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Here’s a healthy, low-fat recipe I adapted from Eat Better America.  I substituted ground turkey for ground chicken and made a few other changes.  We also added salt, reduced the broth to one can which is two cups (instead of the three cups), and used a mix of cheeses.  Last, we added crumbled-up tortilla chips on top with the shredded cheese.  Very good!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1  14.5 ounce can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 – 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 medium size zucchini, chopped
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
• 1  4.5 oz can chopped green chiles
• Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
• Tortilla chips, crumbled

Cook the turkey, onion, and garlic for a few minutes.  Stir several times until the turkey is done.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese and tortilla chips.  Heat to boiling, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Top with cheese and crumbled chips before serving.

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Well, forget the wordless. Our son layered a fresh-made brownie, warm chocolate instant pudding, vanilla ice cream, and canned whipped cream drizzled with dark chocolate syrup in crystal stemware for an elegant dessert in a few minutes. Delicious!!

Here is a simple and delicious recipe from Becky, a teacher friend of mine. I wondered about the combination of ingredients and was pleasantly surprised how good this is. Becky said that her sons do not even like pears, yet she has to make a double batch of this because they like it so much. It actually has a gourmet quality to it and would be pretty to make it in a colored pie plate for the holidays.

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INGREDIENTS:

• Gouda Cheese, 8 oz or so

• 1 can Crescent Rolls

• 1 can sliced pears with syrup

• 1/4 – 1/3 cup brown sugar

Unroll crescent roll pieces and place in a pinwheel fashion around the pie plate with the thin piece of the roll in the middle of the plate.  Place cheese in the center of the plate and then fold up the pieces of the rolls to cover the cheese.  Pinch the seams together, pour the whole can of sliced pears over the rolls and then sprinkle the top with the brown sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the cheese is starting to ooze out a little.  Serve warm.  Crackers are optional, however, we didn’t eat crackers with it.

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Sometimes, there is not much time to get a meal together.  Here is a great recipe for turkey that is delicious!  Just add stuffing, gravy (I use the turkey gravy in a jar when I’m in a hurry), green bean casserole, another vegetable, rolls, and a dessert from your favorite bakery.

Crock Pot Turkey Breast:

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-pound boneless turkey breast
• Can of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or minced garlic)
• 1/4 teaspoon of minced onion flakes (or onion slices)
• Optional:  your favorite herbs can be added such as fresh rosemary in place of the garlic

In the sink or a large dish, cut the plastic bag off the turkey breast with kitchen shears and also cut off the netting.   There will be a lot of juices in the bag that will make a mess, so be sure to have something to catch the juices.  Then place the turkey with the above ingredients in the crock pot.   Cook on high for 2 hours and then on low for 6-8 hours, or cook it on low for 10-12 hours if you need to start cooking before you leave for work.  If you’re short on time, cook for 4 – 4 1/2 hours on high.  Make sure it’s tender and done in the middle.

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Cooking the turkey breast in the crock pot makes it so moist and tender, and I think maybe it’s the best we’ve ever had. And the great thing is that it’s so easy.

Sheila, my college roommate, emailed me this recipe that she received from her cousin, Bev, who says that she makes a “mean meatloaf.” This sounds very tasty and like it would make a special holiday dish for meatloaf lovers.

Meatloaf (serves 3-4)

INGREDIENTS:

• McCormick Meatloaf dry mix

• 1 lb ground chuck

• 1 egg

• 1 slice white bread, crumbled (let bread sit on counter to dry out for a few minutes- easier to crumble)

• Diced bell pepper (might only use half, depending on your preference)

• Diced  small onion

• Brown sugar (approx 1 ½ cups)

• Ketchup ( a few squirts)

• 3 strips raw bacon, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except brown sugar and ketchup.  I use my hands, so that all ingredients really mix and there’s no meat that doesn’t have the dry mix on it.

In a square pyrex dish, place the 3 strips of bacon.  Then add the meat and form into a loaf.  My loaf is fairly flat (probably about 1 ½- 2 inches tall) because I want it to cook thoroughly in the center with no pink.

In a separate small bowl mix, with a fork,  brown sugar and ketchup.  The goal is for the ketchup to wet the brown sugar and turn it into a glaze.  The glaze should not taste ketchup-y.  spread glaze over meatloaf and bake at 400 degrees for 30 mins or so.

Serve with mashed potatoes and English peas!!  Enjoy!!

One of our favorite recipes for holiday dinners is sweet potato casserole.  I’ve listed three below.  The first one is from Michelle, a dear friend of ours.  The second one is from my mother.  She had a way of fixing canned sweet potatoes that did not taste canned, but she never wrote down her recipe.  This is the best I could remember.  The third one is a lighter recipe which sounds really good!

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• Holiday Sweet Potatoes
• Easy Sweet Potato Casserole
• Sweet Potato-Pecan Casserole  Calories 160; Fat 4 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 25 mg; Sodium 180 mg;  Carbohydrate 31 g; Fiber 3 g;      Protein 3 g

Need some ideas for desserts that are delicious yet lower fat, lower cholesterol, or lower calories?  Here are four desserts that might work:

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• Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie  from Food Network  (might be better with graham cracker crust).    Calories 279; Total Fat 8.5 g (Sat Fat 2.7g, Mono Fat 1.7g, Poly Fat 1.7g) ; Protein 7g; Carb 44g; Fiber 1g; Cholesterol 43mg; Sodium 158mg
• Double Chocolate Pudding Pie  from Food Network.   Just a small dollop of real whipped cream on top will still give a taste of richness.
• Healthified Pumpkin Pie  from Eat Better America  (Cholesterol-free)
• Creamy Vanilla-Caramel Cheesecake  from Eat Better America.    Calories 180 (Calories from Fat 70); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 4 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 25mg; Sodium 190mg; Total Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 17g); Protein 5g, Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices.