Cajun Chicken & Vegetable Alfredo

Cajun Chicken & Vegetable Alfredo

Do you LOVE fettucine alfredo but hate the excessive amounts of fat and calories it always seems to give you?? Me too!! So I came up with my own recipe that has a MUCH lower calorie count :) Also...I cheat a bit. I use alfredo sauce in a jar.

 But I'm sure it would be just as easy to make yourself, with skim milk and parmesan.

Ignore the frozen broccoli. Usually I use fresh!!!

Ingredients (makes 1 serving):
3 oz cooked chicken (or 3 oz shrimp also works too!)
1/4 cup light alfredo sauce
1/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup broccoli
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 chopped red bell pepper
1/4 chopped yellow bell pepper
1 large mushroom, chopped
1/2 roma tomato, chopped
Black pepper & Italian seasoning to taste
(optional) 1/2 bag zero-calorie shirataki fettuccine noodles
(optional) 1 T parmesan cheese to garnish




Directions:
If uncooked, saute chicken (or shrimp) in skillet with cooking spray and cajun seasoning until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
 Spray skillet and add chopped onion, garlic, carrots, and peppers.


 Once they start to soften, add peppers, mushroom and tomato, and saute until vegetables are cooked. Add your meat and let sizzle with Cajun seasoning until heated through

Today I used shrimp! Mmm. (Do you like my pink spatula?)

Add alfredo sauce; keep stirring until sauce is heated. serve and top with parmesan!












NOTE: Shirataki noodles are an AWESOME substitute for pasta, especially in a dish like this.








I bought mine on Amazon, and yes, they are a bit expensive, but they are ZERO calories and work wonders when you are craving noodles but trying to keep the carbs low. I definitely recommend the angel hair and the fettuccine. The best way I've found to cook them is to rinse them very well out of the package, then boil for 2-3 minutes.

They look rather gross by themselves. Just wait!

Still gross looking, I know. But mix it up and then you'll see!

I chose a clementine orange and vanilla soymilk. All part of a balanced diet!

Drain and pat with a paper towel, and they will better absorb whatever sauces or flavorings you add them to.











Once you mix the noodles in with the sauce, they look MUCH more appealing . Sometimes I even forget they're not real pasta! Serve it up and remember to balance it out!






Nutrition Facts (made with shrimp):
Calories: 236
Total Fat: 7.5 g
Saturated Fat: 3.0 g
Cholesterol: 127 mg
Sodium: 915 mg
Total Carbs: 22.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.6 g
Sugars: 7.3 g
Protein: 24.3 g

For meal made with chicken, just add  45 calories and 5 g of protein!! :) Enjoy!!

Low Carb Jambalaya

Low Carb Jambalaya

Now...I'm a Southern girl at heart. Dad's from Texas, Mom's from Louisiana...so I definitely enjoy and appreciate some New Orleans cuisine. The only problem? Most jambalaya is rice-based, so it is TONS of calories! Yesterday, after looking through tons of recipe and tons of pictures, I decided to make my own!! This one is veggie-based, but it does have some meat in it too!

Ingredients (Makes enough for 2 BIG servings):
3 oz cooked chicken (I used my marinated grilled chicken from my freezer)
1 Andouille sausage link (I used Chef Aidell's Cajun Style Andouille pork sausage - 160 calories!)
1/4 c uncooked brown rice
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 stalk celery
1 jalapeno pepper
1 medium zucchini
2 white mushrooms
1/2 c diced onion
1/4 - 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
paprika
Tony Chachere's creole seasoning


Instructions:
Prepare brown rice as directed on package. While rice is simmering, begin preparing vegetable mixture. Spray skillet (Use a BIG skillet!) with cooking oil and turn to medium-low heat. Chop bell peppers into thin strips (Mine were about 1-2 inches long.) Dice onions, celery, mushrooms,  and jalapeno. Slice zucchini into thin rounds (no bigger than 1/4 in). Add all vegetables and garlic to pan. Saute until soft. While this is cooking, chop up chicken into small pieces, and slice and quarter the sausage. Saute in its own pan until heated through. Add meat to vegetable mixture, and add diced tomatoes (with juice). You can also add a liberal amount of Creole seasoning, and a few dashes of paprika. Saute on medium heat until most of the liquid is gone. By this time the rice will likely be done. Add rice and stir. Mix it up, divide in half and you have a very filling, very delicious dinner!!

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 290
Total Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
Cholesterol: 54mg
Sodium: 517 mg
Carbohydrates: 32.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
Sugars: 7.9 g
Protein: 23 g

Oatmeal Add-ins

Oatmeal Add-Ins

Ever gotten bored with eating just plain old mushy boring oatmeal?? Not me!! I have TONS of mix-ins that I use for oatmeal to spice it up and make it delicious!!! Now, you can make all of these on the stove, but I have to bring breakfasts to work, so I package everything in microwaveable containers and just add water and heat!

