Preparing your meals at home with fresh ingredients is always better-for a lot of reasons. First, you know exactly what is going into the food you are preparing. You know the quality of the products and that there are no hidden additives or preservatives. There will also be far fewer ‘hidden’ craving inducers. For example, you will not rinse your salad in sugar water to keep it fresh, like a restaurant in my area does (an employee shared this little tidbit). And we all know that sugar is a huge culprit in our war with cravings.
You will save money; it may seem like you are spending more on certain items, but this is because you are choosing better ingredients. When you cook at home you can control how much you make and have the flexibility of making more (think: leftovers!) or a little less (think: no waste!). Also, you are often using ingredients that you can get more than one use from. At a restaurant, you get one meal from all the ingredients they put into your food. For instance, our same (sugar water drenched) salad greens mentioned previously: The greens you buy by the head or perhaps in a bag, and rinsed in cold water will give you several salads, for just a few dollars. The peppers, olives, tomatoes and other fresh vegetables that you add will each contribute to more than one salad; additionally, an average bottle of dressing is enough to top more than a dozen salads! The point is: we are often comparing apples to oranges when we think of the cost of eating a meal out compared to cooking at home. The biggest difference being the quality and healthiness of each meal and secondly, we overlook the quantity we will gain when we prepare it ourselves compared to the one meal we get when we eat out.
A crock pot is a great time saver! Fill it and go!
So, based on some feedback from clients, I am sharing a recipe for a healthier version of Hamburger Helper and two recipes using a Pork loin (or roast), which saves you money and time because you get two main dishes from one purchase and preparation of pork. If you buy the meat when it is on sale (ie, planning your meals based on the specials at your store –see part 2 of this series) –BINGO! More savings!
These are my own ideas/recipes unless otherwise noted. Have fun with it, be creative and ENJOY! Until next time-be well and make good choices-
Your Best Fitness Friend
Hamburger Helper: Cheeseburger variation
1-1 ½ lb. 97% lean ground beef, browned with
½ yellow onion, sliced or diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 c. Reduced fat cheese, whatever flavor you like-such as sharp cheddar
Wheat or whole grain elbow noodles, cooked
You can add a splash of hot sauce or some tomatoes if that is your preference
Brown the beef with the onion and drain off excess fat and rinse with hot water to remove even more fat. Boil noodles according to package directions and drain. Add noodles and meat together in a pot, add rest of ingredients and warm through. That is it. Other Hamburger Helper flavors can be duplicated, just be creative with the basic ingredients!
Pork roast/loin
1 ½ – 2 lb. Pork loin (or roast)
Apples, any kind, cut in thick slices with seeds removed, skins on
Yellow onion, peeled and sliced
½ c. water or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
You can brown the pork if you want to-sprinkle with the salt and pepper first. Place sliced apples and onions in the bottom of the crock pot, place pork on top of them and pour water over all. Cook in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours. Very tender and delicious, just make sure you save a little leftover for the following recipe-
Pork and Pepper Salad-South Beach Diet recipe
1 each, red, green, yellow bell pepper, roasted or a jar of roasted peppers
1Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 med. Red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups red or green cabbage, thinly sliced (or coarsely chopped
2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
¼ balsamic vinaigrette dressing ( low sugar) I think Newman’s lite version is best
½ cup shredded, reduced fat mozzarella cheese
Roast peppers in oven, then remove the seeds and skin. Slice into strips (or you can cheat, like I do, and buy a jar of roasted peppers, cut them into strips after draining). If you don’t have leftover pork roast/loin, you will need about ½ lb. pork loin which you can broil in your oven for about 6 min, turn and broil 6 more minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes and then thinly slice. If you have leftover pork, warm it gently in the microwave.
Heat the oil in a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cabbage, celery, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 min., until tender. Divide cabbage mixture onto 4 plates. Arrange the peppers and pork on top. Sprinkle with the cheese and drizzle with the balsamic dressing. Sooo Good!
Per serving: 194 cal, 8 g. fat, 16 g. protein, 16 g. carb., 4 g. fiber, 43 mg cholesterol, 631 mg sodium
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