Baked Chicken Parmesan

This was a delicious and super easy alternative to regularly fried chicken parmesan, and my boyfriend and I loved it! Credits go to Skinny Taste for this recipe, and many more to come! Yum!!! 

Cabbage Soup

It's January - time to get a head start on your bikini body! One of the most popular diets going around is the 'cabbage soup diet'. The cabbage soup diet is designed to make you eat tons of vegetables - and practically nothing else - promising you will lose 10 lbs in 7 days.

Although this may sound like a miracle to some people, I personally do not feel the need to eat only vegetables for 7 days. Maybe if I need to squeeze into a dress for a formal party, but for now a healthy balance of all the food groups and regular exercise is my plan to a bikini body! 

Anyway, with Winston out of town tonight I decided to whip up a batch of my own take on cabbage soup, and I love it!! It's perfect for this time of year because it's warm and filling, but still 'zero' calories because it's all veggies!! Voilà!

Below you can find my recipe (from my mom) and feel free to tweak it in your own way. Also, as far as I'm concerned, a 'zero' calorie soup is permissible to be eaten with cheese - and I highly suggest Mediterranean feta! Yum!

Cabbage Soup

1/2 head of cabbage
1/2 head of cauliflower
2 large carrots, thinly sliced
1 can of petite diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 can of sweet corn
1 cup of boiled kale
1 32oz. beef broth
1 Tablespoon celery seed
1/2 chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon basil

Put everything in the crockpot for 4 hours on high, or until cabbage is done. I added kale last - stripped raw kale from the stems, boiled in salt water for 20 minutes. Mix everything together, garnish with your favorite cheese. Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup

I can hardly believe it's almost mid-November.. Christmas will be here before we know it!! And as the weather gets cooler, I am in search of any and every soup/slow cooker recipe (healthy recipes are a plus)! So tonight when this recipe popped into my inbox via WebMD's 'Daily Bite' I knew it would be the perfect recipe to make and share tonight! 

This warm, soothing low calorie soup recipe can be found below. Enjoy!

• For the complete recipe, visit WebMD 

Mango Banana Smoothie

It's Sunday. Time to recover, revamp and and revive ourselves in time for Monday. For me that includes clearing emails, checking what this weeks schedule entails and mentally preparing myself for a flood of insurance claims. But it's also Sunday Funday - a day full of football games, movies and online shopping - and after all, it's still the weekend! I decided to relax today by cooking a couple of my favorite recipes (which will be posted) sharing this tantalizing fruity recipe.

Whether it's brunch with the girls or watching football with the boyfriend, this smoothie is a delicious mix of summer fruits and a splash of OJ makes it a perfect Sunday beverage. 

1 Banana

Handful of fresh or frozen strawberries

1/3 c. Fruit sorbet

1 T. Mango sorbet

1/2 fresh squeezed orange

1 T. Mango juice

Throw in the blender with a few ice cubes, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!! 

Amish Breakfast Casserole

Lancaster, PA - also known as 'Pennsylvania Dutch Country' is known for it's covered bridges, shoofly pie and horse and buggys. Growing up in Amish country, I spent my days sucking honeysuckle, attending 'barn parties' and saying prayer at the beginning of every school day. Friends and neighbors were treated like family. If a someone was in need, had a new baby, or a recent death, friends and neighbors would cook a homemade dish and bring it over. With that being said I can tell you first-hand that the Amish and Mennonites are some of the best cooks I've ever met. So, when I saw this Amish breakfast recipe on Pinterest I had to check it out.

Although this is a Dutch County classic, I think it would be enjoyed by just about anyone from any decent. Perfect for holidays or lazy Sunday mornings, this dish can be made ahead and warmed up again and again. Filled with 3 types of cheeses, bacon and eggs, this is a breakfast dish your loved ones won't forget! Check out the recipe below! 

Amish Breakfast Casserole 

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound sliced bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 24 ounces frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) small curd cottage cheese
• 1 1/4 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking dish by lightly coating with cooking spray.
2. Dice the bacon into bite-size pieces prior to cooking. In a large skillet, combine the onion and bacon and cook until bacon is crisp. Drain. Return the skillet to the stove and add the minced garlic. Stir for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Remove from stove.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Stir in the bacon mixture. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minute before serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 273 Fat: 18 g Saturated fat: 10 g Sodium: 477 mg Fiber: 1 g Protein: 18 g Cholesterol: 153 mg