Turkey/Beef Minestrone

This ended up making a lower calorie/lower protein serving than I had expected. I thinned it down with another 8 cups of beef broth when it was made (as it really was pretty thick). Next time I might divide it first, adding the beef broth, if needed, when reheating. I find big pots of soup hard to divide, so I usually just do it by weight. This made 33 x 12oz servings.

1-3/4 lbs lean ground beef
2 lbs ground turkey
4 medium onions, chopped (14.7oz)
2 cups celery, chopped (10.3oz)
2 cups carrots, chopped (9oz)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 28oz cans chopped tomatoes
2 19oz cans kidney beans
2 14oz cans baked beans
16-24oz beef stock and/or broth (24 used)
6-8 cups shredded cabbage (24oz)
6oz mixed small pasta

Brown beef and turkey in large stock pot, adding a little stock if needed. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook until softened. Add in garlic, tomatoes, kidney beans and at least half of the stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering for 60 minutes.

Turn heat up. Bring back to a boil and add baked beans, cabbage, pasta, and more stock. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for another 30 minutes, until pasta is cooked.

Total calories: 6485 (32% protein, 34% carbs, 6% fiber, 28% fat)

per 12oz serving: 197 cals (16g protein, 20g carbs, 4g fiber, 6g fat)

Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

This is an old favourite that I haven't made in a while. For my current plan it's a little low in protein, but not too bad. It makes up for it by being low in calories. I also think it would be a really nice appetizer, although I've never served it as such. The baby bella mushrooms are simply small portabella mushrooms, usually 6 to 8 in a 1-lb package. It works nicer with bigger mushrooms, but this is what Costco sells (better quality and price than the local grocery store). I've got into the habit of putting weights into recipes, so I'm adding them in brackets at the end of each line.

16-oz package baby bella mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped (3.5oz)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped (2.5oz)
120g can of crabmeat, drained (little over 4oz)
2oz grated cheese blend (~100 cals/oz)
1 Tb bread crumbs
2 Tb parmesan cheese
2 Tb oil

Clean mushrooms, removing stems and most of the gills. Chop stems and reserve for filling.

Preheat oven to 400F. Place mushrooms (gill side up) on lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with some of the oil and seasonings of choice. Sometimes it's salt, pepper and garlic powder. Tonight I used a touch of chili powder with pepper and salt. Bake for 20 mins and remove from oven. Set aside.

While mushrooms are cooking heat remaining oil in a skillet. Add in onions, celery and mushrooms and cook over high heat until onion is softened and slightly browned. Add in garlic and remove from heat. Let mixture cool slightly and mix in breadcrumbs, crabmeat, and grated cheese. I'll generally use whatever blend is handy, but tonight's choice was a Nacho blend (and why I used the chili powder).

Place mushrooms into an oven safe dish and top with filling, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake until cheeses are melted (~15-20 mins, depends on how much you cooled the filling).

Total calories: 754 (49g protein, 39g carbs, 10g fiber, 47g fat)

Serves 2 as a main dish

Per serving: 377 calories (25g protein, 19g carbs, 5g fiber, 24g fat

It is a little skewed to higher fat, which is from the cheese. You could easily cut it back, however, it's really quite nice. And the overall calories are pretty low. I tend to serve this with a side of veggies as well. That makes it a pretty filling, still lower calorie meal.

Eye of Round Roast

The original recipe for this was for a 3-lb roast. You were to do 7 mins/pound for the first stage, and then turn the oven off. I read some of the comments on the site it came from, and made some adjustments to the seasonings. I would think that with a smaller roast you would have to go back closer to the original recipe. I didn't trim the small amount of fat until the meat was cooked (as the entry I used from my calorie counting program didn't have a 0 fat entry anyway).

1 eye of round roast (7-lbs used)
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 500F. Season the roast on all sides with the salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Place on a rack in a roasting pan, with a little liquid beneath it. Do not cover. Put roast in oven and reduce temperature to 475F. Cook at this temperature for 5-mins per pound (7 if a smaller roast). Reduce temperature to 200F and continue cooking for approximately 3 hours. Check internal temperature of the roast, cooking until 145F (this is medium rare).

Trim any remaining fat and wrap roast in aluminum foil and let cool. Putting it in the fridge overnight will make it easier to slice. Slice as thinly as possible, as thick pieces will be tougher. A 7 pound roast yielded just over 5 pounds of cooked beef. The pictured roast was about 143F when I took it out of the oven. The second time I went to 146F, which sliced up slightly better.

Cals: 1oz cooked - 53cals (19 fat, 34 protein)

Orange Pork

I wasn't sure that this was going to have a lot of taste, but served with the orange slices on top it was really quite nice. The recipe below is for two servings and cooked for 6 hours on low and came out perfectly. I used sirloin chops that had been trimmed of excess fat. If making a larger amount you might need to increase the cooking time.

1 Tb butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tb white wine
2 Tb orange juice
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp tabasco sauce (used generic hot sauce)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 pound pork chops (recipe called for boneless center-cut)
1 navel orange, sliced

Melt butter in a dish or measuring cup. And remaining ingredients except the pork and the orange. Put the pork into the crockpot. Cover with orange slices and pour other ingredients over. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Just before serving, pour liquid out of crockpot, skim fat off (there really wasn't much) and thicken with a cornstarch solution. I did this in a glass dish in the microwave. I counted 1 tsp of cornstarch in the macro but didn't use it all. Serve pork chops with orange slices and sauce on top.


Calories (sauce/orange) per serving: 132 cals, 6g fat, 16g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g protein, 1g alcohol

Calories (pork) per serving: 322 cals, 13g fat, 48g protein

Note: I usually save the sauce ingredients in my calorie counter separately, then weigh the specific amount of pork used. ie. tonight it was just under a pound of meat.

Turkey Spaetzle Soup

Well, considering I've never made spaetzle before, the soup turned out fairly well. Normally I wouldn't recommend messing with a recipe that you've never made, but hey, why not? The recipe I found online for soy flour spaetzle was so far off though it almost turned into a disaster. The recipe called for 1 cup soy flour (which weighs ~4oz), 2 eggs, and 1 cup of milk. Once I worked in the eggs I knew there was no way that it needed a cup of flour, so I only added 1/2 cup. This was a mistake as probably 1/4-1/3 cup would have done. Anyway, I just added more soy flour and adjusted the recipe accordingly. The same with the veggies. I started with a head of celery and adjusted the onions and carrots to match. I estimated 24 cups of stock as I used homemade, quite concentrated stock. I added water to thin it down. I did not add salt as I had put some in the stock originally. You may wish to adjust the seasonings to taste.

24 cups turkey stock (start with 18 and add more if needed)
26 oz roasted turkey (again, this is what I had)
17 oz chopped onions
17 oz chopped celery
17 oz chopped carrots
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tb chopped garlic
2 Tb dried basil
1 Tb dried rosemary
2 tsp black pepper
3 bay leaves

Bring above ingredients to a fast, rolling boil. Boil gently for 30 mins. Add:

3 pkgs edamame shelled (750 cals, 60g protein, 23g fat, 60g carbs, 30g fiber)

Mix together spaetzle ingredients:

6 oz soy flour (defatted used)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup 2% milk (skim would do)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

This is where I'm completely guessing. I think it should be a medium to firm dough. I used a metal cheese grater to get the strands into the soup. Bring the soup back to a rolling boil. You kind of rub it and press it through at the same time. Here's a close-up of what they look like:



Cook for a few minutes longer. That's the best I can say. If you look at the above picture they float on top, although later they blended in more with the soup. You could probably chose to leave them out. I added them to boost the protein level, but I had enough pieces of turkey that it really didn't matter. However, they are an alternative to noodles (and 50% protein to boot).

