This is a quick breakfast, but because you don’t see arugula used much, it seems kind of elegant.

3 eggs
1 cup arugula

1/2 tomato, diced
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup dry quick oats
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup skim milk

First, get your oatmeal & water cooking in the microwave. Chop the arugula & tomato roughly. Scramble the eggs. Spray a nonstick frying pan with Pam and preheat to medium. Stir-fry the arugula just until wilted, maybe about a minute, then toss in your eggs. Stir over medium heat until almost cooked, and stir in your tomato for the final minute or two. Top with about a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese. Serve alongside the oatmeal and milk.

48 g carbs (39%)
36 g protein (29%)
20 g fat (32%)

Flikr image courtesy rianpie

A fritatta like this is a great make-ahead breakfast. Put it together while your making dinner the night before, and you can just pop a slice into the microwave in the morning, and get rolling out the door!

4 eggs
3/4 cup cooked chopped spinach (1 pkg. of frozen spinach)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup chopped tomato1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tbs. margarine
4 chopped green onions
1 tbs. chopped hazelnuts, walnuts or sesame seeds

Beat eggs. Combine with spinach (make sure it’s well squeezed first!), parsley or cilantro, garlic and sea salt. Saute the green onions in a medium oven proof frying pan, using the margarine. When the onions are slightly wilted, add the egg mix. Cook over a high heat until the egg starts to set up, shaking constantly to prevent burning. Finish under a broiler for several minutes. Top with the chopped nuts. Makes 2 servings.

Cal 263
Carb 10g (15%)
Pro 18g (28%)
Fat 18g (57%)

Breakfast #1: Served with 1 cup hash browns, 2 slices turkey bacon and a 12 oz. glass of skim milk:

Blocks 5
Cal 570
Carb 50g (39%)
Pro 39g (30%)
Fat 20g (31%)

Breakfast #2: Served with a glass of tomato drink and a 12 oz. glass of skim milk:

Blocks 5
Cal 530
Carb 50g (41%)
Pro 34g (28%)
Fat 18g (30%)

This is one of our family’s favorites. We eat it all the time in the winter. Even our normally picky kids love it.

1 1/2 lb. chicken breasts
2 large green peppers

2 cups onion
2 cups carrots
1 cup tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup green chiles
1 qt. water
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
5 tbs. butter
6 cups milk
2 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. cumin
1 tbs. Cajun spices
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbs. seasoned salt
2 tbs. onion powder
5 tbs. chili powder

Start by broiling the chicken. When cooked, shred or dice it, and place in a large stock pot. Dice the peppers, onions, carrots and tomatoes.

Note, we normally add the chopped veggies to the pot now. But if you’ve got picky eaters at home, you could always give these a quick shot in the blender first. It’ll grind them up so they’re unrecognizable, but they still give the soup a ton of flavor, and some added thickness as well.

Add in all remaining ingredients except for the butter, flour and milk. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer on a low burner.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. In another saucepan, heat the milk until steaming, then remove from the burner. When the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Avoid lumps. As the mixture becomes too dry to work with, slowly alternate adding the flour and the milk. When you’ve combined all of the butter, flour and milk, whisk this mixture slowly into the simmering soup. Let the whole thing cook on low for another 20 minutes.

Makes 10 servings. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, and freezes well.

Blocks: 4
Calories: 390
Carb: 36g (41%)
Protein: 28g (31%)
Fat: 12g (28%)

Make a batch on Sunday night and you’re set for the week’s lunches.

12 flour tortillas
4 cups frozen hash browns
3 cups cooked spinach
3 lb. ground turkey
3 cups onion
3/4 cup sour cream
6 oz. lowfat Monterrey Jack cheese
2 tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Dice the onion, and cook it with the ground turkey in a nonstick skillet, seasoning with the salt & pepper. When done, drain off any water or fat, and remove the turkey & onion from the skillet to a large bowl. In the skillet, cook the hash browns until done, but not browned. Add them to the bowl. Steam the spinach. When done, drain well, chop medium to fine, and add to the bowl, along with the cilantro and cumin. Mix well.

If you won’t be freezing the burritos, add the sour cream to the bowl and mix well. Place an oval-shaped handful of filling in the center of a tortilla, fold a side over and then roll the tortilla into a tube. Repeat for all of the tortillas. Place the burritos in a baking dish, topped with the shredded cheese, and bake at 350 until the cheese starts to brown.

This recipe will make 12 burritos. They’ll keep about 5 days in the refrigerator, or you can freeze them. If you plan to freeze them, don’t add the sour cream. Use it as a topping (1 tbs. per burrito) after heating. Makes 12 burritos.

Blocks: 4
Calories: 450
Carb: 38g (38%)
Protein: 31g (30%)
Fat: 16g (32%)

Same for this burrito…make a batch on Sunday night and you’re set for the week’s lunches.

