Low Cal Ideas

Best Low Fat Healthy Butter Spreads

This is really an opinion piece that includes my favorite recommendations for lower fat buttery spreads. These are a great alternative to the one and only real butter. I love real butter too. I just want to watch my calories on some occasions. When I do indulge in the real thing, I buy ONLY organic butter that is salted.

Not only does organic salted butter have a far superior flavor, in my opinion, to non-organic butter.  It also does not contain the high amount of toxins that the non organic stuff does. Why does butter that is not organic have toxins?

Well, any fatty part of an animal, including their milk byproducts, act as a sort of magnet for toxins in the body. The same goes for humans. Many of the toxins we take in via our environment and our food go straight to our fat stores.  They can also leach into human breast milk, as evidenced by the massive amounts of things like parabens and other toxins found in female breast milk.

So, it is best to choose organic.  Now, let’s get to our picks for the best buttery low fat spreads.  First and foremost, I like the line of Earth Balance butter spreads. They offer vegan solutions to butter. My favorite is the olive oil spread. It is vegan, and it really still tastes like butter.

Their spreads have a rich buttery flavor that makes you feel like you’re eating the real thing.  They contain about 20 less calories than real butter per serving. Sure, it’s not as much of a fat and calorie savings as some lower fat versions, but what it lacks in calorie restriction, it makes up for with rich flavor and great spreadability.

Another, which doesn’t have hardly any flavor but is great on calories is Land ‘o Lakes low fat buttery spread. This one is really dry and hard to spread. It also doesn’t have much flavor in my opinion, but it works if you’re looking for something very low fat and low cal.

I guess when I’m looking for lower fat options, I’m also looking heavily at flavor. Sometimes these low fat items really don’t help that much because you have to slather so much on to even get any flavor.  Sometimes, if you choose the ones with a little more fat and calories, it works itself out because you don’t have to use a lot!

Low Fat Seafood Ideas

My husband and I are pretty stoked about our increasing experimentation in to the world of seafood and healthy eating. Of course, lots of times, as with any other inherently healthy food, the temptation to load it up with butter, salt and batter is always there. However, there are plenty of seafood dishes that you can prepare both deliciously and healthfully.

Many white fishes that contain a little bit of fat, like flounder, sea bass, mahi mahi and others that are mild in flavor actually contain a fat that is beneficial to your body.  They do have a little bit of dietary fat, this is true. However, the fat they contain is omega 3 fatty acids, which are incredibly useful when you are trying to maintain or cut weight.

Why is this? First of all, they help to lend a youthful and healthful glow to your skin, hair and nails.  Second, they help the brain the feel fuller, sooner. This is why things like tuna sandwiches are often so filling and satisfying long after they are eaten. These types of fats are abundant in several types of fish, and they all make us feel full sooner than a meal that does not contain these fatty acids.

Omega 3 fats are also implicated in improved heart and circulatory health.  They are best consumed through eating them as food. So fish is one of the best meat sources of these precious acids.  Scallops are a very low fat and low calorie dish that is often passed over because it is thought to be more caloric and fattening due to its rich flavor.

Sea scallops taste like crab meat if they are cooked right. If they are overcooked, they can taste rubbery. If they are burnt, you won’t even taste their slightly sweet flavor, so it’s important to cook them properly. They can be prepared in a tiny amount of healthy oil like coconut oil, olive oil or another healthful vegetable oil of your choice.

They can be cooked in a tiny amount of butter as well. They don’t need much when seasoned properly. They are kind of delicate tasting, and seem like a non diet food, so they’re a fun one to eat if you’re watching your diet and you’re a seafood lover.

Lemon pepper seasoning is one of my favorites for seasoning fish without adding any fat to it. I also love a good dill seasoing, maybe just dill weed with a little bit of lemon and sea salt. You can prepare fish and seafood to taste wonderful without adding too much fat by broiling it as well. This way, the fat falls down into the broiler tray and you are left with the pure protein.

