CHICKEN FAJITAS

8 oz. strips of boneless chicken breasts

2 large bib lettuce leaves OR low-carb tortillas

½ green pepper, in slices

¼ cup onions or scallions

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash® extra spicy seasoning

1 oz. water

½ small tomato

1-2 Tbsp. salsa

1 Tbsp. plain non-fat yogurt

Stir fry pepper, onions, chicken, and seasonings.  Place half

of mixture on each lettuce leaf.  Top with tomato, salsa and

yogurt.  Carefully roll lettuce around mixture like a burrito.

You may use a low-carb tortilla if  desired.

Blueberries and a Punch Bowl Trifle for the Fourth of July

July is Blueberry Month     

                                             

sponsored by http://www.bellybusterdiet.com/

Blueberries have long been recognized as the fruit with the most antioxidants. The United States Department of Agriculture on May 8th, 1999, proclaimed July to be National Blueberry Month. Blueberries are grown in 35 states, with the United States producing over 90% of the worlds supply.

One of the easiest fruits to prepare and serve, these tasty berries offer as much as four times as many health-giving antioxidants than other fruits and veggies. Because blueberries have few natural pests, (other than birds), pesticides are generally unnecessary when growing them. A powerhouse among fruits, blueberries rich antioxidants are valued for their cancer and heart disease fighting properties. They are also shown to help improve memory, balance, and coordination.

Adding fresh summer blueberries are a great way to give a little health punch to some of your favorite dishes. Try them in yoghurt, pancakes, muffins, on your salad, over ice cream and even blueberry salsa.
We invite you to enjoy a few of our tasty blueberry recipes below and tell us the ways you like to eat these healthy berry bites.

Care Solutions
* Don’t wash berries until just before using to prevent berries from becoming mushy.
* Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
* Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep the skins from toughening.
Fun Facts
* The blueberry is the second most popular berry in the U.S. The strawberry is number one. Over 200 million pounds of blueberries are grown commercially each year.
* Blueberries contain significant quantities of both antibacterial and antiviral compounds, and have a reputation of fighting infections. They may also help protect against heart disease.
* The blueberry muffin is the official muffin of Minnesota.
* Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for former president Ronald Reagan.
* The blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey, which also raises the most cultivated fresh blueberries in the United States.

Punch Bowl Cake (Great for July 4th because of it's Patriotic Look!)
2 pkg of pudding mix
2 pkgs of strawberry jello mix
2 cups of blueberries
2 cups of strawberries
1 angel food cake (sugar-free)
1 lg. Cool Whip

Make up the pudding mixes and jellos according to directions and then layer between crumbled cake. I put pudding, then cake, then a layer of jello with the stawberries in it, then cakem then pudding tieh the blueberries on top, etc. In a glass trifle bowl, this looks so pretty! For an American holiday, very patriotic on your table. Great for diabetics and for those on a diet!

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Frost on the Berries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

2 Tbsp. Walden Farms Marshmallow Dip

Fold the dip into the blueberries and let set. Can eat alone or over yogurt.

For more information on dieting, go to http://www.beforeandafterdiet.net/ and fill out your health profile for a free metabolic assessment.

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Pizza is one of those foods that is notoriously difficult to eat when you have diabetes.  But you can make your own crust with either zucchini or cauliflower, both of which are very low in carbs, and your sugar will be fine! If you use zucchini, pat it dry with a paper towel or put it under the broiler for a few minutes to get some of the liquid off of it because it may be soggy if you don't.

Olive oil and flour for the pan
2 cups (packed) grated zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle a little olive oil in a 10" pie pan and coat lightly with flour.
Combine the zucchini, eggs, flour, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl and mix well. Spread into the pie pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. About halfway through the baking, brush with the remaining olive oil. Remove from oven. When it has cooled for about 10 minutes, use a spatula to loosen the crust from the pan so it won't break later.
Top with your favorite pizza items and bake at 400 F until heated through.
Servings: 4

Amount per ServingCalories: 306
Carbohydrates: 10g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 2g
Total Fat: 20g
Saturated: 6g
Trans: 0g
Sodium: 402mg
Protein: 21g

Easy Baked Crab Ragoons

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1/8 tsp garlic powder

!/4 tsp. chili powder

1/8 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 small green onion
4 oz. crab
3 oz. fat-free cream cheese
14 wonton wrappers (use lowest carb ones)

Microwave the cream cheese for about 30 seconds to soften.  Cut up the crab and mix with the other ingredients .  Spoon into wontons and twist at top.  Bake at 425º F for 8-10 or until golden brown.

