I have had a really busy few weeks. Work has been busy, family stuff has been heavy and because we don’t have enough to do we’ve been entertaining or going out almost every night (OK, that part is fun!). I’ve also been cooking up a storm. Some of my favorites this week include: Hungry Girl’s Oatmeal, Corn Dogs, Greek Pita’s with homemade Hummus and Strawberry Cloud Pie.

I also went out a lot this week. Panera for work. Subway for a meeting. And, yesterday we went to the grand opening of Texas Roadhouse with friends, only to find cars parked up and down the road like it was the state fair or something. Needless to say, we moved on. Our second stop was Romano’s Macaroni Grill. This was not my choice at all. Previously in the day I calculated what to order at TR so I could stay within my daily allotted points. Luckily the two hour wait deterred our visit. Half-an-hour later we found ourselves at a quaint little Italian place on the outside of town. I split a plate of cheese ravioli and marinara with a friend, and only ate half (huge portions).

All in all I came out on top this week. I’ve lost another 3lbs – making a grand total of 29lbs…and counting. I think I finally got this dieting thing down. Good Food, Exercise and Dedication do pay off.

Tonight’s meal. . . . . Can you guess what it is???

BUFFALO CHICKEN LASAGNA

It’s true. You can eat lasagna on a diet. I got this recipe down to FIVE points per serving. Crazy, but true.

Here are the INGREDIENTS:
12 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (I use Ronzoni)
1lb Boneless Chicken, cut into cubes
3c. Light Spaghetti Sauce (I use Hunt’s)
3/4c. Buffalo Wing Sauce (I use Franks)
1c. Water
7oz Fat Free Ricotta Cheese
8oz Light cottage cheese
1/2c. Egg beaters
160g. 50% Jack Cheese with Jalapenos, shredded
42g. Parmesan cheese, shredded
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.

2. Spray skillet with nonstick spray and cook chicken until no longer pink in the center.
3. Add spaghetti sauce, buffalo wing sauce and water to the pan.

4. In a separate bowl combine ricotta, cottage cheese and egg beaters.

5. Shred cheeses.

6. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1c. sauce in the bottom of the pan.
7. Arrange 4 noodles over the sauce. Layer ricotta cheese mixture, sauce mixture, shredded cheese and repeat.
8. Bake covered for 50 minutes.
9. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Cut into 9 equal pieces.
Serves: 9
WWP: 5
DID HE EAT IT?

He did! And he loved it!

I lovingly made this grilled cheese for DH over the weekend, yet he refused to eat it because he said it was “burnt”. I admit it was slightly more toasty than usual but still delicious and edible. Still he refused to eat it. What do you think? Is it burnt or just extra toasty?

As scheduled, I made Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms last night. We’ve had them once before and DH (Disagreeable Husband) ate them “to be supportive”. Last night produced a much more pronounced grumble when he saw what was for dinner. “No Meat? I can’t eat dinner without Meat!”. Oh but you can.

I made plenty of sides so DH wouldn’t starve: Baked potatoes, Fresh Steamed Green Beans and Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls. It was delicious!

The stuffed Portabello recipe is so easy:

Ingredients:

• EVOO
• Portabello Mushroom caps (cleaned with a damp paper towel)
• Stovetop Whole Wheat Chicken Stuffing

Directions:

1. Heat the grill pan to medium heat. Slather the caps with EVOO – 1/2 tsp. per side.
2. Grill each side for 4 minutes or until soft.
3. Assemble the stuffing according to package directions (I use light butter instead of “real” butter. It saves half the calories and fat!)
4. Scoop 1/2c. of the stuffing mixture onto the grilled mushroom.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

Mushrooms on the grill

Green beans ready to be steamed

Stuffed mushrooms right out of the oven

Monday Dinner

Well, Did He Eat It? He did, BUT he was “starving” by 7pm. Lucky for him we had a meeting at church last night so he was able to snack away on bagels from Panera.

One Portabello Mushroom with 1/2c.  stuffing –3 WWP