Garden Turkey Meatloaf

Ground turkey is a blank culinary canvas, you can flavor and cook with it to make a variety if healthy meal options. One of my favorite is this basic turkey meatloaf recipe with a bunch of optional seasonings to add your own flair.

Ingredients:

16 ounces lean ground turkey (I used 99 percent fat free)
½ cup oats (*use gluten-free oats such as Bob's Red Mill if you are on a gluten-free diet)
1 cup finely chopped veggies of your choice (onion, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, peppers)
½ cup tomato sauce
2 egg whites or 1 egg
Optional seasonings: garlic powder, oregano, paprika, chili powder, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper (1 teaspoon or more of any of these)
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix the turkey, oats, egg, veggies and tomato sauce. Add the desired seasoning and put into a large loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees.F.

Makes one meatloaf, eight servings

Serving size: 1 slice, 1/8th of the loaf Calories 100 Protein 16 g Carb 6 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 1 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 120 mg

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Mediterranean Salad with Toasted Pita Croutons and Tangy Balsamic Dressing

A fun and healthy twist on the classic Greek salad….

Salad

Ingredients:

6 cups shredded lettuce (romaine, red leaf, butter, field greens all work)
½ cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped cucumber
½ cup chopped roasted red peppers (I made my own by throwing one on the grill)
¼ cup sundried tomato
¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
1 ounce low fat feta or mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Rinse and prepare all the vegetables and put in a large salad bowl. Add the olives, sundried tomatoes and cheese and chill before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1/4th of the recipe Calories 110 Protein 3 g Carb 7 g Fiber 2 g Sugars 3 g Fat 2 g saturated fat 2 g Sodium 190 mg

Pita Croutons:

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pita bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
ICB spray or olive oil using olive oil sprayer (if both n/a use a teaspoon of olive oil)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with tin foil (or spray it with cooking spray)
and add the pita cubes. In a small dish combine the oregano and garlic powder. Spray the pita cubes lightly with ICB or olive oil sprayer (or drizzle lightly with olive oil) and sprinkle the oregano/garlic powder to evenly coat. Bake for 7-10 minutes on one side (until lightly browned) turn over and bake for another 5 -10 minutes. Remove from oven and add salt/pepper to taste if desired. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge if they will not be used immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: ¼ of the recipe Calories 45 Protein 2 g Carb 9 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 0 g Fat 0 g saturated fat 0 g Sodium 105 mg

Dressing:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 -2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk all the above ingredients into a small bowl and chill if not serving immediately.

Make 4 servings

Serving size: 1/4th of recipe Calories 70 Protein 0 g Carb 2 g Fiber 0 g Sugars 0 g Fat 7 g saturated fat 1 g Sodium 0 mg

Serving size: 1/4th of recipe altogether with salad, dressing and croutons Calories 225 Protein 5 g Carb 18 g Fiber 3 g Sugars 3 g Fat 9 g saturated fat 1 g Sodium 295 mg

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Ridiculously Easy 200 Calorie Grill Cheese

When I created and tasted this simple sandwich the other night I was immediately transported back to my grade school years, sitting happily in grandma Genevieve’s kitchen having a grill cheese for lunch. During the three years that my family moved back to Michigan, and over subsequent summer vacations there that followed I really enjoyed those lunches over at her place. She would cook anything that my cousin Julie and I wanted, and the grilled cheese was always a favorite. I put healthy twist on the traditional grill cheese that is usually made with fiber devoid white bread, saturated fat laden butter and whole milk/cheese. Honestly I didn’t miss any of them a bit in this recipe.

Ingredients: (*see specific brand recommendations below)

2 slices light whole wheat bread *
2 slices/ounces low fat American cheese *
ICB or light margarine

Directions:

Spray one side of each bread slice with ICB a few times or spread with 1 teaspoon if light margarine. Place the bread slices with the buttered sides facing out and put the cheese in between them. Put a small pan in medium heat for a minute or so, then add the sandwich. Heat a few minutes each side, until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Makes one serving/sandwich

Serving size: 1 sandwich Calories 200 Protein 12 g Carb 20 g Fiber 7 g Sugars 5 g Fat 9 g saturated fat 3 g Sodium 760 mg

Suggested brands to use:

Bread – Oroweat light, Sara Lee

Cheese- Kraft 2% American Singles

Variations:

Wanna get fancy? Try different cheeses such as Low fat Swiss (like Kraft, Alpine Lace or Jarlsberg light) and add any of the following- olives, tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, spinach
Note: this may increase the calories a little bit…

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Apple Dessert Wontons

These taste like mini apple pies but are a lot friendlier to the waistline!