Easy Pepperoni Pizza Soup

1 jar Classico Spicy Red Pepper
1 packet Before and After Chicken Soup, prepared (or 1 c. chicken broth)
1/4 package 70% fat-free pepperoni
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup shredded Mozarella cheese

You may saute some mushroons and onions and green peppers for added flavor and even add ground beef if you have left overs.

ANNOUNCEMENT! PB2 is here!

Our newest product-- PB2 is here! Powdered Peanut Butter! Regular Peanut Butter has 16 grams of fat in 2 Tbsp but PB2 has just 1.5 grams!!!!  Yep--that is not a misprint!  If you would like to order it from us, call 1-888-657-5402. It is just $6.95 per jar.  WE will send recipes along with your order.  Here are a few
ideas  to get you started:

1) You can mix it in pudding--it tastes great in our Butterscotch, Chocolate or Vanilla Creme Pudding.

2) You can blend 2 Tbsp- 3 Tbsp into a Chocolate milkshake made with our Chocolate drink or our Double Chocolate Pudding.

3) You can make candy with it: blend a tablespoon of Walden Farms Carmel Dip and Chocolate Sauce into 4 tablespoons on top of a piece of plastic wrap.  Then roll and wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.  SO yummy!

4) Make a Chicken Stir Fry with a can of chicken, Japanese frozen veggies and 2 Tbsp. PB2.  I also use a Thai spice called Spice Hunter Thai seasoning that has some coconut powder in it and, boy, does this taste authentic!

5) Put it on fruit--apples, peaches, nectarines or on celery.  If you are on maintenance or have children--you can do Ants on a Log with celery, PB2 and raisens down in a row!

6) Put it in this year's pumpkin pie!  But be careful that it doesn't overpower your pumpkin taste.

Scroll down to find last year's pumpkin pie recipe--it is THE best pumpkin pie I have ever eaten and it is hard to believe that it is dietetic! Thank you,  Sonya Clemmons!

Curried Mushroom Chicken

This can be served over toast, spaghetti squash, or Shirataki Tofu noodles!  We just added these tofu noodle to our Belly Buster Diet menus and you can get them at the grocer in the vegetarian section.  They have only 3 carbs per serving!

2 chicken breasts

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

2 pkts Before and After Clear Chicken Soup 

2 pkts Before and After Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 stalk of celery

Broil chicken until about half down in the oven.  (OR use chopped cooked chicken to do quickly on the stove). Put half the ingredients on the chicken and simmer for 30 minutes, then add the other half and simmer for another 10 minutes. Serves two.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 lg. can of white chunk chicken

1 jar of Walden Farms Fat Free Ranch or Blue Cheese Dip

1 cup of Walden Farms Fat Free/ Calorie Free Original BarBQue Sauce

8-oz. Fat-free cream cheese

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup chopped spring onions

Celery sticks

Mix the dip and sauce with the softened cream cheese in a 9x13 glass dish. Stir in the chicken chunks. Top with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with onions if desired. Serve with celery sticks. www.bestdietsource.com for the products!

Butterscotch Apple Crisp

2 packets Before and After Oatmeal Protein Supplement

1 packet Before and After Butterscotch Pudding Protein Supplement

3/4 cup soy milk

3 Tbsp. light Bisquick

1 large Rome Apple or any baking apple, sliced in a greased 8x8 dish

Sice the apple and then pour the remaining ingredients over it. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 4. If still dieting, drizzle with our Walden Farms Caramel Dip and serve with Cool Whip. If on Maintenance: serve with Breyer's Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream and top with six pecans.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES

So easy to make! Just mix 1/4 cup of Sugar-free Walden Farms Chocolate Sauce with 1/4 cup of Eggbeaters or egg whites and dip each strawberry in the mixture. I like to leave the stems on to hold the berry while I dip. Pleace the berries on a cookie sheet or in a miniature muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. The berries will be cold and frosty and, oh....so delicious!

