Category Archives: Summer

Grilled Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri sauce is a great condiment – super low cal, but bursting with flavor. Served atop this already super savory steak, you can’t go wrong.

Grilled Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce
Grilled Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

6 servings
322 calories per serving

Meat and rub:
3 boneless beef chuck flat iron steaks, ¾ inch thick – use sirloin steaks
1 t Kosher salt
½ t garlic powder
½ t ground cumin
½ t chili powder
½ t pepper
¼ t cayenne pepper

Sauce:
1 c cilantro leaves
1 c flat leaf parsley
¼ c white vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ t Kosher salt
½ t red pepper flakes
¼ c olive oil

Place meat on a baking pan. Mix together the meat rub spices and sprinkle on both sides of the meat then rub it in and cover with plastic and chill 1 hour.

Mix the chimichurri ingredients other than the oil in a blender or food processor then slowly add oil as mixture is blending. Heat grill and cook meat 5-6 minutes each side or until desired doneness. Serve with sauce.

Grill Basket Cajun Shrimp

Make this as spicy as you like by adding more Cajun seasoning. We like it hot, hot, hot ! This one takes over every tastebud in your mouth !

Grill Basket Cajun Shrimp
Grill Basket Cajun Shrimp

4 servings
243 calories per serving

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 c mix of sliced onion, yellow bell peppers, green bell peppers
2 T oil
1 T Cajun seasoning
1 t garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime wedges
Pam

Heat grill. Toss shrimp and 1 T oil. Mix veggies and 1 T oil and seasoning.

Spray grill basket with Pam and heat. Add shrimp and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add veggies and cook 6 minutes or until shrimp is done. Stir in juice of one lime. Serve topped with parsley.

Spicy Hot Glazed Chicken

Just enough spice, just enough glaze – this is a great grilled chicken.

Spicy Hot Glazed Chicken
Spicy Hot Glazed Chicken


4 servings
361 calories per serving

3 T honey
3 T soy sauce
1 t grated lime zest
3 T lime juice
1 t red pepper flakes
½ t hot chili garlic sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
4 5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix honey, soy, lime zest and juice, and red pepper in a zip loc bag. Add chicken, seal and refrigerate for 2-12 hours. Preheat grill and spray with high heat cooking spray and cook chicken 5 minutes each side or to desired doneness.

Quick Potato Salad

No peeling, quick boil time, easy dressing – this one is GREAT ! You could not even guess that low fat yogurt makes up half the dressing 🙂

Quick Potato Salad
Quick Potato Salad

8 servings
112 calories per serving

1 ½ lb. small new potatoes quartered (16 or so)
1 c celery, sliced thin
1 c sliced baby carrots
1/3 c light mayonnaise
1/3 c plain low fat yogurt
¼ c thinly sliced green onions
2 T white vinegar
¼ t pepper
½ t salt

Cook potatoes 8-10 minutes in salted water. Add carrots and celery and cook another 4 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl and chill 2 – 24 hours. Mix mayo, yogurt, onions, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve. When ready to serve mix dressing with potatoes.

Frosty Mocha Drink

What a great afternoon pick-me-up! Sweet, chocolately, just the right amount of coffee, and nice and cold. (Much like a Wendy’s Frosty)

Frosty Mocha Drink
Frosty Mocha Drink

4 servings
118 calories per serving

1 ½ c skim milk
1/3 c chocolate syrup
2 T instant malted milk powder
2 T instant coffee
3 ½ c ice cubes

Combine milk, syrup, malted milk and coffee in a blender. Then add ice in a couple batches blending in between each batch and then serve immediately.

Shrimp with Verde Sauce

Verde is ‘green’ in Spanish and this dish is VERY green. The processed parsley and green onions put a great color on these shrimp. This is one of those restaurant worthy dishes – and it only takes minutes to prep ! Cut out the bread and you cut out tons of calories here – shrimp are very low cal !!

Shrimp with Verde Sauce
Shrimp with Verde Sauce


6 servings
350 calories per serving

3 ½ T oil
6 garlic cloves
1 c chopped green onions
1 c chopped flat leaf parsley
½ t salt
½ t pepper
¼ t red pepper flakes
2 ¼ lb. large shrimp, cleaned and peeled
1/3 c dry white wine or chicken broth
6 oz. French bread in thin slices (more than ½ MB bread tub – 26 slices)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place oil and garlic in food processor and process until garlic is fine then add onions and parsley and process again. Place in a bowl and add salt and peppers. Add shrimp and mix to coat. Place in a shallow roasting pan and add wine. Bake 7 – 10 minutes or until done. If the shrimp are not in a single layer, you may want to stir halfway through to ensure even cooking. Serve with bread for dipping in extra sauce.

Simple Avocado Salad

Get those MUFAs into your diet to help with your weight loss ! Avocado is a great way to achieve this.

Simple Avocado Salad
Simple Avocado Salad

1 serving
165 calories per serving

½ c sliced avocado
1 T low fat Zesty Italian Dressing

Mix it all up and serve next to soup or a light sandwich.

Whether you’re slicing avocados for sandwiches, salads or snacks, it’s nice to have pretty slices rather than gouged out chunks. Avocados are not the easiest things to work with – but they are well worth the work! Nothing tastes quite like an avocado. And there is now a kitchen tool out there that takes all the hard work out of it. Just slice your avocado in half, remove the pit, and then use the tool to do the rest. I made a quick video so you can see how they work.

And here is a link to buy one on Amazon !

PB and Chocolate Smores

Smores – sweet, delicious and they bring out the kid in you – here we do it all without the camp fire !

PB and Chocolate Smores
PB and Chocolate Smores

9 servings
170 calories per serving

3 T creamy peanut butter
9 reduced fat Honey Grahams, broken in half to make 18 squares
3 T hot fudge sauce
1/2 c mini marshmallows

Take 9 squares and spread each with 1 t peanut butter, then 1 t fudge then place 3-4 marshmallows on top. Cover with another cracker to make a sandwich.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place Smores on a baking sheet and cook 9-11 minutes or until chocolate is melted and marshmallow are puffed.

Southwest Sirloin

This simple sauce turns out a spicy, smoky, sirloin. Try it on chicken or pork as well !

Southwest Sirloin
Southwest Sirloin

4 servings
265 calories per serving

1 lb. sirloin steak
2 t oil
1 ½ T taco seasoning
1/3 c steak sauce

Heat grill. Run steak with oil and then coat with taco seasoning. Grill steak basting with steak sauce as you go. Cook to desired doneness. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into thin slices.

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