Thanksgiving Club Sandwiches

Thanksgiving Club Sandwiches
Makes 2 Servings

2 rolls (about 200 calories each)
2 tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
2 tsp minced garlic, jarred
6 oz. cooked turkey, room temperature or warmed in microwave
2 pieces turkey bacon, cooked in microwave
1 slice reduced fat provolone cheese, cut in half
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1 handful arugula

Set oven to broil. Cut rolls in half and lay open side up on a baking sheet. Mix together mayonnaise and garlic in a small prep bowl. Spread on the inside of each roll. Top with turkey, bacon, cheese and carefully place cranberries on cheese. Broil for 3-5 minutes, keeping an eye on the oven to avoid overcooking. Remove when cheese has melted. Add arugula on top and put lid on.

Nutritional Information: 390 calories, 51 carbs, 9 fat grams and 25 protein grams.


Review: LOVED. Super creamy due to the mayo blend and cheese, soft and still crispy due to broiling and the cranberries and arugula added a nice twist. This was a yummy way to use our leftovers - it makes me want to keep cooked turkey around! You could easily take this down in calories by using a less caloric roll. This way you could add a side salad to make up those calories. While it was filling, it may be more filling this way.

The inside!

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup
Makes 4 Servings
Adapted from What’s Cookin’ Chicago

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup carrot, finely diced or matchsticks
1 pound chicken
1 cup long grain rice
5 cups chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh - juice from 2 lemons)
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup spinach (optional)
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (optional)
8 oz. mushrooms (optional)

Heat a large pan (with lid) over medium high heat; add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and onion. Cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add chicken and brown slightly, then add carrots and rice. Stir to toast the rice for a minute. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the rice cooks completely. Add cream. Continue cooking and stirring for 2-3 minutes, then garnish with parsley and serve.

Nutritional Information: 358 calories, 44 carbs, 5 fat grams and 35 protein grams.

Review: Big fan! I will say that the mushrooms gave it a different taste, but I made it without and you got much more of a lemony taste. I thought it had a great flavor, and loved the parsley with lemon taste, and that little bit of cream went a long way, too. I think it's a great fall dish and of course anything with rice is a win for me. My recommendations would be to make sure the chicken is more shredded then diced, use fresh lemon juice, and make sure you cook the onions and carrots to where they're soft not crunchy (which is why i'm a fan of matchstick carrots - easier to cook!).

A bite - yum!

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan

Crockpot Chicken Parmesan
Inspired by Recipe Shoebox
Makes 4 Servings

1 pound chicken, 4 4-oz. chicken breasts (or 8 2-oz. chicken tenders) - defrosted/not cooked
¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
8 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup reduced fat mozzarella, grated
1.5 cups spaghetti sauce
8 oz. pasta (long shape of your choice)
Parsley, fresh for garnish (optional)

Spray crockpot with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, beat egg. In second medium bowl, mix bread crumbs, spices and grated Parmesan cheese together. Dip chicken in beaten egg and then toss into bread crumb mixture to coat on both sides. Place chicken on bottom of crockpot; add mozzarella on top. Cover chicken with sauce. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Serve over cooked pasta.

Nutritional information: 457 calories, 56 carbs, 8 fat grams and 41 protein grams.

Review: WOW - we have a new favorite slowcooker recipe! I loved not having to cook the chicken - just drip it in egg, dip it in bread crumb mix, drop on cheese, pour on sauce and walk away while it cooks into yumminess! Austin was a BIG fan - even better than when using the oven. The chicken just falls apart and the breading added a lot to the dish. We'll be having this A LOT - I think it's Austin's favorite slowcooker dish!

Chicken Lo Mein

Chicken Lo Mein 
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe inspired by Blog Chef

1 pound chicken
5 tbsp soy sauce
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 tbsp fresh garlic
4 tsp sesame oil, divided
1 cups carrots, shredded
1 cup cabbage, sliced thin
8 ounce fat-free chicken broth
3 green onions (sliced)
1 package (10 oz.) Somen noodles (Japanese noodles; cooked and drained)

In a large bowl combine chicken, soy sauce, cornstarch, ginger, and garlic. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes. Heat 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a skillet over high heat. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon reserving marinade. Add to the skillet and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink (7-8 minutes). Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add another teaspoon of sesame oil to the skillet and add carrots. Stir try for 1 minute. Remove from the skillet. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and add cabbage and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and the reserve marinade to the wok. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables. Cook until the sauce has thickened (about 1 minute). Mix the chicken and sauce mixture with the cooked linguini and mix in green onions.

