2 T. oil

8 cups low-fat chicken broth

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

2 cups cooked chicken breast cut in strips

Veggies of choice from program guide

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until they are just beginning to brown, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking and stirring onions until they are tender and caramelized.  Remove from heat.

Heat broth, spices, and veggies until they come to a boil.  Stir in chicken, reduce heat to medium and cook several minutes,just enough to heat through chicken. Stir in onions and serve.

©David and Cheryl MacDonald, 2011

The post Roasted Chicken with Caramalized Onions Soup appeared first on .

For those who want an occasional yummy coffee drink, but don’t want the 800 calories

that go with it,here’s a homemade version that we came up with to help you control the

urge to splurge!

8 oz. coffee

1 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Slightly less than ½ tsp. powdered stevia

Slightly more than ½ tsp. agave

1 tsp. non-hydrogenated coconut oil

2 Tbsp. skim, 2%, or half and half  (Optional; find the one you like the best without causing weight gain)

Quick method (Cheryl’s version):  Blend all ingredients in mug and enjoy!

A little longer method (David’s version):  If you like your mocha a little thicker, or the fat more thoroughly blended add

about 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum, and put all ingredients in blender long enough to emulsify oil and thicken the beverage.

You may have to briefly reheat coffee in microwave or pan after doing this. This can be put on ice, too, for an iced coffee.

The coconut oil gives you a bit of a good fat, and makes the mocha richer and creamier without all the bad fats and calories.

Stevia and agave both come from plants, so there are no artificial sweeteners.

Stevia is zero glycemic, and agave is low glycemic.

This comes in at under 100 calories!  ( more than a third of which are from your good fats.)

If you avoided the coffee house specialty coffees by drinking this instead,you just saved

yourself from gaining another pound or two!

©Cheryl and David MacDonald 2013

The post Recipe of the week: Cafe mocha appeared first on .

4 qts. water

Turkey carcass broken into large pieces

Any additional leftover turkey meat cut in small pieces

2 celery stalks

1 bay leaf

1 quartered onion

½ tsp. dried thyme

3 parsley sprigs

1 tsp. fennel seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups rinsed, coarsely chopped watercress (baby spinach or frozen spinach can be used instead)

In a large pot, combine water, turkey carcass, celery, bay leaf, onion, thyme, parsley, and fennel seeds and simmer, uncovered,

for 1 ½ hours.  Strain stock through a sieve into a large bowl.  Transfer turkey meat from bowl to a cutting board,

discarding bones and remaining solids. Chop the meat fine.  Return strained stock to pot, add all turkey meat,

and bring to a boil.Add salt, pepper and watercress and simmer for 1 minute.  Makes about 12 cups.

©David and Cheryl MacDonald 2010

The post Recipe of the week: Turkey Soup appeared first on .

If you would like to have a traditional holiday meal, but are looking to reduce carbs and fats, here is a suggested menu plan ( For items with* please recipes below.)

Appetizer: Veggie sticks and apple slices with low fat/low carb dressing and or nut butter spread.

Main Meal:

Turkey and gravy*

Green beans with slivered almonds

Sweet potato slices with Land O’ Lakes butter/olive oil spread and a sprinkling of agave or pure maple syrup

Homemade cranberry sauce*

Wild rice stuffing with dried cranberries and walnuts*

Salad with oil and vinegar dressing*

Relish tray: mixed olives, artichoke hearts, veggie sticks, pickles, feta cheese.

Desserts:

Berries and cream*

Fruit Sorbet*

Beverages:

Cold:Sparkling water with cranberry, lime, or lemon*

Hot: Pero*

Eat enough protein, vegetables and healthy fats included in your main meal, and then eat “teensies”

of the other items. Follow our holiday recommendations, enjoy your meal and your day, and then get back on track

with your eating plan the next day.

Preparation for * items

Gravy: Reduce or eliminate meat drippins and replace with chicken or vegetable bouillon cube mixed with water.

Alternative low carb thickeners: arrowroot, cornstarch, xanthan gum.

Cranberry sauce: Buy fresh cranberries and follow package directions

Stuffing: See recipe on next page.

