Two of our favorite proteins on one plate! Both bison and shrimp come from the “leanest” protein category, which means we can have a full seven (combined) ounces cooked!
Surf & Turf Mixed Grille
Reply
Category Archives: From Our Kitchen
Working with Leftovers
Kimchi Chicken Stir Fry, made with leftover Kimchi Chicken and fresh veggies.
Because we’re controlling our food intake and measuring everything, and only eating the one meal per day, it would be easy to let these leftovers go to waste. It would also be easy to stray off program by snacking on them spontaneously, just because they’re there!
Veggie Frittata
Eggs are a great meatless protein source. Three whole eggs constitute a serving of lean protein and 14 egg whites — which is a lot of food! — are a serving of leanest protein. (Need a refresher on the lean, leaner, leanest concept?)
For this meal for two, we used a half-and-half approach. The recipe used one full serving of whole eggs and one of egg whites. This yielded two generous servings that were half lean/half leanest — which we treated as leaner, and therefore used a bit of healthy fat in the prep. (The egg whites really bulked up the meal, hence our use of them to achieve a greater volume of food.) Continue reading
Five Spice Roasted Halibut
We coated our halibut with Chinese Five-Spice and roasted it in the oven. Topped it with homemade kimchi and served with steamed asparagus.
Bison Kebabs
From reading the blog so far, you might have assumed we’re now only eating fish and chicken. Not so. We love our red meat! Watch for future posts about lamb and pork, but today we’re sharing our newfound appreciation for BISON (also called buffalo). Continue reading
Let’s Talk!
Comments are now enabled on this site. Feel free to leave your thoughts on any post you like. Just scroll to the bottom of the post and look for “What do you think?”
Hope to hear from you!
Chicken Thigh Tomato Salad
A great no-cook meal, using leftover grilled chicken thigh meat, chopped up and mixed with tomatoes & chopped fresh basil, tossed with a little balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette, just the balsamic vinegar), and served in romaine lettuce cups!
Kimchi Chicken & Salad
Another favorite! This was a happy accident. We had some homemade kimchi in the fridge that needed to be downsized to a smaller container, leaving us with excess marinade that had been “percolating” for over a week. Sitting right next to that was a package of chicken breasts we had no plans for. “Hey,” I said to Brian, “do you think the kimchi marinade would be good for the chicken?” We both thought it was worth a try. Poured the marinade over the chicken and added salt to make it a brine. Let it sit for two days, then grilled it. Came out beautifully! Sliced it up and served it over a salad of chopped romaine, cucumbers & yellow bell peppers in small romaine lettuce cups. (Seasoned the salad with some low-fat honey mustard salad dressing.)
Spicy Panang Shrimp & Veggies
One of our favorites! Another quick & easy one-pot dish. Panang curry powder is a smokey, mildly spicy red-colored Thai spice blend. If you like, kick up the heat with some Sriracha or Sambel Olek or similar. Change out the protein (chicken or tofu?) and veggies to your liking. Continue reading
Why “Healthy Noms”?
What’s up with the name “Healthy Noms,” you ask? Simple, really. Years of eating out together and with “foodie” friends had spoiled our palates for home cooking. A lot. Unfortunately, the food we were eating out features oversize portions, and includes excessive amounts of fat, sugar, and carbs. So we’re learning to cook meals that satisfy the senses while staying on program. Nom nom nom, but in a healthy way!
In order to be successful on this program, we had to make eating at home as pleasurable as we’d found eating out to be. To do that, we recognized that we had to put a little bit extra into the preparation of our meals. This means paying attention to details, including:
- High quality, fresh ingredients (locally grown a plus)
- Visually appealing plates: presentation matters
- Packing the meals with flavor: creative use of spices and seasonings
Additionally, of course, like most families, we don’t have the time or inclination to spend hours preparing dinner when we get home from work. Quick & easy is important.
Hence, “Healthy Noms” = healthy dishes that satisfy the senses like chef-prepared meals do.