Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Salmon Rosti

Having a fridge, freezer AND pantry stocked with foods you use regularly is helpful when making healthy, quick meals. It's a pain when you have to run to the store last minute for a single ingredient. I keep canned salmon on hand for nights when I want to throw together a quick, tasty, high protein meal. Canned salmon isn't much cheaper than frozen farm raised salmon, but it's nice to have on hand for when you need some available, tasty protein.
Makes 4 servings

  • 2 6-ounce cans of boneless, skinless salmon, drained
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • 3 teaspoon dried dill, separated
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 12 ounce shredded potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 1/3 cup low fat sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice.


1.      Combine the salmon, onion, eggs, mustard, 2 tsp of dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add potatoes and stir to combine.

2.      Heat 1 tbsp. of in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until simmering. Form salmon mixture into 3 inch cakes (approximately 2/3 cup each). Should make 8 cakes.

3.      Cook cakes in the oil until brown, about 3-5 minutes on each side. May need to cook in batches depending on size of your skillet.

4.      Combine sour cream, capers, lemon juice and 1 tsp dill in a small bowl. Serve a dollop of sauce with salmon cakes and a side of vegetables.

 
 


Nutrition information per serving: 2 salmon cakes with 1 tbsp. of dill sauce
Calories
Fat
Sat Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
392
21
6
705
28
2
1
27

 

 

Cost of recipe (not including sales)
 
Per serving
Entire Recipe
Salmon cakes and dill sauce
$1.78
$7.13
2 cups green beans
$0.78
$3.12
Total
$2.56
$10.24

 
Link for recipe and picture from Eatingwell.com here.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Taco Soup

Time: 20 minutes
Makes ~8 servings

  • 1 lb learn ground beef or turkey
  • 8 cups low sodium stock or water
  • 2 cups (or cans) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups (or cans) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1 packet taco seasoning

  1. Brown ground meat, breaking into chunks while it cooks. Drain fat.
  2. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and serve. Option to serve topped with low fat cheese, light sour cream or crushed tortilla chips.


 
 

Nutrition information per serving: 1 cup (not including cheese, sour cream, chips)
Calories
Fat
Sat Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
203
5
2
362
23
6
2
16

 


Cost of recipe (not including sales)
 
Per serving
Entire Recipe
Serving
$0.69
$5.55
Slice of bread
$0.03
$0.24
Total
$0.72
$5.79

 
 

Monday, January 26, 2015

Turkey Spinach meatballs with white sauce

This is a simple recipe that seems fancy, but is actually easy. Perfect for anyone you want to impress.

Meatballs:
·         ~2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
·         2 lbs lean turkey
·         1 cup onion, finely chopped
·         2 tsp garlic
·         1 egg
·         ½ cup skim milk
·         ¾ cup bread crumbs (homemade)
·         ½ tsp salt
·         ¼ tsp pepper
 
 
Sauce:
·         2 tbsp. butter
·         2 tbsp. flour
·         1 ½ cup whole milk or cream
·         1 cup chicken broth
·         8 oz. provolone cheese



1.            Wring out the spinach in a paper towel to remove excess water. Add all meatball ingredients including the spinach to a mixer and mix until thoroughly combined.

2.            Line a cookie sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Spray tin foil or paper with pam.

3.            Using your hands or a scoop, form the meat into balls and place on cookie sheet. Minimal space is required between meatballs since they do not expand.

4.            Bake at 400 ° for 20 minutes.

5.            While meatball bake prepare a rue. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, then add the flour. Cook on medium for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the rue from burning. Add the milk or cream, broth bring to high heat, but not boiling.

6.            Once the sauce is hot, add the cheese a little at a time until all is added and the cheese is completely melted and blended into the sauce. Add salt, pepper to taste. Chipotle pepper is optional and will add more heat and flavor to sauce.

7.            Serve meatballs and sauce over egg noodles with a side vegetable.

 
 


Nutrition information per serving: 2-3 meatballs (does not include noodles or vegetable)
 
Calories
Fat
Sat Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
Meatballs & sauce
299
13
8
399
10
2
3
27
2 oz noodles
210
3
1
15
38
5
2
8
1 cup vegetables
40
0
0
40
7
4
3
3
Total
549
16
9
454
55
11
8
38

 

Cost of recipe (not including sales) - Costco
 
Per serving
Entire Recipe
Serving
$0.95
$9.51
Whole wheat egg noodles (2 oz dry)
$0.14
$1.40
Normandy vegetables (1 cup)
$0.32
$3.20
Total
$1.41
$14.11

 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Baked Tilapia

Tilapia is a mild flavored fish that comes together very quickly. To decrease the costs, buy frozen, plain and in bulk if possible. Defrost and cook fish as needed.

Time: ~20 minutes
Serves 5

  • 5 tilapia fillets
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 lemon, sliced thin

  1. Preheat oven to 375 °. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with tinfoil and spray with pam for easy clean up.
  2. Place the tilapia fillets in the bottom of the baking dish and dot with butter (~1/2 tsp each)
  3. Season with old bay seasoning and garlic salt. Top each fillet with 1-2 slices of lemon.
  4. Bake for ~20 minutes, watching the fish. Once the fish begins to flake when pulled at with a fork, it is done. Remove from oven and serve with side of vegetables and whole wheat bread.

 

Nutrition information per serving: 1 fillet of salmon w tomato and cheese
Calories
Fat
Sat Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
174
3
2
864
1
0
0
29

 


Cost of recipe (not including sales)
 
Per serving
Entire Recipe
Serving
$2.12
$10.62
Slice of bread
$0.03
$0.15
Normandy vegetables
$0.32
$1.60
Total
$2.47
$12.37

 

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Berries and cream sandwich

This is a fun, simple lower calorie, lower fat spin on ice cream sandwiches.

Time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 square sandwiches

  • 4 tbsp. lite reddi-whip whipped topping
  • 2 medium strawberries or 3-4 raspberries, washed and diced into small pieces
  • 2 full sheets of honey gram crackers (4 squares)

  1. Measure reddi-whip into a bowl. Add diced berries and gentle fold in until combined.
  2. Measure 2 heaping tablespoons of the whipped topping in between a square. Top with a second square. Repeat.
  3. Freeze sandwiches on a plate in the freezer until firm, about 1 hour. Serve and enjoy!


Photo credit
 

Nutrition information per serving: 1 square sandwich
Calories
Fat
Sat Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
49
2
1
45
6
0
13
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Cost of recipe (not including sales)
 
Per serving
Entire Recipe
Serving
 
 
 
 
 
Total