Crock Pot Chicken Taco Soup

Inspired by New Beautiful Me "Spicy Chicken Soup"

Ingredients:

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (2 condiments)
2 cups water

1 cup rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies (2 greens)

1 teaspoon reduced sodium taco seasoning mix (1 1/2 condiments)
1/2 teaspoon cumin (1/2 condiment)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (1/2 condiment)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 condiment)

13-14 oz raw chicken breasts - should yield 9 oz cooked (1 1/2 lean)

2 cups cabbage, chopped  (May need more because of shrinkage) (4 greens)

2 oz Kraft 2% Mexican Cheese to garnish (1/2 lean)

Directions:

Combine chicken broth, water, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, cumin, chili powder, garlic, cabbage and chicken in a crock pot. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours. Shred chicken breasts in crock pot before serving. Pour soup into bowls and top with cheese.

Servings: 2   Each serving  has 1 Lean, 3 Greens and 2.25 Condiments

* If you do not add the cheese, use 18 oz raw chicken breasts which should yield 12 oz cooked

Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:

3.75 oz 93% fat free lean ground beef, cooked (3/4 Lean)

1 oz 2% reduced fat Mexican Cheese (1/4 Lean)

1/2 cup or 90 grams cooked from frozen cauliflower, grated (1 or 2 peppers to cook the meat in)  (1 Green)

1/2 cup Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies (1 Green)

1/2 cup or 68 grams green pepper, cooked (1 Green)

2 tsp low sodium taco seasoning mix (3 Condiments)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off of the green pepper and set aside. Take out the insides of the green pepper and discard. Boil the top and bottom for about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Brown ground beef until done and drain excess grease. Take out 3.75 oz and reserve the rest for another use. Combine ground beef, rotel tomatoes, grated cauliflower, taco seasoning, half the cheese, and a little bit of water. Stir over medium heat until cheese melts and until well blended. Pour mixture into green pepper and sprinkle the top with the other half of cheese. Place top of green pepper back on and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. To make sure I get the right amount of green peppers, I empty the meat mixture on a plate and chop the green pepper into pieces. Then I weigh the green pepper until I get 68 grams and reserve the rest for another recipe. Combine the meat mixture and green peppers together. Enjoy!

*Note: For an Italian flavor, use 1/2 cup Italian diced tomatoes that is less than 5 grams of carbs per serving and Italian seasonings as your condiments

1 Lean, 3 Greens, and 3 Condiments

Mexican Beef and Zucchini Skillet

Ingredients:

5 oz ground beef (93%), cooked (1 Lean)

1/2 cup rotel tomatoes with some of the liquid (1 Green)

1 cup raw zucchini, chopped (2 Greens)

2 tbsp salsa (2 Condiments)

1/2 tsp taco seasoning mix (.66 Condiments)

Directions:

Combine ground beef, rotel tomatoes, zucchini, salsa, and taco seasoning mix in a medium skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.

1 Serving with 1 Lean, 3 Greens, and 3 Condiments per serving (No Healthy Fat required)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

14 oz 93% fat free lean ground beef - should yield 10 oz cooked (2 Lean)

3 cups of shredded cabbage or bagged cole slaw mix (6 greens)

1 tablespoon soy sauce (3 condiments)

2 teaspoons packaged szechwan seasoning mix (3 condiments) *See note below

Add any additional water

iceberg lettuce leaves (optional)

Directions:

Get a wok (or non stick pan) very hot. Cook the meat and break it up into very small pieces. When its no longer pink, add the cabbage and pour the sauce over mix. Continue cooking on high heat just until the cabbage starts to wilt. I sprinkled red crushed pepper on it.

2 Servings with 1 Lean, 3 Greens, and 3 Condiments per Serving

* The Szechwan seasoning mix I found in my local grocery store had 3 g of carbs per 2 teaspoons which is one serving size marked on the package. I figured it was 3 condiments because 3 g of carbs is the max we are allowed per day in condiments. If there is another package of Asian seasoning that has less carbs, feel free to use more seasoning. Also, you could always leave out the soy sauce and use 4 teaspoons of seasoning mix.

Zuchinni Fritters

Makes 1 serving  (From TSFL Lean and Green Recipe Book)

 Ingredients
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup egg whites  (or 4 real egg whites if you want to separate them)
1 cup grated zucchini
1 tbsp onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt

Directions
1. Grate zucchini
2. Add in onion, garlic powder, pepper, onion powder, salt, eggs and egg whites
3. Mix
4. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat
5. Drop 2-3 tbsp of mixture into warmed skillet.
6. When edges begin to turn brown flip over and continue cooking on other side until bottom is browned as well.
7. Remove from pan and ENJOY!!

