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Feb 2, 2013

Claire wants an easy dish for 30 people

Jenny, What easy dish can I make in advance for about 30 people and serve out of a chafing dish? If you’re in the mood, por favor…..

My Response…

I have an idea that should be pretty easy and would survive well in a chafing dish: Pesto bowties with chicken. Chicken is cooked ahead or store-bought rotisserie, cut into bite-size pieces. Pesto can be made days ahead (there’s a recipe in my book but Butoni makes a good one if store bought). Day of, you only have to cook the pasta & stir in the pesto & chicken. Keep some extra pesto or olive oil if it starts to look dry. Add parmesan or serve it on the side. (This is making me hungry!)

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Feb 1, 2013

Healthy snack ideas for Super Bowl

GuacamoleHere are some other ideas (besides my awesome nachos!) for some healthy Super Bowl snacks:

1. Instead of those high fat sour cream dips, try guacamole. My easy recipe is 1 avocado, 1/4 cup each diced jalapeno pepper & onion, 1 tsp. lime juice, salt & pepper. Avocadoes provide heart-healthy fat and lutein to protect your eyes.

2. Another super healthy dip is  bean dip. Beans have protein, fiber & calcium plus you can spice them up like crazy. I make a black bean dip by sauteeing onion, garlic, jalapeno & red pepper. Then add drained canned black beans, reduced fat jack cheese, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, cumin, salt & pepper, and fresh cilantro. Puree.

3. Instead of chicken wings, try crispy baked chicken fingers. Pound chicken breast flat and slice into strips. Dip into seasoned flour, then egg whites, then seasoned bread crumbs. (whatever seasonings you like) Bake on a greased pan at 450 for 15 minutes, turning once. Egg whites make them super crispy!

4. Can nachos actually be healthy meals? My recipe is healthy enough to have for dinner!

Have fun on Super Bowl Sunday! 🙂

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Filed Under: Snacks/Misc
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Jan 31, 2013

The secret to great potato pancakes

PotPanck_8837Whenever I order potato pancakes at a restaurant, they’re so greasy I can’t eat them. So naturally, I had to find a way to make my own healthy potato pancakes. After a few attempts I finally made some on Tuesday that turned out great with very little oil. The trick for me was draining the potatoes well but saving the starch and using a cast iron skillet. Finally… healthy potato pancakes! I’ll be posting the easy recipe soon.

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Jan 31, 2013

Gary has a lasagna question

hey jenny,

im going to make a chicken pesto lasagna what kind of cheese should I use? and can I use green peppers and onions will that mess up the taste of the pesto I wanna keep it simple and I don’t want to use red sauce so if you have any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

My Response…

Chicken pesto lasagna sounds great! Part skim mozarella is naturally low in fat and melts nicely in lasagna. It’s what I use on my pizza. I would not use green peppers with pesto for their strong taste. If you want to keep it simple, I would just use the noodles, ricotta, chicken, mozarella, and pesto. I wouldn’t even use onion because pesto is such a distinctive flavor. One other possible addition would be fresh spinach since it’s the base for pesto and can’t compete with the flavor. Spinach also kicks up the nutrition. Good luck with it. If you mess it up, just mash it all up and call it a casserole!

 

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Jan 30, 2013

Make the best nachos ever for Superbowl

Superbowl Nachos from Scratch

Do you spend Superbowl Sundays on the couch eating unhealthy snacks, watching guys in better shape than you play football? Is your fridge the only place you’ll ever see a 6-pack? Then try what I think are the best healthiest nachos ever.

They are low fat and I use so many healthy ingredients, you can have these nachos for dinner. They take a little work but you won’t feel like an over-stuffed football by the second half… you won’t need a time out to take a nap… your waist band won’t snap from too many chicken wings… the sofa springs won’t be audible every time you sit down… you won’t need double coverage to hide your stomach… your stomach won’t hurt from having one turnover too many… your friends won’t be scrambling to get your heart started again… your trip to the bathroom won’t be third-and-long… I think I will cut back on these really bad jokes… but make sure you roll out my nachos… they are the bomb. – Jenny Jones

Click here for the recipe.

Click here for the video.

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Filed Under: Main Dishes, Snacks/Misc
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Jan 28, 2013

My next cooking video – you decide

I can’t decide what to do for my next cooking video. Should it be…

~ Polish cabbage rolls

~ Double chocolate almond biscotti

~ Sweet & spicy chicken fingers

~ Caramelized apple oven pancake

~ Thighs & Fries

~ Spicy chocolate -cherry cookies

~ English muffins

~ Apple pie bars

 

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Filed Under: General
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Jan 23, 2013

It’s National Pie Day

Today is national pie day!

LemPie_7433

How much do you love homemade pie? This is my lemon meringue pie made with Meyer lemons. A Meyer is a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange and tastes sweeter and less acidic than a regular lemon. Meyers have a thinner skin and more juice and are considered a gourmet lemon. I grow mine in the back yard so they’re free. If anybody made a pie today, send me the recipe. Not if anybody ATE a pie today… only if anybody MADE one! Happy Pie Day!

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Jan 22, 2013

Welcome to my New Website!

JennyInKitchen_600x450I love to cook. And I really love to bake. I created this site to share my best recipes, hoping to motivate more people to cook at home and make eating healthy foods and meals (and desserts) a priority. It’s hard to do if you don’t cook at home. Mine are simple recipes, mostly comfort foods, and they are as healthy as I can make them. I always try to:

  • Incorporate as many vegetables as possible
  • Avoid saturated and trans fats
  • Use less sugar & little to no butter in my baking
  • Bake with whole grains when possible
  • Reduce unhealthy fats
  • Increase fiber

I’m not selling anything and you’ll never see ads on this site.

I invite you to try my recipes and send me your comments. You can also share your own healthy recipes here. Well, thanks for visiting and I hope you like it. 🙂

p.s. I also transferred all my cooking posts from the jennyjones.com archives so there’s tons of stuff to see.

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Jan 16, 2013

How to Boost Your Immune System

People always ask me why I never get sick. In fact, I have never taken a sick day in my life, never missed a day of work. My immune system seems to be working very well and I credit my healthy diet and lifestyle. I drink a lot of green tea and combined with the healthy foods I eat every day, something seems to be working. Besides eating healthy foods overall, there are certain foods known to boost the immune system and that can prevent a cold or flu.

So I have put those “superfoods” into a video to motivate everyone to keep your immune system strong during cold and flu season. Now you will know what to eat to prevent the flu or avoid a cold. I also think a positive mental outlook makes a difference, too. If you feel a cold coming on, don’t just accept it. Fight back by eating healthy foods to prevent getting sick.

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Jan 15, 2013

Quick Mac & Cheese

Sometimes, I don’t have time to bake my homemade mac & cheese with the crumb topping but I still want my mac & cheese! So I worked on the easiest, fastest, (healthiest!) way to get  some quick mac & cheese into my pie-hole. This recipe has only FOUR ingredients and takes just twenty minutes! It’s lower in fat than most and creamy delicious. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones

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