During our "6 Months to a 6-Pack Challenge," TODAY nutritionist Joy Bauer shared tasty recipes for a chiseled stomach -- and now our participants have whipped up their own recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Tamara's egg whites with sautéed onions, peppers, baby spinach & baby kale
- 1/2 cup of egg whites
- 2 cups of mixed baby spinach & kale
- 1/2 cup frozen onions & peppers
Spray saucepan with oil spray. Sauté the onions, peppers, baby kale, and baby spinach in a saucepan. Sprinkle with Creole seasoning and remove from pan.
Spray the same saucepan with oil spray and add egg whites. Sprinkle with Creole seasoning and scramble eggs until a nice golden brown.
Stir in sautéed veggies until heated through and serve warm.
Tamara's rosemary chicken stuffed with avocado
- 2 chicken breast (skinless, boneless)
- 1 lime, divided
- 4 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
- 3 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 thyme leaves (powder form)
- 2 handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 avocado, diced (skins saved)
- Garlic powder (to taste)
- Creole seasoning (to taste)
Squeeze 1/2 fresh lime on washed chicken breast and let sit for 20 minutes. Wash off lime.
Mix chopped rosemary leaves, thyme and Old Bay seasoning together. Set mixture aside.
Spray chicken with oil spray and sprinkle chicken with seasoning mixture. Let chicken marinate overnight in refrigerator in order to lock in flavor.
When ready to cook, place marinated chicken in a pan -- liberally misted with oil spray. Place in preheated oven and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until it is no longer pink inside and has a golden brown color on the outside.
While chicken is baking, mix chopped cherry tomatoes and avocado in bowl. Season with remaining lime juice, garlic powder and Creole seasoning.
Allow baked chicken breasts to cool down before chopping into bite-sized cubes.
Mix the cubed chicken with the avocado and cherry tomato mixture. And scoop into reserved avocado “bowls.”
Kelli's mini waffle sandwich
- 8 whole grain mini waffles
- 2 slices turkey bacon
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
Toast waffles and cook bacon in microwave until crisp.
Mist skillet with oil spray and add egg whites. Cook until an omelet forms and then cut into 4 slices to fit mini waffles.
Divide egg, bacon and cheese among 4 mini waffles, then top with remaining waffles.
Kelli's stuffed portobello mushroom caps
- 2 medium portobello caps
- 1/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh or frozen spinach
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mozzarella, divided
- Lemon juice (to taste)
- Red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 7 slices of red hot cherry peppers
Defrost and drain spinach. Mix with ricotta, 1/4 cup mozzarella, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and sliced peppers.
Sauté mushroom caps in pan with oil spray until tender (add garlic powder if you want more flavor).
Divide cheese and spinach mixture between mushroom caps and sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly. Or simply microwave until cheese has melted.
Ralph's breakfast bagel sandwich
- 1 whole wheat bagel thin
- 2 ounces extra lean ham, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup onion, sliced thin
- 2 slices tomato
- 2 egg whites
Toast the whole wheat bagel thin.
In a skillet misted with oil spray, sauté onions until just soft. Then, add extra lean ham until cooked through. Place cooked onions and ham on one half of whole wheat bagel thin, along with tomato slices.
In the same skillet, scramble the egg whites. Once cooked through, place on bagel thin with other ingredients. Top with other half of bagel thin and enjoy!
Fab-ab meals: Joy Bauer's slimmed-down mac and cheese, turkey chili, more
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