02/01/08
I wanted to make some kind of light and healthy chicken sandwich. I’ve had a few different versions of Chicken Cesars at restaurants and delis and loved them, so I decided to try and make my own.
I started out with a recipe for Cesar dressing from my Fanny Farmer cook book. I chose it because it didn’t call for raw eggs like a lot of others that I found. I added a few more ingredients to ratchet up the flavor.
Chicken Cesar Pita Recipe
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tbs of sugar
1 tsp to 1 tbs of Lemon Juice (to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 deli slices of Honey Smoked Ham or 6 strips of cooked Bacon
4 to 6 Chicken Breasts cooked and cubed
5 to 10 leaves of Iceberg Lettuce chopped or shredded
Pita Pockets or Large Tortillas
Blend garlic cloves and EVOO in a blender or food processor until well combined. Add the Parmesan cheese and sugar and continue blending. Add the lemon juice to taste. (I almost forgot the lemon juice. The tartness of the lemon really made a difference in the flavor.) I also added a few dashes of salt and pepper to taste to the dressing. After blending in the lemon juice, salt and pepper, pour dressing into a medium size mixing bowl. Stir in the ham, chicken and lettuce. (I used deli sliced ham because it was low in fat, but I think bacon might taste even better. ) Stuff pita pockets with mixture or roll-up in tortilla shells. I added tomatoes to my sandwich. You could also add some sweet onions.
This makes enough to stuff about 10 pita pockets. The EVOO in the dressing is a good way to incorporate some healthy oil into your diet. The Parmesan cheese and deli ham are low in fat. I used whole wheat pitas to get some whole grains on the menu. My husband who won’t go with me to Panera Bread, because he doesn’t like these kinds of sandwiches, ate two, so I think it was a success.
I’m on this 10 Pounds in 5 Weeks diet, (I’ve lost a pound so far. Wanted to loose two, but I’ll take it.) and I’ve been on the look out for good products to ease the deprivation from all things tasty and delightful. I found three wonderful items I just have to share with you.
The first, Wishbone Salad Spritzers.
I like salad, but I must have dressing on it. Of course dressing, even the low fat or light versions, are loaded with fat and calories. I’d seen this stuff on the shelf, but was skeptical. I finally gave in and bought a bottle to try. It’s delicious! There’s only 1 calorie per spray. Even someone like me who prefers their lettuce dripping with dressing can do it with 20 sprays, which equals just 20 calories. I like the Raspberry Bliss Vinaigrette, but it comes in six other flavors, one of which is sure to suit your taste. Visit Wishbone to find out more.
My next new love is the Three Musketeers Mint Dark Chocolate Bar.
It’s only 150 calories and has 5 grams of fat. It’s perfect for a little chocolate indulgence without a lot of guilt.
My final new favorite is the Skinny Latte from Starbucks.
A tall made with non-fat milk and no whip cream is only 90 calories and fat-free! They use sugar-free syrup for the flavors. I discovered this today while shopping at the mall. It really was quite good. I had the Mocha, but it comes in Cinnamon, Vanilla, Hazelnut and Carmel also. Coffee heaven available even to those of us on a diet. Thank you Starbucks!
Hope you enjoy these products. Do you have a favorite low-cal or low-fat treat? Leave a comment and share it.
01/27/08
In an effort to make to lower fat chili I substituted ground turkey for ground beef. I couldn’t tell the difference in the taste.
Ground Turkey Chili Recipe
1 lb. Ground Turkey
15 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce
15 oz. can of Chili beans
1 packet of Chili Seasoning
1 TBS of Brown Sugar
1 oz. of Velveeta
In a large skillet brown the turkey. The turkey is so low in fat there’s no need to drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, drained chili beans, and seasoning. Simmer over low heat until heated through. Stir in brown sugar. Cut Velveeta into small chunks. Stir until melted. Serve with tortilla chips.
01/23/08
This recipe was labeled as light. I wasn’t aware that pork chops were low-cal. Maybe it depends on the cut, or maybe you’re only supposed to eat three bits. (I definitely had more than three bits.) I was skeptical of this being diet food, but it sounded good, so I made it anyway.
Southern Pork Chop Recipe
Prep: 5 min, Cook: 10 min.
4 pork rib chops
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 Tbs. paprika
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. sage, crumbled
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. pepper
Prepare grill or broiler. Rub both sides of pork chops with garlic. Combine next 5 ingredients in a bowl. Press seasoning mixture into pork chops with hands to adhere. Grill pork chops 7-8 minutes per side or until cooked throughout.
I found this recipe here http://www.mealsforyou.com/cgi-bin/recipe?id.5050 .
This was good and really easy to make. Very fast as well. It is a little hot and spicy. If you prefer bland food, it’s not for you. I cooked them on a cast iron grill on the stove top. I think they’d be really good on the Bar-B-Q. If I’d had some smoked paprika I would have used that to add a smokey flavor. (It’s on my grocery list.) The only difficulty I had was getting the spice rub evenly spread on the chops. I had one or two bits that had too much spice on them.
