1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets..roughly the same size 2 tablespoons of fat free cream cheese 2 tablespoons of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Steam cauliflower over boiling water for 10-15 minutes, until tender.  Or microwave on high for 10-15 minutes or until very tender.  Drain thoroughly. Mash with a fork and thoroughly blend in the cream cheese, grated cheese, and garlic powder.  Season with black pepper and salt substitute to taste. Makes 4 servings. 3/4 cup each. … [Read more...]

5 oz. Chicken Breast 2 tablespoons marinara sauce 1 oz. part skim shredded mozzarella cheese Grill or saute the chicken breast  in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat until cooked through. Tope the cooked chicken breast with marinara sauce and cheese, and broil until hot and bubbly (or microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese) Makes one serviing. … [Read more...]

I’m Wendy, the Local Cook. Jules and I will be swapping blog posts a few times a month. See, we are in this weight loss journey thing together. I’m a long time follower of hers, and find her writing so inspirational. She asked me to help her in her quest to learn how to cook. Ironically enough, even though my blog is The Local Cook, I haven’t been cooking that long. Well, cooking something that doesn’t start out with “a can of.” Last August I decided that I needed to do something about my weight, and I knew I wanted to do it by cooking real food. I also wanted to improve my cooking ability. So I decided to cook all the recipes from Simply in Season. I love this … [Read more...]

I have been experimenting with added a few more taste to my salads, instead of the same ol' boring thing. My salad this weekend actually tasted like dessert!  I got the idea from a restaurant salad, but of course, when you make your own you have a little more control of the calories. I mixed butter lettuce and romaine lettuce. 1 fresh pear, cut  into small chunks 2-4 tablespoons of gorgonzola cheese pieces Once on the plate, the walnuts are optional.  I took 4 walnut halves and broke them into small pieces. I found a cranberry walnut gorgonzola vinaigrette dressing at Trader Joe's.  75 calories for 2 tablespoons. That's it!  That simple but FABULOUS mix of taste … [Read more...]

2-3 lbs of red potatoes 1 bottle of Greek Vinagrette Salad Dressing 1 bunch of green onions Thyme Garlic Salt Pepper Shredded Parmessan Cheese Boil the potatoes and let cool.  Cut potatoes into bite size chunks (with skins).  Cut green onions and add amount for your taste.  Stir in the Greek Vinagrette dressing, small portions at a time, to lightly coat. (I used about a third of the bottle)  Add Garlic Salt, Pepper, and Thyme. Sprinkle in Shredded Parmessan and Stir it all together. That's it.    It is the first time in YEARS!  that everyone in my family raved about how good it was!  Let me know how it turns out for you. … [Read more...]

Pioneer Woman is one of my TOP favorite blogs as I am sure it is for so many others!  Today, she posted a Pot Roast Redux recipe with pictures included. Please go check it out and I will be attempting to follow this recipe soon!  I will let you know how it goes! … [Read more...]

The Chimichanga Challenge I love Mexican Food - of course, the fried kind. How can I make this healthier and still be tasty.  Here is the original recipe Give me YOUR help to change this up CHIMICHANGAS 2 lbs. beef stew meat 1 1/2 c. water 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp. chili powder 1 tbsp. vinegar 2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. ground cumin 1/8 tsp. pepper 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas Fat for frying 2 c. shredded lettuce 2 c. Guacamole Radish roses In medium saucepan combine meat, water, garlic, chili powder, vinegar, oregano, salt, cumin and pepper. Bring to boiling. Cover; reduce heat and simmer about 2 hours or until meat is very … [Read more...]

Courtesy of In Pursuit of my Inner Pinup Hamburger Pie. The original recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, copyright 1953, 1962. Please note: I am using the Mastercook recipe program to tally nutritional information then plugging those numbers into the online WW calculator to determine POINTS. While I believe it to be accurate, please feel free to do the math yourself in your own way. Hamburger Pie -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 pound ground beef 1 medium onion -- chopped 3/4 teaspoon salt dash pepper 1 pound canned green beans -- drained 1 can condensed tomato soup 5 medium potatoes -- cooked 1/2 cup warm milk 1 egg -- … [Read more...]