Meals for the Week of January 30, 2012

So we're coming into the "big game" weekend, Super Bowl Sunday, or for many people it's all about the food and the commercials, who cares about the football game.  I wanted to share a few recipes this week that you might be interested to make for the game whether you are hosting people or need to bring something over.  Some of my suggestions I have in a blog post over  on the Mama Bootcamp website.  Each week Mama Bootcamp has a challenge and week #5 is a challenge to keep it healthy when eating and watching the game.    So besides those recipes, here is one more that you might like-  Loaded Skinny Turkey Nachos- I suggest instead of using a low fat bean dip as listed in the recipe, just mix the turkey meat with beans.  I will also leave you with one dessert that would be fun to bring to a party- Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats. 

Meals for the Week of January 30, 2012

Pecan Crusted Trout- I don’t know that I have ever listed a trout recipe here.  I’m usually a shrimp, salmon or tilapia person, but I grew up eating trout.  The crunchy, nutty crust is great.  But you could use this on any fish for that matter. 

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions-  An easy pasta sauce.  No garlic, no seasonings.  The key is good tomatoes and the butter makes it rich.  Don’t be too worried about the butter, if you’re only eating a 1 cup or even a little less than one cup of sauce, it’s under 200 calories.  Have it over whole wheat pasta for good added fiber.
Pasta with Butternut Squash and Pecans- I like to take this up a notch with a little browned butter, because it tastes so good with the squash.  However, the olive oil is healthier. 

Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach- Comes together quickly on a weeknight or you can make it in advance. 

Slow Cooker Rosemary Pot Roast- This recipe includes something I really try to avoid; canned cream soup.  I’m not totally against them, I grew up with canned soup and various casseroles created from canned soup.  I do like that this one lists the low fat and low sodium kind, which is a good option. 

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema- This is a recipe using baked, not fried fish and you can easily substitute shrimp if you prefer.  Serve it with a creamy and tangy cilantro sauce. 

Chicken Parmesan with Easy Marinara sauce-  This is a low carb chicken parmesan as it’s not breaded like the traditional recipe, it’s just coated with some grated parmesan cheese.   I also include a simple marinara sauce to use with it, but you can always use your favorite store bought sauce. 

BBQ Beef Casserole-  This is spicy and sweet with jalapenos and barbecue sauce, topped with a cornbread crust.  But it’s very simple to throw together and you can control the heat by using more or less jalapenos.  The recipe calls for a Jiffy brand cornbread mix, my suggestion is to use Marie Calendar’s low fat mix instead. 

Parmesan Rosemary Chicken- The method used in this recipe is one of my favorite ways to cook; diced up chicken, cooked hot and fast in a pan, then you deglaze the pan and make a sauce (in this case a gravy).  Very simple and delicious.