Homemade spaghetti sauce

It's been a CRAZY couple of weeks. School has started with fall practices for my husband, I have a couple big projects I'm working on at work, I've been crafting like a crazy lady for my etsy shop and for a local kid's boutique and I'm preparing to teach a night course at a local college on wellness. Needless to say, something had to go by the wayside. The blog drew the short straw.

I've still been cooking healthfully, just not venturing out and trying a bunch of new recipes. Instead, I've been sticking with the old standby's which I've probably already featured on the blog.

One staple in our household is pasta. Since our little vegetable garden gave us a few tomatoes (supplemented with fresh local tomatoes from the farm stand around the corner), I decided to try canning spaghetti sauce for the first time this year. Fresh canned spaghetti sauce is great because I control the seasoning as well as the salt and sugar. Jarred sauce can be pretty high in salt and sugar so I was able to keep them to a minimum. I didn't try any fancy recipes, just this basic one from pickyourown.org.


What are you canning this year?

Product Review: Steamfresh Rigatoni with vegetables

I love making my food from scratch. I love homecooked breads, fresh vegetables and soft homemade cookies. But sometimes scratch cooking just doesn't work out into my schedule. Or maybe I'm only cooking for myself and balancing a fussy infant on my hip and therefore scratch cooking doesn't really fit in the cards. For nights like those, I try to keep a variety of healthy, quick alternatives available.

Last week I tried Birds Eye Steamfresh Rigatoni with vegetables with tomato Parmesan sauce. It's one of those high-tech steam bags that you pop in the microwave for 4 minutes and voila - it's done. It was so easy!

The bag says that it makes 2 servings which actually would be very generous size servings as a side dish accompanied by a grilled chicken breast or salmon fillet. I, however, was making a whole meal out of this and ate the whole bag. (But even still was only about 440 calories - not bad for a whole meal!).

The pasta was surprisingly flavorful and the vegetables were generous and tasty. It was packed with tomatoes, peppers, onion and spinach. I topped mine off with a little part skim mozzarella and enjoyed my dinner. I would highly recommend!

Each bag provides 2 servings - here's the facts for 1 serving (1/2 bag):

220 calories 5 g fat 35 g carbohydrate 2 g fiber 7 g protein.

Thoughts of my product review are solely my own and
I was not compensated in any way to provide this review.

Tortellini with Zucchini Meatsauce

As I've said before, I'm not pretending that my recipes the most 100% healthy thing you've ever seen. But they're real. Its what I make for my real life husband and me. We're busy, we're hungry and we don't want food to rule our lives.

I say this because not every recipe I am going to post is the most awesome thing for you ever BUT I hope they are examples how small changes in your diet can make a big difference in your total health picture.

In this recipe, I simply made tortellini and meat sauce but made a few changes to health-i-fy it. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. This saved me almost 160 calories and 19 grams of fat per serving. I also added in zucchini into the sauce. Every little extra serving helps!

Here is a pretty good list of substitutions you can try. You don't need to revamp every meal you've ever made but maybe one or two small changes can make a big difference in your family's eating habits!

Tortellini with Zucchini Meat Sauce

3 cups cheese filled frozen tortellini
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 pound ground turkey
2 small zucchini, sliced

Start a pot of water boiling for tortellini.

Brown ground turkey in a pan. Once cooked, push to side of pan and add zucchini. Cook zucchini until lightly sauted in turkey juices but still with a bite to it. Add spaghetti sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add tortellini to boiling water. Cook according to package directions (traditionally 2-3 minutes). Drain tortellini and plate. Top with prepared meat sauce.

Makes 4 servings, per serving:
522 calories
19.3 g fat
50.4 g carbohydrate
4.2 g fiber
35.4 g protein

Tortellini Soup

Often times we get so focused on particular qualities of healthy eating that we neglect to see the importance of other aspects of a healthy diet. In the past I have found myself so focused on cutting the fat or adding in fiber that I neglect to think about other qualities of food like calcium content or other vitamins and minerals.

One mineral that should be focused on is sodium. (Did you know that sodium was a mineral?) Sodium, when eaten in excess, can impact cardiovascular disease, blood pressure and lead to water retension. Recommended intakes of sodium range from 1500-2400 mg per day but reports indicate that the average American can take in as much as 8000+ mg each day!

Many sources of sodium are fast foods and restaurant foods, so if you're making food homemade you're already ahead of the game! But other area that a lot of sodium can come from are canned goods like canned vegetables and soups.

