6 cups water

5 tsp chicken bouillon granules

4 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 cup fat free half-and-half

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese (optional)

In a medium saucepan, cook potato in water and bouillon until soft, about 20-30 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour soup mixture into a blender and puree. Return back to the sauce pan and stir in milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and heat until heated through. Serve as is, or sprinkle with cheddar cheese before serving.

6 servings, each serving has 93 calories, 1 g fat, 19 g carbohydrate, 4 g protein, 3g fiber

The Main Dish

Corned Beef & Cabbage

1 (3-4lb) corned beef brisket

4 medium potatoes, peeled & quartered

4 medium carrots, peeled & quartered

8 small onions

3 medium parsnips, peeled & cut into chunks

2 medium rutabagas, peeled & cut into chunks

1 small cabbage, cored & cut into wedges

Salt

pepper

Place meat into a Dutch oven (or large pot); add juices and spices from package. Add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

Add all vegetables, except cabbage. Cover and return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add cabbage to pan. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8 servings, each serving has 411 calories, 10g fat, 46g carbohydrate, 35 g protein, 8g fiber

The Bread
Irish Soda Bread

1 can fat-free sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp lime juice
1 carton frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed (8 oz)
1 reduced-fat graham cracker crust (8")

Combine first 3 ingredients (you can add a few drops of green food coloring if you want). Fold in whipped topping. Pour into pie shell. Refrigerate before serving.

8 servings, 290 calories per serving, 4 fat grams per serving

The Dessert (option #2, appropriate for adults only)
 Irish Cream Bundt Cake
This recipe contains alcohol, all of which will not cook off. Therefore, you may want to reserve this cake for adults only or substitute a non-alcoholic version of the liqueur.

Cake

½ cup chopped pecans

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box sugar-free instant vanilla pudding

8 egg whites

¼ cup water

½ cup apple sauce

¾ cup Irish cream liqueur

Glaze

¼ cup butter

½ cup sugar

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp Irish cream liqueur

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts evenly over bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, ¼ cup water, applesauce, and ¾ cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 3-5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter 2/3 full in the pan (you may have some extra batter, depending on your pan). Bake for 50- 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving dish. Prick top and sides of cake with a toothpick or fork.

To make the glaze: In a saucepan, combine butter, 2 Tbsp water and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp Irish cream. Brush glaze over top and onto sides of cake. Allow to absorb glaze and repeat if desired.

12 servings, each serving has 325 calories, 13g fat, 46g carbohydrate, 4g protein, 1 g fiber