Low Fat Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

Difficulty: EASY
Servings: 6

Nutrition Information For Sauce and Chicken (excluding pasta)
Calories: 329
Sat fat: 5g; polyunsaturated 1.5g; monosaturated 7g
Protein 37g; Carbohydrates 10g
Nutrition information for pasta varies by brand (see package for details)

About this Recipe

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I was challenged by FoodieMama to create an Alfredo Sauce that trumped the taste and texture of her traditional high fat, heavy whipping cream and butter version.  Once again, the competitive Anabolic Gourmet rose to the challenge and created yet another crowd pleaser that is both low fat and tasty! Alfredo sauce is very easy and takes only minutes to prepare. This recipe uses fresh garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and fat-free half and half. The taste and texture is awesome, and no one would ever guess that this dish is low fat.  The seasoning for the chicken very much compliments the Alfredo Sauce.

Ingredients

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Chicken

• 6 medium (about 6 oz. each) Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast Halves
• 4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed with the broad side of a chef's knife
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Salt and freshly-ground Black Pepper to taste

Alfredo Sauce

• 4 Cloves Garlic, pressed
• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
• 2 Cups Fat-Free Half and Half
• 1/2 Cup Skim Milk
• 1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
• Freshly grated black pepper to taste

• 1 Pound Barilla Plus Multigrain Fettuccine or Bow Tie Pasta (For the ultimate in taste and nutritional value, try your hand at Body Builders' High Protein Fettuccine)
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Directions

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1. Make spice mixture for chicken: Combine cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in a small cup and stir to thoroughly combine.
   
2. Prepare Chicken: If chicken breasts are thick, flatten them some by pounding, rough side up, between two pieces of plastic wrap. Thoroughly rub both sides of each chicken breast with the smashed garlic cloves. Generously season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and freshly-ground pepper.  Last, lightly sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast with about 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to grill.
   
3. Grill chicken just until juices run clear and chicken is completely opaque. Do not over-cook or the chicken will be dry. Rest chicken breasts for 10 minutes and thinly slice on an angle.
   
4. Prepare Alfredo Sauce: Into a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine olive oil and pressed garlic. Saute until garlic bits are slightly softened (about 3 minutes). Add the flour and cook 3 minutes whisking constantly. Add the fat free half and half, plus the skim milk and bring just to a boil. Whisk in remaining ingredients and keep sauce warm until ready to serve.
   
5. Cook pasta according to package directions, and thoroughly drain.
   
6. Toss pasta with about 3/4 of the Alfredo sauce, divide pasta among 6 pasta bowls, top with sliced chicken, and drizzle with remaining sauce. Optionally garnish with additional shredded Parmesan cheese.

Best Ever Spaghetti and Meatballs

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs

Difficulty: EASY
Servings: 8

Nutrition Information--excluding pasta
Calories: 452
Protein: 33g
Carbohydrates: 28g; Fiber 6g
Fat: mono 6g; poly 1g; sat 9g
(See pasta package for Nutrition Information)



About this Recipe

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Everyone loves good old-fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. These meatballs have a flavor similar to my Northern Italian Stuffed Pasta Shells and our family's homemade meat ravioli (recipe coming soon). For a quick after-work meal, cook this in your slow cooker--pair it up with a nice salad and maybe some whole-grain garlic bread, and you're good to go!

Ingredients

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Meatballs

• 1 Pound Ground Pork
• 1 Pound Ground Sirloin
• 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 4 Cloves Garlic (pressed or finely minced)
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Cup PACKED Minced Fresh Parsley

Sauce

• 5 Cloves Garlic (pressed)
• 1 (12-oz) Can Tomato Paste
• 4 (14.5-oz) Cans Crushed Tomatoes (or petite diced)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil (crushed)
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning (crushed)
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano (crushed)
• 2 Dried Bay Leaves
• 1/4 Cup Dry Red Wine
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 (4-oz) Cans Button Mushrooms (stems and pieces are fine)

• 1 Pound (about 1.25 14.5 oz boxes) Barilla Plus Pasta (comes in a yellow box).  Or try your hand at HOMEMADE HIGH PROTEIN NOODLES <--recipe here

Directions

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1. Make Meatballs: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Using clean hands, thoroughly mix together all the meatball ingredients in a medium bowl. Form mixture into 24 balls and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes until meatballs are nicely browned on the outside.
   
