CHICKEN ASPARAGUS SOUP

I created this recipe using whatever is in the fridge. The result was a great-tasting soup with nutritious ingredients. Asparagus is an excellent source of folic acid and a good source of Vitamin C. Zucchini (the secret ingredient here) is also cited as an excellent source of vitamin C. There's nothing like a healthy homemade winter soup!

* An excellent source provides 40% or more of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance.

Chicken Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:
12 oz 99% fat free chicken breast tenders
1 bunch of asparagus spears
2 small zucchinis
4 tomatoes
1 glove garlic
1 small onion
1 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper

Puree zucchinis, tomatoes, garlic, quarter of a small onion and a pinch of black pepper using a kitchen blender or a hand blender. Heat olive oil in a medium pot. Add the mix and the chicken breast sliced in cubes. Cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Trim asparagus spears and cut in one inch slices. Add to the pot and cook for three minutes. Do not overcook because you want the asparagus to be crisp and not mushy. This soup serves three and you can find the calorie values per serving (without salt) below.

Calories: 360 Protein: 33 Carbohydrates: 24 Fat: 17 Fiber: 8 Sodium: 573

BULGUR PILAF WITH BEEF AND BEANS

Another random creation, my take on bulgur.  Even I was surprised to see how tasty it turned out.

Bulgur Pilaf with Beef and Beans

Ingredients:
2 cups bulgur
1 pound beef stew meat
1 pound green beans
4 small tomatoes
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
2 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper
Salt

Dice two tomatoes and half of a small onion. Puree them using a hand blender or a regular blender. Add a pinch of black pepper and salt to taste. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a pot. Add the sauce and beef stew meat. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Wash and cut off tips of the green beans. Then cut the beans into smaller (about an inch) pieces and add to the pot. Cook for 15 minutes or until the beans become tender.
Dice two tomatoes and one fourth of red bell pepper. Puree them using a hand blender or a regular blender. Add a pinch of black pepper and salt to taste. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a pot. Add the sauce, two cups of bulgur and 3 cups of boiled water. Cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat or until tender.
Place two cups of beef stew on a cup of bulgur. Here are the calorie values for no salt added version:

Calories: 809    Protein: 64  Carbohydrates: 85  Fat: 25  Fiber: 27  Sodium: 130

CHICKEN PESTO ROLLS

Chicken Pesto Rolls

Ingredients:
8 Foster Farms boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
16 asparagus spears
2 oranges
2 slices Thomas whole wheat bagel thins
1 tablespoon Santini pesto sauce

Cut chicken breast in thin strips, spread pesto on each strip and roll. Pierce each chicken roll with a toothpick. Spray a pan with canola oil and fry up the rolls on their sides until they are light golden brown. Trim asparagus spears and cook them in boiling water for about five minutes or until tender. Slice toasted bagels into four and an orange into three wheels. Serve on the side of four ounces of chicken and eight asparagus spears.

Calories: 342    Protein: 35   Carbohydrates: 44   Fat: 6   Fiber: 10   Sodium: 776

VEGGIE PATTIES

I know this may seem like a crazy combination of ingredients to some of you, but trust me, it tastes good.

Veggie Patties

Ingredients:
1 MorningStar Farms® Veggie Sausage Patty
1 Mission 96% fat free whole wheat tortilla
3 Brussel sprouts
4 asparagus spears
½ lemon

Trim Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Cook Brussels sprouts in a pot of boiling water mixed with the juice of ½ lemon for 5 minutes. Trim asparagus spears and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. Microwave a veggie sausage patty for 45 seconds. You can find Morning Star frozen patties at Costco. I like them because they are high in protein and low in carbs. One patty is only 80 calories. Lay a tortilla on a plate, place burger patty and veggies on top. You can slice the patty, add ½ cup low fat Mexican cheese blend and make a wrap as well.

THINK THIN DESSERT

I created this recipe using high protein ingredients including a protein bar. It’s very filling and you can even replace lunch with this.

