Low Calorie Real Food

35 Minute Menu Ideas

This is a general guide to help you put together fast and easy, low calorie and nutritionally sound meals. Once you use these suggestions you are encouraged to become creative and flexible in your meal planning. Using these ideas and suggestions, you should be able to create a great meal in about 35 minutes. The first time you do any recipe it will take longer and probably not turn out as well as the next time you try it, so don’t be discouraged. You will gain great confidence and kitchen skills making these simple but very tasty meals. These meals use whole foods, not chemically processed foods with questionable nutritional value. Converting to real whole foods from processed belly filler can be difficult at first, but hang in there and try to deal with the improved health, lower cost, and weight loss that will occur from making the change. Processed foods are packed with extra sugar, petroleum by-products (paraffin), excessive salt, neuro-toxins (the FDA allows MSG and other toxins to be labeled as flavor enhances instead of neuron-toxins), and junk fats which are carcinogenic (Trans fatty acids) in an attempt to make these poor quality, pseudo-foods palatable.  In reality, the taste buds and brain of processed junk food eaters are altered and it is difficult for the junk food eater to appreciate the flavor of real food. Remember, eating real food will make looking in the mirror much easier for you.

You should have on hand a small quantity of the following:

·           Dozen yellow or red onions

·           Garlic cloves or a jar of minced garlic, and/or powdered garlic.

·           Sea salt - course and fine

·           Half dozen lemons

·           Extra virgin - cold pressed - olive oil

·           A wok type pan (T-Fal is good)

·           The following herbs, oregano, basil, dill, and rosemary (or something you prefer)

·           Sauterne or other white wine

·           Always use sea salt and not the chemically processed bitter salt (Morton’s)

·           Have some course pepper on hand

·           Apple cider vinegar

·           Half dozen cans of stewed or diced tomato (Italian style)

·           Jar of good quality horseradish

·           Worcestershire sauce

·           Mrs. Dash Original seasoning and Italian blend seasoning

                                            Note: Your on hand list may be different.

Most meals in this group were made using similar techniques. You will choose the meat, vegetables and others ingredients to meet your taste. A cutting board and good knife are also essential. Remember to keep it simple and that you can salt, pepper and season foods to meet your personal taste. Every time you cook these meals they will improve, so think of the first few dishes you make as training.  It won’t be long before you are impressing your friends and family with your new found skills. 

Garlic Shrimp and Lemon Asparagus

·            2 lb. frozen peeled pre-cooked shrimp                                                                     

           (Chicken tenderloins can be used as an alternative)

·          Fresh asparagus - two bundles

·          Angel hair pasta 1 lb. box or try a third veggie

·          One medium onion

Begin by peeling and coarsely chopping one onion. Using a wok or other fine quality cook pan, sauté the onion in a splash of olive oil and course sea salt. (The pan should always be hot before you add ingredients). You should at this time be boiling water for your pasta. When onion is transparent, no more then 5 minutes, add 1 teaspoon of garlic, a pinch (one-half to one tea spoon.) of basil, and the shrimp. Also add a splash of white wine. Cook shrimp for about 3-5 minutes depending on size, and remember you just want to get them hot. Your asparagus can be washed and hard ends trimmed while onion and shrimp are cooking. After removing the shrimp, cook asparagus in the same pan for 5 minutes (until slightly tender). You may boil your angel hair pasta at this same time. When asparagus is slightly tender squeeze lemon on asparagus and remove to a side plate. When pasta is done (about 5 minutes) drain and place in a wok or pan allowing the pasta to absorb the remaining liquids in the pan for about one minute. Make bed of angel hair on plates and place shrimp and asparagus on pasta to serve. If you don’t have asparagus try chopped red and green peppers, fresh string beans or snow peas. Frozen veggies are perfectly acceptable.

Cold Cabbage and Tuna Healthy Meal

·           Small head of red cabbage or half a large red cabbage

·           One green pepper

·           Mild Salsa

·           Curly green or red lettuce leaves

·           One large or two small cans of water packed albacore tuna                                                          

            (Store tuna in the refrigerator for quick meals)

·           One small onion or half a medium onion

·           One small can chick peas

·           One small can or fresh button mushrooms

·           8 oz. to 10 oz. crumbled Feta cheese

           (Athenos brand or product of Greek cheese is best, American Feta usually has no

            taste, it should not taste flat and fresh is best)

Start by coarsely chopping the cabbage, green pepper, and onion in a deep bowl. Add oregano, salt, 1 tea spoon minced garlic and 1 tea spoon of sugar.  Add a splash of olive oil and apple cider vinegar.  Drain the chick peas and mushrooms and add them to the bowl.  You may also add a teaspoon of horseradish. Now add the Feta and stir and place in the refrigerator to chill. Open the tuna and place in a bowl breaking it up with a fork.  Into the tuna, mix two tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of 1/2 lemon.  To serve, place the tuna in the center of a plate on one or two lettuce leaves.  Around the tuna place the cabbage salad, also on lettuce, ringing the tuna. Try covering the tuna with mild or if you prefer zesty salsa and serve.

