Easy Pasta From Scratch
Making pasta from scratch intimidates a lot of home chefs, but it’s pretty easy. It’s just 4 ingredients, rolled together, rested, flattened, cut, and boiled. Really, that’s it! I use a KitchenAid for the mixing, flattening, and cutting, but everything can be done by hand. USING A KITCHENAID In the metal bowl, add 2 cups…
Valentine’s Day Heart-Shaped Salmon
I wanted to make a special Valentine’s day dinner at home for my hubby instead of going out to dinner this year. So I made him heart-shaped Salmon and green beans over rice, with a side of homemade dill Greek yogurt sauce. This blog is more of an idea I wanted to share and not…
Lighted Up Spatchcock Chicken
Spatchcock chicken is the best way to cook a chicken because it cooks evenly. So what is spatchcock? It is when you cut out the backbone of the chicken. Then you turn the chicken breast side up and press down on the breast bone to flatten it. That’s it! To go a step further, loosen…
Lightened Up Stuffed Peppers
One of my mom’s go-to meals was the stuffed pepper. You can stuff the pepper with anything, especially left overs. You can make taco peppers, pasta peppers, even veggie peppers. This is my lighted up recipe of the classic stuffed pepper. Instead of ground beef, which has a lot of calories and is greasy, I…
Pesto Stuffed Pork Loin
Watching what you eat DOESN’T have to mean you can only have bland boring food (that doesn’t even fill you). Whether you are counting calories or fat, my Pesto Stuffed Pork Loin is the answer. It is stuffed with my Healthy (No Oil) Pesto or you can use store bought pesto. Pork Loins are low in…
Roasted Cauliflower Curry Soup
One of my hubby’s favorite flavors is curry. Curry is a smooth luxurious soup that has a warm and inviting aroma, with a deep spiced and coconut background. Regular curry soup has a lot of calories, so I developed this recipe to cut those calories in half – but with all the spice and flavors.…
Healthy, No Oil, Pesto
Pesto is a herb paste and can be used alone, like as a dip, or added to a recipe as a flavor enhancer, like a condiment or in sauces. I even add pesto to my tuna salad sandwiches so I can decrease the amount of mayo I use, and it brings such a light and…
Freeze Your Stock Into Perfect Portions
I absolutely hate to waste food – and I hate even more to throw anything away. So, when I have extra homemade stock or soup, I save it as perfect portions in the freezer. This can also be done with all kinds of liquids – sauce, gravy, stew, pesto… My Free Homemade Stock is just…
Low Calorie Creamy Peanut Butter Dip
One of my fav snacks is an apple slice dipped in peanut butter, but PB has sooo many calories. PB has 190 calories and 16g fat for just 2 tbsp. This entire recipe, including an apple (which has about 95 cal) is less calories and fat than 2 tbsp of PB. How? I used PB2.…
Tuna Avocado Egg Tower
Have you ever had Tuna Tartar at a restaurant? Delicious, but who has that type of tuna at home? We all have can tuna! And with an avocado and egg, you can make the “tartar” tower at home. It’s a great low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb lunch or dinner, or even a quick appetizer for guests. First…
Individual Beef Wellingtons
Beef Wellington is a luxury steak meal that can be made at home. The puff pastry makes an amazing presentation, the ingredients taste fresh and earthy, and the dipping sauce is light and aromatic. While Chef Gordon Ramsay did not create the Beef Wellington, he did make it famous. My recipe is a smaller, individual…
Rolled Lasagna Christmas Wreath
Lasagna is a family favorite. I make lasagna every holiday and family get togethers. The ingredients are traditional, with some healthy alternatives. The difference with this recipe is the presentation. Instead of layering the pasta, I roll it up. It tastes the same as layered, but rolled is a prettier presentation (and less messy). You…
Fruit and Cheese Christmas Tree