Think Thin Dessert

Ingredients:
1 Think Thin Brownie Crunch
7 oz Fage Total Greek Yogurt (Zero Fat)
2 Strawberries
½ cup Blackberries
2 Eti Burcak biscuits (Byblos carries this brand)
3 hazelnuts

Crush biscuits and place them in a wine glass. Add blackberries. Dice strawberries and mix in a bowl with yogurt. Stir well until its color turns pink. Slice protein bar into small cubes. Layer yogurt mix and Think Thin cubes in the glass. Top with three hazelnuts.

Calories: 440    Protein: 38   Carbohydrates: 50   Fat: 13   Fiber: 8   Sodium: 102

CHICKEN TACOS

Soft Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 Mission 96% fat free whole wheat tortilla
2 large avocados
2 limes
4 tomatoes
1 small onion
Black pepper

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocados from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocados. Add half of a chopped onion and the juice of two limes. Season with black pepper. In another bowl, mix the other half of the chopped onion with diced tomatoes. Remove the skin from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and carve the breast meat. Break it into smaller pieces using your fingers. Place four ounces of chicken, one cup of tomato/onion mix and a tablespoon of guacamole on a whole wheat tortilla. Enjoy!

Calories: 334    Protein: 34   Carbohydrates: 36   Fat: 8   Fiber: 5   Sodium: 518

QUINOA

Chicken Quinoa

Ingredients:
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 cup TruRoots sprouted quinoa
2 cups water
4 tomatoes
1 small onion
(serves four)

The best food is the food someone else cooked for you, so get a  rotisserie chicken from the nearest grocery store. Remove the skin to get rid of the fat and carve the breast meat. Break it into smaller pieces using your fingers. Combine one cup quinoa with two cups of water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Turn heat on low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. It is ready when the water is absorbed and you can see the little quinoa tails (!). Dice four tomatoes and a teeny-weeny onion. Mix them in a bowl. Place ½ cup quinoa and 3 oz chicken on a plate and serve with 1/2 cup tomato/onion mix. 

Calories: 232 Protein: 26 Carbohydrates: 24 Fat: 5 Fiber: 4 Sodium: 11

SMOOTHIE

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:
7 oz Fage Total Greek Yogurt (Zero Fat)
½ cup Silk all natural soymilk
6 Strawberries
4 cubes of ice

In a blender combine strawberries, milk, ice and yogurt. Blend until smooth and creamy.

You can add sugar to your taste but remember that the below values are for the sugar-free version.

Calories:  215   Protein: 23   Carbohydrates: 27   Fat: 3   Fiber: 4   Sodium: 158

I’ve been using GNC On-The-Go Blender recently and I love it. You can drink from the same cup in which you blend your smoothie, protein shake etc. Less dishes to put in the dishwasher, yay! It comes with two cups and two lids so you can use the other cup when one is dirty. This blender doesn’t take much space on the kitchen counter either. The only downside is that it’s not as powerful as its larger and more expensive counterparts. You can’t chop any kind of solid food in it but it works perfectly for drinks.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4098582&CAWELAID=613106362

TURKEY SALAD

This is a 5-minute lunch idea if you have turkey (or chicken) leftovers. If you have 5 more minutes and dressing your salad with yogurt doesn’t sound strange to you, try the garlic-yogurt sauce version. This is a simple way to add more protein to your meal.

Turkey Salad

Ingredients:
4 oz cooked turkey breast
1 cup diced cucumbers
2 cups salad mix

(I used Earthbound Farm Organic Half Spring Mix & Half Baby Spinach. Costco carries this salad mix.)

Garlic-yogurt sauce:  Chop one clove of garlic and add it to a 7 oz Fage Total Greek Yogurt (Zero Fat)

Mix it all up!

Calories: 266   Protein: 47   Carbohydrates: 17   Fat: 1   Fiber: 3   Sodium: 796
*The above values are for the garlic-yogurt sauce version.

TURKEY BREAST

This one takes a bit of time but the steps are easy. You can eat the leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.

Turkey Breast with Red Bell Pepper Sauce and Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:

8 pounds Honeysuckle white turkey breast

2 red bell peppers

2 pounds sugar snap peas

2 table spoons olive oil

Clean and dry turkey breast. Brush with olive oil. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place turkey breast in a baking pan. Bake uncovered for three hours.

