Balsamic Fig Pork Tenderloin

Balsamic Fig Pork Tenderloin

So tonight's dinner is complements of Skinnytaste.com and saying that I really didn't have to do any changing of the recipe except for how many it served.  

Fig Balsamic Pork Tenderloin 
Servings: 8 
21 Day Fix Containers: 1R

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 lb pork tenderloins (9R)
• sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup Trader Joe's fig butter
• parsley for garnish

 Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375

Season the pork with salt and garlic powder and put on a baking sheet.

Mix the balsamic vinegar and the fig butter in a bowl.  Nicely brush the pork with all the mixture.

Roast in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the internal temp is 145.

Let it rest for 10 - 15 minutes before slicing (don't want to lose any of that wonderful juices now do you...)

Sprinkle with parsley if desired

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole

 
Serves 6
21 Day Fix Containers: 1 1/2R, 1Y, 1/2G, 1/2P, 1/2B

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. extra lean ground beef (4R)
• 1.25 lb of lean ground turkey (5R)
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 cup whole grain brown rice, uncooked (6Y)
• 4 cups roughly chopped cabbage (4G)
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (1P)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (1.5P)
• 1 cup shredded cheese of choice (4B)

Instructions

1. Season and brown ground beef and turkey. Drain off any grease you may have (I usually rinse under warm water to get all the fat off).
2. Add rice, cabbage, tomato sauce, 2 cups of water and diced tomatoes with all the juices. Stir.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes or until rice is done and cabbage is soft (please do not lift lid before 20 minutes is up or else you let all the steam out and the rice needs it to cook properly)
4. Once cooked, top with cheese and cover with lid to melt a few minutes.

The Verdict: everyone but my daughter liked this, it was filling, large portions and hey only 1 pot to clean up...If you want more of a cheesy yummy goodness and want to use a full B container then up the cheese to 1 1/2 cups...SCORE

Chicken & Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

So tonight for dinner is Chicken & Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry.  I have adapted this to make it more 21 Day Fix friendly from Skinnytaste.com.  With a few simple changes in ingredients this has become a fix friendly meal that everyone will love.

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Chicken & Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry
Serves 6
Fix containers (1R, 1/2G, 1/2tsp) 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes (6R)
• Sea Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or Tamar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided (3tsp)
• 30 asparagus spears, cut into 2-inch pieces (3G)
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions: 

Season chopped up chicken with salt.  In a small bowl combine chicken broth & soy sauce.  In another small bowl combine cornstarch and water and mix well.

Heat a large wok or pan to medium high heat, add 1 tsp of olive oil, saute asparagus until tender crisp.  Add in the garlic and ginger and saute until golden brown.  Set aside.

In the same pan, increase the heat to high and add in the remaining olive oil.  Add in chicken and cook until it's golden brown and cooked all the way through.  Set aside.

Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil and cook about 1-1/2 minutes. Add lemon juice and cornstarch mixture (you will have to stir this in the small bowl again to mix up the cornstarch again) and stir well, when it simmers return the chicken and asparagus to the wok and mix well, remove from heat and serve.
 
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This really was an easy meal to cook and came together fast (and if you are a busy mom like me you need fast meals). I served this simple stir fry with some brown rice & a salad on the side.

Verdict: everyone loved it and asked for me to make it again...SCORE! 

So if anyone is interested in a simple way to portion control and lose weight without counting calories, points or anything else leave a message...I would love to tell you about an amazing program I am doing called 21 Day Fix by Beachbody.com...it has helped me lose 3lbs and 8% body fat in 1 month!

Malibu Chicken Bundles

So tonight for dinner was another good recipe from the Comfort Food Diet Cookbook with a few of my own modifications...The family loved this so much we forgot to take a photo so I "borrowed" the photo from the Taste of Home's website where I am also noting the original recipe. So here is my altered version of this recipe.