Oil and Vinegar dressing: 1 part oil, 1 1/2 parts vinegar, italian seasoning, salt, pepper; shake. For creamy

add 1/4 tsp.xanthan gum and blend in blender.

Berries and Cream: Mix fresh or unsweetened frozen berries with a little agave.

Put a small amount of berries in another bowl for garnish. Whip whipping cream with mixer. When cream is

almost  whipped add 1sp.agave and 1sp. pure vanilla extract per pint of whipping cream. Fold whipped cream into

berries and fill each stemware glass about 1/4- 1/3 full with the mix. Garnish with berries.

Sorbet: Place frozen unsweetened fruit, a little agave and stevia, ice, and a small amount of unsweetened almond

milk in Ninja ( Works best) or blender. Blend and put mix in glass stemware. Garnish with a little homemade

whipped cream and mint leaf.

Cold beverages: Cranberry Fizz: 1 oz. unsweetened cranberry juice, 8 oz.sparkling water or club soda, stevia, to

taste. Garnish with fresh cranberries and mint leaf.  Lemon or lime: simply garnish sparkling water with a slice,

and squeeze into water. Stevia may be added for a sweet flavor.

 Hot beverage: Pero (grain beverage found in health food stores, some grocery stores.)

Mix with boiling water and add a little agave and stevia and a flavored sugarless extract such as

vanilla, coconut, almond, etc. and a bit of half and half.

Wild Rice, Dried Cranberry, and Walnut Stuffing

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

4 cups low-fat chicken broth

2 cups wild rice, rinsed

1 tablespoon  olive oil

2 large celery stalks, thinly sliced

1/2 cup diced onion

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup (4 ounces) fruit sweetened dried cranberries ( available in health food stores)

5 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

Salt and black Pepper

Instructions

Place broth in a medium-size saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in rice; cover and reduce heat to low.

Cook 45 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid has absorbed.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook several minutes, until softened, stirring.

Transfer to large bowl.

Stir rice into bowl with vegetables, add walnuts, cranberries, sage, salt, and pepper.

Coat a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray: add stuffing and an additional 1/4 cup broth.

Bake in preheated 350 F for about 20 minutes.

Make- ahead tip: Just cover and refrigerate bowl after adding walnuts, cranberries, sage, salt and pepper.

Keeps for 1 day in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature before continuing with recipe.

The post Recipe of the Week: Healthy Thanksgiving Meal appeared first on .

2 T. olive oil

1 lb. ground beef or bison (bison has more protein and less fat/oz.)

¼ cup chopped onion

1 small can stewed tomatoes

32 oz. low-fat beef broth

Fresh or frozen green beans

½ cup chopped celery

1 t. oregano

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

In soup kettle, heat oil and brown beef or bison.  Add veggies, broth and seasonings.  Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer.  Cover and cook for several minutes until veggies are just cooked.

Chicken or turkey breast cut into small pieces and low-fat chicken broth can be used instead of beef.  Or try ground chicken or turkey.  Other options: sweet Italian turkey sausage, hot turkey sausage.  For vegetarians: tofu and vegetable broth.

3 Days of Protein: Leave out veggies.

Copyright David and Cheryl MacDonald, 2011

The post Recipe of the Week: Simple Soup appeared first on .

Long a daily staple in numerous Asian countries, oftentimes for breakfast, this rich and satisfying soup is easy to make and only takes several minutes.  But it yields an abundance of health benefits.  When you have a few minutes, Google the ingredients to discover all the wonderful nutrients this soup contains.

When you’re looking for something healthy to eat while traveling, you can almost always order miso soup at Japanese restaurants. (ask for tofu with it to get protein).

-¼ of a green cabbage, sliced

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-About 3 Tbsps. miso paste (Found in refrigerated areas of health food sections, white miso is less salty than other types, but any flavor is fine.  Be aware that miso has either a soy or barley base.  So, if you have a sensitivity to either of these, be sure to avoid that type.)

