Oatmeal Muffins..........YUUUUUUUM.

     Hello friends!  I have been MIA for a few weeks because I decided to try a new eating plan.....weight watchers.  Yeah, I know, those damn inspirational TV commercials finally got me.  Ha ha.  I have actually attempted to follow this plan a couple of times in the past but am WAY too lazy to write everything down.  But now they have all these awesome apps and stuff and you can scan the barcodes for stuff you eat and it tracks it.  Ahhh....technology.  I have actually stuck to it for 3 weeks now and have cooked just about every night, which means:  recipes for all!!!  So many of the upcoming recipes I will post will be WW friendly.

     So what have I been eating every morning for the last 3 weeks?  Oatmeal breakfast muffins!  These things are delish!  And so easy to make.  I make a batch on a Sunday and freeze them.  The recipe makes about 18 muffins so I only have to make them every couple of weeks.  To be fair, I got the recipe off Pinterest and this lovely blog  http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/    She's got lots of great healthy recipes to choose from.......so check her out!


Here's what you need:

 

5 Cups of Rolled Oats

2 Eggs

1 Banana

1/4 Cup Milled Flax Seed

1Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 TBL Cinnamon

2  3/4 Cup Skim Milk

1Tsp Salt

3 Tsp Baking Powder

2 Cups Unsweetened Applesauce

1  1/2 Tsp Splenda

Fruit/Berries to top

 

 

 

First, mix up eggs, banana, applesauce & Splenda in a bowl.  I used my potato masher to really get those bananas mashed up!

 

 

Next, mix all other ingredients into the bowl.  I left the milk until last.  The above photo is before the milk.

 

 

Now pour into muffin tins.  I used a 1/3 cup measuring cup to do this.  I've made these with and without liners and I will say, I like them without because they are easier to heat up with no left over liner residue on my muffins.  If I wanted to eat paper, I would hang out with goats......am I right?!

 

I dropped a few blueberries into each one as well.

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.....

 

 

There ya go!  These things are soooo good and very easy to eat on the run.  The first time I made them I let them sit in my fridge for a few days before I decided to freeze them......and they were real dry when I would heat them up.  So this last time I froze them immediately and they are so good and moist when I re-heat them.  Pop them in the microwave for about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes and you've got a healthy breakfast.  My batch of 18 will last me 2 weeks!!!

 

Wants some extra flavor?  Top with a tablespoon of sugar free syrup.  I like them plain though.  Those big blueberries are such a nice surprise when you bite into them.

 

 

 

 

This makes about 18 servings (1 muffin per serving)   Calories : 143,     Carbs: 23g,

3 Weight Watchers points + 

 

 

So I hope you will join me on my mission to eat breakfast everyday!  No blueberry left behind :)

 

 

 

Happy eating!

 

Taco Salad........make your own tortilla bowl

     My husband and I have many food vices, tacos being one of them.  In fact we have deemed Tuesdays, "Taco Tuesdays" in honor of one of our favorite meals!  Can anyone really tell me they don't secretly lust over those yummy Mexican gems?

 

     Crunchy shell tacos are my FAVORITE!  So when eating a lower carb diet it's really hard for me to live with a lousy taco salad on Taco Tuesdays.  I look over at my husbands tortillas and cry a little inside....well, maybe it's not quite that dramatic but it is lame to be crunching on lettuce when what I really want is a shell, dang it!

 

     So as I scoured the Internet searching for great lo-carb meals I found a free way to make those tasty tortilla bowls they keep advertising on infomercials!  Let's face it, I am way to cheap to shell out  $10 for a set of four legitimate tortilla bowl makers when I could use that money for something equally stupid that will bring me greater joy.  So each time I see those things on the shelf at my local CVS, I turn away.  But alas, I have found the solution!  Insert amazing taco salad making music here.....

 

Here's what you need:

 

 

Lo-Carb Tortillias

Lean Ground Beef

1 Small Onion

1 Small Bell Pepper

1 Head of Lettuce

1/4 Cup Cheddar Cheese

1/4 Cup Taco Seasoning

2 Tablespoons Salsa/Picante Sauce

Any other toppings you like in taco salad

 

 

     First chop up anything you want to cook with the meat. I used a small onion and a small bell pepper.  You could throw in tomatoes too if you want, just add in the calories/carbs.  Then cook your ground beef and drain.

