Slow Down and Cook

My slow-cooker (or crock pot as my grandmother called it) and I do not have a very close relationship. I hardly ever use it...cooking is stress relief for me and using a slow-cooker would deprive me of that! But I don't have a husband, kids, etc. And I'm POSITIVE that one day my opinion of this will change...so I won't get rid of it just yet!

All of the following recipes are for a slow-cooker. It can be a huge time saver if you plan ahead, have all the ingredients on hand, and spend a little extra time in the morning. If you do this, you can have dinner ready in the evening without having to come home and cook.

As usual, I've included a salad...don't worry, it's not a slow-cooker recipe. "Chicken and Citrus Slaw" is from a new cookbook I was given, Cowgirl Cuisine. I love it (thanks Jill!!), but haven't cooked from it very much. However, I have made this recipe (with a few modifications). It was featured in Food and Wine magazine and is really good.

If you have never tried steel-cut oats, you should (see the following recipe for overnight oatmeal...in the slow-cooker!). Steel-cut oats, sometimes labeled "Irish oatmeal," look like small pebbles. They are whole oat groats with the oat kernel removed from the husk and then cut into 2 or 3 pieces (very little processing...a good thing). They have a slightly chewy texture and nutty flavor. Look for these brands near the other oats in the grocery store:

McCann's (this is what I buy)
Quaker
Hodgson Mill
Arrowhead Mills
Bob's Red Mill

In the recipe you should not substitute regular rolled oats, which have a shorter cooking time. I love steel cut oatmeal. I make a big batch once a week using the Quick Soak Method and freeze individual portions in zip-loc bags for a quick weekday breakfast (or you could just refrigerate it).

Chicken and Citrus Slaw -

• Per serving - 265 calories, 13 g fat (2 g saturated), 10 g carbohydrate, 28 g protein, 2 g fiber (exchanges: 4 protein, 2.5 fat, 2 vegetables); I modified the original recipe by omitting the tortilla (and 1/4 cup oil for frying)
• Notes - Tofu fills in for mayonnaise in this dressing, offering creaminess without fat. If you don’t like tofu or don't have any, you could use 4 – 5 tablespoons of low-fat plain yogurt…plain low-fat yogurt (9 cal per Tbsp) is a WAY better option than low-fat mayo (50 cal per Tbsp) or low-fat sour cream (19 cal per Tbsp); you could simplify by using bags of pre-shredded coleslaw mix and pre-shredded carrots and a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken; I personally don't like chipotle chile in adobo so I omitted it and added 2 tsp cumin

Overnight Oatmeal -

• Per serving - 193 calories, 3 g fat (0 g saturated), 35 g carbohydrate, 6 g protein, 9 g fiber
  (exchanges: 2 starch, 1/2 fruit)
• Notes - As I've already mentioned, do not substitute regular rolled oats, which have a shorter cooking time; freeze 1 cup portions in zip-loc bags for a quick breakfast…when ready to eat, remove oatmeal from bag, place in a bowl , and microwave until warm (you may need to add more milk or water if too thick); nutrition bonus…36% daily value of fiber; complete the meal with a glass of low-fat milk (cow's, soy, etc.)

Apple Confit -

• Per serving - 98 calories, 0 g fat, 26 g carbohydrate, 0 g protein, 4 g fiber (exchanges: 1 fruit, ½ starch)
• Notes - Complete the meal (it would be good for breakfast, a snack, or dessert) by serving with low-fat yogurt and a few tablespoons of toasted walnuts; I'm not sure if you could leave the apple skins on or not, but it would add more fiber!

