Eggplant with Tzatziki

My mouth waters just thinking about this one!

Ingredients:
1 1/4c fat free plain greek yogurt
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 T. mint, minced
1 clove garlic, minced (Though it's way better with the garlic, when I'm making this for a workday lunch, I skip it.)
salt & pepper to taste
1 large eggplant

Stir together the yogurt, cucumber, mint and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate—the longer the tzatziki sits together, the better the flavors come together.

While that's in the fridge, line a broiler pan with foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Slice your eggplant vertically, 1/8"—1/4" thick, and lay out flat on the pan (do not overlap pieces). Spray the eggplant lightly with the spray, or you can brush with a little olive oil if you're not super concerned about a little healthy fat. Then season with salt and pepper.

Place under the broiler on high—I usually put it on the second rack from the top. Broil for about 10 minutes, until the first side begins to brown. It will look dry, but trust me, it is softening! Once it begins to brown, flip all the pieces over, spray lightly and sprinkle with salt and pepper again. Broil for another 8 minutes.

This is good eaten right away, or for lunch the next day. The recipe makes only one 27g serving, which is kind-of a lot to eat, so it's a great lunch choice when you know you might be eating a skimpy breakfast in the morning. Enjoy!

Lazy Lunch: Fennel and Cottage Cheese

Perhaps you'll recall the phrase, "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Well, I like that phrase. When it comes to being healthy, it couldn't be more true. And when it comes to throwing together a quick lunch for the office, it is super helpful to remember.

For this meal, all you have to do is cut up one bunch of fennel (ditch the leafy part), spread out on a broiler pan and spray lightly with a non-stick spray. Stick it in the oven one rack from the top and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The perfect easy-but-different vegetable.

And for the laziest and healthiest 27g of protein you may ever eat? Just over 3/4 cup of 1% cottage cheese with loads of pepper.

That's it! Now you can accomplish something else with all that spare time. Or maybe take a nap.

Veggie Cheese Soup

I love these one pot recipes—not a lot to clean up, and you get all your protein and veggies in one simple dish! If you're missing an ingredient, just skip it and add in more of something similar; for example, you don't have to use leaves from a head of cauliflower by any means. I just like to use up all my extra veggie bits when I make a soup, since it's a good way to waste less.

Ingredients:
1c celery (leaves and all, sliced thin
2c broccoli florets
3 broccoli stems, peeled and sliced thin
Leaves from a head of cauliflower, sliced thin
2c Vegetable broth, fat free & organic
1/2c 1% cottage cheese
4 1/4 oz 75% fat free cheddar, shredded
1/2c almond milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Prep all your veggies and throw them in a pot with your vegetable broth. Simmer untill all the vegetables are softened. Pull out the larger broccoli florets and set aside.

Let the mix cool for a while, then add the cottage cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and almond milk. Stir together over low heat. While the soup gently warms back up, use an immersion blender to blend the soup. Once smooth and fully combined, break your broccoli florets up into the soup. Salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

Makes 2 large bowls of soup, 27g of protein each.

Red Pepper Scrambled Eggs

As I've mentioned, scrambled eggs rock. Egg Beaters are such a great way to make a no-fuss meal that is still super satisfying, and they taste great wth almost any vegetable thrown in. They've quickly become a weekend staple for me:

Ingredients:

3/4c. egg beaters

1oz. Cabot 75% fat free cheese (or fat free feta, also delish)

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Spray your pan with a little non-stick spray. Throw in the red bell peppers and cook for a couple minutes until warmed through but still crunchy. Pour the egg beaters on top, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring/flipping occasionally until cooked through. Then just top with the cheese and cover until melted. You could even sneak this combo past a guest without them ever guessing that you're watching your waistline! 

Greek Lettuce Wraps

This is no traditional "wrap", but it is delicious, and way lower cal and lower carb than a real wrap. Bring this one to work and show it off—it's one of those meals that people will see you eating and think, man, I could do that diet, that looks good! (And it is!)

