4th of July

So I went home to AZ for a wedding during 4th of July weekend. That's why I haven't posted in a while. I had a blast at one of my best friends/sisters wedding! When I got home to Yuma I decided to cook a healthier meal for my family for an early 4th of July celebration. We did some traditional things such as burgers and apple cobbler, but with a healthy twist. Here are 3 recipes that are super fantastic and that I cooked while at home.

Ranch Cheddar Turkey Burgers

Ingredients
Serving Size-1 Patty (Yields 6)-155 Calories
1 lb. lean Ground Turkey
1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry ranch dressing mix

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form mixture into 6 hamburger patties. Cook in a skillet or on a grill until fully cooked approximately 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Serve with a low calorie bun, lettuce, tomato or any of you favorite (but healthy) condiments.

Bacon Wrapped Pepper Poppers

Because really, what DOESN'T taste better with bacon?

Ingredients- Serving size (1/4th recipe) 3 poppers- 107 Calories
1/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
2 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
6 fresh whole jalapeño peppers
6 slices turkey bacon or vegetarian bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese with cheese wedges and mix until smooth. Set aside. Halve the peppers lengthwise, and remove seeds, stems, etc. Wash halves and dry them very well. Evenly spoon and spread cheese mixture into the pepper halves. Set aside.

Cut bacon slices in half widthwise, yielding 12 pieces. Wrap a piece of bacon around each pepper half, and secure with a toothpick if needed.

Evenly place pepper halves on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the bacon is just crispy, about 20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Apple iCobbler
Ingredients
Serving Size: 1/4th recipe (about 1 cup)-126 Calories
3 cups peeled apple chunks (any sweet, not tart, variety)
1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
2 sheets (8 crackers) low-fat honey graham crackers
2 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute
2 tbsp. no-sugar-added applesauce
3 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated), divided
2 tbsp. brown sugar (not packed)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine 2/3 cup of cold water with brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tbsp. of the Splenda. Stir well. In a medium-sized pot, combine apple chunks with this mixture. Heat the apple mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once liquid thickens to a syrupy consistency and begins to bubble, reduce heat to low and cover. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, and then transfer mixture to a medium-sized round baking dish. Set aside.

Next, break graham crackers into small pieces. Place graham pieces and Fiber One in a blender or food processor, and grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a microwave-safe dish, and add egg substitute, applesauce, 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and the remaining 2 tbsp. of Splenda. Stir well. Microwave graham mixture for 1 minute. Use a fork to break up the toughened mixture as much as possible, and then allow it to cool for a few minutes. Transfer graham mixture to a food processor or blender, and pulse until crumbly and uniform.

Evenly distribute graham topping over apple mixture. Place the dish in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Allow cobbler to cool slightly before serving.

I served the cobbler with 1/2 cup of Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (100 Calories) Yummy!

California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken Pizza

A single-serve BBQ chicken pizza that is SO rockin' it hurts. CPK, eat your heart out...I love this recipe and make it all the time.

Ingredients
Serving Size: 1 pizza (entire recipe) 340 Calories
1 stick light string cheese
3 oz. cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped
2 tbsp. your favorite BBQ sauce with about 45 calories per 2-tbsp. serving, divided
1 high-fiber or whole-wheat pita
1 1/2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion

Optional
1 tsp. chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Break string cheese into thirds, and place in a food processor or blender -- blend at high speed until cheese takes on a shredded or grated consistency. (Or just tear string cheese into pieces and roughly chop.) Set aside.

In a small dish, toss chopped chicken with 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce and set aside.

Place pita on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Spread remaining 1 tbsp. BBQ sauce onto the exposed side of the pita, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge.

Sprinkle evenly with shredded/grated cheese. Scatter saucy chicken over the layer of cheese, and then sprinkle with onion.

Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until pizza is hot. Top with cilantro, slice into quarters, and enjoy. YUMMMM!

I sometimes top mine with grated Parmesan cheese! It all depends on my mood. Again sorry for the bad pic. My blackberry isn't the best device for taking pics.






The Original Sin: Comparison Time

CPK is a place full of cool, innovative, and delicious dishes. I LOVE that, but there are a few major flaws. First, the portions. Those pizzas are too large to be considered single servings, but too small to be shared without ordering a few. And second, the stats. So many of the menu items are super high in calories. Even the kid-sized version of this pizza has nearly half a thousand calories and double-digit fat grams. This one is NOT hard to make over, people. The key is finding a BBQ sauce you love that has about 45 calories a serving (I use Jack Daniels Original Recipe BBQ sauce), shredding up some string cheese (it melts SO much better than the pre-shredded stuff), and getting some good high-fiber pitas. And this pie ACTUALLY serves one -- it's perfectly sized! So if you know someone who thinks they're gonna steal a slice of yours, you'd better double the recipe. Just a friendly little tip...


Serving Size of a CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza: 1 pizza
Calories: 1,136

Yeah didn't that just make you cry a little...