Healthified Mediterranean-Style Chicken and Pasta

You are trying to eat healthy, working your hardest to make good food choices, but you just keep craving that big bowl of pasta with gooey cheese.  You can picture it right now huh?  Well the good news is you can still have an amazing bowl of pasta!  The great news is that it has 44% fewer calories, 76% less fat!  In less than 1 hour you can have a delicious pasta dinner sitting in front of you, give it a try, I guarantee you won't be sorry.

Mediterranean-Style Chicken
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

2 cups uncooked multi-grain penne pasta (any shape pasta will work)
2 tsp olive or canola oil
1 small onion chopped (1/3 cup)
2 medium zucchini cut into half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups chicken breast, diced
1 can (14.5 ounce) no salt tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
3/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

In 4-quart Dutch oven, or any other 4-quart pot, cook and drain pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Return to the pot and cover to keep warm.

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano and basil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender and mixture is hot. Stir in olives.
 

Pour chicken mixture over pasta. Top with feta cheese; toss to coat.

Healthified Tomato Basil Primavera

I haven't tried this recipe out yet but saw it this morning and decided it is on the menu for tonight!  I happen to have lots of veggies in my fridge that need to be used up and love the ingredient list because it isn't anything that I don't normally keep stocked in my kitchen or pantry.  This recipe still gives you a creamy flavorful pasta but doesn't have all of the fat and calories!  And it is loaded with veggies to add tons of texture and flavor.  If you don't have all of the veggies suggested, that's ok!  Add in broccoli or cauliflower, any color of bell pepper, use whatever kind of veggies your family likes.  That is the great thing about cooking, you can customize things to what you and your family enjoy!  Give it a try, I am positive you will be glad you did!

 

Healthified Tomato Basil Primavera

 Prep Time: 15 minutes

 Total Time: 35 minutes

 Servings: 6

8 ounces dried whole wheat or whole grain penne or mostaccioli

2 cups Green Giant® frozen sugar snap peas

1 cup assorted fresh vegetables (such as fresh red sweet pepper strips, 2-inch-long pieces trimmed fresh asparagus, and/or quartered-lengthwise packaged peeled baby carrots)

1 cup sliced zucchini or summer squash

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup Progresso® reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups low-fat milk

1/4 reduced-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan or Asiago cheese (3 ounces)

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil, coarsely chopped

4 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or oregano

1/3 cup sliced green onions (optional) 

 

 

In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook pasta according to package directions; add the sugar snap peas and the 1 cup assorted vegetables for the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain well. Return to hot Dutch oven. Add zucchini and cherry tomatoes.
 
In a medium saucepan, whisk together chicken broth, flour, and salt until smooth. Stir in milk and sherry. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, basil, and thyme.

Add herb sauce to pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Divide among six serving plates. If desired, sprinkle with green onions.

Source: Live Better America

Turkey and Spinach Manicotti

Did you know that spinach offers a host of nutrients including vitamins A, C and iron to name a few. Iron helps transport oxygen to red blood cells to prevent anemia. And all of that is good for your heart which is perfect because this month is heart health month.  Give this recipe a try, its delicious, easy and is good for your heart!

Turkey and Spinach Manicotti
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4

8 uncooked manicotti pasta shells
1/2 pound lean (at least 90%) ground turkey
1 medium onion chopped (1/2 cup)
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 box frozen cut spinach, thawed, squeeze to drain
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce, any flavor, or marinara sauce
2 T finely grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375.  Spray 11X7 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook pasta shells as directed on box, omitting sauce.  Rinse with cool water, drain well.

In a medium skillet cook turkey, garlic and onion over medium heat, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning and spinach. 

Spoon turkey mixture into shells; arrange in baking dish. Spoon marinara sauce over shells. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

*Look for pasta sauce containing less than 300 mg sodium per 1/2-cup serving.

*For fresh herb flavor, use a combination of 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, oregano, thyme and Italian parsley for the dried Italian seasoning.

Source: Live Better America

Size Really Does Matter

Do you have a lot on your plate?  Does squeezing in time for the gym just seem impossible?  Paring down your portions is the easiest secret to staying slim.

Before you swear off everything except for baby carrots and celery, read this!  The culprit behind weight gain may not be what you eat but how much you eat.  Since the late seventies, we have added 570 calories a day to our diets, and half of them can be attributed to larger portions, according to research at the University of North Carolina.  "Even though today's serving sizes can be more than triple what the USDA recommends, they've become our new normal, and anything smaller can seem puny by comparison," says Lisa R. Young, Ph.D, R.D., a Fitness advisory board member and the author of The Portion Teller Plan. Fortunately, having strong visual aids can go a long way toward helping you shift your mind-set.  Once you know what right-size portions look like, selecting them will become second nature.  And the best part?  You can downsize your plate--and your weight--without giving up the foods you love.

Smoothies:  Even the smallest size at most smoothie shops is often double the amount you should be sipping.  A large can contain 40 ounces and 1,000 plus calories!  Pass up the juice bar and bring your own recovery drink to the gym.  Try Dannon DanActive or Oikos Organic Drinkable Low fat Yogurt.  Or at home, make your own by blending three quarters of a cup of low fat milk with a half cup of frozen fruit and half a banana.  Makes 8 ounces and has 235 less calories.

Pasta:  This is one dish that always seems to be served in gigantic portions.  Researchers at the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that pasta dinners at some popular chain restaurants contained between three and three and a half cups of noodles, or 840 to 1,040 calories with sauce.  Next time you eat out ask if they offer lunch or half-size portions.  If you don't see a smaller serving on the menu ask to be given just one cup of pasta and have the rest boxed up before its brought to the table.  Special requests are standard nowadays and most waiters are happy to accommodate you.

Potato Chips:  "Snack sizes are often twice as big as they were 30 years ago," says Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  "And even though the labels on the bags say they serve two or more, many people polish off the entire contents themselves." One of the most popular snacks, potato chips, may contribute more to long-term weight gain than many other foods or drinks.  A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that every additional serving of chips a person consumes daily, they gain nearly two pounds every four years.  Choose popped as opposed to fried chips to get more food for fewer calories.  IF you prefer the classic version, opt for a one-ounce package or split a bigger bag with a buddy.

Ice Cream: "Eating directly out of the carton means you may well keep going until you hit the cardboard at the bottom," says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., the director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University.  IF you're indulging in premium ice cream, that can be the caloric equivalent of a double cheeseburger, plus a whopping 20 grams of saturated fat--nearly your daily maximum.  Dish out a single serving and use a small bowl and spoon.  A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that doing so could shrink your helping by about 30 percent.  At the ice cream parlor get a cup or a cone with a single scoop rather than a sundae or milkshake, which can contain roughly 1,400 to 1,700 calories.