Article By: Phillip Rhodes from weightwatchers.com
Sometimes you just don't feel like firing up the stove, which usually means takeout or cereal. Not with these recipes, though.
Here are five quick and hearty meals you can prepare without cooking.
Roast Beef Roll-Ups (Flex)
Makes 2 servingsPOINTS® value | 5 per serving
If you have a pepper grinder, use it. Bigger chunks of pepper add bite to these sandwiches.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp light cream cheese
2 7-inch whole wheat tortillas
6 oz deli-style roast beef
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup chopped Romaine lettuce
2 Tbsp mustard, horseradish-variety
Instructions
Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese down the center of each tortilla and top each with 3ounces of roast beef. Grind some fresh pepper over top. Place 1/2 cup of lettuce on each tortilla, drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of mustard and then roll tortillas up. Yields 1 roll-up per serving.
Eat with: Macho Gazpacho
Shrimp Salad (Core and Flex)
Makes 4 servingsPOINTS® value | 8 per serving
If you like it hot, leave out the seafood seasoning and use a teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead. Or if you like it hot and spicy, use both; spices add flavor without adding POINTS values.
Ingredients
32 medium fresh boiled or steamed shrimp (defrosted frozen shrimp also work fine)
1 cup canned corn, rinsed and drained, or frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 small plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium avocado, pitted and cubed
2 heaping tsp seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
1 medium head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup fat-free ranch dressing
Instructions
Combine shrimp, corn, beans, tomatoes, avocado and seafood seasoning in a large bowl; toss well to mix. Add lettuce to bowl. Toss to mix. Add dressing, and toss to mix again. Divide among 4 plates. Yields about 3 cups per serving.
Eat with: Toasted French bread (1 POINTS value per 3/4 oz slice) (Flex only)
Greek-style Pita Sandwiches (Flex)
Makes 2 servings POINTS® value | 5 per serving
Ingredients
1 large whole wheat pita
2 Tbsp hummus, plain, lemon or red pepper flavor
2 Tbsp plain low-fat yogurt, Greek-style recommended
6 oz deli-sliced turkey
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
Cut pita in half. Spread 1 tablespoon each of hummus and yogurt inside each pita half. Fill each half with 3 ounces of turkey, 1/4 cup each of cucumber and tomato, and 2 tablespoons of feta. Yields 1/2 stuffed pita per serving.
Eat with: 1 ounce (about 11) baked potato chips (2 POINTS values per serving)
Chunky Chicken Salad (Flex)
Makes 4 servings POINTS® value | 6 per serving
This chicken salad will keep well in the fridge for two days. Use any extra salad over a plate of lettuce or make an open-faced chicken-salad melt sandwich with one slice of light whole wheat toast and a 3/4-ounce slice of reduced-fat Swiss cheese (will add 2 POINTS values).
Ingredients
1/4 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
2 heaping Tbsp grainy mustard
1 medium clove garlic, crushed
2 1/2 cups cooked diced chicken breast
1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, sliced in half
3 Tbsp chopped pecans
2 medium scallions, sliced
Instructions
Combine mayonnaises, mustard and garlic in a small cup; mix well. Place chicken, grapes, pecans and scallions in a large bowl; add dressing and stir to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.
Eat with: A small whole wheat pita (1 POINTS values)
Macho Gazpacho (Core and Flex)
Makes 6 servings POINTS® value | 2 per serving
Have leftover vegetables? Your blender will transform them into a cool, refreshing soup.
Ingredients
29 oz canned diced tomatoes, no-salt added, 1/2 of juice reserved
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 English or seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
Pour tomato juice, oil and vinegar into a blender. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients and pulse until liquefied and well blended. (Note: Always start the blender with a little liquid in the bottom; that helps it process the chunkier vegetables.) If necessary, process the soup in two batches. Chill soup in refrigerator for an hour and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
Eat with: A simple mixed-greens salad with fat-free Italian dressing and a tablespoon of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese (1 POINTS value per tablespoon of cheese)
*Optional: Top each serving with 4 large fresh boiled or steamed shrimp (does not change POINTS values per serving)
About the Writer
Phillip Rhodes is the features editor of Cooking Light magazine and writes frequently for Men's Health.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Lose 10 Pounds in Six Weeks
By Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N. from Joy's Healthy Bite on yahoo health
Here are five simple food swaps that can help you lose more than 10 pounds in the next six weeks.
1. Stick to one serving of cereal. For most people, a typical pour of breakfast cereal is equal to two servings. If you're trying to lose weight, trim calories by accurately measuring one serving into your bowl (usually that means ¾ - 1 cup, however, cereal serving sizes vary so you must regularly check the package labeling on your favorite brands and varieties).
For those who eat a daily bowl of breakfast cereal, follow my lead, and you'll save about 150 calories by cutting back on cereal and at least 50 calories in extra milk every morning. That's 8,400 calories saved and 2.5 pounds lost at the end of six weeks!
2. Skip your late night snack. We all feel the need to munch in the evening, and although a p.m. snack can be perfectly appropriate (diet-friendly p.m. snacks should not exceed 150 calories), for many people, the evening tends to be the time of day we blow it on calorie overload - comfort food central; ice cream, cookies, potato chips, popcorn and more!
On average, people gobble down way more than 250 calories after 8 p.m. Exercise some willpower and skip your nighttime snack altogether. Sip an herbal tea, floss/brush your teeth and close down the kitchen for the evening. You'll save at least 250 calories each day and after six weeks, you'll have cut 10,500 calories and dropped three whole pounds!
