Calorie Warrior

Fighting Weight One Calorie At a Time

Category: What I Eat

Cooking healthy again!

Well I’m trying to start cooking again. I made these really tasty Salmon Cakes on the BBQ last night and I wanted to share because I know how much everyone loves Salmon Recipes!

BBQ Salmon Fish Cakes

My BBQ Salmon Fish Cakes

This one is not very easy to make and the recipe is pretty involved so if enough people leave comments on this post I’ll  be sure to include the full recipe to the site. This was fun to make, low fat and tasty as hell! For now I’ll leave it in the What I Eat section.

Fish Cake Topping

I topped this off with a mix of sriracha, mayo and lemon juice. It was spicy enough to really get me sweating and probably not the best idea for a fat person on an 85 degree night!

Pesto Salmon & Asparagus Foil Pack

Pesto Salmon & Asparagus Foil Pack
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
This is an alternative to my Garlic Parmesan Salmon & Asparagus Foil Pack that became so popular.
Ingredients
  • 6 oz Salmon
  • Asparagus Spears
  • 2 Cup Fresh Basil
  • 1 Container of Greek Yogurt
  • ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F
  2. Add the yogurt, parmesan, oil, salt, pepper and garlic to a food processor
  3. Process until you cant see the garlic cloves
  4. Add the basil until its chopped well and mixed in
  5. Rinse your Asparagus and cut ends off
  6. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil large enough for the the asparagus and salmon
  7. Arrange asparagus spears on foil and top with the salmon
  8. Generously pour your pesto mixture over the salmon (about half mixture)
  9. Cut another piece of foil large enough to cover everything and fold up the sides
  10. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes

 

This recipe was a change up for me because I happened to have the ingredients around and really wanted to try making a Greek yogurt pesto sauce. It definitely didn’t hit my taste buds like the Garlic Parmesan Salmon Foil Pack but it wasn’t bad.

Regular pesto sauce is made mainly with basil and olive oil making it SUPER high calorie. Substituting the Greek yogurt is a healthy and low calorie alternative. Your probably thinking, YUCK!! Yogurt, salmon, garlic, etc…… It really wasn’t bad and most of the yogurt cooked out leaving a chunky mixture. I tasted the mixture before it was cooked and it was actually pretty tasty and would make a great dip, just a bit on the garlicky side.

To answer some questions:

  1. I used a frozen Salmon piece that was thawed. You can see how I do this on my Food Storage and Prepping page.
  2. I use all fresh ingredients when I can including the asparagus and definitely the Basil for this.
  3. You can easily throw this on the BBQ but make sure the covers closed so you don’t put on to much direct heat.

I probably wouldn’t make this again because the flavor was pretty light. I only used about 1/4 of the mixture and changed the recipe to include half. Make sure to scrape off whatever mixture is left in your foil pack and top it on your fish. This also could of been because the fresh basil I had already passed its time and might not of been so flavorful.

Here are some more photos from this recipe

Greek Yogurt in the food Processor

Greek Yogurt in the food Processor

Yogurt Pesto Mixture

Yogurt Pesto Mixture

Well Placed Salmon & Asparagus

Well Placed Salmon & Asparagus

Salmon & Asparagus with Pesto

Salmon & Asparagus with Pesto

Foil Pack!!

Foil Pack!!

Unwrapped Pesto Salmon Foil Pack

Unwrapped Pesto Salmon Foil Pack

 

The finished meal!

Salmon Foil Pack Recipe

I ate this with a side of fresh romaine salad topped with Japanese Ginger Dressing. It was a very light meal but extremely filling!

 

What I do on Low Carb Days

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Well I figured I’d post a quick update because I always weigh the least on Thursdays. Today I got on the scale and almost all of my Florida Vacation weight dropped off. I was 244.5 lbs this morning. That’s really great but we have an upcoming weekend filled with things like Easter and family gatherings.

What I’m doing

Well I’m still doing this carb cycle thing where I completely limit my carbs and eat low calorie Monday – Wednesday. I’m very impressed how well this is working out for me. I do end up feeling kind of crappy with low energy by the time Wednesday night roles around.

