In Need of Low Fat Receipes - Help!

[Libster]

Hey Guys and Gals,
I had a fun last two weeks of July and ended up jaundiced and in the hospital for emergency surgery. I had a blockage in a bile duct and a diseased gallbladder removed. I''m still not back to myself as my liver suffered trauma from the bile back-up and a liver biopsy result of Acute Cholangitis. Just means that I have a bacteria infection in my liver due to the blockage and stasis in the ducts.

I realize this is probably "too much information" for Pricescope, so please forgive me. Due to all of this and the removal of my gallbladder I need to stay on a really low fat diet for awhile.

I know there are lots of healthy Pricescopers and really good chefs out there and wondered if you have any low fat receipes or websites to share?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Blue824]

Alright, I am really not a big help because I rarely spend time cooking. BUT when I look for a new recipe, my first stop is foodnetwork.com. I've tried a few recipes, usually basic ones, but I've never ended up with something gross.

They have a section on low fat recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_hl_low_fat/0,2661,FOOD_20756,00.html

ETA: I hope you're feeling better! (how could I forget to include that originally?!)

 

[icekid]

you can also try allrecipes.com- tons of ideas there!

sorry to hear that you were sick though- doesn''t sound fun at all!!

 

[Mara]

I used to read Cooking Light magazine, they have alot of yummy things in there, pick it up at the store? They also have a website, maybe www.cookinglight.com which probably has some of the recipes on there too?

Feel better!

 

[Jennifer5973]

My mom went through this years ago--I hope you feel better soon.

I am Italian so a little olive oil (good fat), tomatoes and garlic simmered for 30 min., then tossed with pasta and fresh basil is my fave low-fat recipe.

 

[Libster]

Thanks soooo much for the ideas. I''m popping all over these websites searching for something yummy. I''m living off oatmeal, jello, low-fat soup, fat free pudding, angel food cake, etc. It''s not so bad, and the pounds are just falling off!! I had been trying to gear up for a diet and now I''m well on my way

Jenn, that pasta dish sounds yummy, will have to give it a whirl

Thanks everyone!!

 

[AsscherGirl]

Hi Libster - I hope you feel better soon! One of my favorite low-fat things to eat is turkey burgers.

Here is the recipe I use (or invented I guess

).

1 package of ground turkey BREAST (it should say something like 99% fat free on it - otherwise you may as well eat ground beef).

To taste:

Honey barbecue sauce (I''ve never measured, but it''s probably about 1/4 cup)
garlic (I buy the pre-chopped kind in the jar & I use a TON - probably 2-3 tablespoons)
oregano (I only use a tiny sprinkle)
basil (I tend to use more basil)
parsley (I only use a tiny sprinkle)


I put the turkey into a bowl, add all the seasonings and combine it really well with my hands. Then I form 5 patties out of a 1.25 pound package and either grill them or put it on the George Foreman Grill.

I find them to be so yummy that I don''t need any cheese!

I will most times put a little ketchup on and maybe put it on a bun (depending on how I''m feeling that day)

Again, feel better & I''ll see if I can think of any more low-fat recipes I make.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Sorry for your troubles--hope you are on the road to recovery. For recipies and websites, I like Dr. A. Weil''s nutrition advice; he is a board certified Internist (MD) and wholistic practitioner. Lovely healthy recipies on his site!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Kaleigh]

Libster,
I''m not a great cook but hope you feel better soon!!!!

 

[Mara]

Libster the being sick and recovering thing is a drag but the diet and/or pounds falling off is the good news!

A while back I had a horrible stomach flu where I was sick for 2 days and couldn''t keep a thing down. They had to give me a drug that stopped me from getting sick because I was getting dehydrated. Anyway a few days later (after days of basically crackers and 7 up etc) I weighed myself and had lost like 7 lbs! It was horrible to be that sick but I was at least elated I''d gotten something positive out of it!

As a testament to my true sickchick mentality, whenever I eat something that is super yummy and it makes me really ill (read very fatty foods usually which taste the best), I tell Greg ''FREE CALORIES!!!''. He is like..''that''s disturbing''!! My BFF and I do it all the time, we''ll call each other up and be like FREE CALORIES!! Hey I can''t help it if my body rejects something I really like to eat.

 

[JCJD]

We got "Lickety-Split Meals", a cookbook by dietician Zonya Foco for a wedding gift, and it''s very good. Practically everything is low-low fat and she has healthy eating tips on every page. Highly recommended. We''ve been cooking out of it at least once a week for over a month and I lost my 5 cruise pounds while eating yummy food. Lots of the meals are are vegetarian or have vegetarian options, there are 1-minute, 5-minute, and 30-minute meal sections, slow-cooking, baking, etc. The spiral bound one we have sits upright on the counter.

