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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Diana: All on her own

Thursday night I (Diana) made the ez tomato-basil chicken (200 under 200, pg. 138, 175 cal).  Highly recommend it.  Very easy.  I actually used a can of crushed tomatoes with italian dressing because I couldn't find the basil kind.  It was great.  I also tossed some Italian seasoning and basil seasoning on top before baking.  You will need to make some side to go along with it for a meal.  Matthew thinks it would be better with two big slices of Mozzarella cheese.

All By Myself Meals

This past week was a bit of a hell week--Finals week.  So as a teacher, I spent many late nights grading finals, projects and binders so I could get all my grades in by the deadline.  I also started teaching at the Community College this week so I had very little time to do much of anything besides work.  So with little time, I would usually go to Fast Food restaurants for dinner.  Since I am trying to lose weight, that was no longer an option for me.  Instead I decided to try some Hungry Girl recipes with the ingredients I already had.

Cheesy Beefy Quesadilla - (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 172, 196 calories, 4 weight watchers points) Since Diana and I had previously tried the Cheeseburger Quesadilla, I decided to try this recipe to see how to two compared.  The Cheeseburger Quesadilla tasted like it sounds--like a cheeseburger.  It didn't have a mexican food flare to it.  This recipe does.  It tastes like something you could order at Del Taco or Taco Bell.  (I actually used my Del Taco Mild seasoning for this one).  So if you like Mexican fast food, I highly recommend this recipe.  It's fast, easy to make, and filling.

Spicy Tortilla Pizza Mexicali - (Hungry Girl 200 under 200 Pg. 178, 196 calories, 3 weight watchers points) Since I had so many tortillas and Boca Burger patties leftover, this seemed like a viable option.  Again, another easy recipe.  I made this one in my toaster oven--which is becoming my standard way of baking these recipes.  It's not exactly the mexican pizza from taco bell but it is a close second and so much better for you.  I highly recommend this if you do like Mexican pizzas.  I personally left out the extra spices and used the Del Taco seasoning but you can season it however you like.

Green Tea Creme Swappuccino - (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 194, 75 calories, 2 points) I have already made this drink several times.  I used to be a Starbuck regular and every time I would order a Green Tea Latte or Green Tea Frappacino.  Now that I know how many calories I used to consume, I stick to the Skinny Lattes.  But when I saw this recipe, I jumped for joy--I can have my Green Tea drinks once again.  I do recommend this recipe but don't expect it to tast exactly like the Starbucks version.  For me, the hardest part about this recipe is finding the Matcha Green Tea powder.  I did find it at Whole Foods but it is $34 for a small can.  Instead, I bought the liquid concentrate of the Matcha Green Tea at Ralphs.  You do have to add more than one tablespoon since you are not working with the powder.  The first time I did this, I just used one tablespoon and I barely tasted the Green Tea--it was more like a Vanilla shake.  A good vanilla shake but still a vanilla shake nonetheless.  So I made it again and added around 4 tablespoons.  So much better.  It's still not green like the Starbucks version but I don't care about the color, just the taste.  If I do eventually find a cheaper matcha green tea powder, I will report back with the results of the comparison between using the powder and the liquid.

Hungry Girl Weekend #3

Tonight, we decided to make it a Manwich night--Hungry Girl style.  We picked three recipes - Sloppy Janes, Zesty Italian Pita Chips, and Freezy-cool whoopie pie. 

We made our grocery list and set out to get everything we needed.  We specifically went to Vons because we needed VitaTops (Muffin Tops) and their website said they carried them.  No one there had ever heard of them.  So then we went off to Whole Foods--they had never heard of them either.  So it looks like we are going to have to order these from the VitaTops website and save the recipe for another time.  Thankfully we found everything else that we needed for the other two recipes.

Sloppy Janes (Hungry Girl, Pg. 130, 271 calories) - Diana and I both agreed that we highly recommend this recipe.  It is very easy to make.  We do suggest that you use the whole can of the no-salt-added tomato sauce.  It's weird to just leave a small amount in the can.  We didn't want to let it go to waste.  We also suggest adding a little chili powder to give it a little more flavor.  Overall, it's a great recipe that serves five so you can freeze if you are single like me, or get the whole family to eat it if you share a home with someone besides your cat.

Zesty Italian Pita Chips (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 125, 163 calories, 3 weight watchers points) - This was the perfect subsitute for Potato Chips to go with our Sloppy Janes.  Our suggestion would be to make a little more of the spread or dip the pitas in salsa.  We dipped them in our leftover tomato sauce and that just didn't do the trick.  We agreed, along with Diana's husband, that we should try these with some salsa.  This is definitely something that is easy to make and would be good to have at a gathering of sorts.

First experience with Tofu Shirataki Noodles

Tonight I decided to try a Hungry Girl recipe that appeals to my Italian roots--Fettuccine Hungry Girlfredo (Hungry Girl, Pg. 257).  This recipe calls for the use of Tofu Shirataki.  You can find this is the tofu section of the grocery store.  I have to admit I was a little put off when I saw it in a bag filled with liquid.  It looked alien but since I have liked all of the other Hungry Girl ingredients, I tried to keep an open mind.

