Hungry Girl 1-2-3
Page 11
Thoroughly wrap each banana in foil lightly sprayed with nonstick spray, ensuring there are no openings for filling to escape. Place bananas on a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until bananas feel very soft when gently squeezed with an oven mitt.
Serve immediately with spoons for scooping the gooey mixture out of the peels or, if you prefer, transfer the mixture from each banana peel into a bowl. Top with Reddi-wip, if you like, and enjoy!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
You’ll Need: heavy-duty aluminum foil, baking sheet, nonstick spray
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
fruity fish fillet foil packs
Three ingredients, humans. Three ingredients.
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PER SERVING (½ of recipe): 204 calories, 3g fat, 358mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 6g sugars, 34g protein
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Ingredients
Two 6-ounce fillets raw tilapia, cod, or any mild white fish
½ cup pineapple or mango salsa
¼ cup sliced red onion
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay a large piece of heavy-duty foil on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Place the fish fillets side by side in the center. Top fish evenly with salsa and onion.
Fold and seal together the top and bottom edges of the foil, and then the side edges, to create a well-sealed packet.
Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until fish is cooked through.
Allow packet to cool for a few minutes, and then cut to release steam before opening it entirely. (Careful—steam will be hot.) Plate your fish filets and spoon any excess salsa on top. Mmmmm!
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
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HG’s Oven-to-Grill Foil-Pack Conversion Chart
Throw that foil pack on the grill! Here are a few pointers…
The Temperature 411
The Lowdown on Cook Time
Cook your foil-pack on the grill for around half the time given for baking it in the oven (longer if the pack is full of veggies that you like on the soft side). Use long-handled barbecue tongs and oven mitts, and have a large plate or baking sheet to place the packet on afterward for easy transport away from the grill.
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chapter eight
Crock Around the Clock
There’s something oddly intriguing about tossing a slew of ingredients into a large pot
and cooking it slowly for hours and hours and hours. You just fill the pot, go about your day and, voilà, you’ve got something AMAZING once you get home. It’s fun, people! But don’t take my word for it—dust off your crock pot and get busy with these CROCK STARS! Pssst…You’ll need a crock pot with a capacity of four quarts or more for the recipes in this chapter.
You’ll Need: crock pot
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low)
crazy-delicious seafood corn chowder
This chowder is so yum-tastic, I decided to write a little haiku poem about it.
Fat-free chicken broth Morphed into deliciousness Thank you, crab and corn!
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PER SERVING (1 generous cup): 138 calories, 1.5g fat, 553mg sodium, 16.5g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 5g sugars, 14.5g protein
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Ingredients
Two 14.5-ounce cans (about 3 ½ cups) fat-free chicken broth
One 14.75-ounce can cream-style corn
Two 6-ounce cans lump crabmeat, thoroughly drained
One 6-ounce frozen fillet mild white fish (such as tilapia or cod)
2 cups (about 7 ounces) frozen cooked ready-to-eat shrimp
1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup plain light soymilk
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
½ cup instant mashed potato flakes
¼ cup fat-free sour cream
Optional: salt and black pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients except potato flakes and sour cream in the crock pot, and mix well. (Yup, that fish fillet goes in whole!)
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Stir to break up the fish fillet. Add potato flakes and sour cream, and stir very well. If you like, season to taste with salt and black pepper. Enjoy!
MAKES 9 SERVINGS
You’ll Need: crock pot, bowl
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low)
slow-cookin’ bbq chicken
This pulled chicken is FANTASTIC over salads, stuffed inside high-fiber tortillas or light buns with (rinsed) cole slaw, or eaten alone. It can do it all, really. I LOVE YOU, SLOW-COOKIN’ BBQ CHICKEN!
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PER SERVING (½ cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462mg sodium, 10g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 9g sugars, 22.5g protein
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Ingredients
1 cup canned tomato sauce
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar (not packed)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1½ pounds raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
Optional: crushed red pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients except chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks—one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.
If you’re serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with crushed red pepper. Eat up!
MAKES 7 SERVINGS
You’ll Need: crock pot
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low)
chunky veggie pumpkin chili
Our friend canned pumpkin is at it again, adding fun, fiber, and flavor to this incredible chili. The taste is mellow but can easily be spiced up with extra cayenne or some hot sauce. Enjoy!
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PER SERVING (1 cup): 131 calories, 1g fat, 515mg sodium, 25g carbs, 6.5g fiber, 7g sugars, 6.5g protein
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Ingredients
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
½ tablespoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
½ teaspoon ground cumin
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
One 15-ounce can chili beans (pinto beans in chili sauce), not drained
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup canned diced green chiles
2 cups chopped portabella mushrooms
1½ cups chopped zucchini
1½ cups chopped onion
Directions
Add crushed tomatoes, pumpkin, garlic, and all the seasonings to the crock pot. Mix well.
Add diced tomatoes, both types of beans, diced green chiles, and all the veggies. Stir thoroughly.
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours. Enjoy!
MAKES 11 SERVINGS
For a pic of this recipe, see the second photo insert. Yay!
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Extra, Extra!
Canned chiles aren’t just for chili. Use ’em in our Cheesy Crab ’n Chile Quesadilla, Burs
ting Burrito Bowl, and Slow-Cookin’ Mexican Chicken!
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You’ll Need: crock pot
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (low)
pump-up-the-jam cocktail weenies
At first I thought it might be a little weird to spend several hours cooking hot dogs that come pre-cooked. The recipe turned out so good, I realized I don’t care about that at all…These little cocktail treats are a total crowd-pleaser!
