Recipe Contest Recipes

This is my absolute favorite dish from Ruby Tuesday so I had to find a way to make it over. Its called the smokehouse chicken and it is a favorite by many! This delicious dish is high in fat and calories if ordered from the restaurant so I came up with a healthier, guilt free version that has become a favorite in my household!

When I think of dinner out, I think of T.G.I. Fridays Cobb Salad. Even though it is full of healthy vegetables it is one of the most unhealthy salads on the menu becuase of it's fattening ingredients. I have created a lighter version that tastes just as great without the guilt!

This recipe was a finalist in the SparkPeople Un-Chained Recipe Contest!

I chose to re-make the Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell because Taco Bell used to be one of my favorite fast food restaurants. Also, it is still my boyfriend's favorite fast food chain and nearly every time he goes there, he will order a crunchwrap supreme.

The funny thing is that most Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes are fairly simple to make... so I knew that it would be fun, delicious, and not too challenging to re-make this item!

Diced, grilled chicken breast; shredded cheddar; diced apples; dried cranberries; and grape tomatoes. Served with sliced, toasted almonds and Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing. My healthy way for my favoite take out salad.

My family loves going to Red Robin for burgers. I love the Bacon Cheeseburger - but I can't imagine what the calories/fat are in it. My husband and I came up with these burgers, and our son's named them the "Ultimate Goodness Burger" I can't figure out why the sodium in so high. I don't think there is that much sodium in this.

Olive Garden's Soup or Zuppa, this is my low sodium, lower in fat version of my favorite soup to dine out for. Easy to make and leftovers are even tastier the next day! Great along side a salad for lunch or beginning course at dinner.

Arby's Market Fresh Rueben Sandwich, one of my favorites to re-create saving you a whopping 340 calories, 18 grams fat and 29 grams of carbohydrates. If you can find a leaner cut of corned beef, it will make this re-creation even healthier!

I bought a Papa Murphy Mediterrean Pizza and decided to make it myself with less fat and calories! We LOVE pizza and become very fond of the Alfredo kind, it is the BEST! It makes eating spinach a wonderful treat!

Fast food fried chicken is chock-full of cholesterol and fat but I love the crunchy coating so this oven-baked version of KFC's menu is my go-to recipe when I'm needing a fast food fix.

This is one of my favorite dishes to make and I have enjoyed making it even healthier by substituting some ingredients for flavor packed healthier ones.

This a remade grilled cheese and french fry meal from any typical restaurant. I love grilled cheese but it typically has no nutritional value as it's just bread and cheese! The beans in this re-made grilled cheese add fiber and protein. The brown mustard adds a glue to cheese and gives the sandwich an unexpected tang! The sweet potatoes are much better than normal white potatoes and they are roasted in the oven instead of deep fried. The nutritional information will change based on the brands you use - I am entering the brands I used obviously!

FYI - I've also made this with plain beans that I spiced up myself with a little salsa and mexican spices and then mashed. Feel free to do that if you don't have or like refried beans!

I love eating at Chipotle and even if I get the burrito without the tortilla all of the extras and the serving sizes of everything packs on a lot of calories. While I love the taste of their rice it is not brown rice, which I prefer to use. I also find it much cheaper to make this at home, rather than buying it. I prefer to make my own salsa rather than buying it in a jar. But of course you can substitute if you prefer. But this one tastes great! It is always a hit at cookouts and with my family. My secret ingredients to the beans are thyme and sage. They add so much flavor. I attended a vegetarian cooking class and the instructor talked about adding those two herbs to everything to give a richer and more satisfying taste. This was the first thing that I tried them in and it is delicious. This recipe is not very difficult to make nor is it time consuming. What will take the most time is the rice, which can be made ahead. I am very much an “add a little of this and that” person, so I did find it hard to pin down measurements! Fast Food Category

I eat breakfast on the run almost every day, and McDonald's Egg McMuffin value meal was a common breakfast choice. Then I discovered I could make my own sandwich at home in the time it would take me to go through the drive-thru, and I could make it much healthier (and I think tastier, too!). I have even made this sandwich at work to eat at my desk by just cooking the egg and warming the ham in the microwave. I pair it with a serving of fruit, and my day is off to a great start!

I love Wendy's Honey BBQ Wings, but at 580 calories I can't even get fries or a frosty to go with them. I came up with this to satisfy my craving, and still be able to enjoy a side.

