Archives for May 2015

I love the aroma of cinnamon and roasted oats scenting the house while the granola is in the oven. Granola can be high in calories, but I really lightened it up here. This recipe makes about 5 servings, with the serving size being 1/2 cup and only 203 calories. I add about 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk to mine for an additional 10 calories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare one large baking sheets with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix oats, cranberries, almonds, sea salt and cinnamon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place oat mixture on large baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat brown sugar, honey, and water over medium heat. Heat for 3-4 until brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in maple flavoring. Pour over oat mixture on baking sheets. Stir to coat.

Bake granola in 350-degree oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring once after 5 minutes. Take cookie sheet out of oven and remove granola from pan immediately into a heat safe container (if you leave it on the cookie sheet it will stick to it). Cool completely.

Servings: About five 1/2 cup servings* Calories Per Serving: 203* Fat: 4.5 g * Carb: 37.6 g * Fiber: 3.9 g * Protein: 4.5 g * Sugar: 17.6 g * Sodium: 191 mg * Cholesterol: 0 mg

I like to describe the flavor of this one as sweet heat. Raspberries and jalapeno peppers pair well–you get that nice kick from the jalapeno and then relief from the sweetness of the raspberries. Each serving is only 323 calories.
I like to serve this with the raspberry-walnut salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:
1 medium jalapeno pepper, sliced very thin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 ounces fat free cream cheese (softened)
2/3 cup fresh raspberries, roughly chopped
4 chicken breasts (16 ounces total)
Salt & Pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:
Pound out chicken breasts until about 1/4 inch thickness. Spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture into the center of the chicken breast and fold the chicken breast in half. Repeat process for other 3 chicken breasts. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Place chicken breasts and cook about 3-4 minutes on one side, until golden brown. Turn chicken breast over and place skillet in the oven and bake 17-19 minutes, until internal temperature is 165 degrees.

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 323 * Fat: 17.5 g * Carb: 4.6 g * Fiber 1.5 g * Protein: 36 g * Sugar: 3.0 g * Sodium: 240 mg * Cholesterol: 125 mg

Okay, the walnut oil in this dressing totally makes the salad. This oil has a rich, deep, nutty flavor–it’s delicious. I’m able to find walnut oil in my regular grocery store but if you cannot find it, Amazon sells it. I serve this with the raspberry-jalapeno stuffed chicken. The salad + dressing has 160 calories per serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:
1 head Red Leaf Lettuce
1/2 cup Walnuts, toasted, divided 1/4 & 1/4 cup
1 cup fresh Raspberries, divided 1/3 cup & 2/3 cup
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
2 teaspoons Lemon juice
1-1/2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons Light Agave Nectar
1 tablespoon minced Shallot
1 Tablespoon Walnut oil
1 Tablespoon Champagne Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Ground Mustard
Dash of Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Toast walnuts in skillet over low heat about 3-4 minutes. Chop, rinse and spin-dry red leaf lettuce and place in serving bowl. Peel and slice the cucumber.

In the food processor or blender add walnut oil, 1/3 cup fresh raspberries, 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, lemon juice, vinegar, minced shallot, dried parsley, dried mustard, Agave, salt & pepper. Blend until smooth.
Poor vinaigrette over salad and scatter remaining chopped walnuts, raspberries, and sliced cucumber.

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 160 * Fat: 10.9 g * Carb: 4.6 g * Protein: 5.1 g * Sugar: 5.0 g * Sodium: 15 mg * Cholesterol: 0 mg

I love a good stir fry, but what I don’t like is an oily stir fry. While my stir fry does use a little oil, the flavor comes from the orange sauce! Serve the stir fry over 2/3 cup white or jasmine rice.

Stir fry alone: 298 calories

Stir fry + 2/3 cup rice: 433 calories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound lean sirloin steak, sliced thin (I use Laura’s Lean Sirloin)

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 green onions, sliced

5 cups fresh broccoli florets

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

2 Tablespoons orange marmalade

2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 cup low sodium beef broth

1 Tablespoon Orange Zest

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 Tablespoon water

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
In a cast iron skillet or wok heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. When pan is smoking hot, add steak. Cook until no longer pink and remove from skillet. Add additional teaspoon of oil and the sesame oil. Add green onions and broccoli florets. Stir fry until slightly tender and then add the beef back to the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, heat beef stock, orange juice concentrate, orange marmalade, red pepper flake, soy sauce, and orange zest. Create a slurry by stirring 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch together. Whisk slurry into over medium heat until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the beef broth and orange mixture to the beef and broccoli and cook for about 5-7 minutes longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve stir-fry mixture over 2/3 cup of white rice (add 135 calories to below). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sesame seeds over each serving.

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 298 * Fat: 11.5 g * Carb: 20.6 g * Fiber: 4.0 g * Protein: 5.7 g * Sugar: 8.6 g * Sodium: 608 mg * Cholesterol: 66 mg

 

This recipe is so simple, yet has a lot of delicious components – savory pork, juicy pineapple and jalapeno vinaigrette for a little heat. I serve this dish with a side of steamed spinach and 1/2 cup white rice.