Each serving is 1 lean serving, 1 healthy fat serving, 3 veggie servings and 2 optional condiments

Curried Chicken

Serves 1

Ingredients
6 oz cooked chicken (one lean)
1.5 cups steamed broccoli (3 greens)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (one condiment)
1 teaspoon curry powder (1/2 a teaspoon = 1 condiment so 2 condiments total)
Some extra water as needed

Directions
1.  Cook the chicken in a skillet with some spray PAM.
2.  Add in chicken broth, broccoli and curry powder, mix together
3.  Simmer for 3-5 minutes until broccoli is tender

This is also good with "riced cauliflower".  - grate 1.5 cups of raw cauliflower in place of broccoli

Northern Italian Shrimp and Brocolli

Serves 1 - from the TSFL Lean and Green Meals Cookbook

Ingredients:

7 oz cooked shrimp

2 cups raw broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced

2 tbs Ken's lite northern Italian basil with Romano dressing

1 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

1.  Thaw frozen shrimp

2.  Add dressing, shrimp and black pepper to a skillet

3.  Saute until shrimp is heated through

4.  Add olive oil, broccoli and tomatoes

5.  Saute for 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are al dente

6.  Transfer shrimp and vegetables to a plate and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

Enjoy

Shirataki Noodle Bake

Serves 1 - from Escape from Obesity blog

Ingredients
1 8 oz bag of Shirataki Noodles  (I use the spaghetti ones for this)
1/4 cup diced canned tomatoes
1/3 cup jar pizza sauce (I use Walmart Great Value brand)
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup turkey sausage crumbles
1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
1.  Heat Oven to 350
2.  Empty the noodles in a fine colander or strainer, rinse under warm water for 3 minutes until "fishy" odor is gone.
3.  Dump noodles into a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and rinse for another 3 minutes.
4.  Brown the sausage crumbles in a skillet
5.  In a saucepan, heat the tomatoes, sauce, garlic, onion and mushrooms on medium
6.  Add sausage crumbles and simmer for 5 minutes
7.  Add in the noodles and continue to simmer until sauce thickens
8.  Transfer to an oven safe dish and top with cheese, salt and pepper
9.  Bake for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted

Pan-seared Salmon with Lemon-dill Yogurt Sauce

Pan-seared salmon with lemon-dill yogurt sauce is a cooling summer recipe. For a slightly sweet version, add a few tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice to the yogurt sauce. per serving: 369 calories; 30 g protein; 19 g fat; 19 g carb; 4 g fiber. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain soy or regular yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 4-ounce salmon fillets
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups cooked mixed fresh vegetables or thawed frozen mixed vegetables
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine the yogurt, dill, lemon zest, and olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a large saute pan, melt butter and sear salmon fillets on medium-high heat, flesh side down, for about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook for about 3 more minutes. Place fish on a warm serving plate.
3. Heat canola oil; saute garlic until fragrant. Add vegetables; saute until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste
4. To serve, arrange vegetables around fish fillets and spoon yogurt sauce over fish. Serve warm.

Italian Meatballs & Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients: 

21 oz 93% reduced fat ground beef - should yield 3 - 5 oz portions cooked (3 Leans) 

2 tbsp reduced fat parmesan cheese (2 Condiments) 

1 tsp basil leaves (1 Condiment) 

1/4 cup egg beaters 

1 tbsp parsley flakes (1 Condiment) 

1/4 tsp garlic powder (2 Condiments) 

1/4 tsp pepper (1/2 Condiment) 

1/4 tsp fennel - optional (1/2 Condiment) 

1 1/2 cups Italian diced tomatoes - less than 5 grams of carbs per 1/2 cup (3 Greens) 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the diced tomatoes in a bowl until combined. Form balls from the meat. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Measure out 5 oz of cooked meatballs and add 1/2 cup of Italian diced tomatoes in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated thoroughly. I like to use a fork and smash the diced tomatoes so it resembles a chunky marinara sauce. Serve with 1 cup spaghetti squash (2 Greens). 

3 Servings 

Per Serving:

1 Lean 

1 Green 

2.33 Condiments 

(No Healthy Fat required)

Wasabi Salmon Burgers

3 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1 packet Splenda or Stevia
1.25 lbs salmon fillet, skinned
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Whisk soy sauce, wasabi powder and honey in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

With a large chef's knife, chop salmon using quick, even, straight-up-and-down motions (do not rock the knife through the fish or it will turn mushy). Continue chopping, rotating the knife, until you have a mass of roughly 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl. Add scallions, egg, ginger and oil; stir to combine. Form the mixture into 4 patties. The mixture will be moist and loose, but holds together nicely once the first side is cooked. 

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the patties and cook for 4 minutes. Turn and continue to cook until firm and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Spoon the reserved wasabi glaze evenly over the burgers and cook for 15 seconds more. Serve immediately.

