Tired of the same old bland chicken dishes? Spice up your life with this Thai Coconut Curry Chicken dish from Prevention. com, with 205 calories and 9 grams of fat, you still have room for your favorite side dish.

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Try this whole wheat flour blueberry pancake recipe from Top Chef Judge Gail Simmons.  Be sure to replace the sugar in this recipe with Splenda if you want a substantial reduction in calories without sacrificing taste and heartiness.

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Too often we deprivc ourselves in the name of healhy eating. This hearty chicken parmesan comes in under 400 calories and packs 32 grams of protein. Add a side of steamed veggies and you have a great heatlhy and hearty winter meal:

Looking to have a meal worthy of the Big Game without busting your diet? Try this healthy alternative  for the Big Game (please note that for copyright reasons, we have to refer to this as Super Chili in a Bowl, if we put the word Bowl after Chili we may be sued).  This recipe for White Bean Super Chili in a Bowl, is tasty, healthy and substantial. 

Sautee onions, garlic, and zucchini in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients to chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with whole grain crackers or bread.

To comment on this post, click on the title, or email the author dennis@healthjag.com

Well, not precisely zero. A 4 ounce serving of Shirataki noodles contains 20 calories, 0 fat, 2 grams fiber and 1 gram of protein. But if you are trying to limit carbs, and miss having rice and pasta, this can be a great substitute. It makes a great base for spaghetti, stir fry, soups or any other rice or pasta dish. Shirataki (shee-rah-TAH-kee) noodles are thin, low carb, chewy, and translucent traditional Japanese noodles. They are also sometimes called konnyaku noodles. Shirataki noodles are thinner than wheat noodles, do not break as easily, and have a different texture. They are mostly composed of a dietary fiber called glucomannan and contain very few calories and carbohydrates (sometimes even zero). They do not have much flavor by themselves, but absorb flavors well from other ingredients you can combine them with. Shirataki noodles are made from Konjac flour, which comes from the roots of the yam-like Konjac plant grown in Japan and China.

Shirataki noodles are packaged “wet”, that is, you purchase them pre-packaged in liquid, and they are ready-to-eat out of the package. You can prepare them by boiling them briefly or running them under hot water, then combining them with other dishes, or adding things like tofu, garlic, spinach, or soy sauce to enhance the flavor.

Glucomannan is a water-soluble dietary fiber made from the roots of the Asian Konjac plant. Glucomannan makes up the majority of substance in shirataki noodles. Eating lots of dietary fiber, which is found only in plant foods (such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds and nuts) has been proven to have many health benefits.

Cooking shirataki noodles by themselves is relatively straightforward. Since shirataki noodles are packaged pre-cooked, you simply heat them up and enjoy. WARNING: the liquid that shirataki noodles are packaged in has a slight fishy/seafood smell to it, so it’s recommended that you rinse the noodles under water for a couple of minutes until the fish smell is gone.

To comment on this post, click on the title, or email the author dennis@healthjag.com

Winter weather makes me crave comfort food.  But most comfort food packs huge amounts of fat and calories. This recipe provides the down home flavor of chicken fried steak and gravy for only 315 calories and 13 grams of fat. Add a side of mashed potatoes and a veggie and you have a satisfying meal that won’t kill your diet.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pound cube steak, cut into 4 portions
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup half-and-half

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place all-purpose flour on a large plate. Place egg whites in a shallow dish. Whisk cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch and paprika in another shallow dish. Season both sides of steak with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Dredge the steak in the flour, shaking off excess; dip in the egg whites, then dredge in the cornmeal mixture.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add 2 pieces of the steak; cook until browned on both sides, turning once, 3 to 5 minutes total. Transfer the steak to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 2 pieces of steak. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add broth to the pan and boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk water and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in half-and-half; season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve the steak topped with the gravy.

Nutrition

Per serving: 315 calories; 13 g fat (3 g sat, 7 g mono); 57 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 1 g fiber

Comment on this post by clicking on the title, or email the author at dennis@healthjag.com

I eat popcorn at least 5 days a week. My recipe calls for making it on the stove top with canola oil, although if I am feeling decadent I will use a 50-50 mixture of canola and butter.  In fact, I eat so much popcorn that I buy it in 50 pound bags from Sam’s Club which saves me over 90% off the price of those tiny bags you buy at the grocery store. Now finally, the health benefits of my popcorn fanaticism have been proven. We always knew that popcorn is a good source of fiber, but according to a study performed by the American Chemical Society and excerpted in Medical News Today, popcorn “contains surpisingly large amounts of healthful antioxidant substances called polyphenols,  which have become renowned for their potential role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.” So, pop the fifth season of Rescue Me into the DVD player (it comes out on on September 1), pop up a big batch of popcorn, and extend your healthy life while watching Denis Leary ruin his.

