Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

I'm sure somebody out there has tried this before but yesterday at work I was trying to think of a way to change up my JC Chicken Fajita entree. Its actually one of my favorites but I wanted something a little different. Inspiration hit and I decided to make them into quesadillas. These were so good and incredibly filling - you have to try them!

Quesadillas
1 JC Chicken Fajita entree, defrosted (I discard the seasoning packet and use my own but you can use the one included instead of the cumin and chili powder listed below)
3/4 cup cooked red peppers and onions (I happened to have these leftover but you can cook some up in a pan with some PAM or cook up whatever combination of vegetables you'd like as your filling)
juice of half a lime
1 T chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 oz fat free shredded cheddar cheese, optional
1 T fat free sour cream, optional
salsa or hot sauce, optional
PAM

Heat a non stick skillet and a non stick flat griddle over medium heat. Spray both with PAM. Add the JC Chicken Fajita entree (reserve the tortillas) to the skillet along with your additional peppers and onions (or whatever combination of veggies you prefer). Heat them through really well about 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile add the tortillas to the griddle and cook on one side until crispy.

Add the cumin and chili powder to the chicken and pepper mixture along with the juice of half of a lime. Stir well to combine. Once the tortillas are crispy flip them over to crisp up the other side. Spread about 1 tsp sour cream on one of the tortillas. Top with chicken and pepper mixture, cheese, cilantro and another squirt of lime juice. You could also add some hot sauce here too. Top with the other tortilla and remove from heat. Cut into quarters. Serve with remaining sour cream and salsa or hot sauce.

Stuffed Peppers

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

So I haven't been very good at keeping this blog up to date with all of the things I've been doing to my JC food to keep things interesting. I do apologize but hopefully you'll forgive me after you see this latest creation! It turned out so well and the flavor was incredible. I forgot what I was eating was actually a JC meal - and a shelf stable one at that!

Stuffed Peppers
1 Jenny Craig Southwestern Chicken with Rice and Beans entree
1 1/2 red bell peppers
1 lime
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2-3 dashes of your favorite hot sauce
1 tsp fat free sour cream (limited free)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Take one of the red bell peppers and slice it in half horizontally so you have a top half and a bottom half. Shave a bit of the pepper off of the bottom half so it will sit flat. Cut off the stem so the top will also sit flat when turned upside down. Using a spoon remove any seeds and ribs from the inside of the bell pepper halves. Dice the remaining half of the bell pepper and reserve.

In a bowl combine the JC entree, reserved bell pepper, cilantro, juice of half of a lime, cumin and hot sauce. Mix well to combine and spoon the mixture into each half of the bell peppers. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the tops have browned nicely. Remove from oven and top with sour cream and garnish with cilantro and slices of lime. Enjoy!

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

Turkey Chili

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

Wow! I have been away too long and I'm sorry about that. I've been busy with Grand Jury duty (over, finally!) and getting ready for my honeymoon which has now been postponed a week. So now I find myself with too much time on my hands! I weighed in yesterday and after 10 weeks I have now lost 22 pounds! I'm loving Jenny Craig and can't believe how far I've come in just a short amount of time.

I am a huge chili fan but I don't eat it very often. It's hard for me to stop at just one bowl! I was excited to try the Turkey Chili from JC even if it was a shelf stable food. As usual, especially with the shelf stable stuff, I needed to try to not only volumize but add a little more flavor to it. Here is what I did

Turkey Chili
1 JC Turkey Chili entree
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1, 14 oz can of plum tomatoes (chopped tomatoes)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
freshly ground pepper to taste
reduced fat cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream
PAM

In a medium non stick sauce pan saute the garlic and onion in PAM until translucent and fragrant over medium heat. Add the chopped tomatoes and the liquid from the can as well as the spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Add the JC Turkey Chili entree and mix well. Simmer another 5-10 minutes. Pour chili into a bowl and top with reduced fat cheddar cheese and fat free sour cream.

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Spaghetti with Meatballs

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

So, pretty much everybody on the JC Forums have been raving about the new Spaghetti with Meatballs. With the great reviews I just had to try it and I was not disappointed. But of course, I had to volumize my spaghetti to make it even better and this is what I came up with.