 

[Mara]

Oh and I have to post my fave quickie weeknight healthy fish and veggie meal...

If you have an inside range grill or something, one of those griddle/grill combos this is so easy. Just a bit of olive oil on the grill, season up some tilapia, orange roughy or halibut (or other mild white fish) with some cajun spice seasoning, slap it on the grill...maybe add a bit of lemon if you like it. In the meantime, steam some broccoli or cauliflower with salt and pepper and a pat or two of butter.

The cajun spices are perfect for the mild white fish and we love steamed veggies! It takes less than 10 minutes total and it''s very healthy and low-fat...plus fish has all kinds of good things for your body!

 

[Libster]

You guys are truly the best

I'm making notes about the cookbook (thanks JCJD) and those turkey burgers (thank you Asscher Girl) sound wonderful!! I've always been such a horrible eater and now for the first time in my life I have no choice but to change, my body will not tolerate foods of the past. Apparantly this is a possible side effect when they remove your gallbladder. Hubby is referring to it as my own version of gastric bypass surgery

I see all those food commercials for pizza, burgers, steak and it just makes my mouth water, but I know I'll just end up in excrutiating pain for a couple of hours, so bring on the low fat healthy stuff!!

I've never used ground turkey so this will be a first! Mara, the fish is an excellent idea and I've got to learn to like more vegetables. I love fruit, but veggies, not so much. I miss CHEESE

I miss PIZZA...my most favorite food in the world

BUT.....I'm going to be much healthier in the long run and have the best body

I'd rather have pizza

 

[Rube]

Hey Libster, hope you are feeling better!

I don''t really make such healthy food at home either... but as far as loving pizza goes (and cheese- it''s my favorite! hard to go without) maybe you could make your own thin crust and bake it with some olive oil. You could top it with whatever you want- maybe even some of that sauteed garlic, tomato and basil Jennifer suggested? A little bit of good extra virgin olive oil can taste as good as cheese!

Stir frying is another good way to get in to veggies... take whatever vegetables you CAN stand and throw them into a pan with some random seasonings. If you can handle salt, there are some great asian sauces that can be used in any combination. You can add low fat pork or beef too.

Something the men of my house will eat (and that doesn''t include a lot of vegetables either) is an eggplant dish that can be served hot or chilled. Let me see if I can remember the recipe:

-Cut lengthwise two medium sized eggplant. "Sweat" the eggplant by cutting diagonal slashes into the meat and sprinkling salt on the surface. After 30 minutes wipe or rinse off.

-While the eggplant sits, sautee a can of diced tomatoes (not drained), one sliced green pepper, one onion, a clove of garlic (or you can use garlic seasoned diced tomatoes.. many varieties work) with salt, pepper and ground corriander to taste. Cook until vegetable are desired done-ness. (Maybe 20 min?) Remove and put mixture in bowl.

-Heat olive oil in the same skillet to medium-high head and sear the eggplant.

-Place lightly browned eggplant into a casserole dish, meat side up, and top with tomato mixture. Bake about 45 minutes.

-Eat hot or cold!

And if you don''t like eggplant, disregard.

Feel better soon!

 

[jorman]

Hey Libster! Here is a Low Fat Italian recipe, when you are feeling like something hearty.

Lasagna:

Sauce:
Brown 1 lb. ground turkey and while the meat is browning add (to your liking) crushed basil, garlic (i like lots), and oregano. Once meat is cooked thoroughly, toss in about 1 medium sliced or cubed portabella areg soft. Add one large can of crushed tomatoes and one 8oz. can of tomato sauce.
Simmer for 30 minutes on medium, stirring every once in a while.

Meanwhile: Boil Lasagna Noodles for 10-12 minutes in water and 1 tsp. olive oil.

While Pasta is boiling: Mix one quart of small curd cottage cheese (low fat) with 1 Tbsp. parsley, dash of salt and pepper and 3 egg beaters.

Once Pasta is cooked, drain and let cool.

Take 9x11 cooking dish and spray bottom with non-fat cooking spray.
Layer: Noodles, cottage cheese mix, meat sauce, low fat mozzarella, noodles, cottage cheese mix, meat sauce, mozzarella. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Serve with a side salad and voila.

This serves about 8 or can be kept for several days for leftovers. You can also make one and freeze. It is excellent and surprisingly good for you.