 

 

 

     Then mix in 1/4 cup of taco seasoning.......(feel free to add more if you'd like, again, just add in the calories)  and a couple of spoonfuls of water so it will mix up well.

 

     Now for the fun part!  Let's make a tortilla bowl.  First, spray a tortilla with some non-stick spray.  Then put it on a plate and heat it up for 15 seconds in the microwave.

 

 

Then take out an oven resistant bowl or mug that is kinda tall and drape the tortilla over it.

 

Pinch it in every few inches to create these creases.  If you hold it for a second, they should stay.

 



 

Then put on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.  Take out and let cool about 5 - 10 minutes so it will firm up.  It will still feel a little soft right out of the oven.

 

 

Then just add in your beef, toppings and enjoy!  Hooray........Taco Tuesdays are saved!

 

     The beef should make about 5 taco salads but my counts are based on one using the 1/4 cheese and 2 tablespoons Pace.  Each one should be about 330 calories and 14 carbs......but you are getting a full taco bowl with lots of stuff in it!  YuUUUUmmm!  Viva la taco!


Happy Eating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Lo-Carb Honey Mustard Chicken

     Well, it's been many moons since Fat Girl Gotta Eat has posted any new recipes, and believe me, fat girl has been eatin'!  So as one of my many new years resolutions I vow to post at least one recipe per week to the blog.  I am pretty sure I posted this same promise a recipe or two back, but this time I really mean it.....no really.

     So to ring in a new year with new lofty goals of eating at home, saving money and trying to stay off the carb train as much as I can without nutting up, I bring you:  Lo-Carb Honey Mustard Chicken.



Here's what you need:

 

1/2 cup Mayonnaise (you can use the light kind to reduce calories)

1/2 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1/8 cup Dijon or Yellow Mustard

1 Tablespoon Splenda (or no-cal sugar sub)

A dash of garlic powder

2 Chicken Breast  (make sure to double the above items if making more than 2 servings)

Olive Oil

 

 

First, put your chicken breast in a zip lock bag and beat it like it stole your boyfriend.  I HATE pounding chicken.  Mostly because I am too impatient to sit there and bang on my counter top for 10 minutes to really get it thin, but just thin it out a little and you are good to go!  Plus the fact that I am super messy anyway  makes me pretty sure that I infected a large surface area of my home with salmonella as a result of my messy pounding.  It's cool..........I used soap to clean up :)

 

 

 



 

 

Next,  mix up your honey mustard sauce by  combining all the ingredients (except the olive oil) in a bowl and mixing it up.  I can't believe it, but it really does taste like store bought honey mustard.....but with NO CARBS!!

 

 

 

Then put your chicken in a baking dish and top with HALF of your honey mustard mixture.  Put it in the fridge and let it chill for 45 mins.  After everyone has enjoyed some "me" time, take the chicken out for the cooking process!

 

 

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees.  

 

Put some olive oil in a saucepan and heat to medium heat.  Then flash fry your chicken breast for 3 minutes on each side. 

  

 

 

 

Now, let's put that chicken back in the baking dish (rinsed out of course, what are we, savages?) Top with the remaining honey mustard sauce and bake it for 20 minutes.   

 

 

 

And there you have it!  A yummmmmmy lo-carb entree that even non lo-carbers won't be able to resist.  I hadn't made this in a while and I forgot how good it is!  I paired mine with some CALITATERS (find the recipe in an earlier posting) and some mixed veggies. 

 

 

Total for these 2 servings of chicken was about 250 calories each & 1 CARB!!!   These counts do not include my calitaters and veggie dish.  And remember, if making a double batch of the chicken to add in those calories. 

 

This meal was great and I didn't even go to bed with eating remorse.  I hope you love it!!!

 

Happy Eating.

Jerk Chops & Sweet Potato Crisps

     I love a little kick to pretty much everything I eat.  That's why I really love these jerk chops.  They are pan seared in olive oil so they have an incredible flavor, plus they have this spicy rub that really packs a kick!  This is also one of my favorite ways to cook chops because it's so quick.  Just don't smoke your house up like I do EVERY TIME I cook these.........you would think by now I'd be able to lower the heat enough to not set the fire alarms off.  Oh well, we all need a little excitement at dinner time, right?

