5 recipes - 400 Calories!

I was browsing the web and found some great ideas for 400 Calorie meals and wanted to share them with you. These all come from Prevention Magazine’s web site, as well as the 400 calorie diet cookbook (which I’ve reserved at the library so I could see how I like it). Enjoy!


Blueberry Nut Oatmeal
1. Cook 1/2 cup dry Quick 1-Minute Quaker Oats (150)
2. Top with 1 cup frozen organic blueberries (80), 2 Tbsp cashews (100), and 1 Tbsp honey (60)
Total calories: 390


Superfast Chef Salad
1. To make the salad, mix 2 cups salad greens (20) with 2 oz water-packed drained canned tuna (80) or salmon (60) and 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas (70). Top with 2 Tbsp reduced-fat shredded cheese (50) and 2 Tbsp fat-free ranch dressing (40)
2. Pair it with a small dinner roll (78)
3. After the meal, enjoy a Hunt's Fat-Free Snack Pack Chocolate Pudding (90)
Total calories: 408 – 428

Barbecue Chicken Pita
1. Stir together 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce (50) and 1/2 cup chopped precooked chicken (120); microwave for 30 seconds or until hot
2. Cut a whole wheat pita (170) in half and stuff each with chicken mixture
3. Top with 1 cup chopped lettuce (10), 2 Tbsp diced cucumber (5), and 1 Tbsp fat-free ranch dressing (10)
4. Pair with 10 baby carrots (40)
Total calories: 405

Confetti Pesto Pasta
1. Combine 1 pint cherry tomatoes (50), 1 1/2 cups cooked green beans (66), 1 1/2 cups diced chicken breast (346), 1/4 cup pesto sauce (230), and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
2. Add 4 cups cooked linguine (800)
3. Garnish with 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan (83)
Total calories: 395 per serving; serves 4

Sinless S'mores
1. Place 2 marshmallows (45) and 2 chocolate kisses (50) on a graham cracker square (30) and top with another graham cracker square (30); repeat to make the second one (155)
2. Heat in the microwave until soft and chocolate melts
3. Enjoy with 1 cup fat-free milk (100)
Total calories: 410

Healthy Recipe - Soup

So, let’s talk food and home cooking for awhile. Now that we know we need to eat more vegetables and whole grains to burn more of our body fat what can we find to eat that goes with that theory? Here’s my first in a series of recipes I will share with you off and on (really until I run out to share).

Now, this is a big one – it’s a family recipe. So, I’m going to copyright it right here and now – do not steal this without giving us credit! Ok, now that that’s out of the way – I call this one

The Heart Family Soup

Ingredients: Serves 6-8 people
2 cans of tomato juice/sauce
1 large box of low sodium beef Broth
2 ½ Cup of water
Cabbage – ½ chopped
1 Cup Barley pearls
Beef, chicken, or ground turkey– 1 lb
Onion – chopped
3-4 medium sized Russet Potatoes
Celery stocks – 3-4 chopped
1 Cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 tbspn of oil (Canola or EVVOO)
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a large stock pot pour tomato juice/sauce; broth; and water together and stir. Once it begins to boil, add in chopped cabbage. Boil down the cabbage while you prep the rest of the food.
2. Meanwhile, pour oil in a skilled and sauté onions and celery together and then add meat to brown with the vegetables.
3. While the meat is browning, chop up the potatoes and place in the stock pot. Turn soup down to a simmer. Add 1 cup barley pearls. Stir.
4. Once meat and vegetables are cooked, add into soup. Stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar.
5. Simmer (low-medium heat) soup on stovetop for 2-3 hours.
6. When 30 minutes is left in cooking, Add 1 cup frozen corn, stir well.

Serve with your favorite bread – my family loves cornbread and it goes well with this soup.

Meal Planning

Alright, so let’s talk about how to keep a healthy diet in the home without spending hundreds of extra dollars in order to do it. I’ve been a food budget for almost a year now, paying cash only, and when the cash runs out that’s what I have to live on until pay day. This in theory can sound very difficult, but it really isn’t! I’ve posted before about Pantry Meals and healthy family habits, and I just wanted to show you how my 2 weeks of healthy eating will begin. Here are my steps.

1. Write out a meal plan for dinner for 2 weeks
2. Search for coupons and what is needed in the pantry and freezer
3. Write out my grocery list by section of the store (I shop at WinCo – it’s the least expensive store, has bulk foods, and easy to navigate store)
4. Buy bulk meat at Costco – now you can choose to do Safeway, WinCo, or your local meat market, but I enjoy the Costco trip and their prices stay the same every month. Also, stick with lean meats, i.e. ground turkey, pork, and chicken. If you are going with beef, get as lean as possible, below 10%.
5. Stick to your meals – no eating out. Keep a list on a white board in the kitchen, check off the meals as you cook them. If you have an event or do a pizza night, plan it into your budget and grocery shopping, and then you won’t over buy food that won’t get eaten anytime soon.

