Fish Fillets with Potato and Tomato

Fish Fillets with Potato and Tomato

Calories per serving for Fish Fillets with Potato and Tomato=381

Time:  Prep = less than 1 hour

This is an Italian favorite.  It’s  easy because its a one-pan meal. You can use almost any firm fish fillet, like cod, haddock, halibut, etc. Use whatever fish you have on hand.

Ingredients for 2 servings  (total calories = 762)

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced (calories = 328)
• 1 medium onion sliced ( calories =44)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil  (calories = 90)
• 2 3 oz. fish fillets   (calories = 180)
• 2 cups diced tomato (or 1 can stewed tomato)   (calories = 120)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• Oregano

Add olive oil to baking dish, spread onions and potatoes over pan, then tomatoes and garlic.  Sprinkle with Oregano, salt and pepper and cover tightly with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until potatoes are done.

Sprinkle fish with salt, pepper and Oregano then add fish to pan and return to oven and bake until fish is flaky, about 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Serve with crusty bread.

Grilled Tequila Flank Steak and Veggies

Calories per serving for Grilled Steak with Veggies = 680

Grilled Tequila Flank Steak and Veggies

Time:  Prep = 2 hrs 45 min

This recipe came from my daughter, Christina, and it makes use of lots of flavors from the Tequila Marinade. You can use almost any cut of steak like flank, skirt, tri-tip (bottom sirloin), top sirloin, etc.

Steak:

2 lbs. Tri-tip or Flank Steak  (total calories=1920) Serves 4

Tequila Marinade

• 1/2 c fresh lime juice
• 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c tequila
• 7 cloves garlic pressed
• 2 tsp grated lime zest
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper

Jaccard the steak if you can (see Grilled Sirloin Steak Dinner blog).  Blend ingredients and add steak, let loak 1-2 hours or longer.  Remove and pat dry, then grill until done on hot charcoal fire.  Thin cuts like skirt or flank steak will cook in just a couple of minutes per side – don’t overcook!  Cover with foil for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Veggies (2 cups fresh veggies per person) choose from the following suggestions  (2 cup serving calories=200):

Grill Pan

• Zuccini – cut lengthwise into wedges
• Onion cut into 6 wedges
• Bell Pepper – Green, Yellow, Red, etc., cut into 1/2″ strips
• Mushrooms – trim stems but leave whole
• Japanese Eggplant – slice into 1″ rounds

Cut vegetables into bite size pieces about the same size for even cooking then toss in large bowl with some of the marinade and spices for about 20 minutes before grilling.  Spray grill pan with Pam, drain veggies and grill over charcoal on the grill pan 8-10 minutes until done but still crisp.

Serving Suggestion:  Slice the steak across the grain and serve with the veggies.

Grilling is “Light Cooking”:  The ultimate light cooking technique is grilling over a fire.  Not only do you not add fat as in frying or sautéing, but much of the fat in the meat melts and drips away into the fire, thus reducing the overall calorie count.

“Grilling means good times, good friends, and hopefully, great food.”

 – Bobby Flay, Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur

Grilled Sirloin Steak Dinner at 50% Calories and cost of a Cheesburger & Fries

Grilled Sirloin Steak

Calories per serving for Steak with Baked Potato and Salad with Vinaigrette = 712

Time:  Prep = 45 min

Calories for a Double Cheeseburger & Large fries = 1600

OK.  I love steak.  Actually, I love meat of almost any variety but steak is one of my favorites for several reasons.

It’s delicious, easy to prepare, not too expensive (when purchased on sale), and can be part of the all-American meal of meat & potatoes, with a salad.

I grill my steaks on charcoal, and in Texas, this can be done almost year-round.  By using Sirloin steak, tenderized with a Jaccard tenderizer, it’s juicy and tender.

Ingredients:  (total calories= 712)

• 1 8 oz. sirlon steak, trimmed and tenderized (calories=416)
• 1 medium potato with 1 Tbsp sour cream (calories=186)
• Tossed Green Salad with vinaigrette (calories=110)

Jaccard Meat Tenderizer

Light the charcoal and allow 20-30 minutes before grilling.  Meanwhile, microwave the potato until done; sprinkle the steak with your favorite steak spice, then tenderize with the Jaccard on both sides.  When fire is ready, grill the potato until crisp along with the steak until done.  Cover steak on a platter with foil for 10 minutes while you get salad ready. Cut into thin slices across the grain just before serving – serve with juice.