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew -

• Per serving - 319 calories, 15 g fat (5 g saturated), 15 g carbohydrate, 30 g protein, 5 g fiber (exchanges: 3 fats, ½ starch, 1 vegetable, 3 protein)
• Notes - Complete the meal and serve with whole wheat couscous, bulgur, or brown rice and a salad

Curried Squash and Apple Soup -

• Per serving - 95 calories, 0.5 g fat (0.1 g saturated), 22 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 4 g fiber (exchanges: ½ fruit, 1 starch)
• Notes - This make-ahead recipe keeps in the refrigerator for up to four days and up to two months in the freezer; you could serve the soup garnished with a dollop of sour cream or plain low-fat yogurt and chopped cilantro

Slow Cooker Vegetable Minestrone -

• Per serving - 105 calories, 1 g fat (2 g saturated), 21 g carbohydrate, 5 g protein (exchanges: ½ starch, 2 vegetables)
• Notes - To up the fiber content, you could add 1 cup of uncooked pearled barley instead of the pasta...if you do use pasta go for whole wheat (or at least Barilla Plus, Ronzoni Smart Taste, or Ronzoni Healthy Harvest); you could add ANY other non-starchy vegetables you like (green beans, zucchini, cauliflower, squash, cabbage, okra, bell peppers)
  

Lagniappe...

Like Italian food? Here is an article to read before heading out to your favorite Italian restaurant. It gives best (and worst) options when dining at Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill, but you can apply the information to other Italian restaurants as well.

Welcome Home with a Win!

I am back in Louisiana (finally!...the movers were 2 days late - don't use All Distance Movers!) and I just finished watching LSU beat Rice in the bottom of the 9th inning, facing elimination, at the College World Series...needless to say I'm in a great mood!

Growing up, my mom would fix spaghetti and meatballs (or sometimes spaghetti and chicken) for dinner at least once every two weeks. I loved her version even though her pasta sauce was one she "doctored up" from a can. She used Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce, which is what I also used when I was cooking for myself in college. However, within the last year I happened to glance at the ingredient list and wasn't happy with what I saw:

"tomato puree (water, tomato paste), water, less than 2% of: high fructose corn syrup, salt, corn syrup, soybean oil, dehydrated onions, sugar, carrot fiber, spices (including soy lecithin), citric acid, natural flavor"

There is some form of sugar listed 3 times!

Then I looked around the pasta isle at the grocery store and found more of the same...added sugar in most spaghetti sauces (note, however, that even sauces with no added sugar will have some grams of sugar listed on the label due to the natural sugars in the tomatoes).

Most of the sauces also have added fat (soybean oil in Hunt's case), very few additional veggies (do dehydrated onions and carrot fiber count as a vegetable?), and some unusual ingredients that I don't have in my kitchen (soy lecithin, high fructose corn syrup [HFCS], citric acid).

Take a little time next time you are shopping for pasta sauce and read the ingredient list. Lookout for added fats and sugars. The fat doesn't bother me so much as long as there isn't too much (5 grams or less per serving) and its a healthy oil (such as olive oil). If there is sugar listed, it should be near the end of the list (preferably real sugar and not HFCS) and no more than 5 - 6 grams per 1/2 cup serving.

The store brands of jarred marinara/pasta sauce that I found and approved of (less/no added sugar, only olive oil, and only "expected" ingredients) are:

Mario Cisaro Pasta Sauces
Rao's Homemade Marinara (2 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Mom's All Natural Pasta Sauce (4 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Muir Glenn Organic Pasta Sauces (4 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
365 Organic Pasta Sauces (its the brand from Whole Foods, 3 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Alessi All Natural Pasta Sauce (4 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)
Amy's Organic Pasta Sauce (5 - 6 grams sugar per 1/2 cup)...they also have a reduced sodium variety

I'm sure there are more! Leave a comment if you use a sauce that would fit these criteria!

Now I usually make my own sauce...its so easy and if you make extra you can freeze it and have it for another dinner. But I do keep a "good" jar in my refrigerator for emergencies! I love making roasted vegetables or spaghetti squash topped with marinara as a side dish, so it helps to keep a jar on hand.

Here is a recipe for an Easy Tomato Sauce or a Quick Marinara from Ellie Krieger (the dietitian on the Food Network).

Bon Appetit!

Start of Something New

When I first started working as a dietitian at Life Time Fitness (Cinco Ranch, TX) and teaching the TEAM weight loss (TWL) classes, I had a lot of requests for healthy recipes. So in January 2008, I began writing a weekly email to all of my clients and the TWL participants that included nutrition information and recipes.