   

   

   Mix all Meatball Ingredients Together in a Medium Bowl

   

   Form Meat Mixture into 24 Balls
   Brown at 425 degrees F. for 15 Minutes

   
   
2. Make Sauce: Into a medium mixing bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.
   
   
3. Cook Sauce and Meatballs:
   Method 1:  Place browned meatballs into a 5 qt. or larger dutch oven with cover, pour the sauce over, cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 2-1/2 hours.
   
   Method 2:  Place browned meatballs into a large slow cooker, pour the sauce over, cover, and cook at low setting for 6-8 hours.
   
   
4. Prepare one pound pasta according to package directions. Divide pasta among 8 pasta bowls, top with a generous ladle of sauce, and 3 meatballs. Garnish with freshly-grated Parmesano Reggiano Cheese.

Italian Style Chicken with Pasta

Servings:  4-5
Difficulty:  Easy (20 minutes of attended time; 2 hrs unattended)







About this Recipe

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This recipe comes from my grandmother, Vincenza Villanelli.  She was a great Italian cook.  Most of the food she prepared we considered "Peasant Food". And looking back, most everything she prepared was healthy--lots of cooked tomato products; plenty of garlic and onions, dandelion salad, sauteed organic greens that she gathered in the woods; wild mushrooms; fava beans; lean meats; baccala (cod fish); anchovies; and she always cooked with olive oil.

This recipe has some fat, as the sauce gets it's richness from the chicken stewing in the sauce--skin, fat, bones, and all.  Grandma would always say "You gotta have fat chickens that are nice and yellow if you want a good sauce."  She also used to say that certain brands of tomato paste were bitter--always use Hunt's.  If you happen to use a different brand of tomato paste and your sauce turns out a little bitter, just add about 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar before returning the chicken to the sauce at the end.

Health Benefits of This Recipe

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Cooked tomato products (spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ketchup, etc.) contain high-concentrations of the antioxidant Lycopene.  Lycopene, perhaps best known for it's cancer preventative properties in prostate cancer, also helps neutralize free radicals in heart disease, helps break down LDL cholesterol, improves the health of the skin, helps reduce other forms of cancer, and even helps reduce the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration.  For more information on the benefits of Lycopene, click here.

Ingredients

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• 1 Cut-up Fat Yellow Chicken (with skin and bones)
• 3-4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 Cloves Garlic (minced or pressed)
• 1 (12-oz) Can Tomato Paste
• 4 (14.5-oz) Cans Crushed Tomatoes (or petite diced)
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil (crushed)
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning (crushed)
• 1 Dried Bay Leaf
• 2 (4-oz) Cans Button Mushrooms (stems and pieces are fine)
• 1 (14.5  oz) Box Barilla Plus Pasta (comes in a yellow box) Or try your hand at HOMEMADE HI PROTEIN NOODLES <--recipe here
• Parmesan Cheese (omit for Kosher)

Directions

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Select a medium sized non-reactive roaster with a cover or an oven-safe dutch oven with cover. 
   
2. Place the open roaster over medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic.  Heat until the garlic begins to sizzle.
   
3. Season chicken pieces with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
   
4. Brown the seasoned chicken pieces on the stove top until the chicken pieces are golden brown (about 15 minutes).
   
5. In a bowl stir together the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, bay leaf and Italian seasoning.
   
6. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken, cover the roaster, and bake in the oven for 1 hour or just until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove the chicken from the sauce and set aside.
   
7. Add the mushrooms (juice and all) to the sauce, replace the cover and continue baking the sauce for another hour.
   
8. About 15 minutes before serving, return the chicken to the sauce and place the roaster back into the oven until chicken is heated through.  Meanwhile, cook your favorite pasta until al-dente.
   