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PER SERVING (3 cocktail weenies with sauce): 75 calories, 1.5g fat, 619mg sodium, 12.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 3g sugars, 6g protein
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Ingredients
1 cup chili sauce (the kind found by the ketchup)
¾ cup sugar-free grape or seedless blackberry jam
¾ cup very finely chopped onion
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
14 fat-free or nearly fat-free beef franks
Directions
Place all ingredients except franks in the crock pot. Stir until completely mixed.
Cut each frank into thirds, leaving you with cocktail-sized franks. Add those to the pot, and gently mix to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
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HG Heads Up!
It’s important to use beef hot dogs in this recipe. Chicken, turkey, and veggie dogs don’t work quite as well. You can try ’em if you like, but they’re not nearly as good. Consider yourself alerted.
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Stir well and then serve up franks with extra sauce on top!
MAKES 14 SERVINGS
For a pic of this recipe, see the second photo insert. Yay!
You’ll Need: crock pot
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (low)
dan-good cioppino
If you LOVE Dan-Good Chili (see Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World), you will likely LOVE this tomato-based fish stew. It was created by my super-talented husband, Dan!
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PER SERVING (1 cup): 169 calories, 3g fat, 794mg sodium, 18.5g carbs, 1.25g fiber, 10.5g sugars, 16.5g protein
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Ingredients
Four 14.5-ounce cans (about 7 cups) low-fat creamy tomato soup
One 10-ounce can whole baby clams, drained
One 6-ounce can lump crabmeat, drained
8 ounces raw scallops, quartered
8 ounces raw shrimp, peeled, tails removed, deveined
2 bay leaves
4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir.
Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove bay leaves. EAT!
MAKES 9 SERVINGS
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HG Tip!
Amy’s Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque is THE BEST soup to use in this recipe. THE. BEST. So find it!
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You’ll Need: crock pot
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low)
turkey mushroom surprise
LOVE this stuff…It’s total comfort food! Try it over Tofu Shirataki noodles or a big bowl of steamed veggies. AWESOME!
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PER SERVING (1 heaping cup): 226 calories, 8.5g fat, 670mg sodium, 10.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 27.5g protein
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Ingredients
1¼ pounds raw lean ground turkey
5 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion, thinly sliced
One 12-ounce jar fat-free turkey gravy
1 tablespoon dry onion soup mix
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Directions
Add all ingredients except onion soup mix and cornstarch to the crock pot. Mix well, breaking up the ground turkey as you mix.
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Reduce heat to lowest setting. Sprinkle onion soup mix and cornstarch into the crock pot and stir until dissolved. Allow to sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Enjoy!
MAKES 5 SERVINGS
You’ll Need: crock pot, bowl
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low)
slow-cookin’ mexican chicken
Cook up a crock pot full of this flavorful chicken, and then use it to make guilt-free tacos, quesadillas, wraps, salads, and more. Fiesta time!
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PER SERVING (about 2/3 cup): 155 calories, 1.25g fat, 339mg sodium, 5.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 2.5g sugars, 27g protein
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Ingredients
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
½ cup jarred roasted red peppers packed in water, drained and chopped
¼ cup canned diced green chiles
1 tablespoon dry taco seasoning mix
½ tablespoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
1½ pounds raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
Optional: salt
Directions
Place all ingredients except chicken in the crock pot. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add chicken and coat well.
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks—one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.
If you’re serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with additional crushed red pepper, additional black pepper, and salt. Eat up!
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
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Extra, Extra!
Take those additional chiles and shove ’em into a Cheesy Crab ’n Chile Quesadilla, a Bursting Burrito Bowl, or some Chunky Veggie Pumpkin Chili!
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Extra, Extra!
Hey, leftover roasted red peppers! How ’bout making your way into an Italian-Style Bacon Alfredo Bowl or a Veggie-Packed Wrap Attack?
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You’ll Need: crock pot, bowl
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low) plus 15 minutes (uncovered)
glaze-of-glory candied carrots
Who knew carrots could be as yummy as candy?! These are so sweet and delicious, you’ll almost want to eat ’em for dessert. But that would be a little weird, so stick with the whole side dish plan, okay?
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PER SERVING (1 cup): 94 calories, 1.25g fat, 286mg sodium, 21.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 10g sugars, 1g protein
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Ingredients
One 32-ounce bag (about 6 cups) baby carrots
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
¼ cup sugar-free apricot preserves
2 tablespoons brown sugar (not packed)
1½ tablespoons light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Optional: black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground ginger
Directions
Place all veggies in the crock pot.
In a small dish, combine preserves, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Stir well. Top veggies in the crock pot with this mixture.
Use a large spoon to stir the contents of the crock pot up a bit. (Don’t worry if the preserves mixt
ure isn’t completely distributed.)
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
Once veggies are cooked, turn off the heat on the crock pot. Give contents a good stir, ensuring that the sauce is evenly distributed.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, and stir until cornstarch has dissolved. Add to crock pot and mix well.
Leave pot uncovered for 15 minutes to allow sauce to thicken. Stir and, if you like, add additional salt and optional ingredients to taste. Then enjoy!
MAKES 7 SERVINGS
You’ll Need: large bowl, crock pot
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 3 to 4 hours (high) or 7 to 8 hours (low)
ez as 1-2-3-alarm turkey chili
Oooooh, an adjustable recipe?! Cool! Play around with the heat levels by using 1, 2, or 3 chipotle peppers. That’s HG’s definition of “spicy fun”!
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PER SERVING (about 1 cup): 176 calories, 3g fat, 765mg sodium, 23g carbs, 5.5g fiber, 6g sugars, 13g protein
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Ingredients
One 29-ounce can tomato sauce
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
One 15-ounce can chili beans (pinto beans in chili sauce), not drained
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen sliced or chopped carrots
1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
2 bell peppers (in different colors), chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 to 3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, sauce reserved
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin