GARLIC & HERB STUFFED TURKEY MEATBALLS

I love cream cheese and I love turkey. Put my two loves together and you've got my stuffed turkey meatballs. I can eat these plain, in a sandwich, or on a bed of brown rice. These are great to have on hand to take on the go and eat right out of your pocket. Ha ah! Sometimes it's nice to have something that is easy to reheat and take anywhere with you. With our busy lives, this recipe is a must for me.



GARLIC & HERB STUFFED TURKEY MEATBALLS
Servings: 4
Preheat Oven: 350 degrees
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 to 50 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound ground lean turkey {93/7}
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
2 tsp Worchestire Sauce
2 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese wedges
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil Spray

Directions
1. Lightly spray muffin tin with Olive Oil spray. Set aside. Cut two laughing cow cheese wedges in half, so that you have a total of 4 slices. Set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine your turkey, oats and Worchestire Sauce. Pat your meat mixture down into bowl. Take your hand and score meat into four equal parts.

3. Take 1/4 of turkey mix and pat into a flat patty. Take 1 piece of cheese and place in center. Start forming turkey mix around your cheese wedge till completely covered. Roll into a ball. Repeat this step till you have 4 perfect stuffed meatballs.

4. Place meatballs into muffin tin. Pour a small amount of water into remaining cups so that the pan will cook evenly and you won't ruin your muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes. Enjoy warm!

Nutrition Facts {1 Meatball}
Calories: 214
Fat: 10g
Carbs: 4.5g
Protein: 24.5g
Fiber: .5g
Sugar: 1.25g

CHICKEN SAUSAGE & BROWN RICE CREOLE

I was craving a southern dish the other day, and I wanted to make it a healthy one. Do you have any idea how many calories and fat are in southern dishes? OMG! It's like a heart attack waiting to happen. But, they are sooo good! So, I was out on a mission to make a great family meal that I would consider healthy and clean. This is what I came up with and I think it turned out perfect.



CHICKEN SAUSAGE & BROWN RICE CREOLE
Servings: 4
Cooking Time: About 25 minutes {this does not include the time to cook your brown rice}

Ingredients
2 cups brown rice, cooked
4 Bistro Sensations Chicken Sausage {I used the Smoked Mozzarella with Artichoke and Garlic}
1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped in halves
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium
Salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

Directions
1. Warm chicken broth in frying pan. While chicken broth is warming, cut chicken sausages into slices. Place sausage slices into frying pan with chicken broth and heat on medium heat for about 7 minutes. While your sausage is cooking, cut up your tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Do not pour out your chicken broth when sausage is done cooking. Your going to want to keep it in the frying pan.

2. Now add your vegetables and cooked brown rice. Flavor with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If your chicken broth has evaporated or your dish seems dry, add another 1/4 cup of broth to your dish.

3. Serve warm and enjoy!



Nutrition Facts: {Serves 4 - this is for one serving}
Calories: 240
Fat: 6.25g
Carbs: 28.5g
Protein: 20g
Fiber: 2.75g
Sugar: 3.5g

BAKED CHICKEN

When trying to be lean and have less fat in your diet, you'll notice that chicken will be one of your favorite main foods. I like to buy the 3 to 5 pound packages of skinless chicken breasts and bake them in the oven. That way, I'll have chicken already cooked at the tip of my fingers and it makes figuring out meals for myself much easier throughout the week.



BAKED CHICKEN
Servings: Depends on how many pounds of chicken you have
Bake: 400 degrees
Bake Time: 45 to 1 hour

Ingredients
3 to 5 lb skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of chicken broth {low sodium}
Mrs. Dash, to taste {any kind will do, pick your favorite}
Sea Salt, to taste
Pam, olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13" x 9" pan with olive oil. Place chicken breasts into pan. Pour chicken broth over chicken and sprinkle Mrs. Dash and sea salt over the top. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.

2. Once your 30 minutes are up, bring the oven heat down to 320 degrees and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes. The chicken broth will help keep your chicken moist and juicy, so that your chicken won't become dry in a few days.

TURKEY BURGERS WITH A GARLIC BASIL SAUCE

My house smelled so good while I was making these. I love playing around with spices and herbs in my recipes. It's amazing what a pinch of this and a dash of that can do for a meal. If your're trying to become or stay lean, you'll come to realize how excellent herbs and spices are when it comes to cooking. Your meals don't need to be flavorless or plain for you to be lean. You CAN enjoy your "healthy" foods. Just start stocking up on yummy spices. The store shelves are stocked with TONS of options.



TURKEY BURGERS WITH A GARLIC BASIL SAUCE
Servings: 4
Bake Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients {burgers}
20 oz. Extra Lean Ground Turkey {I like the Honeysuckle White brand}
3 oz. mushrooms,chopped
1 oz. onions, chopped
2 egg whites
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Put all of your ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix together using your hands. This mixture is going to be kind of sticky. I like to make a ball with meat mixture and pat it down into one giant burger in the bottom of my bowl. Take my hand and "slice" an "X" pattern into the patty to divide it into 4 even parts. You'll be making four 5 ounce turkey burgers.

2. Spray frying pan with Pam Olive Oil and heat it on low/medium heat. Place all 4 burgers into a frying pan and place lid on top. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. You'll want to keep your heat medium/low so that the middle of the burgers have time to cook without burning the outsides.

3. While your burgers are cooking, start making the garlic basil sauce.

Ingredients {garlic basil sauce}
2 oz. Fat-Free Cream Cheese
1 tsp. fresh basil
1/2 tsp. pureed garlic
Dash of salt

Directions
1. Mix ingredients together till smooth and creamy. Once your burgers are done cooking, spread sauce on top. I like using sandwich thins as my burger buns. They are low in calories and work perfectly if you want to toast them in the toaster.

Stephanie's Tip
Since I'm on a low calorie and low carb diet, I will only eat 1/2 of a sandwich thin to cut out extra carbs and calories. I love eating my turkey burgers like an open faced sandwich. If your a dude and looking to increase your calories, I suggest you do 2 turkey burgers =) Lucky you, huh?

Nutrition Facts: 1 Turkey Burger and 1/4 of sauce {this does not include the bun, you'll need to count for that}
Calories: 209
Fat: 4.5g
Carbs: 3g
Protein: 37g
Fiber: 0.3g
Sugars: 2g