Calories (total): 4715 cals (511g protein, 144g fat, 309g carbs, 97g fiber)

I divided it into portions by weight (12oz) to freeze. I ended up with 26 portions from the above. It's approximately 12 fl oz as well (ie. a decent sized portion).

Calories (12oz): 182 cals (20g protein, 6g fat, 12g carbs, 4g fiber)

Pork Smothered in Onions

This turned out fairly well. It's a nice comfort meal with a little prep the night before. Then drop the whole thing in the crock pot in the morning. The original recipe is for four servings, but I cut it back to two servings. So I cut the cooking time down by an hour. The macros at the end are divided into sauce calories and pork (as I usually separate them then add in the raw meat amount). I did cut back a little from the original amount of oil (it was double).

1/2 Tb butter
1/2 Tb oil
8oz onions, sliced into rounds
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 fl oz golden sherry (used dry)
~1 lb pork cutlets (used trimmed sirloin chops)
1 oz shredded swiss, gruyere or romano cheese (used 90 cal blend with mozzarella/provolone/cheddar)

In a pan, over medium heat, warm the butter and olive oil. Add the onions, salt, pepper and thyme. Saute until onions are wilted and slightly brown. Turn off the heat and add the sherry to the skillet.

(You can simply go on to the next step or put the onions in the fridge overnight.)

Place the pork in the crockpot and top each one with half of the onion mixture. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. (If you double the recipe you might want to do the full 8 hours.) A few minutes before serving divide the cheese between the chops and let melt.

Sauce Calories (per serving): 160 cals (10g fat, 10g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g protein, 2g alcohol)
Pork Calories (8oz chop): 322 cals (13g fat, 48g protein)
(used - Pork, fresh, loin, sirloin (chops or roasts), bone-in, separable lean only, raw)

Total for above (per serving): 482 cals (23g fat, 10g carbs, 2g fiber, 53g protein, 2g alcohol)

I served this with a side of mixed veggies which added another 60 calories for a nice easy, no fuss meal.

Protein Pancakes

Okay, I'm posting this one with a kind of warning label. They make look like pancakes but they aren't even close to pancakes. They're a little dry and without the thinned down jam would likely be hard to eat. However, they are a great filling, high-protein breakfast choice. Especially when you don't want another shake! I gave the calorie count for the protein powder used as different ones will make a difference in the protein content. It's a brand called ISO XP, which has a very high protein content.

30g oatmeal (whizzed in blender to a flour-like consistency)
20g protein powder (76 cals, 95%P,2%F,3%C)
1/2 tsp baking powder (~2g)
63g egg whites (~1/4 cup or two egg whites)
28g frozen blueberries

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix in egg whites, then blueberries. If you use frozen blueberries you likely won't need to add water. If you use fresh fruit (or no fruit) you may need to thin it slightly.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook as you would pancakes, turning when bubbles are breaking and top is starting to dry. Serve with topping of choice. I take 1Tb of whatever homemade jam is around and thin it down with water, warming in microwave.

Serves 1: 238cals (30g protein, 2g fat, 25g carbs, 4g fiber)
(Yes, 49% protein)

Note: adding that you should check out the waffle recipe - maybe not as much protein, but tastier!

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup

I'm never sure about sharing soup recipes. For me, they are really just a starting point. I would guess that this original soup recipe looked completely different. However, this is how it was made today. I ended up with 21 servings of ~1.5 cups each (I weighed them out and they were actually 12oz each). I did add some meat in from the homemade frozen stock, but I've left it out of the calculations here. I've added weights after anything that I double-checked by weight. That was what I used when calculating the calories/macros. This is meant to be a 'meal in a bowl' type soup. You could lower the fat by using more turkey, or a leaner ground beef. I specifically wanted to use up some ground beef that was in the freezer though.

2 lbs lean ground beef (85%)
2 lbs lean ground turkey
2 cups onion, chopped (11oz)
2 cups celery, chopped (10.7oz)
1 cup carrots, chopped (5oz)
22.5 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 can tomato paste (5.5oz size)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup pearl barley (7.5oz)
1 cup instant potato flakes (2oz)
2 bay leaves
3 tsp basil flakes
2 tsp thyme flakes
1 tsp ground pepper
20 cups beef broth and/or stock

Brown beef, turkey, and vegetables in large stockpot. You may need to add some stock to stop it from sticking. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 60-75 mins, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. (I don't normally have to as the stock had salt and so do commercial beef broths usually.) Add more broth if a thinner consistency is desired.

Entire recipe: 5059 cals (432g protein, 207g fat, 362g carbs, 66g fiber)

1/20th: 253 cals (22g protein, 10g fat, 18g carbs, 3g fiber)

Salsa (for canning)

This is the recipe I use for canning salsa. It's not a good fresh salsa recipe. It works best if opened (and refrigerated) the day before serving. I jar them into pint sealers (~20oz jars). The size of the diced tomatoes, onion, and pepper will determine how chunky the salsa is. As they are cooked very little, it's important to dice them fairly fine. The calorie counts are approximate (from notes about the yield) but should be close. I bought 1/2 bushel this year of tomatoes and I ended up with 5 batches, making 21 pints.

Base

6 cups charred tomato puree (see below)
1-1/2 cups white vinegar
1 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp chopped garlic
4 Tbsp hot sauce
2 Tbsp dried parsley (or cilantro)

Char the tomatoes (roma/plum type) over either a hot barbecue or under the broiler. Barbecue is much better, trust me. The outside should be brown, with black patches, the inside soft. Put charred tomatoes in a blender and puree until smooth. Once you have 6 cups, put into a large pot with the vinegar, salt, garlic, hot sauce, and parsley. Bring to boil and boil until reduced to approximately 3 cups. I usually take a ruler before I start and measure the pot where it should cook down to. The pot should be covered, and on firmly. If the pot is not covered you will have tomato puree plopping up the cupboards. When it gets to that stage, take it off the heat before uncovering and stirring and checking. (Trust me on this, I forgot and had some halfway up the cupboard beside the stove.)

By the way - DO NOT TASTE THIS MIXTURE - really. It's vile at this point. No matter that I tell people not to taste it, they will try. Really, it's not worth it.

3 cups tomatoes, peeled and diced

Add the diced tomatoes to the above mixture and bring to a boil. Turn off the sauce and taste it now for seasonings. You may need to add a little salt and perhaps more hot sauce at this point. I use a homemade hot sauce, so you may want to use less in the above stage and adjust it up at this point. If the salsa does not have a slightly smoky taste, you can add a tsp of liquid smoke. This usually means that the tomatoes weren't charred enough in the first stage.

