All right; confession time!  My mom occasionally used Hamburger Helper for dinner during my younger years.  There were times when I didn’t love it, but I must admit that those times were rare (I know . . . can you believe it!?).  Now that I have a strong addiction to cooking from scratch, combined with the addiction of making things healthy, I will probably never buy a Hamburger Helper box/mix again.  However, I’m not scared to try to create my own.  With that being said, this is a keeper!  Whether you love or hate Hamburger Helper, this is bound to please us all!  It has a slight resemblance to my younger years, but is SOOOOO much better.  Just the tiny detail that this recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated (30 Minute Best Recipe Book) means that it is nearly guaranteed to be delicious.  Ground turkey (instead of beef) will also work well in this.  Additionally, the initial recipe adds corn and that is a lovely addition . . . if you can afford a few more calories and carbohydrates in your menu.  I love the fact that you can make this all in one skillet in 30 minutes or less.  This also means fewer dishes, folks!  Let’s pull out that skillet!

Skillet Chili Mac with Green Chiles
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café & 30 Minute Best Recipe

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef (93% Lean)
1 onion, minced
3/4 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
1 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 cups water
4 ounces (1 cup, dry) whole wheat penne pasta
1 4.5-oz can chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup shredded low fat cheese (just about any kind of cheese is delicious)

Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, chili powder, cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat or grease. Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 12-15 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, green chiles and cilantro and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
Calories:  412.0
Protein:  37
Carbs:  33.8
Fat:  14.4 g (5g = Sat.)
Fiber:  5g

You want a sneaky way to put veggies in your kids without hearing any complaints?  Here’s your ticket!  These Sloppy Joes are super tasty and if I hadn’t made them myself, I’m not sure I would believe how many veggies are packed in these babies.  I found this recipe from a blog I follow, Gina’s Skinny Recipes, and I knew it had to be good because the base of her adapted recipe is a 5-star recipe from Rachel Ray (I’m all about making sure recipes have 5 stars before even attempting them).  Honestly, I loved what Gina had done with the recipe that I didn’t make any adaptions myself.  It was perfect!  True to most Sloppy Joes out there, most people love them and they seem to satisfy even the pickiest eaters.  These are good served with pickles, sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes, and for those of us maintaining our weight (and can afford a few extra calories and grams of fat) . . . cheese!  Serve these up on a thin bun (such as Orowheat Sandwich Thins), and I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy to be able to stay in your calorie limit while eating a Sloppy Joe.  (By the way…you could easily use ground turkey burger and get fabulous results as well!)

Fit Sloppy Joes
Adapted from Gina’s Skinny Recipes (and Rachel Ray)

1.25 lbs 93% lean ground beef sirloin
1 tbsp steak seasoning or seasoned salt
1 carrot, minced
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
4 oz mushrooms, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste

Chop all the vegetables really fine, using a chopper or food processor.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks.

Season with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns, then add onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, cook 5 more minutes.

Add tomato sauce and paste to pan, stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes. Using a measuring cup, pile 1/2 cup of sloppy meat onto toasted buns.

Serves 7.

Nutritional Information (Per 1/2 Cup Serving Without Bun)
Calories:  129
Protein:  14g
Carbs:  11g
Fat:  3.8g (0.0 = Sat.)
Fiber:  2.1g

Nutritional Information (Per 1/2 Cup Serving With 100 Calorie Bun)
Calories:  229
Protein:  19g
Carbs:  32g
Fat:  4.8g (0.0 = Sat.)
Fiber:  2.1g