     I've paired these with a sweet potato cut into rounds and baked.  I am not a sweet potato person, but for some reason when they are cut up like this I like them.  I only baked mine for 30 mins this time and they were a little too soft for me.  I think next time I would bake them about 45 mins for a crunchier chip!

Here's what you need:

1 Large Sweet Potato

Pork Chops

1 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Jerk Seasoning

Salt

Ground Cinnamon

Butter Substitute (spray is okay)

I also threw in some Cajun seasoning for more spice but that is optional!

 

    The one thing I love about this recipe is that you need so few ingredients to make such a tasty meal!  You can add as much or as little spice, but I will warn you, the mixture of the jerk seasoning AND the Cajun spices is pretty spicy.  You feel a little tingle on your taste buds the whole time you are eating, so if you are not a big spice person, maybe you should play it safe and just use the jerk seasoning..........sissy.   Ha ha, just kidding.

 

 

First preheat the oven to 375 degrees and chop your sweet potato into rounds......or fries, whatever floats your boat.

 

Then spray some butter substitute or melt some in a bowl and brush onto your rounds.  Then sprinkle with some cinnamon.  You can leave the cinnamon off if you want it to be more like a fry, but I like the flavor combination.  Then bake them for 30 mins for soft rounds or 45 mins for crispy rounds.

 



While your potatoes are cooking you can prep your chops.  On each side, sprinkle your seasonings & salt and rub into the meat.  Then put your olive oil in a pan and heat.  When the oil is hot it's time to cook!

 

Place the chops in the oil and cook for two minutes on each side.  I use tongs to flip them because sometimes the oil gets a little poppy!  Then cook for an additional five minutes.  I usually will keep flipping them every minute or so of that time just to make sure one side does not burn.

 

 

These chops were HUGE, so I cut them in half to make 4 servings.  I also will butterfly them in the last 2 minutes or so to make sure all the pink cooks out.

 

     And there you have it!  You won't even need any type of sauce for these chops.  They are that good!  I threw some green beans on there for good measure.  Total calories for the chops & potatoes is 215 calories (including the olive oil) and 17 carbs.  The carbs are all in the potatoes!  I hope you will try this delish combo for  yourself!

Happy Eating.

 

 

 



Chili ~ For These Lovely Fall Nights!

     Fall is in the air.  You know how I can tell?  Because I am on fall break and am splitting my time between spending all my money making crafts and watching trashy daytime talk shows!  What goes better with a little chill in the air than homemade chili?  This is my version so feel free to tweak as you see fit.  But I will say, it's pretty darn good and only 203 calories & 10 carbs per 2 cup serving!!!!  If you add in crackers, don't forget to add the calories as well.

Here's what you need:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 Bell Pepper

1 cup chopped onion

Large can of diced tomatoes

1 - 16oz can chili beans

1/4 cup Masa Flour

2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp Minced Onion

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp Cumin

3 tsp chili powder

 

 

I don't know what was going on with me, but I left several of these ingredients out of this photo! 

 

 

    First brown your ground beef and drain.  Chop your onion and your bell pepper.  Feel free to add more or less of these veggies to suit your taste!  Then just dump your veggies, spices and meat into a pot!  Can't get much easier than that can it?

 

 

 

    After you mix up that mixture, add in your beans (don't drain them) and your big can of tomatoes.  I also add about 2 cans worth of water.  I used my chili beans can.  Cut on high and bring to a boil, then lower it to simmer for at least 45 mins or so.

 

     Now what you DO NOT want to do is set your pot to high then go downstairs to supervise your husband who's making a photography prop for you and realize that you were supposed to set the pot to simmer...........by the time I made it upstairs the whole house smelled like burnt chili.  But surprisingly this chili is tough and it was just as yummy as if I'd been paying attention all along.







     We will be having the left overs for lunches and maybe even another dinner this week.  Having chili makes me feel like fall is really here!  Enjoy this new season!

Happy Eating.

Chicken Mozzarella Roll-Ups

Wow............It has been a while since I've made a recipe post.  Needless to say, if I haven't been posting, I probably haven't been cooking too much either.  Which means I've been living la vida fast food.........a lot.  I feel pretty crappy about it but it's been a little crazy at school.  No excuses.  Now that the wonderful week off known as fall break has arrived, I vow that I will be cooking each day and hopefully posting some great new recipes to get the blog caught up.  I made one last night that was terrific......Chicken Mozzarella Roll-Ups!

