OK, I love cheesecake and I mean eat the whole thing and ask for more, love cheesecake.  The problem?  At between 500-1000 calories, it is not real great for my waistline.  So I was on a quest to find something better and while I did find some that we under 500 calories, it was still a bit high to enjoy as a treat on a regular basis.  So after looking at some recipes and experimenting, I found my fix.  Since the key ingredient in cream cheese in cheesecake, I just needed to find a way to flavor that without busting the calorie bank.  So I took a package of low fat or fat free cream cheese and added Splenda and vanilla extract until I got the sweetness just right.  It was an 8oz package of low fat cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of Splenda and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.  Mix it all together and you have your cheesecake base at 70 calories per ounce.  Spread that over a piece of graham cracker (about 30 calories for a piece of the cracker, depending on the brand you use) top with a strawberry of fresh fruit of your choice and I got my cheesecake fix without blowing the waistline.  WARNING, resist the urge to eat the whole batch, that was the hardest part on my end.

My wife loves the Zuppa Toscana soup at The Olive Garden.  The problem, with a creamy sauce and pork sausage, it is probably not one of the healthiest soups out there.  So instead of giving it up, she decided to figure out how to make it healthier.  We had it the other night and I would say she hit the mark and thought I would share.

-Ingredients-
1lb ground turkey, 99% lean
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp ground dried sage
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp dried ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (more if you want more heat)
1/2 large onion chopped
3 cups diced red potatoes (19oz by weight)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup chopped kale

-Directions-
1) First to make the sausage, combine the turkey and all of the spices in a bowl and mix together.
2) In a large soup pot, add the turkey mixture and brown until fully cooked
3) Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until onion becomes tender
4) Add potatoes and chicken broth, cover with lid and bring to a simmer
5) cook until potatoes are fork tender (about 15-20 minutes)
6) Add chopped kale and return lid for 5 minutes
7) Add pepper to taste and serve it up into 4 bowls

-Nutrition-
Makes 4 servings
Per serving
Calories: 250
Fat: 1.8g
Sat Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 78mg
Protein: 31g
Carbs: 27g
Fiber: 3.5g
Sodium: 642mg

OK, I love pumpkin pie, but in my quest to make a lower calorie version when I was loosing weight, I began to analyze the recipe.  When you break it down, all of the fat and calories are in the crust.  Well, I could take or leave the crust so what if I made it crustless and what if I used egg beaters instead of eggs and what if I used Splenda instead of sugar.  What I got was my pie fix with no guilt.  What is the recipe?

1 large can (29oz) pumpkin
2 cans non-fat evaporated milk (12oz per can)
1 cup egg beaters
1 3/4 cup Splenda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Mix everything together and pour into 2 pie pans (not the aluminum flimsy aluminum, but glass would be best.)  Pre-heat oven to 425 and bake for 15 minutes, then bump the heat down to 350 and bake another 40-50 minutes.  It is done when a knife comes out clean.  Cool and cut each pie into 8 slices (16 total between the 2 pies.)

How big of a difference does this make?  A typical slice of pumpkin pie is about 250-300 calories.  One slice of my crustless is 70 calories.  Add a spoonful of fat free Cool Whip and you have desert for under 100 calories and no guilt.  Or in my case, 3 slices for the same calories as 1 of the regular.

If there was a sandwich that I loved, it was a good Reuben.  The only problem, not considered that the average sandwich is about 750 calories and that is just the sandwich.  So since I loved them so much, I had decided not to give them up, but to figure out how to make them better, and the turkey reuben was the result.  Now, this is not a novel concept, but it is simple.  Find high fiber whole grain bread.  I usually go with Brownberry Double Fiber or Aunt Millie's 12 grain.  Now it is 100 calories a slice, but it has the nutrients I need and high in fiber so it is a fair tradeoff.  I then use low fat swiss cheese (Sargento's is actually very good and you can't taste the difference.  Then grab some sauerkraut and you are ready to make a sandwich.  Now instead of buttering the bread, I use a little olive oil spray (Mazzola to be specific) and lightly spray each side of the bread.  It will allow the bread to toast in the skillet and you don't have the fat and calories from spreading butter.  Then add some deli turkey (2 oz about 60 cals), the cheese and and the sauerkraut (stuff is like 5 cals for 1/4 cup) put it together and grill on both sides.  Now depending on the ingredients, you are sitting at about 320 calories for the sandwich (compared to the 750 that it could have been.)  Have to have your thousand island dressing?  Go with a lower calorie or fat free option and all you add is about 45 calories for a tablespoon.  Can stand turkey and have to have the corned beef, that is fine, just watch to portions as 2oz is about 90 cals vs the 60 in turkey.  Still not bad, but again, you have to watch how much.  Not rocket science I know, but it proves that you don't have to give up the foods and tastes you love, just learn how to do them better.

