A Little Piece of Sunshine

I am so thrilled to be given my second blog award! This just feels great and I am very excited to pass it on to 12 more amazing bloggers. My award comes from Denise over at Extreme Personal Measures.  Take a moment to visit with her and see which other bloggers bring sunshine to Denise's day.

And now for the fabulous bloggers that bring sunshine to my day...

Here are my Sunshine Award Nominees:

My Year on the Grill

Gourmet Mom on-the-Go

Mommy's Sippy Cup

Simplified Bee

Theta Mom

BonBon Rose

Blog Baby

Milk and Cuddles

Sweetie Pie

Infarrantly Creative

Things I Can't Say

Live.Love.Eat.

Take a moment and check out all the great things these bloggers have to offer. From recipes to make-overs, give-aways to great stories...you will be happy you stopped by.

This is how the award works:

1. Place the award logo on your blog or in your post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 blogger friends.
3. Link the nominees in my post.
4. Let the nominees know they have won by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person who gave you the award.

Paula Deen's Lean: Apple and Grilled Chicken Pizza

If anyone ever tells you that they don't like pizza, they've gotta be lying! Who doesn't love pizza? And from a nutritional aspect, it is one food that can cover all the food groups in one slice. That is such a beautiful thing. Well, I can't believe I'm saying it, but pizza just got prettier. This is a southern impression of what pizza can be. Not tomato sauce or pepperoni needed. Just some new ingredients to make this pizza fresh, fun and...a bit sophisticated.


APPLE AND GRILLED CHICKEN PIZZA
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
4 whole grain sandwich thins
1/2 cup Naturally Delicious "All-Natural" BBQ Sauce
1/2 cup grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1 green apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup 2% Monteray Jack Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Smoked Gouda, shredded






DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Separate the sandwich thins (8 mini-pizza crusts) and place them face-up on a baking sheet or pizza stone. Spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the 8 pizzas. Place apple slices over the sauce. Top with chopped grilled chicken. Scatter red onion evenly. Top with cheese, Gouda first.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

RESULTS:

What a way to mix up traditional pizza recipes. I loved them. We all loved them! My sister Molly, the picky eater, was a little unsure of the apple. But she tried it and to her surprise, loved the apple. At first she was only going to have one, but she just couldn't resist having a second.

Paula Deen's recipe calls for her Smokey Apple Cinnamon Sauce. Not having any on hand, I subbed the BBQ sauce for her stuff. It's probably a better option, since her sauce is more than likely heavy on the sugar. When picking your BBQ, look for "all-natural" or low sugar versions.


One of the biggest changes I made to this recipe was to use the sandwich thins in place of ready-made pizza crust. In one serving of this recipe (two mini-pizzas), you are only taking in 100 calories, 1 fat gram and 22 carbs of crust. That is really where this recipe gets lean.


It's yummy, it's nutritious and for you wine drinkers, it goes nicely paired with a glass of chardonnay. ENJOY!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 291.25 calories;  9.27g fat;  32.34g carbohydrate;  24.28g protein;  6.93g fiber

*PRINT~FRIENDLY*

Paula Deen's Lean: Beef Stroganoff

Talk about a "stick-to-your-ribs" kinda meal! This dish has comfort food written all over it. But don't you worry 'cause this version delivers all the flavor and feeling associated with the real thing, without the guilt. As my husband pointed out, there is no way the "gravy"(as he calls any sauce of thicker than milk) can be healthy. Well, let me tell ya...it is. Just about any diet will approve of this hearty, filling, flavorful dish. Have a look and see for yourself.


BEEF STROGANOFF
Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons whole wheat flour

2/3 cup water

1 pound lean beef stir fry

1 teaspoon House Seasoning

1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed 98% FAT FREE Cream of Mushroom soup

1 10-3/4 ounce can condensed French onion soup

1 cup FAT FREE sour cream


Cooked No Yolk egg noodles


DIRECTIONS
Mix flour and water, set aside. In a large heavy skillet sprayed with FAT FREE cooking spray, cook the beef, seasoned with the House Seasoning. When beef is brown on both sides, remove from the pan. If not using pre-cut strips, cut into strips at this point. Add to pan drippings the cream of mushroom soup, French onion soup, 1 soup can of water and the flour mixture. Simmer and stir constantly until thickened. If the consistency seems to thick for your liking, you may add a little water at this point. Add steak and simmer for 45 minutes. Add sour cream and heat until bubbling. Serve over cooked noodles.


RESULTS
This dish was hit! Like I mentioned before, if you have any gravy lovers in the house, this dish is a good choice. The thick sauce gives the appearance of a heavy meal, but leaves you feeling satisfied, not disgustingly full. Our stroganoff was served over No Yolk egg noodles and that is what my recommendation. The egg noodles and stroganoff are a good pairing because one is light and fluffy, while the other is thick and heavier. They compliment each other nicely. 

If you are not a red meat eater, chicken could be substituted in this recipe. And for all you vegetarians out there, I would even give this recipe a chance, minus the meat.

This is a classic dish that should not be forgotten just because it tends to be on the heavy side. Just make a few minor adjustments and beef stroganoff is back in shape for your menu. ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):  303.9 calories;  6.5g fat;  38.2g carbohydrate;  24.3g protein;  2.83g fiber