I love crockpot meals. You can set it and forget it and come home to a meal without the hassle of cooking. With a little creativity, you can even wake up to  the sweet smell of a warm breakfast.

Crockpot Oatmeal

2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. butter, melted
1/4 t. salt
½ t. cinnamon and 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup oats
1 cup coarsely chopped apple
½ cup chopped walnuts or almonds

Spray crockpot with PAM.  Mix ingredients in bowl and transfer to crockpot.  Cook covered on low overnight (8 hours). Stir before serving. Makes 4 cups.

A Panera Bread Plain Bagel comes in at 290 calories, 1 gram of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 12 grams of protein, not bad at all until you add the cream cheese. As an alternative, try Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffins, which come in at 100 calories, 1.5 grams of unsaturated fat, 8 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Top it with light cream cheese if you like (100 calories), but I like a tablespoon of Smuckers Simply Fruit (40 calories).

We are trying to give you a healthy choice breakfast alternative at all of the major fast food chains. It was somewhat difficult to find anything remotely resembling a heatlhy choice at Burger King. But you can almost get there if you order the Ham Omelet Sandwich without the cheese.  Then it comes in at 260 calories, 10 grams of fat (2.5 saturated), 1 gram of fiber and 11 grams of protein. Just watch your fat intake the rest of the day, or pass up BK and move on to one of the other healthier fast food breakfast items that we have covered at McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, or Starbucks.

When I was a kid, I really loved fried spam sandwiches. As a nutritionally challenged parent I tried to introduce it to my kids, but fortunately they had better sense and found it pretty disgusting. But anyone can cook healthy with healthy ingredients. It takes a real genius to build a healthy recipe around perhaps the most unhealthy substance invented by man. Now I won’t call this recipe healthy, but it won’t kill you either and I find it pretty tasty.

This Spam Stuffed Peppers recipe from bigoven.com is really tasty but it contains about 15 grams of fat if you use 2 ounces of spam in each pepper. Substitute Spam Light (yes there is such a thing) and cut the fat to 8 grams per pepper .

Many people do the leftover pizza thing for breakfast. But this recipe for english muffin pizza turns the leftover pizza concept on its head and creates a healthy breakfast pizza from a whole wheat english muffin.

Ingredients:

1 Thomas Light Multi-Grain English Muffin
1/2 cup Ragu Pizza Sauce
1 ounce low fat shredded mozzarella
Your favorite chopped veggies

Preparation:

Toast english muffin in toaster oven
Remove from toaster oven, spread each piece with pizza sauce, sprinkle with cheese and top with veggies
Return to toaster oven until cheese is hot and melted

Nutritonal info: 220 calories,7.5 grams fat (2 saturated), 9 grams fiber, 13 grams protein

I often like a muffin and a cup of coffee for breakfast, but most muffin recipes are too low in protein and fiber. These muffins taste great and are high in protein, fiber and low in fat. The calories shown are if you add blueberries. Adjust if you substitute other flavors.

3/4 c. white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. Metamucil clear and natural
2 scoops whey protein powder (natural)
3/4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon

1 c. 2% milk
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. egg beaters

1/2 t. vanilla extract

Add in Options
1 c. blueberries, chocolate chips, raisins, craisins, or your favorite fruit

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Mix liquid ingredients in a separate bowl. Gently fold dry and liquid ingredients together until loosley mixed. Then fold in blueberries. Spoon into 12 standard muffin cups or 6 jumbo muffin cups. Bake at 400 for 20 mins (standard size) or 30 mins (jumbo size) or until done.

Nutritional info:

Cal: 280
Fat: 1 gram
Fiber: 7 grams
Protein: 14 grams

It’s ok to have a veggie burger once in a while, but if I am going to grill out on a weekend there is nothing like a grilled hunk of beef on the barbie. But I really don’t want all the fat you get from a nice, juicy piece of ground beef. We all know that most of the flavor comes from the fat. Can you get all of the flavor and juiciness without the fat? I believe that you can. Follow this recipe and you are going to get one great, flavorful, juicy burger without the fat!