Spaghetti with Meatballs
1 JC Spaghett with Meatballs dinner (defrosted)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced (you could substitute onions instead if you prefer)
crushed red pepper, optional
2 T tomato paste
2 portobellini mushrooms, diced
1 handfull of cherry tomatoes, halved
dash of red wine vinegar
4 large basil leaves, chopped
PAM

Heat a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and spray with PAM. Add garlic and shallots and saute until fragrant. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and saute an additional minute. Add tomato paste to a hot spot in the pan and cook about a minute then mix the garlic, shallot and crushed red pepper into the tomato paste. Add mushroom and tomatoes and stir well to combine. Cook until the mushrooms have browned and the tomatoes are tender. Add the Spaghetti with Meatballs dinner and mix all ingredients well. Add a dash of the vinegar, reduce heat to low and simmer about 2-3 minutes so the flavors combine and the meatballs heat through. Pour into a wide bowl and top with chopped basil. I added 2 T of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, that I saved from my menu at lunch.

Jenny's BBQ Chicken Pizza

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

On the Jenny Craig Forums a lot of people don't have very good luck with the JC pizzas and therefore end up not ordering them. I'd like to share my tips with you for making the JC pizzas and they end up pretty darn good!

First, I like to thaw my pizza on the counter a good 2-3 hours prior to cooking. This will help it cook better without getting soggy. Also, you can rearrange the topping easier. I've found that the toppings tend be heavy on one side of the pizza when you remove it from the package. Also if there are large chunks of chicken for instance, I'll tear them up and spread them about evenly.

Second, if you can, use a Pizza Stone! I keep one in my oven at all times. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees with the pizza stone inside.

Third, add extra toppings! I added more purple onions and a couple of sliced mushrooms to the top of my pizza. I also saved a fat for the day and added some extra reduced fat mozzarella cheese to the top, over the toppings I'd added.

Finally, when the oven is preheated, place the pizza on the pizza stone and cook for about 25 minutes. Look for the cheese to be browned on top as ovens may vary. The most important part is to let the pizza rest for about 5 minutes after you remove it from the oven. This will allow the crust to firm up and prevent the cheese and toppings from sliding off when you cut the pizza. Then just cut and serve.

I hope this helps others enjoy the JC pizzas as much as I have because this girl can't live without her pizza!

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I can't live without chocolate. I love it and could eat it every day. Obviously that is not an option if I want to lose weight and keep it off. I am so glad that Jenny Craig allows us to have things like chocolate cake, cheesecake and brownies in moderation and reasonable portion sizes. It's a great lesson that you can have your cake and eat it too! My favorite combination is chocolate and raspberries so when I got the Double Chocolate Cake on my menu the second time around, I also stopped at the grocery store for a container of fresh raspberries. This is also a great way to get in a fruit serving!

Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake
1 JC Double Chocolate Cake
1 container of raspberries
2 T sugar free cool whip (limited free)
zest of half a lemon
1 pkg of splenda or other sweetener
1 tsp water

Heat a small non stick pan over medium heat and add the raspberries (reserve about 6 raspberries for the cake), splenda and water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the raspberries have broken down and you have a nice sauce. Add the lemon zest.

Meanwhile, slice the reserved raspberries in half. Slice the chocolate cake in half horizontally and spread 1 T of the cool whip on the bottom slice of cake then top with the sliced raspberries. Spread the other tablespoon of cool whip on the bottom of the the top slice of cake and place on top of the raspberries. Top the cake with the raspberry sauce and serve.

Coleslaw with a side of Fish 'N Chips

From Jenny Craig Gourmet

I LOVE Fish and Chips and nothing goes better with it than a nice portion of cole slaw. I heat my Fish and Chips from Jenny in the oven according to the package directions after spraying the fish and chips with some PAM and sprinkling my chips with some Emeril's seasoning (seasoned fries, anyone?). Here is my recipe for coleslaw. Make this well in advance and allow it to rest in the fridge until dinner time.

Coleslaw
1/2 bag of coleslaw mix
1/2 carrot, grated
1 small radish, grated
1 small jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, and diced (optional)
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 T FF mayo
1-2 T apple cider vinegar
dash of salt and pepper
dash of celery seeds

Combine the coleslaw mix, carrot, radish, jalapeno and cilantro in a bowl. In a separate small bowl combine the mayo, vinegar (add a little at a time, salt, pepper, and celery seeds. Whisk mixture to combine and add more vinegar, tasting as you go until you reach the desired acidity. Add mixture to the coleslaw mix and combine well. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the flavors to combine. Serve with JC Fish and Chips.