Healthy Monte Cristo Sandwiches

I know- "healthy" Monte Cristos- what's the point?! While I am still a big fan of the late Bennigan's classic, this is a good sandwich. Deep fried in fabulous batter? No. But still tasty.

turkey, ham (portion what you want) part-skim mozzarella whatever bread you can have Veggie toppings, if you want, or serve zucchini chips on the side.
1 egg white might want to add cheddar or other more flavorful cheese- swiss is a traditional one, though not my favorite. not-butter spray
powdered sugar (tiny bit)
Fruit preserves- blackberry or raspberry are particularly good


Put sammy together Dip carefully in egg white heat skillet, spray with not-butter Griddle sammy on both sides
Dust with powdered sugar and serve with preserves on the side.

Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

This one came highly recommended. I just tried it tonight and the whole family enjoyed it. Really, pizza is all about the toppings anyway, so if you can get away with crust that isn't a zillion calories, why not?! I doubled this recipe, making two pizzas, so we could have lunch-leftovers. Who doesn't want pizza for lunch?

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower* 1 egg 1 cup mozzarella cheese 1/2 tsp fennel 1 tsp oregano 2 tsp parsley

*I used frozen cauliflower prepared according to package directions. After cooked and slightly cooled, I shred cauliflower with a cheese grater, and then measure for the recipe. (Don't pack down the cup with cauliflower. Just fill it with a spoon or the cup itself.)

Pizza Toppings- your call! I made mine with BBQ sauce, fresh spinach, carmelized yellow onions, sliced mushrooms, cubed chicken and mozzarella. FANnnnnnnn Tastic. Word to the Wise: Pre-cook all of your toppings. That way, once the crust is cooked, you can zap the toppings on, broil it for a few minutes to get the cheese bubbly and brown, and be ready to go. Try prepping these ingredients the weekend before.

FOR THE CRUST:

reheat oven to 450 degrees Farenheit. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, combine cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Press evenly on the pan. Sprinkle evenly with fennel, oregano and parsley. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (15-20 minutes if you double the recipe). Remove the pan from the oven. To the crust, add sauce, then toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler (grill for the Europeans) at high heat just until cheese is melted

Chicken Stuffed with Zucchini & Goat Cheese

Goat cheese- one of my all-time favorites and slightly less in calories than other, harder cheeses. This recipe calls for bone-in chicken breasts, but I'm too lazy for that. I'll be trying to stuff the goodies in there some other way...

1LB zucchini salt 2tbs olive oil, plus xtra for brushing 1 med onion, finely chopped 4oz goat cheese (at room temp) 3tbs unsalted butter (at room temp) 1 large egg 2tbs parsley 1/3 c. parm 4 bone-in chicken breast halves


Prepare grill on med-high or oven 375. Shred zucc, sprinkle w/salt, wrap in paper towels & let stand 15 min. In large skillet, heat 1tbs oil over med heat. Add zucc & saute until crisp tender, 2-3 min. Remove from skillet and let cool. In same skilled, heat 1tbs oil, add onion and saute 5 min. remove from heat, cool. In small bowl, beat goat cheese, butter, then egg, until smooth. Add zucc, onion, parsley & parm. Using fingers, losen skin from chicken, leaving one side attached and force zucc under Brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs de Provence. Grill over heat, 15-20 min. or bake 25-30.

Shrimp Sauteed with Green Onion & Garlic

This is surprisingly yummy and simple. Great protein, flavor and almost no calories.

raw shrimp, tails removed. green onions, garlic minced. i can't believe it's not butter spray.

spray non-stick skillet with not-butter and heat. (I promise this works.) Add green onions, cook 2 min. 

Add garlic. Cook 'til fragrant. Add shrimp and cook 'til pink.

Portobello Sandwiches

this is what the recipe calls for- I say add your own stuff 4 sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed) boiling water 4 mushrooms 1/4 c. crumbled gorgonzola 1 tbs + 1tsp olive oil salt & pepper

(Suggestions: fresh spinach, small amount of basil, carmelized onions, tomato slices... get creative and change it up!)