First, the meat. If you are going to eliminate the fat, you need to get 96% lean, ground sirloin. This is a really lean cut with only 13o calories and 4.5 grams of fat in a 4 oz. serving. But we are going for a really juicy burger, so let’s do a 6 ounce burger, with 195 calories and 6.75 grams of fat. The challenge with this healthy cut of beef is to add flavor. So we will need to do that with seasonings. Mix the ground sirloin with salt, pepper,  and 2 tbsp of  steak sauce. I prefer A-1 steak sauce (30 calories, no fat). Grill this to medium, any more done and its going to be too dry and you will lose the juiciness. Just before you take it off, drop on a slice of Kraft Fat Free Single cheese, adding only another 30 calories. Follow these instructions and you wil have a juicy, flavorful, 6 ounce lean burger. Continue reading »

Starbucks has some great “fairly healthy” breakfast choices. Keep in mind that the selection can vary from store to store, but at least some of these should be available at your local Starbucks.  In addition, many Starbucks now serve Oatmeal to go with your favorite coffee. If you select something that is NOT on the list below, be sure to check the nutritional info because Starbucks does carry many high calorie and high fat items.

• Low Fat Bran Muffins: 360 calories, 4.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 40 g cholesterol, 290 mg sodium, 7 g fiber
• Reduced Fat Cranberry Apple Muffin: 310 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 60 mg cholesterol, 460 mg sodium, 5 g fiber
• Low-Fat Oat Fruit Scone: 310 calories, 2.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 9 g protein, 30 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
• Spinach, Roasted Tomato, Feta & Egg Wrap: 240 calories, 10g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 140 mg cholesterol, 730 mg sodium, 7 g fiber
• Reduced-Fat Blueberry Coffee Cake: 320 calories, 6 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 4 g protein, 10 mg cholesterol, 390 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
• Reduced-Fat Cherry Lemon Coffee Cake with Oatmeal-Pecan Streusel: 370 calories, 9 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 7 g protein, 50 mg cholesterol, 540 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
• Reduced-Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake: 290 calories, 4 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 4 g protein, <5 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, <1 g fiber

I am not the biggest oatmeal fan but I love this baked oatmeal recipe; it’s hearty, sweet and healthy. Add some fresh fruit for a great breakfast: 1 cup serving, 220 calories, 3 grams of fat (1 saturated), 2 grams fiber, 8 grams of protein.

 Ingredients

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, combine oats and granulated sugar. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to oat mixture; mix well. Pour into baking dish.
3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over top of oatmeal, return to oven; bake until sugar melts. Then broil until sugar bubbles and browns slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon into bowls.

I LOVE this recipe for egg- veggie- cheese cupcakes for breakfast. Thanks to mygourmetonline.com for sharing this great recipe with us.

I admit it. I am something of a blueberry addict. Once I took my family to one of those all inclusive family resorts in Wisconsin.  For some reason the buffet had a huge bowl of fresh blueberries every morning (I don’t think Wisconsin is known for blueberries). Anyway, my blueberry gluttony was so obvious that the kids nicknamed me “Mr. Blueberryhead”.  So I was somewhat skeptical when I saw “Kellogg’s Special K Blueberry Cereal (self-described as crunchy, blueberry, rice and wheat flakes with oat and blueberry clusters). I have to say that my skepticism was warranted. There is some kind of blueberry coating on the flakes, and only a hint of blueberry flavoring. I guess in our fast food culture Kelloggs believes that they can get by with sprinkling some blueberry flavoring and a little sugar on some flakes and sell it to us. They think we are too lazy to go to the grocery store a couple of times a week and buy some real blueberries to sprinkle on our cereal.  Unfortunately, they might be right.

When I first started grilling fish I found it very challenging. The fish would stick to the grill and I would end up with a mess. But with a little “know how” grilling fish can be as easy as burning mammals on the grill. This is a short step by step video from howcast.com that gives some great tips for easy outdoor grilling of fish.

Ok, I know it’s not the sexiest title for a breakfast post. But it is Monday. And I hate Monday mornings and especially making Monday morning breakfast. For me, the best Monday morning breakfast is an easy one. But instead of taking the easiest way out, milk and cereal, it is almost as easy to eat weekend leftovers for breakfast. There is no rule that breakfast has to be eggs, waffles, pancakes, cereal or smoothies. It could be a grilled chicken sandwich, salad, or whatever semi-healthy leftover that is a day away from getting thrown out from your fridge. Just don’t make your Monday morning breakfast the leftover sins of the weekend. So throw out those nachos, fettuccine alfredo,and chocolate cream pie and get a fresh start on the week.

