I was listening to the food channel today and converted one of their recipes to BFL*. I eat a lot of salads and this has been a great addition.

1.5 cups 2% Cottage Cheese
2 tablespoons dry powder Ranch dressing (Hidden Valley Ranch)
1 teaspoon Wasabi paste (more if you want a bigger kick)
1/2 teaspoon Splenda

Throw it all into a blender and mix.

I put it all into Calorie King and it came out to this:

The recipe makes 1.5 cups

One serving is 2TBS and includes the following per serving

Calories: 28
Fat: 0
Saturated Fat: 0
Carbs: 3g
Protein: 3g
Sodium: 258mg
Potassium: 8mg

I drizzled some on my salad. It is such an incredible flavor.

(* BFL stands for Body-for-LIFE, which is the program I am currently on)

(you can use fresh ingredients, but I was throwing this together fast)
1 can artichoke hearts (rinsed)
1/4 can of chick peas (garbanzos), rinsed
6 baby carrots (or 1 full carrot, peeled)
1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes
2 cloves minced garlic
To taste:
cayenne pepper
black pepper
garlic powder
onion flakes
Options:
baby carrots/carrot sticks
spinach flour tortillas
Throw it all into a food processer until smooth.  Serve as a “burrito/wrap” in a spinach tortilla.  Or, use as a dip for carrots.

I guess I must be on a custard kick, or maybe it just satisfies my hunger for something sweet. I tried altering a recipe this morning to make just one dish of custard, and it was very good. Creamy with great flavor.

Nancy’s Custard for One

one egg
1/3 – 1/2 cup skim/non-fat milk
1 tsp. honey
few drops of vanilla
pinch salt
sprinkle of cinnamon

Whisk all ingredients together (reserve cinnamon) until honey is well dissolved and mixture is foamy. Pour into greased custard dish and sprinkle with the cinnamon. Set in pan of hot water in 325° oven and bake for 30-40 mins. (I found custard slightly undercooked for me at 30 mins) Serves: 1

Total calories: 120; 5g fat

I got this one from WW a loooong time ago. Just tried it over the weekend. Really good! And almost too pretty to eat! (But not quite)

Sea Scallops with Ginger Sweet Potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

3/4 lb large sea scallops, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Pierce the potatoes in several places Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Halve the potatoes lengthwise, and scoop the pulp into a medium bowl. Stir in the milk, ginger, salt, and pepper. Beat with electric mixer at low speed until blended and smooth; keep warm.

2. Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until butter just begins to brown slightly. Add scallops; cook, turning once, until browned on the ouside and just opaque in the center, about 1 minute on each side. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve with the potatoes.

4 servings / 4 WW points per serving

Per serving: 233 calories, 4 g total fat, 4 g fiber

6 apples

2-3 T lemon juice

1 t cinnamon

Core and slice apples (peel them, if you don’t like the hearty “left the peels on” look). Combine apple slices, lemon juice and cinnamon in blender and blend until smooth. It may take a little stirring at first.

This makes a wonderful treat, and you wouldn’t believe you didn’t add sugar to it. We eat it as dessert! You can also add a little allspice for a change of pace. And, since the apples aren’t cooked, you still get all of the enzymes, etc, from the fresh fruit.

Contributed by Nancy

I got this from cooking light and it is so yummy!

1.5 C frozen blueberries or blackberries ( I used blueberries)

1C refrigrated Mango slices (Del Monte)

1 C (6.5 ounces) low fat tofu ( like Silken Soft)

1 C Orange juice

3T honey

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. 4 servings. (serving size 1 cup).

Can keep in fridge for up to one day. Stir first.

Calories 155. (4% from fat) Fat: .8 g (sat .1, mono .2g, poly 4g), Protien: 4g. Carb 35.9, Fiber 3.7, Chol O, Iron 1 mg, Sodium 39 mg, Calc 44 mg.

This is amazing. I would cut back on the honey in future recipes. That will save on calories and reduce sugar. I think I would do 1T or 1.5 T.

Contributed by Marie

I made this the other night — delish! The chicken was tasty and moist, and there’s very little fat.

Tandoori Style Chicken

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp sugar

1 c buttermilk

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Cucumber sauce:

1/4 cumumber, chopped

1/2 c plain yogurt

1 tsp mint, chopped fine

To make the chicken: In a large, zip-top bag, place the spices and buttermilk. Mix well. Add chicken. Press chicken around to evenly coat. Leave in fridge while you prepare the rest.

To make cucumber sauce: Mix cuce, yogurt, and mint.

Preheat outside grill or grilling appliance, or if you’re using the broiler, preheat to about medium-high heat.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard leftover liquid. Place chicken on a clean grill and cook evenly on both sides, about 5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Serve with cucumber sauce.

