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Healthy Mom Challenge Update- Weekly Weigh In

October 13, 2009 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment

Well, here it is Monday.  One week since we posted our challenge on the blog.  I went to weigh in today feeling good about my progress and my effort last week.  I have been watching what I eat, and making sure that I actually do eat enough.  So what did the scale tell me today?  I am down 5.8 pounds for the week.

For those of you joining me on the journey, how are you doing?  Have you faced challenges or possibly found some great recipes to share with us that helped you become a healthier eater this week?

Share your story or if you are a first time guest join our challenge to be “Healthier Moms” and you might just be our biggest winner in the “Healthy Mom” challenge!

Here is a great low carb recipe I discovered this weekend:

Artichoke Stuffed Chicken (LOW CARB)

What You Need:

8 ounces cream cheese (0 carbs)
1 cup mayonaise (0 carbs)
1 cup sour cream (0 carbs)
1 cup Parmesan cheese (0 carbs)
1 8.5 ounce can artichoke hearts sliced into small pieces (6 carbs)
Several pieces of celery, chopped

How To Do It:

Mix the above together in a medium bowl.  This will be our filling.
You’ll also need 4 to 6 average sized chicken breasts depending on how many people you are serving. Pound chicken breasts flat using a meat tenderizer (Works great for getting some aggression out too!).

Spread the artichoke filling on top of the flattened chicken. Roll up and secure in place with a toothpick or skewer and put into baking dish. After all rolls are in place, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

You will most likely likely have left over filling that you can add on top of the chicken or serve it on the side at dinner time.

Until next time,

siggy

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Yummy Pumpkin Cake Roll

September 19, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
pumpkinpuree

pumpkinpureeThis yummy pumpkin treat is pretty easy to make and so much fun to eat. Spreading cream cheese over a moist pumpkin cake then rolling it all up together makes for a perfect Halloween meal dessert not to mention the wonderful aroma that spreads through your whole house.

Many recipes call for a homemade pumpkin puree. It is up to you if you want to take the time to do this little feat. It’s pretty simple to do but is rather time consuming. If your short on time canned pumpkin works just as well. This recipe includes all the spices so try to choose a canned pumpkin that doesn’t include them. If your pumpkin includes the spices just leave them out when making this recipe.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. Use a 15X10 inch sheet cake pan and spray it lightly with a non stick cooking spray. Lightly flour the pan shaking off any excess flour.

To make the pumpkin roll you will need 3/4 C of flour, 1/2 t of baking powder and a 1/2 t of baking soda. The spices include 3/4 t of cinnamon, 1/4 t of allspice and 1/4 t of salt. Include 3 eggs, 1 C of sugar, 1/2 t of vanilla and 2/3 C of pumpkin puree.

Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in a mixing bowl. Fold the spices into the mixture well the set aside. Place the eggs and sugar together in a separate bowl and beat on high for 5 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and puree until blended in well.

Slowly add in the flour mixture stirring the mixture as you add. Continue to stir until blended in well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 13 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched with a finger being careful not to over bake.

Lay a clean dish towel on a flat surface and sprinkle it lightly with powdered sugar. When the cake is done immediately turn it out onto the prepared dish towel. While the cake is still hot sprinkle it with some powdered sugar then roll the cake up with the towel. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling you will need 8 oz. of cream cheese, softened, 2 T of butter, softened, 1/2 t of vanilla and 1 C of powdered sugar.

Place the cream cheese, butter and vanilla into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until blended in and smooth.

Unroll the cake from the towel. The cake may crack slightly especially if it has not cooled completely. These cracks can be fixed when the filling is spread over the cake. Spread the filling evenly over the cake leaving about 1/8 inch uncovered around the edges of the cake. When the cake is rolled up the filling will spread to the edges without squirting out. Cover the roll with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve or place in foil and freeze for up to 2 months.

Pumpkin rolls are a special treat for anyone who enjoys the taste of pumpkin. Cut off a nice slice, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Filed Under: Desserts, Halloween, Recipes, Today's Kitchen Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Creamy Berry Baked Toast

September 7, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
toastjam

toastjamIngredients:

1 (8 oz.) loaf of French bread, cut into slices
1 (8 oz.) carton of spreadable cream cheese
1 T of honey
1 (10 oz.) frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
1/4 C of strawberry jelly, warmed

How to Cook It:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
On an ungreased baking sheet lay the slices of bread in a single layer.
Bake the bread 3 minutes, then turn and bake another 3 minutes or until crisp.
Mix the cream cheese and honey together until well blended and smooth.
Carefully spread the mixture over each slice of toast.
Each slice of toast is topped with the sliced strawberries.
Place a dollop of the strawberry jam on top before serving.

