Notes:
So, I got the idea from the BL cookbook, but put my own twist on it - I like things simple!

Servings: depends!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 T egg substitute
1 T bread crumbs
1 t Worchestire sauce
Diced pepper to your taste. I used a cubanelle pepper, which was really good. I only used a little, do to your taste.
Diced onion - same thing, use as much and as little as you want

OPTIONAL:
Turkey bacon - I used 2 pieces
Cheese - I used one piece fat-free american, and one piece fat-free swiss

Directions:
Combine turkey breast, bread crumbs, sauce, pepper, onion, and egg substitute in a large bowl. Shape into patties. I made 3 1/3 lb burgers. I recommend smaller, they took a while to cook. Cook on stove top, or on george foreman!, until patties are cooked throughly. Melt cheese on patties, then place on bun with the bacon and add condiments. They were divine!

Submitted by:
Denise

Notes:
Portabello Mushrooms are only about 30 calories each and have almost no carbs.  If you don’t go crazy with the cheese and toppings, you can keep these at 100 to 200 calories each and enjoy two for dinner with a salad.  They are filling too.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
Portabello mushrooms
sugar free tomato sauce
low fat motz cheese
toppings of your choice such as onions, peppers, black olives, etc

Directions:
Simple! Just assemble the pizzas and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. I personally don't like the taste of raw mushrooms, so I pre-cook mine either on the grill or in a skillet for about 5 minutes before I add the sauce and cheese. If you like raw mushrooms, you don't have to do this. These are really good when you are craving pizza or just need a change from the usual dinner. People on a gluten-free diet can enjoy these as well as vegetarians. Soy cheese can be used if you're vegan or allergic to dairy.

Submitted by:
LoriAnn

Notes:
Tastes like the Caribbean! This is soooo easy and soooo yummy! My kids (picky eaters) LOVE this one. I recommend using fresh (not frozen) chicken breasts. Frozen tend to be a little tough and chewy, but fresh chicken will almost melt in your mouth.

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts (preferably not frozen)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 can frozen limeade concentrate
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 fresh lime, sliced into rounds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350o. Heat oil on stove top on med-high in a large frying pan or frying skillet. In a gallon-size baggie or large bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt, and pepper. Coat each chicken breast with flour mixture, then fry in olive oil until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to 9×13 baking pan or stoneware. Add can of limeade, mushrooms (optional) and sprinkle garlic over chicken. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until fully cooked. Serve with fresh lime slices on top of each breast over Rice-a-Roni Chicken Rice or Couscous.

Submitted by:
Elsie

Notes:
I love breaded chicken, and I got this recipie out of a magazine a while back. Everything is not exact, but it is so simple to make, you can adjust it how many you want to make, how big you want them etc. I love love love them, and if I am craving fast food, this is a very healthy alternative for me!

Servings: Depends!

Ingredients:
Skinless, boneless chicken. You can use the pre-cut tenders or I like to cut my own into 'nugget' sizes.
About 2 cups corn flakes. More or less depending how much chicken you are making.
1 egg white, and 1 egg - Whenever I use eggs or make eggs, I use 2, but take one yolk out. Just another preference thing.
Any seasoning you may want to use. I like to add cheyenne pepper and fresh ground pepper.

Directions:
1. Smash your cornflakes (I do it in a ziploc bag).
2. Scramble your egg mixture.
3. Make sure your chicken is the size you if you haven't already cut it up!
4. Dip your chicken into the eggs, then roll into your cornflake mix. I like to make sure all the chicken is covered.
5. Repeat until you are done with the chicken!
6. I spray my pan with Pam, then cook them at 425 for 40 minutes. Just make sure the chicken is throughly cooked. I like mine extra crispy so I cook them at least 40 minutes.
7. Dip with your favorite healthy sauce and enjoy!!

Submitted by:
Denise

Notes:
This is a healthy chili.  You can eat a generous portion and stay in your calorie limits.

Servings: 12-one cup

Ingredients:
3 Cups chopped yellow onions
1.25 pounds of 99% lean ground turkey or turkey sausage
3 Cups diced tomatoes or 1 28 oz can, undrained
1.5 Cups cooked pinto beans or 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1.5 Cups cooked black beans or 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 cup sliced black olives (if you want)
1/2 cup chopped scallions or chopped fresh cilantro (if you want)

Directions:
Coat a large saucepan or Dutch oven with a few sprays of olive oil cooing spray. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until they're soft and just starting to brown. Add the ground turkey or sausage and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a spoon, for about 6 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, pinto and black beans, broth, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and mustard powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Garnish with the olives and scallions or cilantro.

Makes 12 servings Each serving is 1 Cup
150 Calories, 16g protein, 17 g carbohydrates (3 g sugars), 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 20 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 150 mg sodium

Submitted by:
Autumn

Notes:
The perfect recipe for baked chicken… Guaranteed to make your family drool!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
(Can be doubled, etc depending on your family's needs)

1 whole frier chicken (We prefer the organic ones from Whole Foods) Pre cut chicken works great as well!
Extra virgin olive oil (If desired)
Spices as desired (Our favorites for this recpie are: Rosemary, Thyme, Sea Salt, Pepper, Cayanne, Paprika, Cumin, Garlic Powder, a dash of Nutmeg and a dash of Cinnamon)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cut up chicken into quarters if working with whole chicken (You should end up with 2 breasts and two legs/thighs)
If using Olive Oil, spread thin layer over each chicken, already placed in baking pan
Sprinkle on desired spices
Cook about 1 hour, putting oven on Low Broil for the last 5-10 minutes to get a crispy skin! (Watch to prevent burning)

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
I absolutely love this recipe.. For those of you who have never eaten buffalo, what are you waiting for? We get our ground buffalo from the local Whole Foods and the flavor is amazing, not to mention it’s lower in fat than beef!  We make these burgers the same way we do our beef ones, but we use sesame seeds instead of breadcrumbs with the egg to get a perfect consistency and great flavor without the carbs of the breadcrumbs.