Cost:  By purchasing sirloin steak on sale for around $4.00-5.00/lb, this meal costs under $4.00 per serving total!   Less than half the cost of a double cheeseburger and fries with a drink, and about 1/2 the calories!   And it’s quick, almost as fast as the time it takes to drive to the burger joint to eat.

Options:  Easy to substitute a different meat serving:

• 8 oz. Skinless Chicken Breast (Calories = 240)
• 5 oz. Salmon Fillet (Calories – 250)  Grill Salmon on Foil
• 8 oz. Thick lean Pork Chop (Calories – 260)

One Pot Low-Cal Meal of Greens, Beans and Tomatoes

Greens with Beans and Tomatoes

Calories per 2 cup serving: 144

Time: 30-50 mins.

This one-pot meal is satisfying, delicious and low calorie.  It can also be used as a side dish with other entrees, although you won’t really need anything else.  We love this with made collard greens for an inexpensive and hearty meal. Swiss chard is always delicious and it cooks quickly, but costs three times as much as other greens. If you have a garden this is a great alternate recipe for your greens.

It may look like soup but it’s so much more.

Ingredients (total calories = 575;  4 2-cup servings ):

• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil (calories = 40 )
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped  (calories = 10 )
• 1 cup or 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped  (calories = 64 )
• One bunch of fresh Greens, well cleaned and chopped  (calories = 90 )
• 1 14 oz. can cooked plain beans with liquid (great northern, red beans, etc.)  (calories = 360 )
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid  (calories = 110 )
• 2+ cups water  (calories = 0 )
• Salt & Pepper to taste (calories = 0 )
• Red Pepper Flakes – optional (calories = 0 )

In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil about 5 minutes until translucent, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds.  Toss in chopped greens then the canned tomatoes.  Cover and simmer 5 minutes until greens wilt, then add enough water to barely cover.  Put cover on pot and cook until greens are tender.  Collards can take 45 minutes if not tender.  At end, add the can of beans and stir together and heat all throughout.  Add salt and pepper to taste – remember, canned veggies will be salty so TASTE before adding more salt. Options:  A traditional Italian meal would serve cooked pasta mixed with this.  It adds calories but pretty much makes a complete meal.

No-Cal Italian Sodas & Ices

Refreshing Italian Soda

Calories:  0

Time: 5 mins.

Summers in Texas are notoriously long and hot!  We’re constantly looking for a cool drink and iced tea is the most common one.  But, even without sugar, tea has caffeine which builds up and can have consequences.  An alternative is the Italian soda and Italian ice (like a very fine snow cone) which is quick, refreshing, and caffeine free.

Ingredients for Soda:

• 1 to 1.5 oz. Sugar-Free Flavored Syrup – Torani, DaVinci, etc.
• Sparkling Water or Club Soda
• Crushed or Shaved Ice

Fill tall glass with ice, add syrup and fill with sparkling water, stir and sip!

Ingredients for Italian Ice:

Italian Ice

• 2-3 oz. Sugar-Free Flavored Syrup
• Shaved Ice

Pack a paper cup or short glass with shaved ice and slowly infuse with syrup.

Use the syrups alone, or try these flavors combinations:

• Berry Blast: 1/2 oz. Blackberry syrup & 1/2 oz. Raspberry syrup
• Big Apple Soda: 1 oz. Pomegranate syrup & 1/2 oz. Apple syrup
• Watermelon-Kiwi Splash: 3/4 oz. Watermelon syrup, 1/2 oz. Kiwi syrup + splash of lime juice

Flavored syrups are available in the coffee section of stores and specialty shops. Sugar-free Snow Cone syrup is available in gallon jugs in restaurant supply stores, Sam’s Club, etc.

Shaved ice is just that, ice which has been shaved into fine particles, almost snowflakes. If you can’t find it, start with crushed ice then finish in a blender.

Quick Marinara Sauce

Quick Marinara Sauce

Calories per 4 oz. serving = 83

Calories of most commercial brands = 85

Time:  45 min  (Prep = 10-15 min,  Simmer = 30 min)

Most commercial marinara sauces are fairly low-cal so this recipe doesn’t cut the calories as much as let you control the ingredients.  By using chicken broth you reduce the cooking time from hours to around 30 minutes.

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely diced onion
• 1/2 cup 99% fat free chicken broth

In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.  In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.   Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Number of Servings: 8

Use this sauce alone or as a base with additional ingredients such as calamari, mussels, clams, or meatballs.