A healthy twist on a guilty pleasure: Chicken Nuggets with Bar-B-Q Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp powdered buttermilk
1/2 cup(s) dried bread crumbs
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
6 Tbsp barbecue sauce any flavor you want

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place a large baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together mustard and buttermilk. Place bread crumbs in a separate dish. Add chicken to mustard mixture; turn to coat. Transfer chicken to bread crumbs and turn to coat.

2. Remove the hot baking sheet from oven and coat with cooking spray. Place chicken on baking sheet and bake 6 minutes; flip and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes more.

3. Serve chicken fingers with barbecue sauce on the side. Yields about 3 chicken fingers and 1 1/2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce per serving.

These Chicken tenders/nuggets are so good for lunch, dinner or even a quick snack. Plus they're tastier than the chicken nuggets @ McDonald's or Burger King! Another recipe from Weight Watchers Online.

8 Outrageous Burgers!

8 Outrageous Burgers!

These burgers look absolutely disgusting! How fat are Americans getting that wee have to have a hot fudge sundae on a burger or have 4 adult men to move a burger?!?! Don't worry. I'll have some healthy beef recipes up soon!

Pork Chops with some Hard Core Flavor: Garlic & Soy Glazed Grilled Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of all visible fat
• 1 tbsp light/reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• fresh herbs for garnish

 

1. Mix together the soy sauce, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Spirnkle the pork chops with the soy mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

2. Coat a grill rack or broiler pan rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill or broiler.

3. Cook the pork chops 4" from the heat, turning once halfway through cooking time, for 10-12- minutes, or until the juices run clear. Garnish with herbs and serve with your favorite vegetables.

 

WW Points Value: 2

 

Note: I cooke this recipe Wed Night and it's become one of my mom's favorite recipes. Of course, she loves about every pork recipe I cook for her. This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. A little warning: this recipe is very spicy so be prepared to drink a lot of water!

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes: the ultimate breakfast treat with a healthy bite.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs separated
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 3/4 cup buttermilk (7/4 cups)
• 1 tbsp butter melted
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking soda and stir well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well combined. Stir in the buttermilk and butter; stir into the flour mixture until well combined. In a clean medium bowl, REALLY beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whites into the flour mixture.

2. Gently stir in rinsed and dried blueberries in to the batter. Mix those berries in like no tomorrow.

3. Coat a nonstick griddle/skillet with nonstick spray an heat over medium heat. Spoon about 2-4 tbsp of batter for each pancake onto the griddle and spread into a 3 1/2-inch circle. Cook until the tops are covered with bubbles, 4 minutes. Turn pancakes and cook until the edges are lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes longer.

Makes 6 servings about 3 pancakes per serving

WW Points Value: 4

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete  Cookbook.Whole Wheat flour works just as well as regular flour. Trust me, you won't know the difference. If you don't know what to do with the extra pancakes you cooked, don't worry. You can put the extra pancakes in a Ziploc plastic bag and freeze them. If you're ever in the mood for this treat, take out 3, let them defrost and put them in the microwave for about a minute or two with syrup. They are just as delicious as the day you cook them.

A comforting taste of Italy: Pasta with Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp minced/powdered garlic
• 1 cup frozen chopped onion
• 12 oz lean ground beef
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 3 cups cooked whole wheat pasta

In medium skillet over medoium high heat, saute the garlic and onion in the oil until lightly browned. Add the beef, cook 4 minutes until browned. Add sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over pasta immediately.

WW Points Value: 7

This is one of the first Weight Watchers meals I cooked when I was first starting to loose weight. This meal is so good you will forget that it's good for you and it's better than spaghetti and meatballs.

Serves 4

Chocolate Berry Cups-a healthy dessert

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, and/or sliced strawberries)
• 1 tablespoon granular sugar
• 2 (13- by 18-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons trans-fat-free margarine, melted
• 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup ricotta or cottage cheese

Makes 4 Servings
1. Heat oven to 350° F. Combine berries with sugar. Spread 1 phyllo sheet out on a clean work surface. Lightly brush with margarine. Lay second sheet on top of first; brush with margarine. Fold sheets in half widthwise. Brush top side with more margarine.

2. Cut dough in half lengthwise, then again widthwise to create 4 equal pieces. Carefully fit each piece into a nonstick muffin pan to create a cup. Bake the cups until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. When you are ready to assemble cups, place chocolate in a resealable plastic bag. Heat, unsealed, in the microwave at 30-second intervals until melted, about 2 minutes. Fill each phyllo cup with 1 tablespoon ricotta/cottage cheese and 1/4 cup berries. Cut a tiny corner off one bottom corner of the plastic bag with scissors; press chocolate toward the corner and drizzle over berries.


WW Points Value: 4

Note: This recipe appeared in the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook. If you don't like Ricotta cheese, use cottage cheese. It tastes just as good! If you have trouble melting the chocolate, pour a little milk in. It will make the chocolate more smooth and silky.

Spinach Lasagna-the ultimate comfort food

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
• 3 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
• 1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided (any kind)
• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained

1. HEAT oven to 350°F.
2. MIX eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
3. LAYER 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 3 lasagna noodles and half the cottage cheese mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and cheeses.
4. BAKE 45 min. or until heated through. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

WW Points Value: 5


I love this recipe so much I make it every 2-3 months. This recipe appears on kraftfoods.com in the healthy living section.