One Dish Fish

I am always recommending that my clients eat more fish - you've all heard it!  It's a wonderful source of lean protein and a great source of heart healthy fats (omega 3 fats), depending on what kind you choose.  I used tilapia for this particular meal - which is not a fish that is high in healthy fats - but it was on sale!  If you are looking to increase omega 3's in your diet - which you should be - the best sources are mackerel, trout, herring, tuna and salmon.  Very generally speaking, the recommendation is 1-2 grams per day, which can be easily obtained through a good quality fish oil supplement, especially if you don't like fish!

I love this recipe because there are pretty much no dishes involved so it's easy clean up.  I make it a different way pretty much every time depending on what veggies and spices I am in the mood for.  This is what I did tonight but you can put your own spin on it!

2 medium sized yellow squash, thinly sliced

1/2 medium sized onion, thinly sliced

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

fresh parsley

1 fish filet per person

salt

pepper

onion powder

garlic salt

paprika

First thing, cover a cookie sheet with foil.  Slice up the squash and onion, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle breadcrumbs over them and garnish with parsley.  The thinner you can slice the veggies, the better.  That way they will be done cooking at the same time as the fish.  I usually use 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash for more color, but all I had tonight was squash.  I only put the parsley because I had it in the fridge and I like the color - presentation is important =) - but it's not really necessary.  The breadcrumbs aren't necessary either, but again, I had them on hand so I threw them in.

Place the fish filets directly on top of the vegetables and season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt & paprika...or whatever spices you have on had and feel like using!  This was a pretty good combo though...

Bake at 375 for 16-20 minutes.  If you buy frozen fish, just follow the directions on the package.  It will be done when the fish is no longer translucent and flakes with a fork.

 

 

Here comes the good part, remove the foil from the cookie sheet and the dishes are done!  If yall come up with another good variation, let me know!

ENJOY!

Not Your Mom's Meatloaf

Where have the last 10 days gone?!?!  OOPS!  No fear, I am back now!  My husband requested meatloaf for dinner the other night...I'm pretty sure he didn't have the same idea as I had when he asked for that, but this is what he got!  And I think it turned out well...

This actually IS my mom's meatloaf recipe that I spruced up a bit.  It was a total experiment - I might make some changes next time...keep reading for that.  By "spruced up" I mean that I added lots of veggies to my meatloaf, mostly in an effort to clean out my fridge and not have to throw things away, but also to make this more delicious and nutritious...obviously!  So any veggies you have would work I'm sure...but this is what I used.

On a side note, I made 2 meatloafs out of this  - it cooks faster that way and 1 meatloaf is enough to feed both of us plus lunch the next day - so I stuck the other in the freezer.

I apologize for my exceptionally terrible photography on this one.  Roll your sleeves up and prepare to get your hands dirty!

2 cups fresh spinach

1/2 white onion

1 cup baby carrots

1 can no salt added diced tomatoes

2 lbs extra lean ground beef (would probably be good with lean ground turkey too)

1 packet onion soup mix

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

Start by spraying a small saute pan with cooking spray and sauteing spinach.  I know it doesn't look like it, but this really was about 2 cups of spinach before I cooked it.

Transfer to a large mixing bow.  Next, chop up the onion and carrots.  I used my mini food processor so it took about .8 seconds.  Then add the tomatoes (drained).

Next add the ground beef and onion soup mix to the bowl.  This is the messy part...mix it all together, divide into 2 "loafs" and place in a loaf pan.  You could make one giant meatloaf I suppose, but it would probably take forever to cook so I wouldn't recommend it!

Now for the "glaze" - this sounds weird and I thought my mom was nuts when she told me how to make this but it really is good!  Mix the ketchup and brown sugar in a small bowl and pour over the loafs.

Bake at 350 for about 45 min - 1 hour.  Its done when the meat is no longer pink...obviously, just felt like I needed to clarify for some reason!

Next time I make this I might shred the carrots or leave them out all together, not sure I was in love with the crunch in my meatloaf, you can't really taste the veggies though.  Other than that it was a pretty successful experiment!

ENJOY!

Mexican Spaghetti

A.K.A. Fideo.  But, I try to tie as many things as possible to actual spaghetti since its my favorite food...just go with it!  This is one of my favorite things my grandma makes, which says A LOT because she is an amazing cook!  My Mom makes a pretty mean fideo too...she fixed it last week when I was at home so I took a stab at it this week and it was really easy and turned out great.  I didn't change the recipe much, or at all really...just make sure you use lean meat and low sodium ingredients and you will have a healthier version.

