Recipes from this Week 8-5

My first recipe come from an older cookbook that I bought used on Amazon for a couple of bucks.  It kind of became my lifeline early in my marriage when I didn't have very much cooking experience.  I'm sure there will be many more recipes to come from it.  If you are interested, it is the "Quick & Healthy Recipes and Ideas" by Brenda Ponichtera.

Meat Patties
6 servings

1 lb. extra lean ground beef or ground turkey (*I used turkey)
1 egg
1/2 Tbl. dried parsley
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup fat free milk (*I use a little less depending on the consistency of mixture)
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. dried onion

Mix all ingredients.  Shape into 6 patties.  Bake in oven or over grill.

Oven:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Bake for twenty minutes.
Grill:  Cook, turning once, until done.

***NOTE:  I have found the consistency with turkey to be a little hard to keep in patty form so we make up several ahead of time and freeze them.  Then we just pop them onto the grill.  We have even halved the oatmeal with black beans for more of a nutritional punch and that was good!

Banana/Peanut Butter Smoothie (prevention.com)
Approximately two servings

1 well-ripened banana
2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter
1 1/2 cup fat free milk
1/2 fat free plain yogurt (I use Greek)
1 tablespoon of honey

Put in food processor or blender and mix.

***I used 1/2 cup of blueberries to substitute for the banana and that was also very tasty!

Black Bean Smothered Sweet Potato (Healthy Eating iPhone App)
2+ servings

2 large sweet potatoes or four smaller ones if you are using for a side dish or children
1 can rinsed black beans
1 large tomato, diced
2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt (cottage cheese works too)
1/4 cup green onion
cumin to taste
cinnamon to taste
olive oil

Clean up sweet potatoes and poke several times with fork.  Place in microwave for 12-15 minutes.

In a saucepan, pour some oil into pan and add beans, tomatoes, cumin, and cinnamon.  Cook on low until potatoes are done in microwave.

Open potatoes and add the bean/tomato mixture.  Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and green onions.  Enjoy!