Without the sides, this recipe has a total of 305 calories.
Pineapple pork chops + vinaigrette with a side of steamed spinach and 1/2 cup white rice, 427 calories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pork Chops:

Four 6-oz Bone-in Pork Chops

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

8 ounces fresh pineapple

Cooking Spray

Directions:
Heat countertop grill to medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Clean, peel, and slice the fresh pineapple into rounds (I use a small biscuit cutter to cut out the core from each round). Grill pineapple for just a couple of minutes on each side. Remove from grill and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rub pork chops with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil, salt & pepper. Grill pork chops about 4-5 minutes per side, until internal temperature is 140 degrees F. Set aside and allow to rest while you make the vinaigrette.

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 251 * Fat: 8.9 g * Carb: 7.6 g * Fiber: 0.8 g * Protein: 36 g * Sugar: 5.6 g * Sodium: 1 mg * Cholesterol: 0 mg

---

 

Jalapeno Vinaigrette:

1 large jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro

1/2 tablespoon chopped shallot

2 tablespoons pineapple juice

1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of black pepper

Directions:
Spray jalapenos with nonstick olive oil spray and grill on countertop grill about 5-7 minutes (you can do this while cleaning the pineapple for the pork chop recipe); set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a food chopper or processor, place jalapenos, cilantro, shallot, pineapple juice, vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil. Process until smooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 54 * Fat: 5.4 g * Carb: 71.8 g  * Protein: 0.2 g * Sugar: 1.0 g * Sodium: 185 mg * Cholesterol: 0 mg

If you love that fresh, lemon flavor, you will love this dish. There is a hint of lemon and thyme in the meatballs and then the lemon-pepper orzo just bursts with it! The entire dish is only 405 calories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey Meatballs:

1 Pound Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast

1 Egg white, whisked

1/3 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs

2 Cloves Garlic, pressed

1/2 small onion, grated

1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Fresh thyme

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix turkey, egg whites, bread crumbs, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, and oregano.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roll meat into 1 inch meatballs and place on nonstick cookie sheet lined with silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake balls 12 minutes. Serve on top of baby spinach and serving of lemon-pepper orzo.

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 179 * Fat: 2.6 g * Carb: 9.5 g * Protein: 0.7 g * Sugar 1.3 g * Sodium: 388 mg * Cholesterol: 55 mg

---

Creamy lemon-pepper orzo:

1 cup orzo

2 cups water

Lemon-Pepper sauce:

1/4 cup reserved pasta water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup Low Fat Greek Yogurt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of sea salt

2 Tablespoons chives

Directions:
Bring water to a boil and add orzo. Cook 9 minutes—until al dente. Drain all but 1/4 cup of pasta water. Put the pasta water back in the pot and over low heat, stir in lemon juice, zest, half and half, pepper and Parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add drained orzo back to the pot and stir until will blended. Garnish with chopped chives.

 

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 226 * Fat: 4.4 g * Carb: 34.9 g * Protein: 11.1 g * Sugars 3.9 g* Sodium: 223 mg * Cholesterol: 10 mg

This is my spinoff of Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion salad which is delicious, but highly caloric. For a salad, it can really weigh you down. It has 1430 calories and 96 grams of fat–more than I consume in a day on both counts. Yikes! My Quesadilla Salad has only 451 calories and 21.2 grams of fat and is every bit as tasty!

Quesadilla Only: 317 calories

Salad + Dressing Only: 134 calories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roast Beef Quesadillas:

9 ounces Deli Roast Beef

1 Cup beef Broth

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 medium onion, sliced into half moons

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons water

4 ounces light sharp white cheddar cheese

4 Low Carb Tortillas

Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:
In medium saucepan heat beef broth and seasonings over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry. Whisk cornstarch into beef broth. Chop the roast beef, add to broth, and heat until warmed through and broth thickens. Remove from heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil and add onions. Cook until onions are brown and tender (caramelized).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrape the onions out of the pan and set aside in a bowl.. Assemble the quesadillas in a cast iron skillet on a tortilla with 1/4 of the caramelized onion, 1/4 of the cheese (placing some as the base and then some on the top so the quesadilla adheres together), and 1/4 of the roast beef (strain off excess liquid when removing from beef broth mixture so quesadillas won’t be soggy) on one side of the tortilla.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allow cheese to start melting and then fold the tortilla in half and heat for another minute. Remove from pan and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repeat process for all 4 quesadillas. Cut the quesadilla into thirds and place atop the assembled salad.

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 317 * Fat: 13.1 g * Carb: 17.1 g * Fiber: 7.6 g * Protein: 30.8 g * Sugar: 1.5 g * Sodium: 628 mg * Cholesterol: 71 mg

---

 

Salad:

12 ounces Romaine lettuce

20 Black olives

2 Roma tomatoes

6 Large Pepperoncini

1 Red Bell Pepper

Directions:
Clean and spin-dry the lettuce. Slice the bell pepper and Roma tomatoes. Cut the black olives in half and the pepperoncini into thirds. Toss together in a salad bowl. Pour dressing atop the salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 72 * Fat: 2.7 g * Carb: 12.6 g * Fiber: 2.6 g * Protein: 1.9 g * Sugar: 5.2 g * Sodium: 621 mg * Cholesterol: 0 mg

---

 

Sour Cream-Dijon Salad Dressing:

1/2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon shallot minced
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of hot sauce
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in food chopper or food processors. Blend until smooth.

 

Servings: 4 * Calories Per Serving: 62 * Fat: 5.4 g * Carb: 1.9 g * Protein: 0.7 g * Sodium: 30 mg * Cholesterol: 6 mg