Country Stuffed Pork Loin

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/4 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced apple

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 pkg seasoned croutons

2 large eggs

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Beat eggs in a bowl and then pour package of croutons into the same bowl. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix, then set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skilled with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, apple, pepper and salt; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add diced apple; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add this apple mixture to the bowl with the croutons and mix it all together; set aside.

Okay, I'm not going to try to explain how to cut the pork loin...you should watch this video on youtube! (Stuffed Pork Loin Recipe: How to Prep Meat for Stuffed Pork Loin) I watched all the videos on the stuffed pork loin that I could find from the company that posted this video to learn now to to this recipe! You may do the same! (I've changed up the recipe just a little, but it does help to see it done rather than just read it!)

Sprinkle salt on the cut pork loin. Spread stuffing over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around edges. Roll up pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with a long side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with twine. You can also watch how to tie the twine near the end of the video linked above. If you don't have twine, you can use skewers to poke through the meat and hold it in place.

Place stuffed pork loin into a pan coated with cooking spray, opening side down. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake additional 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155 degrees.

Remove and let pork stand about 10 minutes. Slice pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve. Makes anywhere from 8-10 servings.

Calories 249; Fat 8.3g (sat 2.9g); Sodium 567mg

Salad & Shepherd's Pie (minus the lamb)

This simple salad and extremely easy rendition of Shepherd's Pie can be a quick fix for busy evenings!

Salad Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce
Cherry Tomatoes
Red Onion
Carrots

Preparation:
Chop and combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve! :)


Shepherd's Pie Ingredients:
1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups frozen baby vegetable mix (such as Birds Eye)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 cups country-style refrigerated mashed potatoes
Cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preparation:
Preheat broiler. Cook beef in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add vegetable mix, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cook 5 minutes or until mixture is slightly thick and thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. While beef mixture cooks, place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Spoon mixture evenly into each of 4 (8-ounce) broiler-safe ramekins coated with cooking spray. Top evenly with potatoes; sprinkle with pepper. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Broil 2-3 minutes or until potatoes are golden. Yield 4 servings (serving size: 1 pie.)

Calories: 305; Fat 10.7g (sat 5.6g), Protein 20.6g, Sodium 490mg


This recipe was taken from my favorite cookbook at the moment: Cooking Light: fresh food superfast.

Just a side note: this recipe was the first time I've ever used the broiler setting on my oven! Please be sure that the dishes you use in the oven are safe to broil! :)

Honey-Laced Blueberry Parfait

Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) carton French vanilla low-fat yogurt (such as Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy)

1 (6-ounce) carton blueberry low-fat yogurt (such as Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy)

1 1/2 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

3 cups (1-inch) cubed angel food cake

2 cups blueberries

1 tablespoon honey

1/ cup honey-almond flax cereal (such as Kashi GoLean Crunch!), coarsely crushed

Preparation:

Combine yogurts in a bowl; gently fold in whipped topping. (or just whip it up, like I do!)

Layer about 1/3 cup angel food cake, 1/4 cup blueberries and 1/3 cup yogurt mixture in each of 4 dessert glasses. Repeat procedure once. Drizzle honey evenly over parfaits. Top evenly with cereal. Serve immediately. Yield 4 servings. (Serving size: 1 parfait)

Calories: 359; Fat 2.6g (sat 1.1g); Protein 9.7g, Sodium 379mg

These are sooooooo delicious!! They're not the lowest calorie dessert, but it is a better alternative to other options that are out there.

Chili-Cheese Sweet Potato Fries

This fun food can be served as an appetizer or as a meal, and it's pretty tasty!

Ingredients:
1 (20-ounce) package frozen julienne-cut sweet potato fries
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian chili with beans (such as Hormel)
1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions




Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Arrange fries on a large rimmed baking sheet. Coat fries with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes or until crisp. (As you can see...I almost burnt ours!)
While fries bake, cook chili in a small saucepan over medium heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Transfer fries to a serving platter, or individual dish, spoon chili over fries; sprinkle with cheese and green onions. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.

Calories: 282, Fat: 11.5g (sat 3.5g), Protein: 10.5g, Sodium: 381mg.

Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped cucumber

2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup red onion

1 lemon

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Tomato-Cucumber Salad:

Combine 2 cups coarsely chopped English cucumber, 2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Yield: 4 servings.

Calories 45; Fat 2.5g (sat 0.3g); Sodium 126mg

This small but simple salad is oh-so-delicious!! Please try it out and let me know what you think!!