lemon- caper calamari steaks

lemon- caper calamari steaks

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 min

If you're a fan of the deep-fried calamari that you order at a seafood restaurant, you'll likely enjoy this version too. It's similar to a piccata with the lemon and caper sauce. Our whole family enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon water
4 whole calamari steaks (1 pound total)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed & drained
lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While oil heats, stir together flour, cheese and pepper in a wide shallow bowl, then lightly beat egg with water in another wide shallow bowl. Dredge 1 calamari steak in flour mixture, shaking off excess, then dip in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, and transfer to a plate. Dredge another steak in flour and dip in egg in same manner, then sauté coated steaks over moderately high heat, turning over once, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Transfer to platter and keep warm, loosely covered. Dredge, dip and sauté remaining 2 steaks in same manner, transferring to platter.

2. Pour off fat from skillet, then add butter, lemon juice (to taste), and capers to skillet and cook over moderate heat just until butter melts, about 45 seconds. Pour lemon caper sauce over calamari steaks and serve immediately.

Tips:

*To prepare this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, substitute GF flour in place of all-purpose.

grilled chicken w/ lemon & oregano

grilled chicken w/ lemon & oregano

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 min + marinating time

Cook Time: 20 min

Terrific summery chicken recipe. The grilled lemons are a nice touch to squeeze on top.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup (about 2 lemons) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons olive oil (plus more for grates)
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
2 pounds chicken breast
4 medium lemons, halved crosswise
oregano sprigs for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Prepare marinade: In a small bowl, whisk lemon zest and juice, oregano, oil, 2 teaspoons coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Divide marinade between 2 large re-sealable plastic bags. Divide the chicken between the bags; shake to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning bags occasionally.

2. Grill the chicken: Preheat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on grill. Cover and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn chicken over, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer should read 175° when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken). If chicken is browning too quickly, move to cooler parts of grill or turn grill to low heat.

3. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Tent with foil; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place lemon halves on the grill, cut side down; cook until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve chicken breasts with grilled lemon halves. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs, if desired.

Tips:

*Chicken grills up best when it's an even thickness throughout the breast. Take the time to pound out the breasts slightly (between two pieces of plastic wrap) to even out the thickness.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 6 ounces
Calories per serving: 188
Fat per serving: 5g
Saturated Fat per serving: 1g
Sugar per serving: 1g
Fiber per serving: 1.3g
Protein per serving: 30g
Cholesterol per serving: 74mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 5g

garlic- lime shrimp

garlic- lime shrimp

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

This shrimp recipe is quite unique, and very good. For a hungry family of 4, you may wish to triple the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon grated lime peel
pinch of cayenne pepper
10 large uncooked shrimp
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Mix in next 6 ingredients. Sauté 30 seconds. Add shrimp and sauté until opaque in center, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

2. Serve on its own or over rice.

Tips:

*If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, leave out the worcestershire sauce and add in GF soy sauce, if you'd like.

garlic chicken stir- fry

garlic chicken stir fry

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
4 ounces snow peas
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice, optional

Directions:

1. In large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic. Stir fry 3 minutes or until chicken turns white. Add remaining oil, pepper, snow peas, cashews, and green onion. Stir fry 1 minute.

2. In small bowl, stir chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch and ginger until smooth. Stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring. Boil 1 minute, or until mixture thickens a bit.

3. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Tips:

*If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just be sure to use GF soy sauce and GF chicken broth.
*Try adding additional vegetables such as zucchini or mushrooms.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1/4 of the recipe (without rice)
Calories per serving: 206
Fat per serving: 14.5g
Saturated Fat per serving: 2g
Sugar per serving: 2g
Fiber per serving: 2.5g
Protein per serving: 8.5g
Cholesterol per serving: 10mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 12g

barbecued shrimp with remoulade sauce

barbecued shrimp with remoulade sauce

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 5 min

There's an awful long list of ingredients in this recipe, but they're mostly just spices that you should already have sitting around in your spice cupboard. It all came together deliciously.

