Guess What's Coming for Dinner?

Wow the squash came out BIG!! lol

We are joining my family at my parents' for Thanksgiving. My mom orders this fantastic smoked turkey. She is making mashed potatos, gravy and rolls. Sil is brining the famous brocolli cheese/cream of mushroom soup cassarole the boys never get at home.

I am to bring the cranberry sauce, pies and a vegatable dish... and I am making something healthy! I have been on a big butternut squash kick lately (you won't believe the vitamin A!) and found this recipe. I will let you know how it comes out...



VAL'S BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH
APPLES

1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash
1/4 c. melted butter
1 tbsp. flour
4 apples
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. mace

Cut squash in 1/2 inch slices and peel. Peel and core apples and slice as for pie. Arrange squash in ungreased baking dish. Top with apples. Then add the brown sugar, flour, and mace which you have mixed together and the melted butter on top. Cover bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. This recipes fills a 2 quart casserole dish. Serves 8.

YUM- Blueberry Banana Parfait

Check out the recipe
here. This is so good I can't believe it is healthy!!!

Healthy family dinners

Rachel and I are looking for more ideas - healthy, lower fat, not too calorific, easy to prepare, most families will eat, not too expensive...a tall order!

Feel free to post your suggestions!

This site has some low GI meal plans. The dinner list is below ~


Grill your favourite lean meat or chicken and serve with potato, sweet corn and peas, OR

Stir fry some lean beef or pork strips and mixed vegetables and serve with fresh wheat noodles or Basmati or Doongara rice, OR

Prepare some lasagne with lean mince, fat reduced cheese and add 3-bean mix for extra variety, OR

Make your favourite curry and serve with Basmati or Doongara rice and pappadams, OR

Team a barbequed chicken with steamed sweet corn cobs, grainy bread roll and a tossed salad

Here are some yummy dinner recipes - I'm gonna try some. This site has more vegetarian options, which suits me fine.

The kids can always have larger servings and a dessert!

Food stuff.

I was wondering if we could share some healthy meal ideas? Good for health, taste and weight. :-)

I'll start with a favourite breakfast recipe - sons Thomas and Greg and myself love this. I got this from Bill Phillip's "Eating for Life"

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

P.S. You can leave out the chocolate - its just there for extra taste and to make you feel wicked! lol!

For each person -
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cocoa or drinking chocolate
1/2 - 1 tablespoon reduced fat peanut butter
1 cup water
Opt - scoop protein powder.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for two minutes on High. Serve with skim ( fat free ) milk. Very, very nice - you feel like you are eating dessert for breakfast but you are also getting fibre and protein. It's very filling and is my reward breakfast when I am hungry after a tough workout. :-)

If you come to a fork in the road...

take it! --Yogi Berra

I love him don't you? I also loved this Healing Seafood Stew that Bill made last night, but you'll want a spoon not a fork. It's huge on flavor, but easy on the waistline. After a very yummy dinner, I put myself in a headlock and forced myself onto the treadmill.

Three Berry Scones

This is off weightwatchers online- have found some great recipes there! I made this New Year's Day and everyone loved it. I used frozen raspberries as that was what I had on hand.




Enjoy!

Three Berry Scones

POINTS® Value: 2 (about 160 cal)
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
We lightened up this typically heavy English treat by using only a fraction of the butter and low-in-fat buttermilk in place of cream.


Ingredients
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup frozen unsweetened mixed berries
2 serving butter-flavor cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix in butter until mixture is size of fine crumbs. Stir in buttermilk and then stir in berries.


Shape dough into two 7-inch circles on prepared baking sheet. Cut each circle into 6 wedges and coat with cooking spray. (I ended up seperating the scones and they baked better.. at first I left them all touching in the circle but the did better with some space between- ck)

Bake until cooked through and golden, about 20 minutes. Yields one wedge per serving.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Here is a favorite recipe from Weight Watchers, but does not taste diet, just healthy.
Boys love it! Great dipped in coffee or milk.




POINTS® Value: 2 (about 100 cal)
Servings: 20
Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 42 min
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
"Italian Classics" week continues with these delicious and healthy biscotti. Served with coffee, they make a great dinner finale.


Ingredients
2 sprays cooking spray, or enough to coat baking sheet
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
1 oz mini chocolate chips, about 3 Tbsp
1 cup sugar
2 large egg(s)
1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Heat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.


In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.


With an electric mixer, beat sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until frothy, about 2 minutes. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir just until moistened and dough forms. Shape the dough into a 13- by 3-inch log on baking sheet.


Bake log 30 minutes and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 300°F.


Cut warm log crosswise on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices. Stand slices, about an inch apart, on baking sheet and return to oven for 12 minutes. The centers will be soft, but biscotti will crisp when cooled.