Nicole

We really enjoyed this meal. It was very filling and the taste was great. I left out the ground beef because I didn’t think it would add anything to the recipe, and it would save on the calories. It’s super easy and would be really easy to make ahead for a quick dinner. I would bet you could even make extras and freeze them for a quick meal. I ended up serving a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese on the side with these, but I couldn’t eat it! Like I said they are very filling!

Ingredients:

4 medium russet potatoes
8 ounces 90%-lean ground beef, (see Variation)
1 cup broccoli florets, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 scallions, sliced

Directions:

Pierce potatoes all over with a fork. Place in the microwave and cook on Medium, turning once or twice, until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. (Or use the “potato setting” on your microwave and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions.)
Meanwhile, brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Increase heat to high, add broccoli and water to the pan, cover, and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli; add to the meat.
Carefully cut off the top third of the cooked potatoes; reserve the tops for another use. Scoop out the insides into a medium bowl. Place the potato shells in a small baking dish. Add 1/2 cup Cheddar, sour cream, salt and pepper to the potato insides and mash with a fork or potato masher. Add scallions and the potato mixture to the broccoli and meat; stir to combine.
Evenly divide the potato mixture among the potato shells and top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Microwave on High until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.

Calories Calculated on www.myfitnesspal.com

Original Recipe

Recipes

Berry Blasted Chicken Salad (Low Calorie Options)

June 12, 2011 Nicole

Kevin and I were in the mood for a light meal after a very hot day last week. I racked my brain for something I thought we would both like and was light and healthy at the same time. I decided to recreate a salad I recently had when we were out for lunch one day. I could have just gone and bought one, but I didn’t want to leave the house to do so. I made a few changes to the cheese and salad dressing to bring the calorie count down, and the salad turned out great! We both really enjoyed it.

Serving: 1

Calories: 259

Carbs: 19

Fat: 8

Protein: 13

Ingredients:

¼ cup sliced fresh strawberries
¼ cup fresh blueberries
2 oz. canned chicken 98% fat free
2 cups organic greens
2Tbs wish bone light raspberry walnut vinaigrette dressing
½ oz. mozzarella part skim milk cheese
1Tbs natural raw sliced almonds

Directions:

Place your greens on a plate then layer on top, chicken, cheese, fruit, sliced almonds, then your dressing.
I personally like to put everything in a large bowl and mix everything up. This helps to spread the dressing throughout the salad.
Originally I didn’t think this would be enough dressing, but after a good tossing it was perfect!

Calories Calculated on www.myfitnesspal.com

Recipes

Vegetarian Taco Salad (Low Calorie Options)

June 11, 2011 Nicole

This is an excellent recipe! It’s filling and full of flavor! I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I didn’t… I LOVED it! I was so impressed by the amount of flavor that this recipe has! It’s just so good! The only change I made was that I added a few teaspoons of Tabasco Sauce to give it a little kick and some added flavor.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (see Tip) or frozen, thawed
4 large tomatoes
1-1/2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice (see Tip)
1-15-ounce can black, kidney or pinto beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup prepared salsa
2 cups shredded iceberg or romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
2-1/2 cups coarsely crumbled tortilla chips
Lime wedges for garnish

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and corn; cook, stirring, until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Coarsely chop 1 tomato. Add it to the pan along with rice, beans, chili powder, 1 teaspoon oregano and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato cooks down, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Coarsely chop the remaining 3 tomatoes. Combine with cilantro, salsa and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano in a medium bowl.
Toss lettuce in a large bowl with the bean mixture, half the fresh salsa and 2/3 cup cheese. Serve sprinkled with tortilla chips and the remaining cheese, passing lime wedges and the remaining fresh salsa at the table.

*Save Calories by leaving the chips out! You won’t even notice the difference)

Original Recipe

Recipes

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce (Low Calorie Options)

June 10, 2011 Nicole

I fell in love with this recipe. Before I made it I had had little to no expectations. I mean seriously how good and filling could low calorie “healthy” meals be? To my surprise this recipe exceeded my expectations it’s easy to make, filling, and excellent!

2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Calorie Count Per Serving: 275

Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes.
Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute.
Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Calories Calculated on www.myfitnesspal.com

Original Recipe

Recipes

Pollo Rojo Street Tacos (Healthy Options) (217 Calories)

June 9, 2011 Nicole

I knew I needed to find something low calorie for lunch, but I also wanted to make something that I had all the ingredients for (because I was starving), and I wanted something that would be quick and easy, and give me the most bang for my calories. I also wanted to avoid adding cheese to anything because I have recently learned that cheese is loaded full of calories! I came up with the recipe and it turned out fantastic! I have adapted this for a serving of one, but you can easily adapt it to what you need!

Ingredients:

2 ounces Swanson White Premium Chicken Chunks Canned
½ cup chopped onion
2 tbsp Pace Picante Sauce (I used medium)
.5 ounce Organic Greens
2 Tia Rosa White Corn Tortilla (Try to find something lower in calories this is what I had on hand, but each tortilla is 60 calories each)

Calorie Total: 217 according to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Directions:

Add chopped onions to a small frying pan cook on medium high until they start to brown (You don’t need to add any fat or sprays to the pan to keep these onions happy just use a non-stick pan), then add chicken.
Cook until chicken is heated up, and the onions are being translucent.
Add picante sauce and mix together well then heat through
Heat tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds
Then top each corn tortillas with the organic greens, then top your greens with the chicken mixture