I decided to revamp a tasty recipe for Tortellini Soup from The Well-fed Newlyweds with my focus being on cutting down the sodium. The original recipe already calls for low sodium chicken broth but if you didn't use low sodium chicken broth you're looking at 1469 mg of sodium in each serving.

I simply used low sodium chicken broth and canned tomatoes that had no added salt. I did not add salt to the pot and cut the sodium down by over 500 mg to 911 mg per serving.

Overall it was pretty awesome! I thought it was tasty and flavorful. I was bringing a meal to a family in our church so I made a big batch of the soup base and split it in two before adding the tortellini. I put the soup base in a ziploc and then gave the spinach and tortellini on the side before giving it to them.

Tortellini Soup - BETTER

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 qt (4 cups) low sodium chicken broth
14.5 oz can no added salt tomatoes (I used diced)
Freshly ground black pepper
9-10 oz package tortellini (I used cheese but I suppose you could try other variations!)
3 cups chopped fresh spinach

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to get translucent. Add garlic until softened and light golden. Add oregano, broth, tomatoes, and pepper to taste.

Bring soup to a boil and add tortellini. Cook according to time listed on package (mine was 2 minutes). One minute before tortellini are done, add spinach. Stir to combine.

When tortellini are cooked, remove the pot from the heat immediately so your tortellini do not overcook. Add additional pepper if necessary. Serve soup immediately.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving provides:
311 calories
9.5 g fat
42.9 g carbohydrate
2.8 g fiber
14.7 g protein
911 mg sodium

Chicken Parmesan with vegetables

Before I was married, I lived alone from the time I was 19 until I got married at 26. I loved living alone. I was in charge of my own stuff, my own place and my own meals. I still cooked just for one and would have leftovers for lunches and dinners in the upcoming days. I've never been that big of a meat eater and could live off of cheese and beans for my main source of protein. When I got married, that changed. I soon learned that I needed to have a good protein source at every meal, whether it be eggs, chicken, beef, turkey, etc. There are only a few meals that I know my husband truly enjoys that are vegetarian. (This minestrone being one of his favorites!)

In the last month as I've been trying to increase my own protein intake, I've been trying to come up with meals that not only have protein sources that my husband enjoys, but that I enjoy as well. I decided to revamp a basic chicken and pasta recipe to serve both of our taste preferences.

Chicken Parmesan with Vegetables

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
12 oz chicken (four 3 oz breasts or two large breasts cut in half)
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups cooked whole wheat spaghetti

Drizzle olive oil in a nonstick pan. Cook the chicken breast over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Add the vegetables. Stir and cook until tender-crisp.

Sprinkle with oregano. Add the spaghetti sauce and cook until heated through, approximately 5 minutes.

Put 1/2 cup of cooked whole wheat spaghetti on a plate. Top with a piece of chicken and generous ladle of veggies and sauce. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese over each serving. Makes 4 servings.

Per serving (chicken, veggies and pasta!)
345 calories
10.9 g fat
36.8 g carbohydrate
6.9 g fiber
26.3 g protein

Creamy Crockpot Chicken

I don't have a picture of this one as the camera has resided at my husband's office for the last couple days. Instead I'll give you a random picture.

View from my front porch in winter time.

This is one of those many recipes that I see all over the blog world and I was never introduced to until recently. I'm not a fan of alfredo and this is as close as I get to it. It's super easy and perfect for taking a dish to pass at a function. The recipe that I originally used is from The Girl Who Ate Everything. As originally posted, this provides (Just the topping, not the pasta):

305.5 calories
20 g fat
8.3 g carbohydrate
0.0 g fiber
22.7 g protein

I make just a few changes. First I use reduced fat cream cheese and a little bit less than the original recipe. Second, I add a bag of frozen vegetables. I like it with broccoli best but often make it with green beans since the husband isn't a huge broccoli fan. Adding vegetables to pasta dishes can help decrease the portion of pasta that you use and add extra vitamins and minerals.

Overall, this is a regular staple on our meal plan. Give it a try!


Creamy Crockpot Chicken - BETTER

four 4 oz chicken breasts
1 packet dressing mix, I like Good Seasons' Garlic & Herb
6 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
10 oz bag frozen broccoli or green beans

Place the chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle dressing packet over it. Cover with cream of chicken soups and cream cheese. Cook on low for at least 4 hours. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, take out chicken breasts and shred. Put back into the crock pot and give the sauce a good stir. Add frozen vegetables. Cook for additional 3o minutes.