Hearty Breakfast Ideas that are Low Fat

Breakfast is a very important meal. At least it is for me. What I eat for breakfast tends to dictate what the rest of the day is going to look like for me as it comes to my diet and how healthy I’m going to be. So, if I start off with say a 400 calories, deliciously dense and chewy bagel with absolutely no fiber, topped off with melted butter clocking in at another 100-200 calories, I’ve essentially eaten an “empty” and high calorie breakfast.

In order to qualify as healthy, hearty and starting the day right, a breakfast needs to show qualities of a certain caliber. First off, it should be high in fiber, but not that processed fake fiber that you find in cereals and “nutrition” bars.  That stuff tends to do only one thing – give you gas.

I’m talking about real fiber, from real food. Foods like whole grains, perhaps from a hot cereal like steal cut oats or  hearty yet unsweetened granola mix with fibrous whole grains and raw nuts, something to that effect.

Some walnuts added to anything will add not only a healthy dose of fiber, but also an excellent dose of omega 3 fatty acids, which not only help to regulate your bowels and coat your tummy but also to help send those full signals to the brain and keep it feeling full for hours.

You could eat a steaming bowl of steal cut oats, or perhaps some organic greek yogurt, topped off with some fiber-filled granola and fibrous and omega 3 filled nuts, like walnuts or almonds – whole and raw of course – none of this fried or processed stuff.

Another great idea is to take a cooked sweet poatato, which is loaded with fiber and vitamins, including beta carotene, cube it, and fry it up in a tiny bit of coconut oil with some onions. Not only is it delicious, but it is fiber filled and also chock full of vitamins and minerals.  Minimally cook it, and you’ll get the full benefit of all the vitamins and minerals. 

If you live near a Whole Foods or another health food market, they may have an all natural bakery where you can pick up a healthy bagel that is truly whole grains and minimally processed. You could add some low fat hummus to it and some bean sprouts and have yourself a healthy bagel sandwich for breakfast.

Healthy Snack Ideas That Are Super Easy

It’s kind of hard sometimes to find a snack that is not only easy and quick, but also that is healthy, will balance your blood sugar rather than raising and then subsequently crashing it, and will actually taste good and satisfy your hunger without eating too much of it.

That’s quite a tall order, but I’ve been around and have been trying to either lose weight or maintain my weight long enough to know that there are some foods that I can definitely eat that fit the bill for all of the above.

The trick for me in snacking is to not get so hungry that I will just eat anything you put in front of me. A cupcake, the afternoon snacks like donuts and bagels and so forth that your office may put out, and things like that. These types of snacks may taste wonderful going in, but they will not keep you satisfied very long, and your blood sugar will surely go crashing in the next few hours.

One of my favorite and easiest snacks that is not loaded with unhealthy refined carbs, and actually has some fiber as well, is hummus and cucumbers. I like to either eat that, or eat the hummus with tomatoes. It’s easy to keep a couple chopped up cukes on hand, tomatoes, and when tomatoes and cukes are in season, this is pure heaven.

You should try to choose a hummus that is lower in fat and calories. Some of them have a ton of added oil, and that adds a lot of fat and a lot of calories.  I’ve found some store brands at the grocery store I shop at (Giant Eagle), and it’s the lowest  calorie, and tastiest, one I can find.

Another good snack is celery and peanut butter. You can make this a totally prepared snack by putting the peanut butter in the center and cutting it up. It’s a ready made, crunch and salty/sweet snack that won’t kill you on calories as long as you go a little light on the peanut butter, and it will stabilize your blood sugar til your next meal.

I’ve found these turkey sticks as well that are pretty good. They only have about 40 calories for a whole stick, and they are really tasty. These are not turkey jerkey, but more like a summer sausage. They are protein, so they stick with you, although not as well as the more fibrous celery and hummus snack.

Ginger Potatoes in Coconut Oil

Coconut oil often gets a bad first reaction from people because they automatically assume that since it is a fat, it’s gotta be bad for you and it’s gotta add pounds to your bottom line. While it is true that even with the healthiest fats, one must watch their intake, and as with everything else, moderation is key, coconut oil is in fact excellent for you.

