Low fat and fast!

Hi All,
I apologize for my absence. It's been a busy Fall, full of family activity, the flu and/or flu prevention. Just some news before I get into blogging.

The Holiday Bake Sale is Tuesday, December 14th at Madonna University sponsored by Nutrition Network of Madonna. Lots of healthy, delicious holiday treats will be available. If you need a Christmas treat for school or work, please consider saving yourself some time and still bring reasonably priced, healthy treats from Madonna’s Nutrition Network. All proceed go to support Nutrition Network and its philanthropies. I’m a member and I thank you for your support.

Madonna University's Dietetic program will be supporting a family for the holidays! We have not yet received the wish list of the family however we are accepting items such as canned goods. We will have a list shortly for the family with the names and ages of the family members. Please bring all donations to the Food Science room 1502 at Madonna University. Please help to make this holiday extra special for a family in need!

And now some low fat recipes to help you get through this Holiday season. The average person gains weight during the holidays, so plan ahead by cutting back where you can early in the season. I have a friend, who religiously drops 10 lbs every year before Halloween in anticipation of the Holidays. I am not that disciplined, but I do work at improving my health every year. If you have any exercise tips or weight loss suggestions, I'd love to hear about them. Please email me! So hear are some of my favorite lowfat holiday recipes for the season. This will hopefully counteract the calorie count introduced when I do my cookie blog. Mangia!

MAC AND CHEESE Recipe- my boys love this and have no idea it's lowfat!

4 cups cooked elbow macaroni (about 8 oz.uncooked, without salt or fat)
2 cups (8 oz.) Shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup low fat or no fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup no fat sour cream
1/2 cup skim milk
2 T. minced onion
1 1/2 t. reduced calorie margarine
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 T. reduced calorie margarine
1/4 t. paprika

1. Preheat oven 350°F.

2. Combine first 10 ingredients; stir well. Spoon into a shallow 2-qt baking dish coated with non-fat spray.

3. Combine breadcrumbs with margarine and paprika; stir well. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over the casserole. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover casserole and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings. 8 points for weight watchers.

HIGH BAR OLYMPIC CHICKEN - simple and delicious, especially with the mac-n-cheese. Serve with french cut green beans and sauteed red peppers for a complete meal.

6 egg whites
2 tablespoons non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs (Panko bread crumbs work well also)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites lightly to a froth. Add the yogurt and whisk to combine. In another large bowl, combine the cornmeal, bread crumbs, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, paprika and salt.
3. Dip the chicken breasts in the flour. Then dip them in the beaten egg whites, and finally in the seasoned cornmeal/bread crumb mixture. After breading the chicken, place it on a non-stick cookie sheet or a low sided roasting pan and put it in the oven.
4. Cook for 35 minutes or until fully cooked and crispy brown.
Yield: 4 to 6 portions


SPICY LOWFAT BLACK BEAN SOUP- satisfying and delish! Easy to make and great on busy holiday season evenings.

4t olive or canola oil
1 C onion, chopped
1 C water
1 C beef broth
16 oz drained, canned black beans
4 T tomato paste
12 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), cut into matchstick pieces (I use scissors for this. It makes it much easier)
2 t balsamic or red wine vinegar
½ t dried basil
½ t crushed red pepper
½ t salt

In a 4 qt sauce pan heat oil; add onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until onion is translucent, 4-6 minutes. Add water, broth, beans and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minute. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to work bowl of food processor and puree (or use a hand blender, much simpler and you don’t have to transfer anything. You just puree in the sauce pan.) Return to saucepan; add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, until mixture is heated through, about 10 minutes.

You can serve with sour cream and shredded cheese on top.