Hakuna Fritatta
February 12, 2012
In an attempt to add more protein to my diet I created this fritatta recipe that’s surprisingly low calorie at no expense to the taste!
Ingredients
- 12 egg whites (I buy plain egg whites in a carton instead of using regular eggs and wasting the yolks)
This is about half way through cooking
- 10 oz fresh spinach
- 10 oz package sliced white mushrooms
- 4 slices turkey bacon, chopped
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Once hot, add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. Add spinach and saute an additional 5-10 minutes until spinach is wilted and mushrooms have cooked down.
- In large bowl, mix spinach and mushrooms with all other ingredients.
- Pour mixture into 13 inch pie plate and bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes, until no longer wet in the middle when a toothpick is inserted
Nutritional Info: 4 servings per pie plate ~170 calories and ~24 g protein per serving
Grilled Zucchini & Red Bell Pepper Salad
May 22, 2011
This is the 2nd of 2 great summer vegetable salads that I got from Martha Stewart (from her website, not personally 
. Checkout the first recipe for Corn Avocado & Cilantro salad here.
Ingredients:
- 4 green zucchini, cut in half and then cut length-wise into thick strips
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick strips
- 1/2 tbsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
Directions:
- Heat grill to medium-high.
- Grill veggies until soft, but not wilted (about 10 minutes or so depending on thickness of slices – I used a grill basket)
- Gently toss veggies with basil, olive oil and salt.
- Serve warm or cold (we ate it warm)
Zucchini & Red Bell Pepper Salad is on the left - Corn, Avocado & Cilantro Salad is on the right
Martha Stewart knows what she’s doing
May 22, 2011
Martha Stewart is a frequent guest on the Today Show (which D and I watch a few mornings a week while getting ready for work) and she is usually showing off some pretty extravagant recipes — that have 154 ingredients – which is exactly why I’ve never tried to conquer one in my own kitchen. But this past week she was showcasing low-fat summer salad recipes that did not include mayo and that had only 3 to 5 ingredients each. Dustin actually saw the segment and sent me the link to the recipes so we could try some. We made 2 to accompany our NY strips last night and they did not disappoint. I’d even go as far as saying that they were easy. If you need a quick veggie dish to add to your dinner or a salad to add to a picnic, these are both great…I’ll include the Corn Avocado & Cilantro Salad in this post and type the Grilled Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper Salad in the next.
Ingredients:
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 Hass avocado, sliced
- 1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
Directions:
- Heat grill to medium-high.
- Grill corn, rotating often, until lightly charred, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly and then carefully slice kernels from cob.
- Gently toss corn with avocado, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt.
- Serve warm or cold (we ate it warm)
Zucchini & Red Bell Pepper Salad is on the left - Corn, Avocado & Cilantro salad is on the right.
Best Salmon I EVER made
May 22, 2011
The title to this post is actually a direct quote from Dustin during dinner while eating the recipe below. You see, Dustin ‘grades’ my recipes on a scale of 1 to 10 and we keep a spreadsheet with their grades so I know what he likes and doesn’t like. It also serves as a great go-to database to find dinner ideas quick. This recipe received the highest score Dustin has ever given any of my dinners – a whopping 8.5 (yes, he’s a hard judge!)! I was intrigued by this recipe because of how FEW ingredients it had and even more intrigued by how flavorful and scrumptious it was. If you like salmon, this stuffing is sure to be a simple and tasty addition to a old favorite.
Ingredients:
- 4 salmon filets (about 4 oz each)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 C baby spinach
- 1/3 C feta cheese
- 3 Tbsp red onion (chopped fine)
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/3 C fresh basil (chopped)
Preparation:
- Combine spinach, feta, onion, garlic and basil in a food processor. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice each salmon filet horizontally, stopping 1/2” from the edge
- Open the filets and divide stuffing mixture evenly between them
- Close filets and brush with oil
- Season with salt and pepper
- Saute in non-stick skillet, grill or bake. I baked at 350° for 8 to 12 minutes (until salmon flakes easily with a fork).
2 pictures of the stuffed salmon and 1 of the stuffing ingredients before being processed.
Chicken Souvlaki Pita (or Wraps)
May 22, 2011
I was looking for a simple wrap recipe to use the rest of the wraps I bought for the Eggplant Parmesan Paninis and although this recipe called for pita bread, I knew I could substitute for a wrap (which in turn lowered the calorie and fat content!). Even though the recipe looked great on paper, I didn’t expect the meat to be as yummy as it was. We ate these wraps warm (meat right off the grill) the night we made them and then ate them cold (put them together with meat coming right from the fridge) the next day – both were delicious.