Ingredients:

REMOULADE:
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Paprika

SHRIMP:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 1/2 pounds large shrimp (20 per pound), peeled and deveined

Directions:

1. Prepare Sauce: Mash the green onions and garlic in a bowl. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, for 1 to 24 hours. The flavor is best after 24 hours. You may store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

2. Prepare Shrimp: Mix 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil, and remaining ingredients (except shrimp) in a bowl (or put in large ziploc baggie). Add shrimp and toss to coat. Marinated, covered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3. Preheat grill or a heavy skillet. Brush the grill rack with additional olive oil and arrange the shrimp on the rack (or place on kebabs). Grill over hot coals for 1 to 2 minutes per side or just until barely opaque in the center. Arrange on a heated platter and serve with the sauce. You may also serve chilled.

Tips:

*If you're preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of worcestershire, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise that are known to be GF.

apple cider donuts

apple cider donuts

Yield: 12 large or 24 mini donuts

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 12 min

For the chance to eat a doughnut when you're having to watch your calorie intake, this baked version is quite the treat. You will need a mini doughnut or bundt baking pan with 12 cavities or a 6 cavity doughnut baking pan for this recipe.

Ingredients:

granulated sugar for preparing pans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 large egg, beaten
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat pan with nonstick spray or oil. Sprinkle with sugar, shaking out excess.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together egg, brown sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, cider, yogurt and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Divide half of the batter among the cavities in the prepared pan, spoon about 2 generous Tbsp. of batter into each cavity. Don’t fill them to the top or your doughnuts will lose their holes when the batter puffs up while baking!

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched lightly. Loosen edges and turn the doughnuts out onto a rack to cool. Clean the pan, re-coat it with oil and sugar. Repeat with remaining batter.

4. Ice your doughnuts, if desired. Sift 1 cup powdered sugar and mix w/ 2 ounces light cream cheese, a dash of cinnamon and enough nonfat milk to create a spreading or dipping consistency. Dip tops of doughnuts into the icing, then set right side up on a rack to let the icing set.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1 mini donut (no icing)
Calories per serving: 106
Fat per serving: 2g
Saturated Fat per serving: .24g
Sugar per serving: 10.64g
Fiber per serving: .5g
Protein per serving: 1.5g
Cholesterol per serving: 9mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 20.27g

chilled zucchini soup with lemon- cumin shrimp & cilantro cream

chilled zucchini soup w/ lemon- cumin shrimp & cilantro cream

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 35 min + chilling time

Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

CILANTRO CREAM:
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 small garlic clove, minced

SHRIMP:
1 pound peeled & cooked medium shrimp (keep tail attached)
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

SOUP:
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
6 medium zucchini (about 1 3/4 pounds), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 cups reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra sprigs for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare Cilantro Cream: In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, cilantro, and garlic to blend. Season with salt and pepper. (can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill)

2. Prepare Shrimp: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; cover and chill for at least 4 hours- or overnight (can be made 1 day ahead; keep chilled)

3. Prepare Soup: Heat oil in large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add zucchini; stir to coat. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes. Cool to lukewarm. Add chopped cilantro. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth.

4. Transfer soup to a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold, about 4 hours. (can be made 1 day ahead; keep chilled)

5. Divide soup among bowls- 6 for a starter and 4 for main dish. Top each with shrimp, dividing equally. Spoon dollop of cilantro cream over each, garnishing with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.