Serve over whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash.

Makes 6 servings, each serving provides:

261 calories
13.6 g fat
10.6 g carbohydrate
1.4 g fiber
24.1 g protein

Crockpot Marinara

Last weekend, I had both my family and Paul's family over for Finley's dedication. We all went to church together then came back to our house for lunch. I wanted to have a hearty meal but I wanted it to be ready when we got back from church, so I knew I would use a crock pot. I kept brainstorming for what to serve but all I could think of were BBQ Pork sandwiches (which are kind of cliche) and a big roast (which I'm afraid of buying big cuts of beef, I'm scared). So I was at a loss.

After a week or two of brainstorming, I came up with an idea. I would have a pasta bar! I had marinara and bolognese sauce cooking in my crockpots while we were at church then when we got home, I quickly boiled some spaghetti, bowtie and cheese ravioli.

I got the original recipe for the marinara from food.com and didn't really make any nutritional alterations. I couldn't find my head of garlic (weird, I know) so I resorted to garlic powder.

Crockpot Marinara Sauce

2 (28 oz) cans Italian-style crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic powder (or 8 cloves of garlic)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Splenda
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in a 3.5-6 qt crock pot.

Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours or high 4 to 5 hours.

Serve over pasta.

Makes 12 servings, per serving provides:
73 calories
1.6 g fat
14.4 g carbohydrate
3.4 g fiber
3.0 g protein

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

I was searching for a homemade breadstick recipe to go along with my meat sauce and whole wheat pasta. I have upped my exercise considerably the last few weeks and have noticed that I'm really needing more food to hold me over and satisfy me. Plus, I'm nursing which I have found if I try to cut back on my calories too much, it really affects my supply (possibly TMI but hey, its the truth). So why not add some breadsticks with my pasta?

So I'm pretty sure that My Sisters Cafe is my go-to place for homemade bread recipes. They are always so good! I found this recipe for homemade breadsticks and is was exceptionally appealing since they take about an hour to make.

The recipe didn't say how many breadsticks it makes but I assumed about 12 from the picture. With 12 as the serving size, the original recipe provides:

181 calories
4.6 g fat
30.1 g carbohydrate
1.0 g fiber
4.4 g protein

Now I made about 12 out of my batch but came up with GIGANTIC breadsticks (as evidenced by the picture on top!) I would suggest making at least 16 out of this recipe, or even more. The more breadstick you yield, the less calories, fat, etc in your recipe. I also did not melt butter into the pan. I sprayed the pan with nonstick cooking spray. I used 1 Tbsp of butter, melted to brush on the tops of the breadsticks. This decreased the fat slightly per breadstick.

Quick and Easy Breadsticks - BETTER

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp parmesan
1 tsp garlic powder

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour. Knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. (All of this can be done in your kitchen stand mixer). Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to roughly the shape of your cookie sheet. Cut into 16 (or more!) sticks. Twist or lay flat on cookie sheet. Brush with 1 Tbsp butter and sprinkle with Parmesan and garlic powder.

Let rise 10 -20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 16 breadsticks. Per breadstick:
116 calories
1.3 g fat
22.6 g carbohydrate
0.8 g fiber
3.3 g protein

Tale of Two Pizzas

My poor husband puts up with a lot from me. I am constantly trying to revamp recipes (obviously, hence the purpose of this blog). I like to think that his health is benefited by his marriage to me. But sometimes you have to put your foot down. That foot was put down by my husband when it comes to pizza crust.

I like to make homemade pizza. It tastes so good and is relatively quite simple. I've made thin crust pizza. I've made whole wheat crust pizza. You name it - I've probably tried to make it. But when it comes down to it, my husband prefers the true to form recipe of white flour dough. So I've decided to stick with this wish and not sneak whole wheat flour into our pizza.

I've decided that I can manage to indulge in some good old fashion pizza crust. I like to top mine with veggies and keep pepperoni on Paul's side. (can you tell by the picture above?)

What toppings would you put on your perfect pizza?

So here it is. Here is the recipe that I use for pizza crust. Not necessarily healthy but you can healthify it by adding your healthy toppings, using part-skim mozzarella or even halving the recipe and making a thin crust.

Pizza Crust

1/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
4 Tbsp soft margarine
1 heaping Tbsp yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour

Combine water, milk and margarine. Heat until warm, 120-130 degrees. Dissolve yeast into liquid. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, salt and 1 cup of flour in electric mixer. Add liquid mixture and stir with dough hook to combine. Add additional flour 1/2 a cup at a time until dough forms a ball and is slightly sticky. Knead with dough hook for additional 5 minutes.

