Jell-O Graham Cracker “Cake”

Ingredients:

• Applesauce
• Jell-O (whatever flavor(s) you like) – for Christmas you will want green and red, and please use sugar free for a healthier dessert
• instant vanilla pudding – Jonathan’s Mom didn’t use this, but it sounds like a nice addition, again use sugar free
• graham crackers, preferably low fat
• Cool Whip, again, light Cool Whip is healthier

Directions:

Since you can really vary this however you want, this is more of a guideline than a recipe.

Combine Jell-O and Applesauce – Use the general rule of 1 cup of applesauce to 1 box dry Jell-O – use as many or as few flavors as you like; red and a green color, red and blue for 4th of July, all green at St. Patty’s day… you get the idea.

Prepare vanilla pudding according to box instructions.

Lay down a base of graham crackers, how many is determined by how big you want it.

Spread a layer of applesauce mixture down.

Put down another layer of graham crackers – this time changing the direction you lay them. Doing this with each layer of crackers helps keep the cake stable.
Next a layer of vanilla pudding. Like I said above, Jonathan doesn’t remember his Mom using vanilla pudding, but it is a nice variant.

Then another layer of graham crackers.

Keep layering like this, ending with a layer of graham crackers on top.

Chill for at least one hour, preferably several hours.

“Frost” with Cool Whip.

We’ve always made this in advance, even the night before, so that the graham crackers got nice and soft. It makes the flavors amazing together, makes the graham crackers more cake like, and makes for easier cutting too!

One last time I will say that this is very easy to make low-cal / diabetic friendly by just substituting all ingredients with sugar free, low fat, or light.

Bisquick Quiche

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of fillings (your choice; for example broccoli, mushrooms, ham, etc.)
• 1 Cup shredded cheese of your choice
• 1/4 Cup chopped onion
• 2 Cups milk
• 1 Cup biscuit baking mix (Bisquick)
• 4 Large eggs
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1/8 Teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease 10 inch pie plate or 8 inch square.

Sprinkle fillings, onions and cheese in plate.

Beat remaining ingredients until smooth and pour into plate.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted low fat vegetable oil spread
• 1/2 cup Splenda diet sweetener
• 1/2 unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

No need for a mixer for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.

Mix in the sweetener, applesauce, egg white, and vanilla.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

Add the flour last, mix.

Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Rhode Island “New York System” Weiners/Wieners (aka “Gaggers”)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. hamburger
• 3 Tbs. margarine
• 1 small onion
• 1 Tbs. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
• 1/2 Tsp. allspice
• 1/2 Tbs. salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 C water

Directions:

This is not a complicated recipe, but isn’t quick.

Lightly brown chopped onion in butter.

Add hamburger and stir until the hamburger loosens into small pieces and then add rest of spices.

Simmer on very low heat for at LEAST 2 hours.

Put cooked weiner in bun.

Put mustard on weiner.

Put sauce on mustard.

Put raw chopped onions on mustard.

Sprinkle celery salt on top of onions.

Devour your creations…. and smile.

Healthy Roast Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Ingredients:

• 9 stalks celery
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 10 leaves fresh sage
• 3 sprigs fresh curly parsley
• 1 4 lb. roasting chicken
• 1 tsp salt
• 40 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place three celery stalks in the bottom of a Dutch oven about 2 or 3 inches apart. Stack three stalks on top perpendicular and about 2 or 3 inches apart and then place the last three stalks on top perpendicular to the second row and also about 2 or 3 inches apart to form a grid of celery.

Rinse the chicken well and pat dry. Rub the surface of the chicken and the cavity with the salt.

Place the 40 cloves of garlic in the cavity of the chicken and drizzle the oil over the garlic.

Place the chicken on top of the grid of celery and pour the wine into the bottom of the pot. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley to the pot and cover.

Place the covered pot in the preheated oven and reduce the temperature to 325°F. Cook for 30 minutes and remover the cover. Cook another 15 to 30 minutes until a meat thermometer at the thigh reads 160°F. Remove and let the chicken rest for at least ten minutes. Remove the skin before carving.

Remove the cloves of garlic and place in a bowl. Serve the chicken with a healthy whole grain slice of bread spread with roasted garlic cloves.

Lisa’s Frozen Chocolate Pudding Pops

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Milk (use 1% low-fat, or maybe skim even, for a healthier pop)
• 1 Package Instant Chocolate Pudding (use sugar-free for healthier pop)
• 1 Tsp Vanilla
• 6 Ice Pop Molds (as sold in department and kitchen stores) or 6 paper cups
• 6 Popsicle Sticks

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until very thick, the mix should be thick enough so that you can stand a Popsicle stick up in it and it won’t move. Pour in molds, or cups, stick a Popsicle stick in each one, and freeze for at least 5 hours. Run the mold under warm water, or warm with your hand, and pull out the pop. enjoy!!

