Skinni Chicken Parmesan (oven baked)

Skinni Chicken Parmesan (oven baked)

Chicken Parmesan is a tasty dish, and tastes even better when it is cooked in a healthy way! I love using Shake 'n Bake on this oven baked chicken dish, mainly because there is something fun about shaking and baking! For whatever reason, shake and bake makes me think of my friend Lauren. I don’t know if she’s ever used it, but I just hear her Southern drawl saying, “It’s Shake 'n Bake, and I helped.” It makes me laugh….

Ingredients

1.       1.5-2 pounds chicken breast (I like my pieces cut smaller to ensure they are cooked)

2.       1 packet of Shake 'n Bake-Italian flavor

3.       2 cups of Skinni Spaghetti Tomato Sauce (or your favorite spaghetti sauce in a jar)

4.       1 teaspoon oregano

Directions

1.       Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.       Prepare the chicken as directed on the Shake 'n Bake box. (I just lightly coat the chicken, as not to overwhelm the chicken with crust).

3.       Once the chicken is lightly coated with the mix, lay the pieces in a 9x13 inch pan that is lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray.

4.       Cook the chicken for 20 minutes.

5.       Add the Tomato Sauce and sprinkle the oregano on top.

6.       Cook the dish an additional 5 minutes.

7.       Enjoy this dish with the chicken as the main or serve on top of spaghetti noodles!

*If you make the Skinni Spaghetti Tomato Sauce with this dish, you will have a lot of sauce left over. I suggest freezing. There is nothing like having pre-made homemade spaghetti sauce at your disposal!

*Optional-melt shredded mozzarella cheese on top (I vote for fat free or at least part-skim). You can add this when you add the spaghetti sauce to your chicken.

Skinni Spaghetti Tomato Sauce

Skinni Spaghetti Tomato Sauce

Flavorsome veggie loaded spaghetti sauce that will taste good on just about anything! Forget about the sauce that comes in the jar, it just can’t compare!

Ingredients

1.       3 white onions (chopped)

2.       6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

3.       29 ounce can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)

4.       29 ounce can of tomato sauce (no salt added)

5.       12 ounce can of tomato paste

6.       1 tablespoon oregano

7.       2 tablespoons basil

8.       1 tablespoon Splenda

9.       1 teaspoon salt

10.   1 teaspoon pepper

11.   1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1.       In a large pot, cook all of the tomatoes and spices over medium high.

2.       In a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, begin cooking the onions and garlic until they begin to soften.

3.       Add the vegetables to the tomatoes.

4.       Bring the sauce to a slow boil, then to reduce to a simmer.

5.       Allow the sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes (longer if you have time-it gets better the longer it cooks).

6.       Enjoy!

*Yes, this is basically the same as my Meat Sauce recipe, just without the meat!

Skinni Spaghetti Meat Sauce

Skinni Spaghetti Meat Sauce

When asked to make meat sauce for my husband’s birthday dinner last week, I made this delicious meat sauce instead of just reaching for the spaghetti sauce jar. It took a while to make, but the reviews were great and the leftovers have lasted for a long time! So try this homemade recipe, I promise it won’t disappoint!

 Ingredients

1.       2 pounds lean ground beef (or ground turkey if you prefer)

2.       3 white onions (chopped)

3.       1 green pepper (chopped)

4.       6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

5.       29 ounce can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)

6.       29 ounce can of tomato sauce (no salt added)

7.       12 ounce can of tomato paste

8.       1 tablespoon oregano

9.       2 tablespoons basil

10.   1 tablespoon Splenda

11.   1 teaspoon salt

12.   1 teaspoon pepper

13.   1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1.       In a large pot, cook all of the tomatoes and spices over medium high.

2.       In a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, begin cooking the onions, green pepper and garlic until they begin to soften.

3.       Add the vegetables to the tomatoes.

4.       In the same skillet as you cooked the veggies, cook the meat until browned.

5.       Drain the meat, and add to the tomatoes.

6.       Bring the sauce to a slow boil, then to reduce to a simmer.

7.       Allow the sauce to simmer for about 30 minutes (longer if you have time-it gets better the longer it cooks).

8.       Serve on top of your favorite pasta, mine’s spaghetti squash, and enjoy!

*To make a vegetarian version, omit the beef altogether or add mushrooms.

The sauce (just the tomatoes and the spices)

The onions, green pepper, and garlic.

The sauce with the veggies and meat.

The meat sauce on the spaghetti squash noodles!

Skinni Spaghetti Squash

Skinni Spaghetti Squash

Cooking Spaghetti Squash is something that I have wanted to try for a while, and it is so easy that I am kicking myself I did not try it sooner! Spaghetti Squash is the perfect low calorie, low carb option for spaghetti noodles. Generally I do not cook much pasta, but now that I have a sub for noodles I will be cooking pasta dishes a lot more (this makes my husband super happy)!