 

[pattysk8tergirl]

Date: 8/10/2005 7:21:43 PM
Author:Libster
Hey Guys and Gals,
I had a fun last two weeks of July and ended up jaundiced and in the hospital for emergency surgery. I had a blockage in a bile duct and a diseased gallbladder removed. I''m still not back to myself as my liver suffered trauma from the bile back-up and a liver biopsy result of Acute Cholangitis. Just means that I have a bacteria infection in my liver due to the blockage and stasis in the ducts.

I realize this is probably ''too much information'' for Pricescope, so please forgive me. Due to all of this and the removal of my gallbladder I need to stay on a really low fat diet for awhile.

I know there are lots of healthy Pricescopers and really good chefs out there and wondered if you have any low fat receipes or websites to share?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hey there,

Well, I hope you get better soon. I am sure you will

You can check www.healthy-eating.com.

See u

 

[hoorray]

Hi Libster -- sorry to hear about your health troubles. The American Heart Association compiles a lot of low fat recipes, and will send you a free cookbook from their website. AHA Cookbook . I''ve tried some of them, and they have been good. They also have soem hints on how to reduce the fat in everyday foods/cooking, which is what I try to do -- just use less or use low fat alternatives. One thing you have to watch out for though is that you don''t increase your sugar content too much (many low/non fat foods substitute sugar to keep flavor when they remove the fats...)

Good luck!

 

[fire&ice]

Can you eat chicken breasts? I sautee them in a tiny bit of olive oil/smart balance butter w/ some tarragon. I top them with great homegrown type tomatoe & broil until the tomatoes are cooked (about 5-10 minutes). Sometimes I top with Mozz. cheese - but I think cheese is a no no for you. Mozz. cheese (part skim) is one of the lowest fat cheeses.

So sorry to hear your health problems!

 

[Mara]

F&I brings up another good point re: chicken. We also eat that as much as fish.

I love Whole Foods, they have tons of prepared foods with ingredients listed so you can see what you are eating. aka last nite we got 2 chicken breasts that were marinated in this AWESOME spicy mix of something or other and they sell the bottle of it and you can read the ingredients and fat/calories etc before buying the chicken breasts. We threw them on the grill, paired them with a gorgonzola, cranberry, walnut and mixed green vinaigrette salad, yum!!

I love buying the pre-marinated stuff as long as I know what''s in it. Also we buy ready-made salads and similar at Whole Foods. I also like getting things like asparagus or squash and just sauteeing it with some olive oil or BALSAMIC and asparagus is very good sauteed together wtih a bit of olive oil too.

 

[fire&ice]

Yeah, I love balasmic vinegar. That''s my drug of choice for salad dressing. I marinate chicken breats in 1/2 regular ole kraft thick bbq sauce & 1/2 bals. vinegar. Same with a little garlic olive oil & balsamic ving.

Also, are nuts are a no no with no gallbladder? If not, walnuts have the omega fatty acid that some fish do. They are great in stir fry chix. breast & mushrooms.

 

[curlygirl]

Hi Libster! Sorry you''ve had to go through all of this, my mom had her gallbladder removed after suffering for a long time and feels soooo much better now. I think eventually you can go back to eating more "normally" but this is a great way to learn to eat healthier.

My fiance was a vegetarian for 5 years, until he started dating me! But he still eats lots of vegetarian things and has turned me on to a few items that I really like. Since you mentioned pizza, we often make our own pizza but instead of using regular cheese, we use soy cheese. I know, it sounds gross and I was totally against it since I can eat cheese for every meal, but it''s really not bad at all!! They sell shredded soy mozzarella and you wouldn''t know the difference. We usually buy one of those Boboli things, but I guess you can make your own crust. Then we put olive oil on it, then sauce, oregano, garlic, the shredded soy cheese and then my new favorite thing...fake sausage! Yes, it seems like a sacrilege but this stuff is delicious. It''s called Gimme Lean and it looks like that cookie dough stuff that you just cut up. I mean, that''s how it''s packaged! We take that, put it in a pan with some olive oil and saute until it''s brown. It looks just like ground beef or sausage and it''s DELICIOUS and healthy--fat free and cholesterol free. Put that on top of the cheese, pop it in the oven and the next thing you know, healthy sausage pizza!

We also make a lot of chicken burgers using ground chicken. It''s really tasty. And chicken fajitas are also a fun and fairly easy and healthy meal to make. Also, sometimes a big spinach salad with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, balsamic vinegar and olive oil as dressing, and sprinkled with some of that fake shredded mozzarella makes a great meal!

