This week we are trying Quinoa!
Quinoa with pork tenderloin and roasted veggies (zuccini, yellow squash and green beans)
Black bean burgers
pork tenderloin with black-eyed pea salad (repeat)
chicken fajitas with corn tortillas
turkey meatballs with whole wheat pasta and marinara
This last meal we are having tonight. It's amazingly easy.
.75 lbs (half package) extra lean ground turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp salt
1 jar quality marinara
1 1/2 cups dry whole wheat short pasta (penne, rigatoni, macaroni, etc)
cook pasta according to package directions.
mix the first 7 ingredients together in a large bowl. Portion out into 2 tbsp size meatballs (I use a small scoop).
brown the meatballs in a saute pan with a lid. add the sauce. cover and simmer meatballs in sauce about 10 mins.
Serve meatballs and sauce over pasta.
600 calories, 30% fat (20 g), 26% protein (40 g), 44% carbs (66 g, 8 fiber).
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
This week's dinners and Black-eyed Peas
This week we are having:
Miso Yakitori (repeat)
Israeli Cous Cous with Yellow Squash and Tofu
Whole Wheat Pasta with Black Beans and Avocado
Pork Tenderloin with Black-eyed Pea Salad (repeat)
Whole Wheat Pasta with Tuna (repeat)
Two nights we are going to eat vegetarian! Very healthy...
Pork Tenderloin with Black-eyed Pea Salad, adapted from Every Day Food Magazine's June 2010 issue:
.5~.6 lbs trimmed pork tenderloin
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, minced
3 scallions, chopped
1 lime
Preheat the oven to 450 deg F. Season pork with salt and pepper, roast 20 mins.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the beans, avocado, parsely, scallions and juice and zest of the lime.
Check the temperature of the meat after 20 mins. If temp is close to 150~155, remove meat and let set 5 mins before slicing into medallions. Serve with salad on the side.
571.4 calories, 41% fat (26 g), 33% protein (48.1 g), 26% carbs (38.1 g, 16.6 fiber).
Miso Yakitori (repeat)
Israeli Cous Cous with Yellow Squash and Tofu
Whole Wheat Pasta with Black Beans and Avocado
Pork Tenderloin with Black-eyed Pea Salad (repeat)
Whole Wheat Pasta with Tuna (repeat)
Two nights we are going to eat vegetarian! Very healthy...
Pork Tenderloin with Black-eyed Pea Salad, adapted from Every Day Food Magazine's June 2010 issue:
.5~.6 lbs trimmed pork tenderloin
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, minced
3 scallions, chopped
1 lime
Preheat the oven to 450 deg F. Season pork with salt and pepper, roast 20 mins.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the beans, avocado, parsely, scallions and juice and zest of the lime.
Check the temperature of the meat after 20 mins. If temp is close to 150~155, remove meat and let set 5 mins before slicing into medallions. Serve with salad on the side.
571.4 calories, 41% fat (26 g), 33% protein (48.1 g), 26% carbs (38.1 g, 16.6 fiber).
Monday, June 7, 2010
Dinner Plans
I adore planning out meals for the week, shopping and then cooking each night. I love the challenge of finding something that's healthy but interesting and delicious. And now, lucky readers, I'm going to start sharing my plans each week, along with relevant recipes:
Sunday - Yakitori (chicken skewers) with green onions and miso sauce, served with brown rice
Monday - Light Italian Wedding soup (turkey meatballs, escarole, tomatoes and white beans)
Tuesday - Salmon with miso glaze and roasted baby red potatoes
Wednesday - Kale with white beans and sweet Italian chicken sausage
Thursday - Light Sesame Chicken with broccoli and brown rice
For the recipe, I'm going to share this simple miso glaze that we used on the chicken skewers. It was absolutely delicious and covered about 4 skewers (1/2 lbs chicken thighs)
3 tbsp red miso
3 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar or honey
Whisk together the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. On a hot, preheated grill, use to baste skewers of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and fat green onions cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths.
As a side note, be sure to wait until the chicken is seared before trying to turn them. They should release from the grill more easily once the outside is seared. You don't need to use any additional oil with this.
