Food Cures (11 page)

Tofu Salad with Snow Peas, Almonds, and Mandarin Oranges

Orange Pepper Beef Stir-Fry with Cucumber Slices

Week Two (Starch Added)

Grilled Fish with Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato

Southwestern Meat Loaf with Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”

Sweet and Sour Tofu-Veggie Stir-Fry with Brown Rice

Turkey Tacos with Lettuce, Tomato, and Cheese

Chinese Takeout

Skinny Shepherd’s Pie

Turkey Chili with Cheese

SNACK OPTIONS

100 calories or less

• Best Vegetables:
  1 cup raw or cooked bell peppers (red, green, yellow), broccoli, broccoli raab, chile peppers, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, tomato, mushrooms, green beans, okra, carrots, lettuce and leafy greens (mustard greens, turnip greens, endive, or escarole), spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, watercress, asparagus, okra, artichokes, beets, cauliflower, or seaweed
  
• Best Fruits:
  1 apple, orange, pear, nectarine, tangerine, kiwi, or peach; 2 plums or clementines; ½ papaya, ½ mango, ½ banana, or ½ grapefruit; ¼ cantaloupe; 1 cup blueberries, boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries, cranberries, cherries, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, or honeydew; 4 apricots or prunes; 2 dates or figs; 20 whole strawberries; 2 tablespoons raisins
  
• 10 almonds
  
• 1 cup fat-free milk
  
• 1 diet hot cocoa (100 calories or less)
  
• 1 small skim café latte or cappuccino (decaffeinated, if caffeine makes you jittery or if you have PMS)
  
• 1 reduced-fat string cheese (or 1 ounce fat-free or reduced-fat cheese)
  
• ½ cup fat-free or 1% reduced-fat cottage cheese (with optional cinnamon)
  
• 1 hard-boiled egg (or 3 to 4 cooked egg whites)
  
• ½ cup natural, unsweetened applesauce
  
• 4 level tablespoons fat-free cream cheese (or 2 level tablespoons light cream cheese) with celery sticks
  
• 6 ounces fat-free, plain or flavored yogurt (100 calories or less)
  
• 1 level tablespoon peanut butter with celery sticks
  

100 to 200 calories

• 10 almonds plus 1 serving fruit (from fruit list)
  
• 10 almonds plus 1 reduced-fat string cheese (or 1 ounce fat-free or reduced-fat cheese)
  
• 2 rice cakes, each topped with sliced tomato and a small slice fat-free cheese
  
• 1 cup edamame (boiled soybeans in the pod)
  
• Whole nuts: 1 ounce (about ¼ cup) almonds, soy nuts, cashews, toasted pecans, walnuts, or peanuts
  
• ¼ cup pistachio nuts or sunflower seeds in the shell
  
• ½ cup 1% reduced-fat cottage cheese mixed with ½ cup berries (or 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed or wheat germ)
  
• 70-calorie whole wheat pita bread with 1 level tablespoon peanut butter (or 2 tablespoons hummus)
  
• 1 cup fat-free, plain or flavored yogurt (120 calories or less) mixed with 2 tablespoons wheat germ
  
• 1 cup baby carrots or pepper sticks with 2 heaping tablespoons hummus or guacamole
  
• 1 sliced apple with 1 level tablespoon peanut butter
  
• Frozen banana: Slice peeled banana into several ½′ wheels; place in a small plastic bag and freeze.
  
• Strawberry-Banana Fruit Smoothie: In a blender, mix 1 cup fat-free milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries, and ½ frozen banana.
  
• Vanilla Pumpkin Yogurt Pudding: Mix 1 cup vanilla fat-free, flavored yogurt with ½ cup canned 100% pure pumpkin puree.
  
• 1 baked apple with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar and cinnamon
  
• 1 Banana Almond Muffin
  
• 1 Berries and Jam Muffin
  
• 1 Carrot ‘n’ Oat Muffin
  

FUN FOODS (150 CALORIES OR LESS)

In addition to your healthy snack options, here’s a list of calorie-controlled fun foods. Pick one item from this list each day…or, know that they’re available and save for those occasional cravings. All items are 150 calories or less. If you have a personal favorite that’s not on my list, simply portion out 150 calories worth and enjoy. It’s very important that you always remember to count these calories towards your snacks.

• 1 ounce dark chocolate
  
• ½ cup fat-free pudding
  
• ½ cup low-fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet (150 calories or less)
  
• 1 low-fat ice cream pop (150 calories or less)
  
• 4 to 5 cups light popcorn (150 calories or less)
  
• 2 standard cookies (150 calories or less)
  
• 1 fun-size candy bar (150 calories or less)
  
• 100-calorie snack pack (any variety)
  
• 1 ounce baked chips
  
• 1 ounce vegetable chips
  
• 1 ounce pretzels
  
• 1 small bag soy crisps (150 calories or less)
  
• 10 strawberries with 2 heaping tablespoons reduced-fat whipped topping
  
• 1 glass wine (white or red)
  
• 1 bottle light beer
  
• 1 serving Warm Dark Chocolate Sauce with Fresh Fruit
  

SKINNY SHEPHERD’S PIE

When most people think of shepherd’s pie, they imagine splurging on a calorie-heavy meal in an English pub—with a favorite cold ale, of course! Now you can enjoy the delicious taste without any guilt—really. And if you need the cold ale—go for a light beer.

Makes 4 servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 6- to 8-cup ceramic or glass gratin dish with cooking spray.
   
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the turkey, and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the turkey is browned, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
   
3. Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, thyme, and paprika. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add the broth and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until the turkey is cooked through and a light sauce forms. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
   
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with the buttermilk or sour cream until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In a large metal bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on high speed until stiff but not lumpy, 4 to 6 minutes. They should cling firmly to the side of the bowl when tilted. With a spatula, gently fold the egg whites, one-third at a time, into the sweet-potato mixture, until all the egg whites are just incorporated and not deflated.
   
5. Spread the meat mixture into the prepared casserole dish, and top with the sweet-potato mixture. Sprinkle with the Cheddar or Swiss cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the potato topping is puffed and browned around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve immediately.
   

PER SERVING

403 calories, 41 g protein, 44 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 61 mg cholesterol, 368 mg sodium, 6 g fiber

SOUTHWESTERN TURKEY MEAT LOAF

My recipe has less than half the calories of traditional meat loaf. If you’d like to kick up the heat, add a few hits of hot sauce to the meat mixture or serve with super spicy salsa (like we do in my house). Thanks to the extra bonus of soluble fiber from added oatmeal and corn, your waistline and blood sugar BOTH benefit!

Makes 4 servings