Calorie Warrior

Fighting Weight One Calorie At a Time

Tag: food

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!

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

 

 

Week #4 Healthy & Satisfying Dinner

Here’s a picture of my first home cooked meal for the start of Week #5. This is a good idea of a typical dinner that gets made in my house. One part protein an two parts vegetable. This was the same Salmon from the picture I shared in Food Planning & Storage.

Week #5 Monday Dinner

This was a really easy dinner to make and it was satisfying and filling.

Whats in the plate?

What you see is;

  • 1/2 an Acorn Squash with some sugar, salt and light butter
  • 5 oz of Salmon seasoned and grilled in my cast iron pan
  • Salmon topped with Trader Joe’s Sweet & Spicy sauce
  • Trader Joe’s Kimchi

The entire meal clocked in under 500 Calories!

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