Recipes that Pack a Punch Without Packing on the Pounds!

Below you will find filling meals that are tasty, small portioned, and perfect for just about any diet. They are loaded with vitamins and healthy goodness.

Veggie Omelet
(serves one)

•    2 large eggs, beaten
•    1 cup of assorted veggies, diced (mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, garlic, broccoli, etc.)
•    ¼ cup of low fat Swiss cheese (or whatever kind you like)
•    1 tsp. Earth Balance type margarine
•    fresh parsley (optional)
•    salt and pepper to taste (add salt and pepper to beaten eggs before cooking)
•    non-stick cooking spray

Spray non-stick pan with cooking spray AND add margarine as well for flavor. Heat margarine over medium-low heat until melted. Then, add veggies. Sautee for about 5 minutes, remove veggies and set aside. Spray pan again with cooking spray. Add beaten eggs.

Cook for one minute. Sprinkle veggie mix over eggs. Cook until edges can be lifted and spatula can slide under omelet.  Fold over. Cook until golden brown. Flip, make other side golden. Remove from pan and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve with ¼ cup of favorite fresh fruit.

Low Fat Chicken Caesar Pita Pockets
Serves 4 (each person gets two pita halves)

I made this yummy low fat chicken recipe up recently. My whole family enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the fact that it was not so bad for the flab fighting I am currently engaged in! Enjoy!

•    1 large cooked chicken breast, shredded
•    1 small bell pepper, slices
•    1/4 small red onion, sliced
•    10 black olives, sliced
•    1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
•    8 romaine lettuce leaves
•    4 pita rounds cut in half

Low Fat Caesar Dressing

•    2 parts low fat mayo
•    1 part low fat/fat free Caesar vinaigrette
•    1/2 tsp paprika
•    1/4 tsp Greek seasoning
•    cracked pepper to taste
•    salt to taste

Spread homemade low fat Caesar dressing on the insides of pita halves. Then, stuff with one lettuce leaf, a few shreds of chicken breast, a couple pepper slices, two or three slices of cucumber, a few onion slivers, and black olives. Drizzle with a little dressing before serving.

Delightful Desserts

What would life be without dessert??

A healthy idea for a dessert that is not really a recipe, is fruit and low fat cottage cheese. Top ½ cup of canned, fresh or frozen (thawed) – peaches, pears or pineapples with ¼ cup of low fat cottage cheese. Yum.
Chocolate Dipped Pretzels. Get the big stick pretzels. Melt some dark chocolate. Dark has less sugar. Dip just the tips, less than 1/4 the way down. It’s not much, but man, it goes a long way, trust me. Every little bit counts.
Sugar Free Jell-O with low fat, canned whip cream. YUMMY and easy.

Baked apple (microwave or bake an apple stuffed with raisins or dried cranberries and sprinkled with cinnamon; top with 1/4 cup fat-free or low fat vanilla yogurt)

OK, on to the decadent desserts…

(If you are doing low carb, substitute honey or sugar in following recipes with equal amount of Splenda or other sugar free alternative)

Toasty Honeyed Nuts

•    3 cups raw almonds (or your favorite nut)
•    2 T honey
•    1 T Earth Balance type margarine
•    wax paper

Toast almonds in 400 degree oven for a few minutes, until toasted but not burned. Put in medium metal bowl. Set aside. In small sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Add honey. Cook until it becomes thin (about 3-5 minutes).

Pour hot honey mixture over nuts. Toss well with metal spoon. Pour onto wax paper. Cool.

Divide into ¼ cup servings for a yummy, not-too-flabby dessert.

Variation: Add a little hot sauce or cayenne to the honey mix while cooking for a kick.

Note: Do not eat more than one serving a day. This snack can be addicting!

Coco CaBanana

This is one yummy smoothie

•    1 banana
•    1 cup of fat free or low fat milk
•    1 T chocolate syrup
•    5 ice cubes
•    mint leaves (optional garnish)

Toss it all in a blender and YUM; you have a healthy, delicious and low fat dessert. Garnish.

Variances:

Add a scoop of protein mix to make it a meal.
Add 1 T peanut butter to make it even yummier.
Try a different fruit like raspberries instead of the banana. If going for a berry, measure about 1 cup.
Leave out the chocolate and just add 1 T peanut butter to make it a banana nutter butter shake. Yes, the peanut butter adds some fat, but it is a good fat.

Bon Appetit

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved