Spicy turkey soup

What to do with leftover turkey? Here is my  healthier version of Carrabas Spicy Italian soup (My original version has potatoes chopped real small but I want to decrease the carbs in this). Spice amounts are approximate. Enjoy

Pam cooking spray
3 medium carrots chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1 medium onion chopped
4 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 TBL crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (adjust as needed)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to how spicy you like it)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (adjust to your liking)
1 tsp better than bouillon chicken base
2 can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil
12 oz cooked turkey meat ( 4oz. white, 8 oz dark - use whatever leftover you have)
8 oz ditalini pasta
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Saute celery, onions, and carrots in a Large pot sprayed with Pam
• When slightly softened, turn up heat, add in garlic, stock, boullion and canned tomatoes. 
• Season with Italian seasonings, cayenne and crush red pepper
• Once it comes to a boil, add pasta and lower heat
• Once pasta is cooked add the turkey and warm through. 
• Grate cheese and stir in

Approximately 14 servings:  Calories 174     Fat 3.5     Carbs 22.4      Protein 13.1   fiber 1.7

Brussell Sprouts with Cranberries

Not a fan of Brussel Sprouts? Give these a try. The sweetness of the fruit combined with the seasonings and cheese (yes cheese!) make them a great addition to any meal. This recipes calls for craisins because they are easy to find but feel free to replace them with dried cherries or other dried fruit. If you like a nuttier/crunchy side, then add some toasted almond slivers or walnuts. I use peccorino but any hard cheese works (asiago, romano, parmesan). Want to make it a meal? Add some chickpeas for protein!  Be creative and make it your own!


16 oz fresh brussel sprouts
1 TBL Olive oil
4 TBL chopped shallots
1 tsp Thyme (adjust to your liking)
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 cup craisins
6 TBL grated peccorino cheese


Cut the bottoms of the brussel sprouts and slice thin (I use the food processor). In a large pan heat the olive oil. Saute the shallots until slightly softened. Add the brussel sprouts, thyme, salt and pepper and continue to saute until wilted. Mix in the craisins. Grate the peccorino over the top and serve


8 servings: 76 calories       2.3 fat     Carbs 10.3     Protein 2.1     Fiber 2 g

Guilt Free Mini Blueberry Cheesecake

I am always looking for treat that don't derail me from eating well. Today I was craving cheesecake, I wanted something simple and of course portioned out for me. This recipe makes 2 mini cheesecakes but feel free to double it or even triple it.


Ingredients:


Crust:

• 28g (1/4 cup) Almond Flour 
• Fiber yum (Vitafiber) 3 tsp

Filling:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 4 TBL whipped cream cheese
• 1/2 packet of sugar substitute (save other half for topping)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 serving Jello pudding sugar free (cheesecake flavor) powder (8g)

Topping:

• 1/4 cup frozen wild maine blueberries
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 packet of sugar substitute
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp lemon
• 1 tsp water

Prepare 2 small tart pans by spraying with nonstick spray. preheat oven or toaster oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Heat the fiber syrup (about 30 sec) in microwave until bubbly. Mix the heated syrup in with the almond flour. Press mixture into the tart pans and bake until lightly toasted (about 5 - 10 min). Set aside to cool.

Combine filling ingredients in a small mixer (I used a ninja) and blend until fluffy. Divide filling evenly into the 2 cooled crusts and refrigerate.

Heat the blueberries in a small pan with the sugar substitute and a dash of cinnamon. In a small bowl combine water, lemon juice and water until mixed. Once blueberries come to a boil, add the cornstarch mix. Stir and remove from heat. The filling will thicken quickly so remove the filling from the pan. 

Divide the blueberry compote onto the tops of the cheesecakes and return to refrigerator to cool. They cool pretty quickly. Enjoy.

Nutrition per cheesecake:

Calories 230    Fat: 14g     Carbs: 22g   Fiber 10g   Protein:  10g

No crust quiche muffins

I felt like egg muffins today. I usually don't add the flour to them but saw a recipe that did so I thought I would give it a try. It did set a little better but it can certainly be eliminated. Play with the ingredients and add what you like, this is just what I had on hand this morning. Careful not to overfill the muffins as they will spill over in the oven. Enjoy!

Ingredients

•  
•         1 small onion, chopped
•         1/2 medium bell pepper, chopped
•         2 slices ham cut in small pieces (I used Kirland lean ham slices)
•         1  cup frozen chopped spinach (If using fresh, wilt down 3 cups)
•         6 large  whole eggs, beaten
•         9 TBL liquid egg whites
•         1/3 cup 1% milk (or milk of choice)
•         1/3 cup all purpose flour
•         Salt and pepper
•         3 ounces shredded cheese (I used queso blanco)
•         3 TBL parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use cooking oil to grease a nonstick muffin pan and set aside.

