I love to cook and I also love to eat! My husband can attest to the fact that I am a pretty good cook. Since changing our way of eating (notice I did NOT say "diet"), my hubby, Todd, has asked that I use my powers for good instead of evil. So.... no more fried pork chops, fried chicken, and fatty lasagna. I am seeking out lower calorie/fat recipes that still taste yummy.
To begin, a word about our meal plan. I track our calories and exercise at www.myfitnesspal.com I love the site! I have many wonderful supportive friends from MFP. We encourage each other on a daily basis. There are other websites set up to do the same thing. This just happens to be the one I have chosen to use. It is important to eat at least 1200 calories per day. Eating below this may send your body into "starvation mode", which will actually make you GAIN weight instead of lose it. Basically, your body thinks you are starving and decides to hold onto every calorie instead of burning them.
When I prepare meals, I always try to include a lean protein along with some carbohydrates (carbs). I do have a hard time getting breakfast sometimes. I've just never been big on breakfast. I am learning though. Lunch and Dinner are usually very similar. They both start with a salad. I make up a batch of salad every couple of days and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Every salad is a little different because I try to use a different mix of raw vegetables each time. I try to use different types of lettuce, combined with any raw vegetable that I like. Sugar snap peas are one of my favorites! While salad is very healthy and low in calories, the dressings that we put on top are often very fatty and high in calories. Reading the labels is the best way to find lower calorie dressings. I prefer the light or reduced calorie dressings over the fat free dressings due to taste preferences.
After the salad, our dinner plate consists of a lean meat that is baked or grilled. If I do skillet "fry" anything, I use a spray oil or 1 or 2 tbsp of olive oil in the pan. I do NOT deep fry anything! In addition to the lean meat (3-4 oz), I have a carb, usually winter squash, potatoes, noodles, or maybe stuffing. I try to limit the carbs to 1/2 cup. The final item on the plate is another vegetable. I try to always include 1 cup of cooked vegetables as a traditional serving is 1/2 cup cooked. Between the salad and cooked veggie (either fresh or frozen, both of which are lower in sodium than canned), you have 4 out of the recommended 5 servings at dinner alone. For lunch, I usually have the salad, a smaller portion of meat and carbs, and possibly leave out the cooked vegetable. So, think of a sandwich and salad, or soup and salad. A word of caution about soups though, they are LOADED with sodium!
In between meals, I usually have a morning, mid afternoon, and sometimes a bedtime snack (if my calorie limit has not been reached). Great snacks are fresh fruits and vegetables. Again, I try to stay away from canned because of the high sodium content. I also really like sugar free Jello and the new Sugar Free Jello Mousse snack cups.
Okay, on to some recipes!
Two wonderful websites that I use almost daily are Budget 101 and Lowfat Recipes - Cooking for Health . Budget 101 has a ton of recipes for mixes and many pre-packaged foods that you would normally buy from the store. The wonderful thing about making them yourself is that you can often save money, as well as calories AND sodium. Sodium plays a big part in weight loss because consuming large quantities of sodium can lead to water retention, and thus water weight gain. It is also important, in order to flush out excess sodium, it is extremely important to drink plenty of water. The common recommendation is at least 8-8oz glasses per day.
So, many of my recipes are adaptations of ones found on these websites, as well as others I've found on other websites and the many cookbooks I have in my collection.
In future posts, I will try to include at least one new recipe. So, stay tuned!
KimmieBear
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