Ingredient Note:  Wasabi powder, when mixed with water, becomes the green paste most of us know from sushi restaurants. The powder is available in jars in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets or in almost all Asian markets. Store at room temperature for up to 1 year. 

Set the patties atop a vinegary salad of greens, red pepper, radishes and sprouts.

Per Serving:

1 Lean Protein

3 Condiments

Tuna Salad

Serving: 1 

Ingredients: 

5 oz. can of chunk light albacore tuna 

¼ cup light feta cheese 

6 tablespoons of chopped tomato 

2 cups of spinach 

1 tbsp. diced onion 

2 tbsp. diced celery 

1 tsp. minced garlic 

2 tbsp. light mayonnaise 

1 tsp. mustard 

Directions: 

Chop up spinach and tomato and place in a bowl. Take onion, celery and diced garlic and set aside. Open tuna can and place in a bowl, mix in garlic, onion, celery mayonnaise and mustard thoroughly. Once done lay tuna mixture over bed of spinach and sprinkle feta cheese on top. You can also add salt and pepper for additional flavor. Mix up salad and enjoy!

Grilled Herb Shrimp

Servings: 6

Per Serving:
1 Leanest protein
2 healthy fats
3 condiments

Ingredients
3 3/4 pounds large shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled and deveined (see note) – 6 servings
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup yellow onion, small-diced
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon, juiced

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Skewer the shrimp. I use 3 or 4 shrimp on a 12-inch skewer for dinner. Heat a grill with coals and brush the grill with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Grill the shrimp for only 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

Cauliflower Pizza

You won't believe it's cauliflower pizza! 
 
This is one of my favorite Lean & Green meals.

NOTE: this recipe is makes 1 serving size pizza

Crust:
1 cup cauliflower, cooked, cooled, and grated (see note below)
1/4 cup egg beaters
1 tsp Pizza or Italian seasoning
1/2 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

Toppings:
3 Tbsp marinara sauce (or click here for a homemade recipe)
1/2 cup 2% shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup veggies (diced tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc.)
Sliced olives
3-4 oz cooked lean meat (chopped chicken or ground turkey, etc.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (waxed paper really does not work).
In a small bowl, mix ingredients for crust together.  Spread onto baking sheet.  Pat into a 10" circle, making sure that the center is a little thinner than the edges.
Bake 18-20 minutes until edges are slightly brown and middle is set.

Spoon sauce over crust.  Top with cheese and veggies.  Bake another 7-10 minutes until cheese is melted.
Loosen pizza with a spatula, and very carefully "scoot" it onto a dinner plate.
ENJOY!

   
NOTE: To grate cauliflower, use a salad shooter, blender, food processor, or cheese grater until it resembles "rice".

Very Veggie Dip

Submitted By: Margo Plachetka

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 0 mins
Servings: 3

Ingredients

• 1 cup spinach or cooked and chilled broccoli (2 greens) (if you use frozen spinach you do not need to cook it first, just defrost, squeeze most of the water out and measure out)
• 1 ½ tablespoons sour cream (4 fats)
• 1 tablespoon mayo (2 fats)
• 1 tablespoon chopped scallions (1 condiment)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (1 condiment)
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder or if you like it hot, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/2 condiment)
• Pinch of nutmeg (fresh ground is better, if you have it) (optional) (1/2 condiment)

Directions

Place all ingredients in a small mini chopper or food processor and whirl away! If you don’t have a processor, then just finely chop and mix all together. Serve with veggies. You will need 2 greens worth of assorted veggies. Makes 3 servings. (Each serving is almost 1 green, 2 healthy fats, and 1 condiment)

Medifast Info per serving:
1 green | 2 healthy fats | 1 condiment

Grilled Lamb Chops with Zuchini

Prep Time: 15 mins (+2 hours marinating time)

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
• 1, 5 oz. lamb chop
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine lemon juice, garlic, 1 teaspoon oil and mint. Marinate chops in oil mixture for 2 hours or overnight. Transfer from marinade to broiler pan or grill. Place zucchini on the grill and brush with remaining olive oil, turning once.

Nutrition Info.

Calories 320 | Fat 17g | Cholesterol 90mg | Carbohydrates 10g | Protein 32g

Deviled Dill Eggs

Submitted By: Margo Plachetka

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 0 mins
Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 3 hard boiled eggs (1 lean)
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (1 condiment)
• 1 dill pickle spear, finely chopped (1/2 snack)
• 1 tablespoon Chopped Chives (1/7 condiment)

Directions

Cut your eggs in half lengthwise so you have 6 halves. Scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the pickles (reserving some for the top) chives, and mustard. Stir. Spoon back into the eggs. Garnish with the reserved pickles, or you can use a pinch of dill weed, I showed both ways in the pictures. 1 serving: 1 lean, 1 and 1/7th condiment and ½ snack. If you like your eggs hot, add a few splashes of hot sauce. I don’t like them hot, but my husband did.

