CRAVINGS DONE RIGHT

BAKED EGGPLANT PARM

Makes 3-4 servings

What you need:

2 large eggplants, sliced in rounds about 1/2 inch thick

1C cottage cheese

1C low-fat mozzarella cheese

2-3C low sugar marinara

3TBSP parmesan cheese

1/2C fresh basil leaves

Seasonings: salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder

Optional: 1C sliced mushrooms, 2C spinach leaves, 1/2 sweet onion

Optional: 2TBSP ground flaxseed

How to:

Preheat oven to 400.

Grill or steam eggplant. I used the George Foreman and grilled about 7 minutes. Set on paper towel to let the water soaks up. Saute onion, mushrooms & spinach in pan... add marinara sauce (skip this step if not using added veggies). Pour 1/2 of sauce on bottom of a baking dish (spray w/ Pam first). Layer 1/2 of the grilled eggplant. Top with 1/2C cottage cheese, 1/2C mozzarella, seasonings & 1/4C basil. Add 2nd layer of all ingredients and top w/ parmesan cheese and flaxseed.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Let set for about 10 minutes before serving.

*Are you nearing your due date or overdue? Eat this along with some Rasberry tea and Evening Primrose oil! Why??...

The following ingredients are thought to induce labor...

Basil, oregano, eggplant are all said to promote uterine contractions. 
Red raspberry leaf tea is said to decrease labor time and intensity 
Evening Primrose Oil is supposed to help w dilation and reduce tearing during labor

"ICE CREAM" SHORTCAKE SANDWICHES

Makes 1 serving (2 sandwiches)

What you need:

4 honey graham cracker squares (if using sheets, use 1 and break in half)

2TBSP Cool Whip

2 strawberries, sliced

Optional: 1TBSP low-sugar or sugar-free strawberry jam

Additional optional toppings: peanut butter, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, other berries

How to:

Top one graham square with 1TBSP Cool Whip, berries & other optional toppings. Cover with another square. Repeat. Enjoy right away or freeze for later.

*This would also be a fun sweet buffet for family night. Set out the grahams and a variety of toppings. Let everyone dig in and create their own perfect "ice cream" sandwiches.

CRAVING CHINESE?? TRY THESE BAKED CHICKEN EGG ROLLS

The average egg roll has about 350 calories with 16 gram of fat... but with these delectable bites, you can chow down on 3 for the same about of calories and a quarter of the fat! As an added bonus, I threw in some nutritious veggies!

These are fun to make and fun to eat! YUM!!

P.S. These are also gluten-free & egg free (hence the quotes around "egg"). Instead of egg papers, I used rice paper.

BAKED CHICKEN "EGG" ROLLS
Makes 4 servings

What you need:
1LB lean ground chicken
2TBSP grated or chopped ginger
1/2 sweet onion
optional: diced eggplant, diced mushrooms, chopped water chestnuts
Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder
1TBSP hoisin sauce
1TBSP spicy chili sauce
1TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
12 rice papers

Dipping Sauce:
1TBSP low-sodium soy sauce
1TBSP hoisin sauce
1TBSP water
optional: 1TBSP crushed almonds or peanuts

How to:
Coat skillet with non-stick spray. Begin to brown chicken. Add in all other ingredients and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip rice paper into water until it's soft. Lay paper on flat surface (be sure that it doesn't fold up). Spoon in some of the mixture. Fold up two opposite sides and then roll. Continue until you have 12 rolls. Lay rolls on a greased baking sheet. Spray top of rolls with cooking spray.

Bake 10 minutes. Filp over, spray tops again and bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden.

SALMON WHITE MAC & CHEESE

Makes 4 servings

What you need:

4C whole grain spiral noodles

3/4C low-fat white cheddar cheese

2C low-fat cottage cheese

1C plain Greek yogurt

2C fresh spinach

8oz grilled or smoked salmon

salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste

How to:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook noodles according to package. In meantime, combine all other ingredients in a bowl. Add noodles and mix well. Pour into a greased cooking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cheese starts bubbling.

*Salmon is good for mamas-to-be! It's high in omega-3 fatty acids which have a variety of health benefits for mom and baby. However, do not get farmed salmon and look for smoked salmon without nitrates.

CARL'S JR BURGER MAKEOVER - PINEAPPLE TURKEY BURGER

Here is a healthy version of the Carl's Jr Teriyaki Burger. Their burger has 630 calories & 29 grams of fat! Mine has under 300 & 5 grams of fat... AND it's super easy. Instead of cheating with calories... I cheated with the cooking - by using frozen patties ;-/ Now, before you judge me ... let me tell you, they were all natural, lean turkey patties. I keep some frozen items like this on hand for busy days like today ;-)

So, here's the recipe...

