Have no fear, brussel sprouts are here...

I've never tried brussel sprouts until very recently at Thanksgiving when my sister-in-law brought them over. I somehow think in my mind a kid saying, "EWW not brussel sprouts!" But, since I'm no longer a child and I like to try new foods I was very curious and extremely satisfied with them. This was my first attempt at the recipe, but I changed it up just slightly and they turned out great...unfortunately my husband won't eat them, but who cares more for me!

Ingredients:
6 brussel sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash (or equivalent seasoning)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Rinse off brussel sprouts and cut off the bottoms.
3) In a small bowl combine brussel sprouts, olive oil and Mrs. Dash and gently mix together.
4) Place this on a foil lined cooking sheet and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
5) Serve hot as a great side dish.

Grilled Shrimp + Risotto

This is an easy dish to make and it's filled with yummy flavors. The risotto is Trader Joe's brand Mushroom & Herb Risotto, and it was my first time making it. It was okay, but I wasn't crazy about it. You can have the shrimp and veggies with any rice of your liking of course.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb shrimp pre-cooked
1 red bell pepper
1/2 red onion
10 button mushrooms
1 cup shredded carrots

Directions:
1) Ready your BBQ grill with charcoal.
2) Rinse the shrimp and take off the shell. Chop bell pepper and onions into 1 inch pieces. Slice the mushrooms. I like to place these in a grill basket, but you can use skewers for the same effect.
3) Let this grill for about 20 minutes.
4) While shrimp and veggies are grilling, start your risotto (or rice) according to the box directions. When you're about 1/2 way done cooking the risotto place the shredded carrots into the sauce pan and stir together.
5) Serve risotto on a plate and top with grilled shrimp and veggies.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I made this in the slow cooker a week ago. Great results!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
4 servings

Ingredients:
1/4c chicken broth
1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp Kikkoman Garlic Herb Marinate
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tbsp black pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces
2 tbsp flour
1 package of Uncle Ben's brown rice

Directions:
1) Combine broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Stir to mix well.
2) Add chicken cut into 1" pieces, stir and coat well. Add to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 2.5-3.5 hours.
3) Remove chicken with slotted spoon and keep warm. Combine flour with the cooking liquid and add to slow cooker for about 2 minutes on HIGH.
3) Serve chicken and sauce over rice with carrots, broccoli and pea pods.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I made a casserole like this earlier, but didn't know the calorie count per serving. I tried my very best to count how much a serving would be and made this a lot healthier!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Servings 8
Per Serving: 312 calories, 8.4g fat

Ingredients:
15 oz chicken (500 cal, 10g fat)
2oz cheddar cheese (220 cal, 18g fat)
1 whole red bell pepper (40 cal, 0 g fat)
1 can sliced black olives (175 cal,17.5g fat)
1 can Rosarita spicy refried beans ( 360 cal, 7.5g fat)
1 can Las Palmas salsa verde (225 cal, 13.5 g fat)
1 1/2c Albertsons Fat Free Shredded mozzarella ( 240 cal, 0g fat)
5 Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas (700 cal, 1g fat)
1/4 c corn (33 cal, 0 g fat)

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Place 1 tortilla and a 1/2 on the bottom of the casserole dish. Coat the tortillas with the entire can of beans in an even layer. Layer next 1/3 salsa verde, bell pepper, 1/2 chicken, and 1/2 cheese.
3) Add another layer of tortillas, add 1/3 salsa verde, black olives, remaining chicken and cheese.
4) Last layer with remaining tortillas and coat with the last of the salsa verde. Decorate the top with 1/2c mozzarella, a few bell peppers and the corn.
5) Bake in the oven for 40 minutes

Chicken & Black Bean Corn Salad Pita

Leftovers always make a great lunch!

Chicken & Black Bean Corn Salad Pita
Serving Size 1
Approx: 222 calories, 3.7g fat

Ingredients:
2oz of Tyson Chicken Breast previously cooked (55 cal, 1.2 g fat)
(BBQ is the best with a little bit of worchestire)
1/2 c Black Bean Corn Salad (83 cal, 1.5g fat) - See recipe in last post
1/2 c Romain Lettuce (4 cal, 0g fat)
1/2 Whole Wheat Pita, Trader Joe's Brand (80 cal, 1g fat)

Directions:
1) Heat up left over chicken in microwave on each side for 1 minute on power level 7
2) Heat up pita bread in microwave for 30 seconds at power level 7
3) Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces, add to the pita along with lettuce and black bean corn salad

Black Bean & Corn Salad

I whipped up this salad to go as a side for some chicken my husband BBQed. With the new year already upon us I've started eating healthier and I've been watching my portion sizes and counting calories. I'd like to share the calories with you as well so you know about how many calories are in each dish.

Black Bean & Corn Salad ~ 167 cal, 3g fat
Serving size 1 cup, you can double or quadruple the recipe!

Ingredients:
1/4 c black beans (57 cal, 0.2g fat)
1/4 c yellow corn (33 cal, 0.5g fat)
1/4 c red bell pepper diced (7 cal, 0g fat)
1/4 c green bell pepper diced (7 cal, 0g fat)
1/2 tomato diced (18 cal, 0g fat)
1 tbsp anaheim green chile (4 cal, 0g fat)
2 tbsp reduced fat feta cheese (45 cal, 2g fat)

Directions:
1) Drain the canned black beans and yellow corn then add to a bowl.
2) Dice up the peppers and tomatoes. Finely chop the anaheim chile. Add to bowl.
3) Top with 2 tbsp of feta cheese


Some good additions might be garbanzo beans, kidney beans, or black olives.


All calorie counts are approximate from the packaging labels.