Category Archives: Lean & Green Meal Recipes

Take a tour through my recipe treasure trove!

Beef, Jewish Traditional foods, Kabocha, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, The World of Cauliflower

Kitchen Tested Cholent

Grain Free Cholent created by Melinda Strauss, Kitchen Tested

Cleverly incorporates in cauliflower rice for that imitation-barley texture.

You can make side-by-side cholent pots: one for your family, one plan compliant for you.  This way, you can measure the ingredients to ensure you are eating the right portion sizes.

I love using peeled turnips in lieu of the potatoes here.

I add Montreal steak seasoning into my cholent.

Other options: pop an egg in there for extra protein. Let it cook overnight in the pot.

Make the Kishke recipe as a kugel in a casserole dish, then scoop out 1/2 cup servings and place in the bottom of the bowl before serving. Leave out the kabocha inside the cholent. Heaven! Tastes really really really close to the real thing!

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A match made in healthy heaven… cholent and kishke all on plan!

**I have collected this recipe as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Side Dishes, The World of Cauliflower, Vegetarian

Cauliflower “Fried” Rice

Check out this video to learn how to make Chinese style  Cauliflower “Fried” Rice

To make this compliant with the 5&1, only use plan approved vegetables (no onions, carrots, peas, brussel sprouts).

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**I collected this recipe as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy, Side Dishes, The World of Cauliflower

Cauliflower Potato Salad

Check out this video to make Cauliflower Potato Salad

**Nutrition Support Approved Conversion

Makes 5 servings
Per serving
1 ounce protein
2 vegetables
3 condiments
2 fats

INGREDIENTS

4 ½ cups cauliflower florets
¼ tsp Salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the dressing:

½ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 packet Splenda or Stevia
2 tablespoons dill, chopped
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tbs lemon juice
¼ cup red onion, diced
½ cup celery, diced
3 hardboiled eggs, chopped

**I collected this recipe as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy, The World of Cauliflower, Vegetarian

Cauliflower Nachos

See the link here for amazing Cauliflower Nachos!

Use 1 c cauliflower
1/2 c homemade salsa made with scallions (for 5&1)
1/2 c lowfat shredded cheese (1/2 a lean)
1/2 a leanest serving of a Gardein/Morningstar farms/trader Joe’s vegetarian protein product (I suggest chicken strips or ground beef)
1.5 oz of avocado (for one healthy fat)

Here’s a great homemade salsa recipe. Just substitute in scallions for onions when on the 5&1 plan.

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**I collected this recipe as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

 

Dairy, Dairy-free, Jewish Traditional foods, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Coach Gin’s “Any Vegetable” Quiche

Coach Gin’s “Any Vegetable” Quiche

This is something my guests just gobble up – it’s divine! Very light tasting. And so easy!

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This was made with a bag of chopped, frozen broccoli and yellow American cheese

Full Lean & Green with the cheese
Makes 2 (large!) servings

Per serving
1 Leaner protein
3 vegetables
1 1/4 condiments
1 fat

20 oz bag (defrosted) of any on plan vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, works with sautéed mushrooms + leeks too)
2 tbsp low fat mayo
2 1/2 tsp chicken consommé powder
3/4 cup egg beaters
1 cup low fat plain cottage cheese
4 ounces low fat cheese (white or yellow American cheese, shredded low fat mexcian blend, any hard cheese you’d like!)

**If you omit the cheese, it’s just a delicious non-dairy casserole.

Defrost your vegetables in the microwave by zapping for about 7 minutes. Mix all. Tear the American cheese into little pieces and mix in. Spray pan with pam. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 1.5 hours. I used an 8×8 pan for this and it fit perfectly.

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Pizza, Vegetarian

Spaghetti Squash Pizza

Spaghetti Squash Pizza
2 green, one lean, one condiment (the oregano).
Enough room for 1/2 c more vegetables on top!

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This was an absolute hit! You can also use the crust as a soft taco wrap. I like this better than the Cauliflower Pizza crust recipe, just because it’s less messy to make, and just tastes starchier to me.

Ingredients
one spaghetti squash
1/4 c egg beaters
1/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Dash of Pepper & salt

Microwave the squash for 5 mins. Wait for it to cool so that you can handle it. Cut it in half lengthwise, then put it face down with one inch of water in a pan. No need to de-seed. Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until the skin starts to brown.

Take out and permit to cool. This can be done on a separate day and put back into the fridge for the next step, done later. Scoop out the seeds, collect the squash strands by scraping with a fork into the bowl. Collect the squash in small batches and vigorously squeeze all of the water out of it.

Mix 1 cup pulp with the egg beaters, cheese, and other ingredients for one pie. Or, as a practice tip, make two smaller mini-pies so that you can easily flip them over. Pat down the mixture into the shape of a pizza crust on a parchment paper on a tray that is covered liberally with Pam. Make it thick enough that you cannot see the parchment under the layer of squash.

Bake at 350 for 15 mins, then flip them. Bake another 10 mins and remove to cool.

Crusts can be frozen and defrost well.

