Healthy Recipes

[mishl982]

Ok so I'm going to the grocery store tonight to buy stuff so I can eat healthy for the fitness challenge and also want to broaden my horizons with meals. What are you favorite healthy things to make?

I don't think I have any meals that I make that are totally healthy. I sometimes will make a chicken tender salad (not fried, baked with breadcrumbs) or a baked potato. Can you tell I need more ideas? hehe. I thought this thread would also be good because a lot of us are doing the challenge and even non-challenge people could use a few good recipes.

[bostongirl]

This is one of my favorites (its some recipe my mom has)... it definitely is a bit of a pain to make, but it makes about 8 servings so you just portion it out and freeze it. Its a great way to get lots of veggies! Just use low-fat cheese and you're all set :)

Lima Bean-Broccoli-Tomato Casserole
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen lima beans
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen broccoli cuts
2 (16 oz) cans diced tomotes with green chilis
8 oz tomato juice
8-12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 med onion
1-2-3 cloves garlic
3-6 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1 bouillon cube


Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Directions:
Mince onions and garlic in small amount of butter (1-2 Tbsp).
Cook lima beans following directions on pkg, adding 1 bouillon cube.
Cook broccoli cuts following directions on pkg
Drain tomatoes. Save tomato juice.
Lightly butter a 9x13 pan or a large casserole.
Layer limas, broccoli, tomatoes, onion-garlic mixture.
Make Sauce with drained juice.
Add tomato juice to make 1 1/2 c
In another pan, melt 3 Tbsp butter over low heat
When melted, add 3 Tbsp flour and cook for about 2 min being careful not to burn.
Add Juice (1 1/2 c) and cook over low heat until thickened.
Remove from heat and add 1 cup shredded cheese and stir until well-blended.
Make some holes in the layered veg so sauce will blend with vegetables.
Pour tomato-cheese sauce overtop.
Add additional cheese on top (amount you like).
Bake in 350 Deg Oven until cheese melts and sauce begins to bubble. (like about an hour I think)

-Margaret

[Kitty]

Do you like ceaser salads? Trader Joe's has these AMAZING croutons and amazing low-fat ceaser dressing. You can make a salad and then add shrimp or chicken. You can also do like a half salad and then a bowl of lentil soup or minestrone or something. Trader Joe's also has a lot of good soups that are super healthy.

Also, if you don't mind eating those egg-beater things you can make some pretty yummy omelets. I brown some muchrooms, onions, peppers, in a pan and then add the fake eggs and some low-fat cheese.

[Tayl405]

I make those omelettes Kitty! They're so good! I also sometimes make eggbeater sandwiches with whole wheat bread, veggie or turkey bacon, and lowfat cheese. Yummm....

Salmon is always good to make, and you can make it very healthy too--bake it, or pan-sear it in some olive oil. I add lemon juice, onions, tomatos, and sometimes capers. Get some seasoning.

Baking chicken is great too because you can throw anything you have in with it. Low fate cheese, onions, mushrooms, peppers, nuts, etc. I like to bake chicken in marinara sauce with green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black pepper. So easy!

There are staples I keep my house (all kinds of veggies, tuna, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, eggs, egg beaters, low-fat cheese) and just throw things together with them (if I don't have meat or fish, I'll make veggie stir-fry, or some veggie pasta dish).

This is one of my favorite lunch recipes:

--Black bean hummus
--whole wheat tortilla (or pita I guess)
--lowfat feta cheese
--walnuts
--lettuce

Make a wrap and throw it in the microwave! I pair it with raw carrots and/or celery sticks for some nutrious variety.

[biodork]

Unless I want to cook for one I can't make any recipes with onions in them. My bf REFUSES to eat them because of the crunch they make in his mouth. Not the taste, he likes the taste, it just feels weird. So if anyone has suggestions as to how to add onions into a meal and get the onions into small enough bits so that he can't "feel" it I could totally use the info.

[Kitty]

Can't you puree them or something?

[mishl982]

Do you like ceaser salads? Trader Joe's has these AMAZING croutons and amazing low-fat ceaser dressing. You can make a salad and then add shrimp or chicken. You can also do like a half salad and then a bowl of lentil soup or minestrone or something. Trader Joe's also has a lot of good soups that are super healthy.

