Eggplant Parmesan (LOW FAT)

Ingredients:

1 eggplant pared and sliced 1/2″ thick
1 egg white, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup seasoned italian bread crumbs
1 cup reduced fat spaghetti sauce
3/4 cup shredded fat free mozzerella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions:

Coat eggplant with egg white, then dust with bread crumbs. Arrange on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Flip and bake 10 more minutes until browned. Spread sauce in bottom of a square baking dish. Arrange half eggplant over sauce. Add half cheese. Repeat layering pattern. Bake 350 degrees F for 30 -40 more minutes. Eggplant should be tender when done. Sprinkle with a small amount of grated parmesean cheese at serving time.

Lunchtime Wraps (LOW CARB)

Ingredients:

1 Low carb, whole wheat tortilla
3 tablespoons Apple Butter
2 slices turkey breast deli meat
***or leftover turkey or chicken breast from dinner chopped up
1/3 apple cored and thinly sliced
1 thin sliced provolone cheese
1/2 cup lettuce shredded
1 thin slice of onion

Instructions:

Spread apple butter on the tortilla. Layer the rest of the ingredients on top of this and to one side. Roll and slice diagonally. Better than what you might find at the local sub shop.

Mashed Almost Potatoes (LOW CARB)

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen cauliflower
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
2 teaspoon garlic
salt and pepper

Instructions:

Cook cauliflower as usual until just tender and drain. Run through food processor, blender, or mash by hand with a masher. Mash in the other remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to your liking and serve as you would mashed potatoes.

Want a different flavor? Replace 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese with a different cheese like feta, or mozzerella … or 1/4 cup of your favorite low carb salad dressing, such as blue cheese!

Blueberry Bran Muffins (LOW GI)

Ingredients:

2 cups oat bran
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup nonfat or low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
2 tablespoons canola or walnut oil
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries

Instructions:

In a large bowl mix together oat bran, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In another bowl combine yogurt, orange juice, egg substitute and oil. Add yogurt mixture to the oat mixture and stir until they are well blended. Next, add in the berries. Spritz muffin tin with nonstick spray. Fill cups approximately 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until toothpick/fork stuck in the center comes out clean.

Leftovers keep nicely in the fridge or freezer! You can easily substitute raspberries for blueberries for a different muffin.

Frozen Chocolate Malt Cake

What You Need:

1 qt. sugar free vanilla ice cream, softened
1/4 C malted milk powder
1 qt. sugar free chocolate ice cream
1/3 C fat free fudge topping
1 C malted milk balls, chopped

How to Make It:

Mix together the vanilla ice cream and malted milk powder until well blended.
Evenly spread the chocolate ice cream over the bottom of a spring form pan.
Drop the fudge topping by spoonfuls over the top of the chocolate ice cream.
Evenly sprinkle half of the malted milk balls over the top.
Carefully spread the vanilla ice cream mixture over the malted milk balls.
Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or until firm.
Remove the sides of the pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining malted milk balls.

Makes 16 servings

With this recipe you can have your cake and eat it too. Don’t deprive yourself of the finer things in life just because you want to eat healthy. This dessert is low fat and sugar free and it’s a great way to incorporate some of the good stuff into a nutritious diet.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Freezing Time: approximately 4 hours
Total Time: approximately 4 hours 10 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 204; Fat 4g; Saturated Fat 3g; Carbohydrates 35g; Protein 6g; Fiber 1g;
Cholesterol 26mg; Sodium 109mg

Lime Seasoned Chicken Wraps

What You Need:

2/3 C of lime juice
1 tbsp salt free seasoning blend
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, julienne
1 sweet red bell pepper, julienne
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
6 (8 in.) flour tortillas

How to Make It:

Whisk together the lime juice, seasoning blend, cumin, pepper, chili and garlic powders.
Set 2 tbsp of the marinade aside and pour the remaining marinade into a plastic bag.
Add the chicken strips, seal and turn to coat them well.
Chill the marinade for at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
Place a skillet sprayed with a non stick cooking spray over medium heat.
Add the peppers and onions to the skillet and sauté for 45 minutes or until crisp tender.
Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
Place the chicken into the skillet and discard the marinade.
Add the reserved 2 tbsp of the marinade to the skillet.
Cook the chicken in the marinade for 5 minutes, stirring intermittently until the chicken is cooked through.
Return the cooked vegetables to the skillet.
Cook for 3 minutes or until hot, stirring often.
Spoon the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla.
Fold the tortilla around the filling.

Makes 6 wraps

This healthy wrap is enhanced by the lime juice marinade. Low on fat but high on taste this sandwich will ensure a healthy lunch for the entire family. Use any type of bell peppers you like including yellow, orange or even purple. The colorful vegetables help when it comes to getting our children and even some adults to eat healthy foods.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Marinating Time: approximately 30 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 13 minutes
Total Time: approximately 53 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate value per wrap)
Calories 199; Fat 2g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 23g; Protein 22g; Fiber 3g
Cholesterol 44 mg; Sodium 96 mg

Juice Simmered Pears

pears

What You Need:

6 C of water
1 C of sugar
6 firm pears, peeled, cored and cut in half
1 lemon rind strip
3 tbsp pear juice

How to Make It:

Place a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the water and sugar to the pan and simmer, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.
Place the pears into the water and return to a simmer.
Cook the pears for 25 minutes at a simmer or until the pears are tender.
Place the pears into a serving bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.
Over high heat bring the pear cooking liquid to a boil.
Cook the juice for 20 minutes or until the juice is reduced to 1 C and resembles syrup.
Strain the juice through a sieve, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Pour the chilled juice over the pears just before serving.

