1-1/2 C. cubed whole wh. bread
3-3/4 C. cubed white bread
1lb. gr. turkey sausage
1 C. chopped onion
3/4 C. chopped celery
2-1/2 tsp. dried sage
1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Golden Del. apple, cored and chopped
3/4 C dried Cranberries
1/3 C. minced fresh parsley
1 cooked turkey liver, chopped finely
3/4 C. turkey stock
4 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake 5-7 min. in preheated oven, until evenly toasted. Transfer to a large bowl. In a large skillet, cook sausage & onion over med. heat, stirring and breaking up until evenly browned. Add celery, sage, rosemary & thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 min. to blend flavors. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock & melted butter; mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosley fill. This is good for a 10lb. turkey. Could also place in casserole, bake for 25 min. Add more moisture if not placing inside turkey.
Nutr. info: servings 10, Cal. 236, tot. fat 11.6g, tot.carbs 21.8g, fiber 2.1g, Pro 12.5g

Ingredients
*4 lbs pie pumpkin or
*butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks (see Tip)
*4 large sweet-tart apples, such as Empire, Cameo or Braeburn, unpeeled, cored and cut into eighths
*1/4 cup  olive oil
*1 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
*1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
*1 T chopped fresh sage
*6 cups red.-sod. chicken or veggie broth
*1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted (see Tip)
*2 tablespoons hazelnut oil

Preparation.
Preheat oven to 450. Toss pumpkin (or squash), apples, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, for 30 minutes. Stir in sage and continue roasting until very tender and starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer about one-third of the pumpkin (or squash) and apples to a blender along with 2 cups broth. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a Dutch oven and repeat for two more batches. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and heat through over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent splattering, for about 6 minutes. Serve each portion topped with hazelnuts and a drizzle of hazelnut oil.
Tips & Notes
**Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave on High, covered, stirring frequently, or on the stovetop over medium heat.
**Tips: Make it easier to cut a pumpkin, acorn squash or other winter squash: pierce in several places with a fork; microwave on High for 45 to 60 seconds. Use a large sharp knife to cut in half. Remove the seeds and stringy fibers with a spoon.
**To toast chopped nuts, small nuts and seeds, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
Nutrition
180 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 7 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 6 g fiber; 525 mg sodium; 569 mg potassium.
1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit, 2 fat
Nutrition Note: Vitamin A (290% daily value), Vitamin C (40% dv), Potassium (16% dv).

Ricotta Cream
1 C. part skim Ricotta
2 T. Honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Process or blend until smooth, chill in fridge for 2 hours.

Balsamic Strawberries
3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 (16 0z) container strawberries, quartered
2 T. fresh basil leaves, cut in ribbons.
In sm. sauce pan combine vinegar and sugar, bring to boil. Simmer 2 min on med. heat, let cool completely. Toss berries with basil and balsamic syrup. Divide cream among 4 cocktail bowls, top with berries.

Peppered Plums
2 lbs. plums, any kind, or mix of, cut into wedges
2 T. pked brown sugar
1/4 tsp. freshly gr. black pepper
Preaheat oven to 425. In bowl combine plums with sugar & pepper. Transfer to foil lined baking pan. Roast till plums are soft and bubbly, about 18 min. Remove from oven, pour plums and juice into bowl. Cool in fridge, use with ricotta cream.

Nut. info for ricotta cream/strawberries. (Not avail. for plums)
1/3 C. cr.+1/2 C. berries
Cal: 180 Fat: 5g, Pro:8g
Carb: 27g, Fiber: 2g Chol: 20mg
Sodium: 80mg

A breakfast high in protein keeps you going longer, but eggs every morning can get boring! Here’s a good one for those chilly mornings when you’re missing a bowl of warm cereal!

We know! This recipe sounds totally horrible and you’re thinking we’re nuts for posting it, but if you’re trying to stick to low-carb and miss your warm cereal, try this! It really, really is good and tastes just like warm cereal!  Don’t forget to try the variations too…or create your own and let us know what you come up with!!

1/2 C. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 C. pumpkin puree
pinch salt
sweetener and flavorings to taste
2 T. flax seed meal (opt)

This cooks on the stove-top. Use a non-stick skillet for best results. Put ricotta into skillet. Mix a little water into ricotta to thin it…quite a bit thinner if you’re adding flax meal as it thickens it quite a bit. Add the egg and mix well…use a whisk, as you don’t want a lot of strings of egg whites.
Add the pumpkin and salt. Sweeten to taste & add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, maple, etc…whatever sounds good to you.
Stir while heating over med. heat. When it goes “grainy” thats the egg cooking. Stir in the flax seed meal at this point.

