Friday, 11. September 2009
Tradition Tradition Tradition! That’s a common word around Christmas time in my family (ok ok so I am the one throwing it around most of the time) I know it is a little too early to think about Christmas, but one of my favorite things around the holidays is the food!
Every year my dad makes “christmas breakfast” and it is sinfully good! whole eggs, thick texas toast style bread, greasy bacon and sausage, full fat cheese and tonssss of it…throw it all together the night before and let it sit so all the flavors can soak together…but holiday food doesn’t count when considering eating healthy right?? WRONG!
I got a craving for christmas breakfast yesterday and decided to give a healthier version a try, and since it is only me, I made just enough for 1 =)
Note: I made it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight and baked it (ok ok I was lazy and impatient so I used the microwave)
It was DELICOUS! and tasted just like Christmas Breakfast so much that I got lost in memories of decorating the christmas tree, wrapping presents, and spending time with my family that I found myself humming all the christmas tunes that I love so much!
“Christmas” Breakfast (serves 1)
- 2 slices any brand light bread (40-50 calories/slice)
- 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (or 2 egg whites)
- 1 Turkey Sausage Patty
- 2T Light Soy Milk (I used the brand 8th Continent)
- 1/4tsp Garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Onion powder
- 1T Water
- 2T Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
1. Mix all except cheese night before, put in fridge overnight
2. Next morning heat in microwave about 4 min 30 seconds
3. Top with cheese and heat 30 more seconds
4. Let stand 30 seconds…then Enjoy!
* Calories: 176.7
* Total Fat: 3.7 g
* Cholesterol: 2.6 mg
* Sodium: 323.2 mg
* Total Carbs: 18.5 g
* Dietary Fiber: 3.9 g
* Protein: 19.7 g
Posted in Uncategorized by Neena Sha Beena -
Friday, 11. September 2009
Tradition Tradition Tradition! That’s a common word around Christmas time in my family (ok ok so I am the one throwing it around most of the time) I know it is a little too early to think about Christmas, but one of my favorite things around the holidays is the food!
Every year my dad makes “christmas breakfast” and it is sinfully good! whole eggs, thick texas toast style bread, greasy bacon and sausage, full fat cheese and tonssss of it…throw it all together the night before and let it sit so all the flavors can soak together…but holiday food doesn’t count when considering eating healthy right?? WRONG!
I got a craving for christmas breakfast yesterday and decided to give a healthier version a try, and since it is only me, I made just enough for 1 =)
Note: I made it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight and baked it (ok ok I was lazy and impatient so I used the microwave)
It was DELICOUS! and tasted just like Christmas Breakfast so much that I got lost in memories of decorating the christmas tree, wrapping presents, and spending time with my family that I found myself humming all the christmas tunes that I love so much!
“Christmas” Breakfast (serves 1)
- 2 slices any brand light bread (40-50 calories/slice)
- 1/4 cup Egg Beaters (or 2 egg whites)
- 1 Turkey Sausage Patty
- 2T Light Soy Milk (I used the brand 8th Continent)
- 1/4tsp Garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp Onion powder
- 1T Water
- 2T Fat Free Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Directions:
1. Mix all except cheese night before, put in fridge overnight
2. Next morning heat in microwave about 4 min 30 seconds
3. Top with cheese and heat 30 more seconds
4. Let stand 30 seconds…then Enjoy!
Posted in Breakfast by Neena Sha Beena -
Wednesday, 9. September 2009
Beans are a great source of protein and there are so many different types! I am always looking for new ways to use the different varieties.
Hummus is a popular middle eastern dip or spread typically made from cooked, mashed chickpeas. Generally it is blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. You can buy it pre-made from almost all grocery stores in a variety of flavors. I wanted to change things up a bit, why not try with a different type of bean? I had a can of black beans on hand and a jar of salsa…so I just combined them.
The easiest way to mash something is to let a machine do it for you, so just heat the beans and put them in a food processor or blender….badda bing badda boom…instant homemade spicy black bean hummus!
Serve with crackers, pita bread, in a wrap, on a bagel, with raw veggies…the possibilties are endless and completely up to you!
Spicy Black Bean Hummus (serves 4)
-1 can goya black beans
-5T salsa (choose whichever heat is to your liking)
-1/4t cumin
Directions:
-Heat beans in a microwavable safe bowl
-Put all ingredients in food processor or blender
-Serve heated or chill in refrigerator
* Calories: 85.0
* Total Fat: 0.4 g
* Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
* Sodium: 552.5 mg
* Total Carbs: 17.9 g
* Dietary Fiber: 5.9 g
* Protein: 6.1 g
Posted in Dips/Spreads by Neena Sha Beena -
Wednesday, 9. September 2009
I was going through my pantry seeing what ingredients I had on hand that I should probably use because they had been there for a while. I realized I had some dry lentils that my grandmother gave me. I really like lentils but have never cooked them myself. I looked up some recipes but everything was either over pasta or in soup. I didn’t really want either of those. I kept looking and came across this next recipe (originally posted on myrecipes.com).