It has so many nutritious properties, and it also happens to be one of the healthiest oils to cook in because it’s nutritional properties remain fairly stable at higher temperatures, unlike a lot of other healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil.  It is wonderful for vegan recipes as well.

Coconut oil is also DELICIOUS to cook with. It maintains an oily texture that not a lot of other oils do. It doesn’t just completely absorb into your foods and disappear, making them dry and tasteless. Instead, it sticks to your food, giving it an oily texture that tastes absolutely delicious. 

I have a recipe that some may consider “fattening” but in fact I could eat it every day for breakfast in moderation and probably not gain any weight.  Why? Because it contains potatoes, which are a resistent starch. Resistent starches actually retard the release of the insulin raising carbs they contain into your blood stream, so they are a little better for you than say, something like pasta, which releases sugar into the blood almost instantly, and sets the stage for the shaky hungers mere hours after they are consumed.

Potatoes stick with you a little more.  And when cooked in coconut oil, they really stick with you longer, I’ve found. Without further ado, here is my gingery potatoes in coconut oil recipe.

Start off with five medium fully baked red skin potatoes (good for the fiber and vitamins in the skins).  Keep the skins on. Cube the potatoes.  Put about one Tablespoon of virgin, organic coconut oil, which is solid, in the frying pan.

At this point you may add a teaspoon of powedered ginger, or a little more fresh ground ginger to the pan.  Also you may add diced red onions and some seasoned salt for extra flavor.  I like to also put a dash of garlic powder or fresh ground garlic in too, as I love the flavor of garlic, and it has many wonderful health properties.

Add your diced potatoes, and fry them at medium heat until they are coated in the wonderful, scented, flavorful coconut oil. Enjoy!  You can add some diced tomatoes for extra antioxidants as well!

Tricky Ways to Reduce Calories

When it comes right down to it, the only way to really manage, and also maintain, a healthy weight, is to make sure you are managing the amount of total calories you are consuming in a day. Sure, this means that ideally you aren’t eating junk like McDonalds, but only restricting it to one single meal a day.

Rather, the ideal way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat several times a day, so you actually feel GOOD and can keep it off because you can function well and keep your blood sugar stable by eating foods which support healthy blood sugar levels and don’t make you ravenous.

One of the ways to do this is to eat high fiber foods.  If you eat high fiber foods, you are actually eating less calories without even realizing it, because these foods tend to be so filling.  High fiber, low cal foods are things like salads made with spinach leaves, a nice pureed sqash soup, carrots, apples, and other leafy greens and high fiber fruits.

Generally, adding a lot of fruits and veggies to any meal will reduce the overall caloric intake while simultaneously filling your belly and stabilizing blood sugar, which is great for dieting since it controls appetite while also controlling cravings for bad foods.

One way to sneak these types of foods in is to actually puree them or cut them into very small pieces and add them to your entrees. An example of this trickery is to make a veggie lasagna with whole grain pasta for the lasagna noodles, with sparse amounts of low fat cheese but an abundance of finely diced veggies.

This not only ups the fiber count and fills you up more, but it also helps to add to the “bulk” of the meal without adding to the calorie content, since most veggies are historically low in calories but add a lot of flavor and a lot of fiber.

A great research study was done on this actually.  Researchers found that people who ate the same food as another group, but the only difference was that the food they ate contained about 25% pureed veggies by weight, actually ate less than the group that had that same entree with NO pureed veggies.

So, not only did they eat less of that very same food to begin with, but they also took in overall less calories because the addition of the veggies took away from the overall caloric content of the food in the first place. Essentially, by adding veggies, you are giving more oomph to the caloric “efficiency” of your meals and making yourself feel less deprived and more satiated.

