Slow-cookin BBQ Chicken Take Two

Slow-Cookin BBQ Chicken - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, Pg. 174-175, 149 calories) I'm not sure what Diana did when she made this recipe but I personally love this one.  I didn't have the same problems that Diana had.  However, the first time I made this, I used low-sodium (no salt added) tomato sauce, red wine vinegar (that was all I had) and I added 2 tbsps of Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce.  I cooked it on high for 4 hours and then I ate it on a wheat bun.  I also ate the leftovers with Baked Tostitos. 

I made this recipe again for my parents and they loved it.  My Mom just made it for the first time, on her own, this weekend.  She used the cider vinegar and said it was still a tasty recipe.

I would highly recommend this recipe.

Easy Oven-baked S'mores-stuffed Bananas

Easy Oven-baked S'mores-stuffed Bananas - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, pg. 166-167, 152 calories, recipe makes 4 servings)  If you love smores and you love bananas, I highly recommend this recipe.  I have made this several times--in my toaster oven and conventional oven.  I do recommend that you take the cooked banana smore out of the oeel, out it into a bowl, and add cool-whip or vanilla ice cream.  It is not the prettiest recipe but it tastes great.

Bursting Burrito Bowl

Bursting Burrito Bowl - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, Pg. 136-137, 264 calories) We made this on a summer Hungry Girl night (which we forgot to blog).  I can't really speak on the ease of this recipe since Diana made it while I played with Lex.  I do know that she cooked the chicken in the crockpot.  She used the "Slow Cookin Mexican Chicken" recipe, also in this book (pg. 182).  After that, it was a matter of chopping up the ingredients and warming up the beans.  Then you just piled all the ingredients together into a bowl.

In my opinion, this is better than the Chipolte Burrito bowls.  I highly recommend this recipe and I plan on trying this again on my own.

Sweet N' Sassy Boneless Hot Wings

Sweet N' Sassy Boneless Hot Wings - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3. Pg. 126-127, 267 calories per serving) I have experienced this recipe twice.  Diana made it once on a summer hungry girl night that we had--but forgot to blog--and then I made it again for my Mom when I was in Michigan.  This is a really good recipe but it has a kick.  And be careful when you go shopping--make sure you buy the sweet Asian chili sauce, not the regular chili sauce.  Even the sweet Asian chilil sauce had a little too much spice for my Mom.  I would like to try this recipe with a sweet and sour sauce or maybe the Panda Express sauces.

Expresso Cake in a Mug

Expresso Cake in a Mug - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, pg. 89, 147 calories) If you like chocolate cake with a caffeninated boost, this is the recipe for you.  It is easy to make and ready in a matter of minutes.  I chose to use Taster's Choice instant coffee for this recipe.  I know this is supposed to be a dessert item but I think it would be a great morning or mid-afternoon snack--especially if you are female and enduring a visit from your monthly enemy.

Egg Mug Lorraine

Egg Mug Lorraine - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, Pg. 75, 128 calories) This is a very easy breakfast to make and it is pretty tasty too.  I discovered that at the grocery store (Ralphs, to be precise), you can buy egg beaters in a half cup serving so you can save yourself a few seconds of time by not having to measure out the liquid-egg substitute.  And if you are anything like me, you like to have something different for breakfast so sometimes you don't use up all of the egg beaters in the 7 days so the individual servings are also a money saver that stops you from wasting food.

If you are short on time in the morning and you are looking for eggs with a subtle flavor, this is the recipe for you.  Also, some claim that eggs are the best protein to eat in the morning.  They will make you feel full longer and some claim that you are more likely to lose weight if you eat eggs for breakfast.

Cake on the Beach

Wow, we haven't updated this site in way too long.  Sorry about that.  Over the summer, I managed to try more recipes.  One of my new favorites is Cake on the Beach.

Cake on the Beach - (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, Pg. 88, makes 3 servings, 136 calories per serving)  This tastes like a pineapple upside down cake.  I could eat this for dessert everyday.  If you like Pineapple Upside Down cake, I highly recommend this recipe.  It is very easy to make and worth the hour wait (you have to refridgerate the cake for an hour before serving).

