Sauteed Fresh Corn over Mashed Potatoes

Another great dish. Remember that potato flesh from the potato skins? We used that as a base to put the sauteed corn on after mashing the potatoes. The corn recipe can be used as a side dish separately, but if it's served over something it can make a full meal like we did.

What we did to make the mashed potatoes was mash the flesh from the potatoes in the last recipe, adding in a large dollop of low fat sour cream, skim milk, and garlic. Heat the mix to be hot when the corn mix is ready.

Ingredients (serves 6)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup prosciutto, cut into strips
2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen corn
1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored and diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and saute until the meat is crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, bell pepper and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Southwestern Potato Skins

First of all, I cannot believe this fit under the diet. It tastes great. I suppose a large part of why it's healthy is because there are way more vegetables in each potato skin than there is cheese, but between the chili powder, bacon pieces, and sharp cheddar cheese, it felt like eating something horribly bad for you. The dietary write up suggested eating these with salsa, which is a very low calorie "condiment". Will definitely make this again.

Ingredients (serves 6)
6 large baking potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
6 slices turkey bacon, cooked until crisp, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Scrub potatoes and prick each several times with a fork. Microwave uncovered on high until tender, about 10 minutes (they will not be completely cooked, just tender enough to scoop the flesh out). Remove the potatoes from the microwave and place on a wire rack to cool. When cool to the touch, cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch of the flesh attached to the skin. (Save potato flesh for another meal.)
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, chili powder and hot sauce. Brush the olive oil mixture on the insides of the potato skins. Cut each half of the potato skin in half again crosswise. Place the potatoes onto the baking sheet.
In a small bowl gently mix together the turkey bacon, tomato and onions. Fill each potato skin with this mixture and sprinkle each with cheese.
Bake until the cheese is melted and the potato skins are heated through, about 10 minutes.

Curried Pork Tenderloin in an Apple Cider Sauce

This was awesome, in my opinion. I think Tony's getting to where he likes apples with pork, too. He did say he liked this dish. Tony talked the most about the curry flavor though, which added a lot to the dish as a whole.

Ingredients (serves 6)
16 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into 6 pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 cups apple cider, divided
1 tart apple, peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Season the pork tenderloin with curry powder and let stand for 15 minutes.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the tenderloin and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside.
Add the onions to skillet and saute until soft and golden. Add 1 1/2 cups of the apple cider, reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is half the volume.
Add the chopped apple, cornstarch and the remaining 1/2 cup apple cider. Stir and simmer while the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Return the tenderloin to the skillet and simmer for the final 5 minutes.
To serve, arrange tenderloin onto individual plates, and pour thickened sauce over meat.

Broccoli Cheddar Bake

This recipe wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I can't really see myself thinking "I want to make that" again, even though I'm a huge fan of broccoli. Honestly I think it was the egg "binder" that was a bit strange... it didn't bind it very much (hence the picture of it in the baking dish) so it seemed rather useless as an ingredient.

Ingredients (serves 6)
4 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups egg white or egg substitute
1 cup fat-free milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
In a nonstick skillet, combine the broccoli, onion and water. Saute over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Keep adding water to prevent the vegetables from drying out, but use as little water as possible. Drain and set aside when the broccoli is done.
In a bowl, combine the egg substitute, milk and 3/4 cup cheese. Add in the broccoli mixture and pepper. Stir to mix well.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Set the baking dish into a large pan filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake uncovered until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Quesadillas

These were really good but not necessarily filling, in my opinion. They only come in at 206 calories for a whole quesadilla, and are probably meant as an appetizer, but we ate it as a meal for lunch today. (Calorie count doesn't include salsa if it's added.) Next time I think we will cut the recipe in half as well because it made way too many, and even though they're good enough to eat again as leftovers, I'm more in the mood to try new recipes than to keep eating this one. There is no picture taken because it basically just looks like a folded tortilla.

Tony's weigh-in today confirmed that he is 1 lbs away from his original goal that we set when we started this tracking/diet process. Soon we will have to set a new goal for him and update the tracker at the bottom of the page. I've had people comment to me that he didn't seem to weigh as much as he's weighing in, but people who know him should realize that he is actually in shape under the fat, about half of his weight is muscle, not all 400 lbs is fat. In fact most of the "bad weight" is in his middle where it's the most obvious, but because he's active enough his legs and arms are mostly muscle. We're trying to keep him losing weight without him losing tremendous amounts of muscle mass, so we've been measuring his middle which doesn't show on the tracker (2 1/2 inches lost so far since tracking; 4 inches in the past year).