Easy Lunch Ideas Under 500 Calories

I’m a person who needs to eat about 500 calories a meal in order to feel full and be held over for any amount of time beyond two hours. I’ve always been a natural “grazer”, which means that my blood sugar relies on regular injections of nutrients and sustenance in order for me to be of any use to myself or others. When I’m on empty, my mood gets awful and I become flighty and air headed.

So, I’ve concocted some very easy, readily available at the grocery store, meal ideas that are easy to take with you to work and even easier to make because you don’t have to cook at all!

I’m big on prepared meals for lunch. We have a microwave at work, so it’s super easy to pop something in the microwave and have it ready in minutes. I always recommend trying to eat warm or hot meals, as they always tend to hold you over longer than a cold sandwich and some potato salad, or other meals that don’t involve heat.

I’m going to tell you which Lean Cuisines I like the best and how they hold me over, and what I add to them. Oh, there’s also a “Smart Ones” in the mix because they make the best veggie lasagna.

The veggie lasagna, as I said, is from Smart Ones. It’s called Lasagna Florentine, and is a hearty little slice of a veggie lasagna with chunks of tomato, carrots and zuccini in it which help add to its fiber content and its filling abilities.  Since it’s not quite 300 calories, I put about two tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese on it as well, to add flavor and a bit more heartiness.

Parmesan cheese is actually very low in calories, clocking in at 20 calories a tablespoon. Since this still does fill me up, I usually will pop a veggie in too. I love the Green Giant single serving veggies. One of my faves is the buttered peas, which come in a low fat butter sauce.  Even with the veggie, this meal comes in at 500 calories or less.

Another favorite is the Lean Cuisine fish dishes. I LOVE the lemon pepper fish and the tortilla crusted fish, which I add a Green Giant single serve veggie to as well. Fish is very filling, even in small portions, so this one also holds my big appetite over for four hours.

Is Sushi Healthy?

I’ve recently come to really love certain types of sushi.  I’m not really that in to the raw stuff that’s just all raw fish- like sashimi, which is actually raw fish by definition, but I love the California rolls which are sticky rice, avocado, cucumber and a sliver of crab meat, which is actually cooked.

Yeah, that’s right – sushi itself does not mean raw fish, it’s just how the roll is prepared, when it’s rolled in nori (seaweed) and rice, it’s called sushi.  There are even vegan sushis, with no fish or meat whatsoever in them.

By their very nature, sushi rolls are light.  The rice itself, while granted it is not brown rice, which I wish it was, is not high in calories and is pretty much fat free, and usually the ingredients that are encased in the sticky rice and the nori are very low fat and low calorie as well.

So, if you “indulge” in sushi, you’re really not going to get fat. It’s not deep fried or anything, and the condiments you can put on it are light as well – which includes wasabi sauce as well as soy cause.  I love sushi dipped in soy sauce, then topped off with a tiny bit of wasabi to give it that distinctive, spicy-hot flavor.

It’s dee-lish once you really develop a taste for it. Plus, I love the fact that after a meal of sushi, I don’t feel as though I’m going to vomit or like my pants are going to split. I always feel pleasantly satiated, and like I could still go run a marathon if I had to after eating a meal like this.

Sushi is, by it’s nature, just a light dish that can be enjoyed without much guilt about calories or healthfulness. You can actually also make it in your own home if you have the time and patience to do it, so you can pick out the healthiest ingredients to include in you sushi as well.

The avocado and the fish, if you are eating say a spicy tuna roll (which does include thin slices of raw tuna, but you would never know it), are healthy fats too, so you don’t even have to feel guilty about consuming the little bit of dietary fat that is included in the sushi.

I’d try to find a really good, well reviewed sushi place around you if you want to experiment with it and see if you like it. It’s a great way to experiment with a lighter food that’s really fun to eat with friends without feeling like you have a bowling ball in your stomach when you’re done.

Low Fat Beef Roast in Slow Cooker

I found a really good, really easy recipe for a beef roast, but I made several tweaks to this recipe to make it my own and to also make it lower in fat than the original recipe.  You will need a timed slow cooker for this recipe, as the roast should really not cook for more than ten hours on low.

