Week of
December 30, 2007
If
you are looking for an elegant lower calorie and low fat dessert
to serve over the extended holiday try this lightened up version
of Tiramisu.
Easy
Lightened Up Tiramisu
2
pkg. (3 oz. each) ladyfingers, split, divided
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 packages (8 oz. each) fat free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups thawed frozen whipped lite topping
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Arrange 1 package of the ladyfingers on bottom of 13x9-inch baking
dish. Dissolve combined coffee granules and 1 Tbsp. sugar in boiling
water. Brush 1/2 cup of the coffee mixture onto ladyfingers in
dish.
Beat cream
cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Add 1/2
cup sugar; mix well. Stir in whipped topping.
Spread half
of the cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers in dish; top with
remaining ladyfingers. Brush with remaining coffee mixture; cover
with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Calories
150 ; Total fat 3 g; Saturated fat; 2 g; Cholesterol 55 mg; Sodium
250 mg; Carbohydrate 24 g; Dietary fiber 0 g; Sugars 21 g; Protein
7 g
Week of
December 23, 2007
How
to Acheive Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Strips
If
you miss the crispiness of fried foods, don't worry, you can get
that crunchy goodness in your oven fried chicken strips.
Prepare
chicken breasts (cutting into strips for chicken works best for
dipping in sauces), rinse and pat dry.
Prepare
three bowls:
1.
Pour in some low fat buttermilk into the first bowl. The buttermilk
will hold the breading as well as tenderize the chicken.
2.
Pour in a seasoned fry batter mix like McCormick's Golden Dipt
batter mix into the second bowl. Or you can use plain all-purpose
flour and add salt, pepper and seasoning of choice (favorites
may include marjoram, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder,
Old Bay seasoning, small amount of Parmesan cheese, etc.)
3.
Pour Panko crumbs (I like Kikoman best) or cornflake crumbs into
the third bowl. If you like a light crunch, opt for the Panko,
but if you like a heavier batter go for the cornflake crumbs.
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees F.
Cover
baking pan with nonstick foil (for easy cleanup).
Take
chicken and dip in buttermilk and dredge in four or batter mix.
Remove from batter mix and dip once more in buttermilk then dredge
in panko or cornflake crumbs, pressing into the chicken until
nicely covered.
Place
strips on prepared baking pans and spray lightly with olive oil
or cooking spray.
Bake
in preheated oven for about 15 minutes and turn; spray once again
with oil. Return to oven and cook for another 15 minutes or more
until nicely browned (cooking time will depend on the thickness
of chicken.
Chicken
should be crunchy not soggy and will be great with dipping sauces
like fat-free ranch dressing, bar-b-que sauce, honey mustard sauce
or sweet and sour sauce.
Week of
December 16, 2007
Baking
with Herbs
Fresh
herbs usually taste better than the packaged and dried alternative.
The flavors are more subtle and essential oils are still intact.
Most fresh herbs don’t hold much water (except perhaps for
basil), so there is no need to modify your favorite recipes. Adding
a little zing to your favorite recipes is really just a matter
of choosing your favorite herbs, chopping a few teaspoons or tablespoons
of those herbs, adding them to your dry ingredients, and completing
the recipe.
For whole
wheat breads, try some sage, pecan and cranberries. Make enough
dough for two loaves of bread and add ¼ cup each of chopped
pecans, dried cranberries and chopped sage.
For one batch
or one dozen scones, add ½ tablespoon of sage and ½
cup of golden raisins. When baking with raisins, macerate your
raisins in boiled water for about ten minutes before adding them
to your mixture. Because the raisins will be wet, you can omit
1-2 tablespoons of liquid from your recipe.
Rosemary and
currants are perfect additions for biscotti. For eighteen biscotti
add ½ teaspoon of (finely chopped) rosemary and ½
cup of currants.
For those
winter soups and stews, tarragon cornbread is a delicious companion.
Bake the cornbread in muffin tins with a pinch of tarragon on
top of each one. Tarragon cornbread makes a lovely presentation
in a basket on your table.
