Dips Make the Party

 

There is nothing that beats a good dip at a party. There are so many types of dips like your buffalo chicken, 7 layer, French onion, nacho, I could go on and on but my favorite is spinach artichoke dip. But you can probably figure out on your own it’s not by any means healthy. So I decided to try to create a skinny version. Boy was I glad I did, pretty sure the husband was to.

 

What you will need:

Frozen spinach (drained)

1 small jar of artichokes

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 small package of fat free cream cheese

½ cup of greek yogurt

Handful of parmesan cheese

skim mozzarella cheese (handful for filling) (sprinkle on top)

 

Start  by mixing all of your ingredients together and preheat your oven to 350’

 

Once mixed pour into medium sized baking dish.

 

Then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and put back in the oven and let cook for about 10 more minutes or until cheese is slightly browned on top.

 

 

Then let cool. WARNING, it will be super hot. Coming from the girl who completely burned the top of her mouth.

 

I then used the Special K Sea Salt chips to dip. The great thing about these is that you can have 30 chips for only 110 calories. They have all different flavors and are definitely my go to snack when I need something chunky.

 

I am so excited about this weekend. I will be getting plenty of Aunt Mel time, sunshine and good quality time with family and friends. HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!

Meatballs, Meatballs, Who Wants Meatballs?

So I am pretty excited for this post because I finally created a healthy meatball that stays together. My husband loves Salisbury streak so I decided to create something like that instead of your typical meatballs and pasta.

 

What you will need for the balls:

lean ground beef

1/2 cup of oats

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. Worcestershire

salt and pepper

 

What you will need for the sauce:

1 1/4 cups of fat free beef broth

2 tbsp. Worcestershire

1 medium onion

handful of mushrooms

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1 pinch of wheat flour  

 

Mix all ingredients for the meatballs together in a large mixing bowl and then roll into balls

 

 

I then chopped my onions and mushrooms and set aside.

 

In a large skillet I then browned my meatballs. Make sure they are brown all over. I then removed and set aside.

 

In the same skillet I added my onions and mushrooms.

I let them cook for about 5 minutes.

 

I then added the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and let cook for another 5 minutes.

 

I then threw in the meatballs. And let cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. Like I have said I don't really go by time. I let cook until the center of the meatballs were brown.

 

While they cooked I prepared mashed potatoes for the husband and spaghetti squash for me.

 

Once everything was ready I prepared our plates. Let's EAT!!

 

Tomorrow I will be sharing my skinny spinach and artichoke dip. Get ready it's a tasty one!!

 

 

Cookouts for the Waistline

If you have read any of my previous posts you probably know how much I love to grill out. I feel like I begin many of my posts with that statement during the summer. But I'm okay with that.
Because normally when you grill out there is a cookout involved which means hanging out with some of your favorite people.

Today I want to share some of my favorite cookout foods.

First I am going to share my skinny coleslaw recipe.

What you need:

Pre-cut coleslaw

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Coleslaw seasoning

Basically all you have to do is mixed it all together and refrigerate.





 

 Pretty easy right?  This is a better option than coleslaw filled with sugar and mayo. The hubby even liked it, well he said he did J

 

Next is basically my favorite thing for any cookout.

Sweet potato fries/ chips.

What you need:

Sweet potatoes

Seasonings (I normally use Italian or southwestern seasoning. But I always use crushed red pepper.)

Extra virgin olive oil

 

 

Start with either cutting your sweet potatoes like a fry or you can cut them like chips. I like to do them like chips because you can make them crisper.

 

 After cutting them like chips I mixed with the olive oil and seasonings.

Then I placed flat in the baking dish.

I really like mine crispy so I normally cook then on 400’

 

Now to the meat. I normally try to stay away from red meat but if you are at someone else’s cookout you might not have that option.  I try not to be “that” person that brings their own meat to a cookout unless asked to.

So today I am going to share how I lighten up my red meat. First and foremost I leave off the bun. I personally think a bun takes away from the meat and toppings.

I then choose my toppings. I really like to change up my toppings instead of just using your traditional toppings like lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and ketchup. I like to use things like salsa, light BBQ sauce, avocado, my light slaw, my light pimento cheese spread, A1 and grilled onions and peppers. (Not altogether of course) I try to keep my toppings very light but still full of flavor.



 

Cookouts are the best time to sit back and relax with everyone you like to spend time with!!

 

Check out tomorrow because I have a REALLY GOOD new recipe!!

Just A Whole Bunch of Things From the Fridge!!

So I completely forgot that my “Cookout for the Waistline” was saved on my other computer so I will be sharing that tomorrow. Let me tell you my skinny coleslaw recipe is pretty delish.

So today I figured I would share something I created last night.

This might be the best egg bake that has ever come out of my kitchen. The funny thing is I literally just kept grabbing things from the fridge and adding them to the mixing bowl.

What you will need:

1 small carton of egg substitute

Lots and lots of spinach. (remember it will shrink once cooked, so the more you add the better)

1 cup of fat free cottage cheese

6 pieces of turkey bacon (cook separately first, then chop)

2 tablespoons of garlic hummus

Reduced fat mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on top.

 All you have to do is mix all together and pour in baking dish.

I let cook on 350’ for about 20 to 30 minutes. To be honest I don’t really time things I just go with how they look. Once the egg is fully cooked in the middle it is ready.

This egg bake basically melts in your mouth. It is so creamy and VERY low calorie.

 

I had it this morning and it was just as good as last night.