This will be especially good during this ridiculous winter wonderland we are currently having...I am soooo over it, but it is giving me a chance to make lots of yummy soups!

This can be made with ground beef, turkey or shredded chicken - or no meat at all, which tastes really good but I wouldn't suggest it because you need some protein in your life.  I used ground beef (makes it seem more like spaghetti).  You also need some veggies in your life so make sure to serve this up with a nice salad...just a suggestion!

Here is what you need:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 box fideo noodles (found in the pasta section)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 can crushed tomatoes, no salt added

1/2 white onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 1/2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth

1 handful fresh cut cilantro

1/2 teaspoon cumin

pepper

Brown ground beef in large skillet, drain and set aside.  In same skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Add fideo and saute until lightly brown.

Add onion and garlic.  Saute until onion starts to soften.

Add tomatoes, broth and cumin.  Season with pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil then add cilantro.

Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add ground beef and simmer for 5-10 more minutes, until fideo is soft.

On a side note...how do I always pick completely un-photogenic (is that a word?) recipes?!?!

ENJOY!

Chicken and Veggie Soup

I have had intentions of blogging for a few days now, but my computer has had other plans for me!  But now I am back in business with a recipe that is totally appropriate for this ridiculously COLD weather...I am NOT a fan!

This chicken and veggie soup is a low carb, low sodium, high nutrient twist on the classic recipe.  I also tried a new ingredient when making this, maybe you all have cooked with shallots before, but I never had.  It has the flavor of onion and garlic combined which is pretty convenient and saves some time.  I probably would have included both ingredients anyways - this is just a way to cut down on the chopping -which is always a plus!

This recipe also calls for whole wheat orzo pasta - which is just a really tiny rice shaped pasta.  You could substitute other small shaped pasta if you have something else on hand.

Here is what you need:

1 tbsp olive oil

12 oz chicken cut into bite sized pieces

1 medium yellow squash, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 plum tomatoes OR 1 can no salt added crushed tomatoes

2 cups low fat low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup orzo pasta

2 cups fresh baby spinach

Heat oil in large skillet/saucepan.  Add chicken and saute on medium-high until cooked.  Transfer to a plate.

Add squash, zucchini, shallot and Italian seasoning to pan.  Saute 3-4 minutes until veggies start to soften.  

Add tomatoes, broth and orzo.  Increase heat, bring to a boil continuing to stir occasionally. 

Reduce heat to a summer and cook 8-10 minutes, until pasta is soft.  Finally, add spinach and cooked chicken.  Stir while cooking until spinach is wilted and chicken is heated through.

You could always add more broth if you like it to be "soupier."  I used crushed tomatoes which makes it a little bit thicker; we aren't huge fans of fresh tomatoes so we probably would have eaten around them.  By using the crushed tomatoes we still get the nutrients, but not the texture we don't like!  Either way works though.

ENJOY!

Chicken Pot Pie

I LOOOOOVE Chicken Pot Pie, which is very unfortunate for the waist line!  A frozen chicken pot pie (the best kind) will cost you anywhere from 500-800 calories, 30-50 grams of fat and at least 800 milligrams of sodium.  When I figured out what all the info on the back of the box meant, I quickly took this out of my diet...but it has been missed.  Until now!  This version has about 250 calories and 5 grams of fat...much better alternative in my opinion!

The original recipe called for 5 oz of canned chicken - I'm personally not a huge fan of canned meats so I chose to cook about 1 pound of chicken breast instead.  I tripled the chicken just to add some extra lean protein to the dish.  Of course you could also use a rotisserie chicken if you are pressed for time!

Here is what you need:

1 can Healthy Request Cream of Chicken

1 lb chicken breast, cooked and chopped

2 cans no salt added mixed vegetables, drained and rinsed (frozen would work too)

1 cup low fat biscuit mix

1/2 c skim milk

1 egg

Mix first three ingredients in square casserole dish.

In a small mixing bowl, mix last 3 ingredients together and spread on top of chicken mixture - this will be your crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes - until crust is golden brown.

Easy as Pie!!

The 250 calories is based on 6 servings, but you may want to double it if you want leftovers.

ENJOY!

Light and Lazy Lasagna

13.1 miles, 2 hrs 27 minutes and some soggy shoes later the half marathon is done!!  This is my friend Bailey and I at the finish line...

                                  

I was eating a few more carbs than usual last week in preparation for the run, including this "light and lazy lasagna."  I got the recipe off the back of the lasagna noodle box, but changed it up a bit...of course!  Lasagna is actually pretty easy to make, especially if you use the "lazy noodles!"  A few small changes will save you LOTS of calories - keep in mind this is for ~12 servings. 