I can’t remember the last holiday gathering where fruit and cheese wasn’t an appetizer. It’s easy to assemble, can make it ahead of time, and everyone can enjoy it while the meal is cooking. I made this for our family’s Christmas gathering. It’s pretty simple. Just arrange the fruit and cheese in a triangle, and…
Deviled Eggs Christmas Wreath
Deviled eggs is a easy appetizer that looks and tastes great. It can go with about any holiday or family gathering. I made this Christmas Wreath for the family and it was a win! The recipe has all the traditional ingredients, and with some food coloring, it transforms the normal deviled eggs into a holiday…
Regrow Vegetables and Fruits for FREE
Vegetables and fruits are so expensive – and we usually throw away the parts we don’t eat. Don’t waste these parts. You can regrow new ones FOR FREE from the ones you already have. You can regrow vegetables and fruits from store bought ones or home grown, and from either their roots or their seeds.…
FREE Homemade Stock from Scraps
The words “Free” and “Homemade” and “Scraps” usually don’t go together. “Free” could mean worthless, “Homemade” can be overwhelming, and “Scraps” mean trash. But you CAN make Free Homemade stock with ingredients you will have in your kitchen at some point, and it’s easy to make. The key to FREE is the scraps. Don’t throw…
Air Fryer Cornish Hen
Air fried Cornish hen is crispy and flavorful. The flavor comes from brining and compound butter. No oil! Only spray oil needed.
Baked Blooming Onion
When I think blooming onion, I think CALORIES. Thousands of calories. But it’s SO good. So I came up with a recipe that’s a fraction of the calories, and it’s delicious. My Baked Blooming Onion is sweet and spicy, without the oily aftertaste. With just a few ingredients you can make this recipe for a…
Salmon En Papillote
Salmon En Papillote, or Salmon in parchment paper, is the easiest and best tasting weeknight meal. And, it’s an easy clean up night too. This method of steaming the salmon in parchment paper creates a juicy and flaky piece of fish. This meal is easy to assemble and makes such a statement when you serve…
Grilled Cauliflower Steak
Grilling up veggies sounds boring, right? But have you tried grilling up a Cauliflower Steak? Cauliflower is a blank canvas begging for some flavor. It’s actually really easy, but impressive to serve. This is a low calorie, low fat (depending on your oil and topping choices), delicious veggie side that will be a staple in…
Easy Homemade Butter
Homemade butter is easier than you think. And no, you don’t have to churn the butter. It takes only one ingredient and ta-da, butter. That mysterious ingredient is heavy cream. All you have to do is whip it into butter. Yep, that’s it. Here’s how it’s done. Pour a pint of heavy cream in a…
Eggshells and Coffee Grounds Fertilizer
Eggshells and used coffee grounds make the best, AND FREE, fertilizer for plants and herbs. Some of you might have heard about using coffee grounds…but eggshells? Yes. But why? Well, the used coffee grounds is a source of nitrogen, and the eggshells is a source of calcium – which together make the perfect fertilizer. Here’s…
Easy Homemade Chicken Stock
I make chicken stock almost every weekend. Impressed? Don’t be. This is the easiest thing to make at home, and you will use it for almost every meal. I bet you have most of the ingredients already in your pantry. The most important ingredient is time. But, if you’re home cleaning or watching a movie…
Baked Onion Rings
Onion rings is a delicious side to almost anything, but they can be greasy and heavy. My oven baked onion rings takes care of both of those issues because they are not fried, but give the same deliciousness. And best of all, you probably have all of the ingredients right in your pantry. With just…
Herb Veggie Cheese Sunny Side Up Egg
When you think herbs, veggies, cheese and eggs, you think omelette, right? Well, I’m not that big of a fan of omelettes, but I do love sunny side up eggs. The ooey gooeyness of a runny golden egg yolk makes me happy. So, this is a combo of the best of both worlds. This is…
Taco Spaghetti Pie
