Tag Archives: High Fiber

Clean Eating On the Cheap

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Everyone is on a budget these days and that, no doubt, influences our weekly grocery bill.  The silver lining to tighter purse strings may result in a more simplified and pure pantry.  Contrary to popular belief, eating healthy can be cheap. In fact, a bag of chips will run you 40% more than a pound of seasonal, fresh produce.  Moral of the story, steer clear of the aluminum bags and focus on these cost-effective staples.

1) Frozen veggies and fruit. Just as nutritious and will last much longer than fresh produce.

2) Quick oats.  Target recently advertised their brand for $1.99 a canister. Perfect for an easy, high fiber breakfast or snack.

3) Store brand Greek yogurt.  Trader Joe’s brand is usually around $.99 for a 6 oz serving. Greek yogurt is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and protein.

4) Lean, ground turkey.  I can usually find 99% lean ground turkey at Shoprite for a bargain  $2.99/lb. Take that sirloin!

5) Beans and lentils. A perfect option for a heart healthy, meatless meal with a decent shelf-life.  Incorporate into soups, salads or even on pizza for a balanced meal.

 

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!

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.

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…..