2 cups finely chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped pepper

Add the onion and pepper last. It is important not to cook them if you're going to can the mixture. Pour into sterilized jars, add a dash of alum if desired and cover with boiled two-part lids. Process in boiling water batch for 5 mins, no more.

Yield: Approx. 4 pints

I usually make double lots which will get me 8-9 pint jars. 5 times this amount got 21 jars this year.

Calories (per cup): 99 (4g protein, 1g fat, 24g carbs, 5g fiber)

Calories (per Tbsp): 6 (2g carbs, all others showing 0)

Chocolate Zucchini Cake (with protein powder)

This is a protein rich version of the 'company' cake version I posted earlier. It ends up being made in a 9"x13" pan and it's really quite tasty. That, and it's chock full of protein. In fact it is 36% protein - not bad for chocolate cake.

1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 Tbsp oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 Tb vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
6 oz grated zucchini with peel

Melt butter and mix with oil to make 1Tb. Mix with rest of above ingredients in bowl.

5 oz soy flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
88g protein powder (64g protein, 8g fat, 8g carbs, 4g fiber)
20g fiber sure (fiber supplement - 18g fiber)
2 Tb wheat gluten

Sift dry ingredients together and stir into wet ingredients. Do not over mix. Spread into greased (non-stick spray) 9x13 pan and bake in preheated 350F oven for 35 mins until inserted wooden pick comes out clean.

Calories (entire cake): 1876 (171g protein, 38g fat, 228g carbs, 55g fiber)

so... 1/24 - 78 cals (7g protein, 2g fat, 10g carbs, 2g fiber)

Zucchini Bread

This is a remake of a higher calorie bread we make each year. Although I did not make them side by side, I really don't think there's much difference. This is something I would easily serve to someone without telling them it was lower cal! I make them in mini loaf pans (~3.5" x 5.5"), so I'm really not sure what the cooking time would be for a regular loaf pan. Oh yes, and the picture is of a couple of frozen slices. I forgot to take a picture of the bread when it was cooling.

3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tb vegetable oil
1/2 cup splenda brown sugar mix
1/2 cup skim milk (I use dry powder, reconstituted)
8 oz grated zucchini

Mix all the previous ingredients into a large bowl. This is now all your wet ingredients together. In another bowl mix your dry ingredients. They are:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz soy flour (defatted)
1 Tb gluten flour
1 Tb ground ginger
1 Tb ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Once dry ingredients are combined mix into wet ingredients. Do not over mix! Stir in:

4 oz dried cherries
4 oz chopped pecans

Divide into baking pans (I use 5) and bake in preheated 350F oven for 35 mins (or until tester comes out clean).

Notes: I've played with this a couple of times and I think this version worked quite well. The thing to watch for is batter consistency. The first time I tried it I could tell it was way too thick, but wasn't smart enough to thin it down. That's why there is now 1/2 cup skim milk in it. Oh, and just for fun, the original recipe had 4800 calories in it. There's a lot you could do to cut calories more in this (for example the cherries and pecans are 1152cals (10g protein, 83g fat, 109g carbs, 14g fiber). I chose to leave them in on purpose though.

Calories (total): 3321 (124g protein, 116g fat, 434g carbs, 45g fiber)

Calories (per oz, based on 48oz yield): 69 (3g protein, 2g fat, 9g carbs, 1g fiber)

Blueberry Bran Muffins

These turned out quite nice, although they do seem to stick a lot to the paper. I'd probably make them directly into the non-stick pans next time. I also ended up making them smaller than I had planned (getting 25 instead of the 18 I had planned). I'll give the per muffin calories (and full) at the end so you can adjust to how many you make. They ended up 29% protein, 28% fat, 34% carbs (leaving 9% fiber).

1 cup 2% cottage cheese
1 cup nonfat milk (made mine from powder)
1-1/2 cups red bran (75 grams)

Blend the cottage cheese and milk in blender until smooth. Stir into bowl with red bran and let sit for 30 mins.

2 eggs
1/2 Tb oil
2 Tb applesauce, unsweetened
1 tsp grated orange peel

Mix above ingredients into the bran. Then combine the following dry ingredients:

7/8 cup whole wheat flour (100 g)
75g soy flour
50g wheat gluten
50g brown sugar splenda
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Combine wet and dry ingredients, mixing lightly (do not smooth out batter). When combined mix in:

1-1/2 cup blueberries (frozen used)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds

Put into muffin tins and bake at 350F until tops spring back lightly when touched, or tester comes out clean. This took approximately 25 mins for the size I made.

Note: If you make larger muffins I might even turn the heat up slightly. I looked at a couple of other muffin recipes as the one I adapted this from said 350F for 15 mins. They weren't even close to ready and needed another 10 mins at 350F convection. Other recipes I have use 400F as the baking temp, however, with removing the fat you may not want to cook them that hot.

Calories each (25 made): 99 (7g protein, 3g fat, 11g carbs, 3g fiber)

Calories total: 2472 (180g protein, 80g fat, 265g carbs, 68g fiber)

Curry Sauce (with tomato)

I looked back at the original recipe (called Captain's Curry) and it's based on curries made in the American south (Charleston is mentioned). I only mention that because it doesn't have cumin in it, something I tend to associate with curries. The original recipe had 1 cup of coconut milk added in at the end. It's something I wouldn't add, and I see it's quite high in calories as well, but thought I'd mention it. I really just added the tomatoes and changed a bit of the spicing. Oh, and it was a crockpot recipe as well.

1 Tb oil
2 onions, finely chopped (8oz used)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tb curry powder (I use a med heat one we have) adding a touch of hot when reheating
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick piece (3" long)
1 bay leaf
20oz chicken stock
28oz can diced tomatoes
2 apples, peeled and diced (10oz granny smith used)

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring until softened and lightly browned. Add spices and continue to cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring for 1 min. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring until consistency desired. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Stir in apples, remove from heat.

Okay - lots of notes.

Unless you cook it a long time over a slow heat you'll get tomato chunks in the sauce. If I'm short of time I've used an immersion blender and smoothed it out a bit, but not completely smooth. I cooked it on a high heat, adding water when it got dry, and cooked it a bit more so I still had a slightly chunky sauce. (This last time I made it I doubled it and cooked it slowly so I didn't need to do this.)

I use granny smith apples since I was going to freeze it (they don't disappear like other apples, yet are tart, which I like). If serving it fresh you might be better off with something that breaks down a little, and you might need to cook it for a minute or two. (I forgot the damn apples but the sauce turned out quite nicely without them. I will likely chop up and add half an apple if I remember when I make it.)

When I'm making the dish I put chicken thighs into a dish, drop the sauce on top and bake it in the oven until ready. Then I'll pour the whole thing over the vegetable of the day (ie. whatever is handy). (Picture above was made that way.)

The original recipe called for the 1 cup coconut milk, no tomatoes, celery (not sure why I didn't use it, likely didn't have it). Serving suggestions were toasted sliced almonds, white rice, and mango chutney.

It makes enough for 6 x double servings. It might not go 12 single servings, not sure. The calories for the entire sauce is: 718 cals, 21g fat, 131g carbs, 25g fiber, 17g protein (so it adds ~60 cals to whatever amount of chicken you use).

