Food Frenzy Friday 2

So you're on a "diet"... In quotes because diets are really a short term deal but when you are trying to lose weight and get fit for life, it's a lifestyle change. I've been behaving while I am in my main weight loss phase. I figure if I get off track now, it may be harder to stick to it. What I wouldn't do for some pizza, homemade chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, and a burger with fries. But I have my eyes on the prize. I will allow myself these foods again in small moderation once I've reached my goals and am just maintaining my weight.

I found an excellent substitute last week for pizza... Cauliflower pizza. Well, I found an equally great substitute this week for my cheeseburger craving. Again, it may sound strange to you, but I assure you it isn't. A Cheeseburger Casserole. Gina at SkinnyTaste has done it again with a wonderful recipe. Only 291 calories per cup. And it's a simple recipe to follow... Quick dinner! Lean ground beef, diced tomatoes, cheese, and (whole wheat) pasta are the key ingredients. As I have been with every new recipe, I was skeptical. I do think I overcooked the beef a little bit but overall, it was actually quite yummy and did taste a lot like a cheeseburger (did I mention you chop up pickles to sprinkle on top after it is cooked? Yum!!)

I did make one substitute, unintentionally. The recipe calls for tomato paste. I thought I had some at home and realized while cooking that I didn't. I used some pasta sauce I had in the fridge as a sub (I used 4 Tablespoons since it isn't as thick as paste would have been). I seemed to come out just fine like this. Also, her recipe calls to melt the cheese for about 15 minutes. Everyone's oven is different but mine was definitely done in 10 (and had I been paying attention, I probably could have taken it out sooner). So I would just keep an eye on the casserole when it is in the oven.

Image Source: SkinnyTaste

Another recipe I wanted to highlight: Skinny Fiesta Lime Chicken, compliments of Skinny Mom. This sounded so yummy... chicken, salsa, ranch dressing, lime juice, and cheese. Another really quick and easy dinner since you just brown the chicken and and then add the rest of the ingredients into the pan and warm until the cheese has melted. This smelled yummy and tasted it too. I served it with Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Brown Ready Rice. I don't usually use instant rice but this was perfect since dinner cooked quickly, and it tasted like I cooked it on the stove top. I use to love ranch dressing but I've outgrown my taste for it in recent years, so it tasted a little too "ranchy" for me (I don't think my heartburn I acquired during pregnancy ever really went away which could be contributing to my distaste for the ranch mixed with the salsa). I think next time I make this, I will use less dressing (possibly as much as half the amount since the recipe called for the entire bottle). I also think I'd like to try this with yellow rice next time to stick to the Mexican menu. 

I hope you enjoyed these dinners and will try them too. If you do, let me know how it goes!!