Top with 1/2 cup cheese and remaining toppings. I was lazy above and there aren’t any toppings. We usually eat them too fast to even take a picture!

You can also make the crusts mini-sized! Use them as soft tacos or wraps!

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Pizza, The World of Cauliflower, Vegetarian

Cauliflower Pizza

Cauliflower Pizza
Inspired by the Pizza Crust #2 on Sandy’s Kitchen Adventures

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Ingredients:

Crust:
1 cup raw Cauliflower processed in food processor, or premade fresh crumbles from the store  (2 Greens)
1/4 cup Eggbeaters from the carton (1/8 Lean)
1/2 cup or 2 oz part skim cheese blend (4/8 Lean)
1/8 tsp garlic powder – optional (1/4 Condiment)
1/8 tsp basil – optional (1/8 Condiment)

Toppings:
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp or 1.5 oz 2% reduced fat Mozzarella cheese (3/8 Lean)
1/2 cup Tomato sauce that is less than 5 g of carbs per serving such as Garlic Paesana or 1/4 cup tomato sauce that is 10g carbs per serving (1 Green)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I just don’t like cooking at higher temps than that – which is different from the original recipe). Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Take cauliflower and microwave it for 30 sec-1 min. Take a towel and squeeze the water as much as you can out of the cauliflower (another important additional instruction).

Combine grated cauliflower, egg beaters, cheese, garlic powder and basil until mixed completely. Spoon mixture on prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon to thin out mixture (or your hands) and form a circle about the size of a dinner plate without the rim. (Hint: if you make two smaller pizzas, they are easier to flip!)

The thinner the crust the less chance of it being soggy. Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully flip the pizza crust over using a spatula to lift all edges of the crust off the parchment first. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until edges are crisp. Let cool.

You can freeze the crusts individually and save for another day. A whole cauliflower can yield 4-5 large crusts, if you choose to make the whole head of cauliflower.

Make mini-crusts if you are challenged with flipping with a spatula. I am!

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Add tomato sauce and cheese on top. You can broil until cheese is melted, or just let it bake (I like my cheese gooey).

1 Complete Lean and Green Meal, the spices are not even 1 condiment, with no Healthy Fat required.

You can also use the crusts as soft shell tacos or wraps!

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**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Chicken, Dairy-free, Lean & Green Meal Recipes

Zucchini Chip Crusted Chicken

Zucchini Chip Crusted Chicken
One lean, two green, two condiments, one healthy fat

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It tastes even better than it looks!

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This chicken breast cutlet was spread on top with 2 tbsp Tofutti cream cheese (2 condiments), then coated on top in with my crushed spiced Zucchini Chips. The chips count as one healthy fat because they are made with olive oil. Simply bake the coated chicken in the oven uncovered until done (about 35 mins).

Garnished with kale chips.

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy-free, Lean & Green Meal Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Zucchini Chips

My first trial at zucchini chips using my dehydrator – and boy are they tasty!

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I made them as thin as possible on my mandolin – they were just amazing when used as a crust for chicken or fish. Made a little thicker – the crunch is oh so satisfying! Made a spicy blend on it for extra excitement!

1 medium zucchini
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tbsp lemon juice

The dehydrator just takes out the fear factor of burning the chips, and your house down 🙂 love it!

WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A DEHYDRATOR?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place zucchini chips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, about 15 minutes depending on thickness. And watch it! I love the dehydrator because I can’t possibly burn my house down 😉

Check out my Zucchini Coated Chicken here

Question: how do you know how much is equivalent to a 1/2 cup serving for your green? I weighed my raw sliced zucchini according to this chart of weights for vegetables, and saw how much it came out to before dehydrating them.

https://dashboard.medifast1.com/forum/filedata/fetch…

In my dehydrator, 1/2 cup serving conveniently comes out to 2 rows 🙂 see this picture below to get an idea.

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**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.

Dairy-free, Fish, Lean & Green Meal Recipes

Wild Sockeye Salmon with Zoodles

Wild Sockeye Salmon with Zoodles
Lean & Green, 2 condiments

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5 oz cooked salmon
1 cup worth of cooked zoodles
1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes
2 tbsp Walden Farms alfredo sauce
2 tbsp low fat Parmesean cheese (optional – one additional condiment)

5 oz of delicious sockeye salmon, purchased from Costco, comes perfectly individually vacuum sealed and ready for your own personal portion. I keep this in my freezer at all times! I defrost it quickly using the defrost feature on my microwave, or you can just soak the whole package in cold water and change the water every five minutes for about 4-5 changes.

Add 2 tbsp Walden Farms Alfredo for one condiment… Some Parmesan to top it all off (2 Tbsp for low fat Parmesan cheese is one condiment), and it’s done! I added 1/2 c diced tomatoes for a burst of color & flavor.

**I created these recipes as a compliment to my comprehensive healthy weight loss & maintenance plan. Please contact me at gininthekitchen@gmail.com if you’re interested in health coaching! I’m happy to give you a free Health Assessment and explore whether my program might be right for you.