Marinade:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 C onion (minced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 bay leaves (crushed)
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt & pepper
Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
- 1 C lowfat plain yogurt (I used nonfat Oikos)
- 1/4 C grated cucumber
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic salt (be careful, this stuff is potent and can easily ruin your sauce…add a little at a time and taste it as you go. This yogurt sauce should be a little thinner, but have the same flavor as a traditional tsatziki sauce served at Greek restaurants).
Garnishes for wrap:
- Raw spinach
- Feta Cheese
- Dived tomatoes
- Avocado
- Whole wheat wraps or pita bread
Directions:
- Put marinade in large ziplock baggie and add 1 lb chicken strips. Marinate chicken 1 hour or longer (I marinated it all day while I was at work).
- Cook chicken on grill or in skillet, flipping occasionally until cooked throughout.
- Combine all ingredients of yogurt sauce and refrigerate while cooking chicken.
- Place chicken, a few tablespoons of yogurt sauce, and 1/8 cup of feta on a wrap or in a pita. Add garnishes (tomato, avocado, etc.). Enjoy!
Creating the wrap - I wrapped my wrap in foil to pack it in my lunch (this worked well for eating it at my desk without making a mess!)
Creamy Shrimp Fettuccine
May 22, 2011
I got this recipe from Self magazine and while at first glance it looks complicated because the number of ingredients, it’s actually pretty easy to throw together. We used gluten free noodles for the pasta and it turned out great. Also, it tends to be much more flavorful the day after so you can look forward to yummy leftovers!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (or more!)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (we used about 1/2 onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/4 C dry white wine
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 1 tsp instant chicken bouillon, crumbled
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (you can buy them already deveined at the seafood counter @ HEB!)
- 1/4 C fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (we actually used curly, not flat-leaf)
- 1/4 C grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz whole-grain fettuccine (again, we used gluten free pasta)
Preparation:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic, stirring until onion is tender, 2 to 3 minutes
- Combine 1/4 C water with wine, basil, bouillon, cornstarch and oregano in a bowl
- Add tomatoes and shrimp to skillet. Cook until shrimp begins to turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes
- Reduce heat to low, stir in wine mixture
- Cover; simmer until shrimp is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more
- Stir in parsley, cheese and pasta
- Serve immediately
Per Serving (makes 4 servings): — Calories: 400, Total Fat: 8.4g, Saturated Fat: 1.7g, arbs: 55.14g, Fiber: 6.7g, Protein 33.4g
First night - Leftovers the next day (with better lighting for a picture)
Eggplant Parmesan Panini
May 15, 2011
“This Clean Eating iteration of an Italian-American favorite honors the beloved flavors of complex marinara sauce, soft, earthy eggplant and decadent melted cheese without all the frying fuss.”
Well, that’s pretty elaborate, huh? I think I’d agree though – this panini is definitely earthy and the cheeses really help accentuate all the great flavors going on in this wrap.
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 2 large cloves garlic, halved
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 C part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 oz part-skim mozzarella, grated (1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 large whole-wheat or multigrain wraps (about 12 inches in diameter)
Directions:
- Heat large saute pan on medium -high. When hot, add eggplant and tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until eggplant begins to soften and both vegetables release liquids.
- Add garlic and herbs and saute for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat to medium and cover pan and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, uncover, stir and let cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Spread 2 tbsp cheese mixture in center of 1 wrap, then place quarter of eggplant mixture (about 1/2 cup) in a pile on top of cheeses.
- Pull bottom of wrap up over filling. Fold both sides inward so creases form at the ends of the filling, creating a pouch. Fold top edge over pouch.
- Place wrap seam side down on panini press and press for 2 minutes on medium-high heat, until panini is slightly toasted. Slice panini diagonally down the center and serve immediately.
Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Strawberry Muffins
April 4, 2011
Whole Wheat Sugarless Banana Strawberry Muffins – that’s just another way of saying YUMMY.