12 tortillas
4 cups frozen hash browns
3 cups onion
3 lb. ground turkey
2 14 oz. cans black beans
8 oz lowfat shredded Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
2 tbs. fresh chopped cilantro
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper

Cook the onion & turkey together with the salt & pepper, then cook the hash browns. Mix the turkey & onion, hash browns, beans, cheese, cilantro, cumin and half of the salsa in a large bowl. Build the burritos, then top them in the baking dish with the other half of the salsa. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Makes 12 burritos.

Blocks: 5
Calories: 520
Carb: 51g (42%)
Protein: 37g (31%)
Fat: 15g (27%)

2 lb. cooked chicken meat (light and dark)
2 lb. red potatoes
4 stalks celery
1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic
2 cans cream of chicken soup (Healthy Choice or other reduced fat)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbs. olive oil
3/4 cup bread crumbs

Shred the chicken. Chop the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, and steam or boil until about half cooked. Dice the celery & onion, and peel and chop the garlic finely. Mix all of that in a big bowl with the almonds, soup, broth, juice, salt and pepper. Stir it all well, and pour into a greased 13 inch X 9 inch pan. Mix the oil and bread crumbs thoroughly, and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serves 8.

Blocks: 4
Calories: 415
Carb: 40g (39%)
Protein: 30g (29%)
Fat: 15g (32%)

This is a great date night meal. Looks impressive, but it’s really not hard at all.

Red Pepper Butter:
5 medium red bell peppers
small bunch fresh parsley
1 minced clove garlic
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. room-temperature butter
black pepper

Carrot Puree:
1 lb. Carrots
2 oranges
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper
nutmeg
1 tbs. butter

4 small baked potatoes
4 veal shoulder chops

This looks complicated, and has lots o’ingredients, but it’s really very simple to make. Consider it a great way to impress dinner guests. Let’s start with the pepper butter: cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds, and flatten the peppers skin-side up on a cookie sheet. Broil until the skins are thoroughly blackened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the carrots and start them boiling. 

When the peppers are done, toss them into a paper bag, close it tightly, and let them sit in the freezer for another 10 minutes to cool. When you pull them out, the skins should peel right off. Combine the peppers, parsley (reserve several sprigs for garnish), garlic, salt, lemon juice, butter, and pepper to taste in a food processor. Pulse it on and off until you have something just short of a puree, more like the consistency of pesto sauce. Clean the food processor.

This would probably be a good time to start the chops. Rub in a little freshly ground black pepper, and broil them until pink in the center. When the carrots are cooked, place them into the food processor along with the oranges, brown sugar, butter and spices. Puree the mixture. Serve each chop with a baked potato. If you really want to score chef points, get yourself a cake decorating bag and some tips. Both the carrots and the peppers are the right consistency for using the frosting bag to squeeze out fancy presentations. Makes four servings.

Blocks: 5
Calories: 520
Carb: 49g (40%)
Prot: 38g (31%)
Fat: 18g (29%)

An easy to make side dish…

12 whole green chiles
4 oz shredded jack cheese
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup (4 oz) shredded, sharp cheddar cheese

Split each chile the long way. Remove the white pith and seeds. Stuff the chiles with the Jack cheese, wrapping each chile tightly around the cheese. Spray a 1 1/2 quart baking dish with nonstick spray, and arrange the chiles in one layer in the pan.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high until thick and foamy. Add the milk, flour and baking powder, and beat until smooth. Pour the egg batter evenly over the chiles. Sprinkle the top with the shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake the chiles uncovered at 375 until the dish is somewhat puffed up (about 1/2 hour). Makes 6 side dish servings.

NOTE: I included this recipe because it’s a great dish, and in terms of carbs vs. protein, the proportions are right on. On the other hand, I’m sure you noticed it has a HUGE fat content. So unless you’ve had a really bad day, combine a small portion of it with a lowfat burrito.

Blocks: 2
Calories: 300
Carb: 20g (30%)
Protein: 15g (22%)
Fat: 16g (48%)

8 Nutri-Grain bars
1/2 cup peanut butter
5 1/2 oz. protein powder
1 tbs. vanilla
skim milk (optional)

In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, vanilla & protein powder with a fork. The consistency will depend on your brand of powder. If necessary, add a little skim milk until the mixture holds together. Divide the peanut butter mixture into 8 rectangles. Place each on top of a bar, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.

Blocks 3
Calories: 330
Carb: 30g (40%)
Protein: 23g (30%)
Fat: 11g (30%)

1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup reduced fat butter substitute, cold
1 cup old fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
8 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
1 egg
6 oz. protein powder
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbs. grated orange peel

Mix the flour and sugar, and cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Next, mix in the oats. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture, and press the rest onto the bottom of a 9″ square baking pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. Add in the egg, protein powder, juice and peel. Mix until blended, then pour over the crust. Sprinkle the top with the rest of the crumb mixture, and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool, then cut into bars.

A 3″x3″ square makes a 3-block snack. Okay, so it’s not super-healthy, but it’s good! You can pretty much choose any fruit or fruit combination you like. Try it with lemon (juice & peel) or pineapple (juice) in place of the orange juice & peel.

Blocks: 3
Calories: 313
Carb: 30g (39%)
Protein: 24g (30%)
Fat: 11g (31%)