Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Making the Most of Your Vegetables

Per request, I'm going to show you how to use one red bell pepper and one white onion in 3 different meals.

Last night's dinner...

Meal 1: Fajitas/ Fajita Salad ~ Serves 2 (Forgot to take a picture :( Sorry!)
-1 small green pepper
-1 very large red pepper
-1/2 white onion
-1 bag Tyson beef strips
-1 can fat-free re-fried beans
-2 cups shredded Romain lettuce OR 3 small Mission Corn Tortillas
-Salsa
-Light sour cream
-Reduced fat shredded cheddar

1. In a large skillet, heat up beef strips. Meanwhile, start cutting up peppers and onion into strips. Reserve 1/2 the Red Pepper for later meals.
2. After beef is cooked, transfer to a plate. Add a drizzle of olive oil and veggies to same skillet and cook until onion is translucent and peppers have softened.
3. While veggies are cooking, start heating up the re-fried beans in a pot or microwave (if you're lucky to have one that isn't broken, like ours! )
4. While everything is cooking, start cleaning and shredding the lettuce.
5. By the time you're done with the lettuce the veggies should be ready. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the meat back into the the skillet and cover. This way the meat gets re-heated without drying out.

Tortilla Version:
In a small skillet, heat both sides of tortilla for about 45 sec or until you can fold it without it breaking. (You do NOT need to add oil to skillet! ) Corn tortillas are tricky. They have to be super hot otherwise they'll crack. I do not recommend the microwave. In my experience they got mushy heating them up that way.
613 Cal, 18g Fat, 1492mg Sodium, 119mg Potassium, 71g Carbs, 15g Fiber, 11g Sugar, 41g Protein
49% Vit A, 142% Vit C, 40% Calcium, 26% Iron

Salad Version:
Spread 1/2 cup re-fried beans on your plate. Add 2 cups romaine. Top with 1/2 skillet mixture, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, 2 Tbsp sour cream, 2 Tbsp salsa.
419 Cal, 15g Fat, 1484mg Sodium, 352mg Potassium, 32 Carbs, 11g Fiber,  6g Sugar, 36g Protein
158% Vit A, 180%Vit C, 37% Calcium, 25% Iron

Note: This is a great meal for say a husband and wife. I'm trying to do no refined carbs at night, but Ryan isn't. With this meal I can opt for the low carb salad option without forcing Ryan to do the same. Both versions are healthy. :)


The next morning....

Meal 2: Omelet w/ Banana and Coffee ~ Serves 1


I ate the banana before my run this morning and made the omelet and coffee afterwards.

-2 large organic eggs
-1 Tbsp organic milk
-1 cup baby spinach
-1/3 cup chopped Baby Bella mushrooms (I just broke mine)
-2 leftover red pepper strips from the night before, broken up into pieces
-1/8 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese



1. In small skillet, heat up mushrooms and peppers. Once softened, add spinach and wilt. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
2. Whisk eggs and milk in bowl. In a small non-stick skillet, spay a non stick spray and heat until hot. Add  egg mixture. Reduce heat. Once the egg mixture had solidified, flip it over. Cook other side until done.
3. Transfer to plate, sprinkle on cheese, and then fold both sides in so that the cheese can melt. Top with skillet mixture and enjoy! :)

357 Cal, 14g Fat, 271mg Sodium, 822mg Potassium, 39g Carbs, 7g Fiber, 4g Sugar, 19g Protein
115% Vit A, 77% Vit C, 22% Calcium,  15%Iron


For lunch...

Meal 3: Chicken "Fried" Rice ~ Serves 2

-1, 6 ounce Chicken breast
-1/4 Red Pepper, chopped (I used the remaining red pepper from last night's dinner)
-1/2 cup baby carrots, chopped
-1/2 cup frozen peas
-1/3 cup Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
-1 garlic clove chopped (I chopped 2, I'll use the other later in the week)
-1/2 white onion, chopped (I used the remaining onion from last night's dinner)
-2 large organic eggs
-1pkg Uncle Ben's 90 sec Brown  Rice
-2 Tbsp Soy sauce (reduced sodium)
-2 Tbsp Newman's Own Sesame Ginger Dressing

1. Chop all vegetables and set aside.
2. Cut up boneless, skinless chicken breast into cubes. Meanwhile, prepare large skillet by placing over high heat. Remove from heat to spray with non-stick cooking spray and then return to heat. Add chicken and cook about 7 min or until chicken is cooked through. Season with sea salt and pepper while they're cooking. Set cooked chicken to the side in a bowl and cover to keep warm.
3. In same skillet, spray more non-stick cooking spray and add veggies, stirring frequently. While veggies are cooking, prepare Uncle Ben's 90 sec brown rice in microwave or skillet... I had to use a skillet at the time because our microwave was broken. :( But it's fixed now! :) Add the cooked rice in with your veggies.
4. In a bowl add 2 Tbsp Newman's Dressing and 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce and set aside.
5. In another bowl whisk 2 large organic eggs and set aside.
6. By this time your veggies should be cooked. Make a clearing in the middle of your pan. Remove from heat, spray with cooking spray, and then return to heat. In the clearing, add the eggs. Scramble them as they cook. When eggs are cooked, stir them into veggie/rice mixture.
7. Re-add the chicken pieces and drizzle the reserved sauce over everything. Cook about 2 min or until sauce is absorbed.
Enjoy! :)

483 Cal, 10g Fat, 981mg Sodium, 380mg Potassium, 55g Carbs, 6g Fiber, 6g Sugar, 32g Protein
145% Vit A, 65% Vit C,  8% Calcium,  20% Iron


The book I referenced was the
 Biggest Loser Cookbook
Chicken, Sauce, and Rice

Scrambling the eggs

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