1 teaspoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10 cups water
5 vegetable or beef stock cubes
1 15-ounce can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
3 carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, chopped
4 tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup small macaroni pasta
fresh ground pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

1. Heat oil in large heavy based saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the water, stock cubes and drained beans. Bring to a boil.
2. Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, and tomatoes to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
3. Add the macaroni and stir. Continue to simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until the macaroni is tender.
4. Stir in parsley and add pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese is desired.

Serves 6
Nutritional Facts: Calories 120 Carbs 18 Fat 2 Fiber 7

Yield: 7 servings

1 cup dried green split peas
6 cups water
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pearled barley
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon marjoram
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Put the peas in a wire strainer and rinse with cold water. Combine the peas and remaining ingredients in a 4-quart pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until barley is tender, the peas are soft, and the liquid is thick. Add a little more water if the mixture seems too thick. Serve hot.

Nutritional facts: Calories 153 Carbohydrates 32 Cholesterol 0 Fat 0.6 Fiber9.5 Protein 9 Sodium 390

Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2 pound) whole chicken
3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
6 carrots (peeled)
4 stalks celery
3 medium onion, diced
5 black peppercorns
1 clove garlic, crushed
10 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 leeks (tops and roots removed)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3 cups medium egg noodles

Directions:
1. Make the stock: Place the chicken and chicken broth in a large stockpot and set it over medium heat. Roughly chop 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, and 1 onion and add to the broth. Add the peppercorns, garlic, 2 sprigs parsley, thyme, bay leaf and enough water to just cover the chicken. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the chicken is very tender-about 1 1/4 hours--skimming the surface periodically. Remove the chicken and place in a large bowl. Strain the broth through a very fine sieve into a large, clean bowl of stockpot.
2. Make the soup: Skin any fat off the top of the strained broth and discard. Slice the remaining carrots, celery, onions, and leeks into 1/4 inch thick pieces and set aside. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken, cut meat into 1/2 inch pieces, and set aside. Chop the remaining parsley leaves and set aside. Melt the butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add vegetables and cook until the onions are translucent-about 7 minutes. Add the Add the chicken, the reserved broth, pepper, salt (if desired). Simmer the soup until vegetables are tender-about 1 hour. Stir in egg noodles and parsley and cook until noodles are tender-about 10 more minutes.

Nutritional Information for 1 cup of soup:
Calories 229, Fat 6, cholesterol 86, sodium 314, carbs 17, fiber 2, protein 26

Ingredients:
1/2 lb elbow macaroni
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounce sharp cheddar, shredded (low fat can be used)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large pot of boiling, cook pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about 5 minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes.

1 lb ground chicken
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
6 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1. Cook ground chicken in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Stir and crumble.
2. Add next 7 ingredients (onion through garlic), and cook for 7-8 minutes or until onion tender.
3. Place mixture in an electric slow cooker and stir in beans and tomatoes.
4. Cover with lid and cook on low heat setting for 4 hours.
5. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.
Yummy Winter Comfort Food!

Serves 4


2 cups broken low-fat honey graham crackers
2 cups nonfat chocolate or vanilla pudding (prepared)
2 cups fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries
1/2 cup thawed whipped topping 
Additional berries


Place 4 tbsp broken crackers in each of 4 stemmed glasses. Top each with 1/3 cup pudding and 1/4 cup berries. Sprinkle with remaining crackers. In a small bowl combine pudding and whipped topping. Spoon topping over cracker pieces. Top with additional berries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 


195 calories, 2 grams fat, 5 grams fiber

12 ounces ground beef 93% fat free
2 cups chopped yellow, red, or green bell pepper
2 cups bottled salsa
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 cups coarsely chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup crumbled baked tortilla chips (about 12 chips)
1/4 cup chopped green onions


Cook beef and bell pepper in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned; stir to crumble. Add salsa; bring to a boil. Stir in cilantro; keep warm.
Place 1 cup lettuce on each of 4 plates; top with 1 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 cup tomato, 1/4 cup cheese, 1/4 cup chips, and 1 tbsp onions. 


Calories 332; Fat 11 grams, Fiber 6 grams