Nutritional Information: 467 calories, 63 carbs, 6 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

Review: First, Somen noodles are kind of awesome. Even without any sauce, they have a lot of flavor straight out of the pot plain. I found them at Publix and couldn’t wait to use them. Now, I didn’t have to use 10 oz. (i.e. 5 servings) – but I figured I’d try them all. You can easily take this dish down in calories & carbs by using 4 servings instead. On to the dish – it was a lot of food and very filling. The veggies added a lot of crunch and flavor, and the sauce made up of spices and cornstarch had a great taste and went well with the somen noodles. Great dish, Austin was a fan, we’ll be having it again!

Supreme Pizza Lasagna

Supreme Pizza Lasagna
Makes 6 Servings

½ cup red onion
8 oz. mushrooms
1 large bell pepper, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
400 grams fat-free ricotta cheese
1 egg
150 grams mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 - 4 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 ½ cups low-calorie spaghetti sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
¼ cup progresso Italian Bread Crumbs
50 turkey pepperonis
Optional for spice: red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 475. Toss onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic and oil in a bowl. Season with salt to taste. Place vegetables on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spray cooking spray lightly over top of vegetables. Roast for 22 minutes, until golden brown.While they’re cooking, in a medium-sized bowl, add ricotta, egg, 60 grams of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Combine until mixed thoroughly. Layer a rectangular baking pan with one cup spaghetti sauce. Lay four noodles on top. Spread half of ricotta mixture on the noodles. Then, once done, spoon half of vegetable mixture on top. Repeat with one cup sauce, four noodles, remainder of ricotta mixture, remainder of vegetable mixture and one cup sauce. Top with 50 turkey pepperonis spread evenly, then last four noodles, remaining ½ cup sauce and remaining 90 grams of cheese. Sprinkle on bread crumbs. Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 410 calories, 49 carbs, 12 fat grams and 22 protein grams.

Review: YUM – it tasted just like pizza to me, but then lasagna. I just really liked it. I always get nervous making my own recipes, but I had all of the vegetables to roast (they were about to go bad!), then the pepperonis were on hand and it just kind of hit me – supreme pizza lasagna! The servings were filling and me and Austin both liked it a lot. I’ll definitely make this again, good dish for a crowd!

whole dish

Vegetables to roast! You can do a huge tray, and then use for several recipes!

Peppery Pork in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Peppery Pork with Creamy Tomato Sauce
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from For the Love of Cooking

2 tsp olive oil
1 pound Pork cutlets
1 tbsp light butter
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
8 oz of button mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp paprika
1 cup of beef broth
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
8 oz. Egg noodles, cooked per instructions
Handful of baby spinach

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of the pork with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook pork for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Set meat aside to rest under a tin foil tent. Add butter to the same skillet and add onions. Cook for 3 minutes or until slightly tender. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, flour and paprika. Stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add beef broth and stir. Simmer until thickened, then add sour cream and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook egg noodles per package instructions while the sour cream sauce is cooking. Once noodles are done, drain water then toss noodles with fresh spinach. The hot noodles will cook the spinach just slightly. For each serving, place 2 pork cutlets on top of noodles and spinach, then top with the sauce.

Nutritional Information: 432 calories, 51 carbs, 8 fat grams and 38 protein grams.


Review: We've now made this one twice - it's just so good! I love the soft egg noodles and how well they go with the beefy/tomato/creamy sauce. The spinach and mushrooms boost up the veggie quotient (which I'm really trying to get better at!), and it came together quickly. I think it's a great, easy recipe that reheats well, and I'm happy to be finding more pork recipes that I enjoy. I had no idea how calorie-friendly pork cutlets are, or how quickly they cook up due to how thin they are - perfect! I highly recommend this one. And if you worry about the sour cream, don't! Austin made it without it one time and it was great - just a little less creamy and a little more tomatoey!