Lisa’s Healthy Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted vegetable oil spread or margarine
• 3/4 cup of Splenda
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)

Directions:

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix melted butter substitute into the smashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the Splenda, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Peppercorn Steak

Ingredients:

• 4 good-sized steaks (1/2 pound to a pound each, allow for 1/2 pound per person)
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, canola oil, or other high smoke-point tasteless oil
• 1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions
• 1/4 cup cognac or other brandy (when I make this for both of us I only use 1/8 cup or less and it tastes just about as good)
• 1 cup beef broth or stock (for gluten-free version use gluten-free stock)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (or for a healthier alternative use 1/4 cup evaporated skim milk)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Lightly salt both sides of the steaks and let them come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. (Use a pan that can handle high heat. Cast iron works well for this, or anodized aluminum. Do NOT use a non-stick pan as you will not get the fond you need to build the sauce.) When you get the first few wafts of smoke off of the oil take the pan off the heat. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels (steaks brown better if they are patted dry first) and place in the hot pan. Return the pan to the heat and turn the heat down to medium-high. Sear the steaks without moving them for at least 4 minutes. Try to pick up a steak with tongs, and if it comes clean, flip it and turn the heat down to medium. If it sticks to the pan, let it cook for another minute or two on that side.

For this recipe, we sear on one side on high heat, and cook on lower heat on the other side. This way you get great flavor from the seared side, and better control over how done you want your steak by cooking the other side more slowly. Use the finger test for doneness or a meat thermometer. For rare, remove the meat from the pan when the inside reaches 120°F, for medium rare 125-130°F. Once the steak is done to your liking remove the meat to a baking sheet and sprinkle on a generous portion of crushed black peppercorns on both sides of each steak, do not press the peppercorns into the meat as the pressure will surely force out juices at this stage, simply allow the weight of the steak to do the work. Tent with aluminum foil and let the steak rest while you are preparing the sauce.

Now, if we have done a good job searing the steak, and haven’t used a non-stick pan, then there should be plenty of fond in the pan. Fond is the yummy brown bits that are left in the pan which are the basis for most pan sauces. Add the onion/shallots and sauté for 2 minutes, adding a tiny bit of oil if needed. Next, we will add the brandy and as it boils, deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to dislodge all the fond. Once the brandy is almost cooked away, add the beef stock and turn the heat to high. Boil the sauce down until there’s a noticeable trail when you drag a wooden spoon through the center of it (4-5 minutes).

Pour in the cream/evaporated milk and resume boiling. Again, boil down until you can make that telltale trail from the wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and add the parsley and any remaining black pepper. Taste for salt and add if needed.

Pour the sauce over the steaks right when you serve. Serves 4-6, depending on how big the steaks, and how hungry your diners are, but believe me they WILL be hungry after smelling this cooking.

Healthy Substitutions

Ideas:

Cut down on heavy cream. If making a sauce, soup, or casserole, use evaporated skim milk instead. If baking, use light cream.

You can use low-fat or nonfat cheese in place of regular cheese. Since nonfat cheese doesn’t melt, though, it’s not a good choice for cooked meals, but these days most low-fat cheeses melt just fine. Another alternative is to decrease the portions while boosting the flavor. Instead of adding a cup of regular cheddar, use 3/4 cup of extra sharp cheddar. Likewise, 3/4 cup of freshly shredded Parmesan will add just as much zip as a cup of the grated stuff from the shaker.

Low-fat cream cheese is a good alternative to regular cream cheese. Just keep in mind that nonfat cream cheese will get very runny in cake frosting and dip.

When cooking with all-purpose flour, use half of the usual amount and complete the recipe with whole-wheat flour, an excellent source of fiber. (For some recipes, if the flavor seems a little strong, you can cut back a bit on this ratio and go to 2/3 all-purpose to 1/3 whole-wheat). Every little bit healps.

Think skim. Skim or 1 percent milk makes a perfect stand-in for whole milk.

Instead of evaporated whole milk, try evaporated skim milk.

Switch to healthier fats. That means cutting out lard, butter, palm oil, coconut oil, and shortenings made with these oils. Instead, use healthy oils such as olive, canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, sesame, peanut, and cottonseed.

Go easy on the oil. If a recipe calls for a cup of oil, use 3/4 or 2/3 of a cup instead. If making a sweet bread such as banana bread, cut the oil in half and replace it with pureed plums or prunes, mashed banana, applesauce, or canned pumpkin. However, it’s best not to skimp on oil when making yeast breads or pie crusts. (Eliminating the oil completely makes for a pretty “gummy” product.)

When baking, use one cup of plain low-fat yogurt instead of one cup of sour cream. You’ll hardly notice the difference, and you’ll end up with 350 fewer calories, 44 fewer grams of total fat, and nearly 28 fewer grams of saturated fat.

Instead of one large egg, try two large egg whites. If baking, replace half of the eggs with egg whites. (For instance, instead of using two whole eggs, use one egg and two egg whites.) Desserts and breads baked with egg whites only tend to be tough. You can also use egg substitutes in recipes. Generally, ¼ cup of egg substitute is equal to one whole egg. If a recipe calls for two or more eggs, you can use one whole egg and use either egg whites or egg substitutes for the others.

If you’re baking something sweet, you can replace regular sour cream with nonfat sour cream. Don’t try this in a savory casserole — nonfat sour cream turns sweet when heated.

If you add nuts to a recipe, reduce the quantity and make sure to toast them. This helps bring out the flavor with fewer calories.

If you’re on a low-sodium diet, you can reduce (or eliminate) the salt in many recipes without killing the flavor. Try adding herbs and spices instead of salt.