 

[Libster]

Thanks for all the receipes and wonderful ideas!! I''m eating great, less fat, and feeling so much better

Rube - I love eggplant and will definitely give this a try!

Jorman - Lasagna is my all time favorite and I didn''t have a low fat version, and now thanks to you, I do!!! It sounds so yummy, too!!

Pattysk8tergirl - Thanks for the website, will give it a go!

Lop - I didn''t think of the AHA, thank you! You are so right about being careful of the sugar

I''ve been reading every label before anything goes into the cart to make sure I''m not trading one thing for another!

F&I - I''m living off chicken and am looking for different ways to make it taste yummy. I tried low fat mozzarella and it didn''t bother me, so I may have to give your receipe a try...sounds great. Unfortunately I''ve had trouble with nuts and am not able to eat them.....yet

Mara - I''ve actually never been to a Whole Foods, even though we have them nearby. I''m a creature of habit and head to the same old store week after week. Guess I should shake things up a bit, and check out Whole Foods?! As much as I love salad, I have had trouble with lettuce in any form for the past couple of years. I''m hoping the gallbladder removal will help with this, but not ready to try just yet. Apparantly some people have trouble with food after the gallbladder is out and others can eat anything and everything

 

[Libster]

Date: 8/17/2005 11:56:13 AM
Author: curlygirl
Hi Libster! Sorry you''ve had to go through all of this, my mom had her gallbladder removed after suffering for a long time and feels soooo much better now. I think eventually you can go back to eating more ''normally'' but this is a great way to learn to eat healthier.

My fiance was a vegetarian for 5 years, until he started dating me! But he still eats lots of vegetarian things and has turned me on to a few items that I really like. Since you mentioned pizza, we often make our own pizza but instead of using regular cheese, we use soy cheese. I know, it sounds gross and I was totally against it since I can eat cheese for every meal, but it''s really not bad at all!! They sell shredded soy mozzarella and you wouldn''t know the difference. We usually buy one of those Boboli things, but I guess you can make your own crust. Then we put olive oil on it, then sauce, oregano, garlic, the shredded soy cheese and then my new favorite thing...fake sausage! Yes, it seems like a sacrilege but this stuff is delicious. It''s called Gimme Lean and it looks like that cookie dough stuff that you just cut up. I mean, that''s how it''s packaged! We take that, put it in a pan with some olive oil and saute until it''s brown. It looks just like ground beef or sausage and it''s DELICIOUS and healthy--fat free and cholesterol free. Put that on top of the cheese, pop it in the oven and the next thing you know, healthy sausage pizza!

We also make a lot of chicken burgers using ground chicken. It''s really tasty. And chicken fajitas are also a fun and fairly easy and healthy meal to make. Also, sometimes a big spinach salad with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, balsamic vinegar and olive oil as dressing, and sprinkled with some of that fake shredded mozzarella makes a great meal!

Soy Cheese??? I may have to try that. What do you mean by "fake sausage"? Is it in the freezer section where all the vegetarian burger stuff is? It sounds intersting and I''ll try anything once...LOL

 

[Mara]

OH and for a dessert, try the Toffuti Cutie''s...they are SO GOOD!! They are lowfat, made with no dairy, tofu instead I think. I got the wild berry one and it was yummo! They are ice cream sandwiches, and small too so perfect for a light quick snack/dessert. The ''ice cream'' tastes VERY good!

 

[curlygirl]

Hi Libster! Sorry, I was away so I''m just getting back to you. The "fake sausage" is actually made from soy. You can find it in the refrigerated section. It''s packaged like those rolls of cookie dough--like a cylindrical tube shape. You can cut it up and fry it in a pan like sausage patties or you can scoop it out and "scramble" it in a pan to make it more like ground meat. I''m telling you, I am a meat lover but this stuff tastes pretty darn good--you really wouldn''t know the difference! And the soy cheeses will surprise you. Some of them are kind of like plastic, like the pre-packaged American cheese slices. But if you check in the deli section of your supermarket where they have better cheeses, there is probably a good selection of tastier ones. We always get this smoked gouda and it is just yummy! And the soy mozzarella is really good too--comes already shredded. And I agree with Mara, the Tofutti Cuties for dessert are delicious. They are these tiny ice cream sandwiches except they are made with soy instead of dairy. The mint chocolate chip ones are so good! I was amazed at how good they can make these things taste, and soy is really good for women too. Give it a shot!