Week of
December 9, 2007
Fat
Fighting Foods
~
By Howard M. Shapiro, DO, Prevention
Weight loss
starts with shopping. Taking control of what you eat begins with
taking control of what you buy.
Every time
you toss a low-calorie food into the cart, you're taking responsibility
for losing weight—even before you sit down to a meal.
There's a
very simple formula for low-calorie eating: Stock up on low-calorie
staples. These are the basic packaged, canned, and frozen ingredients
that you'll reach for to create tasty, healthful, low-calorie
meals anytime.
The Picture
Perfect Anytime List is a menu of the lowest-calorie produce,
soups, sauces, condiments, marinades, dressings, dips, candies,
desserts, and beverages available. Stuff your pantry, refrigerator,
and freezer with them, and reach for them anytime. Feel free to
go to the foods on the Anytime List when you want a snack or are
planning a meal. Eat any amount of them for any reason. When the
Anytime List becomes the core of your eating—in other words,
the main dish around which you build your meals—you'll have
no trouble staying thin for life.
The
Anytime List
- Fruits
and vegetables
- All fruits
and vegetables—raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned—belong
on the Picture Perfect Anytime List. Avoid any packaged fruits
that have added sugar. Otherwise, the more fruits and vegetables
you eat, the better.
Soups
You've heard of value for your money. Soups give you very good
value for the calories. They are filling; a bowl of soup can be
an entire meal. They are satisfying. For many people, they are
more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the
benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables).
They are inexpensive, convenient, easy, and quick to make. Soups
don't make you feel like you're on a diet. Above all, soups are
versatile. They can serve as a snack, as part of a meal, or as
a cooking ingredient.
Sauces,
Condiments, and Marinades
Put the following items at the very top of your shopping list.
They're invaluable for adding flavor, moisture, texture, and versatility
to every food and every meal.
- Salad dressings:
oil-free or low-calorie (light or lite)
- Mayonnaise:
fat-free or light
- Sour cream
and yogurt: fat-free, plain, or with NutraSweet (or low-fat
nondairy substitutes)
- Mustards:
Dijon, Pommery, and others
- Tomato
puree, tomato paste, and tomato sauce
- Clam juice,
tomato juice, V8 juice, and lemon or lime juice
- Butter
Buds or Molly McButter
- Cooking
sprays (such as Pam) in butter, olive oil, garlic, or lemon
flavors
- Vinegars:
balsamic, cider, wine, tarragon, and others
- Horseradish:
red and white
- Sauces:
salsa, cocktail sauce, tamari, soy sauce, A1, Worcestershire
sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, duck sauce, chutney, relish,
and others
- Onion:
fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
- Garlic:
fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
- Herbs:
any and all, including basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme, rosemary,
marjoram, dill, chives, sage, and bay leaves
- Spices:
any and all, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cumin, nutmeg,
coriander, curry, paprika, and allspice
- Extracts:
vanilla, almond, peppermint, maple, coconut, cocoa powder, and
others
Dressings
and Dips
I recommend fat-free or light dressings and dips. The light category—low-fat,
reduced-fat, and low-calorie—is midway between totally fat-free
and regular, and it's often more pleasing to the palate than fat-free.
Dressings
can be used as all-purpose condiments, dips, toppings, even cooking
liquids. They already contain a mixture of ingredients, so just
slather them on vegetables, seafood, and pretty much anything
else. Or cook with them to make up for the lack of butter or oil.
I recommend
keeping several varieties of dressings and dips on hand, including
at least one creamy version. Try brushing a light creamy dressing
on seafood, then broiling; the dressing adds moisture and flavor.
Candy
Yup, candy. The real thing—not the dietetic variety—is
best when your sweet tooth starts aching. Dietetic candies have
almost as many calories as regular candies, often lack flavor,
and are an incentive to eat more. Stick to the real thing.