-Any seaweed (Nori is especially good) (Available in health food sections)

-Tofu cut into small squares (read package for protein amounts)

Briefly sauté garlic and cabbage in oil.  Add about 2 cups of water (depending on thickness desired) and tofu.  Simmer several minutes.  Add some seaweed, and remove from heat.

Take 1 T. of broth and mix in a small bowl with the miso.  Stir miso mix into the pot.  Do not ever boil or re-heat miso soup at high temperatures, as this will destroy much of the nutritional value.  To get your healthy fats, add 2 tsps.–1 T. sesame oil to your individual bowl and stir.  Enjoy!

Copyright David and Cheryl MacDonald, 2010

The post Recipe of the Week: Nutritious and Delicious Miso Soup appeared first on .

Pumpkin seeds are full of nutrients including healthy fats. Try roasting some from your Halloween pumpkin in a little oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt.  (They can also be purchased in health food stores.)  Here are some other seasonings:

Optional Seasoning To Taste:
garlic powder or garlic salt
seasoning salt
black pepper
salt free seasoning blend, such as Mrs. Dash brand
cayenne pepper
Cajun seasoning blend
chili powder
Mexican style chili lime seasoning
Italian seasoning or other herbs
grated hard cheese such as Parmesan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300º F.

While it’s O.K. to leave some strings and pulp on your seeds (it adds flavor), clean off any major chunks. Toss pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the melted butter or oil and seasonings of your choice. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet (or spray with cooking spray).

Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Some Flavor Combination for Gourmet Roasted Pumpkin Seed Snacks

• Italian Style Pumpkin Seeds — Italian Seasoning Blend, Parmesan Cheese, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
• Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Seeds — Cinnamon, Ground Ginger and Pinch of Nutmeg, Butter
• Greek Style – Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend, Oregano, Salt, Olive Oil
• Buffalo Wings Pumpkin Seeds — Butter, Tabasco Sauce, Salt

The post Recipe of the Week: The Great Pumpkin (Seeds) appeared first on .

This simple, but delicious, soup base is super fast to make, and is easily tailored to your own taste.

For each serving use:

- 1 1/2 cups low-fat chicken broth (vegetable broth for vegetarians)

- 1 cup lite coconut milk (canned)

Stir together in saucepan. Add leftover pre-cooked veggies and protein (i.e poultry, seafood, beef or tofu.) Heat to serving temperature and add seasonings.

Experiment with various spices, proteins and vegetables for variety.

The broth and coconut milk base is commonly used in Thai cooking and is especially complementary with Thai flavors such as fresh basil or cilantro sprinkled on top after heating soup.

Copyright Cheryl and David MacDonald, 2011

The post Recipe of the Week: Soup-On-The-Go appeared first on .

Hands-on Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Serves 4

This recipe is for those who have been on the program for at least 6 weeks and do not have a dairy sensitivity. Since this recipe serves 4, the actual amount of yogurt for one serving would only be a small amount, no more than 2 tablespoons.

4 6-ounce pieces skinless salmon fillet

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, kosher salt and black pepper

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the salmon with the oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with the cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Top with the lemon slices and bake until just opaque throughout, 8 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the fennel, fennel fronds, and cucumber and toss to coat. Serve the salmon with the cucumber fennel salad.

Recipe by: Real Simple

Image: www.laaloosh.com 

The post Recipe of the Week: Salmon with Creamy Cucumber appeared first on .

When you have a little extra time to make your vegetables extra yummy, here’s a recipe that provides your veggies and healthy fats. See the image below for tips for cooking with artichokes and other veggies.

Hands on time: 30 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes | Serves 4

4 large artichokes

1 lemon

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup roasted cashews

1 small clove garlic

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

Trim the artichokes. (For a how-to, see the image below). Grate 1 teaspoon of lemon zest into a food processor. Halve the lemon. Steam the lemon halves and artichokes in a large saucepan until a paring knife inserted into an artichoke stem meets little resistance, 25 to 35 minutes (adding more water to the pot if necessary). Add the mint, cashews, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add the oil and process until almost smooth. Serve with the artichokes for dipping.

Recipe by Real Simple.

The post Recipe of the Week: Mint Pesto Artichokes appeared first on .