My only suggestion is to use Prep bowls.  Regular cereal bowls are too big. The second time I made this recipe, I used my Pampered Chef small square bowls.  They were the perfect size.  Just make sure that whatever bowls you choose to use, they are microwave safe.

Mile-High Choco-Berry VitaTop Pie

Mile-High Choco-Berry VitaTop Pie (HG 200, pg. 318)

Dishes Used- 3
Fire Alarms- N/A
First Aid Incidents- 0
Matthew Annoyance Level- 0

This was a pain in the butt to make.  You do all this work to cut the VitaTops in half lengthwise, and then you're supposed to cut the whole thing in half vertically.  As I was stacking the VitaTop halves, they were starting to slide around on the Cool Whip.  Here's what I'm going to try next time.  Forget all the freakin' layers.  Just make two Whoopie Pie's and cover them both with the Cool Whip/Strawberry Preserves mix and top with mini chocolate chips.

Freezy-Cool Whoopie Pie

Freezy-Cool Whoopie Pie (HG 200, pg. 315)

Dishes Used- 1
Fire Alarms- N/A
First Aid Incidents- 0
Matthew Annoyance Level- 0

I've made this twice, and I want to make more!  What I like best about this recipe is that it tastes better if you make it at least a day ahead of time.  It is difficult to cut the Vitatops in half, but it works.  Very easy.  Make several and then you have something to look forward to for dessert tomorrow.

Cheesed-Up Pepperoni Pizza Scramble

Cheesed-Up Pepperoni Pizza Scramble (HG 200, pg.46)

Dishes Used- 3
Fire Alarms- 0
First Aid Incidents- 1
Matthew Annoyance Level- 0

I really like this one and have made it many times.  However, be careful when you are cutting the pepperoni.  It is easy and most of the ingredients I usually keep on hand.  It's more interesting than just making scrambled eggs.  Make sure not to add too much cheese, it gets too salty and then just tasted like cheese.

Slow-Cookin' BBQ Chicken

Slow-Cookin' BBQ Chicken (HG 1-2-3, pg.174)

Dishes Used- 3
Fire Alarms- 0
First Aid Incidents- 0
Matthew Annoyance Level- 0

I prepared the ingredients and chicken the night before.  In the morning before I left for work I dumped everything into the crock pot and set it to low.  When I got home at 3 my apartment smelled REALLY good and made me hungry.  I pulled out the chicken to shred.  Most of the BBQ sauce was toasty and caked on to the bottom with a thick layer on the chicken.  It looked sad, not like what I expected.  I made ANOTHER mixture of her BBQ sauce and poured it in with the shredded chicken.  I left it on low until Matt came home.  It looked better, but neither Matt nor I cared for the taste of the sauce.  If I did it again I would try it with the usual pre-made BBQ sauce we buy at costco and forget her sauce.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole or Chicken Pot Pie--You Decide!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, Pg. 66, 260 calories per serving, makes 4 servings) - If you like tortillas in your chicken pot pie then this is the recipe for you.

Dishes Used - 2
Smoke Alarms - 0
Matthew Annoyance Level - 0
Babies played with - 1
First Aid Administered - 0

Tonight, we decided to try a recipe from the newest Hungry Girl cookbook.  This is a very easy recipe to make but it was rather disappointing in taste.  It didn't taste like an enchilada at all.  It tasted more like a chicken pot pie.

We both agree that this is not a recipe that we will do again.  But if you have ever wondered what it would taste like if you made your chicken pot pie crust out of tortillas then this is the recipe for you.

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls - Take Two

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 36, 126 calories, 3 weight watchers points, recipe makes 8 servings) - Diana and I tried this recipe on our last Hungry Girl night and we just couldn't get it to work out.  According to the recipe directions, you are supposed to roll out the crescent roll dough.  Crescent roll dough is elastic so you could roll it out and then it would just bounce back to the original form.  We tried so hard to get it to work but we couldn't.  Then we put the rolls on a cookie sheet and during the baking process, they fell apart and most of the cinnamon mix fell out.