Lentils are a great source of iron, protein, and fiber. You get the health benefits of this wonderful legume with relatively low calories, however it is what you add to a recipe that makes it unhealthy. So as I always am looking for a way to make a recipe more healthy/guilt-free but not compromise the taste. With this one, the original recipe calls for maple syrup…I thought to myself, what could I use instead…I decided to try low calorie syrup, as in pancake syrup. One Tablespoon of regular maple syrup is on average 50 calories where as low calorie or most sugar free syrups are 30 calories for 1/4 cup…that’s only 7.5 calories/tablespoon! With this simple modification I saved a total for 229 calories for the entire recipe. The result tasted great, actually it was fabulous, so good that I had made enough to bring home to share, but then “accidentally” forgot it when I went to my parents for the weekend 
BBQ Baked Lentils (serves 3)
(**Side note: If you prefer a less sweet bbq reduce the amount of syrup)
-1.5 cups water
-1 cups dried brown lentils
-1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
-.5 cup diced onion
-1/3 cup ketchup
-1/3 cup low calorie or sugar free pancake syrup
-2T prepared mustard
-1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
-1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2.Combine water, lentils, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes. Drain lentils in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
3. Combine lentils and diced onion in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, reserved cooking liquid, ketchup, and the remaining ingredients. Pour the ketchup mixture over the lentil mixture, stirring to combine. Bake at 350° for 1 hour.
* Calories: 161.9
* Total Fat: 6.0 g
* Cholesterol: 17.6 mg
* Sodium: 1,332.7 mg
* Total Carbs: 25.2 g
* Dietary Fiber: 5.3 g
* Protein: 5.5 g
Posted in Lunch/Dinner by Neena Sha Beena -
Wednesday, 9. September 2009
I love to try new recipes and I love to cook for other people. One of my goals is to introduce others to healthy cooking that actually tastes great.
It was around father’s day and my step-mom’s birthday and a gift I like to give is a home cooked meal. Both my dad and step-mom love Haddok, but it is often expensive so we rarely buy it. It just so happened that one of the grocery stores by me was having a sale, so I had to buy some! I went online looking for a good recipe and found this one. The recipe originally used full fat products, I decided to change this. I modified the recipe using low fat and fat free products, it turned out looking beautiful and tasting even better.
Baked Haddok in a Puffy Cheese Sauce (serves 4):
- 4 haddock fillets
- 2 egg whites
- 3Tb non fat mayo
- 3Tb fat free shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place fillets in single layer on a well greased baking sheet (use cooking spray)
3. Combine the remaining ingredients except egg white
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into other ingredients
5. Cover the fish with egg/cheese sauce
6. Bake approximately 12-15min or until sauce is browned and fish flakes easily with fork
* Calories: 202.9
* Total Fat: 1.7 g
* Cholesterol: 114.2 mg
* Sodium: 332.5 mg
* Total Carbs: 2.5 g
* Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
* Protein: 41.5 g
Posted in Lunch/Dinner by Neena Sha Beena -
Sunday, 6. September 2009
Hello and Welcome to the world of Neena. Over the years I have developed a love for cooking, I must say I have come a long way…from not knowing how to peel a potato or make anything beyond pressing a button on a microwave to now preparing gourmet meals of fruited cornish hens to beef wellington for the ones I love.
I have always loved to eat and growing up in my family, I have always been exposed to fabulous meals however not so fabulous nutrition facts. As a result I was a pudgy little kid with a suffering self esteem…needless to say the mirror or scale was not my friend. When I grew up and started college something had to change. I began going to the gym and looking into what I was eating. Watching the nutrition facts became a habit. As my interest with cooking grew, I soon realized that I can control what I eat, I didn’t have to use full fat products…I learned there was such a thing as “reduced fat” or “fat free”. I went out on a limb and took some classic recipes (such as shepherds pie, tuna noodle casserole, brownies, cakes…etc) and made them using these ‘better for you’ products. What did I discover? The end result tasted GREAT! No one could ever tell the difference. I learned how to take something that was 300 calories a serving and make it 150 calories and half the fat!
With the rise of diabetes, my family being no exception, I now have a strong desire to share my learned tips, tricks, substitutions, and my own created recipes to guide others to not only continue to love to eat and explore new food, but to love it Guilt Free! It’s simple, it’s easy, and best of all, it’s fun and delicious!
Love to cook, love to eat, love to be healthy…and do it all….Guilt Free
Posted in Uncategorized by Neena Sha Beena -