Ingredients

1.       Spaghetti Squash

2.       Spray Olive Oil

3.       Sea Salt

Directions

1.       Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.       Cut the spaghetti squash in half (long ways-in terms of paper folding-hot dog length)

3.       Scrape out the seeds.

4.       Place the halves of squash rind side up on a lined cookie sheet with foil.

5.       Spray the squash with olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on.

6.       Bake the spaghetti squash for about 40 minutes. Just look for it to brown slightly.

7.       After the squash has cooled for a few minutes, use a fork to scrape out the spaghetti squash. You will be amazed at how the squash comes out in these perfect little strands that look just like spaghetti (I know I was)!

8.       Top with your favorite pasta topping and enjoy!

*Spaghetti squash has about 41 calories per cup, 0 grams of fat, and 10g carbohydrates! Compare that to 1 cup of cooked spaghetti noodles of 220 calories and 43 carbohydrates!

*I like my spaghetti squash with meat sauce, but they would taste great with some spray butter and salt and pepper!

Skinni Strawberry Cheesecake

Skinni Strawberry Cheesecake

There is something about cheesecake and strawberries that just goes together just so well. So why not use the strawberry to hold the cheesecake, instead of just placing it on top. The Skinni Strawberry Cheesecake has just enough cheesecake without being overwhelming and the strawberry gives it a fantastic sweet taste!

Ingredients

1.       1 tub of Fat Free Cool Whip

2.       1 box of Fat Free Sugar Free Cheesecake Pudding

3.       12 large strawberries (24 if they are small)

Directions

1.       Wash all of your strawberries. Flip the strawberry over so that it is on the stem. Using a sharp knife, slice down in an X formation, stopping about a centimeter above the stem.

2.       In a bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the cool whip. Gradually, while mixing the cool whip, add the pudding to the cool whip.

3.       Place the cheesecake mixture into a zip lock bag. Seal the bag up and cut off a small corner.

4.       Squeeze about 2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture into each of the strawberries. (You might have to use your finger to create a space for the mixture to squeeze into.)

5.       Place in the refrigerator before serving.

6.       Enjoy you bite size strawberry cheesecake! 

*Skinni Strawberry Cheesecakes are sugar and fat free and have about 46 calories!

Skinni PB2 and J Cookies

Skinni PB2 and J Cookies

Everyone loves a good old PB and J. I should know, I make one every day for my husband to take for lunch! This is just a cute cookie sandwich that includes PB2 and Jelly without any crust!

Ingredients

1.       3 egg whites (I used XL-make sure you use eggs and not the boxed egg whites)

2.       ½ teaspoon Vanilla

3.       1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

4.       5 tablespoons of Splenda

5.       2 teaspoons PB2

6.       Jar of your favorite Sugar Free Jelly (I like Smucker’s Strawberry)

Directions

1.       Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

2.       In a mixer, whip the egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar until they have the frothy airy look.

3.       Gradually add in the Splenda.

4.       Add the PB2.

5.       On a parchment paper lined pan, drop the meringue cookies by the teaspoon (it will make 48).

6.       Cook the cookies for 12-15 minutes.

7.       After the cookies have cooled. Take two cookies, and place ½ teaspoon of the jelly in between (making your PB2 and J Sandwich). This will make about 24 sandwiches.

8.       Enjoy your crust-less PB2 and J cookies!

*These fun cookie sandwiches are about 6 calories each, and so much fun to eat!

Skinni PB2 Meringue Cookies

Skinni PB2 Meringue Cookies

Fluffy Peanut Butter, need I say more! I love meringue cookies and peanut butter, so these scrumptious cookies just hit the spot!

Ingredients

1.       3 egg whites (I used XL-make sure you use eggs and not the boxed egg whites)

2.       ½ teaspoon Vanilla

3.       1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar (*see below for explination)

4.       5 tablespoons of Splenda

5.       2 teaspoons PB2

Directions

1.       Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

2.       In a mixer, whip the egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar until they have the frothy airy look.

3.       Gradually add in the Splenda.

4.       Add the PB2.

5.       On a parchment paper lined pan, drop the meringue cookies by the teaspoon (it will make 48).

6.       Cook the cookies for 12-15 minutes.

7.       Enjoy the airy PB2 cookies!

*These cookies are 2 calories each, and the entire pan is only 97 calories!!!!!

*My friend Carolyn called me once asking about the Cream of Tartar and what it does for the recipe, so I figured other people might want to know. Cream of Tartar helps to stabilize the egg whites when cooking. The egg whites are fairly fragile and can fall apart when cooking, so the Cream of Tartar helps to hold the egg whites together. I’m actually glad she asked. I always used it in cooking but did not necessarily understand why! Thanks for asking Carolyn!

I just let my Mixer do the hard work!

Before Baking

After Baking

Yum! Only 2 calories!