So I decided to try this recipe again.  This time, I decided to roll the cinnamon rolls like crescent rolls.  I wasn't going to waste my time trying to roll out an elastic dough.  Once I rolled them into crescent form, I put them into a muffin pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  I figured in the muffin pan they would hold shape and keep the cinnamon mixture inside the roll.  This worked perfectly.  The rolls maintained their shape, kept all of the cinnamon mixture and they tasted great.  I put the cream cheese mixture in the fridge while the rolls were baking so it would be nice and cool on the fresh cinnamon rolls.  I do recommend eating the rolls while they are still warm if you are looking for that Cinnabun taste.

By rolling the dough crecent shaped and using a muffin pan, all past issues have been corrected.  Now I can highly recommend this recipe

New Recipe from the New Hungry Girl Book

Hungry Girl just came out with a new cookbook--Hungry Girl 1-2-3.  While my mother was in town visiting for Spring Break, we decided to try one of the new recipes.  Since we are Italian and we love chicken, we made an appropriate selection.

Pan Fried Chicken Parm (Hungry Girl 1-2-3, Pg. 60, 258 calories, makes 2 servings) - This recipe is basically the Italian version of the Fiber-ific Chicken.  I did make this recipe pan fried as directed but the next time I make it, I'm going to bake the chicken.  I personally prefer baked chicken over the fried versions--I also prefer it as a cooking method, frying makes the stove top all messy.  I followed the recipe except I did substitute the tomato sauce with the no salt added tomato sauce that I added my own spices to.  Overall, it was an OK recipe.  We both liked it but it seemed to be missing something.

Next time, I think I will try adding my own spices to the fiberone mix and bake the chicken.  It is definitely a good recipe to try.

Shake and Bake Hungry Girl Style

Fiber-ific Fried Chicken Strips (Hungry Girl, Pg. 112, 277 calories) - If you like Shake and Bake Chicken, you'll love these.  I highly recommend this recipe to everyone.  This recipe is for a single serving--8 chicken strips.  The first time I made this recipe, it was a little bland.  Now I add seasonings to the fiberone mix and put some bbq sauce in the egg mix.  I also bake the recipe instead of frying it. 

Being a single person and a stressed out teacher, I tend to make this recipe on Sundays.  I make two chicken breasts and wind up getting three meals.  I have the rubbermaid take-alongs with the dividers so I can make up a few meals for during the week.  I like to combine the chicken with the butternut mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables.  (For those who live in the LA area, go to Super King in Altadena for a wide assortment of fresh veggies at extremely affordable prices--so much better than Ralphs. Vons or Albertsons pricewise).

Bye Bye Wienerschnitzel!

Hot Diggity Chili Dog - (Hungry Girl, Pg. 111, 109 calories) Going on a diet usually means you have to give up your favorite fast food places.  Last summer, as a broke teacher, I frequented Wienerschnitzel where they have their three for $3.00--two chili cheese dogs and chili cheese fries.  They also have $.79 corndogs and $.99 root beer floats.  It was a fast easy meal I could afford but when I discovered how many calories I was eating, I was shocked.  Let's just say it was more than one person should eat in a day let alone one meal.  Thankfully, Hungry Girl came up with a solution--the Hot Diggity Chili Dog (I add weight watchers shredded cheddar cheese as a topping).  It's just like putting together a regular chili cheese dog and satisfies the fast food craving.  I highly recommend this recipe if you like chili cheese anything.

More Fun with Butternut Squash

Yummy Butternut Home Fries - (Hungry Girl, Pg. 280, 58 calories per serving, makes 4 servings) This recipe smells amazing while it is cooking.  I highly recommend this recipe if you like home fries for breakfast--or as a comfort food.  It's very easy to make but make sure you have a large pan to cook in.  I only had skillets and I had to switch to a pot since I don't have the right sized pan.  It didn't exactly look like the picture but it was very tasty.  I wound up eating two servings the first night and saved the other two servings as leftovers.  Again, not a recipe for a single person unless you don't mind leftovers.

Sweet Potato Pie

I Can't Believe It's Not Sweet Potato Pie - (Hungry Girl, Pg. 164, 113 calories per serving, makes 4 servings) 

After a stressful week, I was craving my comfort foods but not wanting to break my diet prevented me from fulfilling my cravings.  I flipped through the originial Hungry Girl book looking for a good subsitute when I came across this recipe.  Since Butternut Squash is now a staple in my house, I had all the necessary ingredients on hand.  I pulled out my pyrex pie dish--since I was making pie--and proceeded to make the recipe.  It was a fairly easy to make recipe.