3. Scratch the butter/margarine. Cut out a total of one tablespoon of regular butter or margarine from your toast, veggies, potatoes, dinner rolls, etc. each day. At 100 calories per tablespoon, you'll save 4,200 calories and drop over one pound in six weeks. What if you can't give up the butter or margarine? At least switch to a soft tub spread that says "reduced fat" and "trans-fat free" on the label - it's half the calories of the full fat versions, so you'll still drop over ½ pound.
4. Lose the mayo and cheese on your sandwich Omit the slice of cheese and mayonnaise on your sandwich (use mustard instead - only five calories per teaspoon) and you'll save about 200 calories per sandwich. If you eat a sandwich a day, you'll end up saving 8,400 calories and find yourself 2.5 pounds lighter after just six weeks.
5. Delete the extras: It's amazing how much extra food we can munch on without realizing it - a grab of this/that off our kid's plate, an extra packet of ketchup or salad dressing, a bite of your co-worker's dessert... before you know it, you've consumed an extra 800 calories!
Be super mindful and delete the "extras" and you'll be able to trim a significant amount of calories off your weekly total. Also, pay attention to your beverages (alcohol included) - as well as what's going into your coffee and tea. By trimming 1000 extra calories off each week (about 150 per day), you'll save a total of 6000 calories and drop 1.75 pounds at the end of six weeks!
Follow all five tips and you'll potentially lose more than 10 pounds at the end of six short weeks. Here's the math: 2.5 pounds + 3 pounds + 1 pound + 2.5 pounds + 1.75 pound = 10+ pounds lost!
Here are five simple food swaps that can help you lose more than 10 pounds in the next six weeks.
1. Stick to one serving of cereal. For most people, a typical pour of breakfast cereal is equal to two servings. If you're trying to lose weight, trim calories by accurately measuring one serving into your bowl (usually that means ¾ - 1 cup, however, cereal serving sizes vary so you must regularly check the package labeling on your favorite brands and varieties).
For those who eat a daily bowl of breakfast cereal, follow my lead, and you'll save about 150 calories by cutting back on cereal and at least 50 calories in extra milk every morning. That's 8,400 calories saved and 2.5 pounds lost at the end of six weeks!
2. Skip your late night snack. We all feel the need to munch in the evening, and although a p.m. snack can be perfectly appropriate (diet-friendly p.m. snacks should not exceed 150 calories), for many people, the evening tends to be the time of day we blow it on calorie overload - comfort food central; ice cream, cookies, potato chips, popcorn and more!
On average, people gobble down way more than 250 calories after 8 p.m. Exercise some willpower and skip your nighttime snack altogether. Sip an herbal tea, floss/brush your teeth and close down the kitchen for the evening. You'll save at least 250 calories each day and after six weeks, you'll have cut 10,500 calories and dropped three whole pounds!
3. Scratch the butter/margarine. Cut out a total of one tablespoon of regular butter or margarine from your toast, veggies, potatoes, dinner rolls, etc. each day. At 100 calories per tablespoon, you'll save 4,200 calories and drop over one pound in six weeks. What if you can't give up the butter or margarine? At least switch to a soft tub spread that says "reduced fat" and "trans-fat free" on the label - it's half the calories of the full fat versions, so you'll still drop over ½ pound.
4. Lose the mayo and cheese on your sandwich Omit the slice of cheese and mayonnaise on your sandwich (use mustard instead - only five calories per teaspoon) and you'll save about 200 calories per sandwich. If you eat a sandwich a day, you'll end up saving 8,400 calories and find yourself 2.5 pounds lighter after just six weeks.
5. Delete the extras: It's amazing how much extra food we can munch on without realizing it - a grab of this/that off our kid's plate, an extra packet of ketchup or salad dressing, a bite of your co-worker's dessert... before you know it, you've consumed an extra 800 calories!
Be super mindful and delete the "extras" and you'll be able to trim a significant amount of calories off your weekly total. Also, pay attention to your beverages (alcohol included) - as well as what's going into your coffee and tea. By trimming 1000 extra calories off each week (about 150 per day), you'll save a total of 6000 calories and drop 1.75 pounds at the end of six weeks!
Follow all five tips and you'll potentially lose more than 10 pounds at the end of six short weeks. Here's the math: 2.5 pounds + 3 pounds + 1 pound + 2.5 pounds + 1.75 pound = 10+ pounds lost!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
recipe makeover!
Here's an easy way to substitute good fats in avocado for bad fats in mayo and bacon, while keeping lots of flavor! I can vouch for its yumminess, I invented this for dinner last night. :)
Healthy BLT
8 slices Jennie O 95 % fat free Turkey Bacon (20 cals and 0.5 g fat per slice)
1 avocado
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices wheat cottage bread, toasted
1 large ripe tomato
16 iceberg lettuce leaves
Crisp bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Break each strip in half. Mash avocado, minced garlic, and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Spread avocado mix on each of the 8 slices of toasted bread. Top 4 of the slices with bacon, slices of tomato and lettuce. Top with ramaining 4 slices of bread. Cut each sandwich in half. Serves 4.
For an extra dose of healthy yumminess, I had these with Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale. Antioxidelicious!
Healthy BLT
8 slices Jennie O 95 % fat free Turkey Bacon (20 cals and 0.5 g fat per slice)
1 avocado
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 slices wheat cottage bread, toasted
1 large ripe tomato
16 iceberg lettuce leaves
Crisp bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Break each strip in half. Mash avocado, minced garlic, and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Spread avocado mix on each of the 8 slices of toasted bread. Top 4 of the slices with bacon, slices of tomato and lettuce. Top with ramaining 4 slices of bread. Cut each sandwich in half. Serves 4.
For an extra dose of healthy yumminess, I had these with Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale. Antioxidelicious!
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