Try this instead of just plain toast. Any type of fruit and jelly that you like will work including orange marmalade. You can also use a fruit flavored cream cheese and omit the jelly.

Makes 2 dozen

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes

Approximate Nutritional Values per slice:
74 calories; 3 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 9 mg cholesterol; 93 mg sodium; 9 g carbohydrates; trace of fiber; 2 g protein

Filed Under: Breads and Muffins, Breakfast Foods, Kid Friendly, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cold Breakfasts Can be Healthy Too

September 5, 2009 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment
fruited-cereal

fruited-cerealHealthy breakfasts are a thing of the past, right? Wrong! Even with both parents working, breakfasts can be cold as well as healthy. Fixing a hot breakfast isn’t necessary to make it healthy.

Go to the cereal aisle of any grocery store and you will find that the choices are unlimited. You can buy breakfast bars, energy bars, and cereal bars as well as healthy cereals. Go down the produce aisle and you can find all kinds of healthy fruit that can be cut into slices and eaten. Even choosing dried fruit such as raisins, bananas and cranberries can be a healthy choice.

Keep sliced cheese and sliced meat on hand. Nuts are also a wonderful choice. Buy yogurt that are in tubes or single serving containers and keep fresh nuts on hand. Keep some tortillas in your refrigerator for those mornings when time is a factor.

Always have peanut butter, honey and jelly on hand. Grapes are also a great choice for breakfast food. Vegetables such as carrots and celery sticks can also come in handy for a nutritious breakfast. Ants on a log are a great breakfast food. Take a celery stick, fill it with peanut butter and put raisins on top. The kids will fall for these in an instant.

Not much time, roll some ham and cheese together and make a meat sandwich. Add some cream cheese to a bagel and you have a healthy breakfast. Take a slice of bread and add some fruit and cream cheese and it’s a cold breakfast in a flash.

Don’t try to skip breakfast. Most doctors say it is the most important meal of the day. You need energy to make your brain work and breakfast supplies that energy as well as much need nutrition to keep the body and brain going.

Just think ahead and use your imagination. Breakfast can be an easy meal to prepare. Use prepared breakfasts ideas as well as you own and your family will start feeling the brain power earlier in the day.

Kids don’t have a clue what is good for them. The next time they want breakfast, just hand them one of the many ideas mentioned above. Add a juice box and they will think that they have conquered all.

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A Quick Breakfast Can Be More Than a Bowl of Cereal

August 22, 2009 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment
granolafruit

granolafruitQuick breakfasts can be more than you ever thought. Most people think of breakfast as a bowl of healthy cereal and a glass of milk or cup of coffee with some juice. There are many alternatives to this thought concept that are just as quick and easy. It takes planning ahead and some time on the weekend, when you aren’t rushing around getting kids ready for school and getting ready for work.

Fruit is a wonderful alternative. Cut up some fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, some kiwi, some watermelon or even bananas and place in easy to go snack bags made for the refrigerator. Grapes are another great way to start the day.

You can add almost anything to a tortilla to make a great breakfast. Peanut butter and jelly is a great choice. Honey, cream cheese, some cut up raw vegetables or salad mix with your favorite dressing, even applesauce will make breakfast tortillas a favorite with your family. Use your leftover steak or chicken in a sandwich form or in a tortilla with some shredded cheese and some low fat mayonnaise and roll and go.

Cereal bars or breakfast bars that you can find at the grocery store are wonderful to start the day. Add a juice box of orange juice for the car and you have healthy breakfast for them to consume.

Grocery stores have granola bars, graham crackers, and even single serving yogurts in easy to serve packages. Try taking a graham cracker and some honey or cream cheese and making a sandwich out of it. The kids will crave them. They also have yogurt in a tube like a Popsicle that is easy to eat and very nutritious. Nuts are a great source of protein. Take a graham cracker sandwich and a handful of nuts and your kids are good to go for the day.

Bagels are another quick morning meal. Add some cream cheese or even a regular slice of cheese and you have a healthy, well-rounded breakfast to start their day off right. Top them with jelly, apple butter or honey for a special treat.

Breakfast isn’t for cereal anymore. In today’s fast paced world with two parents working environment, you need to think ahead and try to give them the best beginning for the day that you can. Sometimes, ingenuity and having ingredients on hand can be the start of a beautiful day. Just thinking outside the box can make all the difference in the world.

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No More Plain Toast Mornings

August 18, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
eggtoast

eggtoast

Mornings, what can you say? All the rushing around with the kids, trying to get ready for work, can’t find their homework and the dreaded “I’m hungry.” The favorite food for these mornings is toast, but did you know that toast doesn’t have to be just a toasted piece of bread with butter on it? Your kids learned to toast a while ago when they couldn’t burn themselves, right? Here are some variations that will make their mouths go wow! Just remember they might need a little help from you in creating some of these great morning toast ideas.