Each week the recipes included 1 lunch recipe (usually a salad...an inspiring one - no iceberg lettuce and ranch here!) and at least 5 dinner recipes (one for each night of the week). Occasionally, I included a dessert/snack/breakfast recipe as well.

Now that I am moving back to Louisiana, my plan is to continue sending recipes through this blog. I LOVE researching recipes, but because I only cook for myself, I don't get to put most of the ones I find to good use. This way I can...through you!

Because some of the recipes I find aren't up to my nutritional standards, I may modify them and make a note of it in each post (and alter the nutritional information accordingly).

And if you read the "notes" listed with each recipe, you will see that I sometimes make suggestions on how to "complete the meal" by adding a couple of servings of vegetables and a whole grain...they are just suggestions, but you should try to add at least one veggie side dish to the meal.

I will also be posting links to websites/articles/food products that I find interesting and think you might too.

The first weeks recipes (from the week of January 21st, '08) come from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine (one of the most favorite magazines I get! And like the title says, its "everyday food"...nothing too fancy, no crazy ingredients, quick and easy recipes, and it provides the nutrition info for all of the recipes...they aren't always healthy though). Enjoy!

Caesar Salad with Spicy Shrimp -

• Per serving - 282 calories; 12.6 g fat; 23.6 g protein; 18.6 g carbohydrates; 4.3 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 3 protein, 2 fat, 2 vegetables)
• Notes - Anchovies are optional...I've made it without them!

Fish Tacos -

• Per serving - 399 calories; 11.5 g fat; 30.7 g protein; 42.5 g carbohydrates; 3.7 g fiber (exchanges: 4 protein, 2 fat, 2 starches, 1 vegetable)
• Notes - Make sure you buy tortillas that have between 80 and 100 calories each (or less), and whole wheat or corn tortillas would be the better choice

Lemon Herb Chicken -

• Per serving - 218 calories; 2.5 g fat; 43.3 g protein; 4.3 g carbohydrates; 1.3 g fiber
  (exchanges: 6 protein, ½ fat)
• Notes - This is based on an 8 ounce, uncooked, chicken breast… if you eat a smaller portion of chicken, the calories and protein will be less; you can use 2 tsp dried tarragon in place of the fresh
• Complete with meal with steamed green beans and whole wheat couscous or brown rice

Mushroom Barley Soup -

• Per serving - 352 calories; 15.7 g fat; 13.5 g protein; 41.7 g carbohydrates; 6.8 g fiber(exchanges: 3 fat, 1 vegetables, 2 starches, ½ protein)
• Notes - You could omit the bacon completely (or use turkey bacon) and instead start with step 2 adding 1 Tbsp of olive oil...this will cut the fat to around 5 g per serving (1 fat exchange)

Pork Cutlets Parmesan -

• Per serving - 254 calories; 13.3 g fat; 22.7 g protein; 9.7 g carbohydrates; 0.4 g fiber
  (exchanges: 3 protein, 3 fat, ½ starch)
• Complete the meal with "Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts"...you could serve this with a low-fat marinara sauce, too

Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts -

• Per serving - 76 calories; 3.7 g fat; 2.4 g protein; 9.6 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber
  (exchanges: ½ fat, 2 vegetables)

Spaghetti Squash with Garlic -

• Per serving - 83 calories; 3.9 g fat; 1.3 g protein; 12.7 g carbohydrates; 2.7 g fiber(exchanges: 1 fat, 2 vegetables)
• Notes - This makes a lot of squash, and I think it really makes 8 servings (not 4 like the recipes says) so the nutrition info posted is for 8...I would also only use 1 Tbsp oil (this will cut the fat to less than 2 g per serving (about 1/2 fat)

Post a comment and let me know what you think about the blog. And if you try any of the recipes, comment about that too!

Here is an interesting article on the importance of eating "whole" fruits and vegetables.

Have a great weekend!