Malibu Chicken Bundles
Serves 5


5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
5 tbsp  Dijon mustard, divided (original recipe called for honey dijon)
5 thin slices deli ham
5 slices part skim mozzarella cheese (original recipe called for swiss)
1/2 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cups panko (Japanese) bread crumbs (original called for 1.5 cups)
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (original didn't call for this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
SAUCE:
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/4 cup fat free sour cream (original called for low fat)
1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon

Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4-in. thickness (or do what I do and just buy thin cut breasts). Spread 1 tablespoon mustard over each; layer with ham, cheese and pineapple. Fold chicken over pineapple; secure with toothpicks. Brush bundles with remaining mustard.

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Roll bundles in bread crumb mixture; place in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Serve with chicken.

VERDICT:  Very refreshing and elegant...you can even serve this to dinner guest and they would love it.  I will be making this again.  I served this with roasted yukon gold potatoes and asparagus cup on and tossed with olive oil & lots of seasoning!

Calories: 330
Fat: 9
Carbs: 18
Fiber: 2
Protein: 40
WW Points Plus: 8

NOTE: the original recipe had higher stats.  This is based off on the ingredients I used and the substitutes I used.

Turkey Burgers with Feta & Pesto

So a few months ago I was having the girls over for dinner...I decided to make burgers for everyone and they were a hit...I pulled the recipe out of my binder last week and forgot how yummy they were...I didn't even get a photo in because they were gone so fast.

Turkey Burgers with Pesto & Feta
Serves 6
WW points 8

1 1/2 lb lean ground turkey
2 tbsp pesto
1/2 cup reduced fat feta
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

Mix all the ingredients in and grill (or bake).  These burgers make about 5 oz patties and they are so flavorful and moist.

VERDICT: what can I say, they were gone in a flash and a nice change from normal burgers.  I made a pesto mayo to go with it (mix mayo and pesto) and served with burger fixings.

Enjoy

Fun with Cinnamon Rolls

So thanks to Pintrest.com I saw this idea and wanted to try it...so much fun, easy and the kids loved it.

 You take a thing of ready to bake cinnamon rolls (I love the Trader Joe's all natural ones), some cooking spray and your waffle iron.  Spray your waffle iron and place your cinnamon rolls on the hot griddle and press down and cook...

Ta da!!! Cinnamon Roll Waffles...yummy

Drizzle with icing and enjoy!

Oh and here's something I did for valentine's day (also thanks to pintrest) with the same cinnamon rolls...

unroll half of them and roll back up in a pinwheel style and pinch the bottoms to shape like a heart...

there you have it...heart shaped cinnamon rolls perfect for Valentine's day!

Sticky Sesame Chicken & Fried Brown Rice

There is nothing better than sweet yummy chicken (or as my daughter called it tonight sweet, yummy sticky chicken).  I served it with a homemade fried rice and roasted asparagus...This whole meal was a total of 11 points.

Sticky Sesame Chicken
Serves 5

2 lbs chicken tenderloins (or chicken breast)
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I used soy vay)
1/4 cup bbq sauce (I used Trader Joe's)
2.5 tbsp honey
sesame seeds

1) Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (saves on cleanup).
2) Place chicken in a bowl.  Add teriyaki sauce, bbq sauce & honey and mix well. 
3) Place chicken tenderloins on baking sheet with tongs.
4) Bake for 25 minutes.
5) Remove from oven and turn over...baste with more sauce if you like and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
6) Bake an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is done!

Calories: 232
Fat: 1
Carbs: 18
Fiber: 0
Protein: 36
WW Points Plus: 5

Fried Rice
Serves 6 (1/2 cup each)

3 cups cooked brown rice
3/4 tsp salt (may want to omit if you are using regular soy sauce)
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
4 eggs, beaten


1) Heat a large pan that is sprayed with cooking spray
2) Add eggs and scramble
3) add in veggies & seasoning and sautee for about 5 minutes
4) add in rice and soy sauce and cook until heated through

Calories: 182
Fat: 4
Carbs: 28
Fiber: 2
Protein: 8
WW Points Plus: 5

VERDICT: the 1st words out of the kids mouths was "oh boy fried rice"! They loved it and I served it with some roasted asparagus that I just tossed with some olive oil and Morton's Seasoning Salt and threw them in on another rack with the chicken...I want to try the check next time with either chicken legs or drumettes...and lots of napkins