Chewing gum
or gum balls: any and all
Hard candy:
any and all, including sour balls, candy canes, lollipops such
as Tootsie Pops or Blow Pops, Jolly Ranchers, Werther's Original,
and TasteTations
Frozen
Desserts
- Any fat-free
frozen yogurt, frozen nondairy substitute, or sorbet is a fine
addition to the freezer. Try the lower-calorie choices. Here
are some examples:
- Soft serve:
up to 25 calories per ounce, including Skimpy Treat; TCBY, Colombo
nonfat frozen yogurt, and Tofutti
- Hard pack:
up to 115 calories per 1/2-cup serving, including Sharon's Sorbet,
Low-Fat Tofutti, all Italian ices, and Sweet Nothings
- Frozen
bars: Creamsicles, Fudgsicles, and Popsicles; any others containing
up to 45 calories per bar, including Welch's Fruit Juice Bars,
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Orange Vanilla Treats, Tofutti Chocolate
Fudge Treats, Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Mousse, Dolly
Madison Slender Treat Chocolate Mousse, and Yoplait
- Individually
packaged frozen bars: up to 110 calories each, including FrozFruit,
Hagen-Dazs bars, and Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Coffee Bars
Beverages
Avoid beverages labeled "naturally sweetened" or "fruit-juice
sweetened," but help yourself to these:
- Unsweetened
black coffees and teas
- Diet teas
and juices: Crystal Light, Diet Snapple, Diet Natural Lemon
Nestea, Diet Mistic, and others
- Noncaloric
flavored waters: orange, chocolate, cream, cherry-chocolate,
root beer, cola, and other flavors of bottled or filtered water
- Seltzer:
plain or flavored, but check the calorie count if the product
is labeled "naturally sweetened," since this usually
means that the product has sugar in one form or another
- Hot cocoa
mixes: 20 to 50 calories per serving, including Swiss Miss Diet
and Fat-Free and Nestle Carnation Diet and Fat-Free; avoid cocoa
mixes with 60 or more calories per serving
Let's
Go Shopping
Today's supermarkets are filled with choices for the weight conscious.
Here are some of the lowest-calorie choices for a variety of food
categories that aren't covered in the Anytime List.
Cereals
- Cheerios:
a whole grain cereal with 110 calories and 3 g fiber per cup
- Kellogg's
All-Bran with Extra Fiber: 50 calories and 15 g fiber per 1/2
cup
- Original
Shredded Wheat: 80 calories and 2.5 g fiber per biscuit
- Fiber One:
60 calories and 14 g fiber per 1/2 cup
- Wheaties:
110 calories and 2 g fiber per cup
- Whole Grain
Total: 110 calories and 3 g fiber per 3/4 cup
Spreads
- Peanut
butter
- Low-sugar
or sugar-free jams and jellies with 10 to 40 calories per tablespoon
Breads
- Light breads
with 40 to 45 calories per slice: oatmeal, premium white, wheat,
rye, multigrain, sourdough, Italian
- Whole grain
regular breads or rolls
Rice
and Pasta
- Whole wheat/whole
grain pastas: Hodgson Mill, Ancient Harvest
- Brown rice
- Whole wheat
couscous
- Pearled
or hulled barley
- Other whole
grains: quinoa, whole grain cornmeal, kasha, bulgur, millet
Frozen
Meals
- Low-calorie
frozen breakfast foods such as those from Kellogg's, Aunt Jemima,
and Pillsbury—and a special mention for the low-calorie,
whole grain offerings from Van's
- Low-calorie,
vegetable-focused frozen meals in the 150- to 350-calories-per-package
range, especially the Amy's brand
Beans
- All beans,
dried or canned
- Health
Valley canned bean/chili combinations
- Low-fat
or fat-free refried beans
Snacks
Make it a
point to eat starchy, crunchy snacks only in conjunction with
a food from the Anytime List. For example, have fruit with popcorn
or soup with crackers. Fill up on the former, and go easy on the
starchy snack.
Protein
Foods
- Legumes:
beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas
- Soy products:
bean curd/tofu, meat-replacement products by Boca, Gardenburger,
Yves, and Lightlife
- Seafood:
fresh (do not fry!), smoked, canned, frozen
Note: Calorie
counts in this story may vary depending on the brand of products
used. Remember to check the labels.