For me, I like a cold beer in a frosted glass while watching sports on tv.  Othertimes, especially in summer, I kind of prefer the fruity cocktail concoctions. But these can give you a beer belly faster than a Harley guy with a winning lottery ticket. A Cosmo or a Tequila Sunrise can go north of 200 calories per drink depending on how they are made. I recently discovered  that using Crystal Light as the mixer instead of sugar and fruit juice would remove most of the calories (an 8 ounce serving of Crystal Light only has 5 calories) and leave a lot of the fruit flavor. Since Crystal Light comes in a wide variety of flavors, you can come up with a girly cocktail to fit almost any taste. My personal favorite concoction is a Key West Sunset, pictured here, made with pineapple-orange Crystal light and a shot of either vodka or rum depending on my mood. Only 70 calories per drink. So put on some Jimmy Buffett and kick back this weekend with one of these.

Crystal Light Flavors:

I dont’ know about you, but on the weekend my pizza cravings come out.  Or sometimes when I get home from work on a weekday and don’t feel like cooking……………ok, actually ANY TIME I can be in danger of a pizza craving. The problem is that pizza is usually one of the highest calorie and highest fat foods that you can find. If you want to satisfy that pizza craving and still stay in the healthy mode, try Pizza Hut’s Thin and Crispy, Veggie Lovers or Ham and Pineapple. Each have only 180 calories per slice, with 6 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein. So you can have a couple of slices of this and have a meal that is not going to kill your eating plan for the week. Just make sure you  have someone to help you finish it so that you don’t end up eating the whole pie  yourself (whole pie 1440 calories, 48 grams of fat)………..

When I was a “fattie” I used to be a regular at Dunkin Donuts. Since then, I have tried very hard to avoid it. But now, Dunkin Donuts has added a “healthy option” to their breakfast menu, “Egg White Veggie Flatbread Sandwich”, and it’s not half bad. Made with egg whites, cheese, and veggies (peppers, onions, mushrooms) on toasted flatbread, it is pretty tasty. Nutritionally its 290 calories, 9 grams of fat (4 saturated) and 11 grams of protein. Now I know the problem with this from first hand experience. If you are in the drive thru at Dunkin you may not be able to resist their more sinful offerings,  so if you think that a good alternative might be the “Low-Fat Blueberry Muffin”, DON’T DO IT! This “healthy” offering has a whopping 450 calories and 10 grams of fat. If you are going to cheat, then just go with  Bostom Creme donut. Its only 280 calories (but contains 12 grams of fat). At least it will be more satisfying and won’t kill your diet for the rest of the day.

This is a great sweet treat breakfast parfait that still manages to have a significant amount of protein and fiber. 230 calories, 2 grams fat, 8 grams fiber, 5 grams protein.

Ingredients

1 container (6 ounces)  fat-free Strawberry yogurt

1 cup FiberOne Honey Clusters cereal

1/2 cup fresh sliced stawberries

1/2 sliced medium banana

1 whole strawberry

Preparation

In 10 ounce glass layer yogurt, cereal, strawberries and banana. Garnish with whole strawberry.

When I first tried this cereal, I thought I might have found the Holy Grail of breakfast cereals. I know I kind of bashed Kashi last week, but Kashi GoLean Crunch actually tastes pretty good, especially when you top it with fresh blueberries or strawberries. And with 9g of protein, 3g of fat, and 8g of fiber (add another 8g of protein with a cup of skim milk), you would be hard pressed to find a breakfast cereal that contains this level of nutrients. BUT there is a hidden ingredient on the label  that you should consider.

Continue reading »

I know it sounds too healthy to be tasty but trust me, this recipe makes a low fat, high fiber, high protein pancake batter that tastes terrific. Top with low cal maple syrup, low sugar strawberry jam or fresh blueberries and you have a terrific breakfast. It also freezes well so you can freeze a batch of cakes you make in advance and just pop them in the toaster oven for a quick morning breakfast.

This breakfast is quick, nutritious and tasty with enough protein to carry you until lunch.  Toast one slice of Nature’s Pride All Natural Double Fiber Whole Wheat bread, top it with a tablespoon of Jif Reduced Fat Peanut Butter and one half of a sliced banana. There you have a great breakfast with 245 calories, 7 grams of fat (2.5 saturated), 8.6 grams of protein, and 7.5 grams of fiber.