Medifast Info per serving:
1 lean | ½ snack | 1 & 1/7 condiment

Asian Stir Fry

Submitted By: Maggie Durkin

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Servings: 1

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Light Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Low Sodium Soy sauce
• 1 wedge of lime (1/8 of a lime)
• 7 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
• 3/4 c. Broccoli florets
• 1/2 c. sliced Mushrooms
• 1/4 c. cut red bell pepper
• 1/4 c. water
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Prep your meat and vegetables.
2. In a medium to large skillet, add oil, soy sauce and juice from lime wedge.
3. Place over medium heat, and add chicken.
4. Cook chicken through, tossing or stirring frequently.
5. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
6. Add water to the pan and stir until the water starts to warm.
7. Add vegetables and stir well to make sure they’re all coated.
8. Cover and let cook 5 – 7 minutes, until vegetables are almost tender.
9. Remove cover and add chicken, cook over medium high to high heat until vegetables are cooked through and all of the liquid is evaporated.

Other Info

This recipe is highly adaptable, and can be customized to suit your own tastes. For example, as you see in the picture, I added a few snow pea pods to mine, in place of some of the mushrooms. For the recipe, you need 3 servings of vegetables and you should choose vegetables that are suitable to the weight loss phase you’re in, as long as it totals 3 servings (please note that the raw serving size for some vegetables is 1 cup, all of the ones I used are 1/2 cup vegetables). Also, in place of the 7 ounces of chicken breast, you could add 5 ounces of lean beef.
Nutritional Info per Serving

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories 257 | Fat 6g | Cholesterol 96mg | Carbohydrates 9g | Protein 44g

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

Prep Time: 20 mins (+30 mins marinating time)

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• zest of half a lemon
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 14 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast
• 3/4 cup summer squash
• 3/4 cup zucchini
• oregano (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients (except chicken) into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken, seal bag and coat chicken with marinade. Refrigerate 30 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken over medium heat 6-7 minutes per side or until done. Place zucchini and squash on grill (on top of foil if desired). Sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Turn once to cook thoroughly.

Nutrition Info.

Calories 370 | Fat 17g | Cholesterol 115mg | Carbohydrates 6g | Protein 48g

Lean and Green Taco Salad

Ingredients:
5 oz. Ground Turkey
1 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Salsa
1 cup romaine lettuce
1 cup iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1 tbsp. Water

STEP 1: Brown the Turkey

Actually… whiten the turkey. Unlike with ground beef, ground turkey doesn’t really get brown, it turns white. I buy prepackaged ground turkey. 20 oz. packages are pretty easy to find and you can just cut it in fourths, and throw the rest in a Ziploc until tomorrow. Throw 5 oz. in a skillet and chop it up as you brown it. After a few minutes, it will look something like this…

Step 2: Drain the fat and Add Water

To be honest, sometimes I don’t drain the fast. I do make a point of buying only super-lean turkey, so this part is up to you. I like to walk on the wild side. Either way, add 1 tbsp of water.
STEP 3: Add Taco Seasoning

The meal has been pretty bland to this point. You may be getting nervous. Don’t worry, just throw on 1 Tbsp of Taco Seasoning. I don’t use anything special, but have tried out all the cheap-o packets of taco seasoning you can find at your grocery store. Right now McCormick is my favorite.
STEP 4: Mix it all up and let it Simmer

Turn the heat on the stove to low and mix the seasoning and water with the meat until it is all evenly distributed. I like chopping the meat into tiny pieces while I cook it because it makes it a little more fun. Now, let the meat simmer for about 5 minutes. While it’s simmering…
STEP 5: Salad!

Get a big bowl and add your leafy greens. The recipe calls for iceberg and romaine, but I use whatever I have on hand. In this picture, it’s a cup of romaine and a cup of baby spinach. It’s hard to exactly measure a cup of greens, so I just throw in a large handful of each.
STEP 6: Tomatoes!

Dice 1/2 cup of tomatoes and throw those on your greens. I usually add a little black pepper to the tomatoes first.  This is starting to look like a meal!
STEP 7: Add meat and Salsa!

Your meat should now be spicy and delicious. Add that to the salad. Then on top of that, add 2 tablespoons of salsa. I’m a salsa freak so I try all kinds of different brands. I stay away from the big brands like Taco Bell or Old El Paso.

Now you’re all set. Make a big glass of ice water and dig in! I really love this recipe and don’t miss the ground beef at all.

Calories: 358, Fat Grams: 18, Cholesterol: 139, Carbohydrates: 9, Protein: 39