The meal with chicken thighs and a cup of brown rice is 627 calories, 18% fat (12.4 g), 34% protein (52.8 g), 48% carbs (74.5 g, 5.7 fiber).
This is a calorie-dense meal, but it has a great balance of fat, carbs and protein. Plus, it's soooo good!
Sunday - Yakitori (chicken skewers) with green onions and miso sauce, served with brown rice
Monday - Light Italian Wedding soup (turkey meatballs, escarole, tomatoes and white beans)
Tuesday - Salmon with miso glaze and roasted baby red potatoes
Wednesday - Kale with white beans and sweet Italian chicken sausage
Thursday - Light Sesame Chicken with broccoli and brown rice
For the recipe, I'm going to share this simple miso glaze that we used on the chicken skewers. It was absolutely delicious and covered about 4 skewers (1/2 lbs chicken thighs)
3 tbsp red miso
3 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar or honey
Whisk together the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. On a hot, preheated grill, use to baste skewers of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and fat green onions cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths.
As a side note, be sure to wait until the chicken is seared before trying to turn them. They should release from the grill more easily once the outside is seared. You don't need to use any additional oil with this.
The meal with chicken thighs and a cup of brown rice is 627 calories, 18% fat (12.4 g), 34% protein (52.8 g), 48% carbs (74.5 g, 5.7 fiber).
This is a calorie-dense meal, but it has a great balance of fat, carbs and protein. Plus, it's soooo good!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Good Substitues
Egg whites for whole eggs
I used to think that the difference between whole eggs and egg whites only was minimal. But it's really not! Consider this:
2 large egg whites have 32 calories, 2.8% fat (0.1 g), 91.25% protein (7.3 g), 6.25% carbs (0.5 g with 0 fiber)
1 large whole egg has 83 calories, 66% fat (6.1 g), 31% protein (6.4 g), 3% carbs (0.625 g with 0 fiber)
The egg whites probably have a larger volume than the single egg, and yet the ratio of fat is much higher in the whole egg. If you're trying to lose weight and/or building muscle I highly recommend trying to substitute egg whites whenever practical. It really does make a huge difference in your nutrition! This is also why desserts like meringues, if you can get away without too much sugar, or with using splenda, are relatively guiltless.
Mustard for mayo
I'm not a huge fan of mustard. But, when you can't go with a dry sandwich, a bit of dijon gets you what you need without the added fat:
1 tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard has 15 calories, 100% carbs (3.75g, 0 g fiber)
1 tablespoon of regular Mayonnaise has 99 calories, 97% fat (10.67 g), 1% protein (0.25 g), and 2% carbs (0.5 g with 0 fiber)
even light mayonnaise isn't as low in calories as mustard:
1 tablespoon of low-fat Mayonnaise has 35 calories, 90% fat (3.5 g), 10% protein (0.875 g, 0 g fiber)
Red wine vinegar and salt for salad dressing
If you've got a salad that has enough tasty bits in it then you don't need a lot of dressing. Just a little vinegar and a sprinkle of salt is enough to bring the flavors together. If you can get used to using a little vinegar on your salad, then you can save yourself a lot of fat!
1 tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar has 0 calories (So few that it rounds to zero).
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar has 20 calories, all from carbs (5 g, no fiber)
1 tablespoon of thousand island dressing has 58 calories, 85% fat (5.5 g), 0% protein, 15% carbs (2.175 g, 0.1 g fiber)
1 tablespoon of blue cheese dressing has 76 calories, 92% fat (7.8 g), 3.6% protein (0.7 g), 4.4% carbs (0.84 g, no fiber)
Soy milk for half and half
I used to think that the difference between whole eggs and egg whites only was minimal. But it's really not! Consider this:
2 large egg whites have 32 calories, 2.8% fat (0.1 g), 91.25% protein (7.3 g), 6.25% carbs (0.5 g with 0 fiber)
1 large whole egg has 83 calories, 66% fat (6.1 g), 31% protein (6.4 g), 3% carbs (0.625 g with 0 fiber)
The egg whites probably have a larger volume than the single egg, and yet the ratio of fat is much higher in the whole egg. If you're trying to lose weight and/or building muscle I highly recommend trying to substitute egg whites whenever practical. It really does make a huge difference in your nutrition! This is also why desserts like meringues, if you can get away without too much sugar, or with using splenda, are relatively guiltless.
