This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

Protein Potato Salad with Asparagus Spears and Nectarine Slices

This salad is a meal in itself and perfect for summer since asparagus and nectarines (or peaches) are in season. The recipe comes from Nancy S. Hughes book, The 1500-Calorie-a-Day Cookbook, which was sent to me by the senior editor at Diets in Review.com as a thank you for my guest post, Frozen Fruit Popsicles Make Snacking Healthy Fun.

The cookbook features nutritious meals at around 350 calories per serving, 150 calorie snacks and 150 calorie decadent desserts. I’m sure I’ll be dipping into The 1500-Calorie-a-Day Cookbook a lot.

Here’s a salad that provides a walloping 16 grams of protein and only 7 Weight Watchers POINTS per serving.

Protein Potato Salad with Asparagus Spears and Nectarine Slices
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. (2 cups) diced extra lean ham
• 8 cups of water
• 1 1/2 lbs. (6 cups) red potatoes, scrubbed & cut into 1/2 in cubes
• 1/2 cup lite mayonnaise
• 2 tsp prepared mustard or to taste
• 1 1/2 medium celery stalks, chopped fine (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped fine (1/2 cup)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pound fresh asparagus
• 2 medium nectarines or peaches, pitted and sliced

Directions:

1. Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot and coat it with cooking spray.
2. Add the ham and cook 3-4 minutes or until it begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from Dutch oven and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Add the water to any pan residue in the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, return to a boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, mustard, celery and onion in the large bowl with the ham. Stir until well blended and set aside.
5. While potatoes are cooking, steam or microwave asparagus. Cool under cold water and blot dry. Set aside.
6. Drain potatoes in a colander and run under cold water until cool. Shake off excess water and add to the ham mixture.
7. Stir gently yet thoroughly until well blended and top with black pepper.

Each serving is 1 1/2 cup salad, served with with 4 ounces asparagus as a salad bed and  1/2 nectarine slices.

Nutritional information:

Salad: calories 300; total fat 12g; protein 13g; carbohydrates 35g; fiber 4g; cholesterol 35mg; sodium 930mg

Asparagus: calories 20; total fat 0g; protein 2g; carbohydrates 4g; fiber 2g; cholesterol 0mg; sodium 0mg

Nectarines: calories 35; total fat 0g; protein 1g; carbohydrates 8g; fiber 1g; cholesterol 0mg; sodium 0mg

Weight Watchers POINTS = 7

The Skinny On Losing Weight without Being Hungry and Pomegranate Salad

I’ve been reading The Skinny: On Losing Weight without Being Hungry-the Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss Success by Louis J. Aronne M.D. with Alisa Bowman.

I was interested to learn more about why Dr. Aronne feels some people, like me, never feel satisfied and overeat because they’re constantly hungry. It’s all about brain chemistry and not willpower, he says.

He shows you how to retrain your body and mind to eat for fullness with filling foods (similar to Weight Watchers Momentum plan) and feels you should eat veggies first, lean protein second, and carbs last. It sounds a little bit like the South Beach Diet, too, but there is some good food for thought like:

• sweet zero calorie drinks like diet soda actually make us hungry because they stimulate your appetite
• vinegar decreases appetite so make sure you have an oil and vinegar dressing on your salad
• a lack of sleep can make you fat
• daily moderate exercise is great – you don’t have to work out strenuously to see weight loss results
• don’t exercise on an empty stomach or you’ll be ravenous afterwards

The Skinny: On Losing Weight without Being Hungry is a book I recommend checking out especially if you’re doing Weight Watchers and South Beach. What Dr. Aronne recommends fits well with those plans and it’s reassuring to know the science behind why it’s so hard to lose weight.

Summer salads: Holly Clegg's Marinated Shrimp Edamame Salad

Summer has finally arrived in Colorado, meaning it’s hot and the AC and fans are most of the day. In this heat, the last thing I want to do is cook. Actually, I want to lie down next to one of the vents and read books all day. (I’m not good in the heat.) So finding easy to make, healthy salads – and sharing them with you - is my mission this week. 

My first choice comes from Holly Clegg. I’m a big fan of her freezer meal bible, Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Freezer Friendly Meals. She personally sent me a few of her cookbooks, including her latest KIDS COOKING for Mommies, which encourages parents and children to cook together. Love it, but I wish it had pictures and an index, too.

