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Cooking healthy doesn’t have to mean giving up all your favorite foods.
It’s easy to rethink your favorite recipes to fit your new lifestyle. Whether you are trying to cut calories for weight loss or regulate carbs for glucose control, you can create the same flavors in healthier ways.
Here are some tips:
Use lean meats (try 95% lean ground beef or ground turkey) and low-fat or fat-free cheese to lower fat content.
Try different herbs and spices for flavor instead of salt and high-sodium seasonings.
Use crunchy non-starchy vegetables in place of chips or crackers (try tuna salad or salsa on cucumber slices).You get the flavor and keep the crunch!
Sub non-starchy vegetables in place of 2/3 the pasta or all of the pasta, much like the “No Noodle Lasagna” recipe below!
No Noodle Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients:
- Meat sauce (recipe follows)
- Ricotta mixture (recipe follows)
- 3 lbs of zucchini, sliced into thin, lasagna noodle-like strips with a vegetable peeler or mandolin
- 1 lb sliced mushrooms, sautéed (optional)
- 1 cup shredded low-fat or fat-free mozzarella
Directions:
- Make the supreme sauce, stir together the ricotta mixture and sauté the mushrooms, if using.
- Preheat the oven to 350o F
- Lightly oil a 9 x 13 pan. Layer zucchini slices to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread with half the ricotta mixture, and sprinkle with half of the mushrooms. Top with tomato sauce. Repeat layers, ending with tomato sauce, zucchini and more tomato sauce.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the top of lasagna with mozzarella, and bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Sauce Recipe:
- 1 lb Italian turkey sausage
- 2 large onions, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, diced/pressed
- 2 (28oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
- Cook the sausage in a large pot over medium heat until no longer pink.
- Turn the heat to medium-low. Add onions, garlic, peppers and brown until onions turn a light golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
- Pour in the tomatoes and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
Ricotta Mix:
- 2 cups low-fat ricotta
- 1 cup shredded low-fat or fat-free parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
- Stir together the cheeses, egg and basil until well combined.
- Keep refrigerated until needed.
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Turn “eat your veggies” from a directive to a delight!
Roasting vegetables is a wonderful way to transform ho-hum into yum-yum, while also giving your body the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Roasting enhances the texture and flavor of vegetables and it’s really simple. It requires little time or equipment, gives you lots of flexibility and almost every vegetable can be thrown on a baking pan to roast. That makes family dinners a snap.
Here’s how:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut your vegetables to optimize pan-to-vegetable contact. Do this by cutting the veggies into small, flat pieces – think of a domino rather than a dice. Place your cut veggies into a Ziploc bag, add salt and pepper and add a bit of olive oil. Shake to coat the vegetables. Taste to evaluate.
Spread the vegetables out on a baking sheet, making sure they're all in one layer. Put in the oven on the middle or top rack. After about 10-12 minutes, take out and check the bottoms of vegetables for browning. If they are still light in color, stick them back in until they are nicely browned.
When serving: Liven up your roasted vegetables with different spices. Some ideas include flavored vinegars, toasted nuts, thyme and oregano, or shaved Parmigianino.
After you have mastered your roasting skills, the next step is to identify a variety of recipes that can incorporate the veggies and are appealing to you. You can pair your nutrient-filled roasted vegetables with a soup or a deliciously-flavored form of protein, such as meatballs. Eating healthy can be enjoyable and satisfying. We’re here to help.
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 Soups and chili are a great way to add variety your diet, especially if you are eating Lean and Green meals or trying to lower your carbohydrate intake. This one is fast and easy to prepare.
Chicken and Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray to sauté
- ½ cup carrots or diced red bell pepper
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 pound, cut into cubed size pieces)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried marjoram
- 6 ounces frozen spinach, drained
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
- Ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup pesto sauce or ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Directions:
Over medium heat, combine chicken, carrots or bell peppers and sauté with cooking spray until chicken is lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté for a minute. Next, add the broth and marjoram and reduce heat when broth boils. When chicken is cooked, add spinach and beans and bring the pot to a boil. Add tablespoon of pesto as garnish when serving.
Makes 6 servings. 158 calories and 13 g carbohydrate per serving without pesto
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Is the hustle and bustle of the holiday season making meal planning a disaster? Do you have a house full of guests and need a fast idea for breakfast or casual dinner?
Try these versatile mini quiches! Serve with grapefruit sections for breakfast or a mixed veggie salad for dinner in a flash.
 Crustless mini quiches (Makes 12):
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
1 cup lowfat milk
¼ cup shredded lowfat cheese
1 Tbsp. Cooking spray
*You can lower the cholesterol and calorie level with using egg beaters in place of eggs
Directions:
- Preheat to 325ºF. Coat a nonstick muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Fill cups with desired fillings (see above or below)
- Whisk Ingredients. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake until tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on the top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.
- To prep ahead store in refrigerator for 2-4 days and reheat in the microwave on high for 30 to 60 seconds.
Try adding these ingredients to mix it up and add flavor:
- spinach, cranberries and mozzarella
- tomatoes, mushrooms and onions
- broccoli, cheese and chicken
- turkey sausage and Rotel
The options are endless when using lean meats and nonstarchy vegetables, you can even use leftovers!
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Meatballs can be time consuming to prepare and “pre-packaged” options are traditionally high in calories and fat. Try this simple, versatile recipe that can be cooked in a variety of ways from on the stove-top, boiled in a soup, stew or sauce, or grilled on the barbeque. These lean, protein-rich meatballs go great with a side salad and assorted vegetables. They are also great cooked in a vegetable soup. |
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