The tomatoes I use are 159 of that total. The other ingredients are generic enough that it shouldn't matter.

Fruit & Nut Bars

I adapted this from a recipe on 3FC. These are almost too sweet for my tastes. I was concerned about baking with soy flour and ground flax seed, so I thought I should sweeten it a bit. However, with the tart dried cherries it was a nice balance. I think the next time I make it I would double the cherries and drop the apricots. Oh, and I used Dulce de Leche (sweet caramel milk) that we've had in the fridge since we came home from Argentina many years ago. You could substitute honey, sugar, etc. - or try it without if you're using sweeter dried fruit. The 42g I used was 131cals (7% protein, 16% fat, 77% carbs). It did add a nice caramel undertone that went well with the apple and cinnamon though.

1 cup rolled oats (112g)
1/2 cup dried, non-fat milk (46g)
1/2 cup soy flour, stirred (56g)
1 oz ground flax seed (28g)
2 tsp baking powder (14g) <--- the tsp was heaping, the g weight is accurate
1 tsp cinnamon (5g) <--- same
1 oz dried cherries (28g)
1 oz dried apricots, chopped (28g)
1 oz chopped pecans (28g)
1 oz raw sunflower seeds (28g)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (250g)
1-1/2 oz dulce de leche, warmed slightly (42g)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine dulce de leche and applesauce and mix in well. Spread into parchment paper lined 8x8 inch pan. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 25 mins until browned on edges and well set. (I think it could have gone a few more minutes, but I have a cold 350F oven.)

Remove from pan and cut into pieces. Store in fridge or freezer. I cut this into 8 pieces (2" x 4") which seems a decent size serving.

Calories per serving: 203 (10g protein, 7g fat, 27g carbs, 5g fiber)

Oat Scones

How I got roped into the idea, but it seems we're looking for filling breakfast items in the baked goods area. Since I'll be in school in the fall it's probably not a bad idea, so this is my first attempt. It's a recipe my mother makes with white flour and lots of butter. I know it seems silly to take out the fat and then put a slice of cheese on it... but, you know I was likely going to eat something with it anyway. For various reasons, most of the measurements are by weight. I really can't convert them (but everyone should have a good kitchen scale, right).

3 oz quick cooking rolled oats
3 oz whole wheat flour
1 oz vital wheat gluten
1/4 oz sugar
7 grams baking powder
dash of salt (less than 1 gram)

8 grams butter, salted
1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/6 cup skim milk (made mine from powder)
16 grams egg whites

Mix together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Melt butter in a dish or cup and mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just blended. Do not over mix.

Place mix on counter or board and roll/press into a 6x9" square. This sounds easier than you would think. Cut into 3"x3" pieces and then cut each square in half diagonally. This will give you 12 pieces.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper in preheated 410F (convection) or 425F for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove and cool on rack. When fresh these are slightly chewy. They'll keep for a couple of days fresh, but freeze well. My mother reheats them in a toaster oven on low heat while she's making coffee. They are crisper that way. If just left to thaw they will be back to the slightly chewy stage.

Calories (ea): 78 cals (5g protein, 1g fat, 12g carbs, 2g fiber)

Serving suggestions: jam (my mother), thin slice of cheese (myself)

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Oh my goodness, this turned out so well. This originally was meant to be a 9x13 cake, but I cut the recipe in half, lightened it up and made it in an 8x8 glass dish. So this piece pictured is 1/16 of the recipe. Oh, did I mention that it's only 106 calories and tastes fabulous? That's down from 181 calories that the original would have been. I will take a couple of pieces to a few of the neighbours and see if it's just me though. :)

1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/2 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup (less 1 Tb) unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/4 cup sour milk (or milk with 1/2 Tb vinegar)
1/2 tsp vanilla
5/8 cup sugar
1 cup grated zucchini with peel

Melt butter and mix with oil to make 1Tb. Put into measuring cup and make up difference with unsweetened applesauce (to 1/2 cup). Mix with rest of above ingredients in bowl.

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Sift dry ingredients together and stir into wet ingredients. Do not over mix. Spread into greased (non-stick spray) 8x8 or 9x9 pan and bake in preheated 350F oven for 30 - 35 mins until inserted wooden pick comes out clean. Turn oven off.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup chocolate chips over the cake and return to the oven for about one minute. Spread the melted chips over the surface.

Notes: The 1/4 cup of chocolate chips is a very thin layer. You could probably double that (which would be in line with the original recipe).

Calories (entire cake): 1653 (32g protein, 40g fat, 313g carbs, 14g fiber)

so... 1/12 - 141 cals
1/16 - 106 cals

Oh, and report #1 came back as very good, so it's not just me. I suspect you could cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup but that's only going to cut about 6 cals out of a 1/16th serving. I suspect I won't play with it anymore.

Rhubarb Marmalade

This turned out really well, and I'm so happy that using general jam calorie counts hasn't been wrong. There was no way to go back and estimate calories so I decided that I would just work out calories this year (and hope for the best).

2 pounds rhubarb, chopped
2 pounds sugar
2 large oranges (8oz size used)

Cut the rhubarb and layer in your pot the night before with the sugar. Peel the oranges, making sure you do not get any of the white pith. Chop the peel into small pieces. After removing the white pith of the oranges chop into small pieces. Combine peel and orange pulp with the rhubarb and sugar mixture. Bring to boil and boil rapidly until jam stage is reached. Pour into sterilized jars and seal with sterilized lids.

Yield: 5-1/2 cups

Notes: Today the boiling was 16 minutes and I got 5-1/2 cups. I've almost never had jams take exactly the same time, or make exactly the same amount, so it's just an approximation. If you haven't made jam before please read up on it first. You need to test the jam (I use a cold plate in the freezer) which can be tricky. I've been making jam at least 15 years, and my mother at least 50... and yet we're never really sure until it cools down that it's right. I added the peel the night before to the rhubarb sugar mixture, but I think this was a mistake (so I changed it in the instructions). The peel kind of disappeared into the jam. It might have been better to add the pulp then, but the peel only today.

Calories: (all) 3967 (14g protein, 2g fat, 1015g carbs, 35g fiber)

Sounds high, but works out to 45cals per Tb (FitDay counts generic jams at 56cals per Tb)

Herb Dressing I

I believe this is the one I used for the pasta salad. I make two different ones, but one uses cider vinegar and the other red wine. Of course, sometimes I'll just use what's handy (yikes). Same goes for the sugar. It's in my food logging program as sugar, but I'm pretty sure the last time I used splenda.

2 tsp dried parsley flakes
2 tsp sugar substitute (or 3 tsp sugar)
1-1/2 tsp ground mustard
1-1/2 tsp onion powder (I use onion flakes, smashed up)
1-1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup oil substitute

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Adjust tartness/sweetness if desired.

Oil Substitute - mix 1 cup of water with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Heat on the stove, stirring until thickened. Cool and use instead of oil in salad dressings. I tend to make 2 cups at once and put it in the fridge until needed.

Calories: (with sugar) 135cals (3g protein, 2g fat, 30g carbs, 2g fiber) ~8 cals per Tb

Calories: (with splenda) 90 cals (3g protein, 2g fat, 18g carbs, 2g fiber) ~ 6 cals per Tb

Pasta Salad

So, I've been seeing these commercials for pasta salads recently. No, I didn't go out and buy any, however, I had a first attempt at one today. To be fair it's really more of a veggie salad with a little pasta in it. It was really good though. I did learn a couple of things.

