# Need some healthy recipes!!



## Mike Davis (Apr 1, 2012)

I know there is some amazing cooks/chefs on this board. My wife and i are looking for some healthy recipes for dinner. Any ideas? I would forever grateful for a few good recipes

Mike


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## Deckhand (Apr 1, 2012)

Bobs red mill quinoa, this type. I usually get a single bag at health food store.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EDG3UE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Chop a couple cloves of garlic and half a purple onion. Sauté in a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil. Add chicken stock to 2 cups of quinoa in the pan with garlic and onion you just sautéed add a pinch of salt. Cover with lid boil until sprouted approximately 20 min. If necessary add water or more stock while boiling to keep quinoa with some liquid. When you are done cooking liquid should be gone. I usually add a chopped Serrano pepper to my sauté and like the flavor, but it isn't necessary.

I don't know if this one is interesting to you. It was the mother grain for the Incas.


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## rahimlee54 (Apr 1, 2012)

whole roast chicken, usually stuffed with onion or lemon and rosemary. Salad with a vinaigrette 3 parts oil to 1 part red wine vinegar and a little dijon. Any green veg on the side and lay off starch.

My wife and I usually eat this once a week, pretty tasty and easy.


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## stereo.pete (Apr 1, 2012)

Two years ago I changed my diet and exercised five days a week and lost 90 pounds in about 8-9 months. I was motivated by a wedding at the time, which helps but eating healthy really improved my quality of life. Long story short I put 70 back on when I fell off the wagon and returned to my old ways but I've been back on track for the last two months.

I know you asked for dinner but here's a quick guide to eating healthy all day that is relatively easy.

Egg White omelette in the morning with tomato, onion, jalapenos and ham or turkey breast. Quality protein shakes make a difference too, for example Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard is fantastic as a quick morning shake.

Lots of chicken breasts = high quality protein and low fat. Fat free cottage cheese is another source of low calorie/high protein and canned tuna mixed with dijon mustard instead of mayo.

The real secret as hinted above by Rahimlee54 is changing the carbs that you eat and lowering the quantity. I switched from white to organic whole-grain brown rice and my sandwich bread is usually a 7-8 grain high quality, complex carb type of loaf. Hard Boiled eggs of course are a great source of healthy cholesterol and protein. 

For dinner's my wife and I love to make quick stir-fry's with chicken breast and we hold off on the "corn-starch" sauce and instead usually make a light peanut butter sauce or just toss with soy/mirin. Lots of salads with vinaigrette's mentioned above with cut up chicken breast and now that spring/summer is here, tons of grilled veggies.

Good luck with whatever your goals are and remember eating healthy is great but allow yourself to have at least one, but no more than two cheat days so you don't fall off the wagon. 

Regards,

Pete


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## Mike Davis (Apr 2, 2012)

Thanks guys! Pete, i will definitely take that into consideration, as i need to lose a few pounds. I have also been looking into fish, This may sound weird, i am not a huge fan of fried/baked fish...But i love sashimi/nagiri. Trying to be heart smart at the same time.


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## mhlee (Apr 2, 2012)

I don't know what kind of raw fish you are able to get out there, but if you want to buy fish for sushi, try looking for fish wholesalers in your area that also sell retail. You can usually find vacuum packed sushi quality fish that's been frozen from these guys. That way, you can just thaw and eat when you want. Most often, fish like hamachi (yellowtail), albacore, bonito are available frozen. 

I would also recommend broiling fish rather than baking, pan frying or frying. You're adding very little additonal fat, and the crust will add texture. Most common people in Japan each fish that's been salted and broiled, then eaten with daikon oroshi (grated daikon and soy sauce). 

Oh, and if you don't mind the work and you like the flavor, look for Norwegian mackerel. It's usually less than $4 per pound whole and cases are 10 kg. The fish are individually frozen. Oily and rich and high in Omega 3's, they're a great fish to broil or even grill. Wholesale fish markets should have this.


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## bprescot (Apr 2, 2012)

I'm in a similar boat with Pete. 16 months ago I decided to completely overhaul my lifestyle. Gym 5-6 days a week, and a complete diet change, "trimming" back to 1200 calories a day. Kinda fell of the wagon in October, but by that time I'd lost 120 pounds in about a year, and am now part of the 1/3 of Americans not considered overweight. I'd been up around 290 for about a decade, so it's been a pretty major change for me.

My calorie restriction was pretty severe, so I'm not sure if you really want to go that route. I never felt deprived, but I ended REALLY cutting back on meat. It was just too calorically dense. So most of the recipes I could recommend are vegetarian or use meat as seasoning only, not as a main part of the dish. If you're still interested, here are some of my favorite nice, easy, tasty dinners for me (calorie-restricted) and my wife (a perpetual size 2 that eats people under the table). Same meals, she just got 1.5x or 2x servings. One futher caveat. I call them Posole, or Onion Soup, knowing full well that they aren't REALLY those same dishes. It's just easier to call them that, okay? Most I won't go into detail, as they're so easy it's almost insulting to call them a recipe.

