Daily Dish for Saturday, September 20th 2020

We have today, a super heart healthy, low carb, diabetic friendly, gourmet meal. Super Slimming Saturdays, with one low cal dessert a lemon bar to top off the meal. Its kid friendly also, something for everyone. We go lighter now starting on Saturdays for the sake of eating so much during the week. I want to incorporate healthy snacks for three times a day because we don't eat dinner. I'll roll those out hopefully starting on Monday. This will be the main Meal starting for Saturdays now, I will change out the sandwich but, and the crescent roll might change but, the rest will stay standard for saturday Meals for four weeks. Then we will change it. I'd like to start this in October officially but we'll experiment with it the rest of September.

Could you do me a huge favor everyone who reads this if you could copy out this whole template and then Next Saturday I'll have a new sandwich and crescent roll for the meal.

This will save time, money, and sanity to be able to order from instacart. I'll be doing this with all meals going forward. Less in the garbage more in your stomach and less on the pocket books.

Makeover Carl’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound bone-in chicken breast halves

• 12 cups water

• 3 bay leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 celery ribs, sliced

• 1-1/2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 3 medium carrots, sliced

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

• 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken base

• 3-1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles

• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed

• 2 cups frozen okra, thawed and sliced

Directions

• Place the chicken, water, bay leaves and pepper in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

• Remove chicken from broth; set aside to cool. Strain broth, discarding bay leaves. Skim fat from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken from bones and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; discard bones.

• In a large stockpot coated with cooking spray, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the celery, beans, carrots, parsley and Italian seasoning. Stir in broth and chicken base. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

• Stir in noodles and corn. Return to a boil; cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Add okra; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until noodles and okra are tender. Stir in chicken; heat through.

Nutrition Facts 1-1/2 cups: 149 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated fat), 29mg cholesterol, 345mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 11g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Crisp Finger Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat spreadable garden vegetable cream cheese

• 1/3 cup thinly sliced English cucumber

• 3 tablespoons alfalfa sprouts

• Dash coarsely ground pepper

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• Spread toast with cream cheese. Top with cucumber, sprouts and pepper.

Nutrition Facts 1 sandwich: 136 calories, 6g fat (3g saturated fat), 15mg cholesterol, 323mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 2g fiber), 7g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 fat.

Parmesan Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, melted

• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

• Marinara sauce, optional

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Directions

• Place butter in a shallow bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, cheese and salt in another shallow bowl. Dip chicken in butter, then roll in crumbs.

• Place in a single layer on two 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once. Serve with marinara sauce if desired. Freeze option: Cool chicken nuggets. Freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Place on a baking sheet and reheat in a preheated 375° oven 7-12 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition Facts 6 nuggets (calculated without marinara): 191 calories, 9g fat (5g saturated fat), 67mg cholesterol, 309mg sodium, 5g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 0 fiber), 20g protein.

Stained Glass Gelatin

Ingredients

Raspberry , Grape , Black Cherry

• 2 packages (3 ounces each) lime gelatin

• 6 cups boiling water, divided

• 2 packages (3 ounces each) orange gelatin

• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

• 1/3 cup cold water

• 1-1/2 cups white grape juice

• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

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Directions

• In a bowl, dissolve the lime gelatin in 3 cups boiling water. Pour into an 8-in. square dish coated with cooking spray. In another bowl, dissolve orange gelatin in remaining boiling water. Pour into another 8-in. square dish coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until very firm.

• In a small saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Add grape juice. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Pour into a large bowl; refrigerate for 45 minutes or until slightly thickened. Fold in whipped topping.

• Cut green gelatin into 1/2-in. cubes and orange gelatin into 1-in. cubes. Set aside 8-10 cubes of each color for garnish. Place 2 cups whipped topping mixture in a bowl; fold in remaining green cubes. Spread into a 13x9-in. dish coated with cooking spray. Fold remaining orange cubes into remaining whipped topping mixture; spread over bottom layer. Sprinkle with reserved green and orange gelatin cubes. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Cut into squares.

Test Kitchen TipsConsider festive jello salad for an old fashioned twist on vintage Thanksgiving recipes.

Nutrition Facts 1 piece: 122 calories, 4g fat (4g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 29mg sodium, 18g carbohydrate (16g sugars, 0 fiber), 2g protein.

Garlic-Cheese Crescent Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

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Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°. Separate crescent dough into eight triangles. Roll up from the wide end and place point side down 2 in. apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Curve ends to form a crescent.

• Combine butter, garlic powder and oregano; brush over rolls. Sprinkle with cheese.

• Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts 1 roll: 157 calories, 11g fat (4g saturated fat), 12mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium, 12g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 0 fiber), 3g protein

Feta-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 4 large portobello mushrooms (4 to 4-1/2 inches)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

• 1/2 cup prepared pesto

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Directions

• Remove and discard stems from mushrooms; with a spoon, scrape and remove gills. In a small bowl, combine oil and garlic; brush over mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt. In a small bowl, combine cheese and pesto.

• Place mushrooms on a piece of greased heavy-duty foil (about 12-in. square). Grill mushrooms, stem side up, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Spoon cheese mixture over mushrooms; grill, covered, 2-3 minutes or until filling is heated through.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• FILLING:

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

• Additional confectioners' sugar

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Directions

• In a bowl, combine the flour, butter and confectioners' sugar. Pat into an ungreased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

• For filling, in a small bowl, beat eggs. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, lemon juice and zest; beat until frothy. Pour over the crust. Bake 25 minutes longer or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Cut into bars.

Nutrition Facts 1 bar: 263 calories, 11g fat (7g saturated fat), 74mg cholesterol, 140mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate (25g sugars, 0 fiber), 3g protein.

Apple-Pear Puff Pancake

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup 2% milk

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• TOPPING:

• 3 tablespoons butter

• 3 medium apples, sliced

• 3 medium pears, sliced

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• Maple syrup, optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place butter in a 10-in. ovenproof skillet; heat in oven until butter is melted, 2-3 minutes. Tilt pan to coat evenly with butter.

• Place eggs, milk, flour, sugar and nutmeg in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour into hot skillet. Bake until puffed and browned. 17-20 minutes.

• Meanwhile, for topping, heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples, pears and sugar; cook until fruit is tender, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes.

• Remove pancake from oven; fill with fruit mixture and serve immediately. If desired, serve with syrup.

Nutrition Facts 1 serving (calculated without syrup): 367 calories, 16g fat (9g saturated fat), 158mg cholesterol, 170mg sodium, 50g carbohydrate (27g sugars, 5g fiber), 8g protein.

Strawberry Lime Smoothies

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberry yogurt

• 1/2 cup 2% milk

• 2 to 4 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled

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Directions

• Process all ingredients in a covered blender until smooth.

Nutrition Facts 1 cup: 181 calories, 2g fat (1g saturated fat), 7mg cholesterol, 65mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate (34g sugars, 2g fiber), 5g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1 fruit.