Pretty Healthy Pizza!!

Pretty Healthy Pizza
Today's SNOWED IN meal was home made Pretty Healthy Pizza.  Yummy!!!

Pretty Healthy Pizza

1 1/2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick
1/3 cup Very Hot water
1 cup Pizza Sauce
Fresh Spinach
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes (drained)
1 can sliced Black Olives
Turkey Pepperoni
Canadian Bacon (ham)
1 1/2 cups Fat Free Mozzarrella
1/2 cup Mozzarrella
1 Tbsp Smart Balance Butter (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Heat oven to 450°
Mix bisquick and very hot water in a bowl, and beat with a fork about 20 times to form a soft dough.  Remove and place on greased/sprayed pizza pan or stone.  Use rolling pin to flatten out into a circle (medium size/thin crust).  If using butter and garlic.. melt butter and mix garlic powder in, brush it on the top of the crust.  Spread pizza sauce on with a large spoon, all the way to the edges.  Place pepperonies, canadian bacon, tomatoes, spinach,  and black olives on the pizza.  You can mix the cheeses together before spreading them or spread the Fat Free cheese first then top with the regular cheese. 
Put in oven and bake at 450° for 12-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and slightly browned.

HUBBY STAR RATING:  10.5 Stars  (wow)

Recipe Origin:  Pizza Crust recipe came from Betty Crocker Bisquick recipes book. 

Taco Bake

Tonight we had a delicious recipe I found (and copied) while visiting Barnes & Noble.. I love looking at cook books there and occassionally jot down a few recipes!!  Shhhhh don't tell!

Taco Bake

1 Pkg Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner *(will need butter and milk per the pkg)
1 lb Ground beef, bison, or turkey**
1 pkg Taco Seasoning mix
3/4 cup Fat Free sour cream
1 1/2 cup Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese divided.
1 cup thick & chunky salsa

Heat oven to 400° F.
Prepare Mac & Cheese dinner as per box.  While Mac & Cheese is cooking, cook meat until browned, add taco seasoning packet as directed on package.
Stir sour cream into prepared Mac & Cheese dinner; spoon half of the M&C dinner into a sprayed 8 inch square baking dish.  Top with taco seasoning meat mixture, then 1 cup of Shredded Cheddar cheese, then spoon remaining M&C mix on top.  Cover with foil or dish lid and bake on 400° for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with salsa and remaining cheddar cheese and return to oven for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.
*to prepare the M&C I use a little less than 1/2 of the cheese packet, I also use Smart Balance original buttery spread and Skim milk, this makes it better for you heart!  ♥
**I used Ground Turkey 99% Fat Free, and I only used 1/2 lb, but the recipe calls for 1 whole lb.  ☺

Hubby Star Rating:  8.5 Stars

Recipe Origin:  Kraft Recipe book (you can find it online at http://www.kraftrecipes.com/ browse Taco Bake)

Herb & Garlic Chicken

Tonight we enjoyed Herb & Garlic Chicken with french cut green beans, steamed brown rice and raw carrot sticks.

Herb & Garlic Chicken

2 chicken breast, skinless, boneless
Lawry's Herb & Garlic w/Lemon Juice 30 Minute Marinade

Halve chicken breasts to make 4 servings, puncture chicken with fork.  Place all 4 pieces in a gallon size zipper bag and about 6oz of the marinade, place in refridgerator for about 25-30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450°.  Take chicken out of zipper bag and place in glass baking dish, pour left over marinade on top and cook for 20-25 minutes at 450°  flipping at the 1/2 way mark. 

Hubby Star Rating:  9 Stars
Recipe Origin:  Katie creation.. just take chicken and put store bought marinade on it.  LOL Simple!!

Waffle Sunday!!

Every Sunday the Pier's have Waffles.  They are low fat and totally delicious. 