Also, if you don't mind eating those egg-beater things you can make some pretty yummy omelets. I brown some muchrooms, onions, peppers, in a pan and then add the fake eggs and some low-fat cheese.
I love caesar salads AND Trader Joes. Maybe I'll have to make a TJs visit tonight.

[pisces2473]

Dammit, this is making me hungry...and I also want to go to TJs...maybe tomorrow after work...it's so effing far from my house!!! :madder:

[biodork]

Can't you puree them or something?

Maybe I could do that. I should get that super chopper, maybe that would work? What's even weirder is that for some reason though he's ok with the onions that come on McDonald's burgers.

[mishl982]

Yea, maybe you just need to soften them up. They also sell onions that are minced and diced or whatever. I actually don't mind onions in my food because it gives it flavor, but I'll pick it out before I eat the meal, hehe.

As for TJ's, mine is out of the way too. Not terribly far, but luckily tonight I already made plans to go somewhere near it, so it works out :)

[Kitty]

I am so hungry right now it is out of control. One more hour to lunch!

[abby]

one of my favorite easy low-fat recipes is to buy a bag of cole-slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot), grill or poach chicken breasts, then shred, mix with greens, and if you want add sliced almonds, canned mandarin oranges and cilantro. then toss w/a low fat dressing like sesame ginger from TJ's. if you like asian chicken salads you'll love this one! and you can improvise what else to put in. i like to take leftovers to work for lunch. even the hubby loves it!

[pisces2473]

Oooh, yeah, that IS good, Abby.

Another salad thing that I do is grill chicken breasts on the Foreman, then I'll make a salad with whatever veggies I have around and Romaine lettuce. I'll mix the chicken with the greens and top that with this really good low-fat honey mustard dressing. Of course, I can't remember the name...I got mine at the grocery store, but I've seen it at more "posh" places... It's like having a honey mustard chicken salad that you can get out at restaurants.

[Kitty]

one of my favorite easy low-fat recipes is to buy a bag of cole-slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot), grill or poach chicken breasts, then shred, mix with greens, and if you want add sliced almonds, canned mandarin oranges and cilantro. then toss w/a low fat dressing like sesame ginger from TJ's. if you like asian chicken salads you'll love this one! and you can improvise what else to put in. i like to take leftovers to work for lunch. even the hubby loves it!

Wow, that sounds so good! Another thing you can add to these types of salads is you buy low-fat top ramen noodles and then break them up and them raw.

I think I'm going to make this salad tonight.

[mishl982]

Kitty, what was the name of the caesar dressing at TJ's? I looked around last night, but didn't see anything. I was also with one of my roommates who looked bored out of her mind, so I was trying to shop fast.

I think today when I'm bored at work I'm gonna look up some healthy recipes and add stuff.

Abby, I like your idea, but I'm not a coleslaw fan. Maybe I will have to convert :p

[pisces2473]

Michelle, I bet you could try the Abby salad with lettuce...

[mishl982]

True, but wouldn't it taste a little different than hers? I guess I haven't tried her version so it wouldn't matter, hehe.

[hoodie]

Hmmm...I have a really low cal version (190 cals./serving) of chicken kiev...
I also make those egg-beater omelettes. Mine have onion, bell pepper, a little smoked salmon, and feta cheese.

[pisces2473]

I went to TJ's today and got plain rice cakes, this cranberry mustard and smoked turkey. I'm gonna do what Kitty suggested. :)

[wordsmith]

The abby salad is also good using shredded napa cabbage as the base...the ruffly asian cabbage that's kind of more lettuce-like than cabbage-like.

[pink bunny]

Protien Shakes, they are life savers.

[pisces2473]

So last night I had a package of ground turkey and was going to make pasta with it and have meat sauce...but I was too lazy to let the water boil...so I'm cooking the turkey thinking, I could add rice to it...but then I thought, "Dumbass you have to boil that too." So I chopped up an onion and a red pepper, then I had a half of a green pepper in the fridge, so I added that too...added black pepper...let it all cook...then I drained the fat. I put some of the meat mixture on a plate and added some tzatziki that I had picked up at Costco. It was like pseudo-Greek food. Yay!