Any healthy recipes?

[house kitten]

I would love a recipe for some yummy steel cut oats (cooked over night in a crock pot). I have tried one recipe and it specified a cooking time of 8 hours. I cook mine on low for 5 hours and I have mush. What can be the problem? Maybe because I only make 1/2 cup at a time? Or maybe becasue I used apple juice instead of water?

I also use a bit of cinnamon and a bit of vanilla (real mexican vanilla, yum).

[Xarata]

I don't know how great I am at cutting the carbs but I'll share a couple in the "snack" category:

Savory Crackers
I LOVE crackers (any kind really) with cream cheese topped with Mrs. Dash seasoning (don't know if this is available in the UK or no but it's basically and all in one seasoning). Tasty, satisfying, can substitute low-fat cream cheese and any kind of cracker. And since you have to "prepare" them (i usually do about 9 on a plate) it's easy to portion control.

Sophisticated Dessert
pears with cottage cheese and walnuts.

Salad Variations

Onion Salad
Romaine and vidalia onions in a vinegar and olive oil dressing seasoned with black pepper and Salt

Chicken Salad
Mixed Greens w/ pan seared chicken breast seasoned with cracked salt and pepper (cracked makes all the difference). I don't even put dressing on it but if you're looking for some interesting ones where a little goes a long way you might try "Bankok Thai Peanut Sauce" and "Sweet and Spicy Asian Sauce" which have spectacular flavor

Spicy Shrimp
This one might be more difficult depending on what they have in the UK. I buy frozen, pre-cooked, pre-peeled shrimp in a bag. I thaw out about 10 in a bowl of warm water, toss them with Old Bay Seasoning (Seafood seasoning or cajun) or sometimes Garlic powder and herbs and then zap them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. Takes less than 5 minutes and is really tasty. Sometimes I add a salad.

*Buy darker chocolate, a little bit goes a long way.

*Black Pepper and Mustard have absolutely no negative health benefits (with the exception of possible heartburn) and they both add lots of flavor to anything!

[mgmsrk]

House kitten,

Try soaking the oats over night and than cooking them on the stove.

[zeebs]

This will solve your carb cravings...
Sprouted grain breads, pastas, and cereals.
Technically, they're vegetables... not grains. But they taste like grain! Like thick whole grain (which I love, and most others can train their palettes to love, too)

It's low glycemic, high in protein, high in fiber, and FILLS YOU UP QUICK! It's amazing. I don't know where you can get it but I'm guessing a health food grocer might have it?

Here it is on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search- ... for%20Life

Hope that helps!

[Ghost]

Hi all

Hows you all doing? I'm sure you're all enjoy round 4 he he he he *jumps up and down with glee while rubbing hands together with an evil villian laugh*

I got weighed yesterday and I lost 4kgs (around 8lbs) in 3 weeks. Perfect before I go on holiday next saturday

keep those receips coming!!!!

Happy *stalking* Silknatural site

[Xarata]

If you cook portabella mushrooms with liquid smoke and grill seasonings, they come out tasting just like steak! You can make them the entree or slice them on top of salad. (or maybe a whole grain pasta)

Sometimes, it's fun just to play with your food! If I'm feeling adventurous (or lazy. lol) i'll just start throwing things into a pot or pan. Ideas?

-Start with chicken breast and start adding! (throw in a little orange juice, toss in some garlic, add a little yogurt...)
-"Cupboard Soup"- whatevers in the house! If I have one stalk of celery, half a carrot, and some left over meat (ham, chicken, turkey, shrimp, hamburger, whatever) then that's what goes in. Sometimes it's a can of veggies (or a bag of frozen veggies) sometimes it's leftover rice. For seasoning i'll just start grabbing out of the cupboard (bullion cubes, mrs. dash, season-salt, grill seasoning, whatever) cook it for 20 minutes. Best part is you can make a little or a lot and if you make a lot you can always freeze it (tupperware, ziplocs, or even pour it into an ice cube tray and then put the soup cubes in a bag in the freezer for easy portion control)

DESSERT
Homemade pudding pops. Buy some dixie cups and popsicle sticks, make some low-fat pudding (chocolate, pistacchio, something yummy) pour and freeze! You can also use your ice cube trays and just use smaller sticks.

[karen]

Congratulations!!! I'm not sure if they have smoker bags in England (they're a Finnish product)- but I like to toss a piece of salmon in one and bake it for a little while. It's really yummy with some lemon, and roasted veggies on the side.

http://www.allrecipes.com is where I go to get a lot of recipes- I like it that they post the nutrition info-

I can't resist posting this web site- it's a little risque- don't click if you're easily offended, but as a girl who's been on more diets than I wish to count- I think it's hilarious. It's mocking 1970's Weight Watcher recipe cards- including recipes for Frankfurter Spectular, Fluffy Mackrel Pudding and well- it's just funny.

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards/czarina.html

[Rhys]

On one of the Unani sites, there are some decent middle eastern recipes if that's your fancy (and given that London is one of the better place to get curries in the world, I'm thinking it could be ).

http://www.unani.com/recipes.htm

There aren't a lot of recipes, but if you click on the categories at the top it will give you a few for veggies, grains, meat, etc. Interestingly, you can also lose weight from these, and they're great for diabetics as well - which, oddly enough, has been verified by western medicial science.

I like middle eastern food a lot, anyway - and none of this is break-the-bank stuff, either.

[stagemama]

Thanks, that's a really good website. The cucumber salad recipe sounds good, I just need to go on a cucumber hunt. And always stuffed peppers are yummy.
I love this time of year when I can get all the local fresh fruits and veggies I want. Right now it's fresh off the tree peaches.
For healthy treat, I like one sliced up with non-fat yoguart.

[ladycattat]

One of my very favorites is unfortunately pasta dishes, which are no good for my waistline. I finally figured out that I like the marinara SAUCES more that the actual pasta itself. Check the labels, some jarred sauces are actually not bad for you, calorie and nutrition-wise.
Then, I discovered spaghetti squash! OMgosh, that stuff is a miracle food! Just cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out all the seeds and bake it in a 350 degree oven cut side down in a pan with about an inch of water for 45-60 minutes. When it is done, very carefully(since it will be very hot) rake it with a fork, and all the cooked strands will seperate and look just like spaghetti.
You can serve it with homemade or jarred sauce, or mix it with some good olive oil and fresh herbs. It is just divine!

Laurie