Makes 6 servings

This is a simple but elegant way to serve a fruit side dish. Everyone will love it and it gives you at least 1 serving of fruit in your daily diet. If you are serving to adults you may use pear flavored liqueur or brandy instead of the pear juice. Try making this recipe using other fruits such as apples, peaches or even plums.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 45 minutes
Cooling Time: approximately 30 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 30 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 237; Fat 0g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 68g; Protein 0g; Fiber 2g;
Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg

Roasted Lemon Laced Brussels Sprouts

brusselsprouts

What You Need:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 (10 oz.) pkgs. Brussels sprouts, halved
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

How to Make It:

Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil generously with cooking spray.
Set the oven temperature to 500 degrees and let the oven preheat.
Whisk the oil, garlic, salt and pepper together in a mixing bowl.
Add the Brussels sprouts and toss gently to coat.
Evenly spread the coated Brussels sprouts onto the prepared baking sheet.
Roast the Brussels sprouts for 15 minutes or until crisp tender, turning them occasionally.
Place the roasted vegetables into a serving bowl and toss with the lemon juice and lemon zest.

Makes 6 servings

Adding more vegetables to our diets can be a hard thing to swallow. It is vital to our health that we consume at least 3 servings of vegetables a day. It’s easy to do when remembering that the simpler the cooking the better the flavor. Roasting vegetables at high temperatures and shortened cooking time causes some of the natural sugars to caramelize giving roasted vegetables a little sweeter taste and makes them a little easier to swallow.

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 15 minutes
Total Time: approximately 25 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 58; Fat 2g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 9g; Protein 3g; Fiber 6g;
Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 169mg

Bean Soup with Whole Wheat Pasta

beansoup

What You Need:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 C onion, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced and divided
4 1/4 C of water, divided
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1 C of small whole wheat pasta
1 carrot, cut lengthwise into fourths then sliced
1 (15 oz.) can no salt cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 C of broccoli florets
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then sliced
1 C of cut green beans
1 C fresh parsley leaves
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
2 1/2 C plum tomatoes, chopped

How to Make It:

Place 1 tsp of the oil into a heavy 5 qt. pot.
Place the pot over medium high heat and stir in the onions.
Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender.
Stir in 2 tsp of the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Pour in 4 C of the water and the chicken broth and stir well.
Bring the liquid to a brisk boil then stir in the pasta and carrots and boil for 5 minutes.
Remove 3/4 C of the cannellini beans and set aside.
Place the remaining cannellini beans into the pot.
Stir in the broccoli, zucchini and green beans.
Bring the mixture back to a brisk boil and boil for 5 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
Place the remaining cannellini beans, oil, garlic and water into the blender.
Add the parsley leaves and Parmesan cheese and puree until smooth.
Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the tomatoes and puree mixture.

Makes 4 servings

Because of the pasta this soup is a great source of protein and fiber. Use small pasta such as elbow macaroni to keep this soup light yet healthy. Serve your soup with crusty whole grain bread for a delicious lunch or dinner idea.

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 15 minutes 30 seconds
Total Time: approximately 35 minutes 30 seconds

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 327; Fat 9g; Saturated Fat 2g; Carbohydrates 51g; Protein 15g; Fiber 11g;
Cholesterol 2mg; Sodium 361mg

Summer Bean and Tuna Salad

What You Need:

Water
1/4 tsp salt
8oz. fresh green beans, stems trimmed
1/3C olive oil and vinegar dressing
1 tsp Dijon style mustard
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 C of lettuce
2 (6 oz.) cans of solid white tuna in water, drained and flaked
3 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 C red radishes, sliced
1/3C of pitted Kalamata olives
Pepper

How to Make It:

Pour enough water into a skillet to fill it half full then sprinkle in the salt.
Place the skillet over medium high heat, bring the water to a boil then add the green beans.
Simmer the beans for 4 minutes or until crisp tender then drain and rinse under cold water for 1 minute.
In a bowl whisk together the dressing and mustard.
Place the green beans and 1 tbsp of the dressing in a bowl and toss to coat.
Place the cannellini beans and 1 tbsp of the dressing in a bowl and toss to coat.
Spread the lettuce over a large platter.
Mound the green beans in one corner of the platter.
Mound the cannillini beans in another corner.
Mound the tuna onto the platter.
Place the egg wedges, radishes and olives onto the platter.
Pour the remaining dressing over the entire salad and season with the pepper.

Makes 4 servings

This summer platter is great for a late lunch on a hot day. Just place mounds of the ingredients onto the platter and add a loaf of crusty bread and enjoy. Substitute chicken, turkey or even pork for the tuna if you wish.

Preparation Time: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 4 minutes
Total Time: approximately 24 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per serving)
Calories 403; Fat 22g; Saturated Fat 3g; Carbohydrates 19g; Protein 29g; Fiber 6g;
Cholesterol 191mg; Sodium 835mg