However, the book that really intrigued me was Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites. I lust after Cajun and southern cooking – but don’t like it’s high fat content. (Justin Wilson anyone? Love him! Only he could make pork stuffed pork.) Instead, Holly uses her usual culinary magic to create every day dishes that are healthy and delicious. Each recipe comes with full nutritional info including diabetic exchanges. Trim & Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites also features vegetarian and freezer friendly make-ahead recipes and menus.

Shrimp and edamame are always in my freezer and wasabi paste is always in the fridge, so this salad is first on my list after I get more cherry tomatoes from Costco. The ones I bought last week have magically disappeared. (Burp.)

Mother's Day dishes: Sautéed Tequila Lime Shrimp Tacos with Mango and Pineapple Salsa and Spicy Black Beans

Our first dish for Mother’s Day comes from the new Lifetime Television show, Cook Yourself Thin, that premiered today. (Read my review of the premier episode of Cook Yourself Thin.)

Cook Yourself Thin teaches viewers how to take their favorite indulgent meals and turn them into something healthy by cutting the calories and doubling the flavor. The companion cookbook, Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for any mom trying to eat healthier let alone those trying to drop some weight. The cookbook includes all of the recipes featured on the show as well as a calorie guide, a list of calorie offenders, skinny alternatives to your favorite meals, a food personality quiz and more.

My only complaint with the cookbook is that it only lists calories, not fat, fiber, sodium, etc. If you’re doing the Weight Watchers Momentum plan, you’d need to calculate each ingredient’s POINTS, then add them all up and divide by the number of servings to get your POINTS per serving info.

Culinary memoir extraordinaire: Siren's Feast and Armenian Eggplant Salad

You’d think that the last thing someone on a diet would want to do is read a book about food and cooking. Au contraire, I love a good culinary memoir! Reading them gives me the satisfaction of enjoying wonderful and stories of cooking because I’m grazing with my mind and not eating with my mouth and consuming all those calories. Ruth Riechel's, Tender at the Bone and Julia Child’s My Life in France are two of my favorites.

Recently added to that list is Siren's Feast, An Edible Odyssey by Nancy Mehagian. Quincy Jones, longtime friend of Nancy’s, calls Siren's Feast,

“A spicy brew of recipes and adventures. I don’t know whether to eat this book, smoke it or make love to it.”

What an endorsement!

The book has been compared to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, which I confess I haven’t read yet even though I own a copy. Instead, Nancy’s novel could be referred to as “Cook, Meditate and Get It On with Unavailable Men.” Seriously though, it’s a hard to put down, true story about one woman’s spiritual and culinary adventure through life. It follows Nancy’s as she grows up Armenian-American in Arizona in the '60s and '70s, then rebelliously travels through Morocco, India and Ibiza. She then spends 16 months in a London prison with her newborn daughter to serve time for “accidental” drug smuggling. The constant thread through her journey is her passion for healthy and wholesome food and cooking.

Recipes for dieters from The Mayo Clinic: The Essential Diabetes Book

I don’t have to tell you that the rise in obesity means that more people are becoming diabetic earlier in life. But did you know that diabetic books, cookbooks and websites are a great source of healthy recipes for anyone trying to lose weight? Diabetic recipes always contain nutritional information and are usually low in calories and fat, and high in nutrition.

Just released this week, Mayo Clinic Essential Diabetes Book from the world's first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group medical practice offers clear direction on managing diabetes. It also contains diabetes-friendly recipes that don’t compromise taste or quality. Here’s a few that are also very low in Weight Watchers POINTS.

Grilled Salmon with Sliced Cucumber and Radish
Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. salmon fillet
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Black pepper (optional)
• 2 c. cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
• ¾ c. thinly sliced radishes
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• ¼ tsp. dill weed

Directions:

1. Rub salmon with lemon juice, then oil. Sprinkle with black pepper. Cut into 8 pieces.
2. Place salmon, skin side down, onto aluminum foil that’s been sprayed with cooking spray. 
3. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate.
4. Grill or broil at medium to high heat until salmon is flaky but still moist.(For best results use a food thermometer – the internal temperature should reach 145 degrees F.) 
5. Top each serving of fish with the cucumber and radish mixture.

Nutritional info per serving: Calories 168, Protein 23 g, Carbohydrate 1 g, Total fat 8 g, Monounsaturated fat 3 g, Cholesterol 62 mg, Sodium 54 mg, Fiber trace

Exchange list servings:

• Free food 1
• Meat and meat substitutes 3

Weight Watchers POINTS: 4

Two more recipes from the Fix-It and Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook

I hope I’ve convinced you to check out Fix-It And Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook: 400 Great Stove-top and Oven Recipes. They’re terrific for anyone trying to lose weight (on any plan) or just eat healthier.

