2 minute Fake Baked Apple (190 kc)

All the taste, a fraction of the calories, and hardly any time

1 apple, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp nutmeg (or more)
1 tsp cinnamon (or more if you so desire)
1 TBS coconut butter (or any nut butter of you want)
1/4 c. granola (I used 13g of Kashi Go Lean Crunch)

Season your apples in a bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute.  Drizzle nut butter over the top. Nuke for another minute.  Sprinkle your granola over the top, and enjoy!

Carrot Yam Sweet and Spicy Soup (127 kc per cup)

This recipe came from Veggie Wiz which I found via reddit.   I made some substantial changes to her original recipe; hers looks terrific, I just did it different!

3 c. chopped carrot (496g, 5 large)
4c. chopped yam (554g, 2 small + 1 med)
5 c. veggie stock (or more if you want a looser soup)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp each: thyme, cumin, turmeric
2 tsp each: salt, cinnamon
.5 tsp: cayenne
2 TBS coconut butter, added at the end
served with dollop of yogurt on top




 Boil everything together (except yogurt and coconut butter) for 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.  Hand blend (or transfer to a blender in batches) the pot.  Add the coconut butter.  Serve with a dollop of fat free Greek style yogurt on top.

makes 9 cups / 127 kc per cup

Part of my awesome dinner: big ol' mixed salad, big ol' bowl of kale chips, and a big ol' mug of this soup. Heavenly!

Spiced Parsnip Soup (68 kc per cup)

4 c. veggie broth*
1 c. water
740 g parsnips (1.6 lbs)
1 large onion (about 2c)
1 inch ginger, chopped
3 gloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp each: cumin, turmeric, chili powder, cardamon
S&P
juice of 1.5 lemon

Sautee onion garlic ginger.  Add the rest. Cover and simmer for 15 or until everything is nice and soft. Use a hand blender and puree everything (you can use whatever method to puree of course, but the hand blender makes this a snap!). At your lemon just before serving.

*You can also use fat free chicken broth if you so desire. 

Roasted Veggies (50-150 kc)

One of the quickest, simplest, and to my mind, elegant treatments of beautiful veg is a simple roasting.

2-4 c. chopped vegetables
2 cloves garlic, chopped or sliced
S& P
1/2 lemon
1-2 tsp oil (olive or coconut)

I start with 1-2 (more is fine!) vegetables that I have on-hand.  Clean and chop as needed for a uniform size to allow for even cooking.  Toss with 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic, salt, a dash of pepper, and the juice of half a lemon.  I am super careful with added fats, but a teaspoon of olive oil, or even better, coconut oil, works great. Place in a roasting pan, or casserole dish, and bake in the oven for 30 or so minutes at 375, or until the veg starts to brown. I sometime add a tablespoon of vegetable broth, cover, and microwave 3-4 minutes if I am getting too brown and the vegetables aren't done enough

Here are some combos I have tried recently:

Brussels sprouts and olive oil
Brussels sprouts, celery root, and coconut oil <-- to DIE for & 88 kcal per 1.5c. serving
red onion, sweet potato, parsnips
acorn squash, parsnip, and turnip
eggplant, tomato, zucchini
... can't wait for the summer veggie FEST

Blueberry Parfait Oatmeal (392 kcal)

• 1/2 c. instant oats (150 kcal)
• 3 grams chia seeds (15 kcal)
• 3 grams ground flax seeds (16 kcal)
• 2-3 c. water
• 1 cup blueberries (70 kcal)
• 75 grams non-fat Greek Yogurt (46 kcal)
• 16 grams coconut butter (95 kcal)
• sweetener if desired

In a small saucepan, bring oats, seeds and water to a boil. Reduce to medium low.  Add blueberries. Stir constantly until oatmeal reaches desired thickness, but not too thick.  Turn off heat.  Add yogurt and stir in well. Add sweetener at this point if you desire.  After adding mixture to a bowl, add your dollop of coconut butter on top.  Revel in the glorious fluffy mound of delicious you now get to enjoy. I only have these high calorie oatmeal's on the weekends when I sleep in.  I don't usually eat until 11am, which means lunch is just a salad, add a regualr dinner and I am at my calorie limit for the day.

Kate's Whipped Banana Oatmeal (367kc)

• 1/4 c. instant oats (75 kcal)
• 1/4 c. multi-grain hot cereal (65 kcal)
• 3 grams chia seeds (15 kcal)
• 3 grams ground flax seeds (16 kcal)
• 1 small banana, broken into big chunks (101 kcal)
• 16 grams cashew butter  (95 kcal)
• 2-3 c. water
• sweetener if desired

I take no credit for this recipe.  This is straight from a blog called Kath Eats Real Food.  She makes the most amazing oatmeal.  I highly encourage you to read her Tribute to Oatmeal post for killer ideas on how to make yourself crazy-delicious porridge! The instructions for how to make this "whipped" version, is at the link.

Apple Spiced Oatmeal (237kc)

Apple Spiced Oatmeal (237kcal)

• 1/4 c. instant oats (75 kcal)
• 1/4 c. multi-grain hot cereal (65 kcal)
• 3 grams chia seeds (15 kcal)
• 3 grams ground flax seeds (16 kcal)
• 1 small apple, finely diced (66 kcal)
• 2 tea bags
• 3 cups of water
• sweetener if desired

Steep your teabags in hot water for at least 5 minutes.  Add all ingedients and microwave 2-4 minutes.  Stir until oatmeal thickens. I make this at my office with only the microwave and water cooler/heater.  I pre-measure my chia and flax at home.  The tea I use is Good Earth Original which is outrageous.  I love it so much - it is super strong, sweet and spicy.  Notice that I use an inordinate amount of water - 3 times the amount called for for the serving of oats.  I microwave for 4 minutes on top of using hot tea to begin with, and then I stir stir STIR as it cools, I end up with a super fluffy almost parfait-like bowl of porridge.  It's amazing

You can add all sorts of things to this to add more nutrients and flavor. Try: 1/4 c. pumpkin honey seeds dried fruits chopped nuts... just be careful of calories!

Chicken-Kale Lemony Soup (350-425 kcals)

Chicken Kale Soup
4 c. fat-free broth (chicken or veggie)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
3-4 oz skinless, boneless chicken breat , cut into small strips or cubes
1/4 c. grains (wheat berries [farro], quinoa, couscous, brown rice)
1 bunch leafy greens (kale, collards, chard or spinach)
1 lemon
S&P

Bring your broth and garlic to a boil.  Add your grains* and chicken and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add your greens, and simmer until wilted.  Add the lemon juice from the whole lemon, and season with S&P.  Add the chicken back, and serve.

*Depending on the grain you use, you may have to add some water, and adjust the time to simmer.  eg, wheat berries take an hour to cook, and you lose a lot of moisture.  I add a cup of water, and let garlic broth, water and wheat berries cook for 45 minutes before adding my chicken.  You will need ot make adjustments based on what you use.

This is so simple, and so delicious, it's astounding how so few ingredients can really just knock your socks off.  The grains allow this to be quite filling, and the liquid also really fills you up.  This makes a terrific meal all by itself if you pair it with a simple salad

Calorie count is around 350-425 calories depending on the amount of chicken and which grain you go for.