9. Serve chicken over a generous serving of pasta and plenty of the flavorful sauce.  Add shredded or grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Creamy Basil Pesto Alfredo (Reduced Fat)

Difficulty:  EASY

Servings:  7 
Nutrition Information

Per Serving:  114 Calories
Fat 10g total; 3g saturated; 1g polyunsaturated; 6g monosaturated

Protein:  3g

Carbohydrates 2g

About This Recipe

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Basil is a strong antioxidant, has anti-bacterial properties, and has anti-inflamatory effects.  It's also a rich source of Beta-carotene, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium and Vitamins C and K.  This recipe is a very quick and easy to make in a small food processor.  I pair it with some Barilla Plus (yellow box) pasta, which has a bit more protein, less carbs, and good ALA Omega-3 fats.  Better yet, try making my HOMEMADE HI PROTEIN NOODLES <--recipe here

Ingredients

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• 1/2 C. PACKED Basil Leaves (coarsely minced)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (pressed)
• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 Ounces Light Cream Cheese (Neufchatel)
• 1/2 Cup Lowfat Cottage Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese (grated or shredded)
• 3 T. skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 C. Toasted Pine Nuts or Toasted Slivered Almonds (optional)

Directions

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1. In the bowl of a small food processor combine basil, garlic and olive oil.  Pulse process until basil and garlic are well macerated.
   
2. Add remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth and sauce is nicely speckled with bits of basil.
   
3. Toss 2/3 of sauce with one 14.5 oz. package of cooked pasta, top servings with remaining sauce and garnish with toasted pine nuts or almonds and additional Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately, if not sooner.

Northern Italian Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

 

About this Recipe

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This recipe comes from a good friend Rosemary Andreozzi Schwenk, who's ancestors hail from Lucca.  This sauce, with a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice is typical of the region.  Rosemary's original recipe used garlic salt (which some say is necessary for good sauce).  In this version, I use fresh garlic instead and add mushrooms which are a natural aromatase inhibitor.

Health Benefits of This Recipe

---

Cooked tomato products (spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ketchup, etc.) contain high-concentrations of the antioxidant Lycopene.  Lycopene, perhaps best known for it's cancer preventative properties in prostate cancer, also helps neutralize free radicals in heart disease, helps break down LDL cholesterol, improves the health of the skin, helps reduce cancer, and even helps reduce the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration.  For more information on the benefits of Lycopene, click here.

Ingredients

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• 4 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 cloves garlic (peeled and pressed or minced)
• 1 bunch Italian or Curly Parsley (minced)

• 3 med. Onions
• 2 Organic Carrots
• 3 Ribs of celery
• 2 26-oz cartons Chicken Stock (divided)

• 1-2 Tablespoons Salt (depending on taste)
• 2 teaspoons Black Pepper (or more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon Allspice
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

• 1 15-oz can Tomato Sauce
• 2 12-oz cans Tomato Paste
• 2 7-oz cans Button Mushrooms (stems and pieces are fine)

Directions

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1. Working in a large non-reactive roasting pan (with cover), brown the ground beef with the garlic and parsley on stove top in 1/4 C. olive oil.
   
2. Working in 2 or 3 batches, puree the onions, carrots, and celery in a food processor with 1/2 of one carton of chicken stock.
   
3. Add the pureed vegetable mixture to the browned meat and stir to thoroughly combine.  Cover the roaster and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.
   
4. Remove the roaster from the oven and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and the remaining half of the first carton of chicken stock.  Stir until thoroughly incorporated and return the covered roaster to the oven for another 15 minutes.
   
5. Remove the roaster from the oven and add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and remaining carton of chicken stock.  Thoroughly stir to combine.  Add the mushrooms (juice and all) and stir again.  
   
6. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast again in the covered roaster for 1-1/2 to 2 hours WITHOUT STIRRING.  Use care to NOT scrape any burned sauce that has splashed on the sides of the roaster, as it will make the sauce bitter. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.