#eggfreerecipes

8 Freestyle Points 315 Calories This easy, homemade, baked mac and cheese recipe adds broccoli to the mix, a great way to sneak veggies in a kid’s favorite dish! It’s also lightened up, so less calories than traditional mac and cheese.

Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is total comfort food, I make many variations, some I love are this Greek Mac and Cheese, Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, or this low-carb Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese. But this broccoli version is always a hit with the kids.

It’s perfect if you’re craving macaroni and cheese without wasting an entire days worth of calories in one meal. You still get that same comforting taste. This recipe, which I first posted back in 2013 was loved by all in my home, even my not-so-crazy-about-broccoli husband loved it and leftovers are perfect for lunch.

Tips and Variations

For a stove-top broccoli mac and cheese, omit the crumb topping and serve right out of the pot. To speed things up, I used pre-cut fresh broccoli. You can bake this in one large baking dish, or individual oven safe dishes for portion control. You can halve the recipe and use a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.

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Skinny Baked Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

This easy, homemade, baked mac and cheese recipe adds broccoli to the mix, a great way to sneak veggies in a kid’s favorite dish! It’s also lightened up, so less calories than traditional mac and cheese. Ingredients: 12 oz high fiber elbows like Ronzoni Smart Taste 1 1/2 tbsp butter 1/4 cup minced onion 1/4 cup flour 2 cups skim milk 1 cup fat free chicken broth (vegetarians use vegetable broth) 8 oz (2 cups) reduced-fat sharp cheddar (Cabot 50%) salt and fresh pepper to taste 12 oz fresh broccoli florets (I used pre-cut bag) 2 tbsp grated parmesan 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs cooking spray Directions: Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water, according to package directions for al dente (or slightly under cook 2 minutes). Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter. Add onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes, add flour and cook another minute, or until the flour is golden and well combined. Add milk and chicken broth and whisk, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 5 minutes or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper. Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked macaroni and broccoli and mix well. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes to get the breadcrumbs golden. Nutrition Information Yield: 8, Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Per Serving: Freestyle Points: 8 Points +: 8 Calories: 315 calories Total Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 1.4g Cholesterol: 7mg Sodium: 216mg Carbohydrates: 44g Fiber: 6g Sugar: 4g Protein: 18g All images and text ©Gina Homolka for Skinnytaste

Photo Credit: Jess Larson posted September 10, 2018 by Gina Don’t Miss a Recipe! Get new free recipes and exclusive content delivered right to your inbox:

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Cheesy Jalapeño Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken 5 Freestyle Points 371 Calories What happens when you combine Baked Jalapeño Poppers with chicken?? Oh yeah baby!! Cheesy stuffed chicken breast stuffed with diced jalapeño, cream cheese, cheddar jack cheese, scallions and bacon!

Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Chicken

Serve it with fiesta lime rice, cilantro lime rice or a two bean salad or black bean cucumber salad on the side to make it a meal.

For this recipe, I basically deconstructed my jalapeño poppers and stuffed them into chicken and the results where mouth watering!! Now updated to include Air Fryer directions!

Variations and Tips:

Use panko in place of breadcrumbs for a crunchier texture. To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free panko. To make them mild, take out the jalapeno seeds and membranes. To make them spicy, leave them in.

Cheesy Jalapeño Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken

What happens when you combine Skinny Baked Jalapeño Poppers with chicken?? Oh yeah baby!! Cheesy stuffed chicken breast stuffed with diced jalapeño, cream cheese, cheddar jack cheese, scallions and bacon! Ingredients: 2 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled 3 jalapeños, chopped (remove seeds for milder) 3 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened 4 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar jack (Sargento) 2 tbsp chopped scallions 8 thin sliced skinless chicken breast cutlets, 3 oz each 1/2 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs (or GF crumbs) 1 1/2 juicy limes, juice of 1 tbsp olive oil salt and fresh pepper olive oil non-stick spray Directions: Wash and dry chicken cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine cream cheese, cheddar, scallions, jalapeño and bacon crumbles in a medium bowl. Lay chicken cutlets on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of cream cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one, secure the ends with toothpicks to prevent the cheese from oozing out. Place breadcrumbs in a bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in lime-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down on a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray. Bake 22-25 minutes, serve immediately. Air Fryer Directions Follow Steps 1 to 8, then air fry in batches 400F for 12 minutes, turning halfway. Nutrition Information Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 2 stuffed breasts Amount Per Serving: Freestyle Points: 5 Points +: 9 Calories: 371 calories Total Fat: 17.5g Saturated Fat: 0.5g Cholesterol: 49mg Sodium: 356mg Carbohydrates: 11g Fiber: 1.5g Sugar: 0.5g Protein: 42.5g All images and text ©Gina Homolka for Skinnytaste

posted September 4, 2018 by Gina Don’t Miss a Recipe! Get new free recipes and exclusive content delivered right to your inbox:

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I went to a Greek dinner party last night. Having no access to staple ingredients of Greek dishes like Feta and pastry, I decided to go with the Deep Fried Eggplant. Eggplant is my all-time favorite veg. Here’s how you make this super easy batter:

Stir all-purpose flour slowly into soda water with a pinch of sea salt using a fork.