Here are two more recipes from Phyllis Pellman Good's latest cookbook. Enjoy!

Basil Chicken Strips 
by Mary Fisher of Leola, PA 

Makes 4 servings 
Prep. Time: 10 minutes  Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken strips 
• 4 Tbsp. flour 
• 4 Tbsp. tub-style margarine, non-hydrogenated 
• 1 clove garlic, minced, optional 
• 4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 
• 1 tsp. dried basil 
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, optional 
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, optional 

Directions:

1. In a large re-sealable bag, shake chicken strips in flour until coated. 
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt margarine. 
3. Add chicken, and garlic if you wish, and sauté 5 minutes. 
4. Stir in vinegar, basil, and parsley, and cilantro, if you wish. Cook until chicken juices run clear. 
5. Serve over brown or wild rice (not included in analyses). 

Nutritional information per serving:
Calories 257, Kilojoules 1075, Protein 27 g, Carbohydrates 7 g, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 66 mg, Sodium 230 mg, Fiber none

Weight Watchers POINTS per serving: 6 POINTS

This Mama’s Tips: If you have a gluten free diet, try brown rice instead of regular flour. If you don’t like using margarine, substitute olive or another heart healthy oil instead. Try eliminating the oil altogether and cook in vegetable or low fat chicken broth instead.

Tips for Healthier Eating for Stuck-in-Their-Ways Adults

Not only does Phyllis Pellman Good’s new cookbook, Fix-It And Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook: 400 Great Stove-top and Oven Recipes, feature recipes, it also has some sage advice. Here’s an excerpt:

Tips for Healthier Eating for Stuck-in-Their-Ways Adults

Are you stuck in a food rut and having a hard time changing to healthier eating habits? If you want to make lasting changes to the way you eat, you need a plan. Follow these steps for changing an unhealthy behavior into a healthy one: 

1. List your behaviors that you think are unhealthy. For example, maybe you eat too fast, or snack throughout the day instead of eating regular meals, or eat whenever you're under stress. 

2. Choose one behavior that you would like to change. (Trying to change everything on your list at once can feel overwhelming.) 

3. As you think about strategies for changing, try to figure out how you developed the behavior. For example, do you tend to snack all day because you're under constant stress? 

4. Brainstorm about ways to change your behavior. Think of five to seven possible solutions. Then pick one strategy that you think is practical and doable. For example, choose a healthy habit that you can substitute for an unhealthy one. 

Fix-It and Enjoy-It! new Healthy Cookbook

I’ve been a fan of Phyllis Pellman Good's books since I discovered FIX-IT and FORGET-IT LIGHTLY: Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker. Not only are the recipes easy to make, but her book includes nutritional information, which comes in handy when trying to calculate Weight Watchers POINTS. It also recommends a crock pot size, which comes in very handy, too.

In her latest book, Fix-It And Enjoy-It Healthy Cookbook: 400 Great Stove-top and Oven Recipes, Phyllis worked with experts from the Mayo Clinic to find recipes that were tasty, easy to prepare and nutritious.

“I am delighted to have teamed up with Mayo Clinic, whose dietitians have analyzed all the recipes for their nutritional value,” she said. “Together, we’ve adapted the recipes to fit within Mayo Clinic's Healthy Weight Pyramid."

Each recipe includes prep time, cooking time, nutrient analysis, and number of Pyramid servings. Here’s a sample recipe.

Having a monthly family meal plan helps moms save time and money

On my women’s social networking sites, I’ve noticed that many moms are looking to save money on their grocery bills during these tough economic times. Yes, you can buy in bulk, clip coupons, stock up on sale items, and stick to cheaper items like generic brands and pasta. Unfortunately, for many families it’s not enough because they’re too busy to cook and rely on unhealthy and expensive convenience food and takeout to get by.

One strategy to save money while getting your family to eat healthier, is to use a family meal plan like A Month of Meals. This 71-page ebook was written by Jaime Ussher, a working wife and mother, who was frustrated by her desire to provide healthy, quick meals for her family that didn’t empty her pocketbook. She also blogs at Baby Get Green.

She has put together a very thoughtful and comprehensive ebook. It’s a very well written, and clearly thought out plan. (And unlike so many ebooks I’ve purchased, it had no typos!) The downloadable ebook sells for $19.95 through ClickBank Marketplace and you can pay by credit card or through your PayPal account. She also offers an eight week, 100%, money-back guarantee.