Ingredients:

12 wonton wrappers, (I used Wing Hing- very thin and low calorie)
3 cups chopped apple (Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady works well)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
ICB or 1 tablespoon light margarine
Fat free caramel sauce (such as Smuckers), optional for serving
Non fat frozen yogurt or cool whip, optional for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large pan or skillet with ICB or coat with 1 tablespoon margarine on medium heat. Add the apples and sauté until slightly tender, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon and heat for another 30 seconds until dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside in a dish. Meanwhile take out the wonton wrappers and lay them out on a cutting board or clean surface. Spoon one heaping tablespoon of the mixture onto one side of the wrapper, wet all the edges with water (using your fingers), fold over the wrapper to make a triangle and pinch close all along the edges. Place on a baking sheet and spray a few times with ICB and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the wontons over and bake for another 10 minutes until crispy. Serve with caramel sauce and non fat frozen yogurt or whipped topping.

Makes 12 wontons, 12 servings

Serving size 1 wonton: Calories 50 protein 1 g Carb 12 g Fiber 1 g Sugars 7 g Fat 0 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 50 mg

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Quick Slaw

Not your average coleslaw- sweet and sour with tons of crunch.

2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 medium apple (gala, fuji), peeled, and cut into thin strips (match stick like)
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
½ cup low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons light mayo (*use a gluten-free brand such as Best Foods if you are on a gluten-free diet)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Toss the cabbage, carrots, apple and cranberries in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayo, sugar and rice vinegar and then pour the dressing over the slaw, mixing well until evenly coated. Chill and serve.
Makes 3 cups, six servings

Serving size: ½ cup Calories 70 Protein 2 g Carb 14 g Fiber 2 g Sugars10 g Fat 2 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 115 mg

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Alert! California Pizza Kitchen = Caloric Pizza Kitchen

Yesterday I came across the nutritional information posted online for one of my favorite restaurants, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) and was shocked! In response to the California menu labeling bill (SB 1420) CPK and other fast-food and other chain restaurants having 20 or more outlets have to post their nutritional information The bill goes into full effect in 2011 but between now and then restaurant chains will be required to make brochures with nutrition information available in their restaurants. You can check out CPK’s stunning figures, that are certainly not very good for your figure HERE.

Being a fairly frequent patron of CPK, I was very interested to see the nutrition facts on their menu, unfortunately they don’t list all the nutrition facts and are only are posting calories on what I found, but boy are there plenty of them. My “usual”, the grilled vegetable salad with chicken has 1200 calories! And sadly most of the salads are over 1000 calories- that’s at least half if not more than what one’s average total daily caloric intake should be AND around the same amount of calories as many of their pizzas. Quite a few of the pastas dishes were topping the charts at 1300-1700 calories. Start with one of their appetizers and you can tack on 300-1000 calories to your meal. And if you finish off with one of their desserts you can easily double your caloric intake by adding another 700-1500 calories depending on the selection you make.

Does this mean I will never go back to CPK? Of course not! But what should you do if you must have your CPK? If you need an appetizer to start, the soups are not too bad, having a cup would only set you back 100-200 calories (except for the Adobe Chicken Chowder which is loaded). And then the key to the entrees is portion control. Go for a half order or take the rest home. Request dressings and sauces on the side as well. Ordering thin crust pizza will save some calories and one of the best entrees is the Mahi Mahi with vegetables (instead of pasta) which is a fairly reasonable 560 calories. If you ask for light on the oil in preparation, that can help too. And it’s best skip dessert there-try fruit or fat free yogurt at home instead. For more tips on healthy dining out, click HERE.

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Summer Vegetable Stew

There are literally a dozen different veggies in this stew and many of them are from the summer season. Italian sausage and kidney beans add a nice compliment to this light but satisfying stew.

Ingredients:

1-2 cloves of garlic, diced
I cup chopped white onion
1 cup chopped or shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped turkey or chicken sausage (*use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes or Applegate Farms if you are on a gluten-free diet)
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped yellow squash
1 cup chopped green beans
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped canned artichokes
½ cup cooked kidney beans, rinsed well
½ cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen-thawed)
One 14 ounce can of tomatoes
One 14 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth (*use a gluten-free brand such as Progresso Natural if you are on a gluten-free diet)
Chopped black olives (optional, for garnish)
Chopped fresh basil (optional, for garnish)
Parmesan cheese (optional, for garnish, *use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joes if you are on a gluten-free diet)
ICB spray or olive oil using olive oil sprayer (if both n/a use a teaspoon of olive oil)

Directions:

Put the chopped sausage, garlic, onions, carrots and celery into large sized pot sprayed with ICB or olive oil sprayer (or 1 teaspoon olive oil) and sauté until just before tender (about 5-10 minutes). Put in the rest of the veggies, broth, canned tomatoes and beans in and bring to a light boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

Variations:

If you are watching your sodium you can use low sodium broth and tomatoes in place of regular

Not a fan of one of the veggies in the recipe? Then double any of the existing or sub in a cup or two of another such as cauliflower, eggplant, spinach etc.

If you want to keep this completely vegetarian sub in a cup of veggie sausage or add another cup of beans.

Labels: entrees, soupse

Makes 7 cups, seven servings

Serving size: 1 cup Calories 140 Protein 7 g Carb 19 g Fiber 5 g Sugars 7 g Fat 3.5 g Saturated fat <1 g Sodium 680 mg

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