Delicious Eggplant Dip - Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

1/2 large eggplant

1 tbs tahini

1 tbs lemon juice

1 garlic clove

pinch of chili powder

1 tbs olive oil

sea salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and brush with olive oil. Place in foil lined sheet and bake it for 45 minutes.

3. Allow eggplant to cool, then place eggplant in the food processor, add tahin, lemon juice, garlic, chili powder, olive oil and blend until smooth. 

4. Add salt to taste.

Serving size is 2 tablespoons.

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Quick Snack - Rice Cake with Cottage Cheese and Raw Almonds

If you need a healthy, quick snack idea, this snack is  very easy to make.

Ingredients:

3 rice cakes

1/2 cup 1% low fat cottage cheese

1oz (22 nuts) roasted almonds

Preparation:

Put cottage cheese and almonds on the rice cake and enjoy.

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories: 354, Protein: 22g, Carbs: 31g, Fiber: 4g, Fat: 17g

Guilt Free Dessert - Bananas in Coconut Flakes

If you are looking for a healthy comfort food, this dessert is for you. Bananas in coconut flakes is very easy to make and does not require many ingredients. The main ingredient is coconut flakes and coconut oil. Why coco nut oil is good for you? It is good because coconut  fats have special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs).  It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. However, it does not mean that you can eat as much as you want. It is still dense in calories, 120 calories per tablespoon. Using this healthy fat in your diet can help our bodies mount resistance to both viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. Even more, it also can help to fight off yeast, fungus, and candida. Coconut oil can also positively affect our hormones for thyroid and blood sugar control and reduce bad cholesterol. Coconut oil also helps to absorb nutrients better. Try this guilt free desert and enjoy healthy, fit life.

How to Make a Clean Italian Dinner

Italian food is delicious but it is very high in calories. You can still enjoy a nice Italian dinner minus extra fat and calories. This clean recipe is absolutely delicious (makes 6 servings).

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 4 oz each
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt, to taste
Olive oil spray

Tinkyada Brown Rice Spaghetti
Cilantro for garnish

Sauce
2 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch crushed pepper flakes
28-oz can pureed tomatoes
1 tblsp dried oregano

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Combine almond meal, flaxseed , seasoning, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

3. Beat eggs in a bowl with a fork. Dip each piece of chicken into eggs and set aside.
4. Briefly dip egg-coated chicken in egg mixture again, then dip into dry mixture and coat evenly.
5. Put chicken breasts on the baking sheet, spray it with olive oil, cover with foil, and bake it in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. While chicken is baking, cook pasta.
7. Sauce: Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Shake pan gently until garlic becomes fragrant.
8. Add  tomatoes, oregano, and salt. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.
9. Serve pasta and chicken breast with tomato sauce, and garnish with cilantro.

Calories: 316 Fat: 17g Carbs: 33g Fiber: 5.3g Protein: 17g Sugars: 4g

How to Make Baked Apples with Raisins, Almonds, Orange and Dates- Christmas Dessert

Clean eating should not be boring. There are so many delicious options. I love good, healthy deserts! One of my favorite deserts is baked apples, and I love making it during winter holidays. It is very easy to make, and you can enjoy this healthy treat without any guilt.

Ingredients:

8 large whole apples, cored

1 orange piled and cut

12 oz of natural apple juice (no sugar added)

3 oz raisins

2 oz pitted dates

2 oz almond meal

1 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 pinches of ground cloves

2 teaspoon Stevia

Directions:

1. Soak raisins in apple juice for a few hours. If you do not have almond meal, you can use chopped almonds or pecans. Soak the chopped nuts with the raisins in the apple juice. It will bring out the flavor even more.

2. Place the soaked fruit, almond meal, zest, pitted dates, and Stevia in a food processor and pulse to a paste.

3. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cuts around the middle of each apple to prevent them from bursting during cooking.

4. Line a baking tray with foil.

5. Placed the cored apples on the baking tray and stuff each one with the filling.

6. Cover the baking tray loosely with foil and bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees or until apples are soft.