Red Bell Pepper Sauce: Cut two medium size red bell peppers in half, remove caps and seeds, rinse well. Place bell peppers in a pot and add water. Cook for 20 minutes. Slice peppers in strips and puree these strips using a hand blender or food processor.

Sugar Snap Peas: Wash the peas under cold water. Place snap peas in a pot and add water. Bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until tender.

Remove turkey from the oven and cut even slices parallel to the bone. Garnish with red bell pepper sauce and serve with sugar snap peas on the side.

Calories: 180   Protein: 30   Carbohydrates: 10   Fat: 1   Fiber: 2   Sodium: 688

* The above are approximate values for a plate of 4 oz turkey breast, 4 oz sugar snap peas and 1 table spoon of red bell pepper sauce.

EGGS

If you are longing for eggs but want to watch your weight, this is the recipe for you.

Feta Cheese Omelette:
Spray the pan lightly with Pam canola oil. In a bowl, mix a cup of egg beaters with two ounces of reduced fat feta cheese and pour into pan. Serve with two slices of Franz thin sandwich bread.

Calories: 327   Protein: 40   Carbohydrates: 24   Fat: 8.5   Fiber: 8   Sodium: 1383

TUNA MELT

Here is an easy dinner recipe I created using low calorie ingredients. This is both quick and healthy.

Tuna Melt Sandwich with Broccoli

Ingredients:

5 oz Chicken of the Sea Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water
2 slices of Franz Thin Sandwich 9 Grain Bread
1 piece of Frigo Light String Cheese
2 Cups of Broccoli
1/2 lemon

Squeeze 1/2 lemon and pour juice over the tuna. Mash with a spoon. Spread the tuna and lemon juice mix over one slice of sandwich bread. Slice a piece of string cheese and place it over the tuna spread. Cover the sandwich with the top bun. Set panini press to medium-high. Grill the sandwich until grill marks appear. Wash and drain the broccoli crowns. Trim off and discard bottom of broccoli stems. Place two cups of florets in a pot of boiling water. Take it off the burner after boiling for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water. Take the sandwich off the grill as soon as the cheese starts to melt. Serve the tuna melt sandwich with the broccoli on the side.

Calories: 425   Protein: 56   Carbohydrates: 46   Fat: 6   Fiber: 17   Sodium: 628

PARFAIT

Ingredients:

7 oz Fage Total Greek Yogurt (Zero Fat)
½ Cup Kashi GoLean Crunch Protein & High Fiber Cereal
5 Strawberries

Layer cereal, yogurt and strawberries in a parfait glass or a tall wine glass. Quick, easy and delicious. 

Calories: 212   Protein: 20   Carbohydrates: 31   Fat: 2   Fiber: 6   Sodium: 113

VITAMIN B

Vitamin B is a powerful source of energy and a mood booster. It can be hard to keep up your motivation while watching weight. Vitamin B helps. If you don't like swallowing pills, try these liquid vitamins. They come in citrus and cherry flavors and you can add them to your coffee or tea.

*Excessive intake of vitamin B can cause serious side effects.

FISH

Canned fish, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce is a quick lunch you can prepare in less than five minutes. Fish  is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Fred Meyer carries Chicken of the Sea tuna and Bumblebee Atlantic salmon. You can find Bear&Wolf pink salmon at Costco. It doesn't have any saturated or trans fat. The pink salmon comes in 7 oz. cans and it's the most nutritious and delicious of all.

YOGURT

Greek yogurt is lower in sugar and higher in protein compared to regular yogurt. I have tried several brands (Oikos, Yoplait, Greek Gods etc.) but none of them could beat Fage (Fa-Yeh!). You can find Fage at Safeway.

PROTEIN BARS

I have tried several brands of protein bars so far. Power bar (Mixed Nuts and Trail Mix) and Cliff bars are pretty tasty, but Think Thin Brownie Crunch is my all time favorite! It has 20 grams of protein, no sugar and it's also gluten free. It almost tastes like real chocolate. Power bar is also crunchy and delicious but I wouldn't recommend it as an outdoor snack in winter because it freezes. Cliff bars have more saturated fat than the other choices. You might want to eat them every once in a while for their wide variety of flavors.