So I followed the directions by opening the package and pouring the contents into a strainer.  It said to wash thoroughly to get the smell out--that was not appealing.  Then I reminded myself that I do the same thing to Saurkraut.  So I continued.  Then you put the noodles into a microwave safe bowl and cook for one minute.  Then you pour out the access water and dry the remaining noodles by patting them.  It said to dry thoroughly.  I used paper towels and it seemed never ending, trying to get them "thoroughly" dry.  Then I figured it might be ok to leave them slightly damp.

I added in the remaining ingredients and popped it in the microwave.  Aside from the drying of the noodles, it is very easy to make.

However, I felt the taste was bland and the noodles were a strange texture.  Maybe you really do have to make sure the noodles are completely dry.  I'm not really sure.  I added in a little bit of garlic salt for flavor but it was still missing something that I haven't figured out yet. 

Unfortunately I didn't get to eat too much of the Fettuccine.  I got a phone call and set my bowl on my couch to answer the call.  My Cat was on the top of the couch, leaning down to sniff the contents of the bowl when she lost her balance and landed butt first in my bowl.  Since I don't find Cat Ass fettuccine appealing, I had to throw away the contents and settle for cereal for dinner.  So I will have to try the Tofu Shirataki again.  As of right now, I am not impressed but I'll keep an open mind for other recipes.

Hungry Girl Weekend #2

This weekend we decided to have a theme--mexican recipes with American flavor.  We chose all of our recipes from the Hungry Girl 200 under 200 recipe book. 

We chose an appetizer--Holy Moly Guacamole; a meal--Cheeseburger Quesadilla; and a dessert--Strawberry Shortcake Bites.

Holy Moly Guacamole: (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 112)  This tastes just like guacamole but it is only 78 calories per serving and 1 weight watchers point.  The secret ingredient--peas.  You still add an avocado but the majority of the mixture is peas.  I know because I mashed them up.  Diana and I vowed not to tell her husband Matt since he doesn't like vegetables.  He ate the guacamole.  I even tested it out on some other friends and they all loved it.  They couldn't believe I used peas.  So this is a definite score--a must have for parties and Wii Weekends.

Cheeseburger Quesadilla: (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 182) Another amazing recipe where you would never guess the ingredients unless you were the one who made it.  It tasted like a cheeseburger wrapped in a tortilla.  I even added ketchup to further decieve my tastebuds.  A 186 calorie cheeseburger made without meat--Amazing!  I don't know about you but whenever I used to see the Boca Meatless burgers in the grocerer's freezer, I thought they looked scary.  What is a meatless burger?  I still don't really know but it tasted good.  So try this recipe and don't tell your friends, family, or significant others what you used.  See what they think?  See if you can decieve their tastebuds.

Strawberry Shortcake Bites: (Hungry Girl 200 under 200, Pg. 256)  This is an 88 calorie dessert that tastes like one of those strawberry ice cream/frozen yogurt bars.  The only thing that we would suggest is using mini muffin cups.  In the large muffin cup, the cool whip mixture engulfs the vanilla wafer that is supposed to serve as the crust.  So this one we still want to play around with and see what we can do to fix the recipe, to get it to stay on the vanilla wafer.  Overall, it is tasty, just gets messy when it starts to thaw.

All on My Own

During the week, I decided to try out some of the Hungry Girl Recipes on my own.  Since I was determined to perfect the Butternut Squash fries, I bought another Butternut Squash.  I made the fries in my toaster oven this time, broiling them for 20 minutes.  They were perfect.  But since I am one person, I didn't make the entire recipe.  I cut up the entire Butternut Squash and searched the original Hungry Girl book for more Butternut Squash recipes.

Maplelicious Butternut Squash Mash: (Hungry Girl, Pg. 277)  This is a way of making something similar to sweet potatoes for 109 calories.  I also tried the recipe without the maple syrup and it tasted like regular mashed potatoes--one of my comfort foods.  It was so simple since I already had the squash cut up.  You just microwave it for 6 minutes then mash--amazing!!

HG's Famous Bowl: (Hungry Girl, Pg. 98)  If any of you love KFC's Mashed Potato bowl like I do, this is a must make.  You make the Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes, Shake and Bake style chicken with the FiberOne Cereal (Italian seasoning to flavor), Green Giant Steamed corn and Fat Free Chicken Gravy.  The Chicken takes the longest time to prepare but I made 2 Chicken Breasts so I could cut up some of the Chicken and eat the rest the following day.  For 288 calories, this is a very filling meal.  I love it, all my comfort foods combined in a bowl without all of the calories.  (The world's best PMS food, in my humble opinion).

Rockin' Tuna Melt: (Hungry Girl, Pg. 68)  I made this to go with my Butternut Squash Fries.  This is a 212 calorie treat.  Of course you have to like Tuna to enjoy it.  And if you have a cat like I do, they will stay by your side while you prepare and eat your meal.  I left out the tomatoes and carrots when I made this and substituted them with chopped celery.

I would highly recommend all of these recipes.