Delicious Weight Loss Recipes

Losing weight doesn’t have to be boring when you focus on bright, colourful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colours, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the time or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colours on your plate is something anyone can do – and it only takes an instant!

Why is colour important? Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and startchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colours on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.

That’s because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories, but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from eating when there’s a variety of colours and flavors on your plate.

Losing weight isn’t about hunger, misery and crash dieting! By learning to make, delicious, easy-to-prepare, nutritious food your body needs and will enjoy, losing weight becomes exciting and energizing.

Instead of high calorie, fatty sources – use spices to provide flavorsome, exciting meals your whole family will enjoy.

Variety is an essential element of any successful health program. If you get bored with foods, you’re much more likely to abandon your program altogether. Experiment with spices to find exciting alternatives, try new recipes and build your repertoire of quick home cooked meals to replace take outs, frozen dinners and snacks. Your body will love you and your family will be delighted.

Curried Chicken & Mango Salad

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup peeled and cubed mango

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well.
2. Add chicken and mango and toss gently to coat.
3. Arrange dark green lettuce leaves around a serving bowl and spoon mixture into bowl.
4. For extra crunch, serve with a side dish of red and green bell pepper, romaine lettuce, chopped celery and cucumber.

Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving of Curried Chicken

Calories: 218
Total fat: 3 grams
Saturated fat: 1 gram
Cholesterol: 73 mg
Sodium: 170 mg
Carbohydrate: 17 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram

Pan Seared Cod With Balsamic Dressing

Ingredients

• 500g fresh cod fillet (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Sprinkle fish with salt and freshly ground pepper on both sides.
2. Heat a large skillet for which you have a cover over medium-high heat.
3. When hot, add the olive oil.
4. When the oil is hot, place the fish in the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for five minutes or until the underside is brown and a curst begins to form.
5. Carefully turn the fish over, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the skillet.
6. Cook for about 5 minutes more.
7. Fish is done when it flakes with a fork.
8. Remove fish from skillet and place on a plate.
9. Bring the heat back up to medium-high, add the balsamic vinegar and cook quickly, scraping the pan with a spatula.
10. Turn off the heat, put the fish back in the skillet and turn over to coat both sides with the reduced vinegar.
11. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving

Calories: 228
Protein: 40 grams
Fat: 6 grams
Carbohydrates: 1 grams

Tuna Patties With Lemon Dill Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) (350g) can white tuna packed in water, drained and finely flaked
• 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup minced green onion
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Lemon Dill Sauce

• 1/4 cup nonfat chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Directions

1. In large bowl, combine tuna, breadcrumbs, green onion, egg, milk, and lemon peel.
2. With lightly floured hands, form mixture into patties.
3. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.
4. Cook patties, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until warm.
2. Add a small amount of flour and mix with a whisk to thicken sauce.
3. Spoon sauce over tuna patties and serve.

Makes 4-6 Servings

Approximate Nutrients per serving

Calories: 190
Total fat: 1
Saturated fat: 0 grams
Cholesterol: 72 mg
Sodium: 34 mg
Carbohydrate: 18 grams
Protein: 29 grams
Dietary fiber: less than 1 gram

Avocado Walnut & Crispy Bacon Salad

Ingredients

• 7oz/200 g rindless bacon, chopped
• ½ cup walnut haves, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• sale and ground black pepper
• 6oz/150g baby spinach, trimmed and washed
• 3 ripe Roma (egg) tomatoes, diced
• 1 large ripe avocado, halved, peeled, seed removed and sliced
• 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

Directions

1. Heat a non-tick frying pay over medium high heat.
2. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until crisp.
3. Remove bacon and set aside to cool.
4. Add walnuts to pan and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted.
5. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
6. Add oil and lime juice to pan.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
8. Combine spinach, tomatoes, avocado, onion, bacon and walnuts in a large serving bowl.
9. Pour warm lime dressing over salad and toss gently to combine.
10. Serve immediately.