Healthy Recipes Guru

One of the best things about the Christmas season is the food. I have always had trouble with bringing myself to drink eggnog during the holidays, because there are so many good treats and sweets. I have found a recipe for Low-fat Eggnog on the Food Network website. Maybe this year, we can all stick to our healthy diets.

LOW FAT Egg Nog Recipe

What you will need:

* 2 cups nonfat milk
* 2 large strips orange and/or lemon zest
* 1 vanilla bean
* 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

How to make:

Combine 1 1/2 cups milk and the citrus zest in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds; add the seeds and pod to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, egg yolk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl until light yellow.

Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then pour back into the pan. Place over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until the eggnog begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the remaining 1/2 cup milk to stop the cooking. Transfer the eggnog to a large bowl and place over a larger bowl of ice to cool, then chill until ready to serve.

Remove the zest and vanilla pod. Spike the eggnog with liquor, if desired, and garnish with nutmeg.

Per serving (1/2 cup): Calories 90; Fat 2 g (Saturated 1 g); Cholesterol 96 mg; Sodium 59 mg; Carbohydrate 13 g; Fiber 0 g; Protein 5 g

Enjoy the Christmas Season!! Smacznego!

Here is a recipe that I found on the Mens Health website. I love chicken fingers! Anything that would make them healthier for me is a huge bonus. Definitely check these out and let me know what you think:

Healthy Chicken Fingers (Homemade)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chipotle pepper puree
1 Tbsp honey

How to make them:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper.
3. In a bowl, put the egg whites.  Place the crumbs and season on a plate.
4. Dip chicken tenders into the egg, then toss in the crumbs, make sure to fully coat the chicken.
5. Take a baking sheet (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) and place the freshly breaded chicken pieces onto it.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crumbs have browned and the chicken is firm.
7. Mix the mustard, chipotle, and honey in a large bowl. Toss the cooked chicken tenders in the mixture so they are all evenly coated with the spicy-sweet sauce.

The secret to the recipe is going to be the Panko bread crumbs.  Panko bread crumbs are a very fine Japanese style of bread crumb that provides a nice crunch to your food.  You can buy this at your local grocery store.  I hope you enjoy – Let me know what you think – Smacznego!

Eating healthy in the summer can be super easy and extremely tasty if you know what you are doing. I am the ultimate taco lover so when summer comes I love to create all sorts of variations of grilled tacos. This recipe for Crab and Shrimp Tacos is low on calories and very high on taste. Use the freshest ingredients possible to make your salsas and you just can’t lose! For extra light tacos skip the cilantro sour cream.

Grilled Crab & Shrimp Tacos – By Kelly Noble

FOR THE TACOS:
• 1/2 cup fresh (not canned) Crab meat
• 6 pieces of 16-20 shrimp, veins, tails and skins removed
• Juice from 1 lime
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Garlic Salt
FOR CILANTRO SOUR CREAM:
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• Juice from 1/2 a lime
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt (or to taste)
• 1 Tbs. chopped cilantro
FOR PINEAPPLE SALSA:
• 1 cup chopped grilled pineapple
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs. chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. garlic salt (or to taste)
• Juice from 1/2 lime
FOR PICO DE GALLO:
• 1 cup chipped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs. chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. garlic salt (or to taste)
• Juice from 1/2 lime
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS:
• Corn tortillas (you can also use small flour tortillas if you prefer but corn is better for you)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl put together juice from 1 lime, 2 tbs. olive oil, 1 tsp. Garlic Salt and mix well. Add about 6 shrimp and 1/2 cup crab and coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Heat Grill to high heat. Slice fresh pineapple into 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until you see grill marks. Take off the grill and cool.

3. For Pineapple Salsa: In a small bowl put together all ingredients for the Pineapple salsa and set aside.

4. For Pico de Gallo: In another small bowl put together all ingredients for the Pico de gallo and set aside.

5. For Cilantro Sour Cream: Mix together all ingredients for the cilantro sour cream in a small bowl and set aside.

6. Put shrimp on a skewer and place on grill. Put down some foil on the grill and add the crab onto the foil. Cook for about 6 minutes turning shrimp and mixing crab 1/2 way through cooking. Once done, pull off the grill and cut shrimp into cubes. Mix the crab and the shrimp together.

7. Heat corn tortillas on grill.

8. Put it all together by putting the shrimp/crab on the tortillas, top with some cilantro sour cream and add one type of salsa per taco.

ENJOY!

About the guest blogger: Kelly Noble is the Social Media Geek for Foodservicewarehouse.com, a foodservice equipment and supply provider that also specializes in industry education. She has been an avid wine drinker and home cook for over 8 years and writes the Wine & Dine blog which focuses on her recipes, food trends and favorite wines.  Learn more about Kelly HERE.

Finding good recipes for just one person is very hard to do.   Usually recipes found online are for more than one person or a family.  This is one of the many reasons why people visit the drive-thru more often, especially when they are only cooking for themselves.  When cooking for one person it just seems easier to go to the nearby fast food restaurant instead of breaking out all of the food and dishes.  Stop! Put the keys down and lets talk about it.  One of the first benefits of cooking from home is not only from a financial standpoint, but it could help you be more healthy.   The best way to cook for one person is to determine a healthy recipe and then cutting it down to fit the amount of food that you will be able to eat.  This is the key.

Any healthy recipes for multiple people is going to be healthy for one person–it will just be more food.  The trick is being able to shorten the recipe  so that is will be small enough portions for one person.  I know this concept seems really straight forward, but its true.  Healthy recipes for one person are healthy for a whole family.  Some examples of healthy recipes for one person might be:

A salad with your favorite veggies

A sandwich: any will work like pb&j or other turkey.

And my personal favorite: French bread pizza

Hope this helps-  Smacznego!