The Man's Birthday Steak

Dear Readers,

If you are ever wondering what to make the special guy in your life for his birthday meal, I have the perfect recipe for you. We all know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. This recipe is simple and easy, but the flavor from the meat and herbs are truly rewarding and unforgettable. They will turn your taste buds into amazing flavor fireworks. Next time it is your special loved one's birthday...this will be your go to recipe...Enjoy!!

Serving: 1 man

Ingredients:
1 1-1.25 NY Strip Steak, Organic, no antibiotics (1.5-2 inches thick)
1 heaping tbsp fresh garlic (minced-do not use jared)
1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
1 tsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
6 black pepper corns
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste



Directions:

1- In a medium sized zip lock bag place the meat, olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper corns. Massage the meat well so it is evenly coated with the ingredients. Place in refrigerator for 4 hours.
2- After 4 hours, take the meat out of the refrigerator and keep at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4- Sprinkle each side of the steak with salt and fresh ground pepper. Place the steak on a grill at medium high heat. Cook one side for 2 minutes and then flip to the other side cooking for another 2 minutes. You will get nice grill marks and a golden crust.
5- Put the steak in a oven safe pan and put it into the oven for 12 minutes. Your steak will be cooked at medium. Increase or decrease the cooking time depending on how you like your meat done. Use 12 minutes as your guide to work from medium cooked steak. Remember the steak I cooked is 1.5 inches thick.
6- Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Puffed Apple Tart

Dear Readers,

Tonight I wanted to make a dessert that was easy to put together in minutes. Adding any fruit to puffed pastry is really simple and looks like you spent a lot of money at the bakery. If you are hosting a dinner or going to someones house try and make this recipe. You will impress everyone while spending little time and money.

Ingredients:

2 gala apples (wash, dry, keep skin on, cut into slivers:not paper thin)
1 sheet puffed pastry (thawed)
1/4 cup flour (used to roll out the pastry)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 tsp non dairy butter spread Earth Balance
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1/4 tsp sugar

Directions:

1-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2- In a bowl add the sliced apples, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Toss well so all the apples are coated with the ingredients.
3-Place in a baking dish and add take 1 tsp of Earth Balance and sprinkle it in little pieces over the top. Cook for 30 minutes. When done set aside.
4-After the apples are partially cooked raise the oven to 400 degrees.
5-Roll out the puff pastry with flour on the bottom to prevent sticking. I roll each direction of the pastry 10 times to help it increase in size. Be careful not to roll it out too thin.
6- With a fork poke holes around the pastry to help steam escape while baking.
7-Place the puff pastry on parchment paper on top of a baking sheet. Add the cooked apple mixture in the center of the pastry. Add the remaining Earth Balance and sprinkle it into little pieces over the top. This is optional. Fold over the edges of the puff pastry.
8-Make an egg wash which is a beaten egg and water. With a pastry brush, lightly brush the egg wash on the top of the puff pastry. This will help with browning. On top of the egg wash sprinkle with sugar.
9-Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the top is puffed and golden. Enjoy!

You can always sprinkle the Puffed Apple Tart with powder sugar and add fresh berries. Also, serve with vanilla ice cream if you wish to.

Chicken Meatloaf

Dear Readers,

Every now and then I really enjoy a comforting meal. Meatloaf is one of my favorite dishes however it can be loaded with a lot of saturated fat. I swapped out the traditional beef and added chicken or even turkey. I added more veggies into the meatloaf and relied on fresh herbs to give it a great comforting taste. I hope you enjoy my recipe for chicken meatloaf.


Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp of each, chopped: thyme, rosemary
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 egg whites
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 lb. ground chicken meat
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
½ C canned tomatoes, crushed or chopped


Directions:

Heat oil, add the onions, celery, zucchini, and garlic and cook until softened until caramelized (about 5 minutes). Add a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Stir and remove from heat and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cool the vegetable mixture, add the egg white, mustard, ketchup, worcesteshire, and water, and herbs then mix until combined.