Chicken and Squash Delight

·           Two to three pounds of chicken tenderloins

·           One onion

·           Four zucchini squash (they are green)

·           Four yellow squash ( they are yellow)

·           One can diced Italian style tomato

·           One medium or large onion

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a roasting pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Chop the onions up in small bits and sauté them in olive oil in a wok or pan for five minutes. While sautéing the onions, wash and then cut the squash and zucchini into wafers about a quarter to one-half inch thick. Place these in the roasting pan, salting, peppering and splashing them with olive oil. Place one can of diced tomatoes on the veggies and add one cup of wine. Using a colander, rinse the chicken tenderloins thoroughly in cold water. Then drain and place the tenderloins on the veggies. Salt and pepper the tenderloins and if you have some, chop parsley up and spread it on top of the chicken and veggies. In place of parsley you may use fresh or dried basil or cilantro. You may also squeeze fresh lemon juice on the chicken and veggies. Cook for 25 minutes or when the chicken is tender and juicy but properly cooked. Serve this with hearty warm bread or green salad or a cucumber and tomato salad.

                            Ingredients: for 4 people

·           Half dozen to one dozen Portobello mushrooms depending on size

·           One large bag of shredded Italian cheese or mozzarella about 16 oz. to 18 oz.

·           Two onions

·           One large red, green, yellow, or orange pepper

Start by chopping and sautéing two onions and one large pepper (your choice) with olive oil in a wok or pan with sea salt, dash of Worcestershire sauce and basil.  You may put a splash of white wine in the pan and garlic if you like. While you cook the onions wash the mushrooms carefully and placing them in a broiling pan with the bottoms up.  As a side dish, steam fresh or frozen veggies in chicken broth (use chicken bullion without MSG, Herb Ox is good) to serve with this dish. Begin heating your water now for the veggies. When the onions and pepper are ready, about five minutes, spoon them onto the mushrooms. Place them in the broiler for four or five minutes or till they sizzle. Remove from oven and place the shredded cheese on each mushroom. Place them back in the broiler till the cheese melts.  When your water is boiling you may start to steam your veggies for five minutes.  When the cheese is melted the way you want it (like on a cheeseburger), remove mushrooms from oven and place on plate and add the steamed veggies.  Lemon juice is always good on the steamed veggies.

Chicken Stir Fry

•          2 to 3 lb. of chicken tenderloins
  
•          One large or two small green peppers
  
•          Two onions
  
•          2 cans Italian style diced tomatoes                
  
•         1 lb. box thin spaghetti

Start by boiling a large pot of water for your spaghetti, and then coarsely chop up the green pepper and onions.  Sauté them in olive oil and sea salt with a splash of wine. While onions and peppers are sautéing, wash chicken in colander with cold water.  When onions and peppers have sautéed for 5 minutes add two cans of diced tomatoes and stir for about 2 minutes.  If the spaghetti pot has boiled, start cooking your thin spaghetti which takes about 5 minutes to cook.  Add the chicken to the pan and stir the chicken until cooked.  Drain spaghetti and place on plate putting the chicken stir fry on the spaghetti.  Serve with salad or warm bread.A good salad might be cucumber and tomatoes with crumbed Feta cheese.

                                Ingredients: for 4 people

·           One pound per person of fillet Cod (Scrod), Haddock, or Flounder

·           Two bunches of fresh asparagus

·           Uncle Ben’s Brown rice or similar 25 minute rice or try wild rice

·           Fresh button mushrooms or similar small mushrooms.

·           Fresh lemons and onions

Start to ready your pot of water for your brown rice following package directions and start cooking rice as soon as possible. To your rice, add a tablespoon of oregano (or other seasonings), 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and 4 chicken bullion cubes.  Pre-heat oven to three hundred and twenty-five degrees while thoroughly washing and rinsing fish in cold water. Chop onions coarsely and slice two lemons like very thin wafers.  Warm olive oil in a pan with garlic and add one (or one-third) of the onions you chopped.  Lay the fish in the baking pan (you may season fish with basil or seasoning of your choice) with lemon slices laid on top of fish. Spread the two remaining chopped onions over the fish and splash with olive oil and white wine.  Place the fish in the oven for twenty minutes or less, if the fish is very thin.  Add the asparagus or (other vegetables of choice) to the pan and cook till tender.  After removing asparagus cook mushrooms for about three to five minutes.  When fish is done serve with the mushrooms, asparagus, and rice.