Tips:

*If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just be sure to use a brand of chicken broth that is designated as GF.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1/6th of the recipe
Calories per serving: 224
Fat per serving: 11g
Saturated Fat per serving: 2.61g
Sugar per serving: 4.47g
Fiber per serving: 3.31g
Protein per serving: 20.5g
Cholesterol per serving: 121.94mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 12.67g

blue cheese & mushroom stuffed beef tenderloin

blue cheese & mushroom stuffed beef tenderloin

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 45 min

This simple stuffed beef tenderloin recipe is tender and melt-in-your-mouth good. Slice a tenderloin open and stuff with quickly sauteed mushrooms & green onions. Top with a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles and use toothpicks to secure the tenderloin back together.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced
10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small handful fresh parsley, chopped
2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray small roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Melt butter in large skillet. Sauté the onion, mushrooms, garlic and parsley, just until mushrooms are softened.

3. Make a slit down the middle of the tenderloin (without cutting it into two pieces) and stuff mushroom mixture inside. Sprinkle the blue cheese over the mushrooms. Pull the slit closed and secure with toothpicks.

4. Brush the tenderloin with melted butter and bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until desired degree of doneness is obtained. Slice into 6 portions and serve immediately.

Tips:

*I like to pull the tenderloin out when it has reached about 150 degrees, and then let it rest for 5 minutes or so before cutting.
*If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, be sure to sub in a soft cheese that is GF (such as goat). Blue Cheese tends to by iffy on whether or not it's GF.
*If you have a smaller piece of tenderloin, this recipe will work just as well. Make less of a mushroom mixture and continue w/ the recipe as instructed. Baking time will be a bit less.

Overnight Oats with Yogurt

Overnight Oats: A quick-fix breakfast, that will fill you up and keep you cool, since there is no cooking in this oatmeal recipe!

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup milk (almond, skim, hemp, soy, etc)
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• pinch of stevia or a drizzle of honey (if you like a little extra sweetness like we do)

Toppings (a few of our favorites)

• flaxseeds
• flaxseed meal
• strawberries, sliced
• peaches, sliced
• blueberries
• raspberries
• blackberries
• dried fruits
• almonds, cashews, walnuts, chia seeds, trail mix
• nut butter (almond, peanut, cashew)
• granola

Instructions

• The night before, combine the ingredients (not the toppings though) in a bowl, stir, then cover with plastic wrap (or whatever you prefer) and place in the fridge overnight.
• In the morning, remove the plastic wrap and stir the ingredients again. You will notice the texture is very creamy, doughy, and thick. The oats absorb the liquid and become fluffy almost.
• Add your favorite toppings.

Notes

• You can make this breakfast as big or as little as you would like, meaning you could go 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup milk, or if you would like it to be a smaller meal, you could scale it down to 1/4 cup of each instead.
• If you would like to make it vegan, just omit the yogurt and add twice as much milk (a non-daily form like almond, soy, hemp).
• You could add any of the above fruit into the overnight mixture, instead of a topping, for more of an infused flavor.
• You could add other mix-ins to the overnight mixture, like cocoa, pumpkin puree, chia seeds…

Chocolate Protein Yogurt Parfait

Protein packed parfait made with creamy Greek yogurt, chocolate protein powder, fresh blueberries, and Uncle Sam cereal for crunch. Chocolate craving curbed!

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 3/4 cup 2% Fage plain yogurt
• 1 serving chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup blueberries, fresh
• 1 tbsp Uncle Sam cereal

Instructions

• Add yogurt, protein powder, and water to food processor and blend together.
• You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor container to ensure that the protein powder is thoroughly incorporated.
• Pour yogurt mixture into a bowl.
• Top with blueberries and Uncle Sam.
• Indulge… and feel good about it!

Nutritional Info

• Calories: 282
• Fat: 5.5 g
• Carbs: 21 g
• Protein: 39 g

Note

• For less calories and/or protein, use ½ scoop of protein powder rather than a full serving.
• You could also add cocoa powder for more chocolatey flavor!

Frozen Banana Protein Ice Cream

This super easy, super fast recipe is under 200 calories, has 14 grams of protein, and is actually quite filling. It’s the perfect snack (great for pre-workout) or a healthy, sweet dessert.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 frozen banana, cut into pieces before freezing
• 2 tbsp milk
• ½ serving vanilla whey protein powder

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth and whipped-looking.
• Using a spatula, scrape “ice cream” into serving bowl.
• Enjoy!

