Category: Low Sugar

Farro con Pollo

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 4 people
Hands-on time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min

This recipe was adapted from a Bobby Flay Fit recipe called “Quinoa con Pollo with Peas and Green Olives.”  It took me a ridiculously long time to make (ok, I admit it, it was 2 hours, ugh) but was absolutely delicious.  It was worth spending the time figuring out how to get it down to a 40-minute recipe.  If you have the chicken already pre-made from a previous night’s meal you can shave another 10 minutes off of the hands-on time.

Given that it’s winter, I opted for the meatier toothiness of farro instead of the more delicately textured quinoa. That turned out to be a great adaptation because the meal is very flavorful and the farro holds its own better than I think the quinoa would have. Continue reading “Farro con Pollo” →

Easy Crunchy Cucumber Salad

Posted on by Lisa P

1 stalk celery
3-4 mini english cucumbers or pickling cucumbers
1/2 tsp garlic salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil (or to taste)
1 tsp red wine vinegar (or to taste)
(Or 2 tsp white wine vinegar)

1. Peel the cucumbers leaving a few thin strips of green on them for color. Trim off the ends. Slice thinly.
2. Wash and thinly slice the celery.
3. Add all ingredients to a zip lock bag and shake. Let sit for 20-30 minutes while you make the rest of your dinner. Either in the frig or on the counter.

Right before serving, pour the salad into a nice bowl and top with a few sprigs of cilantro or parsley (optional).

Enjoy!

(Sorry, forgot to take a picture, will add it next time I make this!)

Curried Turkey and Potatoes

Posted on by Lisa P

Curried Turkey and PotatoesThis fantastic low-fat dish is easy to make and is a definite crowd-pleaser. My husband could not get enough of it.  We loved it so much we were glad we didn’t have company that night and could save the leftovers for ourselves!

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp grapeseed or olive oil
  • 1 pound leftover cooked turkey, chopped in to small pieces
  • 1/2 large sweet onion
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1/3 red pepper
  • 1/3 green pepper
  • 1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 Tbsp curry powder or garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 4 Roma or other plum tomatoes
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

1 Chop the onion, celery, peppers, and saute in vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion begins to color a bit.  In the meantime, peel and chop the garlic and set aside.  Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.

2 Add the garlic, stir and sauté for a minute or so.

3 Stir in the spices, water, and the potatoes, and cover the pot with a tight lid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.  The potatoes should be tender.

4 Add the chopped turkey, diced tomatoes and peas. Mix well and cover the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes.

5 Stir in the chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

Serve immediately with a simple cucumber salad or leafy green salad.

Note: The version in the photo has shrimp in it as well as the turkey.  I added it because I didn’t have quite a pound of turkey but I think I would have preferred it with just turkey.

EZ Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

EZ Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Posted on by Lisa P

Pork Carnitas

The original version of this recipe received 733 reviews with an average 4.5 star rating on allrecipes.com.

My version of these yummy slow cooker carnitas is spicier and has a stronger Indian flavor.  You will also need to start it one day ahead but I promise you it is worth it!  You can either start it the night before and eat it the following night, or start it in the morning and eat it the following day.  Either way it needs to sit in the frig for 8-10 hours before cooking.

Here we go! Continue reading “EZ Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas” →

Smoothie Power Mix

Posted on by Lisa P

Add 1/2 Cup of this power mix into your smoothie for an extra boost of nutrition and energy.

This recipe makes 8 servings, which is enough for 4 of my smoothies. Most of the smoothie recipes on this site make 2 servings, so if you only make 1 smoothie serving at a time this will be enough for 8.

1/2 C organic instant oats
4 scoops of protein powder (about 1/2 C total)
1/4 C chia seeds
4 servings of Super protein

Store in air-tight container, shake well before each use.

Crunchy Cucumber Salad for 2

Posted on by Lisa P

This cucumber salad is made with miniature English cucumbers. They’re not expensive and you don’t have to peel them. This makes a great little side salad, and it’s crunchy enough to hold up til tomorrow so you can have the leftovers lunch.

3 miniature cucumbers or similar amount of pickling cucumbers
1 small shallot or piece of sweet onion
1/2 medium tomato (or more to your liking)
oil and vinegar
Italian seasoning blend

  1. Prep your space:  Get out a medium cutting board, a knife, and a small bowl. If your garbage can is not nearby, have a little plastic bag open next to your work space for scraps.  Grab your steel and give your knife a quick sharpening.
  2. Wash the cucumbers since you’ll be leaving the skin on. Wash the tomato too if you haven’t already.
  3. Cut the ends of the cukes off, and then slice them at a diagonal, very thinly.  About an eighth of an inch or less.  Toss them into the bowl.
  4. Peel the shallot and cut off the hard end. If using onion obviously you can skip that part.  Slice as thinly as possible.  A very sharp knife makes all the difference here.  Scrape the pieces up with your knife and bang them in the bowl as well.
  5. Cut the tomato into smallish wedges.  Into the bowl they go.
  6. Shake some Italian seasoning onto the vegetables.  This is where you have to judge for yourself how much seasoning you like.  If you’re not sure, start with 1/4 tsp, mix it in, and look at it.  That’s about as much as I use, but you might like more or less.  It’s OK to guess, the world won’t end if you add a little too much.
  7. I use olive oil and white wine vinegar, but you could use regular oil and apple cider vinegar.  It’s a different flavor in the end, but we’re not talking gourmet here, we’re just trying to get dinner on the table.  About a tablespoon of vinegar and a teaspoon or so of oil should do it.  Mix it up, taste one, and add more if you like.
  8. Put the bowl (with spoon) into the frig to sit while you make the rest of your meal.  Maybe you could stir it once or twice if you remember.

This is my favorite summer go-to salad.  Hope you enjoy it!

Step 2:
Miniature English Cucumbers

Step 6:
Crunchy Cucumber Salad

Yield: 2 Cups
Prep time: 10 minutes
Calories: Hardly any