Spaghetti? Yes, you can have the occasional spaghetti dish using portion control. So if you’re going to have spaghetti, you might want to spice it up a bit. This is my low fat Taco Spaghetti Pie. I make homemade pasta once a week, and I try to make a different pasta dish every time. I…
Ground Turkey Rolled Pizza
I have to admit that I’m a food show junkie. I watch every food show from Food Network to Rachael Ray. I love to learn new recipes and techniques. I got this idea from watching a Rachael Ray episode. I love her show! She made a turkey rolled meatloaf, but I’m in the mood for…
Lollipop Chicken and Veggies
Watching what you eat is so daunting. There are so many rules, and your restricted on what you eat. Blah, blah, blah. You really have to be a responsible adult, and I hate adulting. You might be restricted on what you eat, but you’re not restricted on HOW you eat. Making a playful plate of…
Curry Chicken and Rice
Curry. I love to eat it at restaurants, but (and keep this between us)I’m a little intimidated to make it. Between the unfamiliar ingredients and the unbelievable silky taste, I thought this was a bit beyond my cooking skills – but Hubby asked me to make it, so I tried. Turns out, it’s not so scary,…
Rack of Lamb
Presenting Rack of Lamb is SO impressive, but secretly it’s really easy. You can personalize your lamb with herbs and sauces. I’m not a fan of mint, but I love herbs. I used a ton of herbs from my garden, Dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil, to compliment the natural yummy taste of lamb.…
Salmon Wellingtons
Salmon is one of my favorite foods to cook and eat. I try to stay away from fatty foods, but salmon is the good kind of fat, which is good news! Cooked right, salmon is juicy and flaky. I love to Wellington mine (if I can use that term as a verb) for two reasons.…
Inside Out Chicken Parmesan Roll
My Mom is Italian, so I grew up on Chicken Parmesan. I had it a million times and it’s still one of my favs – but let’s make it a bit different just to shake things up a bit. My Inside Out Chicken Parmesan Roll is just as ooey-gooey and tomato goodness as the original, but…
Angel Bites
Watching your weigh doesn’t mean you can’t have dessert. A little bit of heaven every once in awhile is actually a good way to stay on your weight-loss course. If you deny your sweet tooth completely, you are more likely to go cray-cray on sugar and sweets, and make really bad decisions. Instead, try this…
One Pot Turkey Sausage and Tomato Meal
Regular sausage can hide all the fat and calories. But, you can use Turkey Sausage in any sausage recipe and you won’t miss out on anything. This is my Skinless Turkey Sausage recipe in a tomato sauce with pan seared veggies. I’m drooling just thinking about it. As an extra bonus, it’s easy to make…
Smoked Salmon
Salmon is an impressive meal to serve, but it is SO easy to make. Salmon is meaty, fatty (good fat), and flavorful. You might even feel like you’re cheating on you diet. No worries, you not. I add a bit of flair to my salmon just for that extra wow. 1 pound salmon (feeds 4)…
Flavorful Skinless Chicken Legs
Chicken Legs ARE delish, but the skin just ads senseless fat. Some say that’s where there flavor is – well, then they don’t know how to add flavor. This is my skinless chicken leg recipe that has SO much flavor, it’s almost a crime. Skinless chicken legs (1-2 per person) [note: if you can’t find…
Chicken a l’Orange
I just love a big bright orange. Duck a l’Orange is one of my favs, but it’s comes at a calorie price. So I make lighter version of Chicken a l’Orange. It still takes decadent but with a LOT less fat, less sugar, and a LOT less calories. 1 tablespoon I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter 2-4…
Individual 4-inch Angel Food Bundt Cake
You CAN have dessert if you are watching your weight. It’s all about the ingredients and portions. Tonight I made individual 4-inch Angel Food Bundt Cake for me and my hubby. Angel food cake mix is fat free, but you can add a LOT of fat and calories without realizing it. So choose your toppings…
Cooking My Butt Off 
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