I cant keep this up all week because life comes into play. The easiest days for me to structure my meals are these days because its the beginning of the work week and we rarely have plans. We can do all our food shopping and planning on Sunday. Its so much easier when everything’s already in the house and you know what your going to eat. Im really not suffering and happy with my food choices.

Ever wonder why Thursdays are sabotage? I haven’t mentioned this but we do a weekly dinner at my Grandmothers. She cooks really rich food and it always kills me!

Ideas of what I’m eating

Snacks:

If you looked at my MFP diary you’d see that I eat tons of quick snacks and pretty small or limited meals.

  • I bought a ton of beef jerky
  • Lots of Nuts
  • Polly-O Stings Cheese
  • Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Breakfast:

  • Most of the time I skip breakfast otherwise-
  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Coffee

Lunch:

I can get pretty creative with my lunches. Having easy to heat up frozen stuff in the  house keeps me on track.

  • Turkey Meatballs
  • Turkey Burgers
  • Salad
  • Salad with Tuna
  • Omelet with cheese

Dinner:

Dinner I get a little creative and I try to eat mostly protein and get in my vegetables. I try to really mix it up because its my main meal for the day. Here’s some ideas.

  • Chicken Breast
  • Chicken Thighs
  • Fish
  • Pork Chops
  • Steak

Sides

  • Spaghetti Squash
  • Acorn Squash
  • Salad
  • Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella

This is at least the stuff I’ve been eating recently. I know some of these arent the healthiest options but I’ve been so busy lately. If I really need fast food I have the options of Chinese Takeout, Greek Salads or the quickest Boston Market. Usually I get whatever I want at Boston Market but the sides are important. Eat the creamed spinach and green beans and do your best to skip the corn bread!

I’m still keeping my calories below 1650 or around. This is pretty simple!

Check out last nights dinner!

Baked Chicken Thighs & Spaghetti Squash

Baked Chicken Thighs & Spaghetti Squash

 

 

Healthy Chinese Food Options

Chinese FoodSome nights you just don’t want to cook and for me tonight was that night. Chinese food is always a go-to for me as a healthy take out option. Chinese take out is a quick and tasty way to get out of cooking for yourself. Most people don’t think Chinese food can be good when your on a diet or even just generally healthy. The trick is to know your Healthy Chinese Food Options.

Unfold your menu and take a good look at your options. If you know how the food is cooked or have an idea of the ingredients you will have a pretty guide idea of the calories or macros. It should be pretty self explanatory by looking at the menu but here are some ideas of what not to order and why.

What Not To Eat

You can pretty much eliminate 90% of the menu because most of the stuff, all though delicious isn’t cooked in a way that would be helpful to anyone’s diet. That’s right, most Chinese food is fried!

The other problem with most Chinese dishes is that its cooked with loads of sodium and cornstarch. Even if its loaded with veggies the sauces could be killer when trying to watch your calories.

Here is a short list of what to stay away form;

  • Fried Dumplings
  • Egg Rolls
  • Shrimp Toast
  • Fried Rice
  • Lo Mein
  • Sweet & Sour (chicken, pork, shrimp, etc)
  • General Tso’s (chicken, pork, shrimp, etc)
  • Sesame (chicken, pork, shrimp, etc)
  • Lemon (chicken, pork, shrimp, etc)
  • Orange (chicken, pork, shrimp, etc)
  • Anything in sauce

Most of the dishes mentioned above are fried and loaded with calories, carbs, sodium and anything else you might want to watch out for. Unfortunately some of my favorites are listed above.

Your probably thinking, “what the hell can I eat”?

Don’t worry, I promise that there are some low calorie and healthy options at your favorite Chinese take out joint. Here are some things you could consider but you should be careful if your on a strict calorie counting diet.

Steamed Dumplings – This is one of my top picks for a Chinese food appetizer. Steamed and not fried helps to keep out the oil.  Each meat filled dumpling is about 40-80 calories based on the size and actual ingredients. Try to hold the dipping sauce loaded with sodium.

Soup – Most places have many soup options like wanton, hot & sour, vegetable, etc. The soups will have loads of sodium but a “lower” calorie option, especially if you can substitute bok choy for the noodles.