Ingredients:
3/4c. fat free plain greek yogurt
1oz. fat free feta
6 kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
1 scallion sliced thin
1/4c. cucumber, diced
5 large leaves of iceberg lettuce
salt and pepper

Using one lettuce leaf as your base, pile on the yogurt, feta, olives, scallions and cucumber, dividing toppings equally among all the lettuce cups. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. To eat, just wrap kind of like a taco and go for it. Enjoy with an ice cold glass of lemon water for the full effect!

Note: Be sure not to overdo it on the kalamata olives. Between the added fat and salt, hey're the one ingredient in this dish that can do you in if you go overboard.

Asian-Inspired Shrimp and Mushroom Soup

Though I hate to eat alone, it's always a good opportunity to try something new and adventurous without worrying I'm going to ruin anyone's dinner but my own. So I went for it with this Asian-inspired Shrimp and Mushroom Soup.  And if you don't eat shrimp, you could replace that with just about anything and it would still be just as delicious (chicken, scallops, tofu). It may seem like a more complicated recipe than most of the ideas posted here, but don't be fooled—I'm not that great a planner. I just looked at what I had on hand, and these seemed to go!

Ingredients:

18 uncooked shrimp (or other protein)

1 package tofu shirataki noodles

2c vegetable broth

1c water

1 package gourmet blend mushrooms (oyster, shiitake and baby bella)

2 T. ginger, thinly sliced and chopped

1 large clove fresh garlic, minced

1 scallion, finely chopped

fish sauce

1 t. red curry paste

1 T. lime juice

1 T. light soy sauce

Prepare tofu noodles according to package directions. 

Over medium-high heat, stir together 3/4c. of broth with a splash of fish sauce and the red curry paste, mushrooms, ginger and garlic. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms and ginger begin to soften. 

Add the remaining broth and noodles; simmer for about 8 more minutes. Add in the shrimp, scallions, lime juice and soy sauce and cook for another 3 minutes or so—just long enough to cook the shrimp all the way through, but keep the scallions nice and bright green. Serve it up and enjoy!

Makes 2 big ol' servings (at about 27g of protein each), or 4 decent sized servings. 

Note: Because of the high sodium content in broth, I try not to make soups too common in my diet. I'd recommend eating something like this on a day when you haven't overloaded on sodium from other sources (don't eat a jar of pickles for breakfast, a 2-liter of diet pop at lunch, and then this for dinner. Well, partly cuz that's disgusting. And partly because of the sodium.)

The Difficult Dinner Guest

(Yes, that's usually me.) Coincidentally, one of my favorite food blogs just posted regarding this very thing.
Check it out!

Scrambled Eggs with Garlic Spinach

One of the challenges of a strict diet is making both the protein and the vegetable interesting, but eggs make it so freakin' easy! (Now, if you're a full-on vegetarian, I'm sorry. Eggs have been a life saver for me. I've heard there are ways to make tofu fit the bill, but I have not ventured there yet.) If you don't mind some eggs on occasion, I highly suggest this quick and easy combo:

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
2 handfulls organic baby spinach
3/4c. egg beaters
1oz. Cabot 75% fat free cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Simply toss the spinach into a medium sauté pan over medium heat with a little water (as always, no oil) and the minced garlic on top. Cover for a minute or so, until the spinach is wilted. Pour on the egg beaters, sprinkle in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook and scramble until done all the way through, then serve it up! Makes 1 serving with 27g protein and just 2 grams of fat.

Don't be Sad for Me Salad

Today I had one of those awkward dieting moments - trying to explain to someone why you're doing what you're doing, and then trying to make them not feel bad for you (or worried for you!) and your miserable cottage cheese and celery filled life.

Then it was time for lunch and I remembered—my diet life is not so bad!