Mustard for mayo
I'm not a huge fan of mustard. But, when you can't go with a dry sandwich, a bit of dijon gets you what you need without the added fat:
1 tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard has 15 calories, 100% carbs (3.75g, 0 g fiber)
1 tablespoon of regular Mayonnaise has 99 calories, 97% fat (10.67 g), 1% protein (0.25 g), and 2% carbs (0.5 g with 0 fiber)
even light mayonnaise isn't as low in calories as mustard:
1 tablespoon of low-fat Mayonnaise has 35 calories, 90% fat (3.5 g), 10% protein (0.875 g, 0 g fiber)
Red wine vinegar and salt for salad dressing
If you've got a salad that has enough tasty bits in it then you don't need a lot of dressing. Just a little vinegar and a sprinkle of salt is enough to bring the flavors together. If you can get used to using a little vinegar on your salad, then you can save yourself a lot of fat!
1 tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar has 0 calories (So few that it rounds to zero).
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar has 20 calories, all from carbs (5 g, no fiber)
1 tablespoon of thousand island dressing has 58 calories, 85% fat (5.5 g), 0% protein, 15% carbs (2.175 g, 0.1 g fiber)
1 tablespoon of blue cheese dressing has 76 calories, 92% fat (7.8 g), 3.6% protein (0.7 g), 4.4% carbs (0.84 g, no fiber)
Soy milk for half and half
I'll admit that soy milk is an acquired taste and people with certain hormone disorders can't drink it. After comparing the stats for soy milk to half and half I began ordering soy in my coffee in the morning. Here's why:
2 fl oz of soy milk has 32 calories, 33% fat (1.2 g), 33% protein (2.7 g), 34% carbs (3.0 g, 0.8 g fiber)
2 fl oz of half-and-half has 79 calories, 78% fat (6.9 g), 9% protein (1.8 g), 13% carbs (2.6 g, no fiber)
Nonfat plain Greek yogurt for sour cream
2 fl oz of half-and-half has 79 calories, 78% fat (6.9 g), 9% protein (1.8 g), 13% carbs (2.6 g, no fiber)
Nonfat plain Greek yogurt for sour cream
Sour cream is lovely, but is it really worth the calories? I find that when cooking, nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt is a fine substitute, especially given the caloric savings:
8 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt has 132 calories, no fat, 73% protein (24 g), 27% carbs (9 g, no fiber)
8 oz sour cream has 246 calories, 88% fat (24 g), 6% protein (3.7 g), 8% carbs (5 g, no fiber)
Evaporated canned nonfat milk for cream
This substitution that works well when cooking cream sauces. Evaporated milk should be less finicky about curdling than cream, which is an added bonus (but it will curdle if you add it to a too-hot pan).
1 cup ev. nonfat milk has 200 calories, 2% fat (0.5 g), 39% protein (19.3 g), 59% carbs (29.1 g, no fiber)
1 cup cream has 414 calories, 95% fat (44.4 g), 2% protein (2.5 g), 3% carbs (3.3 g, no fiber)
8 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt has 132 calories, no fat, 73% protein (24 g), 27% carbs (9 g, no fiber)
8 oz sour cream has 246 calories, 88% fat (24 g), 6% protein (3.7 g), 8% carbs (5 g, no fiber)
Evaporated canned nonfat milk for cream
This substitution that works well when cooking cream sauces. Evaporated milk should be less finicky about curdling than cream, which is an added bonus (but it will curdle if you add it to a too-hot pan).
1 cup ev. nonfat milk has 200 calories, 2% fat (0.5 g), 39% protein (19.3 g), 59% carbs (29.1 g, no fiber)
1 cup cream has 414 calories, 95% fat (44.4 g), 2% protein (2.5 g), 3% carbs (3.3 g, no fiber)
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