Egg Foo Young – Be careful with this because every place has their own style of making it. For the most part its a Chinese omelet with meat and onions. Hold the brown sauce and hopefully it hasn’t been simmered in oil.

The Healthiest Chinese Food Options

Most people either don’t notice this part of the menu or they just try not to imagine how gross “diet Chinese food” is. Majority of take-out menus have a small corner towards the end labeled “diet menu”. I’ve seen it written lots of ways but there usually the same no matter if it says health menu, weight watchers or diet specialties its your best bet. All this means is your getting steamed food with sauces on the side.

Diet Chinese Food

There is absolutely nothing wrong with steamed Chinese food. You can get a lean meat with a large serving of crispy steamed vegetables that’s sure to be filling. Each 1 cup serving has only 200-300 calories without sauce.

Your best options

  • Steamed Chicken & Snow Peas
  • Steamed Chicken & Broccoli
  • Steamed Chicken & String Beans
  • Steamed Chicken & Mixed Chinese Vegetables

If your not in the mood for chicken most places have a variation of chicken, shrimp or pork for any of the options listed above.

Tell me this doesn’t look satisfying!

Steamed Chinese Food

Pro Tip #1: Spicy Mustard has virtually no calories and if you want to add some extra flavor and a kick it will go a long way!

Pro Tip #2: Make sure to ask for the sauce on the side because they might just mix it in. Just because the sauce is on the diet menu doesn’t mean its different than all the other sauces. Its best to not get the sauce at all.

Pro Tip #3: If it comes with rice, get brown rice. Brown rice is lower in calories, carbs and has more fiber than the white stuff.

If you can control yourself I’ve just given you some great information for the next time you want to order up Chinese. Remember to stay away from fried and most steamed items are your friend. The next time your no in the mood to cook just get a movie on Netflix and have some Healthy Chinese delivered to your door!

Garlic Parmesan Salmon & Asparagus Foil Pack

Garlic Parmesan Salmon & Asparagus Foil Pack
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 1
  • Calories: 420
  • Carbohydrates: 5
  • Protein: 42
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Very easy to make and so delicious!
Ingredients
  • 6 oz portion of Salmon
  • 7 Asparagus spears
  • 1 Tbsp whipped light butter
  • 1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 clove garlic pressed
  • 2 tsp of lemon juice
  • Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F
  2. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil large enough for the the asparagus and salmon
  3. Arrange asparagus spears on foil and top with the salmon
  4. Mixed the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make a paste
  5. Smear the mixture on top of the salmon
  6. Cut another piece of foil large enough to cover everything and fold up the sides
  7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes
Notes
Make sure to completely seal the foil edges so everything stays cooking inside.

 

Garlic Parmesan Salmon Bake Garlic Parmesan Salmon Foil Pack Steps

Baked Turkey Meatball Recipe (low carb)

 

Baked Turkey Meatball Recipe (low carb)
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4
  • Serving size: 3 Meatballs
  • Calories: 322
  • Carbohydrates: 2
  • Sodium: 451
  • Protein: 42
Recipe type: Low Carb
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
This is a healthy and low carb meatball option. I like to make a batch of these and eat them as meals during the week.
Ingredients
  • 1 & ¾lbs Lean Ground Turkey
  • ¼ Cup of Egg Beaters
  • ¼ Cup No Salt Added Tomato Sauce
  • 3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Garlic Clove Minced
  • 1 tsp Parsley
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • ½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • Salt to Taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F
  2. Simply add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl
  3. Mix and fold over until fully combined
  4. Spray baking dish with non-stick spray
  5. Roll out meatballs about 1.5'' each and place in pan
  6. This should yield about 12 balls the same size
  7. Place the meatballs in the oven for approximately 30 minutes
Notes
*Without filler like bread crumbs or oats these will be sticky when you roll them. Don't worry, they still taste great!

Meatballs are delicious and you can mix them with all types of sauces once there done. This is great if you plan on prepping meals because you can store or freeze the meatballs and use them for a quick dish with a side of vegetables or pasta.

 

Turkey Meatball Recipe Photos

Turkey Meatball Recipe Steps

 

 

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