Gina Homolka's Blog, page 179

Easy Crust-less Spinach and Feta Pie

A simple Greek inspired Easy Crust-less Spinach and Feta Pie combining savory flavors such as spinach, feta, Asiago cheese, dill and scallions. Perfect to take to a potluck!

Easy Crust-less Spinach and Feta Pie

Served with a salad, you can turn this into a main dish, or cut it into smaller wedges to serve as an appetizer. Also a great addition to brunch. Enjoy this warm or at room temperature.

(more…)

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

These elegant smoked salmon pinwheels are perfect if you want to enjoy lox without the bagels for a low-carb, keto appetizer.

Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

(more…)

Hot Cross Buns

Easy Hot Cross Buns using this easy dough from my Bagel Recipe. No yeast, no boiling, no fancy mixer. Bake them in the oven or in the air-fryer!

Hot Cross Buns

Confession, I have never had a hot cross bun, although I did play it on my recorder in grade school! But I looked at several recipes and noticed the dough was pretty similar to my bagel dough, with the addition of raisins, cinnamon and a glaze on top. I tested them out keeping the sugar on the lighter side, since the glaze on top adds more sweetness and we loved them. I guess you can call them bagel cross buns, if you wish! Serve them Easter morning with some hard boiled eggs and fruit!

(more…)

Skinnytaste Meal Plan (March 26-April 1)

A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points.

This week’s meal plan includes some Easter and Passover dishes. I also created a recipe for Hot Cross Buns using the easy bagel dough which I will share tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend!

If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc. You should aim for around 1500 calories* a day.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!

THE DETAILS:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!

The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.

And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!

MONDAY (3/26)

B: Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (5) and a pear (0)

L: Egg, Tomato and Scallion Sandwich (4) and an apple (0)

D: Baby Pasta Shells with Asparagus and Marinara

Totals: Freestyle Points 18, Calories 847*

TUESDAY (3/27)

B: Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (5) and a cup of strawberries (0)

L: Egg, Tomato and Scallion Sandwich (4) and an apple (0)

D: Shrimp Scampi Tacos with Caesar Salad Slaw (6) with Roasted Cauliflower “Rice” with Garlic and Lemon (recipe x 2) (2)

Totals: Freestyle Points 17, Calories 945*

WEDNESDAY (3/28)

B: Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (5) and a cup of strawberries (0)

L: Turkey sandwich** (7) and an apple (0)

D: Greek Turkey Meatballs (5) with ½ cup brown rice (3), Skinny Tzatziki (0) and ½ cup grape tomatoes (0)

Totals: Freestyle Points 20, Calories 972*

THURSDAY (3/29)

B: Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (5) and a pear (0)

L: Turkey sandwich**(7) and an apple (0)

D: Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana (5) with a green salad (1)***

Totals: Freestyle Points 17, Calories 899*

FRIDAY (3/30)

B: ½ cup quick oats (4) with 2 tablespoons 1% milk (1), pinch salt (0) and ½ cup blueberries (0)

L: Tuna Deviled Eggs (2) (½ recipe) with 8 carrot sticks (0) with Skinny Tzatziki (0)

D: Skillet Cajun Spiced Flounder (0) over ¾ cup brown rice (5) with Roasted Parmesan Green Beans (1)

Totals: Freestyle Points 13, Calories 946*

SATURDAY (3/31)

B: Mushroom Shallot Frittata (2) with a sliced banana (0) and ½ cup blueberries (0)

L: LUNCH OUT!

D: Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Carrots (9)

Totals: Freestyle Points 11, Calories 572*

SUNDAY (4/1)

B: Hot Cross Buns (7) (recipe coming Sunday)

L: Asparagus-Pancetta Potato Hash (4)

D: Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb (6) with Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (4) and Homemade Spinach Manicotti (7)

Totals: Freestyle Points 28, Calories 1,079*

*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.

**Includes 100 calorie roll/bread, 2 ounces turkey, 2 teaspoons mustard, 1 leaf lettuce, 1 slice red onion and 2 ounce avocado

***Green salad includes 5 cups romaine, 2 scallions, ½ cup each: carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, and ½ cup light Italian dressing

(more…)

Strawberry Crisp

These individual gluten-free strawberry crisps are topped with a crisp nutty topping using a combination of almonds, walnuts and pecans.

Strawberry Crisp

I wanted to make a fruit crisp topped with nothing but nuts – no oats, no wheat flour, letting the flavors and texture of the nuts really stand out. The results were pure deliciousness!

(more…)

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana

Baked chicken breasts filled and rolled with spinach and ricotta topped with Pomodoro sauce and melted mozzarella. Family friendly and so good!