What you need:
makes 1 serving
1 all-natural, lean turkey patty (or fresh lean, ground turkey to make your own)
1 thin slice of fresh pineapple
spinach, jalapenos, ketchup, mustard

How to:
Fire up the grill (or George Foreman for another 'cheat'). Grill the burger and pineapple ring. Ta-Dah... that's about it. I put my burger on a bed of spinach, tomato slices, avocado & added some jalapenos. I also grilled up some sweet potato slices to mimic healthy fries ;-) deeelish!



LIGHT-SAGNA

What you need:
1.25LB lean ground turkey
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small sweet onion, chopped
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, broken in half
1C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (26 ounce) jar tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) container cottage cheese
salt, pepper, oregano
Optional: 2-3C fresh spinach, 1C mushrooms

How to:

1. Cook turkey, onion & bell pepper in skillet until turkey is no longer pink. Season w/ salt, pepper & oregano. Set aside.
2. In bowl, mix cottage cheese & 1/2C mozzarella
3. In slow-cooker, layer half of the uncooked noodles. It's ok to overlap. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture, spinach & mushrooms. Top w/ 1/2 of the tomato sauce and 1/4C water.
4. Carefully spread cottage cheese mixture & layer the remaining noodles, meat, spinach, mushrooms and sauce. Top with another 1/4C water.
5. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 5.
6. Sprinkle remaining 1/2C mozzarella and cook for 15 more minutes so it's nice and melty. Enjoy

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK STUFFED PORTOBELLOS (OR BELL PEPPERS)

Makes 4 servings

What you need:

1LB 90/10 or leaner ground beef (can sub ground turkey, chicken or lunch meat)

1 sweet onion, diced

4 Portobello mushroom caps OR green bell peppers

2C sliced mushrooms

4 slices provolone cheese

salt, pepper, season salt

optional: hot peppers, spinach, other veggies

How to:

Preheat oven to 350. Cook meat with seasonings, mushrooms, onions & any additional veggies. In the meantime, cut top off peppers & pull out the seeds and membranes. Wash inside & out. Brush a little olive oil on the mushroom or pepper's skin. 

Place in baking dish. Fill mushrooms/peppers with cooked meat mixture. Top with 1 slice provolone per shroom/pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes, until cheese melts and peppers are slightly cooked. The peppers will still have some crunch.

*If you prefer a softer pepper, don't cook the beef all the way. Instead, cook until slightly browned then fill peppers (skip the cheese for now). Cook 15 minutes, top with cheese & continue to cook an addition 10-20 minutes.

I placed my pepper on one slice of whole grain toasted bread and went to town ;-) Yum!

CHEESECAKE FOR BREAKFAST? YES, PLEASE!

 At first, I was hesitant about making this new recipe... the ricotta made it seem strange to me, but mixing it with berries, oats, milk & natural or low-cal sweetener makes this a decadent way to wake up. It seriously reminds me of blueberry cheesecake! Here's my recipe...

BLUEBERRY RICOTTA OATMEAL

Makes 8 servings

What you need:

2C dry steel-cut oats

2 cans light coconut milk (I use Trader Joe's cause it's low in sugar) OR 2 cups unsweetened coconut or almond milk

2C water

2TBSP vanilla extract

1/2C wheat bran (optional)

1TBSP cinnamon

1 1/2C blueberries

How to: 

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. If it looks dry, add more milk or water and reduce heat. In the morning, serve with 1/4C light ricotta cheese, additional fresh berries and sweetener of choice - I recommend Stevia or honey.

For those who don't want to slow cook these oats, you can do the fast version.... Simply microwave quick oats & top with blueberries, ricotta and sweetener. I recommend the slow cooker though, then you have a big batch for the week AND the blueberry flavor is really enhanced by slowly cooking with the oats.

VERDE CHICKEN CHILI TACOS

What you need:
4 chicken breasts - cut into a couple chunks
1 large can green enchilada sauce or verde salsa
1 small bell pepper, diced
3/4 sweet onion, diced
1 lime
optional: 2 cans black beans
optional: hot pepper of choice (anaheim, jalapeno, habanero, etc)
corn tortillas
seasonings: sea salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper

How to:
Add chicken, sauce, peppers, onion & beans to crockpot. Cook on low. Squeeze 1/2 of the lime into crockpot. Add seasonings. After about 2 hours, remove chicken and place on cutting board. Once cool enough to touch, shredded and place back in crockpot (you can skip this step if you'd rather cut into small chunks at the start). Cook an additional hour. Make sure chicken is completely cooked and no longer pink.
Serve on 2 corn tortillas with a squeeze of lime. Optional: add tomato, avocado and light cheese.

CROCKPOT FRENCH DIP
Makes 8 servings
What you need:
2LBS beef roast
1/2 sweet onion
1 can beef broth
1 can condensed french onion soup
Salt, pepper (add any additional seasiongs that you like)

How to:
Trim fat from roast and cut into 4 or 5 large chunks. Slice onion into small strings. Combine all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours. When meat is cooked through... dive in! Meat will fall apart when poking with a fork. Put meat on a whole grain roll, bread or baguette. Ladle out some of the broth and use as dip.