Category Archives: Recipes

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Power Balls

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Happy National Peanut Butter Day! It’s true, there is officially a day for everything it seems. I prefer to honor peanut butter and all of its creamy, delicious glory everyday. Not only is it the perfect punch of protein, but it is temperature safe which makes it handy for an on the go snack- perfect to complement fruit, veggies and whole grain crackers!  Peanut butter is full of the heart healthy “good fats” and can be part of a healthy meal plan.  It is best to keep peanut butter servings in moderation (about 1 tbsp)  to avoid racking up the calories. I  recommend low-cal versions like PB2 by Bell Plantation or Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter to avoid any hydrogenated oils (yuck).  Try the following no-bake peanut butter oatmeal power balls from caloriecount.about.com for a filling afternoon snack or pair with a piece of fruit for an easy breakfast.

 

What you will need (makes 18):

-4 tbsp peanut butter

-2 tbps honey

- 1 tbsp skim milk

- 2 cups oats

 

Get Started:

Mix peanut butter and honey together in medium bowl. Add oats until combined, adding milk if necessary to moisten (should be crumbly). Roll into tight balls and store in refrigerator
 
The Nutritional Breakdown (1 ball): 
64 calories, 2.4 grams of fat, 8.7grams of carbohydrates and 2.3 grams of protein.

 

It’s 5 pm, completely dark outside and nothing is defrosted for dinner. Time to bust out the slow cooker.

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We’ve all been there. Home from work, tired, hungry and nothing to eat. Why not turn that frown upside down and enter the house to the inviting scent of a warm, low-cal, meal-compliments of your slow cooker. Not only is slow cooking a safe, more energy efficient alternative to other cooking methods, but it can serve as the perfect opportunity to put those frozen veggies, meat and/or beans to good use.  Insta-meal!

Check out this low fat, high fiber, vegetarian recipe!

Dark Chocolate Berry Fruit Pop. Pssssst! It’s Good For You.

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Beat the heat with this sophisticated upgrade to the old, cellophane wrapped,  sugar-laden Popsicle.  

What you will need:

-2 cups frozen berries

-2 cups Greek yogurt

-1/2 cup mini dark chocolate chips

Get Started:

Puree the frozen berries and Greek yogurt together.  Stir the chocolate chips into the berry and yogurt blend.  Evenly spoon the mixture into the freezer pop molds and freeze (about 6 hours).

The Nutritional Breakdown:

Per serving: 65 calories; 0-3 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber; 18 mg sodium; 69 mg potassium.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I would like to share the following Mexican inspired dish.  It’s spicy, fun and low-carb…..so  feel free to pair it with a guilt-free skinny margarita.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

  • 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil…..or save some fat cals and use your misto
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 16 Boston (or Bibb) lettuce leaves
  • 4 oz tortilla chips, broken up
  • 3 scallions, sliced

Per serving (serves 4-5):  400 Calories; Total Fat; 18 g; Sat Fat 2.5 g; Protein 32 g; Carbs 27 g; Fiber 3 g; Cholesterol 80 mg; Sodium 460 mg.

In a large non-stick pan, saute the chicken in the oil until browned on both sides, about three minutes per side.  The chicken will not be fully cooked, so remove it to a dedicated cutting board.  Add the garlic and chipotle to the pan and saute for 30 seconds, then stir in the orange juice and salt.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Cut the chicken across the width into 1/2″ slices and return them to the pan.  Toss to coat with the sauce and cook through, 2-3 minutes.

Stack the lettuce leaves on a plate.  Serve the chicken, scallions, and chips in bowls.  To assemble, spoon a small amount of the chicken, scallions, and chips into a leaf of the lettuce wrap.

Enjoy!

Skinny Wraps

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Looking for a low-cal, convenient meal or snack? Always! Try wrapping it up. I tend to avoid most wraps at restaurants and cafes because the shell alone can easily pack in 45 grams of carbs or more……that’s equivalent to  three slices of bread! And we are not even at the middle yet. To keep it light, make sure you start with a sound foundation……that would be whatever it is that’s doing the wrapping.  I make sure I always have  low carb, whole wheat tortilla shells in the fridge for this purpose.  My favs are Trader Joe’s low-carb tortilla shells (about 45 calories) and La Tortilla Factory’s high fiber tortilla wrap (45 calories, 7 grams of fiber!). Next….fill-er-up

Skinny Breakfast Wraps Fillings:

savory

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup cooked spinach
  • tomato slices
  • 2 tablespoons low fat shredded cheese
  • garlic

or sweet

  • 2-4 oz fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • 1 tbsp sliced almonds
  • drizzle of honey

There you go!  An easy, filling, balanced breakfast to-go all under 250 calories.

