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Showing posts with label Low Calorie Category. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Low Calorie Category. Show all posts

Cooking With Herbs and Spices: Quick and Easy Low-Calorie Snack Recipes

Eating low-calorie snacks will not only nourish and strengthen your body, but will also help you maintain a healthy weight. Here are 3 must-try herbs and spices snack recipes with only 400 calories or less

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Peppered Turkey Wraps

 

What you need:


  • 12 10-inch whole wheat flour tortillas
  • 1/4 kg. deli turkey, sliced
  • 1 head lettuce
  • 2 cups minced tomatoes
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1 cup cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • 1/2 tsp. dried herbs
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Rub the turkey slices with dried herbs and black pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and ranch dressing, stir until well-blended. Spread each flour tortilla with cream cheese and ranch dressing mixture then top with lettuce leaves followed by herbed turkey slices. Sprinkle carrots and tomatoes over the turkey then roll the tortillas to make wraps. Cut each wrap diagonally to make bite-sized pieces then secure with a toothpick. Bake in a pre-heated oven over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until tortillas are lightly browned. Serve immediately. Ideal for vegetable chips or low-calorie nacho chips. 

Herbs and Spices Pomegranate Salsa

 

What you need:

  • 1 pomegranate, peeled and membranes removed
  • 1 1/2 bunches flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 1/2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 1/2 sprigs fresh mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 6 tbsps. fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsps. olive oil
  • 2 tsps. grated lime zest
  • Salt and ground white pepper to taste
Combine pomegranate, parsley, cilantro, mint, tomato, onion, serrano pepper, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, olive oil and lime zest in a medium bowl. Stir to combine ingredients well. Season with salt and white pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled. 


Cheesy Herbs Tomato Sandwich

 

What you need:

  • 1 whole-grain bagel
  • 3/4 cups low fat cottage cheese
  • 1 orange
  • 4 slices tomato
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsps. chopped fresh chives
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Place cottage cheese in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer cheese in a small bowl then add garlic and chives. Season with salt and pepper. Toast bagel to desired doneness then cut in half. Spread cream herbed cottage cheese on 1 half of the bagel and top with tomato slices. Top with the other half of bagel to make a sandwich. Serve or consume with orange slices.

Make it a habit to snack healthy and start with these fuss-free low-calorie snacks with all-natural herbs and spices.

Useful Information About Dried Seaweed!

According to South Korea export statistics, over 80 countries people's enjoying dried seaweed and seasoned seaweed. I prepare some general information of seaweed. Seaweed history, species, features, nutrition information.

 1. History of Seaweed(Laver)

 

English name is purple laver or dried laver. It's spreading on Korean southern sea and Japan coastal waters. It's growing like a moss on a rock in the sea. Body is long oval type, and there is a wrinkle on edge. Length is around 14~25cm and width is 5~12cm. Upper body color is reddish brown and lower body color is a blue-green color. Color is purple or red purple. It's showing at the coast of the Korean peninsula in October. It reproduces from winter to spring season and it reduces gradually and it's not seen in summer. It's named as sea clothes since it seems like a rock clothes on the beach. It's easy to cook and tasty, it's popular and loved by many people around the world. 

2. Seaweed Species

 

Seaweeds are about 80 species are distributed throughout the world. South Korea is the world largest producer of laver. Farmers mainly cultivate three kinds of laver porphyra tenera kjellman, porphra yezoensis and porphyra dentata in Korea. Laver is divided according to the processing method, and it comes divided into four kinds, i.e. traditional laver, stone laver, and green laver. Traditional laver is most distributed and consumed in Korea now. 

  •  Traditional Laver
It's so-called "Korean Gim". There are three types. First, it's just dried laver. Second, it's dry and roast lightly. Third, it's dry, roast and seasoned laver. Most of people in the world prefer the third type.
  •  Stone Laver
It's natural and grows wild. So, it's rough and have holes, but flavor is very good. There are two types of stone laver. One is ondol-gim(called in Korean) and the other bandol-gim(called in Korean). Ondol-gim means pure natural laver and bandol-gim means mixed farming laver and natural laver. People prefer bandol-gim since it's less rough.
  • Green Laver
It's mixed general laver and green laver. Green laver has good flavor, and slight roast is the most delicious to eat.

3. Nutrition Information

 

Main ingredients of dried seaweed are sugar content and protein. Protein contents are the most among seaweeds and are more than soybean. It's representative food for alkalis agent and contain essential Amino Acid plentifully. It's repository of Minerals. P, Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Se Etc, all minerals contains. In addition, vitamin A, B1, B2, C, D, E contains evenly. Most Vitamin A contains among seaweed. Most Vitamin B2 contains equal to meat. Calcium and iron for strong bones contains four times more than spinach or milk. It contains glutamic acid, alanine, glycine, taurine ingredient causing delicious taste. Good quality seaweed has protein, vitamin, P, Mg, Zn, glutamic acid and alanine much.

A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan and Menu


This is a detailed low-carb diet, real food based (LCRF). What to eat, what not to eat and sample low carbohydrates menus for one week.

The low carb, real food based diet involves eating natural, unprocessed foods with a low carbohydrate content.

There is a lot of scientific evidence proved that this type of diet is the best option for people who want to lose weight, optimize health and lower the risk of disease.


A Low Carb Diet Meal Plan

What foods you should eat depends on a number of things, including how healthy you are, how much you exercise and how much weight you have to lose.

Consider this as a general guide, not something written in stone.

The Basics

Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, high-fat dairy, fats, healthy oils and maybe even some tubers and non-gluten grains.