Oh my goodness, it’s day four of this 10 lbs in 5 weeks diet and I’m STARVING! Not starving in an I’m-actually-hungry kind of way, just in a if-you-gave-me-a-gallon-of-chocolate-ice-cream-I’d-eat-the-whole-thing-right-now-because-I-miss-the-taste-of-fat-and-sugar kind of way. Articles that I read say this feeling will go away in a few more days once my body adapts to the new diet. We’ll see. I’m not sure my brain will ever adapt to it.
The most substantial thing I had to eat yesterday was a chicken breast. Otherwise I ate mostly fruits and veggies. I finally gave in at lunch time today and ate a small bowl of chicken noodles that were left-over in the fridge. I needed some hardy carbohydrates. I exercised this morning for 25 minutes, and barely had enough energy to get through it. Something I had plenty of energy for on my former Mid-Western Comfort Food diet. I feel better now after having some real food. I’ll make up for it with a salad for dinner. (Dr. Atkins, people need somecarbs to burn so that the body can make energy.)
I’ve been trying to avoid sugar, starch and fat. Last night my son ate a bread and butter sandwich after turning down the dinner I cooked. In a rare three-year-old moment of generosity, he asked me if I wanted some. It was all I could do to refuse and say, “No, thank you.” It’s bad when bread and butter makes you salivate.
Besides running a little low on energy this morning, I feel great. I’ve slept better the last three nights since watching what I eat more carefully. Perhaps it’s true, all that processed food really does to a number on your body.
I have one more 25 minute session of exercise to get in today. It should be no problem with these noodles coursing through my blood stream.
01/21/08
Well tonight was my first attempt at making a lighter, healthier dinner. I found several new recipes to try. The first, Papaya Chicken. I love chicken and I love papaya. It sounded good– in theory.
Papaya Chicken Recipe
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 papayas
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp salt
Peel and remove seeds of papayas; reserve 1 tsp of the papaya seeds. Slice one papaya lengthwise in 1/2-inch slices; reserve. Chop remaining papaya and place in blender, add orange juice, mustard and reserved papaya seeds. Blend until seeds are finely chopped, about 1 minute.
Place nonstick frypan on medium high temperature and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Add chicken and cook, turning, about 10 minutes or until brown. Pour lemon juice over chicken and sprinkle with salt. Spoon blended papaya over chicken, reduce heat to low, cover and cook about 25 minutes, turning and spooning with sauce after 15 minutes.
Add reserved papaya slices and cook 5 minutes more, covered. Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes.
I found this recipe here http://www.free-gourmet-recipes.com/lacichick23.shtml .
First I had to figure out how to peel a papaya. Easy, actually. I used a veggie peeler. It worked great. It was easy to prepare this entree and not that labor intensive. The dish smelled great, then when was it was almost done cooking I tasted the sauce. It was so sour. Way too much lemon juice. So probably undoing all the healthy attributes, I added four tablespoons of brown sugar. Much better. However, I think it still had too much lemon juice in it. The lemon overpowered the papaya, which was the flavor I like and wanted to taste. It wasn’t horrible. We ate it, but it wasn’t the great meal I imagined it to be. Oh, well. One good thing, it was easy to resist a second helping.
I went to the OBGYN Friday for an annual check up, and talked to him about how we want to start trying for another baby soon. (Grandparents, don’t get too excited.) He told me that everything was fine, but that I should really consider loosing 10 pounds first. The last 10 pounds I never lost after my son was born.
I was dieting and exercising already, and actually during the previous year lost the first 10 pounds of left over baby weight. I wasn’t exactly skinny before I got pregnant, and I do worry that I’ll just keep gaining weight with each baby (not that I plan on having that many more) and never loose it. Honestly, I’m more concerned about my health (there is some history of heart disease in my family) than my physical appearance. While it’s nice to be thin and be able to wear anything, I’m pretty O.K. with my body image. I certainly don’t ever want to be one those girls whose so skinny you can see their backbone through their clothes.
So why am I telling you all of this? Well, I don’t want to wait another year to start trying to get pregnant. I’m no spring chicken anymore after all, and don’t want to waste precious time on the biological clock. The doctor and everyone thing I read tells me I can safely loose 2 pounds a week. If I try really hard, I can reach my goal of 10 pounds in 5 weeks. I’m hoping by writing all this on my blog, I’ll feel accountable to everyone who reads this and stick with the program.
I’ve been exercising about 25 minutes, five days a week. I’m going to up that to 50 minutes five days a week, and 25 minutes on Saturday and Sunday. My eating habits are what I really need to change. I’m going to try and cut out snacking between meals, eat smaller portions and cook lighter, healthier dinners. All this good Mid-western comfort food that my family likes goes right to the hips.
You’re encouragement, prayers and advice would all be welcomed. Have any diet, exercize tips or healthy recipe ideas? Leave a comment and share them.
