WISH Away the Pounds--Healthy Recipe Thread (new title)

[NeverlandClub23]

So glad I found this thread! I'm training for my first full marathon this November (with my fiance who roller blades along beside me as my coach ), but our dinners are disasters. We work so much, get home about 7 p.m. with our commutes. We go run/roller blade and it's 8:30 before we're even thinking about dinner. Thanks everyone for the inspirational recipes! Can't wait to try some of them!

This is one I'm taking to a family reunion cook-out this weekend (you could make it low-carb by omitting the orzo or substituting with something like Dreamfield's pasta, but I'm more of a calorie counter). It's Ina Garten's recipe, but I make it a little different:

Shrimp Orzo Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill (I use about half this much)
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I use about half this much)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

I almost always grill the shrimp (I just like the charred bits on the outside) and add roasted/grilled corn on the cob that I take a knife down and take the little kernels off.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Updated. Though, I had some issues, so all the capitalization is gone. I don't know what was up with that.

Pamela--those lettuce wraps look great!

Hi Kimberly! I am going to run my first full in January. Mike and I run late in the evenings in the summer a lot and dinner is challenging. Sometimes we have what I think of as a "continental" dinner. Hummus, grapes, cheese and or nuts, crackers or pretzels, and whatever other fresh fruit or veggies we have around. Veggie burgers on the George Foreman make a really quick and easy dinner. And we like pizza on thin crust pizza. Last night we had olive oil, beets, goat cheese, red onion and rosemary. I keep the thin crusts frozen. I take one out before we run. And when we get home I throw it together quick and pop it in the oven while we shower.

I have found you can put just about anything on a pizza crust, heat it up and it tastes great. But I always used thin before going g-f. Now I use the udi's thin crust--which are very thin and get nice and crispy!

 

[lisah0711]

bumpity bump bump

 

[pjlla]

(Duplicates of postings on the BL Fall Challenge.)

Two new crockpot breakfast recipes, just perfect for fall!



Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oats in the Crockpot

Serves 6-8

2C steel cut oats
1 15oz can of pumpkin(or about 1 3/4C)
1 400 mL or 14 oz can full fat coconut milk plus enough water to make 7C(about 5 1/4C water)
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp + 1 tsp*pumpkin pie spice
1/2C honey or maple syrup(or leave unsweetened and add after it’s been cooked)
Put all ingredients in your crockpot.* Mix well and set to cook for 5-6 hours on low.* Serve hot with milk or a dollop of greek yogurt, extra honey or maple syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon.



Okay.... as usual, here is the recipe as I found it. And here are the things I did different.....

First of all.... this is a HUGE batch of oatmeal, so I quartered it for my purposes. Second of all... I don't have coconut milk in the house (plus full fat?? not sure if I want that), so I used half unsweetened vanilla almond milk and half water (1 C of each). Third.... I didn't have legit "pumpkin pie spice" so I used cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a bit of ginger. And finally, I DID leave it unsweetened.

I put the oatmeal in the crockpot and then blended the pumpkin, milk, water, and spices and dumped them on top and gave it all a stir. Covered, set my timer to cook it for about 6 hours and off to bed I went!

In the morning the pumpkin had risen and settled on the top, so I had to give it a thorough stir before serving. DD had hers with brown sugar and said it was great. I didn't eat my portion until a bit later. There was just a little something about it I would change, but I can't quite figure out what it is. I've made pumpkin oatmeal before by just adding warmed canned pumpkin puree to a hot bowl of steel cut oats and giving it a stir. I think I liked that better. As with the apple pie recipe, it didn't call for salt and I think a bit would definitely improve this. I will add it next time.

Anyhow, if you are a fan of pumpkin and a fan of steel cut oats, I recommend trying this!


********************************************************

Apple Pie Oatmeal


Ingredients:
1 cup of steel cut oats*
3 diced apples (I use Gala)
1 cup apple juice (I use Oasis)
3 cups water
Directions:
For Best Results: Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook for 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low until it reaches the consistency that you like. Be sure to stir every hour or so.
* You can also cook longer without stirring as often, but you have to add more water liquid and it does come out a bit mushier. Add an extra cup of liquid for 7-8 hours in the slow cooker.
* It must be steel cut oats, regular oats get very soggy when cooked this way. You can find steel cut oats in your local grocery store (sometimes they are called “irish oats” or “pinhead oats”).
Delicious when topped with a drizzle of organic maple syrup, honey, or a sprinkle of brown sugar.
This recipe makes 6 – 1 cup servings.
Enjoy!
Nutritional Info per serving (1 cup) (before additional toppings):
115 Calories 1 Fat 26 Carbs 2 Fiber


First of all.... I only made a half batch. DD and I are the primary oatmeal eaters here. Second, I was not at all picky about the type of apple I used. In fact, my thought was to use up the slightly older apples sitting in my fruit basket (may have been one Paula Red and one Crisp??).

