recipes for lower cholesterol

Hearty yet slimming…

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How this Fast Diet Lifestyle works: Eat these meals tomorrow, for a calorie total of less than 600. On another day this week, eat the meals from a different post, another day of eating 600 calories or less. Eat sensibly the other days of the week. That’s it: a simple way to lose weight and be healthier. Join me in the Fasting Lifestyle. 

How nice it is to eat a satisfying, filling meal and still know that you will weigh less tomorrow! Fasting doesn’t mean that you have to eat meager portions of boring food. Fasting does mean that your food choices will be high in protein and low in carbs and fat. The lower calories-per-day give your body a chance to recover from your usual fast-paced life — this is good, like catching your breath after a long run. Fasting two days each week really works!

Our meals are a classic ham omelette and chili con carne with a twist — this one is made with venison.

Ham ScrOmelette:  145 calories… 7.6 g fat… 0.7 g fiber… 12 g protein… 5 g carb… 45 mg Calcium…  NB: Food values shown are for the ScrOmelette and fruit only, and do not include the optional beverages. PB  GF Here’s another classic of the breakfast table.

++ 1½ eggs per person  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. ++++ ½ oz ground or chopped 3%-fat ham ++++ 1.5 oz melon or 1.5 oz apple ++++ herbs to taste ++++ Optional: blackish coffee [53 calories] or blackish tea or mocha cafe au lait [65 calories] ++++  Optional: 5 oz fruit smoothie or  berry-yogurt smoothie [88 calories] ++

Chop the ham, slice the fruit, prep your beverage. Heat a cast iron or non-stick pan and spritz it with oil or cooking spray. Whisk the eggs and pour into the pan. When the bottom begins to set, distribute the ham over half of the eggs. {OR warm the ham briefly in the hot pan, pour in the whisked eggs and scramble together until cooked.] Fold the omelette and cook to your favorite degree of doneness. Pour your beverages, and you are off to a good start to your day.

Venison Chili:   297 calories… 5 g. fat… 35.8 g. protein…. 55 g. carbs….      PB GF  This recipe is wonderfully simple and good to eat. My mother made this with ground beef.  I have swapped in venison which is much lower in fat and calories.   HINT: this recipe makes enough for 2 meals, so invite a friend or divide it in two and freeze the rest for a quick Fast meal later.

venison chili w: melon

++ ½# ground venison: if you are not a hunter, you can find it in some stores ++++ 1 cup onion, chopped  ++++ 1 clove garlic, chopped  ++++ 15 oz canned tomatoes, whole or chopped, drain the liquid but save it  ++++ 1 cup canned red kidney beans , drained and rinsed   HINT: freeze leftover beans  ++++  3 Tbsp green pepper, chopped ++++  ¾ tsp salt ++++ 2-4 tsp chili powder ++++ ½-1 tsp cumin, ground  ++++ 1 Tbsp grated Cheddar  ++++ 2 oz melon ++

Pour some of the reserved tomato liquid in a heavy pan. Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Cook until the onions and pepper are wilted, adding more liquid as needed. Remove the vegetables, add more liquid, and cook the venison until it is browned. Add the tomatoes, beans, cooked vegetables, and seasonings to taste. When it is hot and flavorful, put half of it in a container in the freezer for another meal. Serve with sliced melon and top with the cheese.

Rich flavors borrowed from other chefs.

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In the middle of a long, snowy winter, you look forward to a meal — that’s why people overeat in February. They think they are going to hibernate. Then there is Valentine’s Day… And Mardi Gras — you know that translates as ‘Fat Tuesday’ don’t you? But it doesn’t mean boring food to battle the bulges. Tomorrow’s menu really tastes good! [sorry about the formatting — it would not change for me]

PowderMill Scramble       247 calories       9.3 g fat      17.6 g protein         34.3 g carbo          This recipe is straight out of Jerry Willis’ Powder Mill Pond Restaurant where it was a favorite. Alas, brunch is not served at Jerry’s Marzano’s Tratoria, but you can enjoy this at home. Can’t believe the flavor of this!

