I used fresh yummy blueberries. So my quest continued for a new recipe.
Last night, I tried a banana muffin recipe and I am quite happy with the muffins, they are very tasty and better yet, I am able to use bananas that are overly ripe and will end up getting thrown out, so I am not wasting any food.
Whiz-Bang Banana Muffins
From: http://www.bellybytes.com/recipe/muffins/muffin01.html
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup quick-cooking oatmeal
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray or shortening
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large ripe banana, cut up (I used 2 medium ones)
I also added ¼ cup of chopped pecans since I happened to have them
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. Lightly coat muffin pan with cooking spray or grease with shortening.
In a blender container combine milk, egg, and oil. Cover and blend smooth. With blender running, add banana and blend into mixture. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Fill muffin pans 2/3 full.
Bake in the 400 degree oven about 20 minutes (I baked for 15 minutes) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 10 to 12
(Nutritional facts per serving from the website: Calories: 132 , Total fat: 4g , Saturated fat: 1g , Cholesterol: 22mg , Sodium: 162mg , Carbohydrate: 22g , Fiber: 1g)
I think they turned out very yummy! I think next time I try ½ all-purpose flour and ½ wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil, and maybe a little vanilla extract to make it even better for you. I will also bake at 375 degrees instead. I think 400 was too high and so luckily I checked after 15 minutes rather than letting it go to 20 minutes as the instructions suggested.