Posole: Simple and my favorite meal. At it's most basic, take whole hominy (start with dried. The canned stuff... it's just not quite right) a crap ton of tomatoes (may 3lbs?) cubed, a lb+ of poblanos sliced, chilis for spice (I used a minced habanero) plus chicken stock. Essentially, it's cook the hominy. Add cooked hominy to large dutch oven. Add poblanos and let soften a bit covered. Add tomatoes and chilis (if using). Season appropriately (salt, pepper, chili powder if that's your thing) remembering to not overdo the salt as it'll all reduce (my friends always F that up, though I feel silly telling it to someone on this forum). Let go until you get the consistency you like. Take off the heat. Finish with a bit of butter or, since we've got a ton in the freezer, duck fat. Stupid simple, barely even a recipe, really, but damn good.

Lentil cakes over vegetable hash: Cooked lentils, half hit with an immersion blender, bound single egg yolk and bit of arrowroot, seasoned with some salt and lightly w/ garam masala. (Binding is... a bit tenuous before pan frying, so watch out). Vegetable hash is really just any veg you've got. Usually summer squash, tomatoes, not too spicy chilis, mixed together in a pan on the stove top, seasoned with salt and pepper, and a good dose of rice vinegar. Until you get a thicker consistency then done. 

Channa Masala (chole): Awesome dish. Go easy on the oil while caramelizing onions (everything gets soupy anyway, so may as well hit the onions with some baking soda) and heavy with the chilis. Only calories are coming from the chickpeas unless you pair it with a ton of rice.

I did this for over a year, so I've accumulated a good number of fast easy dishes. PM me if you wanted more ideas of what we did or want actual recipes with steps and everything.


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## Mike Davis (Apr 2, 2012)

This is great stuff guys! 
Michael, i spoke to the guys at the local sushi bar, and i think i can get fish directly from them =D so excited!!! Sushi is one of my absolute favorite foods.

bprescot, i really appreciate the ideas, and would like to talk more about your system. The reason for this mostly is my wife has high cholesterol. She has had 2 kids, and developed a cholesterol issue with the last one. Also, i am on board to drop about 25lbs. We are fairly active, we take a lot of walks, outside as much as possible, she plays softball, but it is hard actively losing weight with full time jobs on exactly opposite schedules. Your guys' input and help on this is greatly appreciated 

Mike


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## EdipisReks (Apr 3, 2012)

prime rib is healthy enough for me! unfortunately, i'm a fatass engaged to a health nut, so perhaps that's a problem.  i eat a lot of greens with my beef.


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## MadMel (Apr 3, 2012)

I usually make a muesli mix that I keep in the fridge for 2-3 days for breakfast, just some rolled oats, greek yoghurt, lemon juice and zest, lime juice and zest, some random unsalted nuts and julienne granny smiths.
Poached chicken breast or fish fillets for lunch can do quite well, just some vinegrette or salsa to dress. Or just plain boiled pasta, one diced tomato, ripped basil, evoo, lemon juice and parmesan.
Dinner is just a plate of greens, usually stir fried.


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## PhaetonFalling (Apr 3, 2012)

Mike Davis said:


> This is great stuff guys!
> Michael, i spoke to the guys at the local sushi bar, and i think i can get fish directly from them =D so excited!!! Sushi is one of my absolute favorite foods.
> 
> bprescot, i really appreciate the ideas, and would like to talk more about your system. The reason for this mostly is my wife has high cholesterol. She has had 2 kids, and developed a cholesterol issue with the last one. Also, i am on board to drop about 25lbs. We are fairly active, we take a lot of walks, outside as much as possible, she plays softball, but it is hard actively losing weight with full time jobs on exactly opposite schedules. Your guys' input and help on this is greatly appreciated
> ...



Mike, if you're looking for sashimi grade fish anywhere in the country, try catalina offshore products. They do "bulk" sales. When I used to live in Indiana, I would fly out a few hundred dollars of fish and other random stuff, and it only cost like 20ish dollars for the next day air shipping. It was pretty fantastic, and the prices were amazing.

The link is http://www.catalinaop.com/


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## Mike Davis (Apr 3, 2012)

PhaetonFalling said:


> Mike, if you're looking for sashimi grade fish anywhere in the country, try catalina offshore products. They do "bulk" sales. When I used to live in Indiana, I would fly out a few hundred dollars of fish and other random stuff, and it only cost like 20ish dollars for the next day air shipping. It was pretty fantastic, and the prices were amazing.
> 
> The link is http://www.catalinaop.com/



Thanks!!! I bookmarked it, and am ordering tonight  So excited to make sushi for the first time, that i will probably have to call some people over to help me eat it all lol.