 Variations and Suggestions:
Freeze leftover pumpkin in 1/4 C. sizes so that you will have it on hand. Could also forgo the pumpkin altogether, just using the ricotta and egg for a “plain” cereal. Or, you could add applesauce instead of pumpkin, or perhaps a mashed banana, although beware that this will raise the carbs if you’re doing this for a low carb eating plan. Could also add peanut butter, walnuts, almonds, etc….just experiment! Could also use cottage cheese in stead of ricotta. Since cottage cheese contains more liquid than ricotta, it’s not necessary to add the water, or not as much at least..use your own judgement.

Yess, it sounds rather odd, but we’ve had numerous reviews here at the gym from those who’ve tried it, all raving about how wonderful it is!

Spaghetti squash separates into strands when cooked,

 creating a healthy, yummy, “pasta” alternative.

1(4lb) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped
1 C. slice almonds (3 oz)
1/2 C. chopped green olives
1/2 C. thinly sliced scallion whites
1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
3 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 C. canola oil
2 oz. greek feta, crumbled
salt/pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350. Bring lg. pot of water to boiling. Add squash and cook until al dente, about 12 min; drain. Place halves cut side down on a rack, cool 15 min. Spread almonds on pie plate and toast in oven for about 7 min. In mini food processor, combine chopped olives with scallions, lemon zest, juice and oil; pulse until chopped.
Working over medium bowl and using a fork, scrape the squash into the bowl, separating the strands. Add dressing along with feta and almonds, season with salt and pepper. Toss all together and serve warm.

Nutr. Info: Serves 8
Cal: 238
Tot. Fat: 19
Sat. Fat 2.5
Carbs: 16
Fiber: 4.4

1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled, cubed
3 Yudon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 red onion, quartered
1 Tbls. chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbls. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 475.  In a large bowl, combine squash, red pepper, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes.  Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.  In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Toss with vegetables until the are coated.  Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.  Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

4 red snapper fillets (5 oz each)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbls. orange juice
2 nectarines, cut into small pieces
1 banana, cut up
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbls. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Coat a grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray and preheat.
Place the snapper in a shallow dish. Pour 1/2 cup of the orange juice over the fillets and turn. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
In medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and 2 tbls. orange juice.  Toss gently to mix.
Remove the snapper from the orange juice.  Discard the juice.  Place the fillets on the prepared rack.  Grill or broil for 4-5 minutes per side or until the fish flakes easily.  Serve topped with the fruit salsa.

Serves 4. Cal 220; fat 2.3 g, Sat fat .5g; chol 52.5mg; sod 165.3 mg; carbs 19.4g; sugars 13.9g; fiber 2.2g; pro 30.4g

1strip lemon zest, cut into thin slivers
2T. Olive Oil
1 lg. red onion, chopped
8 oz. zucchini, cut in 1/2″ chunks
8 oz. yellow squash, cut into 1/2″ chunks
1 clove galic, minced
4 strips bass or other fish fillets, 4-6 oz. each, 1″ thick
1 T red wine vinegar
1T. Water
2 T. finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 4oo. In 13×9 baking pan, combine lemon zest, 1 T. of oil and onion, reserving 1 T. Spread in even layer. Roast until onion is tender, stirring occsasionally, about 15 min.
Remove from oven. Stir in zucchini, squash, and garlic. Return to oven, roast 10 min. Remove from oven.
Increase oven temp to 450. Push veggies to one side, add fish. Spoon veggies over fish. Return to oven, roast until fish is done. 8-10 min for thin fillets, 12-15 for thicker. Meanwhile combine remaining oil with vinegar, water, mint leaves, and remaining onion. Spoon over bass fillets and serve.

Serves 4. Cal 208; fat 9.9 g, Sat fat 1.6g; chol 90mg; sod 89 mg; carbs 8.1g; sugars 3.9g; fiber 2.2g; pro 22g

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
1 tsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbls. chopped fresh basil or 3/4 tsp. dried
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, or 1/4 tsp dried
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/4 tsp dried
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, or 1/8 tsp dried
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Optional: sliced zucchini or smoked salmon tossed in.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a shallow roasting pan or jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine the tomatoes and oil in a large bowl: toss well.  Spray lightly with nonstick spray and toss to coat.  Add the garlic, sugar, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Transfer to the roasting pan.
3. Roast until the tomatoes just begin to soften and crack, 8-10 minutes.

Per serving (3/4 cup):  56 calories

2g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 453 mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate, 2g dietary fiber, 2g protein, 16mg calcium.

1/4 C. orange juice
1-1/2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1-1/2 tsp. herbes des Provence
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. gr. black pepper
1 lb. talapia fillets
12 oz. asparagus, trimmed
orange slices

Preheat oven to 375F. Coat 13×9 pan with cooking spray. In pan, mix together orange juice, oil, garlic, hebes de Provence, salt and pepper. Place fish in pan. Cut asparagus into 1-1/2″ pieces, place around fish. Flip fish a couple times and stir around asparagus to thoroughly coat with orange mixture. Bake, stirring the asparagus once or twice for 15-20 min or until fish flakes easily with fork. Serve garnished with orange slices and drizzled with the pan juices.