I wanted my oatmeal ready at about 7am and I did NOT want to get up during the night to turn it on or stir it. So I put my old "one temp" Crockette on a plug-in timer to start at about 2:30 am. I figured that I would cook the oatmeal in about the middle timeframe given in the original recipe (since I don't know if my Crockette temp is considered high or low). I also boosted the water by half a cup (since it was a half batch) to eliminate the need to stir.

I also added a healthy dash of cinnamon and a smaller dash of nutmeg and cloves. After all, isn't that what apple pie is about? I did NOT add salt, as I normally do to my crockpot oatmeal, because the recipe didn't call for it, and it definitely needed it.

Next time I will use even LESS apple juice.... just didn't particularly enjoy the taste of it in the oatmeal. The apples and spices were enough. And of course, I will add about 1/2 tsp. of salt. I also thought it could have used about 30-60 more minutes of cooking, so next time I will cook this same size batch for more like 4.5 to 5 hours. But I will make it again. The apples were a nice touch!

Here is your link!

http://goodrecipesonline.com/apple-p...kfast-healthy/

 

[pjlla]

Layered Ratatouille

1 medium summer squash – cubed

1 medium zucchini – cubed

1 ½ tsp. salt – divided

3 large cloves of garlic, mashed or minced – divided

1/3 C olive oil (I use less)

1 medium eggplant- cut into ½ inch cubes

½ tsp. dried oregano

3 medium onions – thinly sliced

2 medium green peppers – thinly sliced

½ tsp. dried marjoram

4 medium ripe tomatoes – peeled and thinly sliced

¼ tsp. dill seeds

Lightly oil 2 ½ qt. casserole and distribute summer squash and zucchini over the bottom. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the salt, garlic, and olive oil.

Make another layer with eggplant and then repeat sprinkling of 1/3 of the salt, garlic, and olive oil, this time adding oregano.

Make a third layer of onion and a fourth layer of green pepper. Sprinkle with remaining salt, garlic, and oil, this time adding marjoram.

Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Add final layer of tomatoes and sprinkle with dill, continue baking uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve hot, cold, or room temperature.

** My changes....

I use Pam spray to grease the bottom of the casserole and then just the tiniest sprinkling or spray of EVOO on each layer. I probably use just a few tablespoons of oil for the entire dish, rather than a 1/3 of a cup. If you aren't concerned about fat or are okay using this healthy fat, then feel free to make as originally stated! I also use just a bit of dill instead of dill seed on the top layer, as I rarely have dill seed in the house and don't want to buy it for just one recipe. Plus I am not overly fond of a strong dill taste. I also do NOT peel my tomatoes.... too much work! But I do lightly peel my eggplant to lose some of the texture and bitterness of the peeling and to remove any wax if the eggplant has been bought at a regular grocery store rather than the farmer's market or homegrown.

 

[Rose&Mike]

P--that sounds amazing! I am not the biggest eggplant fan. Do you think I could sub something? Or maybe I should just try it. I just don't like mushy eggplant.

Thanks!

 

[pjlla]

P--that sounds amazing! I am not the biggest eggplant fan. Do you think I could sub something? Or maybe I should just try it. I just don't like mushy eggplant.

Thanks!

How about just subbing in some more summer squash and/or zucchini? Or don't cut the eggplant so small does that it doesn't get so mushy? Just some thought. I really like eggplant, so I've never noticed it being mushy.

Hope you are fine! .....................P

 

[belledreamer]

Copied over from the Biggest Loser thread, here's a recipe DM and I found on the Food Network website that we made some adjustments for the not-so-healthy ingredients.


Trout Cakes w/lemon:

1 1/2 cups flaked smoked trout (We used leftover catfish and sacalay from our last fishing trip)
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped drained capers
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whipping cream (Used 1% milk instead and worked just fine.)
1 cup panko bread crumbs (pulsed in blender for couple seconds), divided (Didn't have Panko so just used regular bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed

Combine trout, onion, capers, lemon peel, pepper and salt in medium bowl. Stir in egg, cream (or milk) and 1/2 cup bread crumbs to blend. Form mixture into 8 (1/2-inch thick) cakes. Place remaining bread crumbs in shallow dish then roll cakes in bread crumbs, coating completely. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches cook fish cakes until golden brown about 3 minutes per side. Add more oil, as necessary, then serve with horseradish cream.