Date Night Dinner at Home

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Looking for a healthy, romantic dinner date with your mans or lady-friend?  Stay in, uncork a bottle of red wine and put that pizza stone to work.  I no longer accept the stigma that pizza is a forbidden food.  This Friday night classic can serve as the foundation of a balanced meal packed with tons of natural nutrition.  I like to use the following whole-wheat pizza dough recipe as my base.  I typically add in a few tablespoons of wheat germ and flax seed for good measure.  Keep the light cheese to a sprinkling and load-er-up with veggies.  My go to topping lately has been tossed arugula with lemon zest, pepper and shallots. Need a protein punch? Layer on some  turkey sausage or cannellini beans. With all that fiber and satiating flavor it should be easy to keep the serving size in check.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

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I realize it can get a bit cliche to recommend fruit as a dessert option. Sometimes you really just need a cookie, ice cream, slice of cake…….mmmmmmm….I could go on and on. But, if you are like myself and already indulged in a giant Otis Spunkmeyer cookie earlier this afternoon, you need to be mindful of how the rest of your meals and dessert are played out. You can have your cake and it it too-just not twice in the same day!   It’s a balancing act for sure, but I will stick to my promise to keep it as simple as possible.

The following recipe takes all of about-ummmm-5 minutes of your day.  To be honest, no recipe is even necessary. Center the parfait around whatever fresh fruit you have around the house and top with whatever low-fat yogurt you may find in the fridge.  Never-the-less, this is what I used, and it was pretty darn delicious:

Makes Two:

The nutritional break-down:

108 calories; 0.5 g fat; 9mg sodium; 23 g carbohydrates; 3.2 g fiber; 3 g protein

What you will need:

  • 1 banana sliced
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla 0% fat Greek yogurt

Layer the parfait with alternating fruits.  Serve with a tablespoon of yogurt.

Sound too boring? Try one of the following add-ons.

 

 

Sunday Dinner-Draper Style

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In honor of the Mad Men season premiere tonight, I have decided to whip-up a 60′s style dinner.  While the fat-laden casseroles and bottomless dirty martinis may not fit today’s guidelines to healthy eating, we can still appreciate the idea of a family seated around the dinning room table enjoying a home-cooked meal together. In sticking with the theme of the evening I have decided to prepare the ultimate in Sunday night family cuisine-Meatloaf.

The following recipe is courtesy of Bobby Flay for Food Network Magazine. I usually need to tweak most standard recipes, but this one fits my bill of standards for a healthy meal as is.   Veggies? Check!   Lean protein?  Check!   Great taste?  Check!

The following recipe serves eight, so make it a potluck and invite the neighbors!

Time- 2 hours (prep, inactive, cook)

The nutritional break-down:  Per serving: Calories 270; Fat 14 g (Sat. 4.2 g; Mono. 6.3 g; Poly. 3.1 g); Cholesterol 104 mg; Sodium 451 mg; Carbohydrate 16 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 20g

What you will need:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small zucchini, finely diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean).  Out of ground turkey? No problem. You can replace with 96% lean ground beef for a heme-iron boost.
  • 1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey, panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

 

 

 

Friday Night Fish Tacos

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My husband and I have been inspired by this amahhhh-zing spring weather to finally put the grill to good use. I prep, he cooks-this girl  doesn’t bode well near a propane tank.  I like to keep week night dinners quick, simple and light; and I promise, with a little pre-planning,  it can be done!  I love the following recipe for so many reasons, but mostly because it packs in so much guilt-free, natural flavor and nutrition.

Time-about 20 minutes (prep, active and cooking)

Serves 4

The nutritional break-down:

292 calories; 24g carbohydrate; 13g fat, 478mg sodium, 14g fiber

What you will need for the tacos:

  1. 1 pound of tilapia
  2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  3. 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  4. 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves-If you only have dry herbs, that will work too.
  5. chili powder to taste
  6. 8 low-carb tortilla wraps-Try La Tortilla Factory brand

What you will need for the the garnish:

  1.  2-3 cups shredded white cabbage-For a time saving tip, buy the bag coleslaw mix.
  2.  4 ounces 0% plain Greek yogurt
  3. 1 shallot (or red onion), thinly sliced
  4. 1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
  5. 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  6. chopped cilantro leaves to taste
  7. pepper to taste

Pre-heat, or have someone else preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Place the fish in a dish.  Whisk together the oil, lime juice, cilantro and  chili powder together and pour over the fish.  Let the fish soak in the marinade for a few minutes while the grill is heating up and you prepare the garnish.

Mix  together the cabage, greek yogurt, shallot, jalapano,scallions and cilantro in a bowl. Easy like I promised!

Remove the fish from the dish and grill,  flesh side down,  for four minutes.  Flip the fish to the other side for 30-60 seconds and remove.  Let the fish rest for 5 minutes and then flake the fish apart with a fork.

Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds.  Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with the cabage mixture.

Pair and enjoy with other garnishes- diced fresh tomatoes, a tablespoon of shredded light jack cheese…….a Corona light…..