Here’s my menu for the next 2 weeks:
1. Chicken/hard boiled egg salad with melon slices
2. Roasted chicken, red potatoes, steamed vegy
3. Taco Salad w/ turkey meat
4. grilled pork, peppers & onions with rice
5. Turkey burgers w/ fruit & fries
6. Mini Pizzas w/ fruit
7. Sushi & fried rice
8. Stuffed Chicken
9. The Heart Family Soup
10. Burritos
11. Baked Pork chops w/ roasted potatoes & vegetables
12. Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti
13. Chicken & Rice casserole w/ Salad
14. Chicken pot pie

As you can see I have a lot of chicken dishes, and also ground turkey and pork. These are staples in our home. I have one beef meal (the soup dish, with stew meat), and I think it’s good to add that in at times to give your food some variation as well as a different nutrients. Now, I did not add in my events and pizza night into this because I use extra meals before going shopping again (Plus, with pizza night I usually add a salad, so I need that added in). So, this way I can have a reserve meal in place if I can’t make it to the store before I need to. Some weeks I will just add those in, but my freezer’s a little bare, so I couldn’t go that direction this week. I hope this can help you in your lifestyle changes and encourage you to avoid the drive-threw and take out!

10 fall foods to add to your diet

I took this list from an article I read and agree with it whole heatedly. I myself do not eat all these items, due to expense and preference, but they are all great additions to your meals in many ways. Try steaming some kale instead of spinach with your meal, or bake a pumpkin and then use the "meat" in place of mashed potatoes. Or cut up the pumpkin and puree it into a soup. So many great ways to cook with all of these items. Look them up at AllRecipes.com and try one this week!

1. Apples
2. Figs
3. Dates
4. Carrots
5. Pomegranate
6. Artichoke
7. Onions
8. Pears
9. Kale
10. Pumpkin

Day 3 of The Biggest Loser Plan

Well today was super good. I felt full all day and was able to keep my food intake going in every 2-3 hours. In the morning I made this amazing omelet with chopped red bell peppers and onions, and felt like it was so much food I could barely finish it all. It was only 1 full egg and 1 egg white too, which makes it even more impressive that I didn’t want to scarf more down. I had fruit with it, as well as a whole grain English muffin with jam.

At snack time I was super excited to try out the Yoplait Greek yogurt with blueberries and granola (it was suppose to be flaxseed, but only had granola and wasn’t to excited about putting flaxseed in yogurt). I also had the cantaloupe I was suppose to eat with breakfast. Lunch was off the menu, but still a type of soup. I still had leftover bean stew, so I cooked that up and had some fruit and a hard boiled egg with it. I wasn’t able to eat much of it with all of my distractions. Julia woke up early, the phone kept ringing, and I was just generally distracted. So, I didn’t get my whole lunch in. I started dinner, which again was not on the menu, and made chicken salad. It was again another soup for dinner, and with it being almost 80 degrees outside I just wasn’t in the mood for that. I think this book may have been made for winter time meals. I had one serving of salad and wasn’t hungry anymore.

Later in the evening I went to the gym and managed to get in almost all of my exercise. Part of my circuit training was interrupted with a toe cramp (noticed I may not be getting enough potassium) and then we later sat in the hot-tub to soak our aching bodies. After the gym I had some sugar free ice cream that was so not on the menu, but realizing I hadn’t eaten enough for the day it felt like I need to eat and fruit was just not going to happen.

6 weeks to a healthier you - The Biggest Loser Book

I’ve been reading The Biggest Loser 6 weeks to a healthier you book and am about finished, as well as shopped for the first 2 weeks of food from the meal plans. I am nervous about the challenge this will be and impressed with the details that are given in the book.

Each week is broken down into a specific area of health concern that is related to obesity; cancer, heart disease, blood pressure, and mental health are some of the areas of concern. I was interested in reading the meal plan for the week focusing on high blood pressure, since this is something I struggle with. Most of this chapter was information I have known and written about before and nothing really new to me. The exercise for this week was a high difficulty then the week prior, using a resistance band in each exercise, and this made me eager for week 4!

Each day of food is completely laid out for you, consisting of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and then dinner. There are no days were you exceed 1,600 calories at all, and more days are just over 1,400 to 1,500 calories. This will be a struggle for me at first, just to see the diminished amounts, but with much more whole grain along with more fruits and vegetables I feel confident that this will not be a huge factor for me.