Horseradish Cream:

1 cup sour cream (We use lite)
2 tablespoons grated fresh or prepared horseradish
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 cup chopped chives
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium serving bowl, combine sour cream, horseradish, paprika, chives, garlic, salt and pepper until blended.

You can probably even cut the Horseradish cream recipe in half since it made more than enough and a little on the fish cake goes a long way. The sauce does mellow out the longer it sits though.

Enjoy!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Updated

 

[Rose&Mike]

bump

 

[pjlla]

LINDA'S LIGHTENED-UP APPLE CRISP

8 med. apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Generous 1/2 cup PurVia (baking sweetener that measures like sugar and is made from Stevia, available at Shaw's)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Dash of salt

Mix sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Mix in apples (with your hands) so that apples are well coated.
Place in 8" pie plate.

Topping:
1 cup quick oats
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp PurVia
1/2 tsp or less cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts if calories are not a concern.

Mix topping ingredients together and spread over apples.

Bake about 1/2 hour at 350 or until apples are tender.

When made without the nuts, 1/8 of pie equals 150 calories.

***************

I know it is tempting to eliminate the butter in the topping if you are watching calories, but this breaks down to less than 1 tsp. per serving and it makes a tremendous difference in the taste and texture of the topping. You could do this with part apples and part pears also. I could also foresee doing this with peaches in the summer!

ENJOY!!...............P

 

[pjlla]

(Recipe courtesy of the Dr. Oz website, with cookbook credits at the bottom.)

Cinnamon Toast Pancakes

Ingredients

Batter
2 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup milled flax seed
1/4 cup bulk sugar substitute
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt


Cinnamon Sprinkle
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp bulk sugar substitute
Butter (may use light, trans-fat free buttery spread)
Fresh blueberries or strawberries, for garnish


Directions
Grease a griddle or large skillet with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium-high heat.

Mix all the batter ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon until well blended.

Pour approximately 16 mini-cakes onto the hot griddle, and cook on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes until almost done, and then flip and cook for just another minute or so to finish. You may need to do this in 2 to 3 batches (as we use a very large electric griddle).

Combine the cinnamon and sugar substitute and sprinkle over the hot cakes before serving. If desired, top with a pat of melted butter or fat-free margarine and garnish with fresh berries.

Nutrition Facts
160 calories
11 g fat
7 g protein
4 g fiber
4 g net carbs



Recipe by George Stella, from the book George Stella’s Still Livin' Low Carb; A lifetime of Low Carb Recipes. For more information, go to http://stellastyle.com.

************
My "tweaks".....

I used 4 egg whites instead of 2 whole eggs to save some fat. I made it the first time using the almond flour, but the second time I used half almond flour and half coconut flour and thought it tasted better.

I grind my own flaxseed and found that a finer grind gave a more "real" pancake texture.

I found that they needed a bit more water than what is called for to be pourable. The first time I thought that they thickened up because I let the batter sit for a bit before cooking, but I made it and used it immediately today and it was still too thick to pour. I added about another 1/4 C of water to make them pourable.

I used liquid stevia to sweeten.

I added cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg to the batter....YUM.

For topping..... I gave DH a small dish of cinnamon butter made with real butter, liquid stevia, and cinnamon. He really enjoyed that.

For myself today I took a tablespoon of Polaner all-fruit spread (blueberry) and warmed it and thinned it with a bit of water and used that as my "syrup". It was DELIGHTFUL! I used the Polaner because it was the most reasonable sugar/carb count and calorie count without having artificial sweetener. Last time I topped them with a bit of Sunbutter spread.... that was tasty too. I was a bit surprised that the Dr. Oz website would condone something like "fat-free margarine". Try the real butter or the fruit spread or even a bit of real syrup for a healthy treat!

ENJOY!

