Bring on the Meat!

I love to cook meat in a healthy way.  My family is made up of meat eaters and so they aren't crazy about meatless dishes all the time.  Here are some ways to prepare meat in a healthy way...

A New-fangled Meatloaf

2 TBL olive oil

2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

¾ cup of onion, chopped

2 pounds of lean, ground turkey

½ cup each quick cooking rolled oats and fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 cup fat free milk

2 egg whites

1 TBL salt free ketchup

1 clove of garlic, minced

¾ Tsp marjoram

½ Tsp each of sage and black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute apples and onion in the olive oil.   Cook over medium heat until onions are tender.  Cool.

Mix this with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well.

Spray a loaf pan with olive oil.  Pat mixture into pan.  Spread extra ketchup on the top if you wish (my kids love this).  Bake an hour or until no longer pink in center.  Pour off extra liquid.  Serve.

Crock Pot Turkey Stew

3 cups peeled and cubed red potatoes

1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms

2 cups baby carrots

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup celery, sliced

2 pounds cubed, lean turkey breast

1 TBL each thyme, basil, black pepper, tomato paste

2 TBL flour

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup low sodium/low fat chicken broth

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Put 1^st 6 ingredients into a greased crock pot.  Add thyme, basil and pepper.

Coat turkey cubes with flour.  Put over vegetables and spices. 

Mix wine, broth, tomato paste together and pour over turkey.  Add parsley.

Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.  During last hour, stir once or twice. 

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pork Roast

1 boneless pork loin roast, sliced into large pieces (for stacking)

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 Tsp red wine vinegar

¾ Tsp thyme

½ Tsp sage

¾ cup reduced sodium/fat beef stock

¾ cup unsweetened apple juice

¼ cup low sugar orange marmalade

1.5 cup of peeled, chopped, Granny Smith apples

1 TBL fat free sour cream

1 TBL flour

Cut slits into the pieces of loin roast and insert garlic slices.

Mix vinegar, thyme and sage into a small bowl.  Use a pastry brush to coat the roast.  Place in a greased crock pot.

Warm the broth, apple juice and marmalade in a saucepan over medium-high heat until marmalade melts.  Pour over roast.  Arrange apples around roast. 

Cover and cook on low for up to 8 hours. 

Take ½ cup meat juices.  Remove rest of juice and apples and put into medium saucepan.

Take ½ cup meat juice and whisk with sour cream.  Add flour and mix again. 

Boil pan juice and apples and whisk in juice/sour cream mixture.  Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thick.  Serve this gravy over the roast.

Pecan Oven Fried Chicken

1 and ½ cups fat free buttermilk (or low fat)

1 TBL garlic, minced

2 Tsp grated fresh ginger

1 Tsp cumin

1 pound of chicken, skinned and cut into large pieces

½ dry, unseasoned, homemade bread crumbs

¼ cup unsalted pecans, finely ground

In sealable plastic bag, combine first 5 ingredients.  Shake to coat and refrigerate about 8 hours.  Turn occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In flat dish, combine bread crumbs and pecans.  Take chicken from marinade and coat with crumb/pecan mixture.  Place on foil lined baking pan.  Discard marinade.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes then turn oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 15-20 more minutes until meat is no longer pink.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

1 cup flour

½ Tsp ground black pepper

1 pound lean stew beef, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 TBL olive oil

1 cup dry red wine

1 cup each onion (chopped), carrots (sliced) and cubed, peeled, red potatoes

2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ Tsp thyme

15 oz. low sodium/low fat beef stock

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1  cup fresh green beans

2 TBL flour

In bowl, combine flour and pepper.  Add beef and toss to coat with flour/pepper.  Shake off excess.

Grease crock pot.  Coat  all vegetables with garlic and thyme.  Put in bottom of crock pot. 

In bowl, combine 2 TBL flour and broth.  Whisk together.  Add wine.  Whisk again.  Pour over vegetables. 

Take coated beef and place in a saucepan with 1 TBL olive oil.  Brown until flour has cooked on beef.

Put beef and drippings into crock with other ingredients.

Cook on low around 6 hours.  Stir 1-2 times during cooking time.

Stuffed Pork Chops

1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half

4 center cut pork chops; fat trimmed off- slit down the middle

½ Tsp each black pepper and paprika

1 TBL olive oil

¼ cup orange marmalade

14 oz. fat free/low sodium chicken broth

½ cup finely diced green onion

2 TBL orange zest

¼ cup orange juice

1 cup uncooked white rice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Rub garlic all over chops.  Discard garlic.  Mix pepper and paprika.  Rub over chops.

In a skillet with olive oil, braze chops for a couple seconds per side and put in a greased baking pan.

In a saucepan, bring broth to a boil.  Add onion, orange zest and orange marmalade.  When marmalade dissolves, add orange juice and rice.  Cover.  Lightly boil until rice begins to soften up and much of the liquid has soaked up.

Put rice into the slit of each pork chop.  Cover and bake in baking dish for 25 minutes; making sure liquid from the rice is poured over chops and rice. 

Homemade Meatballs

1 pound lean ground turkey

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 TBL fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tsp garlic, minced

2 large egg whites, beaten until frothy

½ Tsp each oregano, basil and pepper

Mix above ingredients with moistened hands.  Roll into 1 inch balls.  Take large skillet with 2 TBL olive oil and put about 8 meatballs in at a time.  Cook over medium heat, covering the pan  and turning meatballs as each side begins to cook.  Carefully turn to not break up meatballs.

Store in freezer until ready to use.

Momma’s Lasagna

15 oz. low fat or fat free ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

3 TBL garlic

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Mix above ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Boil 9-12 lasagna noodles in a large cooking pot. 

1 pound of ground, lean turkey

3 cups baby leaf spinach

1 cup chopped orange bell pepper

½ cup chopped green onion

1 cup chopped fresh mushroom

1 TBL each oregano, sage, pepper and Italian seasoning

*My homemade spaghetti sauce (or low sodium sauce)

½ cup mozzarella cheese

In large , high sided skillet, put 2 TBL olive oil and cook turkey, vegetables and spices.  If you use lean meat, there will be no extra grease in the pan.  Add spaghetti sauce once meat is no longer pink.  Stir and remove from heat.

Take drained lasagna noodles and lay 3 down in bottom of greased baking dish.  Cover noodles with meat/sauce mixture, then cheese mixture.  Repeat process until top layer has meat/sauce mixture on top.  Sprinkle lightly with ½ cup of mozzarella cheese. 

Put in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Take a piece of foil and bend slightly so it isn’t touching the cheese.  Remove foil 10 minutes before it is done.