Overall I am excited to begin something more structured in this journey. I don’t feel like this is a gimmick that I am taking on, but a tool in the many I already possess. I have made some substitutions in the meal plans when necessary. These substitutions come from not wanting to purchase expensive ingredients, not found of a particular food, or unable to find particular ingredients. I also made adjustments for days that I want to feed more then just Jon, Julia and I, and enjoy the company of my friends. This will most likely increase the calorie intakes of the day, but with extra work at the gym I shouldn’t see much from that. Another book I want to try in The Biggest Loser series is the Family Cookbook. This book is focused on bargain AND healthy meals for the family. Once I am done with these 6 weeks of meals I am going out to get it and make my own meal plans!

Here is a sample of week 1 meals -

Monday 1,470 Calories

Breakfast:
Southern Start (recipe with oatmeal & peaches)
½ grapefruit sub. w/ orange
2 oz Canadian bacon sub w/ turkey bacon
1 cup fat-free milk
Tea or coffee

Snack:
½ turkey sandwich: 1 oz lean turkey, 2 tomato slices, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard on 1 slice of whole grain bread.

Lunch:
1 serving Broke Bean Strew (recipe w/ beans, spinach, tomatoes, and spicy spices)
2 cups mixed green salad with 1 tbsp low-fat Caesar dressing sub. w/ ranch dressing
1 large apple or ¾ cup cherries
Iced Tea

Snack:
1 serving Sunrise Shake (recipe w/ Biggest Loser protein powder)

Dinner:
6 oz lean flank steak, grilled
1 cup steamed broccoli with 1 tsp minced garlic and 1 tbsp toasted almond slivers
Sliced tomato salad with ¼ cup sliced green bell pepper and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Green tea or coffee
Ice water

Margaritas & Enchiladas! Need I say more?

Happy Margaritas Day! Oh yeah, I said it, it is it National Margarita Day, and I celebrated. Alcohol usually isn’t a good idea when trying to loose weight, but sometimes you just have to let loose. I had some chicken thawing this morning and decided that to embrace the margaritas and make enchiladas. Let me tell you, I had a great evening with cooking, eating, and drinking my way through my love of food and drink. I am sure that all was low fat at least, once calculated I will see if it was low calorie too.

As for the rest of my day it actually turned out really nice. Julia didn’t have her normal bad Monday behavior because Daddy went back to work, and all went well with her day. We managed a nice mile walk with the dog in tow. He is really learning to walk on the leash next to the stroller. It’s late though and I have way more to say, but need to get to bed. I will post about the food tomorrow hopefully, and hope everyone enjoyed their Monday as much as I.

Time to call the Doc!

Unfortunately I am still dealing with a major pain in the ear, and a minor cough. I do not feel 100% at all, and plan to call the doctor in the morning. I have been walking every day this week though, and feel good about how my diet has been going.

Since I haven’t been as active as I had been I attempted to lower my calorie intake some to insure that I would be burning close to the same percentage of calories. Most days have been less than 1,800 calories or just at, so I’m hoping the scale shows my minor efforts.

Tonight I made some beef kabobs from a fajitas recipe by Sandra Lee on food network. I marinated all the ingredients for several hours, and then Jon grilled them up on the BBQ. We added some white rice to it all, and had a nice dinner.

A stroll through Monday

Walking is probably one of my favorite exercises right now. I am enjoying being outside and getting fresh air again, and just doing something other then being stationary. Today we took an hour long walk around Sandy. We walked from our house all the way to Walgreen’s at Bluff rd and then back through the neighborhood. I’m not sure the distance we went, but if you know the town you will know how far. It seemed to really ware us both out, and Julia was hungry and cranky afterwards. Although during the walk she was happy as a clam. How do we know how happy a clam is by the way?

For dinner tonight I took some of the leftover roast from last night and made it into chili. The chili is another Sandra Lee recipe, in which she calls it a round two recipe. I am really enjoying using these recipes, and it really is a huge budget saver. I used all low sodium products, and again made corn bread to go with the meal. I felt like I gorged myself, but in reality the meal was less than 700 calories, with the extra corn bread muffin I had to indulge myself.

So even with my large dinner I still managed to stay just at my calorie range, and I also burned a large amount of calories today. Even though I hate Mondays with a passion, it turned out to be not so shabby.

Total Calories: 1,903 Total Burned: 493

We attempted another new recipe today for dinner, and it was wonderfully delicious. We pulled out the crock pot and made pot roast and roasted vegetables. The recipe comes from Sandra Lee on the food network, and was full of flavor and leftovers. We even invited people over to eat some of it and sent some home with them. Everything we used was low sodium as well, so it didn’t have a lot of salt to it. Unfortunately she does not give nutritional facts with her recipes, so I had to go hunting down a similar recipe for that.

Here’s a link to the recipe. Pot Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables
It’s way to long for me to post here, plus we used a few different vegetables. And here’s a picture of our meal, along with corn bread.

