Posted: November 28, 2011 | Author: runningforpizza | Filed under: 24-Day Challenge Friendly Recipes, Food | Tags: avoid holiday weight gain, cauliflower mash, chicken and veggies, cook healthy, dinner recipes, eat healthy, eat right, eat to lose weight, fast easy dinner recipes, healthy blue cheese dressing, healthy dinner, Healthy Dinner Ideas, Healthy Dinner Menu, healthy dinner recipes, Healthy Dinners for Two, Healthy Low-Fat Dinner Recipes, healthy meatloaf, healthy recipes, healthy taco salad, holiday weight gain, homemade dressing, lean dinner, lentil sauce, low carb dinner, low fat dinner, low fat recipes, low-carb recipes, lowfat blue cheese dressing, lowfat dressing, mashed cauliflower, meatloaf with oatmeal, New Year's Resolutions, oatmeal recipes, paleo recipes, recipes high in folate, steak and salad |
Over the past week, we’ve spent a lot of time cooking, and even more time eating.
What’s more? It’s only the beginning of our holiday season eating extravaganza that ends with New Year’s resolutions meant to undo the damage.
That rattling in your closet is all of your buttons shaking in fear of what you intend to consume over the next month.
I’m not going to ask you not to eat at parties or enjoy the many holiday treats that will surely show up at your home or office this season. Instead, I’m going to suggest some meal options for the days in-between the butter, cream cheese, sugar, mayonnaise, icing, eggnog-laden gatherings.
Below are five meals you can feel good about. Not only are these dinner ideas healthy and tasty, they are also easy. You’ve already slaved over a turkey. Now you’re off the hook for the rest of the year.
After the holidays, I will absolutely help you get back in shape even if you break every rule in my book; but, success will come sooner and easier if we can temper the damage on the front-end.
What’s for dinner?
1) Meatloaf (using oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs) with cauliflower mash instead of taters
For the meatloaf, use 1 lb of lean ground meat, 2/3 cup of oatmeal, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, 1/2 tsp of minced garlic, 1 drained can of diced tomatoes, 1 Tbsp of worcestershire and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Mix and bake at 350 for 40 mins, top with Heinz 57 and bake for an additional 10 mins.
For the cauliflower mash, steam or boil fresh or frozen cauliflower until tender, then process with your favorite mashed potato ingredients.
2) Lentil sauce over quinoa
Cook 1/2 lb of sausage or ground meat in a pot with 1 tsp of olive oil. Once the meat cooks, add 1 can of lentil soup and 1 can of Rotel. Heat through so some of the liquid evaporates, and serve over quinoa.
3) Taco salad
Cook ground meat with 1 tsp each of the following: chili powder, onion powder, paprika, garlic salt, cumin and red pepper. Add 1/2 cup of diced onion and cook until translucent. Serve over torn up lettuce and top with grated cheddar, diced tomatoes, diced peppers, a dollop of plain yogurt (greek is best because the flavor mimics sour cream) and a sprinkle of crushed tortilla chips.
4) Steak and salad with blue cheese dressing
Marinate steak in 2 Tbsp worcestershire, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp of orange or apple juice and 2 tsp pepper for at least 30 mins. Grill to desired doneness, and serve with romaine, diced red onion and a dressing made of the following: 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of yogurt, 2 tsp chopped onion, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, splash of red wine vinegar and 1 Tbsp of blue cheese – process till smooth and salt & pepper to taste.
5) Roasted chicken and veggies
Heat oven to 400F. Mix juice of 1 lemon, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 Tbsp freshly chopped herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary or sage will work) and 1 tsp minced garlic. Baste chicken breasts, and use the rest to toss with vegetables of choice (broccoli, carrots, onion, fennel, sweet potato chunks, bell peppers, cauliflower, etc.). Bake chicken and vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until done.
Posted: June 20, 2011 | Author: runningforpizza | Filed under: Food | Tags: chicken marinade, grill recipes, grill wok, grilled chicken, grilled fruit, grilled pineapple, healthy dinner recipe, healthy recipes, low-carb recipes, no-carb recipes, spicy chocolate cake, summer chicken marinade, summer recipes, summer salad, vegetarian grill recipes |

What’s great about this meal? Aside from perfectly highlighting the amazing flavors of the season, your body gets tons of fruit, veggies, protein and fiber, it’s really tough to screw up, and the marinade adds enough flavor that you don’t need any sauce (read “added calories”) to enhance the flavor.
The portions below are for a 4 person meal, although the cake should stretch farther ;-). The entire meal takes about 45 mins; 15 to prep, 30 to cook – not counting the time the chicken is marinating.
Recipe #1: Chicken + Marinade
- Gallon-size ziploc
- 4 chicken breasts
- Blood orange juice – about 2 cups/enough to cover chicken when combined with other marinade ingredients
- Juice of one lemon
- Juice of two limes
- 2 tsps Chipotle Tabasco.
Combine liquid ingredients and add to ziploc with chicken breasts. Marinate for at least 1 hour. We also marinated two portabello mushrooms since my sister-in-law is a vegetarian, and they came out yummy, too.
To cook: Preheat grill and cook chicken for about 12-15 minutes (depending on how large your breasts are…hee hee) on each side over medium heat. Let sit for 5 minutes after you take it off the grill.
Recipe #2: Grill Wok Vegetables
- Grill wok
- 2 large red peppers quartered
- 1 pineapple halved and sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 Tbsp EVOO
Toss fruit and vegetables with olive oil and grill at medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently so everything is exposed to the grill flame.

Recipe #3: Tropical Summer Salad
- Head of Romaine Lettuce chopped/torn
- 1/2 English Cucumber chopped
- 1 Mango chopped
- 2 Tbsps EVOO
- 1 Tbsp Honey
- 1 1/2 tsps chili powder
- Juice of 2 limes.
Combine oil, honey, lime juice and chili powder. Toss with lettuce, cucumber and mango, sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.

I recommend eating all of your grilled ingredients together (hello, party in your mouth) alongside the salad.
Recipe #4: Spicy Chocolate Cake
- I pkg Gluten-free chocolate cake mix (such as Bob’s Red Mill)
- 2/3 cup of natural, no-sugar added applesauce
- one egg
- 1/4 cup of vanilla soy milk
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp honey
Mix cake mix, applesauce, egg and soy milk and pour into lightly greased brownie/cake pan. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp cayenne and 1/2 tsp chili powder on top, drizzle with 1 Tbsp of honey. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

*If you can get your hands on a can of pumpkin – not the pie filling kind – you can mix that with the cake mix instead of the applesauce, egg and soy milk. It’s harder to find out of season, but it’s a great way to add fiber and serve up a really moist dessert.