The past few nights as I’ve been cleaning up the kitchen after dinner I’ve noticed the half rotting bananas on the counter, but just couldn’t bring myself to throw them out. I can’t bare to throw away food these days, maybe because I’ve seen the grocery bill continually rise the past few months (and I’m only buying/cooking for 2!). So tonight I decided to put the poor little brown bananas to good use. I knew I didn’t want to make regular banana bread and after nearly 30 minutes of searching for a recipe that didn’t yield muffins with a gazillion calories each I finally landed on cooking blog that looked to be very promising.
While the only sweetener used in this original recipe is honey, I decided at the last minute to throw in 2 teaspoons of Truvia. The reason is because I’ve tried sugarless (honey or molasses sweetener only) muffins before (banana and blueberry) and both Dustin and I were not impressed. I think we’ve become too accustomed to boxed muffin mixes that contain all kinds of unnatural sugars. But this time I think I got it right. I’ll be taking some of these to work tomorrow to let my gym-buddies try them out and I’ll report back on what they think, but my overall opinion is that, although a lot less sweet than a ‘normal’ boxed or bakery bought pastry, these muffins are delightfully delicious and satisfying.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium overly-ripe bananas
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup & 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
- 2 tsp Truvia (OPTIONAL)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, honey, yogurt, egg, and a pinch of salt and beat until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour and beat until incorporated.
- Add remaining 3/4 cup of flour and baking powder, along with 2 tbsp of water and Truvia, and beat until incorporated.
- Stir in chopped strawberries gently.
- Pour batter into lightly greased or lined muffin pan. For me, the batter made 14 regular sized muffins.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean.
*The only thing I might change next time is to put fewer strawberries (maybe only a cup). I noticed that the very center of the muffins were still a little gooey even after nearly 28 minutes of cooking. They were OK to eat, but the gooeyness made it hard to remove the wrapper from the muffin and made the muffin fall apart easily. I could have probably cooked them longer too, but I was afraid that I was over-cooking them…but now I know I wasn’t.
Scrumptious!
Per Muffin: — Calories: 144, Total Fat: 1.13g, Saturated Fat: 0.11g, Cholesterol: 15.36mg, Sodium: 10.18mg, Carbs: 31.64g, Fiber: 6.21g, Sugars: 17.01g, Protein 4.04g
Summer Vegetable Casserole
April 3, 2011
A light, delicious veggie dish with some potatoes thrown in.
Ingredients:
- 2 yellow squash
- 2 zucchini
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 large purple onion
- 1 lemon (zest)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 tomatoes
- 2-4 oz feta cheese (I used 4)
- 1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt & pepper (I used sea salt)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375º
- Peel all veggies and potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices and all other vegetables into 1/4 inch slices.
- In a bowl, mix all veggies except tomatoes with lemon zest, 3 tbsp olive oil, seasoning salt, and pepper.
- Place in 9X13 casserole dish.
- Top with tomato slices and crumbled feta and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove foil and cook another 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are slightly browned.
DELICIOUS! I served it with the Smoke Paprika Pork Tenderloin.
Serves 8. Calories: 188, Protein: 5g, Carbs: 25g, Fat: 9g, Fiber: 4g
Smoked Paprika Pork Tenderloin
April 3, 2011
This recipe came from Clean Eating magazine. I chose it because I had bought some smoked paprika for another recipe (the Steakhouse Wrap Panini) and wanted to use it again since it was so tasty. The succotash and meat were flavored well and not near as overbearing as I thought they’d be. I served this with the summer vegetable casserole you can find here.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt and ground black pepper, divided
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat and silver skin, sliced into 12 medallions
- 1/2 medium white onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn niblets, thawed and drained
- 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed and drained
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, mix 1 tsp oil, paprika, cumin and 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Add pork to bowl and mix until pork is well coated, set aside.
- Heat 1 tsp oil in a large saute pan on medium-high heat. Add onion and red pepper and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is softened and translucent. Add corn and beans to pan and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently until warmed. Transfer mixture to a bowl and toss with cilantro and remaining 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
- Carefully wipe pan with a paper towel. Return pan to stovetop and heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium-high heat. Add pork to pan, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 2 minutes per side for medium-doneness or 3 minutes per side for well done.
- To serve, scoop 2/3 cup corn-bean succotash onto each plate. Top succotash with 3 slices pork tenderloin and about 2 tsp pan juices.
The tenderloin on top of the succotash served with veggie casserole.
Nutrients per serving (4 oz pork and 2/3 cup succotash): Calories: 257, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Carbs: 20g, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 3g, Protein: 28g, Sodium: 424mg, Cholesterol: 74mg