7. Decorate apples with orange pieces.

One serving: Cals: 168, Fat: 2.25g, Sodium: 35mg Carbs: 35g, Fiber: 3.25g, Protein: 2g, Sugars: 31g

Turkey Cranberry Pita

I love turkey! This delicious recipe will satisfy your taste buds, and it is very easy to make. If you do not have some ingredients at your house, it is not a problem. You can modify this recipe and use ingredients that are available. Personally, I use only Greek yogurt in my recipe and do not add mayo. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups chopped, roasted, skinless, turkey meat
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup roasted, salted, pumpkin seeds
6 Tbsp reduced-fat mayo with olive oil
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 loaves whole-wheat pita bread, cut in half to create 4 semi-circles
8 lettuce leaves

A Guilt Free Thanksgiving Desert - Quick Pumpkin Mousse

It is hard to stick to a nutrition plan during holidays. However, you still can have a desert without sabotaging your weight loss goals. I found this recipe in the magazine couple years ago, and I have been making it for holidays since. It is very easy and fast to make, and it tastes delicious. I do not put heavy whipped cream in my recipe when I make it because I do not want to add more calories to my treat. However, I decorate the desert with a fat free dairy whipped topping. It is your choice whether you want to use heavy whipped cream or not in your recipe. Enjoy this scrumptious desert!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cold skim milk
1 package (1 Once) sugar-free, fat-free instant butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1 cup sugar-free heavy whipped cream (optional)

Creamy Butternut Soup

One of my favorite vegetables in the fall is a butternut squash. It is a very healthy carbohydrate that is low in calories and reach in essential nutrients such as vitamins A, C, E, B6, potassiun, and other nutrients like thiamin and riboflavin. Butternut squash has the slightly nutty flavor and delicately sweet overtone that can be a great addition to any meal. I like to make a creamy butternut squash soup when it gets cold outside  This delicious meal will warm you up and satisfy your appetite. Plus, knowing that my body gets the best nutrients, it makes me feel even better.

                                                                                    Ingredients:

1 medium size butternut squash pealed and clened from seeds

2 medium size sweet potatoes

1 leak

2 medium size carrots

1 sweet yellow or red pepper (optional)

3 stalks of celery

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1 pinch of ground turmeric

1 pinch of table blend seasoning blend

Serve with Fage 0% fat yogurt

Green onion for decoration

Perfect Breakfast - Oatmeal Waffles

1/2 cup oatmeal (grind it in the coffee grinder) or use oatmeal flour
1/2 cup egg white
1 apple
4oz frozen blueberries
Cinnamon
Ginger
Ground Nutmeg
Olive spray
Chia seeds (optional)

Directions:
Preheat waffle maker. Spray waffle maker with the olive oil spray. Mix all the ingredients very well in the blender. Pour the batter to the waffle maker and cook it until done. It will require a little longer cooking time than cooking regular waffles. Put frozen blueberries in the microwave for 2 minutes. Top waffles with blueberries and enjoy.

Calories: 356, Fat: 9g, Sodium: 125mg, Carbs: 51.5g, Fiber: 8g, Protein: 17.2g, Sugars: 21g

Stay Healthy and Fit!

Salad Dressing Makeover (Oxygen magazine)

Creamy Avocado Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 ripe avocados, cubed
1 large English cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Store in a jar. Label and date, and use within a week.
Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 31, Total Fats: 3g, Cholesterol: 1g, Sodium: 10mg, Total Carbohydrates: 3g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 0g.
 Creamy Italian Dressing
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tblsp Parmesan, grated
1 tsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp raw honey
2 green onions, white parts only, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1// tsp sea salt
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Store in a jar. Label and use within a month.
Nutrients per Serving:
Calories: 40, Total Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 100mg, Total Carbohydrates: 3.5g. Sugars: 3g, Protein: 5g.

Hummus with fresh tomatoes and sweet peppers

1 can low sodium garbanzo beans
2 tbl tahini
cilantro
2 small tomatoes
3 mini sweet peppers
1/2 lemon squeezed juice
garlic powder
Mrs Dash tomato basil garlic spice

Put all ingredients in the food processor. Process until smooth consistency.

Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.

3 servings; total cals 531, fat 20g, carbs 62g, protein 21g, sugars 6g. 

Spicy Pineapple Margarita – Fewer Calories

Spicy Pinapple Margarita

Print

Recipe type: Cocktail

Author: Mike Cecchin

This yummy recipe has 100 fewer calories when compared to a pre-made margarita mix.

Ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup diced pineapple
• 2 oz. tequila
• 1⁄4 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1⁄3 tsp. chili powder
• Ice (to fill Cocktail Shaker)
• 1⁄2 limes, juiced
• 1⁄4 tbsp. agave nectar

Instructions

1. Combine salt and chili powder on small plate.
2. Wet rim of 1 short glass with lime juice or water, margarita sponge works perfectly for this task.
3. Dip rim of glass in salt/chili mixture. Set aside.
4. Blend pineapple, tequila, lime juice and honey in blender until smooth.
5. Add ice and blend until you have an icy margarita.
6. Pour into salt & chili-rimmed glass and garnish with lime slice.
7. For “on the rocks” version, use pineapple juice and cocktail shaker

Calories: 180