I have always liked vegetarian "burgers" as an alternative to their high fat, high sodium meat counterparts. When my co-workers and I decided to go to Chili's for lunch, I assumed that the "Guiltess Black Bean Burger" would be just that...or at least a healthy alternative. It sounded delicious, but when I looked up the nutritional content before we left the office, I was shocked to see that one burger contained 1790 mg of sodium...More than I would like to consume for an entire day!! Since I'm watching sodium content, this was clearly not a good choice and I ordered something else. I figured I could make a much more heart healthy recipe and add some avocado, one of my favorites! Here it is:

I'm making over Burger Kings Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissanwich which contains 460 calories, 31g fat, 215mg cholesterol and 1000mg sodium. This make over will help manage your calories (300), fat(10g), sodium (845mg) and also your cholesterol (20mg). Now that's Healthy!!!

Oh, Quesadilla Explosion Salad! How I love you!
I have eaten plenty of these at Chili's and was "Oh so surprised!" to see it listed as #2 on the 10 worst restaurant salads! Number T-O-O! Too much fat, Too many calories, Too many points!

It's a salad! How can it be so bad for you?

Something had to be done! This is my response. I have also created recipes for the various ingredients used in this salad. They are named as they appear in the list of ingredients. Feel free to use them or your own. Beware the nutrition data of this salad will change if you use another version.

I love Subway's Veggie Delight, but sometimes I want a more meaty sandwich, sans the meat. I used to love Philly Cheese Steaks before going veg, and thought a thinly sliced portabella would substitute nicely. It did not disappoint!

Also, the nutritional information includes the marinade, most of which is drained off prior to cooking, so the sodium level is probably much lower.

This is (a) an improvement on Corner Bakery Cafe's Mom's Chicken Noodle Soup; (b) a large pot of vitamin-rich, naturally sweet, nutritious, chicken soup that (c) is very easy to make, (d) freezes well, (e) feeds about a dozen hungry people, and (f) I make throughout the year after having and making many different variations on a theme for many years

Although it can take a little time to get the chicken off the bones, it's SO worth it! Also, if you don't want to use a whole chicken or shredding it just isn't your thing, you can use chicken parts or whole breasts instead, cut off the big chunks, and dice or shred them. They'll take less cooking time, too.

There's nothing better for you, especially when ONLY chicken soup will do! It's not ambrosia (nectar of the gods), but it's as close as I can get! I appreciate your feedback and input. Enjoy! SparkPeople rocks my world! Nancy, a/k/a KEEPITMOVING

I remade Chili's Boneless Buffalo Chicken Salad because I really like chicken salads and I like hot wings. This recipe cuts the original's calories by about half. Most of the savings comes in baking the chicken in panko instead of frying the chicken in a batter.

NOTE: After thinking about it and reading some comments, I changed the wing sauce amount in the nutrition calculator to be 1 serving (1 Tbsp.) instead of the 8 that I had originally to match the ingredients list (the amount of sauce used is not equal to the amount you consume). It's still higher in sodium than I'd like, but I think the recipe is a good first cut. I'll keep tinkering with it.

I'm really proud of myself for this one. I used to love getting Mexican Pizzas at Taco Bell. I haven't had one in years. So, I spent a few days concocting this recipe.

Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake, originating from Indonesia. You can find it at your health food store, if you can't find it at your regular grocery store. We aren't vegetarians, but sometimes it's nice to have a vegetarian meal. Helps save on the calories. Tempeh is a great meat substitute. If you chop it up right, it can have a similar consistency to ground meat.

Also, I'm pretty sure the tortillas Taco Bell uses for this are deep fried to make them crispy. I baked mine.

We used to make this recipe for moose or caribou and cooked it in a cast iron stew pot in the oven on very low heat, before the days of crock pots. It lends itself very well to lean cuts of beef with little fat and is great for entertaining during football season!

Celebrate Mardi Gras anytime of the year with these Louisiana flavor infused jambalaya stuffed peppers. If you don't want to stuff the peppers you can just enjoy a traditional bowl of that slow cooked goodness.

This is a recipe I came across while living in Italy many years ago. I have added some of my favorite vegetables to it to "beef" it up and make it more hearty. It is one of my family's favorites, great for a cold fall or winter night.

This incredibly easy and delicious mushroom soup is naturally thickened by blending the soup. No need to make a roux. The soup gets its creaminess from a bit of Neufchatel cheese (which is 1/3 less fat than cream cheese) and Greek yogurt.

Crockpot Easy, Flavorful and Filling
only 4 ingredients

I’m not sure whether I’d call this Quinoa Chicken Chili or Quinoa Taco Soup. Either way, I’d call it scrumptious. It's a very hearty chili, high in protein and nutrition.

All of the flavor of saucy and tangy chicken enchiladas packed into a hearty, guilt-free stew. The tortillas go right into the slow cooker and melt into the stew for flavor and texture.

Bring the flavors of a Thai kitchen right into your slow cooker! This simple, flavorful and vibrant dish will have your taste buds dancing.

A comfort food that is healthy and delicious! You can't ask more from a recipe!