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach Parmesan

(more…)

Tuna Deviled Eggs

These Tuna Stuffed Deviled Eggs are perfect to pack for lunch or serve as an appetizer!

Tuna Deviled Eggs

I combined two favorites, deviled eggs and tuna salad and made these bite sized snacks, lunch or appetizers you can easily make ahead and pop right into your mouth!

(more…)

Skinnytaste Success Story: Mary Billiot

“I was a dance studio owner for 15 years, after I closed my studio and went to nursing school I gained 30 lbs. I tried unsuccessfully many times to lose the weight but I always felt hungry and deprived. I knew it was time to finally do something for good. I stumbled upon a Skinnytaste recipe and decided to try it. I was hooked!”

Hi friends! I am thrilled to share another Skinnytaste weight loss success story. Nothing makes me happier to hear these weight loss stories – how you did it, how long it took, what helped motivate you, etc, so I plan on sharing more of these stories to help inspire you! Mary shared her story on the Skinnytaste Facebook Community Group and everyone was so excited to find out more, so I asked her to share her story here. Thank you Mary!

Mary Billiot

Clothing Size: before 13 down to current size 4

Weight before/after: 166 pounds/128 pounds

(more…)

Skinnytaste Meal Plan (March 19-March 25)

A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle Smart Points.

Happy Saturday, I hope you all had a great week! I’ve been in Berkeley, California all week shooting my new cookbook with photographer Eva Kolenko, I can’t wait for you to see the photos!

If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc. You should aim for around 1500 calories* a day.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!

THE DETAILS:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!

The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.

And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them!

MONDAY (3/19)

B: Maple Pecan Banana Muffin (4) with an orange (0)

L: Roast Beef, Arugula and Shaved Parmesan on a Baguette (9) and an apple (0)

D: Baked Potato Soup (5) and a green salad (2) with 2 tablespoons Low-fat Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (1)

Totals: Freestyle Points 21, Calories 937*

TUESDAY (3/20)

B: Maple Pecan Banana Muffin (4) with an orange (0)

L: LEFTOVER Baked Potato Soup (5) with 8 carrots sticks (0) Low-fat Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (1)

D: Turkey Enchilada Stuffed Poblanos (6) with Best Guacamole (3) and 1 ounce (about 14) baked tortilla chips (3)

Totals: Freestyle Points 22, Calories 925*

WEDNESDAY (3/21)

B: Maple Pecan Banana Muffin (4) with an orange (0)

L: Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado (4) and an apple (0)

D: Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (5) with Creamy Cauliflower Puree (1)* (Recipe x 2 for Thurs leftovers)

Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 887*

THURSDAY (3/22)

B: Maple Pecan Banana Muffin (4) with an orange (0)

L: Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado (4) and an apple (0)

D: LEFTOVER Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy (5) with Creamy Cauliflower Puree (1)

Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 887*

FRIDAY (3/23)

B: 2 hard boiled eggs (0) and a pear (0)

L: Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado (4) and an apple (0)

D: Blackened Scallops with Horseradish Sauce (2) with ¾ cup brown rice (5) and Sautéed Julienned Summer Vegetables (1)

Totals: Freestyle Points 12, Calories 995*

SATURDAY (3/24)

B: Easy Tomatillo Huevos Rancheros (4) with ½ sliced mango (0)

L: Blood Orange Endive Salad (2) (Recipe x 4)

D: Dinner Out!

Totals: Freestyle Points 6, Calories 542*

SUNDAY (3/25)

B: Stuffed Bagel Balls (5) and ½ sliced banana (0) with ½ cup sliced strawberries (0)

L: Shrimp Quesadillas with Tomato Avocado Salsa (10)

D: Skillet Chicken Cordon Bleu (5) with Asparagus with Dijon Vinaigrette (1)

Totals: Freestyle Points 21, Calories 870*

*This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.

*NOTES: 1 Green salad includes 5 cups romaine, ½ cup each: carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, 2 scallions and ½ ounce shaved parmesan.

(more…)

Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread Muffins

These whole wheat Irish soda bread muffins are delicious, the perfect start a lazy cold March Sunday morning. Speckled with raisins, they are sweet and perfect enjoyed with a hot cup of tea.

Plus, making them in muffin tins is perfect for better portion control. I first posted these back in 2010, and almost forgot just how good these were! I used a combination of King Arthur unbleached white whole wheat flour with unbleached all purpose flour, and the flavor and texture was perfect – they don’t taste whole wheat at all. If you like caraway seeds in your bread, you can add about an eighth of a teaspoon.

(more…)