1. I like most vegetables raw, but not so fond of broccoli raw
2. Chick peas are tasty, but not sure they're worth the calories
3. I need to find a protein source I like cold (other than cheese)
4. I should label my homemade dressings (think I used the one I'd planned)
5. I really don't need a lot of pasta to enjoy it (1oz whole wheat used)

This time I used:

1 oz whole wheat penne (100)
2 oz celery (9)
2 oz carrots (24)
2 oz broccoli (16)
2.5 oz tomato (15)
1 oz green pepper (8)
1/2 oz onion (5)
1/4 can (19oz) chick peas, rinsed (184)
1 turkey bite sausage (50)
3 Tb homemade herb dressing (26)

Cook pasta al dente, and drain. While pasta is cooking chop the veggies and mix with chick peas and salad dressing. Toss pasta in and serve.

I put the individual calories in just for information. As I said, I'm not sure if I would add the chick peas (although I really do like them, so I probably will). I'll look out and enter the herb dressing recipe as well, but you could substitute any vinaigrette. The only thing about the homemade one is that it's oil free, so lower cal.

As pictured (big portion): 437cals (25g protein, 7g fat, 76g carbs, 17g fiber)
Without chick peas: 254cals (14g protein, 5g fat, 44g carbs, 8g fiber)
Without turkey sausage: 204cals (8g protein, 2g fat, 43g carbs, 8g fiber)

Spicy Sausage Sauce

So this is something I worked on yesterday (the sauce). I'm thinking it's pretty much where I want it to be. The only thing I might change next time is to boost the sausage to get a higher percentage of protein. I was making something else with wine, and thought about adding some, but I'm not sure it needs it. It divided up into 9 portions (approx 8oz by weight). They were probably also close to 1 cup in volume as well.

1 tbsp oil
16 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 oz onions, sliced
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp basil leaves, dried
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 x 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp ketchup
1 lb hot italian turkey sausage, removed from casing

Heat oil in sauce pot and start browning the onions and mushrooms. Use the beef stock (adding slowly) when the mixture starts to stick. Once browned add in the seasonings and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and boil rapidly until sauce thickens and tomatoes break up a little. Add the rest of the stock, ketchup, and water if needed. Once mixture is at desired consistency take sausage and drop into sauce in small pieces. Continue cooking until sausage is heated through. Serve with pasta of your choice.

Makes: 9 servings

Calories: 173 (12g protein, 8g fat, 15g carbs)

Notes: The sausage was actually a 500g package (454g = 1lb) with total calories of 840 (78g protein, 54g fat, 6g carbs). You could also cook it longer and slower and not need to add the ketchup at all. I'd boiled it quite fast, so there wasn't that nice caramelized sweet taste, so I cheated and added the ketchup. From start to finish (including chopping) it was well under an hour. Usually I'll cook sauce slower (hours), but just didn't have the time. You do need to add the sausage at the end as the tomatoes will take some of the heat out of the sausage. I make up for this by adding hot pepper flakes, although now that I'm thinking about it this would be better done after the freezing point.

Oh, the picture was one serving of sauce, 1.5 oz of rotini (pasta plus), 2Tb parmesan, and 6oz of green beans roasted. Total for plate - 453 cals.

BBQ Pork

I'm not sure that this one is a recipe, or more of an idea. However, it was simple to make, and quite tasty. So I suppose in the end that's all that counts. Making it again I'd like add a few hot pepper flakes to give the dish a little more heat though. I had two chicken breasts in the freezer so I added them in. You could make it a bigger portion (for the same calories) by mixing the two meats.

4-1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed
10 oz boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 cup barbecue sauce (Bullseye used)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp dehydrated onion flakes
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
3 tsp hot sauce

Place pork in crock pot, reserve chicken. Mix all other ingredients and pour over top. Cook for 5 hours on low then add chicken. Stir mixture and continue to cook for another 5 hours. Separate meat and liquid, putting the liquid into a pot. Cook down until mixture is reduced by half and pour back over meat. When cooled divide into portions and freeze.

Makes 18 servings

Calories: 216 (26g protein, 9g fat, 7g carbs)

Eye of Round Roast

This is a crock pot recipe which is going to vary depending on how big a roast you use. This was made from almost exactly 6lbs (2 roasts), divided into 20 portions of ~2.7oz of meat with 3Tb of reduced gravy. I'll give nutrition information at the end. It really is a two day recipe, as the roast is too soft to slice well when removing from the crock pot.

6 lbs eye of the round (2 roasts), well trimmed
1 Tb oil
12 oz onions, sliced
15 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Tb chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp pepper
4 cups beef broth/stock
1 cup dry red wine

Using the 1Tb of oil, soften the onions and mushrooms in a pot. Place in the bottom of the crock pot and place the roasts on top. Don't worry if there's almost no room left, the roasts will get smaller as they cook. Add the beef stock and red wine to the pot used for the vegetables along with the garlic, bay leaves, and pepper. Boil the liquid until reduced by half. (Careful, this can boil over easily.) Pour liquid over the roasts and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Lift roasts out, wrap in foil and cool in fridge overnight.

In batches, using a blender, puree the liquid left in the crock pot until relatively smooth. Put into a pot and cook down until volume is reduced to approximately 4 cups. (This amount will give you 3Tb x 20 portions with a little room for error.) Cool overnight with the roasts. The next day measure out portions desired and place in baggies with 3Tb of gravy. Tie baggies closed and freeze until needed.

The above made 20 servings (this will depend on size of roasts and portions).

Calories: 214 (31g protein, 8g fat, 3g carbs, 1g fiber)

Notes: Recipe made with roast weighing 2.71kg (5.96lbs). I always measure vegetables, so you need not use the exact oz from the recipe. This was just what I used. Obviously you will need to recalculate the nutrition information based on changes. Although the vegetables and wine are not needed, they add a richness to the gravy, which I like. I reheat on the lowest setting on the microwave until hot.

Turkey Meatloaf with Salsa

Okay, I'm cheating slightly as this has a side of roasted veggies, but a picture of the meatloaf on it's own would be pretty boring. The ground meat came in grams, but roughly 450g = 1lb.

1350 g lean ground turkey (3lbs)
450 g lean ground pork (1 lb)
2 eggs (extra large used)
3 Tb chili powder
1 Tb cumin seeds
1 Tb chopped garlic
1/2 cup salsa (homemade one used)

Mix all ingredients and divide into servings (it was just over 5oz of mix). Press into 1-cup custard cups and bake covered in 350F oven for 45 mins. You could likely put 1/2 servings into muffin tins (adjust cooking time down) and have each serving be two mini loaves. Let cool completely. Tip mixture into baggie for freezing. I thaw these overnight, put 2Tb salsa on top and reheat in the microwave.

Makes 14 servings.