Servings: ~4

Ingredients:
(adjust to your family needs)

1lb ground buffalo (We prefer the grass fed variety from Whole Foods)
1 egg
Sesame seeds
Spices as desired (Sea Salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika are our favorites)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Mix buffalo, egg and breadcrumbs until desired consistency is reached
Seperate into chunks of preferred size and form into burgers
Sprinkle on spices
Cook for about 20 minutes or until desired preference

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
Don’t let the name chase you off!  I absolutely hate porkrinds, but I gotta say, this is one of my favorite dishes!  Atkins/South Beach diet approved!  Simple and easy, great over a fresh salad, or by itself with a fresh serving of veggies!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
(can be modified to fit your family needs)

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag of Pork Rinds (I go with the organic kind because it comes MSG free)
1-2 Eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Ground Porkrinds with rolling pin, or your preferred method and pour into a ziplock type bag
beat eggs in a bowl
Dip chicken breasts in eggs, completely coat
Insert chicken one by one into the bag of ground porkrind, close and shake, completely cover
Set up chicken in preferred baking tray and cook about 30 min, or until cooked to liking
Enjoy!

Submitted by:
Chelsea

Notes:
It’s a warm Italian pasta salad

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:
1 Pkg Spaghetti Noodles (or any other you like)
1 Pkg. Low-Fat Sausage, Sliced in bite size pieces
2 Pkgs. Frozen Veggies (I use cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrot Mix mostly, experiment and use what you like)
Large Bottle Low-fat Zesty Italian Dressing (Room Temperature)

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to directions, drain and put in large bowl.
2. While cooking pasta, warm the Veggies in big pot of water and drain. Add to pasta.
3. Fry (I know bad word!) sausage in a little water until heat through and add to bowl.
4. Pour Italian Dressing over, stir well, enjoy immediately or cover and let marinade and rewarm later (the best!!)
This makes alot, but it makes great lunches for school and work!! And with a teenage son, it doesn't last long!!!!

In the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun", a character called the trees "Creepy Italian Trees" and we were eating it and watching the movie, so "Creepy Italian Dish." I know silly, but we didn't have a name for it.

Submitted by:
Elizabeth

Notes:
My favorite first cool-weather recipe to make while listening to the mournful blues of Billie Holiday. It’s a very healthy chili recipe I love…all the men in my life have loved it too, so it’s not just a weight-loss recipe!! Full of fiber and low in fat when you use just-enough extra-lean ground beef, or omit the meat all together because the beans will do if for ya if you’re a bean lover like me!!! This is really a satisfying meal, especially when the weather is getting cooler as it is now (damn it, why have you forsaken me summer breezes!!!). Don’t get too caught up in the measurements; just keep tasting till it’s perfect for you!!

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
1 TBS olive oil
1 pound very lean ground meat
1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 can petite diced tomatoes with jalapenos, or 1 can petite diced tomatoes + 1 can diced green chiles
2 cloves fresh garlic, finely diced
3 TBS tomato paste
1 can low sodium beef broth
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can cannellini or great northern beans
2 TBS chile powder
1 TBS ground cumin
couple pinches of ground cloves
couple pinches of cayenne pepper
several dashes of HOT paprika
several dashes of hot sauce (I like chipotle hot sauce)
around a tsp of brown sugar
around a tsp of salt
a little low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
a bit of fresh cilantro to garnish

optional SUPER-SECRET ingredients:

2 TBS balsamic vinegar
–or–
1 TBS peanut butter

Directions:
…You don't have to be exact on the ingredient amounts, add less or more to taste…
FIRST THINGS FIRST…Put some Billie Holiday on the old computer/CD player/MP3 player!!!
1) Brown ground meat in a skillet…easy peasy, you can sautee the onion, garlic and bell pepper in the olive oil right in the same pot you are going to cook your chili in while you are browning up your meat in the skillet. Drain the meat of excess fat and leave it chill for a minute while you work on you sauteed veggies.
2) Season the veggies with all your spices…cumin, chile powder, brown sugar, salt, cloves and paprika. Stir those newly-aromatic veggies around for a few minutes and breathe in the awesome smell!
3)Stir in the diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, the hot sauce, and the beans…be sure to drain and rinse the beans first because this reduces the sodium and makes the chili super-healthy!! Stir in your cooked ground beef that's been so patiently waiting in the skillet.
4) Pour in enough low-sodium beef broth (you can also use water or veggie broth, if you are a vegetarian and omitting the meat) to cover everything. Give it a good stir and let that sucker come to a boil.
5) Reduce heat, cover, and let your pot-o-yumminess simmer on the stove…I like to leave it go for about an hour to an hour and a half, but it will be ready to go in about a half hour if you're pressed for time or the kids are screaming they're hungry. Your house will smell so good from this, you can kiss your glade plug-in good-bye!! (mmm…if only they made chili-scented Glade Plug-Ins…what a wonderful world it would be…)
6) If using the peanut butter add at the end of the simmering stage…if using the balsamic vinegar stir in after you've removed the pot from the heat, right before serving.
7) Garnish with the low-fat mozzarella cheese, and enjoy!!! You can also stir in some fresh cilantro, if that's your bag, baby!

Submitted by:
Jennifer