Sonya's Turtle Pumpkin Pie

Crust: Crush melba toast and mix with 3 Tbsp. Sugar-free Walden Farms Caramel dip; press in bottom of 8x8 glass pan prayed with cooking spray. 

Topping: Mix 3 Tbsp Sugar-free Walden Farms Marshmallow dip with small container of Cool Whip. The whole thing will taste like marshmallows!

 Pie: In a blender combine 3/4 c. Eggbeaters (or 3 eggs), 1 c. milk or soy milk, 1/2 can pumpkin , and 2 pkts of Vanilla Creme Pudding mix and 1 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice. It will be thick. Pour over crust and bake at 350º for 30 min. Cool in the refrigerator until completely chilled and then serve with 2 pecan crumbled over each serving with a Tbsp of Marshmallow mix and just a little Walden Farms Chocolate Sauce drizzled back and forth over it.

Cauliflower Popcorn

This is from Angi Wuebben in response to me saying "the only thing I miss on the diet is popcorn!" However, this tastes a little like fried okra to me, which is something else this Southern Belle misses! I wonder if you can do the same with okra?!


For a picture and other reciptes visit at Mrs. Dash's website:
http://www.mrsdash.com/recipes/recipe-view.aspx?recipeID=721

Cauliflower Popcorn
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
3 Tbsp. (45mL) olive oil (or Canola/Enova oil would be best--your body does not absorb it!)
2 Tbsp. (30mL) Mrs. Dash® Table Blend
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C).
Cut out and discard cauliflower core and thick stems. Trim remaining cauliflower into florets the size of popcorn.
Toss thoroughly in a bowl with olive oil and Mrs. Dash® Table Blend.
Spread cauliflower on a sheet pan and roast for approximately 60 minutes, or until nicely browned (that's the carmelization process converting the dormant natural sugars into sweetness).
Turn three or four times during roasting. The browner the florets, the sweeter they will taste. Serve immediately.

What Tastes Like Pizza but is Dietetic?

Mary Ann Black, one of our clients at the Before and After Weight Loss Clinic in St. Lucie County, Florida, is a fabulous cook and when I met her I immediately liked her. But the real bond has come in sharing our love of cooking and discovering that she used to be a weight loss counselor, too, with a passion for helping people lose weight! So I have invited her to help me with these blogs and our soon-to-be "Lunch with Lee" web site!

Recently, Mary Ann brought us the most wonderful pizza squares that she invented, so I want to share that with you first! They are ON THE DIET! Mary Ann has lost 25 lbs. with our program( I think that is right--I will change the figure tomorrow if I am wrong) and is now on our maintenance program. Way to go! Keep the recipes coming!

Antipasto Squares (Tastes like Pizza!)

Preheat over 375

1 package Low Carb LaTortillas (approx 4 to 6)

Thin sliced Low -Fat meat: Turkey
(approx. 1/4 pound each) Roast Beef
Turkey Pepperoni (95% fat free)

Approximately 4 to 5 slices ea. Swiss cheese
Mozzarella
Provolone

(or any meat/cheese combination you prefer)

1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers, (9 to 10 oz. Jar, cut into bite size pieces)
2 Eggs or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters
1/4 cup grated Parmesan


Spray an 8” x 12” baking dish

Arrange the Tortillas in baking dish to completely cover the bottom, (I cut them in strips and place them on the bottom of the baking dish)

On top of the Tortillas, layer the meat, cheese, meat cheese, etc.

Top the meat/cheese layers with the Roasted Red Peppers

Mix the Eggs or Egg Beaters together with the grated Parmesan cheese and pour about 3/4 over the Roasted Red Peppers

Top with another layer of the Tortillas

Pour the remaining egg/parmesan mixture over the top of the Tortillas and spread evenly

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes

Enjoy! and be sure to visit our web sites: http://www.beforeandafterdiet.net/ for a free metabolic assessment by filling our your health profile and http://www.bellybusterdiet.com/ if you are interested in our out-of-town program or being a consultant.