Ravioli with Tomato-Alfredo Sauce and Zucchini "Chips"

320 Calories per Serving of Ravioli, 81 Calories per Serving of Zucchini

This was a super easy, great meal that made enough for leftovers/the hubs to have it for lunch the next day. I will say, I was a little confused by the ingredients- the website listed that it needed 2 15oz cans of tomato sauce... Now I didn't use the Muir Glen sauce, I just used regular Kroger brand sauce. I wasn't sure if it wanted spaghetti sauce, or literally tomato sauce. Regardless, 30 oz total was a TON so I used the regular tomato sauce- and I used 2 6oz cans... which was a lot less than the recipe called for, but I can't imagine actually needing 30 total oz- that wouldn't be very good, it'd be extremely tomato-ey. Soooo I would recommend using 2 small tomato sauce cans instead. With that said, it was awesome. I really enjoyed this one and will definitely make it again. 

To go with the Ravioli, I also made zucchini "chips". I found the recipe on Pinterest but put my own "twist" to it to make it healthier. I actually made the chips 2x and experimented with how I cut them each time. I think the best way is to cut the zucchini into circles (NOT like how I have them pictured) and bake them for longer than I did. What I made was really good, but I'd have liked a little more crunch. Sooo, check out the instructions below on how to make awesome zucchini chips- with the changes that I made after experimenting.

Ravioli with Tomato-Alfredo Sauce

Prep Time: 10 Min     Total Time: 20 Min     Servings: 6

Ingredients: 

2 packages (9 ounces each) refrigerated light 4-cheese-filled ravioli

1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms (3 cups)

1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped1teaspoon dried oregano

2 cans (15 ounces each) no-salt added Muir Glen® tomato sauce

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:

1. Cook and drain ravioli as directed on package; keep warm.

2. Spray same saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook mushrooms, onion, garlic and oregano in saucepan about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is crisp-tender.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and half-and-half. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Stir in ravioli, cheese and parsley.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Serving) Calories 320 (Calories from Fat 45), Total Fat 5g (Saturated Fat 2 1/2g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 40mg; Sodium 460mg; Total Carbohydrate 53g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 11g), Protein 15g;Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20 %; Vitamin C 20 %; Calcium 15 %; Iron 380 %;Exchanges: 3  Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 2 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1/2 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:3 1/2;*Percent Daily Values are  based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Source: Eatbetteramerica.com

Zucchini "Chips"

Ingredients:

1 medium sized zucchini

Extra Virgin Olive Oil/Olive Oil Cooking Spray

1/4 cup Shreaded Parm Cheese

Garlic Powder

Instructions:

1. Slice the Zucchini into circles, about 1/4 inch thick

2. Place non-stick foil on a baking sheet. Place the zucchini onto the foil

3. Spray the zucchini with the cooking spray

4. Sprinkle the parm cheese on the zucchini then lightly "dust" with the garlic powder

5. Bake in preheated oven (at 300) for 30 minutes. Rotate baking sheet and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 81

Southwest Chicken Salad

150 Calories per Serving

AH-MAZING!!! Of course it was easy to prepare and quick- but it was also delish! I'm not normally a huge salad-for-dinner person, but I'd eat this again and again! Here's what I did differently from the recipe: I didn't use the chile powder in the ranch- I just love ranch so much that I didn't want to mess with it. Also, I HATE bottled ranch dressing so I made my own using Hidden Valley Ranch mix. To make it "low fat", I used reduced fat mayo instead of regular mayo, and I used skim milk instead of buttermilk. It was great!! The hubs really liked it too. This is a great summer meal- I would definitely give it 10 stars and recommend it!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

1/3 cup rinsed and drained no-salt-added black beans

1/3 cup frozen baby yellow and white corn, thawed

1/4 cup light ranch dressing

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 (12 oz) package of American Blend Salad

1 (6 oz) package of cooked Southwest-seasoned chicken breast strips

3/4 cup halved grape tomatoes (about 20 tomatoes)

Directions:

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Combine dressing and chipotle chile powder in another small bowl, stirring with a whisk (If you decide to make the ranch from a Hidden Valley packet, just follow instructions on the package using skim milk instead of buttermilk and reduced fat mayo).

2. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates. Arrange chicken over each serving. Top each with salsa mixture and tomatoes; drizzle each with dressing. 

YIELD: 4 servings; Serving size: 3 oz salad, 1/3 cup chicken, 1/4 cup bean-and-corn salsa, 3 tablespoons tomato, and one tablespoon dressing (I used a bit more dressing on my salad though, I couldn't resist...)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 150; Fat 4.6g (sat: 0.6g, mono 1g, poly 1.2g), Protein: 14.6g, Carb: 11.9g, Fiber: 2.7g, Chol: 35mg, Iron: 1.4mg, Sodium: 495mg, Calc: 37mg

Source: Weight Watchers

Three-Cheese Manicotti

-

360 Calories per Serving

OH so good!! It was even great a couple of days later when I ate the left overs. I will say, I didn't do the blender-diced-tomatoes sauce- I cheated and used a jar of Marinara sauce. It was a little quicker.

Prep Time: 30 Min         Total Time: 1 Hr 10 Min       Servings: 4

Ingredients: 

8 dried manicotti shells

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup purchased shredded carrots

3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup light ricotta cheese or low-fat cream-style cottage cheese

3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 (14.5 ounce) can Muir Glen® no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, for filling, coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add mushrooms, carrots, and garlic to hot skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or just until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, the eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Spoon filling into cooked manicotti shells.

3. For sauce, place undrained tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Stir in roasted red peppers. Spread about 1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottoms of four 12- to 16-ounce ungreased individual baking dishes or a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti shells in individual baking dishes or large baking dish, overlapping shells slightly if necessary. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.

4. Bake, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes for individual baking dishes or 35 to 40 minutes for large baking dish or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Serving) Calories 360 (Calories from Fat 120), Total Fat 13g (Saturated Fat 7g, Trans Fat 0g), Cholesterol 140mg; Sodium 370mg; Total Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 4g, Sugars 6g), Protein 22g;Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 90 %; Vitamin C 190 %; Calcium 40 %; Iron 15 %; Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 2 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean  Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:2 1/2;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Source: Eatbetteramerica.com

Bubble Up Enchiladas

390 Calories per Serving 

(My version had 421 Calories per Serving...)

OH SO GOOD. The hubs took one bite and looks at me and goes, "There's no way this is healthy". I honestly have to agree with him- it was way too "comfort food-ish" to be healthy. I will say this, I couldn't find reduced fat refrigerator biscuits so I had to use regular biscuits... So my version had 421 cals per serving vs 390- I mean a 31 calorie difference isn't bad at all. Now I usually try to stay under 300-350 with my dinners, under 400 max but this was so good that I think if I plan throughout the day to have the extra calories at dinner, it'd definitely be ok. The prep time on this one was really quick- just brown the turkey and then throw it all in a bowl to mix... then bake it in a casserole dish. It did take a little longer than 25 minutes to bake- but I think that's just my oven. Most of the things I cook take longer than the time recommended in recipes. I think the next time I make it I'm going to add some veggies (onions, peppers, mushrooms). I think I could make it a little healthier by using only a cup of cheese (1 1/4 cups seemed like SO much last night...), and by using maybe 6 biscuits instead of the whole can (8). 

Ingredients: 

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 16 oz can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
1 ¼ cups shredded low fat Mexican Cheese

(Makes 6 servings)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown turkey and drain if needed. Mix in a can of enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Cut the refrigerated biscuits into fourths and stir them in the meat mixture. Then you just dump it all in a greased casserole (I use 8 X 11) and bake for 25 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through. Usually I use a tooth pick to see if the biscuits are done. Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Info: Calories 390; Fat 11.5g; Carbohydrate 36g; Fiber 2g; Protein 33g

Source: http://www.recipe-diaries.com/2011/05/23/bubble-up-enchiladas-weight-watcher-recipes-part-2/