Cravings have been down today, but I did make it to the store to find some healthy chocolate ice cream for when they do hit. Overall, I’ve had a nice day even if it was stormy and cold. That’s why you pull out the crock pot, right?


Total Calories today: 1,836 Total Burned: 0 – no workout today

I’m continuing to have a difficult time with cravings during my PMS time, and am proud to announce that I am not giving in. But, on the flip side if it was available I probably would. So, kudos to me for not having anything in the house to binge on, such as chocolate cake or doughnuts. I also turned down the option of buying garlic bread to go with tonight’s spaghetti dinner. Another pat on the back for me.

In order to curb some of my cravings I went on a very long walk with Julia this afternoon, and it really helped to pass the time and to avoid my bored emotional eating issues. I walked to the park and let Julia play, and then we walked the steep incline of Mening Park and then around town some before heading home.

Total Calories today: 1,820 Total Burned: 134

For dinner tonight we tried out a Rachael Ray recipe from her daytime talk show. It was called Bacon, Leek and Tomato Spaghetti. Jon was working on it while I ran out to run an errand, so he had Julia under foot. He missed a few steps and altered it some, so we will try the recipe again when we’re more focused. We also replaced bacon with turkey bacon, which was a nice taste. I attempted to get a nutritional value for this with the ingredients I used, but RR did not post any with her recipe. Here is the recipe…

3 leeks
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 slices center-cut bacon, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or chopped
Salt and pepper
1 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes in purée
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
A handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced or chopped

Trim tough tops and root ends of the leeks. Halve them lengthwise and thinly slice. Fill sink or large bowl with water and wash leeks, separating layers and swishing them around in water. Dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen towel and reserve.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add bacon and crisp. Add reserved leeks and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes to soften. Season liberally with black pepper.

Add tomatoes and purée to pan and mash up tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer and let thicken over low heat while you cook pasta. Stir in parsley.

Salt pasta water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and toss with sauce for a minute or so. Serve in shallow bowls with cheese and basil on top.

Chicken Sandwiches!

I found myself with the need to eat and exercise today. I had several moments of emotional eating desires, but I pushed them back and called to talk to people instead. I managed to get my workout in this evening, and felt all the better for it. Tonight we made a fabulous dinner of chicken sandwiches with garlic; parmesan baked red potatoes with a side salad. I waited all day for my chicken sandwich. Back story, when Julia was in the hospital her first two and half months I spent the majority of my time there. So, I ate a lot at the hospital cafeteria. The grill was the cheapest and usually healthiest place to go, so I frequently had their chicken sandwiches. Once I discovered them I was in love with chicken sandwiches, except for back then I loved putting two packets of mayonnaise and usually had bacon on top of it all. Plus fries! So, this time we were able to recreate my favorite food with a much healthier version and some healthy fries. I used Dijonnaise to give it some kick, which is mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a low-calorie and low-fat way. It’s a great condiment.

I’m also happy to report that Jon has also begun to loss weight, and made a goal of losing 20 pounds in 6 months. For all who know him, can you IMAGINE him that much thinner?

Total Calories today: 2,119 Total Calories Burned: 220.2

Stuffed Peppers!

I found a great website today, and found a calorie counter along with it. The web site is called Sparkpeople.com, and it’s a free site that has all kinds of resources from nutrition to fitness, as well as a community site.

Today has been a slow day, and I have been pretty good about my eating. Here’s the run down for the day. I think I went over board on the carbs today, but it wasn’t overly excessive.

Breakfast: Fried egg on bread, with slice of cheese.
Snack: English muffin with peanut butter, and yogurt.
Lunch: Leftover spaghetti
Snack: Cinnamon raisin bagel with low-fat cream cheese
Dinner: Stuffed Pepper and open faced burrito – this was a weight watcher’s recipe from their cookbook. I love using new recipes, so I took some pictures of dinner tonight to show it off. Julia even got in on the yummyness.

The other White meat

Not much to report today. Diet has gone well, except I haven’t had the feeling of fullness very well today. So, I’ve been eating the recommended small meals in order to keep the cravings down.

Breakfast: Blueberry Bagel with light cream cheese.
Mid morning meal: breakfast burrito w/ tbl spoon of cheese, onions, ¼ cup of hash browns, 2 strips of turkey bacon, and hot sauce on a tortilla. The Turkey bacon wasn't so bad. I was a little skeptical.
Lunch: Special K cereal and half a banana
Mid-afternoon meal: 1 slice of toast with I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter spray
Dinner: Curry Pork Salad with Thousand Island dressing (here’s a picture of tonight’s dinner.)


Evening snack: 2 cups (shared with Julia of course) low fat ice cream

I’m about to do my workout after this post, and I’m sure it will be a killer. My muscles aren’t screaming like they usually do the day after a workout, so I must be adapting well. My stress level is low today and in turn I feel more motivated to workout. Happy Saturday!