Lean and Green Recipes Part 2

Makeshift spaghetti sauce sans noodles
A recent favorite, maybe for someone who has been on the program a bit longer than others and is ready to try something fresh and off the normal menu would be my makeshift spaghetti sauce. I usually turn this into quite a spicy dish because of the amount of garlic I use. Starting off in a pan you can get Italian style turkey meatballs. Of course varying in size of the meatball the right proportion is about 5 meatballs. This actually is a big serving although it doesn’t really look like it off the bat. You can also use beef meatballs (which I used in the past) but turkey is a lot less fattening and also a bigger serving size. You can honestly barely even tell the difference.

If you don’t like meatballs you can also substitute for Chicken. I have done both because I tend to stick to Chicken dishes. If you are going to use chicken you can average two small chicken breasts cut into medium sized pieces. Put a light amount of olive oil in a pan and season the chicken (mildly) with whatever sounds good. I am pretty boring when it comes to spices so I season with pepper and garlic powder. I am a little on the nervous side when it comes to my meat being undercooked so I make sure it is well done in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t like your chicken too done, you could always just brown it a bit and let it cook the rest of the way in the sauce. I usually weigh out my chicken before adding the other ingredients. Where the meatballs are easy to pick out of the sauce and weigh to make sure you are giving yourself the right serving size.

The turkey meatballs I buy frozen from Safeway and is actually a good portion size for the price. You just mix them frozen into the rest of the mixture and since they are pre-cooked will heat up in the sauce.

To make the tomato base use an average sized can of roasted tomatoes. I usually buy the one that has roasted garlic added in. There are a wide variety of different tastes and brands. Always check the label for a list of ingredients. In these cans you can be tricked and pick one with a lot of sugar added, or other things that will hinder your diet. The can I buy is strictly tomatoes with garlic. You will know what is good for you and what isn’t. Add the whole can into the pan with the meat. This by itself is your serving size of “green” for your lean and green meal. It will cook down. This leaves you room to play a little bit. I usually add a half a package of mushrooms sliced, half of a green pepper thinly sliced, or some black olives sliced up if you’re pulling something together off the fly. The tomatoes will be a little bland tasting compared to the other spaghetti sauce like Prego. Just add garlic powder, pepper, salt to taste. Don’t go overboard! I usually toss in some red pepper flakes to spice it up. I love spicy food! Taste with a spoon until you get the right flavors you are looking for. Put a lid over on medium heat and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Stir when you want. Don’t let it burn, but there really isn’t a science to it all. Add it to a bowl and enjoy a healthy version of spaghetti! I don’t even miss the noodles.

Shish Kabobs
This is a favorite of mine and my roommates but one that takes a little more effort and planning than some of my other dishes. If you can cut up and marinate the meat ahead of time it makes less work at dinnertime, If not the chicken doesn’t need to marinate very long. I usually use chicken but obviously you can use beef as well. I never have used the beef before.

To start off, make your marinade. This isn’t the most healthy part of the dish. Luckily the chicken is just soaking in it for a while and isn’t actually drizzled over it. I take a teriyaki sauce base. Take one you have used and liked before. This is the main component in the taste. In fact you could just marinade in the pre made sauce and leave it at that. I am not a HUGE fan of teriyaki so I add some other ingredients to mellow down the flavor a bit. I usually take less than two tablespoons of teriyaki, add in by taste soy sauce, chopped garlic, ginger, pepper. If you want to go as low fat as you possibly can teriyaki is available sugar free or made with less sugar. You can also purchase low sodium soy sauce. I find that the amount of the marinade that actually stays on the meat is minimal enough you really could use any marinade you wanted. Cut two chicken breasts into larger pieces. They have to be able to be skewered later and enough room for when they cook down in size. Add the chicken pieces to the marinate and set aside.