Calories (each, without extra salsa) - 211 (27g protein, 11g fat, 3g carbs, 1g fiber)

Note: the homemade salsa is an estimated calorie item, based on the recipe from the last time made and canned. 1/2 cup is 63 cals (3g protein, 0g fat, 15g carbs, 3g fiber)

Possible adjustments: This was meant to be a lunch item. It could be changed up slightly for a dinner dish. I'd like add some chopped onion and maybe even a can of drained corn kernels with some oatmeal flakes as a binder.

Pizza Shells (mini)

The picture here is of the left-over dough, which is about half of a real shell. It is, however, the nicest 147-cal pizza I've had in a while. Really - shell(67), ham(20), mustard(8), cheese (52).

Oh, did I mention that plate it's on is just about 7" side to side...

Into the bread machine (in order) goes:

1 cup water
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/4 cups white flour
2 tsp wheat gluten
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp italian seasonings
2-1/2 tsp yeast

Set on dough cycle. Again, I usually let it rise in a bowl even for the first rise, but that's up to you. After the first rise (~1 hour) punch down dough in bowl. Measuring out 2-oz of dough for each shell, roll out on floured surface. I've counted on another 1/2 cup of flour being needed for rolling out. I measured it out, but didn't quite finish using it. Bake each shell about 5-7 mins at 425F. This is just to firm the shell, not to cook it until brown. Let cool (here I freeze them).

To finish off - put toppings on and bake at 375-400F for ~15 mins until shell is nice and brown and toppings are heated through/cheese melted.

Makes: 12-1/2 (the 1/2 pictured above)

Each shell:
134 cals (4g protein, 23g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g fat)

Entire recipe (meant to be 2 whole pizza shells):
1677 cals (55g protein, 287g carbs, 24g fiber, 32g fat)

Added:

I made a version recently with 2 cups whole wheat flour and ~1 cup (4oz by weight) of soy flour. It was a slow riser (perhaps needed a touch more water), but made much tastier version with different macros.

Entire recipe:
1643 cals (109g protein, 219g carbs, 44g fiber, 33g fat)

Cracked Wheat Oatmeal Bread

This could be a little darker. I baked it at 340F convection (350F reg), but I think next time I'll bump up the temperature a little for a nicer look. This is started in the bread machine, but finished in the oven. I generally only let the bread machine do the kneading. I often do the first rise out of it as well. If my mixer was better I'd likely skip the bread machine all together. I have made this completely with wheat flour, but it does bake up nicer if you use some white flour. One warning, I always slice and freeze the bread, so I'm not sure how it would do untoasted.

1 cup cracked wheat
1-1/3 cup warm water

Let the cracked wheat soak in the water for an hour. I usually just start the soaking in the machine. After soaking add (in order):

1-1/2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tbsp wheat gluten
2 tsp yeast

Put on dough cycle. This will make a 2 pound loaf (just in case you're going to finish it in the machine). After the mixing is done, remove and dump into a lightly greased bowl (no stick spray works well) and cover (wax paper and a towel). Leave in warm spot to rise for about an hour.

Sprinkle work surface with 2 tbsp of flour and punch down dough. Divide into 2 loaves and place in appropriate baking pans. Cover and let rise again for 30-40 mins. Bake in 350F (maybe 375 better, but not sure yet) for 35-40 mins until ready. If you haven't made bread before, you lift one loaf out, slide it out of the pan and thump it lightly on the bottom. It should sound slightly hollow. Oh, and obviously, if you bake it at the higher temp it will need less time. :)

Two loaves were just about 2 pounds. I counted them at 30 ounces so I'm over-estimating the calories slightly (but I'm good with that).

1 loaf:
1000 calories (37g protein, 182g carbs, 22g fiber, 16g fat)

I weigh my slices though, by the ounce. They end up somewhere around an ounce, depending on how well I slice it.

1 ounce:
67 calories (2g protein, 12g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g fat)

White Chili with Cauliflower

For some reason I'm in a crockpot mood. It's sometimes a little tricky making a dinner for just two people, but this one can be halved quite nicely. I do that when making this, leaving half the beans and green chilis in the fridge until the second time I make the dish (maybe two days later). The original recipe called for 4-oz of cream cheese, which I cut out, and since I didn't have jalapenos (1-2 in orig) I used a homemade canned hot sauce (which is pretty much jalapenos, a few other hot peppers, vinegar and horseradish).

1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, minced (hot sauce used - 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp cumin seed
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 can, 19-oz white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups vegetable stock (used chicken)
3 cups cauliflower flowrets (pre-cook for 4 mins - oops, I didn't do this)
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 cups monteray jack cheese, shredded (I used a bagged cheese blend, only 4-oz)
4oz cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, optional
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped mild green chilies, optional
finely chopped green onions, optional
finely chopped cilantro, optional

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic, jalapeno peppers, and seasonings. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to slow cooker stoneware. Add beans and stock and stir to combine.

Cover and cook on Low (8-10 hours) or on High (4 to 5 hours), until hot and bubbling.

Stir in cauliflower, green pepper, monteray jack cheese, and cream cheese and chilis, if using. Cover and cook on High for 25 to 20 minutes, until green peppers are softened and cauliflower is heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

(If you prefer a thicker chili, mash some or all of the beans before adding.)

Okay, as typing it up I realised why my cauliflower needs closer to 45 mins to cook. But it's quite good cooked in the crockpot. Information (based on 4 servings) with only the chilis added for the optional ingredients, based on 4-oz of cheese (6 is probably closer to 2 cups).

Calories: 360 (23 g protein, 15g fat, 39g carbs)

When I put the cauliflower in I also put in smoked sausages as well (for more protein!), just kind of pushing them down into the chili. I'm really not insane marking this vegetarian. It was a vegetarian meal, but my mother is one of those 'it's really good, but a piece of sausage would make it better'. Since I've been trying to keep my protein levels over 30% I've done so by adding sausages at the end, but it's a lovely dish without meat.

Basic Biscotti

I make these quite a bit and have them most nights with some fruit salad. I know, it's odd, most people dip biscotti in coffee and/or tea, but I don't use either. I'm going to go see if I can take a picture of the jar the remaining few are in. The one thing I should point out is that since I wrote this recipe out I've changed the egg substitute for 3 large eggs. It does add 89 calories to each batch, but the overall quality of biscotti is so much better. And if you're cutting them into 60 pieces as I am, 1.5 cals isn't a big deal. You can use eggs substitute for those that have stopped using whole eggs. The ones pictured are the cinnamon ones and the lemon ginger (with cocoa). They are also smaller, cut into the 60+ pieces.

2 1/4 cups flour (1024)
or, 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder for chocolate base (910+48)
2 tsp baking powder (10)
dash of salt

Mix above ingredients together (dry).

egg substitute, for 3 eggs (135)
3/4 cup sugar (581)

Whisk together egg substitute and sugar until smooth (wet).

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until it forms a soft ball of dough. Dust a work surface with a little flour. Divide into 2 or 3 balls and shape into long logs, about 1/2 to 3/4" high. The original recipe calls for a single log 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. Once it's out of the oven you are supposed to slice them 1/4" thin. I have never been able to get the slices that thin, so I usually make 2 or three logs about 15" long and about 2" wide. Today I did three, and managed to slice each into just over 20 pieces. So you can see I can only slice them about 3/4" wide. If you can slice them thinner, then the original recipe would work.

Bake in preheated 350F oven for 30 mins (do not shorten the time for smaller logs). They should be firm to the touch when taking out. Cool on a wire rack for 15-30 mins.

Using a serated knife, slice the loaves diagonally into 1/4" slices (if you can, hooray). Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for an additional 12 to 14 mins. Remove from over and cool completely a second time on a wire rack.

Since I slice mine thicker the 12-14 mins leaves them slightly soft in the middle. In fact, I haven't quite figured out how much longer they need to go in. Today I did another 8 mins at 325, but they were almost cool by that time. It sounds complicated, but once you know how long you need it's really quite simple. The worst that can happen is that they soften on standing. If they don't soften they should keep for more than a month in an airtight tin (I use canning jars). If they soften you can either eat them as is, or simply put them into a 325F oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp up. I gave calorie counts for each ingredient so you can change it around as you wish. Also, the cherry calories come from one I found online that has a small amount of sugar and oil (which my home-dried ones don't have, but are more likely what you would use if you buy them).

Note: There is probably another tablespoon or two of flour used to dust the work surface (or if dough is really really sticky), but 2 Tbsp flour adds 57 calories to the batch. I've added in the 2Tb of flour, assuming that you will need it.

Everything else are changes to original bases (dry & wet).

Chocolate Cherry Almond (use flour/cocoa in dry)
Add to dry - 1/4 tsp cinnamon (2), 1 cup unblanched whole almonds (815), 1 cup dried cherries (415)
Add to wet - 1 tsp vanilla extract (12)

Calories (for 48) - 64 cals, 2g fat, 11g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g protein
Calories (batch) - 3077 cals, 94g fat, 505g carbs, 34g fiber, 80g protein

Cinnamon (use flour only in dry)
Add to dry - 2 tsp cinnamon (12)
Add to wet - 2 tsp vanilla (24)

Calories (for 48) - 40 cals, 0g fat, 8g carbs, 1g protein
Calories (batch) - 1921 cals, 18g fat, 383g carbs, 11g fiber, 50g protein

Lemon Ginger (use flour only in dry)
Add to dry - 1 tsp lemon zest (1), 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (1oz - 104)
Add to wet - 1 tbsp lemon juice (4)

Calories (for 48) - 42 cals, 0g fat, 9g carbs, 1g protein
Calories (batch) - 2003 cals, 18g fat, 410g carbs, 9g fiber, 50g protein

Roasted Veggies

My favourite selection for these is carrots, brussels sprouts, cauliflower during the first step, and then throwing whole green beens on at the end. I will take a better picture later, but for now I've got an old one (with broccoli which I really don't like roasted).

Preheat oven to 450F.

Select veggies you're going to use and prepare them by cleaning and/or trimming them as needed. I've used (lately) cauliflower, baby carrots, brussels sprouts - these all need the longest. I've also done eggplant and red onion - the onion though should wait about 10 mins before adding. Green beans are great, but add them about 10 mins later. Guide - cauliflower, brussels sprouts, carrots, eggplant (30-40mins), onions (20-30mins), green beans (10-15mins).

Take a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil (easy clean-up) and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Place vegetables on the foil and spray again lightly with non-stick spray (about 3 secs total - 30 cals for my spray). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, basil, and chopped garlic. Roast for amount of time noted above, adding and mixing in other vegetables as desired. When finished they should have some browned areas, the beans will shrivel a little. Remove from the oven and bring the four corners of the foil up slightly. Toss in a Tbsp of balsamic vinegar and shake lightly to coat.

I used to use about 8 - 10oz of raw mixed vegetables for a nice big side serving. You can roast larger amounts and save some (nice cold), but if you're doing that add the balsamic vinegar only when serving. That picture above is an early start which I just checked, ws 2oz of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and green beans. Your calorie count will depend on what you use and how much oil/spray you use. The above though was under 120 cals (with 30 cals being spray).

Baked Chicken with Tomato/Wine Sauce

1 tbsp oil
6 oz chopped onion
6 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp italian seasonings
4 oz dry red wine
28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp ketchup

Brown onion and mushrooms in oil, adding garlic once almost done. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over very high heat until sauce is very dry. If you want the tomatoes a little more cooked down, add a little water the first time it dries out and keep cooking. It should make no more than 2 cups.

To serve, I brown a boneless chicken breast in a non-stick pan (dust with salt, pepper, and oregano or basil first). Top with 1/3 cup of sauce and bake for 30-40 mins at 350F. Top with a little grated cheese and broil until melted. I personally don't like this cold, but my mother does.

For entire sauce: 519 cals (15g fat, 73g carbs, 14g protein, 11g alcohol)

For 1/6 of sauce: 87 cals (2g fat, 12g carbs, 2g protein, 2 g alcohol)

So an entree made with 1/6 sauce, 6oz chicken breast, 1/2 ounce grated cheese: 303 cals (10g fat, 12g carbs, 41g protein, 2g alcohol)

I serve this with 2 cups of broccoli on the side. I've made it for dinner parties using slightly more sauce, and cooking it on a small bed of cooked pasta.

(Picture added - 8oz chicken breasts, before cheese put on top.)

Roasted Tomato Pasta

This is one of those dishes that can be completely changed around to suit your mood, what you have on hand, and who else you're feeding. If I was making it for just myself I'd make it almost the way I do here, without the sausage. My mother is fine with vegetarian meals... as long as you add a little meat to it.

2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
1 medium onion
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried hot chilies (adjust down if you want)

Cut the tomatoes in half. Cut the onion in half and then thin slices, top to bottom. Mix all together in a large bowl. Preheat oven to 400F and line a tray with a double layer of aluminum foil (not necessary, but makes it easy to clean up). Bake for 45 mins and toss over pasta.

That above is 389 calories and should be at least two servings (you could probably stretch to 3). If you want to use less pasta (note, I have not mentioned how much, since that's up to you), change the recipe.

2 cups cauliflower, broken into small pieces (no larger than the 1/2 tomatoes)
2 cups snow peas, cut in half
2 chicken/turkey sausages (I buy them at Costco, 130cals ea), cut in quarter, then sliced

The cauliflower goes in at the start, with the tomatoes and onion. The snow peas and the sausages go in about 15-20 minutes before you're done. You can pretty much add what you want, just watch the cooking time of each veg. Mushrooms and eggplant will discolour the other vegetables, so if you want to use them, save a little oil and put on another sheet.

With those additions, we're up to 781 calories (without pasta). I add 3 oz of pasta to bring it up to a total of 1091 calories. This makes 2 very large servings. Adding another ounce of pasta I would say easily could serve 3 people. I also add a little parmesan cheese before serving. So at 2 Tbsp that's another 25 calories each.

I can't give an overall calorie count, as you see there are so many things you can change to suit your tastes. The picture just shows the roasted veggies (tomatoes, onion, beans, zucchini) without the meat or pasta.

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

The calorie count for this will vary, depending on the size of the pork tenderloin. I've worked it out separately here, showing the sauce calories and the pork calories at the bottom of the recipe. A 15-oz tenderloin served two people today, with a large side of vegetables. If you added a starch it should serve three. The sauce can easily be made while the pork is roasting.

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1 pork tenderloin (approx 1 pound)

Combine above ingredients in a plastic bag, or shallow dish. Cover, or seal, and chill for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight).

