Mexican Corn Bread Casserole

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup milk

2 eggs, well beaten

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 (16 oz) can cream-style corn

1 onion, chopped

1 pound ground beef

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

Mix first 6 ingredients and set aside. Brown onion with ground beef until meat is done. Add jalapenos and cheese. Pour 1/2 of batter into a shallow greased 2-quart casserole dish. Add meat mixture. Cover with remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Cherry Upside Down Cake

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple, with juice
1 box yellow/white cake mix
1/4 c. butter, melted

In 9 x 13 cake pan, spread cherry pie filling. Add crushed pineapple, juice and all. Sprinkle cake mix over all. Add melted butter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

**Our oven baked this dessert in about 40 minutes. Next time I make this I will use more butter**

Southwestern Chicken

This recipe is WONDERFUL, and it's soooo easy! I made it for dinner tonight... just popped it in the crockpot this morning, came home and it was ready!

Five zesty ingredients add up to a lot of flavor!

2 cans (15 ½ oz. each) whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 jar (16 oz.) chunky salsa, divided

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)

1 cup (4oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

In 5 quart slow cooker, combine corn, black beans, and ½ cup salsa. Top with chicken; pour remaining salsa over chicken. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours or on low 7 to 8 hours or until meat juices run clear. Sprinkle with cheese; cover until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: One serving equals 220 calories, 6 g fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 805 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 12 g protein

Sopapilla Cheesecake

This recipe is sooooooo good. A coworker made it for the office this week, and I plan on making it tonight for a birthday party we're going to!

1 1/2 C Sugar

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 (8 oz pckgs) sofetened cream cheese

2 cans crescent rolls

Mix sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar mixture together. Place one can of crescent rolls on bottom of large pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over top. Then place the second can of crescent rolls on top. Melt the butter and pour on top of the rolls. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar mixture on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. For variation, layer can of apple pie filling over bottom crust before spreading on cream cheese.

Low-fat Turkey Chili

Mathis and I have some frozen turkey in the freezer, and I decided it would be good to use the turkey to make chili today for Superbowl Sunday!

Here's the recipe I'm going to use:

This low fat turkey chili is an ideal family supper. It's hearty, healthy and easy to prepare. Serve with a dollop of fat-free yogurt or sour cream on top.

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 stick of celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound 99% fat-free ground turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 14 1/2-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 tbsp fat-free sour cream or yogurt
4 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Preparation: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, celery, chopped pepper and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Crumble the turkey into the pan, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander and oregano. Add in tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, mix well and cook on low heat for a further 5-10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls. Add a dollop of fat-free sour cream or yogurt on top, plus some fresh chopped cilantro if you have it.

Serves 4.

Per Serving: Calories 298, Calories from Fat 51, Total Fat 5.7g (sat 0.6g), Cholesterol 35mg, Sodium 440mg, Carbohydrate 32.9g, Fiber 10.2g, Protein 28.8g

Grilled Salmon

We had this tonight for dinner, and it was great! Since it's so cold outside we used our George Foreman grill, and it tasted great!! Here's to healthy fish!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill for medium heat.

Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Hungry Girl

Last week my friend Laura, reminded me of a great website for weight loss! Hungry Girl is a fun website with lots of tips and suggestions for making good food choices. Whether it's in your own kitchen or out to eat, Hungry Girl's got you covered.

I just subscribed to their daily email so I can keep the tips and motivation coming! Be sure to check them out!

10 Healthier Meals Under $10

My amazing sister-in-law sent me a great link today with some wonderful recipes. They have 10 recipes featured that are both healthy and cost-effective... I'm in heaven! I'm definitely looking forward to trying some of these out!!

Classic Banana Bread

Yield: 1 loaf, 14 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Cheesy Veggie Quesadillas

This recipe came from SlimFast, and it's basically an easy quesadilla recipe! Serve with a garden or fruit salad for a healthy, fun meal!

1 cup onion, white, chopped
1 zucchini
1/8 teaspoon salt
20 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Original sprays
8 tortillas, flour, 6"
2 dry cups cheddar cheese, low-fat
1 cup tomato, chopped

Preparation

1. Halve the zucchini lengthwise, and thinly slice.

2. Preheat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, zucchini, salt and spray with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Original. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until tender.

3. Evenly divide onion mixture between 4 tortillas, then evenly top each with cheese. Top with remaining tortillas.

4. In 12-inch skillet, cook quesadillas over medium-high heat, one at a time, turning once, 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges and serve immediately, garnished with chopped tomatoes.

Back in the Kitchen in 2009

It's been awhile! I have to admit I didn't do much cooking over the holidays, but was blessed to have others cooking for me. :)

I do hope to continue posting some recipes, so please stay tuned!! Mathis and I started the SlimFast diet last week, so I've been getting a lot of recipes from their website.

Here's to lots of great cooking in 2009!!

Green Bean Casserole

This was a new recipe for me. Normally my mom and I make green bean casserole a little differently, but I wanted to give something different a try! I made this for my office Christmas party last night, and I think everyone seemed to approve of this dish.

Vegetable cooking spray
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (9-ounce) packages frozen French-style green beans, thawed and drained
1 1/2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix
2 teaspoons margarine, melted
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Coat a medium saucepan with cooking spray, and place over medium heat until hot. Add onion; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add the milk, stirring until blended. Stir in cheese, sour cream, sugar, and salt; cook 5 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.

Place green beans in an 8-inch square baking dish; pour the sauce over beans. Combine stuffing mix, margarine, and egg white in a bowl; stir well, and sprinkle over green bean mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.