For veggies, I take one carton of mushrooms whole, one green pepper, and one zucchini. I pull the stems out of the mushrooms and leave them whole. Pick medium sizes mushrooms if you can. They will cook more evenly and be sure to slide on the skewer without breaking down the middle. Chunk the rest of the veggies in pieces big enough to skewer as well. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and place the oven rack on one of the higher levels in the oven. Most skewers require that you soak them for 20 minutes in water so they won’t burn as badly when cooked. You can multitask and soak while you cut up the veggies. Alternate between veggies and meat on each skewer and line the cookie sheet. I have found that you will eat most of the veggies as your serving size and almost all the chicken as well. I would prepare at least six skewers to be prepared. If you have extra this meal is great as leftovers. Place in the oven on high broil. The length of time it cooks depends on each oven. I have anticipated at least 20-25 minutes baking time plus the time to prepare. All in all this meal will probably take an hour. Less obviously if you prep ahead of time. The first bake in the oven I usually leave for about 10-15 minutes. Check after ten. I like my meat and veggies a little charred so I leave in for longer. Once the skewers look pretty done on that side, remove the cookie sheet and carefully pour the juice out of the bottom of the pan. Flip each skewer to the other side and put back in the oven. This side tends to cook more thoroughly. I would check in another 5-10 minutes and remove when it looks done enough for you. Take a fork and see how easily the chicken pulls apart if you are concerned if it is cooked thoroughly.

This part is more of a pain than anything. I usually take a big bowl and pull all the veggies off the skewers. I spate the chicken and weigh out my portion and then dump the mixed veggies in a big measuring cup and portion those out as well. Mix the veggies and chicken together. I usually top mine off with some hot sauce and a dab of soy sauce. I love spicy food though and it will taste equally delicious if you don’t put any sauce on at all.

If you are making this for your family who is not on Medifast as well you can always cook up some steamed rice to put the meat and veggies on top of.

Salmon and Shrimp
I didn’t think that these two deserved their own section. I don’t eat or cook a whole lot of seafood. Shrimp is the easiest. I usually buy medium or large sized uncooked shrimp. Most importantly they are made EZ peel. NEVER buy the shrimp that is already cooked and frozen. I find it lacks the flavor that you would get if you made it from scratch. You can keep a bigger bag frozen and waiting. Before you start weigh out about 12-14 oz of frozen shrimp. This usually evens out somewhere close to 7 oz cooked. I then soak them in Luke warm water, even cold. You don’t want the water they are soaking in to partially cook them. Let them soak and then dump out the water and pour some new water in. The old water will be so cold from the frozen bits falling off that it will hurt to keep your hands in it. Peel the shrimp. Then in a pan on the stove melt a good amount of smart balance butter. This is 95 percent fat free. I would say about two tablespoons to be safe. You won’t be using all of this butter in your meal, just to sauté it in. Then by taste add some garlic powder, and lemon juice, with a few shakes of pepper. If you like lemon juice, make sure to add a fair amount in. I prefer more garlic than lemon. I usually cook this on a medium low temperature while I make my green portion. These shrimp will cook very fast. Probably 15 minutes tops. Although it will probably take you 15 minutes just to peel them on top of cook time. I almost always use asparagus as my side.

Directions for asparagus
In a pan, put a teaspoon or a little more of smart balance butter. It’s 95 % fat free and doesn’t even count towards your fat serving. Melt the butter then add asparagus. (Side note: Before eating any asparagus, make sure and take a potato peeler and peel the bottom half of the asparagus down a bit. This ensures it gets nice and done. I really don’t like any of my asparagus to be crunchy and raw tasting.) Cover with a lid and let steam on medium heat. Take the lid off when they are as steamed as you like and fry until it adds a little crisp.

This dinner can be VERY rich. If it seems like too much you can use steamed zucchini or just plain steamed asparagus.

Salmon is a newer dish to me. I am sure there are a million recipe’s online for different types. It is something that is easily made and also so many different variations of recipes. I have never purchased fresh salmon. I wouldn’t even know how to order it from the meat department. That is my next step. Right now they sell pre-packaged frozen salmon at Safeway already portioned. It is actually a way smaller portion than you are supposed to eat. You can either cook both and then have half a fillet for left over’s or make one and also make some shrimp with it. These come with multiple marinades. I don’t care for any of them so far. I prefer to just buy the plain salmon with no marinade. The instructions are to bake on a cookie sheet for 20-23 minutes. Drizzle some smart balance butter, lemon juice, and pepper over. If you sear it after baking you can also easily make “blackened Salmon” and throw it on top of a regular Cesar salad.

Side dishes to go with salmon that I prefer are steamed broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, or just a side salad. If you like onions you can always throw some in a tin foil wrap with the salmon, butter, seasonings and bake it that way.