Ingredients (serves 8):
4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained
Half a small onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8 10-inch fat-free whole-wheat tortilla
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

In a bowl, combine peppers, onion and cumin. Sprinkle each tortilla with cheese, using 1/4 cup cheese on each. Divide pepper mixture among tortillas, spreading it over cheese. Fold over each tortilla and put a baking pan covered in foil. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 350 F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese melts. Remove foil. Turn oven to broil. Broil 4 inches from heat for 1 1/2 minutes a side, or until lightly browned. Cut each tortilla into 4 pieces. Serve with your favorite salsa for dipping.

Tuna Pita Pockets

This recipe is awesome. I think it's Tony's favorite so far because he suggested we have it once a week. We'd have to cut the recipe to do that, but this first time we made the whole thing and have been eating leftovers. Also, I didn't add tomatoes to my pita pocket, which is the one in the photo, in case anyone notices the lack of red in it.
What really surprised me about it, is looking at the thing it seems like there's not much in a serving, but there's so much bulky vegetable in it that it fills you up quickly. It tastes extremely fresh and is amazingly wonderful. A serving is only 199 calories according to Mayo Clinic so Tony ate two halves whereas I felt full after 1 half, and we both were way under our calorie limit even after we added drinks in and a frozen yogurt desert later that night.

I should mention that I've been told that "ranch dressing" to an American is a completely different thing than what "ranch dressing" is in Australia. Tony would have to make an aside to explain this, so I am hoping to get him to comment or post soon about this. In this recipe the dressing was kind of a "binder" that kept everything together in the pita shell and didn't overpower the taste of anything in it.

Ingredients (serves 6 - 1 serve is 1/2 a pita):
1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3/4 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cans (6 ounces each) low-salt white tuna packed in water, drained
1/2 cup low-fat ranch dressing
3 whole-wheat pita pockets, cut in half

In a large bowl, add the lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, broccoli and onions. Toss to mix evenly.
Lock cat in bedroom before next step:
In a small bowl, add the tuna and ranch dressing. Break up the tuna so it will mix more evenly in the vegetable mix. Stir to mix dressing and fish well. Add the tuna mixture to the lettuce mixture and stir to combine.
Scoop 3/4 cup of the tuna salad into each pita pocket half and serve.

Broccoli garlic rigatoni

Tonight was a pasta dish, broccoli and garlic rigatoni with parmessen cheese. It was a very simple dish and tasted lovely. Nothing too special about it. Definitely full of garlic though, so if you're not a garlic lover, I don't recommend it.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1/3 pound rigatoni noodles
1 cup broccoli florets
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly.
While the pasta is cooking, steam the broccoli until tender, about 10 minutes (we used the microwave method of steaming vegies, but the recipe called for a proper steaming basket...)
In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta and broccoli. Toss with Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic. Season with pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Orange rosemary chicken and roast potatoes

Before the Fourth of July (holiday here! bbq and explosions!!), we had this dish, but I never got around to posting it. It was delicious. The only difference is that we should've maybe reduced the orange juice / sauce so it was more like a sauce and less like a liquid. We added roast potatoes as a side dish, Tony just cut up some small potatoes and coated them lightly with flour and pepper and added them to the oven.

Ingredients (recipe halved, was originally to serve 6, we made 3 serves)
3 skinless, bone-in chicken breast halves, each 8 ounces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, minced
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 450 F. Rub each piece of chicken with garlic and oil, then sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in the baking dish and pour the orange juice over the chicken. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and return to the oven until browned (don't recover), about 10 to 15 minutes longer. Baste the chicken with the orange juice from the pan as needed to prevent it from drying out. Transfer the chicken to individual serving plates. Spoon orange juice from the pan over the top of the chicken and serve immediately.

Pork tenderloin with apples

Tonight's meal was cooked by me. It was absolutely delicious. Roast pork tenderloin with an apple, onion, and rosemary sauce. The mild sweetness of the meat and balsamic vinegar/broth reduction played well against the apples and sauteed onion. So far this is my favorite dish.
A plate comes in at only 215 calories.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped apple
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking pan with cooking spray or light oil.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the pork and sprinkle with black pepper. Cook until the tenderloin is browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in the prepared baking pan. Roast the pork for about 15 minutes, or until a food thermometer indicates 160 F (medium).
Meanwhile, add the onion, apple and rosemary to the skillet. Saute over medium heat until the onions and apples are soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and vinegar. Increase the heat and boil until the sauce has reduced, about 5 minutes.
To serve, cut pork into medallions, pour the onion-apple mixture over the top.

EDIT: 07/05/11 Added recipe

Low-fat, low-sodium beef stroganoff

Last night we had this dish. Even though it wasn't very photogenic, it was very tasty. Tony declared that he would not change a thing about this dish, and I don't think I would either. It was rather surprising to me actually to have so many reduced fat, lean, and low sodium ingredients still come out full of flavor. I half expected it to be more bland than the pepper from the day before.

In related news, Tony's weigh-in today is very promising! He's well on his way to breaking through his first goal and moving onto the next. I suppose this new leg of diet is working out better for him. :) Please leave comments when you can to show your support for him, every little bit counts.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 pound boneless beef round steak, cut 3/4-inch thick, all fat removed
4 cups uncooked yolkless egg noodles
1/2 can fat-free cream of mushroom soup (undiluted)
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

In a nonstick frying pan, saute the onions over medium heat until they're translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the beef is tender and browned throughout. Drain well and set aside.
Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta thoroughly.
In a saucepan, whisk together the soup, water and flour over medium heat. Stir until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
Add the soup mixture and paprika to the beef in the frying pan. Over medium heat, stir the mixture until warmed through. Remove from heat and add the sour cream. Stir until combined.
To serve, divide the pasta among the plates. Top with the beef mixture and serve immediately.

EDIT 07/09/11: Added recipe.

Red Bell Peppers Stuffed with Scalloped Corn

This recipe was extremely colorful and pretty coming together, but was rather (as in extremely) bland. We promised to try the recipes as written, but ended up adding black pepper and other spices after a few bites. It was not particularly bad tasting, just too bland for our palates. I added salt, and Tony added some "no salt" spice blend to finish it out.
Next time, our suggestion is to add cayenne, or a no salt cajun spice blend, and pre-roast the pepper shells for added flavor. We also thought about adding ground turkey meat to the filling.
Picture to come later!

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 red or green bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 egg whites
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Place in the prepared baking dish and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chopped green pepper and corn. Saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and parsley. Reduce heat to low. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and milk. Add to the corn mixture and stir. Increase heat and continue stirring until egg whites begin to set, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be moist, not dry. Spoon 1/4 of the corn mixture into each pepper. Add the water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the peppers loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until the peppers are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to individual plates and serve.

EDIT 07/01/11: Added photo.
EDIT 07/09/11: Added recipe.

Baked Macaroni and Beef

First meal is a lean meat and tomato sauce macaroni bake. It was rather good, though we think it could use a little bell pepper.
So far Tony's losing weight. He started a food calorie diary about a week ago and has already lost 5.5 lbs. See the tracker at the bottom of the blog to watch his progress (it rounds to the next full number). We're off to a good start; wish us luck!

Ingredients (serves 6)
1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced, about 1/2 cup
1 box (7 ounces) whole-wheat elbow macaroni
1 jar (15 ounces) reduced-sodium spaghetti sauce
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
In a nonstick frying pan, cook ground beef and onion until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Drain well.
Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the pasta thoroughly.
Add the cooked pasta and spaghetti sauce to the meat and onions. Stir to mix evenly. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake until bubbly, about 25 to 35 minutes.
Divide the spaghetti among individual plates. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.

EDIT 07/09/11: Added recipe.

Introduction

This blog is for my husband, Tony, who has been battling with his weight trying to lose for years now. We have decided to try out a diet recommended by the Mayo Clinic to try new, healthier recipes that key in on vegetables and fruits in that hopes that it will start a new leg in his weight loss efforts. I am along for the ride.
Together, we will be posting pictures and reviews of the recipes we try, any changes we may have made to the original recipe, and any other efforts we might give towards this new adventure.

Wish us luck!