Cover bowl with dish cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. In the mean time, cover a pizza pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with corn meal to prevent the dough from sticking. When the dough is done rising, place onto prepared pan and press out to edges of pan, allowing for a slightly thicker crust around the edges.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Top crust with tomato sauce and desired toppings such as cheese and vegetables! Bake for 20-25 minutes or until desired doneness is acheived. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Each slice of crust (1/8th of pie) provides:
226 calories
6.1 g fat
37.4 g carbohydrate
1.1 g fiber
5.0 g protein

Super Easy Spaghetti Pie

Pasta is often my go-to dinner when short on time or I don't have anything planned for dinner. I always have an abundance of pasta, sauces (gasp! I RARELY make homemade) and protein to add on hand, so its something I can quickly throw together. For my real job, I came across this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's recipe site Tasty Kitchen. Sounded like a good variation of my traditional pasta dishes, so I gave it a try!

As listed, each serving (6) of this recipe provides:

607 calories
38.9 g fat
38.1 g carbohydrate
3.2 g fiber
24.8 g protein

Like usual, I was making this the night before. I put half of the recipe in a 9x5 loaf pan for the next night and kept it in the fridge. I put the other half in a foil lined 9x5 loaf pan for a freezer meal. Afterall, there's only two of us eating real food in the house and I figured that it would be enough for the husband and myself, plus leftovers for lunch the next day.


I made quite a few changes to the recipe but I think I still got the same tasty outcome:

• substituted whole wheat spaghetti for traditional
• used 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs
• used 1 green + 1 red pepper instead of just one pepper
• used 3/4 of a pound of Italian sausage instead of a full pound
• Omitted the olive oil as there was plenty of oil in the pan from the cooked sausage
• used reduced fat sour cream instead of full fat
• used part-skim mozzarella instead of whole milk mozzarella

I know that sounds like a whole lot of change, but really, it was what we already had in our house - so it was no big deal. I also omitted mushrooms because I'm pretty sure my husband might die if a mushroom crossed his lips, or so he makes me believe.

When all was said and done, this was delicious! The sausage gave the dish a really powerful flavor. I'm sure I could have decreased the fat even more if I had used turkey sausage, but that's not always so easy to find. The peppers also added a lot of flavor. I'm looking forward for when I pull the other half out of the freezer!
Super Easy Spaghetti Pie - BETTER

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
4 egg whites
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 whole onion, chopped
1 red + 1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms (optional)
3/4 pound Italian sausage
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

Combine 1/2 pound of cooked spaghetti while it is warm with beaten egg whites and Parmesan. Pour coated pasta into a deep dish pie pan or a 9-inch baking dish. Set aside. (I put half in a loaf pan for now and half in a loaf pan for the freezer).

Saute Italian sausage in a large pan. After about 5 minutes, move sausage to the side. Cook the chopped onion, peppers and mushroom in the same pan. Saute until veggies are soft. Remove the sausage and set aside.

Take pan off of the heat and add about a 1/2 cup of reduced fat sour cream and stir into the veggies.

To assemble the pie - pour the creamy vegetable mix onto the spaghetti "crust". Next cut up the sausage and place a layer of pieces on the vegetables. Cover it all with a layer of spaghetti sauce and then a layer of shredded mozzarella.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 6 servings, per serving:

436 calories
25 g fat
31.3 g carbohydrate
5.1 g fiber
23.8 g protein

Garlic Knots (or just plain rolls)

My name is Jody, I'm a dietitian, and I'm a carb-aholic.

It might seem like an oxymoron but I LOVE good roll or slice of homemade bread. I know that excessive carbohydrates might be the downfall of my existence... but everything in moderation, right?

There's nothing better than a good homemade bread to warm you from the inside out. It makes your house smell like yeasty-goodness and when that's topped with garlic? Even better! I had pulled out a lasagna from the freezer and wanted something fresh to go with it. When I found this recipe for Garlic Knots on Annie's Eats, I knew it would be perfect.

As described in the recipe, each knot provides:
200 calories
6.7 g fat
30.5 g carbohydrate
1.1 g fiber
4.2 g protein

I didn't make any major changes to these. Yeast dough is actually a chemical process which if you tweak TOO much, just won't work out. I did make sure I used skim milk in the dough. I also only used 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter to coat and felt like I had plenty. I made mine into 12 rolls, instead of 10, to help control the calories just by size alone. I could have even made it into 16 rolls if I needed to.

