January 26, 2012: Lite Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollups Recipe

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my favorite recipes. Of course, it isn’t the best kind of dish to prepare when you’re trying to lose weight, like I am. I ran across this recipe from Rocco DiSpirito in the Arizona Republic recently and in true Candy fashion, tweaked it a bit to make it easier to prepare. It passed the “hubby likes it” test so this is one I’ll be making again.

Lite Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollups

4 slices whole wheat bread

4 t. Dijon mustard

4 slices deli-style roasted chicken breast

4 slices deli-style ham

2 sticks string cheese, cut in half vertically

Olive oil cooking spray

With a rolling pin, flatten slices of bread so they are quite thin. Spread each slice of bread with a teaspoon of mustard. Top each slice with a piece of chicken breast, a piece of ham and one half piece of string cheese. Starting at the end with the piece of cheese, roll up tightly. Place seam side down on a microwaveable bowl; microwave on high for one minute.

Spray a frying pan with olive oil cooking spray and heat to medium low. Add chicken rollups and spray tops of the rollups with cooking spray. Cook, turning one quarter turn every few minutes and spraying tops with cooking spray, until crispy on all outer edges. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

Serves 2 – 4 depending on appetite (one of these was plenty for me but my husband ate two)

Note: The string cheese never really melts but it should be soft. You can substitute another type of low fat cheese if you want the inside of these rollups to be melty soft.

January 18, 2012: Healthy Meatloaf Recipe

Here’s another of my favorite meals that I’ve slimmed down for the calorie conscious diner (me!). Although my husband groaned with he saw me using ground turkey, he enjoyed the finished product. If you want fewer calories, omit the ground beef (I added it so this meatloaf would taste more like the traditional recipe I usually prepare).

Healthy Meatloaf

1 slice whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces

1 T. dehydrated onions

1 T. dried parsley

2 T. fat free half and half

2 T. beef broth

1 egg

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup ketchup

1 chile in adobo sauce, minced

1 t. each: oregano, sage, garlic salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. 4 ounces ground turkey

12 ounces 80% lean ground beef

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread pieces, onions and parsley. Stir in half and half and beef broth; let sit for five minutes. Add egg, Worcestershire, ketchup, chile and seasonings; mix well. Add in ground meat and mix with your hands. Pat mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes, or until completely cooked through the middle.

Serves 6 (per serving: 615 calories, 30 grams fat, 882 sodium)