I cooked a 4 oz. tuna steak last night (broiled and seasoned with lemon pepper). Chunked it into small pieces, laid it on a bed of romaine and baby spinach, then topped it with some scallions and Président Fat Free Feta with Mediterranean Herbs (client). I brought the ensemble for my lunch, squeezed some fresh organic lemon juice on top, and voila. Super fresh, tasty, and of course—27g.

So don't feel bad for me and my occasional lazy and unappealing breakfasts at the office. I promise you, my next meal will be pretty damn good.

Zippy Zucchinis

Let's face it, raw zucchini is gross. But, it's super good for you, and if you grow it or are part of a farm share, you gotta use it somehow! Here's one tasty way:

Slices zucchini very thin.
Toss in a jar with half white vinegar, half water till covered.
Add salt, pepper, and red onions also sliced thin if you happen to have them. Refrigerate for up to a week for a quick little snack or side with any meal.

Today I was cranking away on yard work, so I had a quick lunch of Zippy Zucchini, cauliflower and shrimp cocktail (depending on size, 11 shrimp adds up to the 27g) and 1 T. super spicy cocktail sauce.

Broiled Scallops with Rosemary Cabbage

For dinner tonight, I kept the protein simple and had a little fun with the vegetable.

Rosemary cabbage:
1/2 small head of red cabbage
1/2 small head green cabbage
Vegetable broth
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Spray your sauté pan lightly with non-stick spray. Slice the cabbage thin, and toss into the pan with a little broth (a great replacement for oil in a lot of recipes). Season the cabbage with plenty of rosemary, pepper and some garlic salt to taste. Cook covered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. Once the cabbage seems cooked, but still has a little crunch, cook on high, stirring almost constantly, to brown up a little bit. Serves 2-4.

Scallops: While the cabbage is on the stove, simply place your 10-12 scallops on a broiler pan lined with foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and broil on high about 3 minutes on each side. Serves 2.

I served with some Brussel sprouts leftover from the night before, and a couple slices of lemon. Simple, light and the smell of rosemary makes everything better. Enjoy!

Let's start simple.

One of my biggest problems has been finding low fat, high protein products to fit my diet and lifestyle. I eat fish and eggs, but no other meat. And well, we all know fish doesn't reheat so well (and the coworkers don't appreciate the scent too much either)....so when it comes time to pack a quick lunch or breakfast, low fat cheeses have been a go-to for me. Here's one of several staples:

This stuff tastes really good, as far as "reduced fat" options go. Super high in protein, low in everything else. It melts pretty darn well, too. You'll find this in a few recipes I use regularly. Let me know how you like it!

In the beginning....

I wasn't always fat, but I was never skinny. And I have been conscious of my weight all my life. At my heaviest, I weighed 206 lbs. And all that on just a 5' 3" frame; it wasn't pretty, and it didn't feel good.

Today I am far lighter, but still working at it. I lost 50 pounds on a diet plan full of vitamins and restrictions that seemed impossible. (If you've ever searched for a low-fat, low-calorie, low-sugar, vegetarian meal option, you know it's not easy.) The goal of each meal I eat is to take in 27 grams of protein, plenty of vegetables, and not much else. That number comes from a custom diet plan my brother (a nutritionist and trainer in the DC area) provided to me—there was a lot more to the plan than just this one guideline, but it is a number that has ruled my meal planning for months now, and hey, it has a nice ring to it! Hence TwentySevenGrams.

This blog chronicles my journey to good health through the kitchen. The recipes are based on other recipes, with alterations based on what I can or cannot eat. They are recipes using almost no fruit, grains, oils, nuts, beans, high-sugar vegetables, or meat. All of them are high in protein, but low in fat and sugar.

In my journey, I've fallen off the wagon and jumped back on, numerous times, and it is a constant struggle to say no to "yummy" things. While I hope that someday this approach to eating will become second nature, I have come to accept the fact that I will likely always have to work at it more than most.

But this is a blog about food. It's about succeeding. It's about finding food you can eat without kicking yourself for it in the morning. I think writing this blog will keep my head in the game. And I hope it helps you do the same.