Skinny Comfort Food

My meal planning routine is the same every week.  I sit on the couch, watch the CBS Morning Show, drink coffee and plan out meals for the week.  Then, I make my grocery list accordingly.  Now that the little one requires Mickey's Clubhouse with his morning toast, I've been relegated to sitting at the bar, watching the itty-bitty kitchen TV, but the same concept still applies.  Since I'm trying to be less fat these days, my plan is usually to first figure out what sounds good (if I was that pretend person who could eat anything and still be tiny) and then I begin the search for a low cal option.

This week the hubby announced that he wanted pan-fried pork chops and potatoes. This would be a yes to the "pan-fried" referring to both the pork chops and the potatoes. I'm okay with the pork chop part, you don't need more than a spray of PAM and a cast iron skillet to get a nice crisp, but I wanted a lighter potato option.

Well if you've ever even thought about losing weight, eating healthy or you've ever searched for low-fat recipes online, you've probably stumbled upon Skinnytaste.com. The author includes nutritional info for each recipe and Weight Watchers points. Sure enough, Gina had a solution!

Skinny Scalloped Potato Gratin

 I am always looking for low fat comfort foods because, while I am completely okay with losing some of my body mass, I am not okay with giving up gooey, creamy, cheesy...anything. These were SO good and it certainly didn't feel like I was making any sacrifices!  The best part is that the serving size is a whole cup!  I didn't indulge in that much cheesy starch because I was scarfing down my food before zumba and didn't want a massive side ache, but that's low enough in calories that I will even take some for lunch tomorrow!
Here's the recipe (I didn't even make any changes!)

Skinny Potato Gratin
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 7 • Size: about a cup (1/7th) • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 160.2 • Fat: 4.4 g • Carbs: 24.6 • Fiber: 1.8 • Protein: 7.2 g • Sugar: 2.6
Sodium: 42.6 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

• olive oil spray (I used my misto)
• 6 medium peeled yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/8-inch-thick (2 lb 4 oz peeled)
• 2 tbsp light butter, melted
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 oz (3/4 cup) shredded reduced fat Cheddar (I used Cabot)
• 1 cup fat free milk
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tsp thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, butter, salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper.

3. Arrange half of the potato slices in the baking dish; top with 1/4 cup cheese. Add the remaining potatoes. 

4. In a small saucepan, bring milk, thyme, bay leaf and nutmeg to a boil; pour over potatoes.

5. Top with remaining cheese and bake uncovered, for 45 - 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.