Frothy, refreshing, just the right amount of sweet and very good for you – that’s a great line up in a drink that takes a snap to put together !
2 servings
121 calories per serving
2 c honeydew melon chunks
½ c orange juice
1 T lime juice
1 T honey
4 ice cubes
Place all in a blender and mix well.
Satay is a Thai preparation of skewered meat served with a peanut sauce – here I’ve taken away the skewers to make things a bit easier and it doesn’t change the taste of the dish one bit 😉
8 servings
132 calories per serving
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 8 oz. each, sliced lengthwise into 6 strips each.
1 t toasted sesame oil
1 t low sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
2 T rice vinegar
2 t lime juice
1 t brown sugar
Vegetable oil
Toss chicken with sesame oil, soy, garlic and 1/4 t pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Heat grill pan or skillet on high heat. Work in batches brushing pan with vegetable oil and then cooking chicken until done, 3-4 minutes per side. Serve with dipping sauce.
Create dipping sauce by mixing peanut butter, vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar, the rest of the pepper flakes and 2-3 T water.
If you don’t have a grill, just pan fry or broil the ham. But whatever you do, don’t skip the pineapple salsa – it was just marvelous !
6 servings
140 calories per serving
Salsa:
8 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
2 T orange marmalade
1 T chopped cilantro
2 t chopped jalapeno pepper
2 t lime juice
¼ t salt
Ham:
1 1 ½ lb. slice pre-cooked ham slice
Heat grill. Combine all salsa ingredients and set aside. Grill ham 10-15 minutes or until heated through – then top with salsa and serve immediately.
I’ve been making this side salad for years. It is great alongside so many dishes ! Sometimes it’s even good as a lunch served with a few low fat crackers.
10 servings
250 calories per serving
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mandarin oranges, rinsed
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 c chunky salsa
¼ c lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ t ground cumin
Mix all ingredients and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
This is always a crowd pleaser and people can’t believe it’s made without sugar (Equal is the sweetener here). This is a perfect and refreshing end to a meal.
8 servings
150 calories per serving
1 low fat prepared graham cracker crust
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 ¾ c skim milk
8 oz. low fat cream cheese, at room temperature
12 packets Equal
½ c fresh lime juice
Green food coloring (optional)
Lime slices (optional for garnish)
Sprinkle gelatin over ½ c milk in small pan and let stand 3 minutes then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved. Beat cream cheese until fluffy and then beat in res of the milk and the gelatin mix. Then mix in the juice and 12 packets of Equal. Add a couple of drops of green food coloring if you wish. The pie will be very thin and runny but will firm up quickly. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
These took just 10 minutes to throw together and were so very good – the onion was just enough, the beans leant a great flavor as well as making the texture really nice, and the cumin and lime made for a great overall flavor. You can make these ahead and freeze them – then you have a quick nutritious microwave lunch ready in 3 minutes !
6 servings
367 calories per serving
2 t oil
1 c diced onion
1 T minced garlic
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 c cooked and diced chicken breast (Perdue Shortcuts work great here!)
1 T cumin
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 T minced lime zest
2 T fresh lime juice
2 t oregano flakes
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
6 8 inch whole wheat tortillas (Smart Delicious 80 calorie version)
1 ½ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
Heat oil in skillet and cook onion and garlic about 2 minutes then add beans. Mix chicken with cumin and add to onion mix. Stir in tomatoes, jalapeno, zest, juice, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until jalapenos are slightly softened, about 5 minutes then let filling cool slightly. Place tortillas on a flat surface and fill with ¾ c filling and ¼ c cheese. Fold and eat ! Here is a video that will help you learn how to roll the burrito so it does not leak.
If you are making these to freeze and eat later, make sure you let the mix cool completely before putting them together and then fold in all 4 sides and roll, securing the filling inside. Wrap each in plastic wrap and then place all the burritos in a zip loc freezer bag.
This is my ‘recipe’ for a salad that contains ‘everything but the kitchen sink’. Sometimes it’s the best unplanned dish of the week.
By the end of the week I have a bunch of bits and pieces of veggies left over – so I use them all in a salad – whatever I have, it gets thrown in. And because the salad is so full of flavor from all the veggies, I use NO OIL. And that makes for one LOW CAL, LOW FAT salad !
Sometimes I even put in bits of other prepared salads I had made – this picture shows a salad where I added in some left over cucumber and radish salad – and even some black beans. Try it – it makes salad eating so much more pleasurable !
1 serving
30-80 calories per serving
2 c field greens or any other leftover lettuce you have
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t oregano flakes
Vinegar (balsamic, red wine, anything)
Citrus juice – up to a tablespoon of lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice – whatever floats your boat
1 c Veggies – cucs, broccoli, carrots, celery, jicama, zucchini
1/4 c Beans – black beans, chick peas, cannellini beans
1/4 c Fresh herbs – parsley, cilantro, basil
Mix it all up and enjoy !
The sauce on this actually makes the beef taste and feel ‘light’. We had our doubts about serving citrus with beef, but the tangy and citrusy flavor combines well with the beef and this is definitely a recipe I will do again ! Serve with a great big salad for a great meal.
4 servings
360 calories per serving
10 oz. filet mignon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c fresh orange juice
2 T lime juice
½ c black beans
1/4 c Steamed brown rice
Heat skillet to med high. Put in 2 1/2 oz filet mignon and cook to desired doneness. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper. (or you can grill the meat and it still tastes great!). Add orange juice and lime juice to skillet and simmer. Slice the steak and serve over 1/2 c warm black beans and steamed brown rice. Drizzle with the citrus mixture.
Carrots never tasted so fresh ! The combination of ingredients gives this dish a really flavorful punch. Definitely not the same old boring vegetable !
4 servings
61 calories per serving
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. carrot chips
1 T buttery spread
1 t minced fresh ginger (bottled is OK if you do not have fresh)
1 T cilantro, chopped
1 t lime zest
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 t salt
Steam carrots 8 minutes or until tender. A simple steamer basket is the easiest way to steam vegetables. I use one like this:
Heat butter in a skillet. Add garlic and ginger to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in steamed carrots, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and salt. Serve immediately.
To quickly zest citrus, try this handy tool I found at Amazon:
Citrus and chicken just go together ! And the flavor punch for almost no added calories is a great way to feel satisfied even after eating a smaller meal. There’s lots of calories to spare here, so add a hearty side dish and enjoy.
4 servings
133 calories per serving
4 small b/s chicken breasts
2t garlic powder
1/2 t seasoned salt
1/2 c lemon juice
1/2 c lime juice
2 t lemon pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with Pam. Rub the chicken with the dry spices. Spray a skillet with Pam and cook the chicken 3-4 minutes per side to brown. Then place the chicken in the baking dish and pour the citrus juice over the chicken and bake 20-25 minutes.