1 ½ 2-oz eggs  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Beat up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next Thursday.                                                                                                                             ½ oz smoked salmon                                                                                                                                         1 Tbsp chopped chives or scallion greens                                                                                              1 clementine OR 1 ½ oz apple                                                                                                                                                   5-6 oz fruit smoothie or pure apple cider                                                                                     black coffee, black tea, lemon in hot water

Whisk the eggs [salt and pepper may not be needed depending onpowdermill scramble the seasoning of your salmon]. Pour into a pan which has been sprayed briefly with cooking spray. Before the eggs set, add the salmon and scallions. Scramble to taste. Brew your beverage and take the previously-made smoothie from ‘fridge. Plate with fruit of choice.  HINT: This would be a wonderful dinner, as long as you didn’t eat eggs for breakfast.

Baltic Hot Dog Dinner:     302 calories    12.1 g fat      11 g protein      27.3 g carbs             Believe it or not, this is adapted from the book Two Fat Ladies Obsessions. The meal has wonderful Eastern European flavors and is so simple to prepare that I assembled it in 16 minutes since the ingredients are ‘off the shelf’ :             hot dog:kraut in pasta bowl                                                                                  2 low-fat hot dogs [I like Hebrew National reduced-fat @ 100 calories each]                         ½ cup canned sauerkraut, drain it but save ~1/2 c. liquid                                                                                                                        ¼ c pickled beets                                                                                                                                        ¼ c sliced onions                                                                                                                                         ½ tsp horseradish from a jar                                                                                                                     2 Tbsp white beans, drained and rinsed     

Put the hot dogs [frozen or thawed] and onions in a saucepan with a little water or some juice from the sauerkraut. Let cook until the dogs are cooked and most of the liquid is evaporated. Remove the dogs and add remaining ingredients to the pan to heat. Add more liquid if needed. Cut the hot dogs into 5-6 pieces and put them back in the pan until all ingredients are heated through.

Flavorful Thursday

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Dieting and calorie restriction do not mean subsisting on salads and bland food. These 2 recipes are full of flavor for a Winter’s day.

mushroom omelette, applesMushroom Omelette:  HINT: If you are serving one person, crack three 2-oz eggs into a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whip up those eggs and pour half of their volume into a jar with a lid and put it in the ‘fridge for next week. For this morning’s breakfast, chop or slice ½ oz mushrooms and saute with a little water in a skillet. Remove and set aside. Now whisk the 1.5 eggs with seasonings to taste. Pour into a heated skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook, tipping the pan and lifting the cooked eggs until the bottom is set but the top is still moist. Top with the mushrooms and ½ tsp grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with 1.5 oz apple [or 2.25 oz melon or 1.2 oz grapes], plus your beverage and Fast Smoothie. You are off to a good start.      295 calories

Chicken Curry: Based on Craig Claiborne’s ‘Anything Curry’ from his Gourmet Diet book, this meal takes a bit of preparation. But maybe the snow has kept you inside and you have more time to cook. Start with the curry sauce: Chop 1 c. onions, 1 clove garlic, and ½ c. celery and 1 c. apple. Cook until wilted in 2 sprays of cooking oil and 2 Tbsp water. Strew 1-2 TbChicken Curry w: tomatoessp curry powder [more if you wish] and 3/4 tsp dry mustard over the vegetables and stir to combine. Add a bay leaf and 2½ c. chicken stock. Cook down until the mixture measures 2½ cups. If you are serving one person, you will use 10 fluid oz. of the sauce; double that if serving 2 people.  HINT: Freeze the remaining sauce, either in 10 oz portions or 1¼ c. portions. To continue. Steam 1 oz carrot slices and ½ c. cauliflower florets. Boil ¼ c. yellow lentils until cooked. [You will need ¼  c. cooked lentils for this dish, so use any leftover another day.] Add the cooked vegetables to the curry sauce along with 2 Tbsp green peas. Add ¾ oz cooked chicken and heat the sauce to warm all the parts. Serve with the lentils on the side and a garnish of ¼c. diced tomato or diced cucumber.       288 Calories