1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Remove pork from marinade (keep marinade) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in preheated oven and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes (150F on meat thermometer if you have one). Let sit a couple of minutes before slicing

1 tsp oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp butter

Soften onion in the oil in a small pot. Add in reserved marinade and chicken broth. Bring to boil, then simmer until reduced slightly. You might want to add a little more pepper (to taste). Add the tsp of butter at the end. Pour over pork to serve.

------

Sauce (total): 175 calories, 9g fat, 19g carbs, 2g protein
Pork (by oz): 34 calories, 1g fat, 6g protein

Spicy Meatloaf

This is meant to be a cajun meatloaf, but finding andouille sausage here is tough, so it's become a spicy meatloaf using Italian sausage. I think it was a combination of meatloaf recipes that I adjusted to suit me. I always divide and freeze this before baking, so I'm not sure how it would work as a full loaf. For a dinner for 2 - when reheating, I chop potatoes and onions and put them in a 9x13 glass dish and dust them with a little salt, pepper, and non-stick spray. I'll cook these for about 30 minutes at 400F, stir the veg, then add two meatloaves (in pyrex custard cups) upside down - so the loaves are still covered, but the onions and potatoes aren't. Turn the heat back to 350, cook for 30 minutes. Carefully lift the custard cups off and return to the oven for 15 minutes. You can brush the loaves with a touch of ketchup to glaze if you want. I serve this with a big pile of broccoli.


1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cups chopped green pepper
3/4 cups chicken broth

Drop the onion, green pepper, and chicken broth into a large pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until mixture is quite dry. Cool completely before finishing the recipe.

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 pound hot italian sausage
100 ml egg substitute (2 eggs)
1 cup oat flakes
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp roasted red pepper mix (we buy it dry, you could probably skip this)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp dried cumin
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Mix beef and sausage together first, then add the rest of the ingredients, including the pepper and onion mixture. Divide into 8 portions and freeze (I use sandwich bags). Using a scale, the last day, this was just over 7 ounces each, although depending on how dry you've made the onions/peppers this will vary.

Lift out of the freezer the morning you're going to cook them and leave in the fridge. Form into loaves (well, round mounds) and bake at 350F, covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for 15. This is really quite a hot recipe, you may want to adjust. If you cook the onions and potatoes around it they will also pick up the heat from the juices.

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1 (of 8) servings: 369 calories, 23g fat, 16g carbs, 24g protein
Note: this does not include onions and potatoes.

Basic Meat Sauce

This worked out to approximately 18 cups. It was divided into 9 double portions. I cook it in two large non-stick pots and then combine it at the end. It works out to 336 calories per serving. I've used it for baked pasta dishes (it can be stretched out this way), over spaghetti (a higher cal meal for most), or over spaghetti squash (actually very good). It can be made in smaller portions, just watch the oil. When making smaller batches you might be better off dumping the onions in with the beef when browning.

4 lbs lean ground beef
8 cans (28oz) diced tomatoes
6 medium onions
1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, sliced/chopped
8 Tbsp tomato ketchup
16 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp oil
Italian seasonings (4 Tbsp to start, then to taste)
salt
pepper

Put 1 Tbsp oil in each of two large non-stick pots. Divide onions and mushrooms between pots, add a small amount of salt and pepper, then brown over medium heat. (In fact, from this point, just assume that you're dividing every ingredient.) Turn up heat and add garlic and ground beef, stirring until beef is cooked. Put in canned tomatoes, ketchup, and a couple of Tbsp of italian seasonings and bring to a boil. Lower heat so you get a low simmer. (If I'm around and able to stir frequently I'll use maybe 4, but if I'm doing other things I'll pick Low and stir ever half hour.) When you're getting close to the consistency you want taste seasonings and add more italian seasonings if desired.

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This is something I probably simmer for 6 or 8 hours, on low, only stirring every hour to start with, and every 30 minutes towards the end. Let them cool down, combine the pots and divide up. If you want a more precise calorie count, the entire dish has 6040 calories (using lean ground beef with 15% fat). You could then measure how many cups you end up with and go from there. Note: I made a half recipe of this after writing it out, and it ended up with 13 cups, so you can see it really does depend how long you cook it.

Sometimes I add hot pepper flakes, although you lose a lot of the heat when freezing, so it's better to add it in when reheating. Seasonings can be refreshed when reheating from frozen as well.

1 (of 18) servings: 336 calories, 17g fat, 24g carbs, 23g protein

French Dressing (Red)

I've been playing around with low-cal homemade dressings, and I really like this one. It probably didn't hurt that I had 6 or 7 cans of condensed tomato soup to use up. I use an oil substitute (water and cornstarch) which usually means you have to cut back on the hot ingredients. I've already done this here, but you may wish to leave the black pepper and horseradish out to start with. I use sugar substitute as well (usually less than the sugar mentioned). It makes a good 2 cups. The original recipe called for double, but it makes too much for just me. You can freeze the 1/2 can of tomato soup and use it for the second batch.

1/2 tsp paprika
4-6 Tbsp splenda sweetener
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp prepared horseradish
2 tsp dried onion flakes, ground up slightly
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup oil substitute
1/2 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Oil Substitute - mix 1 cup of water with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Heat on the stove, stirring until thickened. Cool and use instead of oil in salad dressings. I tend to make 2 cups at once and put it in the fridge until needed.

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until well mixed. Pour into a jar. Refrigerate until needed. You can skip the blending stage, however, sometimes the soup separates slightly. No matter which method, shake well before using.

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As you can see, I rarely make an original recipe as written. In the above, with 6 Tbsp of splenda, with dried onion, the recipe makes about 2 cups. I usually count an eighth (30 cals) as a serving, although I get at least 12 out of it.

Complete recipe - 230 calories, 4g fat, 38g carbs, 4g protein

2 Tbsp is approximately 15 calories

Intro

I don't think I've ever made a recipe without changing it. I may add a little something, not put something in, or take 3 or 4 different recipes and mix them up a little. As I'm working to lose weight I've started collecting a number of recipes. Sometimes I don't write down what I've put in, so I'm stuck looking at the FitDay software hoping I've written enough down to remind me how to make it.

I freeze most meals ahead of time (big batch cooking) so it might be three months before I get back to making it again. This is a problem. So, until I find a better way of keeping trace of recipes, I thought I'd blog them. I can use labels to sort them into categories to start with and see how that goes.

I freeze double portions of most of what I make. I use old plastic frozen food dishes (the round ones) that hold at least two cups. I think most of these came from old oriental chicken dinners I bought at Costco. When they're frozen, I pop them out into small freezer sandwich bags, marking on them with a marker, and using a twist tie to shut them. They stack nicely in the freezer, and we have a couple of round casserole dishes for defrosting and/or cooking. I tend to take them out of the freezer the night before and put them in the fridge.

That's actually an old picture of my freezer to the side. You can see the pre-made meal on the lower shelf, all nice and stacked up. I'm moving a little away from that at the moment, but there will likely always be meat sauce, chili, tomato/wine sauce, and curry sauce in the freezer. In the winter it's likely they'll be joined by beef stew (no potato) and chicken and sausage gumbo.