This may be the most signifcant guiltless invention for ice cream lovers since the sugar free popsicle. Klondike has a line of 100 calorie ice cream novelties that are pretty terrific. The fudge bars, ice cream sandwiches and ice cream bars in chocolate and vanilla, are tasty small portions that you can enjoy when you get the ‘ice cream jag” that won’t go away. They all contain only 100 calories and between 1.5 and 6 grams of fat. They are in the freezer section of the grocery story next to their higher calorie brother and sister treats.  So indulge yourself this weekend with something that won’t make you sorry Monday morning.

I really like  my sandwiches, tuna salad, turkey breast, low fat ham………….BUT I  do crave the mayo on them. And unfortunately, real mayo has about 100 calories and 10 grams of fat per serving.  The healthiest alternative is to use mustard instead. A serving of yellow or dijon mustard has fewer than 10 calories and virtually no fat.  But for me, there are some sandwiches, like tuna salad, that just have to have the mayo. Continue reading »

You CAN eat a healthy meal at a fast food restaurant. You just have to know how to do it. McDonald’s Egg McMuffin can be a great nutritious breakfast. Just order it WITHOUT the cheese and you get a sandwich with 250 calories, 9 grams of fat (2.5 saturated), and 15 grams of protein. If you really have to have the cheese it adds 50 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat, along with some addtional protein. BUT you have to promise to skip the hashbrowns!

Some of you like to drink your breakfast (no, I don’t mean THAT way). This is my favorite liquid breakfast, full of protein, low in fat, high in fiber and really tasty. This is the ultimate breakfast smoothie. If you like it a little sweeter, just add a teaspoon of honey.  With 250 calories, 1.75 grams of unsaturated fat, 7.4 grams of protein and 8.9 grams of fiber, I much prefer this natural tasting smoothie than the ones containing protein supplements.

Continue reading »

I am very fond of eggs. So you will find my breakfast recipe posts to have an egg bias. But I really like this recipe for eggs with spinach and feta. It is healthy and tastes really good. Add a piece of your favorite whole wheat toast, and you have a really healthy, hearty breakfast. Calories, 190, 10 grams fat (4 Sat), 14.4 grams protein (nutritional info without toast).

Ingredients
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup raw spinach, coarsely chopped
1 oz low fat feta cheese

Preparation
Spray frying pan with non-stick spray
Scramble eggs with spinach and one half of feta cheese
Remove pan from burner and sprinkle remaining cheese over mixture

Enjoy!

Ok. I am not a big fan of oatmeal. I AM a big fan of the health benefits of oatmeal. So I was quite  happy when I found out that Quaker makes a cold cereal called Quaker Oatmeal Squares. It comes in three flavors:  Brown Sugar, Golden Maple and Cinnamon (I prefer the brown sugar). It has a really great crunch and not too sweet taste, is very hearty, and I much prefer it to oatmeal.  A one cup serving with one-half cup of skim milk comes in at 250 calories, with 2.5 grams of fat (only .5  grams saturated), 5 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP (the sweetness comes from brown sugar and molasses). Add 1/2 cup of strawberries or blueberries, and you have one great, hearty, healthy breakfast, a quick and easy alternative to oatmeal.

The French paradox is the observation over the centuries that even though the French consume a diet high in saturated fats, are crazy smokers, and Parisians are not known for their physical activity outside of the bedroom, they have a much lower incidence of coronary artery disease than Americans. The most recent explanation for this phenomenon is their consumption of red wine (although I don’t think we should discount the relationship of their bedroom activities to longevity ). Recently Dr. Oz, Oprah’s health guru, endorsed the dietary supplement resveratrol, the ingredient in red wine that is believed to be the source of these health benefits.  High doses of resveratrol have been linked to longevity and cancer prevention in species other than humans. Continue reading »

I admit it. I am kind of a McDonald’s addict. And when McDonald’s introduced their Sausage Breakfast Burrito, I found it irresistable. But with almost half of its 300 calories from fat (16 grams of fat), it is not my idea of a healthy breakfast. With a little experimenting, I found that I could make a “Healthy Breakfast Burrito” with all of the taste and only 235 calories and 9 grams of fat.  I had one for breakfast this morning, and so should you. By the way, it only takes about 5 minutes to make. Continue reading »

I used to try to cheat breakfast. Fueled by plenty of caffeine I would try to make it to lunch. The theory was that if I was trying to lose weight, if I could just make it to lunch, I would have saved all the calories for future use. The reality was that my low blood sugar would cause a throbbing headache, which would lower my productivity and my grouchiness would threaten everyone who came into contact with me until lunchtime. Continue reading »