There are many times when I have to cook for myself and I am not looking to have left overs.  I also like my pizza, but instead of picking up the phone and ordering something at 250 cals a slice, I just make my own.  The first choice is to find a good low calorie crust choice.  I personally like wheat pitas.  I cut them in half and have 2 crust.  Also, they crisp up really well in the oven.  at between 80 and 100 cals per half, one of the first battles is won.  Pizza sauce is pretty low can so fire away.  Then it is time for toppings.  for the most part on a pizza this size, veggies are free, so load em up.  Then go for a nice lean meat, but watch the portions.  I use turkey pepperoni (I know what you are thinking, but you can't taste the difference and at 1/2 the fat and cals, I go with them.)  Canadian bacon instead of ham or even diced chicken breast can make great lean meat choices.  Then comes the cheese.  Now, I go with fat free mozzarella, but some people don't like the fat free stuff, so a lower fat or 2% option is a good choice as well.  The key is the portions.  Your healthy pizza can go right out the window in a hurry if you pile half the package of cheese on it.  I always measure cheese, because I have a horrible time judging portion sizes.  Then in the over at 350 on the rack for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and I have a single serve pizza.  I always have the pitas around because I use them for lunches and even breakfast so it is a convenience factor.  Here are some other of my pizza favorites (pita and cheese is the same)

- Spinach and Chicken Pizza - frozen chopped spinach and diced chicken
- Greek Pizza - olive oil (instead of pizza sauce), garlic, olives, Feta cheese
- BBQ Chicken Pizza - sugar free BBQ Sauce (yes there is such a thing), onion and diced chicken
- Mexican Pizza - salsa instead of pizza sauce, black beans, onions, peppers and cheddar cheese
- Hawaiian Pizza - Canadian Bacon and pineapple

Have your own favorites, no problem, just keep the portions and choose lower fat and calorie options and pizza is back on the menu.

I love Mac & Cheese.  It used to be one of my favorites as a kid and my daughter loves it to this day.  But the challenge is that it may not be that healthy depending on the cheese that is used.  I love the powdered cheese in a box because it was fast, but what if you could have an alternative that was just as fast?

2oz uncooked whole wheat or whole grain pasta.  I like Barilla Plus Rotini (spirals)
1oz Velveeta 2% (it is lower in cals and fat than regular)
Skim Milk

Cook the pasta as directed on the box, drain and throw back in the pot.  Add the Velveeta and stir as the cheese melts.  Depending on how thick you like your mac & cheese, you might need to add some skim milk to get the desired thickness.

Here is the beauty, the pasta cooks in the same amount of time as the box.  The cheese is easy to use and it mixes up in the same pot so you are not using any more dishes.  Now for the calories.  The pasta is 210 for a 2oz uncooked serving.  The 1oz of Velveeta 2% is 60 cals and only 3g of fat.  The skim milk at 1 tablespoon is 11 calories.  So about 280 calories with 16g of protein and only 5g of fat.  About 1/2 the calories if you ate the same amount of the stuff in the box.  Why?  This recipe does not use butter or high fat cheese as some of the "in the box" varieties do.

I eat a lot of fish.  Usually 2-3 times per week, but how do you keep fish from getting boring, especially white fish like Tilapia.  I like Tilapia and other white fish because it is cheap, a great source of protein and it freezes well so I can pull it out when I need it.  But the problem, how do you cook it without it drying out and having to put fat on it like butter to make it taste good.  Here is one of my favorites

1 4oz piece of white fish (tilapia, cod, halibut, haddock, whatever)
2 tablespoons favorite salsa (fresh is better, but anything works)

Place fish in a glass casserole dish, cover with salsa and bake in 350 degree over for 10-15 minutes until fish is flaky.

Now, the fish is going to stay moist, so don't cook it until it is dry.  The reason most people don't like fish is because it is dry and tasteless. By putting the salsa on it, you are giving the fish some moisture to absorb as it cooks and adding a nice spicy flavor to the fish.  Here is the great part ..

1 4oz piece of white fish is aprox 100 calories and 22g of protein.  The salsa is about 20 calories for 2 tablespoons (remember it is fresh veggies, the only thing to watch is the salt)  For guys, you might need 2 pieces since this is so low cal, but add some veggies or some brown rice and bingo, nice, healthy, flavorful meal.