 

[pjlla]

Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

by Leanne Vogel
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients (2 servings)
Bake
2/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup quinoa red or white would work
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
Topping
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
1.5 tbsp finely ground almond flour
1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil a 4 cup casserole dish. [I used a small dab of coconut oil]
In a small bowl combine all ingredients, minus the topping. Stir until fully mixed, then pour into prepared casserole dish.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all topping ingredients. After the 30 minutes are up, remove casserole from oven and sprinkle topping over top of the casserole.
Return to the oven and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden. [Mine was ready in 12 minutes]


Here is a link to the website where I found the recipe. She had some other interesting ones you might want to check out!

http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/reci...ipe_id=6005618

I made a slightly different crumb topping. I substituted quick cook oats for the 1/4 C of pecans. I also used just 1/2 Tb of maple syrup in the topping and only 1 tsp. of the coconut oil. That said, when I was eating it for dessert I felt it wasn't quite sweet enough so I topped my serving with another Tb. of the syrup. It would probably be sweet enough for breakfast though. I tried it both room temp and warm and WARM was definitely better.

ENJOY!..................P

 

[pjlla]

Quinoa with Black Beans


Serving size: 1 cup | Calories: 201 | Previous Points: 4 | Points Plus: 5 | Total Fat: 4 g | Saturated Fats: 0 g | Trans Fats: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 204 mg | Carbohydrates: 33 g | Dietary fiber: 7 g | Sugars: 3 g | Protein: 7 g


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup quinoa (uncooked), rinsed

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper Kosher and sea salt to taste

1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chilis

1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro

1 3/4 cup vegetable broth, low sodium

Directions:

In a large skillet add olive oil, turn to medium-low heat and saute diced onions until tender, about 4 minutes, add garlic and saute one additional minute. Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed above. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit 5 minutes covered before serving. Fluff quinoa with a large spoon and serve.

Link to website http://skinnyms.com/skinny-quinoa-with-black-beans/


** Here is what I did differently...

I used kidney beans instead of black beans, since that is what I had cooked most recently. NBD. I also added two large ribs of celery, diced, when I put in the onion. I was trying to stretch the recipe a bit more. It was an excellent choice and I will definitely make it that way again... and plan to perhaps add bell peppers next time too.

I've never bought a can of green chilies in my life and don't plan to start now, so of course, I didn't add that.... or the red pepper flakes. I don't do "spicy" as a rule.

I used a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with lime and cilantro, since I didn't have any fresh cilantro on hand. And I used homemade, sodium-free vegetable stock.

*************

I really liked it. The liquid wasn't totally absorbed after the 15 minute cooking time, so I just turned off the heat and let it "glide" to a finish. In about another 10 minutes it was perfect.

ENJOY!................P

 

[lisah0711]

Thanks for posting this recipe, Pamela! Looks great for a meatless Monday.

Canned diced green chiles are very mild. I like to add a little can to my cornbread to make it a bit more interesting. You might like them more than you think you would.

 

[pjlla]

Kale and Mushroom soup


1/2 pound of cleaned and chopped raw kale

1.5 - 2 lbs of assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (white button and baby bellas are fine)

2 - 48 oz. cartons of fat-free organic chicken stock

Dash of tumeric and garlic powder

Pam spray


Directions:

Sautee sliced mushrooms in PAM until nicely browned (do in small batches to allow them to brown and for the moisture to evaporate). Meanwhile, place the chicken stock and kale in a large stock/soup pot and bring to a boil.

Add the sauteed mushrooms to the stockpot. Turn down to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes to cook the kale through. Add a dash or two or tumeric and garlic powder. DONE!


**************************************
How easy was that!??

For DH, I added two chopped links of garlic chicken sausage to the bowl.

Can it be made with vegetable stock? Sure.... and I've made it both ways, but I've got to say, I like the taste MUCH BETTER with the chicken stock.

Can you add other veggies? Sure! Next time I am sauteeing some onions along with the mushrooms. Maybe some fresh garlic too.

Where is the salt and pepper? I don't like pepper, so I don't add it, but you certainly can! The stock I used this time was store-bought and as such it had plenty of salt already, but feel free to add it to adjust for your taste.

 

[pjlla]

Hoping this bump puts us back where we belong!................P

 

[pjlla]

Appears to have worked!!

Anyone have any great new recipes to share???..............P

 

[Rose&Mike]

Updated

 

[pix13dust]

Cake Mix + Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
PER SERVING (1 piece, 1/12th of cake): 180 calories, 3.25g fat, 306mg sodium, 34.5g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 20g sugars, 3.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 5*

Ingredients:
1 box moist-style cake mix (15.25 - 18.25 oz.)
1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt (like Fage Total 0%)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix with yogurt in a large bowl and add 1 cup water. Whisk thoroughly and transfer to a baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray; bake in the oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (Refer to cake-mix box for pan size and approximate bake time.)

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Best Flavor: Devil's food cake mix. Hands down.