Energizing Protein Shake (6 P+)

I like to drink these every morning.  My son has to be a part of it so I blend coconut water, a banana, and a handful of frozen berries.  I fill up his cup and then add the rest of the ingredients to the blender to  finish my drink.

Energizing Protein Shake
1 serving, 5 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 banana

4 oz coconut water

8 oz coffee

8 ice cubes

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

2 T sugar free vanilla coffee syrup

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Serve over ice.

Notes:

Throw in a handful of berries or other fruit.

Puree fruit and freeze it in ice cube trays so it’s ready first thing in the morning.

Substitute skim milk for the coconut water for a creamier drink.

If you’d like it even creamier, substitute vanilla yogurt for the coconut water.

Sushi Salad (4 P+)

I didn't grow up eating seafood and have never been a fan.  I'd take a cheeseburger over a lobster any day of the week.  Seriously...if it wasn't breaded and deep-fried I wouldn't eat anything that came out of the ocean.  I love sunfish, walleye, and almost anything else that we used to catch as kids but that's about as far as it goes.

A few years ago I went to a Japanese restaurant with two friends (at their request).  I ordered some kind of chicken and tasted sushi just to get my friends to stop bothering me about it.  It was AMAZING!!  Sushi is now one of my favorite meals.

I have made sushi for the family and it is good but it can be a lot of work.  This recipe makes it a lot easier.

Sushi Salad

6 servings, 60 minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 cup brown short-grain rice      

2 T rice vinegar      

2 T sugar      

1 T salt      

2 T pickled ginger, finely chopped      

3 green onions, chopped      

1 cucumber, chopped      

1 cup edamame, shelled      

2 t wasabi powder

1 T hot water

2 T soy sauce

1 avocado, sliced

Sushi of choice (crab, tuna, eel, etc)

2 sheets nori, cut into strips

1 T sesame seeds

Instructions:

Prepare rice as instructed on package. 

In a small pan dissolve salt and sugar in rice vinegar over medium heat.  Pour vinegar mixture over rice and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate until cool.

In a large bowl combine ginger, green onions, cucumber, and edamame. 

In a small bowl combine wasabi powder, water, and soy sauce.  Mix well and pour over rice mixture.  Mix to ensure everything is thoroughly coated. 

Lightly fold in avocado, sushi, and nori. 

Top with sesame seeds.

Notes:

If making this ahead of time, do not put in the avocado, sushi, or nori until serving.

If making this for a crowd don't add the sushi into the salad.  Place bowls of sushi out and let people add the types/amounts that they want.


Leave the sushi out and this could be a great side dish or vegetarian meal.

Tater Tot Hotdish (11 P+)

Hotdish?!?  What's a hotdish???

If you are asking yourself that question, you probably aren't from the Midwest.  That's what we call a casserole.  It doesn't include anything special; it's just a bunch of stuff in a pan that's been baked for a while.

This is a great recipe that I made up from what little I know about tater tot hotdish.  It's one of those things where every family makes it their own way.  I actually never had it before I started experimenting but I had a roommate that made it and it looked delicious.

The best thing about this dish is it is EASY!!!  Basically all you do is brown some beef, then open a few cans and throw them in a dutch oven.  45 minutes later you have a meal complete with meat, vegetables, potatoes, and a sauce.  Voila!

Tater Tot Hotdish
6 Servings, 60 minutes
PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

½ onion, chopped

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can green beans

1 can whole kernel corn

Salt

Pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

12 oz frozen tater tots

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a Dutch oven, brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  Add onion and cook until tender.  Remove from heat.

Stir in soups, vegetables, salt, and pepper.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Arrange tater tots around the top in a single layer.

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until tator tots are golden brown.

Notes:

This is a great make-ahead recipe.  It can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for a couple weeks.  Be sure to remove as much air as possible before freezing and allow adequate time for thawing before cooking. 

To make this recipe healthier substitute ground turkey for the beef, fresh vegetables for canned, and use fat free or reduced fat soup (9 P+).

Baked Oatmeal (3 P+)

Baked Oatmeal 

18 Servings, 60 Minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients       

2 c steel-cut oats         

1 t baking soda      

½ t salt      

1 cup strawberries, sliced      

1 banana, diced      

1 cup walnuts or almonds, chopped       

Wet Ingredients 

2 c milk

1 egg

4 T butter, melted

1 T vanilla

⅓ c brown sugar   
1 T cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl.

Divide the dry mixture evenly into the muffin cups.  Top with an equal amount of the wet mixture.

Place in oven and bake 45 minutes or until liquid has set.

Notes:

The beauty of this recipe is that every cup can be made differently.  Modify this recipe by using different fruit or nuts or by adding chocolate chips or dried fruit. 

Add some sweetness by sprinkling brown sugar over the oatmeal after it has been cooked.


Wrap these in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.  From the refrigerator, we microwave them for 45 seconds.


Old-Fashioned or Rolled Oats can be substituted for the Steel-Cut Oats, they will just have a different texture.

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls (8 P+)

Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna Rolls 

6 Servings, 60 Minutes

PRINTABLE

Ingredients:

6 lasagna noodles

1 T olive oil

8 oz baby portabella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

salt

1 t dried thyme

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 c ricotta cheese
1 c cottage cheese

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

pepper

2 c tomato sauce

1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on package.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onions in oil until tender.  Season with salt and thyme.

In a large bowl combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, and egg; season with salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Lay lasagna noodles out on countertop.  Spread spinach mixture over the noodles leaving one inch on each end bare.  Top with mushroom/onion mixture.

Fold over one end of a noodle to roll up, spinach side in.  Place in a 9” x 9” baking dish with the seam side down.  Repeat with remaining noodles.

Top noodles with tomato sauce then mozzarella cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray to prevent mozzarella from sticking. 

Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until cheese melts and browns slightly.

Let lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

Make this dish a few hours or even the night before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew (5P+)

I love this stew because it's very filling and you can eat a lot of it without using all of you WW P+.  

1 lb Sirloin, cut in ½” chunks

4 Carrots, sliced

2 Parsnips, sliced

4 ribs Celery, sliced

2 Plum Tomatoes, diced

½ Onion, finely chopped

3 c Beef Broth

2 t Fresh Thyme, minced

2 t Fresh Rosemary, minced

1 t Salt

½ t Pepper

5 oz Frozed Peas

Place all items except peas into slow-cooker.  Cook 6-8 hours.  Add peas and continue cooking until the peas are soft.  

Serves 6

Mexican Bruschetta (7P+)

This recipe was developed when I was making bruschetta but wanted to incorporate avocado.  I decided to make a guacamole inspire topping.  You can use more or less of any of the ingredients as there is no right way to make guacamole.  I like to make it with a lot of avocado, lime, and salt.

2 Roma Tomatoes, diced

1 Avocado, diced

1 slice Red Onion, finely chopped

1-2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

½ t Salt

¼ c Fresh Lime Juice

1 t Cilantro

12 slices of small loaf Wheat Italian Bread

Preheat broiler.

Put all ingredients except bread into bowl.  Mix gently, taking care not to crush avocado.  Set aside.

Place 8 slices of bread on broiling pan.  Place in oven 4 inches from the heat.  Cook until lightly toasted, flip, and toast on opposite side.

Place bread on serving plate.  Spoon tomato mixture over bread and serve.

Serving Size: 3 slices

Total Servings: 4