Here's what you need:

Chicken (not shown, but duh)

Sun dried Tomatoes (look at your package for serving sizes)

6oz Tomato Puree or Tomato Sauce

2oz of Mozzarella Cheese

Basil

Oregano

Salt/Pepper

 

 

First, you need to put your chicken breast in a Ziploc bag and beat it like Michael Jackson.  Ha ha. Sorry, I had to throw one in there to see if you were still paying attention.

 

Next, you are going to layer basil, sun dried tomatoes and cheese on top of the flattened chicken.

Then it time to roll up!  You want to roll the long side over on itself and secure the ends with toothpicks.

 

 

Before you place in the baking dish, put a layer of tomato puree in the bottom of your dish.  Place your chicken seam side down and top with the remaining sauce and remaining cheese. 

 

Bake these babies at 375 degrees for 40 minutes and you have a seriously yummy din-din.  Make sure to pair it with a veggie to keep the total calories for the meal down. 

 

Total counts on these were roughly 295 calories & 13 carbs per serving.  I only made enough for two servings, so if you are working on feeding a family you will need to double the recipe ingredients accordingly.  These things were seriously delicious and I just loved the little surprise of the sun dried tomato on the inside when you cut it up!  Hope you enjoy them!

Happy Eating.

 





Mini Meat Loaves

     One thing that I love is comfort food.  I can go to Cracker Barrel and get a "vegetable plate" which consists of nothing but fried okra, mashed potatoes,  squash casserole.........you know, all the healthy vegetables.  And when it comes to comfort food one of my all time favorites is meatloaf.  My mom makes the BEST meatloaf and she gave me her recipe.  I make it a lot, but I found another a few years ago that was a little healthier, so I created a hybrid meatloaf recipe out of the two!  That's where my mini meat loaves were born.  They are the perfect portion size so you feel full and satisfied....and you may have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Here's what you need:

1lb of Lean Ground Beef or Ground Turkey

1/2 Onion

1/2 Green Bell Pepper

7oz Spinach

1 Slice of Bread

1/2 Cup of Low Fat Milk (I use this lo-carb version)

Splash of Worcestershire

Splash of Steak Sauce

Salt/Pepper

Ketchup (not shown)

Franks Hot Sauce (not shown)

 

 

First, chop up your bell pepper and onion.  Crumble your slice of bread into a bowl and add all of the ingredients together EXCEPT the ketchup and hot sauce..........we will save those for later.

 

      Mix it up really good so you have a nice consistency.  I used canned spinach for this batch but I have used frozen and fresh as well.  I actually think I like the canned version better because it saves you a cooking step by not having to cook the spinach before you mix it in.  Do what you like best.

     Now, take a 1 cup measuring cup and pack the meatloaf mixture into it firmly.

 

 

     Now one step you don't want to forget is lining your baking sheet with some tin foil.  I got in a hurry this time and didn't and now I think I may need to toss that baking sheet............it's super gross.  Once your foil is in place, turn the cup upside down and tap it on the sheet so the meatloaf comes out in a cup shape.  Don't worry, it should hold it's shape just fine.

 

     Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.  About half way through take them out and brush the tops with a ketchup/hot sauce mixture.  If you don't want them to have a little flavor kick, leave out the hot sauce.  I use these......

 

     Now when you take these out half way through to brush the tops with the sauce, they may have a weird puddle of yucky fatty stuff around them.......it's just the fat from the meat cooking out.  Even when I have used ground turkey this happens a little bit.  I usually just take a spoon and kind of spoon it off from around them before I put them back in.  Or you can wait till they are done and just pull them off the foil and put them on another plate.  When you make meatloaf in a baking dish, that's what rises to the top and you can pour it off.  Since these are individual ones, it's coming out around the bottoms.  No worries.



 

     And there you go!  A perfect portion of meatloaf ready to eat or save for lunch another day.  I paired this one with some brown rice and it was a very filling meal.  Each mini meat loaf is approximately 290 calories and 8 carbs.  If you are eating it with a side, you probably wont need to eat more than one.....but you can if you want!  This recipe will make four meat loaves.  See, you can sneak in some veggies and still have that comfort food you love!

Happy eating!