Long time, no cookin' Y'all

Sorry for the delay in recipes, but our schedules have not been cooperating with us!

With that said, here is the next recipe in our endeavor, y'all:

Here are the ingredients:


The first item on the menu tonight is:

Ranch Ham 'n' Cheese Pasta (306 calories)
1 package (16 oz.) penne pasta (we used rotini)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup fat-free milk (we used 2%)
1 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
(We couldn't find this so we used Weight Watchers Mexican cheese)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
• In a dutch over (*We used just a tall pot with a lid & handles), melt butter; whisk in flour until smooth.
• Gradually add milk and seasonings.
• Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
  
• Reduce heat; fold in sour cream until blended.
• Add ham & pasta; cook and stir until heated through.
• Remove from the heat; stir in Mexican cheese blend until melted
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 10 servings

The verdict: We were pretty impressed to make homemade ranch dressing (even though Lindsay didn't know that's what she was doing at first!). We aren't used to cooking with herbs, so the taste was a little different, but pretty good nonetheless!
On a scale from 1 to 10, we give it a 7.


Okay y'all, this isn't quite on track with our healthy cooking but.......Paula Deen was the inspiration for this ooey-gooey dessert:

Chocolate Bread Pudding, Y'all
1-pound loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)
3 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread in the baking dish.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur.
• In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
• Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled.

Yield: 10-12 servings

The verdict: This is definitely a Paula Deen comfort food! Chocolate and bread, obviously! This dessert is very rich and chocolate lovers will for sure fall in love!
On a scale from 1 to 10, we give it 9.


Healthy eating tip of the day:
Six small meals spread through the day can help to keep blood sugar levels stable and keep you mentally alert and physically energetic all day long.


ENJOY, Y'ALL!!

Portion Size Chart

Here are some visual clues for estimating proper portion size.

• 3 oz. beef, chicken or fish, deck of cards
• 1 serving cold cereal, baseball
• 1 medium potato, tennis ball
• 3 oz. deli meat, 3 CDs
• 1 serving cheese, domino
• 1/4 cup grated cheese, golf ball
• 1 teaspoon butter or jam, tip of your thumb
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter, your thumb
• 1 average bagel, hockey puck
• 1 serving pasta or rice, cupcake wrapper (yeah right!)
  

Our very first recipe

As of today, Lettuce Cook is officially up and running!!

The cookbook that we chose to cook through is:

Everything in here is under 300 calories and promises to be delicious!
We aren't going to be going in any particular order, but we will be cooking everything from this book!

I hope you enjoy our first recipes of choice!
Here are all of the ingredients:

Chicken Stuffing Bake (247 calories)
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup fat-free milk
1 package (6 oz) stuffing mix
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
2 cups fresh broccoli florets, cooked
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese, divided

• In large bowl, combine soup and milk until blended. Add stuffing mix with contents of seasoning packet, chicken, broccoli, celery and 1 cup cheese. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9 in. baking dish.
• Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese; bake 5 minutes longer until cheese is melted.

Yield: 8 servings


And for dessert:

Fruity Cereal Bars (105 calories)
3 tablespoons butter
1 package (10 oz.) large marshmallows
6 cups crisp rice cereal
1/2 cup dried chopped apple
1/2 cup dried cranberries

• In a large saucepan, combine butter and marshmallows. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from heat; stir in cereal, apples and cranberries.
• Pat into a 13-in. x 9 in. x 2 in. pan coated with cooking spray; cool. Cut into squares.

Yield: 20 servings


THE FINISHED PRODUCTS:

What we thought:
If you like broccoli, this recipe is for you!! We are not big calorie-counting people, so for something that is under 300 calories this was pretty tasty.
On a scale from 1 to 10, we give it a 7.....

Healthy Eating Tip of the Day:
Shoot for 10,000 steps per day.