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## PhaetonFalling (Apr 3, 2012)

Mike Davis said:


> Thanks!!! I bookmarked it, and am ordering tonight  So excited to make sushi for the first time, that i will probably have to call some people over to help me eat it all lol.



Mike, don't forget to pick up their "real wasabi tube"...you'll enjoy it, it has a much better flavor than the powdered stuff.


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## Erilyn75 (Jan 30, 2014)

We eat low carb because I'm diabetic and trying to lose weight and my husband is watching his weight for PT. Lots of fresh veggies and meat. One of our favorites is Slouvaki. My husband came back from Cyprus and had me find a recipe. It's been a favorite since. We have Americanized it some. This can be used with boneless skinless chicken or pork tenderloin. Both are fabulous. We serve it on low carb pita bread with ranch dressing instead of the traditional tzatziki sauce. 

1/4C olive oil
1/4C low sodium soy sauce (not traditional but adds tremendous flavor)
1 lemon juiced
4 large cloves of garlic chopped or grated (I use 6 because we are garlic lovers)
1tsp oregano 

Mix all ingredients in a measuring cup, poor onto cubed meat inside a zip bag. Massage and refrigerate overnight. I like mine grilled kabob style with onions, peppers and mushrooms. 



Phaeton, thanks for sharing that link. It's hard to get fresh seafood out here in the desert


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## seattle_lee (Jan 31, 2014)

I'm a big fan of both Salad Niciose and Salad Lyonnaise. Nicoise has a million variants you can find on the web, but the key IMO is to have a decent purveyor of pitted Nicoise olives. Here in Seattle, BIg John's PFI does that (and other things) very well. Good quality fish is also important. 

Salad Lyonnaise -- dice some shallot and cube some thick-cut bacon. Saute together. As they saute, soft-boil some eggs (authentically, poach them). Drain the bacon + shallots, and with the warm bacon fat, make a vinaigrette with mustard, salt, and pepper. Dress the lettuce, then top with bacon, shallots, and eggs. Serve with multigrain toast. A couple of nice optional toppings are fire-roasted red pepper strips, and purple onion. Traditionally, this would be made with unsmoked pork belly, but I like it with bacon.


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## erikz (Jan 31, 2014)

Im pretty fond of a pasta (use wholeflower) with head of celery and fennel bulbs.

(Serves 4)

Glaze some onions with some garlic, add 6 or more fresly diced tomatoes (remove skins if you don't like the skins) and cook until you got a sauce. Add some fresh or dried oregano and basil.
Fry some low fat mince (beef/lamb) in a bit of olive oil, when done, add coarsely chopped fennel and celery. Cook your pasta in plenty salted water (not very fine pasta, use the larger stuff or it will not stand out against the veggies) with any leafs the fennel came with. Add your sauce to the veggies and mince, stir, add pepper and alt to taste, serve on pasta. 

Bon apetit!


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## seattle_lee (Jan 31, 2014)

A couple of recipes for side dishes:

Spicy roasted broccoli: Preheat the oven to 500. Chop the broccoli into florets, and mix well with 2 tbsp oil, S&P, and either harissa powder, piri piri spice, or turkish urfa biber pepper. Roast for 8-9 minutes. Variation: use cauliflower and roast for 18-20 minutes. 

Spice roast kabocha: Preheat the oven to 450. Peel the kabocha, split it and pull out the seeds, then cut into 3/8-inch slices. Toss the slices with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp ponzu, 1 tsp curry powder, and hot pepper flakes (I like with either habanero or ghost chile, but urfa biber and pasilla oaxaca and others are delicious as well). Roast on a baking sheet until done. These come out a beautiful golden brown color.


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## larrybard (Jan 31, 2014)

seattle_lee, ghost chiles?! Holy cow -- you certainly must like, and have a high tolerance for, extremely hot (incendiary?) foods!


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## seattle_lee (Jan 31, 2014)

Yeah, they ain't for everybody . 

I usually use the Pasilla Oaxaca when we have company.


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## bjg1 (Feb 15, 2014)

Mark Bittman wrote a great book for changing the way we eat called BV6! In it he not only gives recipes, but combinations for daily and eating. It is a very flexible and very tasty way to live. It will change the way you see food!

Enjoy!


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## jamaster14 (Feb 15, 2014)

Mike Davis said:


> I know there is some amazing cooks/chefs on this board. My wife and i are looking for some healthy recipes for dinner. Any ideas? I would forever grateful for a few good recipes
> 
> Mike



When you say healthy, what specifically are you looking for.... i find that word means different things to different people.

Low cal? Low carb? low fat? low glycemic? non-gmo? organic? seems like everyone has their own standard for


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