Tip

• If the banana gets mashed and stuck on the bottom of the container so the blades can’t get to it, just add a little more milk to get it moving.

Nutritional Information

• Calories: 181
• Fat: 1 g
• Carbs: 31 g
• Protein: 14 g

Pumpkin Cheesecake

A healthy and flavorful pumpkin cheesecake/pudding dessert great for the Fall!

Ingredients (4 large servings or 8 small)

Crust Ingredients

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, low-fat
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1 Tbsp agave nectar
• pinch salt

Pudding Ingredients

• Cooking oil spray or coconut oil
• 2 cups pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
• 8 oz cream cheese, reduced fat
• 1 cup Greek yogurt 0%, 2%, or whatever you prefer)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice
• 2 tsp stevia or 1 tbsp agave (can add more or less, to your preferred level of sweetness)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

To Make the Crust

• Heat the oven again to 350 degrees F.
• Add the graham cracker crumbs, flaxseed meal, pinch of salt, stevia, and butter cubes to a medium size bowl.
• Using your hands, squeeze the butter into the mixture until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the crumbs.
• Pour mixture equally into 4 ramekins (or 8 if you want small servings), and using a drinking glass with a flat bottom, press the crumbs so that it coats the bottom and sides of each ramekin.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Update: You may want to place the ramekins in a water bath while they bake, as this seems to help keep the crust moist (so it won’t crack).

To Make Pumpkin Pudding

• Add pumpkin puree, cream cheese, yogurt, stevia, vanilla, and spices to a medium size bowl and mix using a hand/stand mixer on medium/high until thoroughly blended.
• Pour into cooled crusts and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that the pudding has a chance to set up and the spices can meld together.

Nutritional Info (for 8 small servings)

• Calories: 173
• Fat: 10 g
• Carbs: 14 g
• Protein: 7 g

Revolutionary Berries

What you'll need

• 12 ounces white chocolate chips
• Strawberries
• Blue sugar or edible glitter

How to make it

1)Melt 12 ounces of white chocolate chips in a microwave according to the package directions (make sure the container and the berries are dry; even a little moisture will alter the texture of the candy).

2)One at a time, dip strawberries into the chocolate and then into blue sugar or edible glitter.

3)Set them to harden on waxed paper.



Makes 35 to 45 decorated berries.

Apricots

Serves 4

30 minutes or fewer

Delicate just-picked fruits from the farmers' market stand a better chance of being really good than any fruit shipped from far way, assuring you of a flavor that needs little enhancement. Use fresh sweet lavender or dried lavender flowers.

• 12 to 16 ripe apricots, halved
• 1 pint or more raspberries or wild strawberries
• 1 or 2 stems fresh lavender, flowers separated
• 1 tsp. lavender, wildflower honey or granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. granulated sugar
• Few drops fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly butter baking dish large enough to accommodate fruit in single layer.

2. Lay apricots in single layer in prepared dish. Sprinkle lavender blossoms over apricots and drizzle honey over fruit. Sprinkle strawberries over fruit and coat very lightly with sugar. Carefully squeeze lemon juice over fruit.

3. Bake just long enough to warm fruit and bring out its aromas, about 15 minutes. Remove and serve warm, plain or with a little fresh cream

Refreshing Pink Lemonade

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 8 Cups (8 servings)

Serving Size: 1 Cup

Ingredients

1. 1 cup lemon juice
2. 3 cups cranberry juice (I used Ocean Spray Diet (5 calorie a cup))
3. 4 cups water
4. 5 pkt. stevia to taste

Instructions

1. In a pitcher add all of your ingredients, mix well. Add ice cubes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Calories per cup: 10, Fat: 0, Cholesterol: 0, Sodium: 19, Potassium: 37, Carbs: 3.4, Fiber: .01, Sugar: 1.5, Protein: .01