Don’t Eat: Sugar, HFCS, wheat, seed oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, “diet” and low-fat products and highly processed foods.

Foods to Avoid 

Sugar: Soft drinks, fruit juices, agave, candy, ice cream and many others.
Gluten Grains: Wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Includes breads and pastas.  
Trans Fats: “Hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oils.
High Omega-6 Seed- and Vegetable Oils: Cottonseed-, soybean-, sunflower-, grapeseed-, corn-, safflower and canola oils.  
Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, Cyclamates and Acesulfame Potassium. Use Stevia instead.  
“Diet” and “Low-Fat” Products: Many dairy products, cereals, crackers, etc.
Highly Processed Foods: If it looks like it was made in a factory, don’t eat it.

Low Carb Food List – Foods to Eat



You should base your diet on these real, unprocessed, low-carb foods.
Meat: Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and others. Grass-fed is best.  
Fish: Salmon, trout, haddock and many others. Wild-caught fish is best.  
Eggs: Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.  
Vegetables: Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and many others.  
Fruits: Apples, oranges, pears, blueberries, strawberries.  
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.  
High-Fat Dairy: Cheese, butter, heavy cream, yogurt.  
Fats and Oils: Coconut Oil, butter, lard, olive oil and cod fish liver oil.  
Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.
Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.

If you want to lose weight, be careful with cheese and nuts because they are easy to overeat. Do not eat more than one piece of fruit a day.

Maybe Eat 

 If you’re healthy, active and don’t need to lose weight then you can afford to eat a bit more carbs.
Tubers: Potatoes, sweet potatoes and some others.
Non-gluten grains: Rice, oats, quinoa and many others.
Legumes: Lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc. (If you can tolerate them).
You can have these in moderation if you want:



Dark Chocolate: Choose organic brands with 70% cocoa or higher.

Wine: Choose dry wines with no added sugar or carbs.

Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and may provide health benefits when consumed in moderation. However, note that both dark chocolate and alcohol can slow your progress if you eat / drink too much. 

Drink

Coffee
Tea
Water
Carbonated soda without artificial sweeteners. 

A Sample Low-Carb Menu For One Week 

This is a sample menu for one week on a low carb diet plan. 

Provides less than 50 grams of total carbohydrates per day, but as I mentioned earlier, if you are healthy and active can go beyond.

Monday
  • Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil.  
  • Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with blueberries and a handful of almonds.  
  • Dinner: Cheeseburger (no bun), served with vegetables and salsa sauce.

Tuesday

  • Breakfast: Bacon and eggs. 
  • Lunch: Leftover burgers and veggies from the night before.  
  • Dinner: Salmon with butter and vegetables.

Wednesday

  • Breakfast: Eggs and vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil. 
  • Lunch: Shrimp salad with some olive oil.  
  • Dinner: Grilled chicken with vegetables.

Thursday

  • Breakfast: Omelet with various vegetables, fried in butter or coconut oil. 
  • Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, berries, almonds and protein powder. 
  • Dinner: Steak and veggies.

Friday

  • Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs. 
  • Lunch: Chicken salad with some olive oil.  
  • Dinner: Pork chops with vegetables.

Saturday

  • Breakfast: Omelet with various veggies. 
  • Lunch: Grass-fed yogurt with berries, coconut flakes and a handful of walnuts. 
  • Dinner: Meatballs with vegetables.

Sunday

  • Breakfast: Bacon and Eggs.
  • Lunch: Smoothie with coconut milk, a bit of heavy cream, chocolate-flavoured protein powder and berries. 
  • Dinner: Grilled chicken wings with some raw spinach on the side

include a variety of vegetables in your diet. If your goal is to stay under 50 grams of carbohydrates a day, then there is room for plenty of vegetables and fruit a day.
Once again, if you're healthy, lean and active, you can add some tubers such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, as well as some healthy grains like rice and oats.



Some Healthy, Low-Carb Snacks

There is no medical reason to eat more than 3 meals a day, but if you are hungry between meals, so here are some easy to prepare healthy snacks low in carbohydrates:
  • A Piece of Fruit
  • Full-fat Yogurt
  • A Hard-Boiled Egg or Two
  • Baby Carrots
  • Leftovers From The Night Before
  • A Handful of Nuts
  • Some Cheese and Meat

Eating at Restaurants

At most restaurants, it is fairly easy to make your meals LCRF-friendly
Order a meat- or fish-based main dish.
Ask them to fry your food in real butter.
Get extra vegetables instead of bread, potatoes or rice.

A Simple Low-Carb Shopping List

A good rule is to shop at the perimeter of the store, where the whole foods are more likely to be found.

Organic food and grass fed are the best, but only if you can easily afford. Even if you do not order organic food it still a thousand times better than the standard Western diet.

Try to choose the least processed option that fits in your price range :
Meat (Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bacon)
Fish (Fatty fish like salmon is best)
Eggs (Choose Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs if you can)
Butter
Coconut Oil (Choose Extra Virgin)
Lard
Olive Oil
Cheese
Heavy Cream
Sour Cream
Yogurt (full-fat, unsweetened)
Blueberries (can be bought frozen)
Nuts
Olives
Fresh vegetables: greens, peppers, onions, etc.
Frozen vegetables: broccoli, carrots, various mixes.
Salsa Sauce
Condiments: sea salt, pepper, garlic, mustard, etc.

I recommend cleaning your pantry of all the unhealthy temptations if you can: chips, candy, ice cream, soft drinks, juices, breads, cereals and baking ingredients such as flour and sugar.


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