Whole-Wheat Penne with Chicken, Red Bell Pepper and Arugula

1.5oz whole-wheat penne
2 oz cooked chicken breast, cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 summer squash, diced
1 garlic clove, grated
2 TB white wine,
1/4 cup vegetable broth
salt, pepper, fresh thyme
2 handfuls of arugula

Cook pasta in salted water al dente. Saute chicken breast, bell pepper and summer squash with salt, pepper and white wine and then add broth. Add the thyme and garlic later on, and simmer for 3 min. Drain penne. In a bowl, mix the arugula salad with the penne and the sauce, and let the arugula wilt slightly from the hot penne. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Dinner entree + 2 veggie servings + 1 salad serving

Caramelized Acorn Squash Pizza

1/4 acorn squash
1 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
2 oz fresh pizza dough
1/4 cup shredded ff mozzarella or soy cheese, shredded
1 TB crumbled Gorgonzola
1/2 cup arugula
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the squash in half from top to bottom, then quarter it. Scoop out the seeds. Slice a quarter of the squash into 1/2 to 3/4-inch wide half moons and place in a medium bowl. Toss the squash with the syrup, olive oil, red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the squash on a alu foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the squash until tender and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Keep the temperature on the oven at 375 degrees F. Roll out the pizza dough on a flour dusted surface. Place the pizza on a perforated baking sheet. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and the Gorgonzola on the pizza dough. Bake in the oven until golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Peel the skins off the squash. During the last 5 minutes, top the cooked pizza with the cooked squash. Top with arugula and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Slice and serve.

1 lunch entree + salad + protein

Swordfish with Salsa Verde

3 oz swordfish steak
salt, pepper,
1 ts ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup salsa verde (for recipe, see here)

Heat clarified butter in skillet til really smoking hot. Season swordfish from both sides with salt and pepper. Place sword steak in skillet and sear on one side at high temperature fast so that the fish caramelizes. Turn once, and sear the other side. Serve with salsa verde.

Vegan Mini Pizza

Make a mini pizza using 2 oz of fresh, whole-wheat pizza dough. Roll out the dough on a flour dusted surface, until the dough is reasonably thin. Add tomato sauce, 2 TB shredded vegan mozzarella, 1 soy hot dog cut into slices, red onion slices and a dash of fresh ground black pepper.

Bake at 450F for 12 min. Serve with kalamata olives and red pepper flakes sprinkles.

Tomato sauce (makes more than 1 serving):
2 TB ketchup
1 TB hot sauce
1/2 grated garlic clove
1 cup fired roasted canned tomatoes, diced

1 lunch entree + 1 protein

Cuban Burger

Caramelized Onions and Jalapenos:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, finely sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup bottled and sliced jalapeno chiles, drained
½ cup dark brown sugar

Sauté a large white onion with canned, pickled jalapenos, salt, pepper and some brown sugar until caramelized.

Red Pepper Mayo:
1 medium jarred roasted red bell peppers, drained
¼ cup ff mayonnaise

Mix in blender to smooth consistency.

Cuban burgers:
3 oz lean ground beef
1 oz chorizo
1/2 ts adobo seasoning w. cumin
1/4 onion, grated
1 TB dry bread crumbs
1 TB ketchup
1 spritz of worchestershire
1/2 ts ground garlic
1/2 ts cumin

Add ground beef and chorizo to a large bowl, and add ketchup, worchestershire sauce, the bread crumbs, adobe, cumin, and garlic. Mix well with your hands. Transfer cuban burger mix to a pan, place and bakeburger for 35 min to make burger patties.

Arrange burger on a low-carb bun: burger, mayo and sweet-spicy onions!

1 dinner entree

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2 slice of low-carb bread
1 slice of ff Kraft cheese (american or cheddar)
2 slices of lf honey-baked ham
1 TB red pepper mayo
carrots

spray the bread with ICBINB spray before toasting. Grill in panini maker.

1 lunch + 1 'salad' serving

red pepper mayo: (more than one serving)
1 medium jarred roasted red bell pepper, drained
¼ cup ff mayonnaise

Grilled Haddock with Quinoa and Grilled Veggies

1 dinner entree + 2 veggie servings

Kaffir Lime Turkey with Korean Cucumber

dinner entree + 2 veggie + 1 salad serving

Korean marinated cucumber:

½ cup distilled vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Dash of dashida (dried soup stock made from essence of seafood or beef)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons gochuchang paste, plus more to taste, or thai hot sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ English cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Whisk together the vinegar, soy, dashida, sugar, spicy hot sauce, and sesame oil in a large bowl. Add the cucumber and stir until combined. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and let marinate at least 1 hour before eating.

Best Meatloaf Ever with Spring Rice

2 individual best meatloaf ever patties
spring rice (basmati rice with 2 veggie servings)
baked in oven

1 dinner entree + 2 veggie servings

Strawberry Quark Danish

Danish:
1/3 cup Krusteaz pancake mix
⅓ cp milk or butter milk
1 TS egg beaters
¼ ts vanilla
¼ ts baking soda

Filling:
2 TB quark or lf ricotta
1 ts agave nectar
1 ts Torani Raspberry SF syrup
½ ts pancake mix
1/2 cp fresh strawberries, sliced
some almonds

Make the batter and filling in separate bowls. For the filling, mix quark, agave nectar and raspberry syrup and pancake mix. Fill batter in a small, prepared spring form, and fill the filling in the middle. Place strawberries on top and sprinkle with almonds. Place in preheated toaster oven (400F) and bake for 10-15 min.

this is based on a recipe by Christina Gray.

Tropical Tuna Salad

1 pouch Sunkist Light Albacore Tuna, in water
1/8 of red onion, diced (very small dice)
1 TB sweet relish
1 TB crushed pineapple
1/4 tart apple, finely diced
4 Kalamata olives, quartered and diced
1 TB ff mayo
salt, pepper
1 slice low-carb toast or wrap

Mix it all up, chill and enjoy! (makes 2 servings)

1 Lunch entree

Curry Chicken Wrap

4 oz chicken breast, cooked or baked
1 TB ff mayo
1 ts mango ginger chutney
1 ts curry powder
1 ts white wine
1 spring onion, chopped
1 TB cashew nuts, chopped (dinner fat)

Cube the chicken breast. Mix may, chutney, curry powder, and white wine to a smooth consistency. Add toasted, chopped cashew nuts, and mix in the chicken

Serve on a low-fat tortilla wrap (e.g. La Tortilla factory whole wheat tortillas) with a handful of arugula salad.

Lunch + salad + protein