15 oz ricotta cheese = 740 calories, 55 grams fat, 48 grams protein

15 oz part skim ricotta cheese = 590 calories, 34 grams fat, 49 grams protein

4 cups mozzarella cheese = 1344 calories, 100 grams fat, 99 grams protein

2 cups part skim mozzarella cheese = 576 calories, 36 grams fat, 55 grams protein

16 oz 80% ground beef = 1100 calories, 72 grams fat, 110 grams protein

16 oz 95% extra lean ground beef = 740 calories, 27 grams fat, 117 grams protein

Those simple substitutions save you almost 1300 calories and 204 grams of fat...totally worth it!!

Another ingredient to watch out for is the spaghetti sauce - which can often times be pretty high in sugar and carbs.  Look for a marinara (rather than a flavored variety) with about 7 grams of carbs per serving - trust me, they do exist, you just might have to search a little harder!

So here is what you need:

1 lb extra lean ground beef

26 oz jar of marinara sauce 

8 oz can of tomato sauce

15 oz part skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 box OVEN READY lasagna noodles (this is the lazy part)

2 cups part skim mozzarella

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Brown meat in skillet, drain off any excess fat.  Add marinara and tomato sauce to skillet.

In a mixing bowl, mix ricotta, egg, basil & Italian seasoning.

Using a 9x12 casserole dish, pour a thin layer of the sauce mixture on the bottom - just enough to cover the bottom.  Spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture on 3 of the noodles and place on top of the sauce.  If you use the oven ready noodles they don't have to be cooked before hand, you just put them in the dish raw, so it is easy to spread the ricotta on them.

Top with ~3/4 cup sauce - enough to cover the noodles.  VERY IMPORTANT: make sure the noodles are completely covered with sauce or they will be really tough when its done - they need the liquid to cook.  Sprinkle ~ 1/2 c mozzarella on top.  Repeat. Noodles with ricotta, sauce, mozzarella.  Repeat again.  Top with final three noodles (no ricotta) and the rest of the sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer - until cheese is melted and dish is bubbly.  Let stand ~5 minutes before cutting into 12 servings.

I think this would be awesome with some sauteed mushrooms and spinach in the sauce but unfortunately that would provoke a "why is there fungus in the lasagna?" response so I don't do it.  If you have a more fungus friendly family you should try it - it would add some extra fiber and veggies!

ENJOY!

BBQ Baked Potatoes

So, last week was low carb week - this week is quite the opposite!  I am running in my first half marathon this weekend so dinners look a bit different.  I have some pastas in mind for later in the week but for tonight its potatoes...

This one goes in the slow cooker and you can do tons of different things with it.  We are putting the meat over potatoes because I have some in the pantry that I don't want to throw away, but it would also be good on some buns (which will probably be lunch for tomorrow come to think of it!) or just by itself.

Just a warning - this isn't the most photogenic of dishes!

Here is what you need:

2-3# roast (I bought a rump roast this time - it was the leanest looking one)

2 18 oz bottles of BBQ Sauce (see note below)

1 onion, quartered

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 slow cooker liners

Line your slow cooker with a bag and pour about 1/4 of the sauce from your first bottle on the bottom.  Place the roast, onions and garlic on top.  Pour in the rest of the sauce.

Cook on low for 8 hours.  You could serve as is and stop at this step if you like - the meat pretty much falls apart.  But, since some of the fat melts off the roast while cooking I add in another step to save on some fat calories.

Take the roast out of the slow cooker and shred with a fork, trimming the extra fat off the meat.

Once shredded, place into a new slow cooker liner.  Strain the onions out of the old sauce and add to the shredded meat along with the second bottle of BBQ sauce.  Leave in slow cooker until warm, then serve!

About the BBQ Sauce, when you are shopping look for the lowest carb one you can find.  Condiments can get people into trouble because they can be high in fat (salad dressings) or high in sugar (ketchup).  You want to look for a sauce that has less around 5ish grams of carbs.  I used one that had 6 and it tasted awesome!  Be careful with ones that are "flavored" - honey BBQ, chipotle, etc...because chances are they will be higher in sugar.



ENJOY!

5 Ingredients AND Low Carb!

Happy New Year!!  Hope you all enjoyed the Holidays as much as I did!   Between a fabulous vacation and some construction going on at the house, there hasn't been much cooking going on around here.  This is us on our FREEZING New Years vacation to Salt Lake with BJ and Kasey
and our quick visit with my BFF in Phoenix...