Per serving:

200 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g fiber

Note: I served this with basmati rice and vegetable. It was a wonderful meal!

I found this recipe on the net and made it for dinner this evening. It was creamy smooth and delicious and not a calorie-expensive dessert at all. I think it would also be good for breakfast, especially if you made it ahead. I cut the recipe in half this evening.
—–

1 1/2 cups egg whites (equivalent to 6 eggs)*
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Splenda or other sweetener
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional (I just used a pinch)
3 cups skim or low-fat milk, heated until very hot
Ground nutmeg or cinnamon for garnish, optional

* Packaged egg whites can be found in the dairy case of your local grocery store.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to center position. Lightly butter (or Pam) six (6-ounce) custard cups and set them into a large baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, Splenda, vanilla extract, and salt; beat until sugar and Splenda are dissolved. Mix in hot milk, a little at a time, until blended. Pour egg mixture into prepared custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon.

Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way cup the sides of the custard cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cup you are using, but begin checking at 20 minutes and check back often. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that’s when you can remove it from the oven. Remove from oven and immediately remove cups from water bath; cool on wire rack until room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Makes 6 servings (depending on size of custard cups).

Recipe Makes 6 servings (6-ounce custard cups)
Per Serving – .16 fat gram, 107 calories, 1.8 WW points

This one was such a hit with the entire family – I made it twice in one week. The first time, I used asparagus. The second time, I used broccoli. All good stuff! This recipe fed my family of four – adjust for yourself, as needed.

Tasty Ginger Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
1 1/2 TBS Olive Oil
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced (or 4-6 regular mushrooms)
1 chopped green onion
Salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste.

Heat a skillet on the stove – add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the ginger. Add in chicken and cook for 4 minutes, stiring them around in the pan constantly, and flipping regularly. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Put remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in hot pan and add your vegetable (I’ve used asparagus and broccoli for this recipe). Stir fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Then add in mushrooms and onions and stir fry for another 3 minutes – or until mushrooms look well-cooked.

Set burner to a medium-to-low setting and add the chicken back into the pan, on top of the vegetable and mushrooms. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is completely done (I test for doneness the tried and true way – - slice open the center and check for raw meat!) Don’t mind the pictures – - I took them during this process and I am the world’s sloppiest cook!

We had this meal with a small side of Ceasar salad with a few slices of romaine tomatoes, and non-fat Ceasar dressing. It’s really good!

The approximate count on this entire meal – chicken, broccoli and side ceasar salad w/ tomatoes and non-fat ceasar dressing – based on Calorie King’s calculations of my meal?

362 Calories
55.9 grams protein
6.2 grams fat
19.2 grams carbs
8.2 grams fiber

This menu is for women who are a BODY TYPE B. Find out what your body type is here: What is your body type?

Do NOT do it for more than 6 days.
Drink AT LEAST 100 ounce of water per day.
Coffee : Black
Exercise 30 minutes a day, at least 4 out of the 6 days.
DO NOT change anything, this is it – and if you vary you will not have the results you would otherwise.
Eat every 2 hours. DON’T SKIP a meal.
Measure your food portions. Better accuracy = better results.

BODY TYPE B MENU

Breakfast:
» 3 Egg whites (3/4 c. eggbeaters, scrambled)
» OR 3 oz. Turkey Breast (find the lowest sodium, highest protein lunch meat in the deli section – Hillshire Farms has a honey roasted turkey breast that is excellent, and one package is 6 ounces – enough for one day on the plan.)
» & 1/2 Grapefruit (or 1/2 cup mixed berries, or 8 oz. all natural grapefruit juice – red ruby is okay)

Mid-morning snack:
» 3 oz. Turkey Breast
» & 1 cup lettuce
(iceberg garden bagged mix is okay, dice up the turkey and mix in with the salad.)

Lunch:
» 2 oz. chicken breast
» 1/2 cup brown rice
» & 1 cup mixed veggies
(mix all three for a nice meal, steam a large bag of frozen (california blend is my personal preference) veggies & make 4 servings of rice to pre-prepare meals for a couple of days. Use roasted tyson chicken in the fresh seal pouch, dice it up finely)

Mid-afternoon snack:
» 3 oz. fresh tuna (low sodium canned is okay)
» & 1 cup lettuce.

Dinner:
» 2 oz. chicken breast
» 1/2 cup brown rice
» & 1 cup mixed veggies

PM Snack (OPTIONAL):
» 1/2 grapefruit
» OR 1/2 cup mixed berries
» OR 8 oz. natural grapefruit juice

*This is part of Michael Thurmond’s 6-week body makeover program, and I’m not a registered dietician or anything – so use this at your own risk, or consult with your own doc/family/friends.