Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip

Every day I bring to work three staples; an apple, a (Greek) yogurt and a 100-calorie pack of cocoa-covered almonds.  Sometimes an individual pack of carrots or fruit cup makes an appearance.  I will either buy the remainder of my lunch from work or bring it from home but those three things are almost always present.  I typically eat the yogurt at 10am, eat the apple with lunch and snack on the almonds around 2pm when a sugar-craving hits. 

This week I was staring at my sad little apple and yogurt lunch and decided to try out an idea I saw on Pinterest for dips made from yogurt, honey and peanut butter.  With a slight modification, all I had to do was buy a small packet of peanut butter from the cafeteria at work and I was golden.  When I made this the second time, I added cinnamon because I am on a serious cinnamon kick.  Antioxidants, baby.

Remember, while this recipe is nutrient-dense, it is also calorie-dense.  (Most adults should aim for around 500-600 calories as meal times with two - 100 calorie snacks.)   Serve entire recipe with 1 sliced apple at breakfast, as part of your lunch or post-work out or share with a friend as a high-protein snack.

Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

6oz vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt

1 ½ tbsp. peanut butter

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Combine yogurt, peanut butter and cinnamon.  Serve with apple slices or other fruit.

Nutrition Facts: 307 Calories, 8g Fat, 44g Carbohydrates, 17.5g Protein, 5g Fiber, 69mg Sodium

Watermelon Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

One of the great things about summer is the abundance of watermelon in everyone’s fridge and at every barbeque.  This simple recipe adds a classy twist to an otherwise deliciously casual fruit.  My version here is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ Watermelon and Cantaloupe Salad with Mint Vinaigrette.   I prefer the color of the honeydew and like how light it tastes in this salad.  I also halved the sugar as always and it is still perfectly sweet.  So, go ahead! Buy that one-millionth watermelon of the season!

Watermelon Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon, cubes (about half a watermelon)

2 cups honeydew melon, cubed (about 1 honeydew melon)

1 small bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped into ribbons

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup simple syrup*

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, mint and simple syrup.  In a large bowl, combine melon and pour vinaigrette over top.  Gently toss and serve in 1 cup dishes.

Optional: Serve salad in half a hollowed out watermelon for parties.

*Simple Syrup: Heat ½ cup of water and ½ cup of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow syrup to cool.  Extra syrup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts: 73 Calories, 0.3g Fat, 23mg Sodium, 300mg Potassium, 18g Carbohydrates, 1g Fiber, 1g Protein

Contains 47% Daily Value of Vitamin C (Based on 2000 calorie diet).

Quick Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Okay, so I’ll be honest.  The last time I made eggplant Parmesan I actually got tired halfway through the process.  While it wasn’t particularly difficult, I without a doubt dirtied every dish, pot, pan and kitchen utensil I own.  There are a lot of steps involved between dredging and frying the eggplant, cooking the pasta and baking the final product. 

Since then, I have continued to buy eggplants, specifically graffiti eggplants, which are perfect for 1 person and simply beautiful to look at.  (Of course, I forgot to take a picture  before I sliced it up.)  But have I repeated making eggplant Parmesan? Yes and no. 

I’ve adapted a much healthier and way easier method to still enjoy this Italian dish.  I ditched the pasta altogether, grill the eggplant rather than batter and fry it and when I’m really hungry, I don’t even bake it.  Serve with a side salad and some crusty homemade garlic bread to dip in the sauce and voila!  Fastest eggplant Parmesan in the West…well, East.

This grill pan is my absolute favorite (from Target).

Quick Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

2 graffiti eggplants

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup marinara sauce, heated

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Slice eggplant into ½ to ¾ inch rounds.  Grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until golden brown, flipping pieces over halfway through. 

Remove from heat. Top with marinara sauce and grated or shaved Parmesan cheese. 

(Optional:  Pour marinara sauce on bottom of oven-safe dish, lay grilled eggplant on top in single layer and cover with marinara sauce then parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minute or until cheese is golden brown.)

Nutrition Facts: 282 Calories, 15g Fat, 33g Carbohydrates, 8.5g Protein, 15g Fiber, 502mg Sodium, 1150mg Potassium

Healthy "Fries"

Cravings can be tough to beat mid-week when schedules seem to get busier and the thought of making a meal becomes less and less appealing.  Personally, I love a good French fry but I’m a little less fond of the guilt that ensues when I think of the saturated fat that typically goes along with them. 

These Parmesan fries are tender in the middle and lightly crispy on the edges.  The satisfying baked version helps cut down the total fat from a whopping 17g (average in a typical medium serving) to a more reasonable 7g, and halves the amount of saturated fat.  The American Heart Association recommends keeping saturated fat to less than 5-6% of total calories, which for most people equals 12-13g per day.

These “fries” are so easy and worth the few extra chops on the cutting board, so go ahead, skip the drive-through and cook at home tonight!

Parmesan Oven Fries

Serve 4-6

Ingredients:

4 medium red potatoes

2 tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. Herbs de Provence

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Cut potatoes lengthwise then slice each half into 6 wedges.  In large bowl, toss potatoes with sea salt, garlic powder and Herbs de Provence.  Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake 30-35 minutes, flipping over wedges about half way. 

Place potatoes on a plate lined with paper towel and allow excess oil to be absorbed. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with favorite dipping sauce.

Nutrition Facts: 215 calories, 7g Fat, 1.5g Saturated Fat, 34g Carbohydrates, 5.5g Protein, 175mg Sodium, 3.5g Fiber, 976mg Potassium