Add breadcrumbs, ground meat, pinch of salt and pepper and mix only until incorporated. Transfer to loaf pan and form.Place one bay leaf onto of the loaf and then pour the tomato mixture over the top and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Italian Breaded Pork Chops

Dear Readers,

If you are looking to find another way to make pork chops that are not fried or loaded with oil, you will like my recipe. I do not add oil and the flavor comes from the fresh thyme. These pork chops are baked not fried in oil.


Ingredients:
4 center cut pork chops (bone in, washed and dried)
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
8 stems fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2- In a small bowl crack the egg, whisk and then add the water. Whisk to make sure the water and egg is well incorporated. Pour this mixture onto a plate.
3- On a second plate add the bread crumbs.
4- Place each pork chop in the egg mixture and then in the bread crumbs. Each pork chop should be lightly coated, not dredged with breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess crumbs. Place in a baking dish.
5- Sprinkle each pork chop with salt and fresh ground pepper. On top of each pork chop place 2 fresh thyme stems.
6- Place the baking dish into the oven without a cover. Cook for 45 minutes. Let the cooked pork chops rest for 5 minutes before you serve. Enjoy!

Blueberry Scones

Dear Readers,

A few years ago I had an internship at Johnson & Johnson. I began my own weight loss group at the wellness center called Lean with Lisa. My goal was to take a high calorie recipe and make it healthier by lowering the fat, sugar, and salt. Many people in my group enjoyed baked items so I decided to come up with my own version of a scone. I hope you enjoy my recipe and see that baked items do not have to be loaded with fat and sugar.



Blueberry Scones
By: Lisa Puorro
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup fit n light vanilla yogurt
1 cup whole wheat flour 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp salt 1 cup fresh blueberries
2 tbsp splenda for baking


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Procedure:
Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the yogurt and water. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries and lemon zest into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Yields 8 scones.

Skinny Chicken Parmesan

Dear Readers,

One of my all time favorite dishes is chicken parmesan. In the traditional way in which it is made, the dish tends to be loaded with calories as a result of frying and using whole fat cheese. I took this classic dish and gave it my own twist to cut down the calories. I do not want to take out the desired taste of the dish but I did prepare it a different way. Making dishes a bit healthier doesn't mean you have to take out the flavor. It is choosing different ways of preparing it and also by adding fresh ingredients. You will enjoy this recipe and will not even know it was prepared in a healthy way. Enjoy!!



Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients
2 cloves fresh garlic
10 large fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large cans of crushed tomatoes ( I use organic Muir Glen)
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Panko original crumbs
½ cup locatelli grated cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 oz. part skim mozzarella
1 large egg
1 tablespoon of water
6 (4oz) portions of skinless chicken

Preparation
Set the oven at 350 ° to heat while preparing the recipe.Take the garlic cloves and mince into very fine pieces, place into a small bowl and set aside. Clean the basil leaves and cut them into small pieces. Make sure you keep 6 basil leaves untouched for later use. Set aside the chopped basil leaves in another small bowl. In a large ziplock bag, pour in the Italian breadcrumbs, Panko crumbs, and locatelli grated cheese, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper and then set the bag aside. In a second large ziplock bag, pour in beaten eggs, water, and a small pinch of salt and pepper, then set aside. Clean the skinless chicken in cold water and trim off any additional fat and silver skin. Set on paper towels to dry. Make sure the chicken pieces are ¾ inch thick. Cut the block of mozzarella into thin pieces about an 1/8 of an inch. This ends up to 6 pieces (1 oz each).

Instruction for the marinara sauce
In a medium saucepan, turn the heat on low and put in 1 tablespoon olive oil and garlic. Cook for 10 seconds and add the crushed tomatoes and salt. Turn the heat on medium-low, add the basil, and then cook the tomato sauce for 15 minutes.