Slice some healthy fruit like bananas, peaches, strawberries, apples, kiwi or melons. Toast a slice of bread and add some cream cheese. Top with one or more of the fruits mentioned and you have a whole new spin on morning toast.
Toast a piece of bread and add some pizza or spaghetti sauce along with some cheese. Stick in the microwave for just a few seconds and you have a great breakfast on the run. Add some left over crumbled sausage for a special treat.

Have some boiled eggs handy, slice them and add them to your toast, Top the toast with some mayonnaise and you have a hearty, healthy breakfast. How about some extra tuna salad, chicken salad or egg salad? All you need is a couple of pieces of toast and breakfast is ready. Breakfast is what you make it.

Breakfast sandwiches are easy to make if you think ahead. Try cooking extra sausage or ham ahead of time. Stick them between two slices of toast and instant breakfast. How about a toasted egg sandwich for breakfast? It’s easy to make. Add some cheese and a piece of meat and you have a whole breakfast in one hand.

There are other, not so traditional ingredients that you can use to make some great breakfast sandwiches, like cream cheese and chives, peanut butter and jelly, or honey and bananas. Add some applesauce, apple butter or even sliced cheese. If you use whole grain bread, then the toasted sandwiches are even healthier for your family.

The next time that morning breakfasts become a head-ache, think about toast and all the things you can do with it. Breakfast doesn’t have to be a stressful time when you work together to make it a family time.

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Summertime Pineapple Fluff

July 8, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
pineapple

pineappleWhat You Need:

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp green onions, chopped very fine
1 fresh mushroom, chopped very fine
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 C crushed pineapple, drained well

How to Make It:

Place the softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer for 5 minutes until fluffy.
Stir in the green onions, mushrooms and garlic until blended in well.
Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Add the crushed pineapple and mix until all the ingredients are blended together.

Makes 1 C

This summertime pineapple fluff is a tasty addition to any July 4th barbecue.

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Strawberry Snowball Supreme Salad

March 10, 2009 By The Recipe Mom 1 Comment

What You Need:

1 C boiling water
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin
1/2 C cranberry juice
1/4 C cold water
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 C nuts, chopped fine
1 T sugar
2 C fresh strawberries

How to Make It:

Pour the boiling water into a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the gelatin powder into the water and whisk until combined.
Pour the juice and the cold water into the mixture.
Whisk again to combine.
Chill until just beginning to thicken but not set.
Shape the cream cheese with your hands or a melon scoop into 18 small balls.
Place the nuts in a small shallow bowl.
Roll the cream cheese balls through to nuts to cover well.
Place the strawberries into a glass bowl.
Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries and stir gently to coat.
Pour half of the gelatin mixture into a 9X13 pan.
Arrange the cream cheese balls in evenly in the gelatin.
Spoon the strawberries into the gelatin.
Pour the remaining gelatin over the top.
Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or until the gelatin is firm.

Serves: 8

Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and grapes all work in this salad. Just be sure to use a gelatin that matches with the taste of fruit.

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Strawberry Sweetheart Bites

January 21, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
304/365: February 13, 2008

Image by Ryner12 via Flickr

What You Need:

4 (6 in) soft tortilla shells
1/4 (8 oz) container strawberry cream cheese
4 T strawberry jam

How to Cook It:

Spread each of the 4 tortillas with the strawberry cream cheese to the edges of the tortilla.
Spread 1 T of strawberry jam down the middle of each of the tortillas.
Fold the end of the tortilla in about 2 in.
Grab the front edge of the tortilla and roll until completely closed.
Cut into 2 inch bites.

Serving Size: 24

These little treats can be wrapped and placed in an Easter Basket, put into lunchboxes or used as appetizers for a child’s Valentine’s Day party.

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My Funny Valentine Chocolate Cups

January 21, 2009 By The Recipe Mom Leave a Comment
NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 13: Heart shaped chocolat...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

What You Need:

2 squares white baking chocolate
3 T milk, divided
2 T cream cheese, softened
2 squares semi sweet baking chocolate
2 Maraschino cherries

How to Make It:

Place the white chocolate squares into a microwave safe bowl.
Add 1 T of the milk.
Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes then stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
Beat the 2 T of the cream cheese into the mixture with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.
Place the 2 squares of semi sweet chocolate into a separate microwave bowl.
Add the remaining milk and microwave on high 1 1/2 minutes.
Remove and stir until the chocolate is smooth.
Spoon the mixture side by side into dessert bowls.
Place the bowls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill through.
Garnish each bowl with a cherry.

Serving Size: 2

Comments:

Nothing says love like chocolate. End you romantic dinner with this special dessert and watch the sparks fly.

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