While oven is preheating, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and peppers until soft; Season with salt and pepper. Add ham and spinach and heat through and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, milk, flour.  Mix in cheese, salt and pepper until well combined.

Portion out the vegetable and meat mixture into 6 large or 12 regular muffin wells. Pour the egg mixture on top. Careful not to overfill, they will rise a little. Sprinkle parmesan over tops of each muffin. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until firm.

Nutrition (2 regular muffins or 1 large muffin)

Calories 192     Fat 9g       Carbs: 11g       Fiber 2g      Protein: 17g

No Bake Pumpkin Protein bars

I purchased "Fiber Yum" (Vitafiber) with the intent of making "Quest" type protein bars. I have been experimenting with in in my recipes and really like it. Getting all my fiber in is hard and it really helps. It has a mild sweetness to it but doesn't contain any added sweeteners. If you don't have this, you could replace with honey, agave or even maple syrup but it will change the carb and fiber content.

So this is my first go at the protein bars and since Fall is here, I started with a no bake pumpkin recipe. These are great on there own, or for some added goodness, I melted 8 60% Cacao chips per bar and coated the top with the chocolate.


No bake pumpkin protein bars
Recipe makes 3 bars

In a bowl mix:

• 2 1/2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (60g protein)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 2 TBL pureed pumpkin
• .75 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Microwave (or heat on stove) until bubbly

• 6 tsp Fiber yum or vitafiber

Pour the heated fiber syrup into the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Mix well. It will be thick like a cookie dough. Once mixed, divide into 3 and place in Silicone mold (if you don't have mold, use any small loaf pan or even place in plastic wrap and mold into bars). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (at least 1 hour). Remove from mold and wrap with plastic wrap. Keep leftovers refrigerated. 

Optional: Melt 8 dark chocolate chips (1/2 serving) per bar in microwave or double boiler. Melt slowly. 30 sec in the microwave at a time and stir. Once melted pour over bars before refrigerating. Cover loosely with the plastic wrap.

Nutrition per bar (3):   Calories: 194     Fat: 6g     Carbs: 19    Fiber: 12g     Protein: 23g
Nutrition per bar with chocolate: Calories 234     Fat 9g    Carbs 23g     Fiber 13g   Protein 24g

Protein brownies

I am always looking for some treats that are not high in carbs and provide protein. These brownies deliver. They are fluffy like a cupcake. I make them in a brownie bar pan but you can use a muffin tin or put them in a pan and cut them the old fashioned way (I just like the portioned out servings). These brownies are good on their own, but also with cream cheese. I also refrigerate them because they will go bad quickly. Optional add ins: Nuts or dark chocolate chips.


Ingredients:

• 8 TBSP Almond butter
• 1 can 100% pumpkin
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup walden farms zero calorie chocolate syrup (sugar free sauce is good too but will add a little carbs and calories)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 TBL unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tsp Fiber yum or vitafiber (this is optional but adds a little fiber and a little extra sweetness)
• 1 tsp instant coffee crystals 
• 1 TBL coconut oil
• 2-3 scoops protein powder chocolate (I use 2 scoops of 30g protein isolate, for smaller scoops - use 3)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
• Spray brownie pan with non stick spray
• Mix all ingredients together except the protein powder 
• Once mixed well, incorporate the protein powder, don't over mix
• Separate into 12 portions
• Cook for 15 min (careful not to over bake) until tester comes out clean
• Cool and enjoy
• Refrigerate any leftovers

12 servings. Calories/serving : 152     Fat: 10g     Carbs: 8g    Protein: 9g   Fiber: 4g

Links to products (I order the fiber but all the other ingredients I find in my grocery store):

Fiber

chocolate syrup

Apple Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Apple Pumpkin Protein Muffins

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup diced apple
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 9 Tbl liquid egg whites
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup walden farms caramel (or any sweetener) 
• 1 tsp Baking soda 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Pulse oats a few times in food processor. 
3. Mix all the other ingredients with oats ( I mixed well then added flour and whey so not to over mix them). 
4. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray (16 regular sized muffins)
5. Scoop in muffin tin. 
6. Cook 15 min or until stick comes out clean.

Servings 1 muffin (makes 16 servings).  Calories: 103  Carbs: 7.8g  Fiber 1.5g  Fat: 4.5g  Protein: 8.4g