I also did not make mine into knots. Although they are cute and look much more professional that way - I ran out of time! I simply formed mine into balls and baked them in a greased 8x11 pan. Didn't affect the nutrition content - just not as cute.

Garlic Knots - BETTER
3 cups bread flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp lukewarm water

For the glaze:
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

To make the dough, in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients have formed a dough. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide dough into 12 (or more!) equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 10-inch long rope and tie into a knot. Take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over the top, tucking it into the center. Take the end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the enter. Transfer the shaped rolls to a baking stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (If short on time, form into equally shaped balls. Place in a greased baking pan with room for them to rise around each other). Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 45 minutes, until puffy.

To make the glaze, finely mince the garlic (I use my micro-plane). Mix with melted butter and Italian seasoning. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Brush the glaze onto the risen rolls. Bake until set and lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

With 12 servings, each roll provides:
153.6 calories
4.0 g fat
25.4 g carbohydrate
0.9 g fiber
3.5 g protein

The more your recipe yields, the less calories and fat each roll will have.

Chicken Spaghetti

I recommend putting a baking sheet under this as mine OBVIOUSLY bubbled over :)

I work a weird schedule. I alternate between working 6am-2pm one day to 10 am - 6pm the next. On the days I get out at 2 pm, I try to make ahead a meal for the following day when I get out at 6pm so we can actually eat at a decent hour, instead of 9 pm. I am always looking for meals that can be made ahead or frozen. When reading the Pioneer Woman's post for Chicken Spaghetti, she talked about it freezing well, so I assumed I could just make it a day ahead as well.

I was right! My inlaws were watching the little munchkin one day and I wanted to have a home cooked meal to thank them for watching her.... but I wouldn't be there to bake it! So I made it the day ahead and left my mother-in-law instructions for getting it in the oven. It turned out great! I even made a special little dish of it for my father-in-law who doesn't like onions or peppers (although I wouldn't RECOMMEND that, as that takes out a lot of the vitamins and minerals of the dish!).

As prepared by the Pioneer Woman, this recipe provides:
391 calories
19.5 g fat
27.2 g carbohydrate
1.6 g fiber
26.2 g protein

I made just a few little changes to the recipe. First, I substituted whole wheat thin spaghetti for the regular spaghetti. Second, I doubled the amount of green pepper and onion to make it a little more vegetable-heavy. Lastly, I substituted 2% cheddar cheese for the full fat version, and only put 1 cup in the dish, with an additional 1 cup on top.

It was awesome! It also reheated really well. I had it for lunch the following two days after we had it for dinner.

Chicken Spaghetti - BETTER
2 cups cooked chicken breasts
3 cups dry whole wheat spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken, or both!)
1 cup shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 jar (4 oz) diced pimentos, drained
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup additional shredded 2% cheddar cheese

Boil chicken breasts in water. Shred the chicken breasts. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. Reserve 2 cups of broth. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup cheese.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubble. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Makes 8 servings, per serving:
269 calories
7 g fat
29.0 g carbohydrate
3 g fiber
22.2 g protein

Chicken Parmigiana

Chicken Parmesan is one of my go to recipes that I make when I’m tight on time and want something tasty. I’ve been making a recipe that my mom made forever but thought I’d branch out and see what the recipe blog world had to offer.

I came across The Pioneer Woman’s recipe for Chicken Parmigiana and knew it would be a flavorful hit. As posted with 6 servings, each serving provides:

772 calories

29.6 g fat

76.2 g carbohydrate

46.9 g protein

I tried not to alter the recipe too much so I could get the full flavor that she promised. Instead of ½ cup olive oil, I reduced it to 2 Tbsp olive oil. I also practiced portion control and used ½ pound of whole wheat pasta, instead of a full pound of linguine for six people. The smaller portion of pasta let the focus be on the delicious chicken and can be paired with a green salad to fill up your plate.

Chicken Parmigiana – BETTER

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed and pounded flat

½ cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 whole medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup wine (white or red)

3 cans (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp sugar

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ pound whole wheat pasta

Mix flour, salt and pepper together on a large plate. Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

Start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook pasta until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, add chicken breasts and cook until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning the skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in whine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow the wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.
Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings, per serving:

463 calories

15.6 g fat

38.7 g carbohydrate

5.9 g fiber

41.3 g protein