{Tasty} Turkey Chili

This recipe feeds an army, or a family that eats like one....gotta love feeding boys! We have this meal at LEAST once every two weeks and sometimes once every week, we'll never be tired of it AND it's easy to throw together!

2lb. 8oz. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 onion, chopped
10 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp tomato bouillon with chicken flavor (found on the Mexican food isle)
1 tsp. sea salt
1-15 oz. can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
2-15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2-15 oz. cans white kidney beans (a.k.a.: canellini beans) drained and rinsed

In a large nonstick skillet cook the turkey until done. Drain any extra fat and rinse in hot water. Add turkey to a large pot and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until onion in soft and translucent; juices will remain in the bottom of the pot.

Meanwhile mix the flour, chili powder, bouillon and salt. Once the turkey/onion mix is cooked add the flour mix and stir until well combined, cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add broth, tomatoes and kidney beans to skillet and simmer 15-20 minutes or until thickened to desired consistency.

Yum-E-Rice

3 c. cooked brown rice
1-15oz. can corn, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 c.+ 2 Tbsp. dried cranberries
2 small carrots, grated ore finely chopped
4 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1 garlic clove
4 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. roasted pine nuts
1/4 c. roasted slivered almonds

In a large bowl combine rice, corn, red pepper, onions, cranberries, carrots, and parsley; set aside.

In a blender or food processor add the garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, and olive oil and process until smooth. Pour onto rice mixture and mix in the pine nuts and almonds. Serve at room temperature...mmm good!

White Bean & Spinach Ravioli

I like to add a little Italian 3 cheese blend to give the filling a little more depth.

Recipe adapted from The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids

1/2 c. chopped spinach
1 c. cannellini (white kidney) beans
1 c. reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 c. mozzarella
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
32 won ton wrappers, egg roll wrappers cut into fourths or homemade pasta dough
2 c. prepared spaghetti sauce

Process spinach, beans cheeses and salt in a food processor until smooth. Place half of wrappers out and top with 1 Tablespoon of bean mixture. Moisten the edges and place remaining wrappers on top of the filling. Seal one edge at a time making sure to get any air out until all edges are sealed. Gently place ravioli in boiling water and cook for approximately two minutes. The ravioli is ready when you can see the green of the filling through the wrappers. While pasta cooks warm the spaghetti sauce.

1 serving is 4 ravioli with 1/4 c. sauce.

Nutrition info: Calories: 343, Total Fats: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 590mg, Total Carbohydrates: 60g, Dietary Fiber: 6g, Sugars: 4g, Protein: 18g, Iron: 3mg

Corn, Rice and Black Bean Salad

This is a great salad to have around for a quick lunch. If I don't have fresh corn on hand I substitute frozen, the hot rice thaws the corn and the salad cools quickly.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

1 c. water
1/2 c. long-grain rice
4-5 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (no substitutions!)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lg. clove garlic run through a press
1 1/2 c. rinsed and drained canned black beans
1 1/2 c. fresh corn kernel (about 2 ears)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the water and rice in a sauce pan with a lid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

Combine juice, oil, pepper and garlic in a large bowl. Add rice and beans; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes or until completely cool. Stir in corn and cilantro.

Jalapeño-Lime Marinade

This is a great marinade for grilled butterflied shrimp. With 2 lb. butterflied large peeled shrimp, marinate for at least 30 minutes. Place on skewers; grill, basting with remaining marinade.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

1/2 c. thawed orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. grated lime rind
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. honey
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Combine all ingredients; stir well. Yield: 1¹∕3 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon).

Nutrition Information for Marinade only!

CALORIES 26 (3% from fat); FAT 0.1g (sat 0g, mono 0.1g, poly 0g); PROTEIN 0.3g; CARB 6.5g; FIBER 0.1g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 0.2mg; SODIUM 29mg; CALC 6mg

Spicy Rub

This is a great rub for Salmon or other fish but because of the spicy flavor it does not pair well with mild flavor fish. This is also great with chicken or beef...give it a try!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

2 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground red pepper
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients. Bake on your choice of meat. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information for Rub only!

CALORIES 20 (32% from fat); FAT 1.3g (sat 0.1g, mono 0.9g, poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 1.3g; CARB 3g; FIBER 0.8g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 1mg; SODIUM 150mg; CALC 52mg

Baked Egg Rolls

I just love egg rolls but as we all know they can really do a number on your weight loss success. Here is a modified version that I really enjoy and I hope you do too!

Egg Rolls:
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped carrot
2 cups napa cabbage (Chinese)
1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 lb. ground turkey breast (opt.)
1 1/2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 egg roll wrappers
1 large egg white Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

To prepare egg rolls, combine celery and carrot in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

Combine celery mixture and cabbage and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. ginger, and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add turkey (if using) and cook 5 minutes, add the vegetable mixture and cook until crisp tender.

Place an egg roll on your work surface so that it looks like a diamond. Put 3 tablespoons of mixture on the bottom 1/3 corner of the egg roll wrapper. Fold the bottom corner up followed by the sides and roll the remaining way up being sure to moisten the top corner with egg white to keep it from coming undone. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Lightly coat egg rolls with cooking spray, and place, seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 14 servings (serving size:1 roll). WW Points: 2; CALORIES 79 (29% from fat); FAT 2.5g (sat 0.4g, mono 0.9g, poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 5.7g; CARB 8g; FIBER 0.7g; CHOL 11mg; IRON 0.9mg; SODIUM 532mg; CALC 18mg

Grilled Chicken Burgers

Okay so I lied this one doesn't have the nutrition information but it is darn good for you! I will get it calculated up and update this post when I get a chance. Enjoy!

When we have company over during the summer months we enjoy grilling and this recipe is a good choice. We love that it is ground chicken (not crazy about ground turkey) and we really like all of the veggies incorporated into the burger. There is quite a bit of prep time that goes into these yummy patties, but we often mix it all up a day in advance, form patties and keep chilled, this also helps the patties to hold their form when grilling. We hope you like it as much as we do!

2 lb. ground chicken meat
1 vadalia onion, chopped
1 yellow or red pepper, chopped
1 c. fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, finely minced
1 tomato seeded, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely grated
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
Cajun seasoning
Ground pepper to taste
Kosher salt
Lemon

Mix all ingredients except lemon well. Form into patties and grill for 5-6 minutes on each side. Squeeze lemon onto patties as they cook.

If you prefer you can leave out the seasoning and season just before or as you are grilling.

Black Bean & Corn Soup

Yes, I lied I don't have the nutrition information for this one yet, but I KNOW it's good for you!

This is a great recipe if you don't want a lot of hands on time, almost everything is from a can!

2-15 oz. cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1-14.5 oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes, undrained
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1-15.25 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1-15.25 oz. can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic
Favorite toppings (our favorites include: low-fat cheddar, broken up tortilla chips, low-fat sour cream, guacamole and salsa)

Combine all ingredients except toppings and cook in a slow cooker on high 3-4 hours. Serve with your favorite toppings.