Instructions for the chicken
Take the clean chicken and place into the ziplock bag with the egg mixture. Shake very well until the chicken pieces are well coated. Then take the chicken pieces(make sure remove any extra egg drippings) and place them in the ziplock bag with the breadcrumb mixture. Shake very well until all the pieces are lightly coated. I

Place the breaded chicken pieces on a baking dish that was lightly coated with Pam cooking spray. Cook for 10 minutes and then turn each piece. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Take the baking dish out and add 2 tablespoons of the marinara sauce on each piece. Then place a slice of cheese on top. Place the baking dish in the oven for an additional 10 minutes, When this cooking time concludes you can always place the baking dish under the broiler for 2 minutes to brown the melted cheese. Garnish with the fresh basil leaves and serve.


**Tip Fat Free Cheese will not melt as well as part skim mozzarella. **

** If you follow my exact cooking times..your chicken will end up tender and juicy.. You do not need to fry the chicken ** My method works great and no oil is used to cook the chicken. **

Eating Out Food Choices

Dear Readers,

Going out to dinner this weekend? Here is a guide to help you pick better choices. Going out to dinner and eating well can go hand and hand. So don't stress...



Eating Out Food Choices


Choose Avoid

Breakfast (Diner) Spinach & feta cheese omelette Home fries
Wheat toast Muffins
Oatmeal Pancakes
Fruit platter Eggs benedict

Mexican Chicken fajitas Taco salad
Grilled chicken w/ salsa and beans Enchiladas

Sushi California roll Tempura
Edamame
Yakitori (chicken skewers)

BBQ Peel N Eat Shrimp Ribs
Grilled chicken Hushpuppies

Steakhouse Vegetables (steamed) Potatoes any kind
Filet mignon Porterhouse
London broil Rib eye
Prime Rib

Seafood Manhattan clam chowder New England clam chowder
Shrimp cocktail Crab cakes
Grilled salmon, tuna, shrimp Swordfish
Cioppina (fish stew) Tartar sauce
Popcorn shrimp

Chinese Egg drop soup Anything seasame, orange, general tso’s
Hot and sour soup Anything sweet and sour
Steamed shrimp w/ veges Lo mein
Brown rice (1/2 cup) White rice
Steamed fish Peking Duck
Steamed chicken

Restaurant food choices Eat this

Applebees Grilled Cajun Lime Tilapia w/ black beans and corn salsa (310 calories)
Teriyaki steak and shrimp skewers (370 calories)
Side of steamed vegetables (broccoli or mixed)

Blimpie Grilled Chicken Sub 6” (456 calories)
Turkey sub no/cheese 6” (350 calories)

Bob Evans 3 Scrambled Egg Beaters Eggs 2 slices bacon, and fresh fruit (314 calories)

Burger King Whopper Jr. w/o mayo and cheese, garden salad (365 calories)
Tendergrill chicken garden salad w/ Ken’s light Italian dressing (360 calories)

Chilis Sizzle & Spice Firecracker Tilapia w/ mushrooms and steamed broccoli (470
Calories)
Chicken Fajita Pita (450 calories)
Old timer burger no cheese whole wheat bun (470 calories)

Denny’s Veggie cheese omelette made with egg beaters (346 calories)

McDonald’s Quarter pounder w/o cheese (410 calories)
Asian Salad w/ grilled chicken and Newman’s low-fat seasame ginger dressing
(180 calories)

Olive Garden Linguine alla Marinara (600 calories)
Chicken Giardino (448 calories)
Shrimp Primavera (706 calories)

Outback Steakhouse Victoria Filet (9oz.) w/ steamed veggies (639 calories)
Half an Order of Shrimp on the Barbie w/ bread (33 calories)

Red Lobster Live Main Lobster (1.25 lbs) w/ cocktail sauce and seasoned broccoli (288
calories)
Garlic grilled jumbo shrimp w/ lemon juice and a baked potato with pico de
Gallo (329 calories)
Broiled flounder w/ lemon juice and a garden salad w/ red wine vinaigrette
(344 calories)