Lemon-Ginger Asparagus

This recipe was adapted from a recipe of the same name found in Weight Watchers Weekly/WeightWatchers.com

I absolutely love asparagus. As the spring weather continues, I am craving more seasonal fresh veggies, like asparagus. Up until now, we've pretty much made it on the grill with a bit of olive oil and lemon pepper. This was an excellent alternative, was super tasty, low in calories, and really filling. Not only that, but it was EASY too! This recipe can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus, tough ends removed

2 tbsp reduced-sodium, 99% fat free chicken broth

1/2 tsp-1 tsp freshly graded ginger (depending on taste; I like ginger a lot)

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

-Bring 1-2 inches of water to boil in a medium skillet. Place the asparagus in the skillet so it is covered by the boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the asparagus is tender-crisp. This took about 6 1/2 minutes for me.

-Drain the asparagus and place it in a large, glass serving bowl.

-In a small bowl, combine the broth, ginger, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well.

-Pour the liquid in the bowl over the asparagus and gently toss.

-Set aside for 30 minutes to marinate.

Nutritional Information

This recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving has about 35 calories, .2 g of fat, 3.6 g of fiber, and 4 g of fiber

Barbecued Sweet Potatoes

This recipe was adapted from Weight Watchers cookbook Best of Weight Watchers Magazine

This recipe was pleasantly surprising. I LOVE sweet potatoes, but I usually have them more sweet than savory. This was an amazing combination of both. I can't wait to make them again!

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 pound sweet potatoes cut into thin wedges

DIRECTIONS

-Get a large rectangle of aluminum foil. Pinch the edges and create a rim around the sides to you have a small pan.
-Prepare the grill.
-Combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, and pepper in large bowl. Mix well. Add the potato wedges to the bowl and toss them in the mixture until they are well covered.
-Add the potato wedges to your aluminum pan and place them on the grill.
-Stir up the wedges every 5-7 minutes to make sure they don't stick.
-Cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on the thickness of your wedges.
-Once they are to your desired crispness, serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
This recipe makes about 4 1/2 cup servings. Each serving has about 104 calories, 0 g fat, 3 g fiber, and 2 g protein.
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Grilled Caribbean Chicken

This recipe is adapted from a recipe I received at the Minnesota State fair at the Gold'n Plump Stand

This is an excellent marinade for chicken. The liquid keeps it sweet and the dry seasoning gives it a slight kick. This goes great with the grilled sweet potatoes or another grilled veggie. What a great kick-off to the grilling season!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MARINADE
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dried minced onion
3 minced cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast cut in tenders

SEASONING TO COMPLETE THE RECIPE
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS
-stir together the marinade ingredients and transfer mixture to a gallon-sized zip lock bag
-add boneless, skinless chicken to the bag of marinade. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, for at least 30 minutes but up to 24 hours
-When the chicken is ready to cook, prepare the grill (I like to rub mine down with olive oil before starting the grill to warm up)
-remove the chicken from the bag and discard remaining marinade
-stir together the seasonings; sprinkle over the chicken
-place the chicken on the grill and sprinkle heavily with the seasoning; sprinkle the other half when you turn the chicken

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
The recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving has about 190 calories, 2.5 g fat, 1 g fiber, and 9 g protein.

Cilantro Lime Rice

If you enjoy the rice in the Chipotle burritos, then this is an excellent side dish for you! It is tasty on its own and complements a variety of meats. I prefer to team it up with grilled meats like chicken and pork. It's fun to play around with marinades that really bring out the lime and cilantro in the rice. This recipe is also a nice way to get in some of your healthy oils.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
3 cups low-sodium, 99% fat free chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
grated/zest of one lime
juice of one lime (I add more to taste)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro/at least a tbsp dried cilantro (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Then add rice and stir to coat.
Add broth and salt. Leave it alone until it boils, then stir it once.
Reduce the heat to med-low (on our stove it is low), cover, and let cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes still covered.
Fluff the rice with a fork and then stir in the zest, juice and cilantro.
Let the rice sit for about 3 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
This recipe makes nine half-cup servings. Each serving has about 145 calories, 3.4 g fat, 3.3 g protein, and .5 g fiber. Goes well with grilled chicken, pork, and seafood.

Cornflake Baked Chicken

This is an oldy, but a goody. I remember my mom making a variation of this growing up, and my dad still raves about the cornflake chicken his older sister made growing up. If you are a big KFC fan, this is a healthy and tasty alternative. We have this at least once a month!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to tast)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp season salt
3 oz buttermilk (you can make this without having to buy it. Fill a 1 cup container with tbsp of lemon juice and fill the rest with milk. Stir. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes and you have buttermilk)
3/4 cup cornflakes, crushed (it usually takes me a little more because the cornflakes get a little soggy)
1 pound chicken cut into four pieces

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees.
Coat an 8x8 glass dish with nonstick spray.
Combine the flower and seasonings in a shallow dish/bowl.
Place in the buttermilk in its own shallow dish as well as the cornflakes.
Coat each chicken piece one at a time. First, roll the chicken through the flour, dip in the milk, and then roll in the flakes. You may need to pat some of the flakes into the chicken depending on the size of the flakes.
Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is 160 degrees. Depending on the thickness of the chicken it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 50 minutes.

We often serve it with baked potatoes/baked sweet potatoes and steamed green beans. It becomes a low-fat comfort meal :)

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
This makes 4 servings. Each serving is about 216 calories, 2 g of fat, 29 g of protein, and .8 g of fiber

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I know what you are thinking. Lasagna in the slow cooker? No way! That's what I thought at first, and I was very surprised! This is delicious. And who doesn't love a "fix it and forget it" meal once and a while? As long as you don't tell them it was an easy meal, they will never know.

Ingrediants

1 lb ground turkey burger (not cooked)
14 oz of diced tomatos (I like the Italian ones)
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
9 oven-read lasagna noodles
28 oz of tomato sauce
16 oz of low-fat cottage cheese ( I use the 1% milk one)
1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese (I don't use quite that much)

Directions

First either spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray or you can use the liners. I love the liners! They are found in the sandwich bag row of the grocery store.

Combine the turkey burger, diced tom, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a skillet until the burger is heated through and the vegetables are tender.

Place three of the noodles (I use one whole and break up the others to fit) on the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with 1/3 of the meat mixture. Then top with 1/3 of the cottage cheese, one third of the tomato sauce, and some of the parmesean. Repeat the layers a couple more times. Top with a layer of noodles and the rest of the parmesean cheese.

Cover and cook 5-6 hours on low.

Nutritional Information
This makes 8 servings. Each serving has about 260 calories, 3.5 g fat, 28.5 g protein, and 4 g of fiber