Laura's Buttermilk Waffles (with Katie's tweaks)

1 cup Organic Whole Wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
*Sift dry ingredients before adding liquid ingredients. 
1 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup liquid egg whites
2 Tbsp Smart Balance buttery spread (original)
dash of vanilla flavoring

Sift all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl, add liquid ingredients.  Mix with fork until blended well. 
We use a Belgian Waffle maker and this recipe yeilds 3 nice waffles.  We add fresh cut strawberries, fresh or frozen blueberries, and whipped topping with a little butter flavored syrup.  YUMMY!  I ♥ Waffle Sunday!
Hubby Star Rating:  10 Stars

Recipe Origin:  Laura P, my super duper sister in law.

Stove Top Meatloaf

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I have been having issues with uploading my pics.. arrghhh so you will get bombarded with a few posts all at once LOL

This menu consisted of Stove Top Meatloaf, fresh green beans, corn on the cob, steamed brown rice.  Later we had Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake (almost fat free).. It was DELISH!!

Stove Top Meatloaf

1/2 lb Ground Bison
3 Tbsp uncooked rolled oats
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped onion
3 Tbsp skim milk
dash of salt
pepper, as desired
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 can of water (tomato sauce can)

Put all ingredients except for water and tomato sauce in a bowl and mix well.
Shape into 2 loaves.  Brown on all sides in a frying pan using EVOO, over medium heat.
If using meat other than Buffalo, drain fat.
Pour tamato sauce over loaves and pour water around loaves in pan. 
Cover and cook over low heat for about 23-25 minutes.*
Add more water if needed during cooking. 

*if using more than 1/2 lb meat your loave will be bigger so you may want to cook longer to make sure the middle gets done.

Hubby Star Rating:  9.5 Stars (Got the .5 for having corn on the cob, that's my Indiana boy!)

Recipe Origin:  I got this recipe from a book while doing my Practicum for my degree in college, not sure of the name of the book though.  :)

Honey-Glazed Salmon

Tonight's dinner was a very yummy Salmon dish, side of Garlic sauteed spinach and fresh organic carrots and cucumbers.

Honey-Glazed Salmon

2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp orange juice *
1 Tbsp lemon juice **
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 salmon fillets halved (no skin, no bones)

Preheat oven to 350°
combine first 7 ingredients, and stir well with a whisk
Brush honey mixture onto one side of each fillet, place honey side down in cooking dish, brush honey mixture on the upfacing side of each fillet.  Cook at 350° for 15-20 minutes, brushing frequently with the honey mixture. *** 
This is a Weight Watchers recipe and worth 9 Points.

Hubby Star Rating:  10 Stars!

*If you are allergic to Citric Acid like I am you can use Minute Maid Low Acid, no Pulp OJ.
**Again with the Citric Acid.. I only used about 1 tsp of the Lemon Juice.  :)
*** The original recipe directs you to Broil the fillets for 12 minutes, I choose to bake instead. 

SPECIAL NOTE:
The Hubby Star Rating changed at the end of the meal.
This is a picture of an 11 Star meal!!  ;)

Hearty One-Pot Chicken Stew

Tonights dinner was a scrumptious stew for this cool Fall evening. 

Hearty One-Pot Chicken Stew

2 chicken breast, boneless & Skinless cut into bite size pieces
1 box Reduced Sodium Zatarain's Red Beans & Rice (B&R)
2 1/4 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) no salt diced tomatoes, undrained
3 sm Organic Yukon Gold potatoes cut into small chunks
2 Organic Carrots sliced in small disks
1 sm onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

In large pot cook chicken until right before no longer pink , while chicken is cooking I boil the potato chunks and carrot slices in a seperate pan for 3-5 minutes** .  Add veggies to chicken in pot, then add box of Red Beans & Rice along with the seasoning packet if seperate from rice/beans, water, tomatoes, and onions.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender and rice is cooked.  Make sure to stir occassionally to prevent sticking. 

Hubby Star Rating:  10 Stars!

Recipe Origin:  Grandma's Favorites (Recipes from Grandma's Kitchen) pg 41
** I like to cook the chicken and soften up the veggies at the same time in seperate pans.. not sure why I just do!!
Original Recipe instructions:
In large saucepan, combine chicken, B&R, seasoning pkt, water, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and onions.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.  :)