But...there has been no shortage of eating!  I think I lost all knowledge of nutrition as soon as I crossed over the Texas border...ok, maybe not ALL knowledge, but I definitely did my share of over-indulging.  So...needless to say, it's "low carb week" at the Boening household.  This is one of my favorite low carb casseroles to make.  It is super easy to make, but the biggest plus of all is the fact that it only takes 5 ingredients!

1 pound of cooked shredded/chopped chicken breast

10 oz frozen broccoli, thawed

1 can cream of mushroom soup (low fat/low sodium)

3 Tbsp mayo  (I prefer to use the olive oil based mayo - it is lower in fat and the fat is does have is heart healthy)

1/2 c -1 c shredded cheddar (reduced fat)

Boil chicken and shred.  Place in square casserole dish.

Add broccoli to dish...

Then add cream of mushroom & mayo...

Mix all the ingredients together and top with cheese - 1/2 cup - 1 cup depending on how cheesy you like it!

I topped it with about 10 Low Fat Saltine crackers because I had them in the pantry and they don't taste all that great on their own so I was looking for something to do with them - but it's not necessary.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.  Easy as that!

This makes enough for both of us for dinner and lunch the next day, so if you feeding more than 2-3 people, I would probably double it...FYI!

ENJOY!

Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

This is by no means the healthiest thing out there...not even a close second! But it does beat the 1500ish calories this dish will cost you at a restaurant. My husband loves this dish so I went on a mission to make it healthier...and easy of course! I don't have pics, so use your imagination!

First things first, get out your slow cooker and handy crock pot bags.

Things you will need:

About a pound of frozen chicken breasts

1-2 jars of light alfredo sauce

About 2-3 cups of fresh or frozen chopped veggies (whatever you have around will work, I usually use squash, zucchini, carrots and/or broccoli)

Whole wheat pasta

Place the chicken breasts from the freezer into the crock pot. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken, enough to totally cover them - usually between 1-2 jars. 

This is the kind i usually get - it only has 5 grams of fat per 1/4 cup versus 10 grams of fat in the regular sauce. 

Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours - it may be done faster, but I usually just leave it in all day while I am at work.  Before serving, you will need to steam your chopped veggies.  You can either boil them on the stove for a few minutes or do it in the microwave.  Stir the veggies into crock pot with the chicken, the chicken will basically just fall apart.

Serve over whole wheat pasta. DONE!

You can always add more sauce if you like it saucier or add more veggies if you like it healthier!

ENJOY!

Mmmm...Chili

Since it's "winter" - or 70 degrees in December if you live in Houston - what is more fitting than a hot bowl of chili???  I tried this recipe the other night and it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!  I also subjected some friends to my experimenting this time and they liked it too!  I found this recipe on one of my favorite recipe websites, but I changed it up a bit to make it healthier, and because I didn't have all the things it called for.

The original recipe called for 6 oz of hot turkey Italian sausage.  By leaving this out you save 280 calories, 18 grams of fat and 1080 milligrams of sodium (which is the main reason I left it out, well, that and I don't like it!).  So, instead of the sausage I substituted 1 cup of chopped carrots - 50 calories, no fat, barely any sodium and lots of beta carotene.  No one knew about the carrots until after the fact...so sneaky!

Here is what you will need - it looks like a lot of ingredients, but there a quite a few spices so stay with me!

2 cups of chopped onion

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

8 minced garlic cloves

1 chopped jalapeno pepper

1 cup chopped carrots

1 pound lean ground beef

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried basil (I didn't have oregano)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 c fruity red wine (which I only used because I had some, otherwise I would have used low sodium, low fat beef broth)

2 cans chopped tomatoes (28 oz) (low sodium, preferably)

2 cans kidney beans (15 oz) drained and rinsed

I am not a fan of chopping veggies, but I have a mini food processor that I threw all the veggies in and it was done in no time!  Once all the chopping is done, you will have 4 CUPS of veggies to put into your chili - not including the tomatoes...delicious AND nutritious!

Start by throwing all the chopped veggies and the ground beef into a large pot and saute until the meat is brown.

Next, add the rest of the ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally.  Uncover and cook for 30 more minutes.

Easy as that!  It's not super spicy, which I am TOTALLY ok with, but my husband likes it hot so he added some extra chili powder and Tabasco to his bowl for an extra kick!

On a side note, I made this a day before we were going to have it for dinner and it was even better heated up the next day.

ENJOY!