Reconstitute SDT by soaking in boiling water 10 min. Pat dry. slice stems off mush so they lay flat. Then slice cap in half length-wise so you have 8 round slices. (this is no small feat... good luck.) Top half of mush with 1tbs of chopped tomatos and 1tbs of cheese. Top with remaining mush slice. brush both sides with olive oil. Preheat skillet over med-hi 'til very hot. 

Place sammies carefully, 2 min. Flip and cook again, season with salt & pepper.

Green Chile Stew

Green Chile Stew 8oz lean pork, diced 1tbs flour 1 tbs olive oil 1 large baking potato, diced 1.5 c. chopped tomatoes 1/2 c. chopped green chile 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp. red chile powder 1 qt. chicken stock 1/2 tsp. ground cumin


Sprinkle pork with flour to lightly coat. In large saucepan, heat oil over high heat and fry meat until golden. Add remaining ingredients. Lower heat to medium low. Cover the pan and simmer until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Alternatively, you may cook stew in covered crock for 6-8 hours.


When I make this, I like it to be a thicker consistency. I sometimes add fat-free half-n-half, though this admittedly adds calories. Another trick I do is, after it's cooked and the potatoes are nice and soft, I put some of the broth and potatoes (avoiding the pork) into a blender and blend it up, then return it to the stew.


Serve with whole wheat tortillas and shredded 2% cheddar cheese.

The Inaugural Post

My beautiful sisters and I have started a 12 week challenge of diet and exercise. We're all on different programs, with different goals, but the camaraderie is nice. To help, I am putting together weekly menus, complete with recipes, weekly grocery lists and suggested prep ideas to make dinner-time during the week quicker and easier. I think it will take me another week to actually get all the extra stuff in here, but for now, here is this week's menu:


WEEK 1 MENU
Green Chile Stew
Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches
Sauteed Shrimp with Garlic & Green Onion
Chicken Stuffed with Zucchini & Goat Cheese
Cauliflower-crust Pizza
Monte Cristo Sandwiches


GROCERY LIST
MEAT-
8oz pork stew meat
Frozen shrimp (I prefer shelled, tail-on, raw)
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (just buy a big bag- you'll use 'em)
Cold cuts: turkey & ham- enough for however many sammies you want
Pizza toppings- I suggest staying away from pepperoni- but turkey pepp is alright. I made my pizza with chicken. 


VEGGIES
Fresh spinach (just buy a big box and use it for both sandwiches, pizza topping & salads for lunch)
Pre-sliced mushrooms for the pizza (they cost the same and save you time)
1 yellow onion (for zucc stuffed chicken)
1 purple onion (to carmelize for pizza, if you want)
Zucchini- at least 1LB, (though I suggest getting a few more to make zucchini chips as a side dish to either of the sandwiches)
Asparagus- to roast with the shrimp
1 large bag of frozen cauliflower (I doubled this recipe so I'd have leftover pizza for lunch)
1 small bundle green onions
4 large portobello mushroom caps
Sun-dried tomatos (not oil-packed)
1 large baking potato (though I would double the stew recipe for leftovers and buy 2 of everything)
Garlic (can do minced in a jar, if you dare. I'm not a big fan, but it does save chopping time.)


DAIRY
1/4 c. crumbled gorgonzola
4oz goat cheese
Good parmesan cheese (just good to keep on hand- use sparingly b/c of the hi fat)
1-2 C. mozzarella, plus however much you want for pizza topping
Whatever kind of cheese you want on your monte cristo. swiss is the typical. Look for part-skim of anything to help with calories. 
Eggs- have plenty around
I Can't Believe Its Not Butter Spray (this works well for certain things & keeps calories down)


OTHER
Bread for monte cristo sandwiches- I like Sara Lee Whole Wheat 45 Calorie bread
1 qt. low-sodium, fat free chicken stock (or double)
1.5 c. stewed tomatoes (try no salt added) for stew
copious amounts of green chile, to taste


ALWAYS HAVE ON HAND
Olive oil
Spices
Flour
Red Chile Powder
Bread Crumbs