Apple Pie Oatmeal
1/3 c instant oats
1/4 Granny Smith apple, diced
1 T raisins
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla
stevia to taste

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
1/3 c instant oats
1/4 c pumpkin
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
splash of vanilla
1 T raisins

Fruit & Nut Oatmeal
1/3 c instant oats
1/2 T peanut butter (or 1 T PB2)
1 T raisins
1/2 medium banana
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla

Chocolate Peanut Crunch Oatmeal
1/3 c instant oats
1/2 T peanut butter (or 1 T PB2)
1 Dove mini chocolate (or 2 T chocolate chips)
splash of vanilla

Very Berry Oatmeal
1/3 c instant oats
1/4 c strawberries
1/4 c blackberries
1/4 c blueberries (or any combination of berries, really)
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla

Protein Packed Oatmeal
1/3 c instant oats
1 scoop protein powder (I use vanilla or CAKE BATTER flavor!)
1 T crushed almonds
dash of cinnamon
splash of vanilla

Honestly, any of these can be modified or changed to fit your liking or your diet. These are just some of my favorites! And it makes for a super easy portable breakfast to take to work!

Egg & Potato Scramble

Egg & Potato Scramble

Looking for a hearty breakfast, but can't spare a ton of calories?? I have the answer! This protein-rich, veggie-filled breakfast scramble is bound to keep you full all morning!



Ingredients:
1 whole egg + 2 egg whites
1 small yellow potato, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup turkey sausage (I use Jimmy Dean fully cooked turkey hearty sausage crumbles)
1/4 cup diced onion
1/3 cup chopped bell peppers (I use both red and green)
1 white mushroom, diced
2 T reduced fat shredded cheese
Dash of LA hot sauce




Chop all veggies into fairly small pieces (I like this because then i can have more flavors in my bite :)

Potatoes and onions first so the flavors can...stew :-P

Heat skillet  to medium-low heat; spray with cooking spray.  Add potatoes and onion and saute until soft. Add diced peppers and mushroom, then add sausage. Saute about 5-10 minutes until all ingredients are hot.

Doesn't that look delicious already???

While the veggie mixture is cooking, beat 1 large egg and 2 extra egg whites with a dash (or two!) or Lousiana hot sauce and pepper to taste.

 

Add to vegetable mixture and keep stirring until egg is fully cooked. Add cheese and stir until melted.

All ready to go for work! Note: I do not condone heating
in plastic containers, but I do it anyway :-/

 NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories: 266
Total Fat: 9.4 g
Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
Cholesterol: 280 mg
Sodium: 677 mg (rather high, I know. You can ix-nay the hot sauce to lessen this.)
Carbohydrates: 24.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Sugar: 2.3 g
Protein: 24.6 g

Low Carb Banana Pancakes

Low Carb Banana Pancakes

This recipe was adapted from a GENIUS recipe I saw on Pinterest. Did you know you can make pancakes with only 2 ingredients?? 1 banana and 1 egg. That's it! So easy and so healthy! I've seen many versions of this recipe, so here is how I've adapted it. Now, I LOVE pancakes, but they just have so much flour and sugar that they're always way high in calories! (And that's before you add the syrup). And you can find lower-calories recipes out there, but they make like....1 pancake. Who eats just one pancake?? Well, this recipe makes 4 good-sized (4-5 inch) pancakes, and you can eat them ALL!! :-D

Ingredients:
1 medium ripe banana
1 egg
1 T flour
1 tsp vanilla
a few dashes of cinnamon
stevia for sweetness (optional)

1/2 c blackberries for garnish

Directions:

Mash banana with a fork (usually works better if the banana is already a bit ripe.) add egg and beat with a hand mixer (very important so there's no lumps!) Add flour, vanilla and cinnamon and fire up the griddle! Pour onto medium heat griddle in 4-5 inch pancakes, and turn over when you start to see bubbles on the surface. Mash blackberries into a pseudo chunky syrup and pour over hot pancakes. Enjoy!!

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 250
Total Fat: 5.8 g
Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
Cholesterol: 186 mg
Sodium: 73 mg
Carbohydrates: 42.6
Dietary Fiber: 8.3 g
Protein: 9.5 g

Fruity Crunch Yogurt Parfait

This is one of my FAVORITE breakfasts! It's so simple and yet so tasty (and good for you!) Since I have to take breakfast to work with me, this is one of my staples that is both healthy and portable!

Ingredients:
5-6 oz vanilla Greek yogurt (I use Yoplait Greek 100 Non-fat)
4-5 medium strawberries (about 1/2 cup cut up)
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 medium banana
1/4 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal
1 T raisins


Layer cut-up fruit, yogurt, cereal, and raisins in a bowl, parfait glass, or (in my case) plastic container to take with you. It's that easy! Yes, this recipe has carbs and sugar, but it's breakfast time...a little energy will not hurt you ;)

Notes: You can add whatever fruits you want: blackberries, grapes, peaches, cut up apples, etc...whatever works for you. This is just what I had on hand. If you need more protein, consider adding a scoop of vanilla protein powder, or scrambling some egg whites (on the side, of course!) Also, you can use whatever flavor yogurt you want too. Sometimes I use berry-flavored, or honey, or even key lime for a bit of tang :)


Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 275
Total Fat: 1.4 g
Saturated Fat: .2 g
Cholesterol: 3 mg
Sodium: 109 mg
Carbs: 52.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.3 g
Sugars: 30.8 g
Protein: 17.1 g