Roasted Chicken

I am in love with this recipe. It is simple, affordable and very tasty. If you want a recipe where you are in the driver's seat and have control over what addatives are (or are NOT) in your food, give this one a try.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Yield: ~30 ounces or so (depending on the size of the chicken)

·         1 whole fryer chicken, giblets removed

·         2 tbsp. unsalted butter

·         2 tbsp. garlic, separated

·         1 onion, sliced

·         Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place chicken in an oven safe baking dish. Remove neck and giblets if applicable. Discard or save to make chicken stock.
2. Take 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Spread butter mixture over the outside of the chicken.
3. Take the sliced onion and 1 tbsp. garlic and place inside chicken cavity.
4. Roast chicken for 60 minutes at 400 degrees or until the minimum internal temperature is 165 degrees.
5. Serve with non-starchy vegetables (green beans, salad, etc) and fresh whole wheat bread.

Nutrition information per serving: 5 ounces of meat
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
304	14	5	515	0	0	0	41

Cost of recipe (not including sales)
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving	$1.03	$6.20
Side steamed beans	$0.39	$2.34
Side starch (bread)	$0.03	$0.18
Total	$1.45	$8.72

Original recipe from Good and Cheap: Eat well on $4/day.

Hearty Beef Stew

When the weather cools off, this is one of my favorite recipes to pull out. Warm and deeply satisfying, serve with a side of whole wheat bread.

Makes 6 servings

·         1 tbsp. olive oil

·         1 lb. cubed beef stew meat

·         1 cup cabernet sauvignon

·         4 cups water

·         ½ large potato, cubed

·         2 carrots, cubed

·         3 celery stocks, chopped

·         1 cup onion, chopped

·         3 tomatoes, diced

·         ½ bunch of kale

 

·        1 tbsp dried parsley

·         ¼ tsp black pepper

·        1 tsp dried rosemary

 

·     2 tbsp. Ultra gel

 

 

1.      Brown the stew meat in the olive oil. Once the beef is seared, add all other ingredients except the kale and simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender when tested with a fork. Remember, the heat from cooking evaporates out all the alcohol.

2.      Once vegetables are desired tenderness, add the kale and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

 

3.   Add 2 tbsp. of ultra-gel to give stew a thicker consistency if desired.

4.      Serve with warm whole wheat bread.

 

Nutrition information per serving: 2 cups of soup
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
243	8	3	1061	19	4	5	20

 

Cost of recipe (not including sales)
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Serving	$1.79	$10.72
1 slice bread	$0.03	$0.18
Total	$1.82	$10.90

 

Spaghetti- dietitian style

Pasta is delicious. I think this is universally accepted. And this is the reason it is so easy to overdo pasta. To keep portion size under control, use non-starchy vegetables to keep portion sizes filling while not filling up completely on pasta and sauce.

Consider: 1 cup of pasta, 1 cup of pasta sauce over a big bed of 1) lettuce, 2) cooked zucchini, 3) Spaghetti squash.

Even if any of these options seems a bit strange, give it a shot. Your taste buds and your waist line (not to mention your blood sugar) will thank you.

Makes 8 servings (1 cup pasta and 1 cup sauce)

·         1 lb. mild Italian turkey sausage

·         1 cup onion, chopped

·         1 tbsp. minced garlic

·         2 cans of tomato sauce

·         1 can of tomato paste

·         1 cup water

·         2 tbsp. brown sugar

·         1 tbsp. oregano

·         1 tbsp. parsley

·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper

·         1 tsp garlic salt (to taste)

·         16 oz dry whole wheat pasta

1.      Brown sausage in a pot, draining fat once cooked through. Add onion and garlic and brown for 1-2 minutes.

2.      Add tomato sauce, paste, water, sugar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Serve with 1 cup whole wheat pasta over lettuce, spaghetti squash or cooked zucchini.

   **To improve cost effectiveness, immediately freeze half of this recipe and serve in the future. Will freeze well for up to 3 months.**

Nutrition information per serving:
	Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
1 cup sauce and 1 cup cooked pasta	352	6	2	854	50	6	11	22

 

 

Cost of recipe (not including sales) – Costco, Walmart
	Per serving	Entire Recipe
Pasta sauce	$0.96	$7.70
Pasta	$0.12	$0.96
Green beans (1 cup)	$0.39	$3.12
Total	$1.47	$11.78

 

 

 

Meal Replacement Smoothie

New research in the September publication of Cell Metabolism, and summarized on Health Day, shows that Americans are snacking all day long and eating the majority of calories after 6 pm, when they are likely winding down for the day and physical activity gives way to rest/sleep.

As a dietitian, this makes me cringe. Extra calories your body does not use (because you are about to go to sleep and your resting metabolic rate is typically lower than the rest of the day) will be converted to stored fat. Boo. Source. Source.

With this in mind, I try to make my evening meal the lightest of my 3 meals and typically rich in protein and lower in carbohydrates. Sometimes during the week, when I am especially tired and want something quick and easy, I make a meal replacement smoothie. I love how yummy, flexible, filling and affordable smoothies can be. Win, win, win.

Spinach is in ALL my smoothies, as it is rich in fiber and nutrients and low in calories and virtually flavorless in smoothies. Here is my recommendation to buy, storing and using spinach

1. Buy the cheapest spinach per ounce (this usually means buying in bulk if possible)
2. Take the fresh spinach and place in your freezer in the bag
3. Once completely frozen, crush up the spinach while still in the bag.
4. Keep in the freezer and scoop out spinach any time you want to make a smoothie.

This method is tried and true. Here are why I love using frozen spinach:

• Saves the produce and the nutrients. The shelf life increases from days to weeks. It also stops the nutrients from breaking down, making it more nutritious.
• Easier to use. Since frozen spinach crumbles, it is a breeze for me to get two cups worth of fresh spinach into 1 cup of frozen, crumbled spinach for my smoothies
• It is cheaper. In the past I'd buy a large bag of spinach and half of it would go bad before I got to it. Money down the drain. By freezing, you can buy a very large bag of spinach and use all of it without losing a leaf.
• It will always be on hand. By keeping a big bag of frozen spinach in your freezer, you always have the option of making a healthy smoothie.

Time: 5 minutes
Makes 1 serving

• 1 cup crushed up frozen spinach
• 1 cup frozen berries or 1/2 frozen banana (blueberries, strawberries, mixed berries)
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 cup homemade unsweetened yogurt or non-fat light greek yogurt
• Non-calorie sweetener to taste (I prefer liquid stevia)
• 1-2 cups ice
• Water to desired consistency

1. If you have a powerful blender, blend all the ingredients at the same time. If your blender is not as powerful, blend all the liquid, peanut butter, yogurt, spinach together until very smooth. Then add the berries and blend until smooth. Then add the ice and more water if needed. Most people don't mind chunks of ice in their smoothies but do not appreciate chunks of spinach. Makes sure that is well blended first.

 

Nutrition information per serving: 1 smoothie
Calories	Fat	Sat Fat	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
260	11	1	208	31	6	9	12

Cost of recipe (not including sales) – Costco, Amazon, Frys
	Per serving
Serving	$1.55