This recipe is not meant for a single person--the servings are big.  It is great to eat one night but not 4 nights in a row.  I would recommend making this when you know you are having company or you are going to a dinner party.

Attack of the HG Breakfast

Spinach, Tomato, Feta 'n Egg Wrap Attack (Hungry Girl 200 under 200 book, page 12, 168 calories)

Dishes Used: 3
Fire Hazards: 0
Injury Count: +/- 1
Matthew Annoyance Level: 2

This is delicious and I actually ended up making this several times.  It's pretty easy.  I actually used my little single serving egg pan to make the egg patty at the same time I was chopping and cooking the rest.  Big tip that took Kelly and I time to learn is to read ALL the directions.  Now, even though I think I do that I obviously don't.  It is really important to prepare everything before you begin heating the spinach because it only takes a minute or so for the spinach to start wilting.  I gave it the +/- 1 injury report because chopping the spinach is pretty tricky and I came close to cutting a finger.  But hey, if you do no one will notice because the blood will blend in with the fire-roasted diced tomatoes.  I had to ask Matthew to open the sun-dried tomato jar and in our tiny kitchen I was blocking the dishes while he was trying to make breakfast, but otherwise he was undisturbed.  This is a great breakfast OR lunch option.

Cinnamon-Vanilla French Toast Nuggets (200 under 200 book, page 21, 151 calories)

Dishes Used: 2
Fire Hazards: 0
Injury Count: 0
Matthew Annoyance Level: 1

If you are dying for french toast, this recipe will do. I'm still wondering why the hot dog buns, but I did it that way and it tasted fine.  Not enough to feel totally fulfilling with one serving.  I couldn't find the coffee-mate brand creamer but I found a Ralphs' brand creamer that was the same.  I did find the nugget shape and size fun to eat and this would make a great kids recipe (ie. Joey).  I do recommend making more of the egg/creamer/cinnamon mixture than needed.  You never want to run out of egg mixture before bread.  Matthew gets annoyed by hot dog packages that have more dogs than you can buy buns for, so doing this recipe messes up that dog-to-bun ratio, so I bought my own buns and put the rest in the freezer.

-Diana

Easy Burrito night

Dishes used: 8 dishes
Matthew annoyance factor: Very Low
Fire Alarm count: Zero
Baby injuries: Zero

It's been a while since our last Hungry Girl Night.  We have both have had a lot going on in our lives so tonight we decided to get together and make it an easy recipe night.

Since we loved the Holy Moly Guacamole so much, we decided to repeat the recipe.  I would have to say that this is one of our favorites.  I know I have made it several times on my own and I have even brought to social occasions.  Everyone always comments on how great it is.

7 Layer Burrito Blitz: (Hungry Girl original cookbook, Page 116, 277 calories)  This recipe was so easy.  We bought the ingredients, warmed up the soy crumbles, beans & tortilla then put it all together.  However we didn't listen to the directions on how to roll the burrito, we did it the way we always do--tuck in the bottom then the side and roll.  This is a good size burrito.   We all enjoyed it and we would highly recommend this to anyone who craves a 7 layer bean dip.  We even got Matt to eat it.

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing: (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Page 36, 126 calories)  This was an OK recipe.  It doesn't taste like a Cinnabon by any means but it is an acceptable dessert.  This is a recipe that we definitely want to try again but we want to do it our way.  We followed Lisa's instructions but using a rolling pin on Pillsbury Crescent Rolls was a waste of time.  They are extremely elastic and every time we would roll it, it would slide back into the original shape.  It did give us the giggles trying to get it to roll out to her specifications but it never stayed. So we followed the rest of the directions but midway through the baking process, the cinnamon filling seeped out the bottom and some completely unrolled.  We thought we could try this two different ways.  One would be to use a muffin pan so they don't unroll.  The other way would be to keep the crescent rolls in their perforated state, spread on the filling and spray butter then roll it like a regular crescent roll.  We care more about the taste them how it looks.  We'll let you know how they turn out when we try this recipe again.

Overall, it was the easy, tasty food night we were striving for after the last few stressful weeks we have endured.