I like the timed slow cooker because that way I can be at work all day long and not worry about over cooking anything since it automatically shuts off after the time I’ve set it for. It’s great!

We us a West Bend one, and I have not had any issues with it ever, if you’re looking for a good one to try out.  Anyway, let me get on with the recipe. I buy the roast, which should ideally be a few pounds.

I like just a plain old beef chuck roast, but you can buy a top round or any other cut and it should work fine as well.  Buy one that is well marbled as these are usually more flavorful.  Next, you are going to want to make sure you have the following ingredients for your delicious, low fat, slow cooked beef roast.

1 can of cream of mushroom soup – low fat, preferably low salt as well.  I use Campbells.

1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix.  These usually come in a package with two packets in it, you will just need one of them.

1 bag of baby carrots. I like the organic kind, they just taste better and no pesticides or other scary stuff.

2 medium onions, cut up into julienne strips or chopped, however you prefer.

8 small red potatoes, cut up into smaller pieces if you prefer. If you’re trying to go low carb, eliminate the potatoes from this recipe.

Here’s how easy the rest of this recipe is.  Take the cream of mushroom soup and mix it with the envelope of onion soup mix.  This will actually be your gravy. Put half of the mixture on the bottom of the pot, some of the potatoes, carrots and onions, then the roast, then the rest of the carrots, potatoes and onions and “gravy” mix on top.

Put the slow cooker on the low temperature setting, and set it for 10 hours.  The slow cooking tenderizes the beef roast like you wouldn’t believe. There is no tenderizing necessary.

Once the roast is done cooking, you may choose to make it even lower fat by putting it in the fridge long enough for the fat to congeal on the top of the roast, then scraping it off. There is no flavor lost by doing this!  It’s delicious, and you’ll get tons of compliments if you’re making this for someone!

Why Salmon (and Other Fish) Are Such Powerful Foods

There are many kinds of fish that have excellent health benefits.  And, of course I wouldn’t be writing about them if they also didn’t behave as seriously excellent diet foods that can help you lose weight and gain lean muscle mass as well. It just so happens that salmon, one of the tastiest and most versatile fish out there, as well as one of the most cost effective, has many of the health benefits that make you live a better and more fulfilling life, and it also helps you maintain a trim waistline, especially when it is eaten regularly.

Just a tiny 3 oz. portion of salmon can provide up to 1,800 milligrams of omega 3 fatty acids, which are a very beneficial fat. Not only are omega 3′s great for your heart, your circulation, stroke and heart attack prevention, and the appearance and health of your skin, but they also help you feel full for a longer period of time.

They also help you feel fuller, faster, so you actually find that you feel full sooner than you normally would when you are eating a meal with this fish in it.  This means you will likely consume less calories, and lose weight, or at the very least maintain your healthy weight that you want.

I find that when I’m eating a lot of fish, particularly salmon, I can focus much better. I actually FEEL SMARTER.  They say fish is brain food, and I believe it’s because it’s so effective at regulating the blood sugar levels for a longer period of time than other proteins, that it helps your brain function more clearly and doesn’t let you get those senior moments that are common when blood sugar levels plunge.

Salmon also contains the cure-all vitamin D as well. Where to start with vitamin D? This vitamin has shown to be crucial to overall health. It’s important to calcium absorption, but it does so much more.  It has been found to be an important component in cancer fighting, as it thought it helps fight against cells becoming abnormal in the body (cancerous, that is).  In fact, breast cancer patients often tested low on this vitamin.

It has also been identified as important for the brain function, mood, and overall body and organ function. Vitamin D is ABSOLUTELY vital, and salmon provides this and numerous other benefits. I like salmon best when it’s fresh and marinated and thrown in the over, cooked over cedar planks. It absorbs the flavor and the fat all comes off of it, so you’re left with a low fat piece of pure protein.  You can even find salmon in some prepared meal diets, which are ultra convenient for the person on the go who wants to watch their weight.