Low fat/organic grilled cheese photo courtesy of GalaxyFoods.com

One of my all-time favorite foods is Grilled Cheese. Even though it’s warm, I especially love it in summer. I’ve found a great way to still enjoy grilled cheese and cut out most of the calories and fat! Here is how it breaks down:

Regular grilled cheese sandwich: (2 slices of American cheese, 2 slices of wheat bread, cooked with tablespoon of butter)

• Calories= 372
• Grams of fat=23.5

Low Fat Grilled Cheese (replace the regular American cheese with Galaxy Rice Cheese (american or cheddar) and use non-fat butter flavored cooking spray. You can find rice cheese in almost any supermarket these days. Just look in their vegetarian/organic section.

• Calories=210
• Grams of fat= 7

Just by making that simple switch, we saved 160 calories and 16.5 grams of fat in one meal! Imagine the calories and fat grams we could save at each meal by making simple changes.

The reason that Pumpkin Powder seems to work so well for Insomnia is because it contains Tryptophan, which is the same ingredient found in turkey that makes so many of us sleepy after our big Thanksgiving Meal. Doctor Oz’s Pumpkin Seed Powder Smoothie was made by combining 1/2 cup of Pumpkin Seed Powder, 1/2 cup of low fat milk (or water), and honey to taste. Mix these ingredients in a blender until smooth and enjoy.

Sweet Dreams!

Raspberry Cheesecake courtesy of Fiona Haynes

If you love cheesecake but hate the fat and calories, then these portion-controlled lower-fat raspberry cheesecakes should fit the bill. Plus, they’re quick and easy to make. I use tub cream cheese rather than blocks because the cream cheese is nice and soft.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 12 individual mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• 12 reduced-fat vanilla wafers (optional)
• 1 8-ounce tub fat-free cream cheese
• 1 8-ounce tub 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup raspberries, plus extra for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper or foil cups. Drop one vanilla wafer into bottom of each muffin cup (if using)

Place cream cheeses in a medium bowl with sugar and cornstarch. Beat on low speed with an electric mixer. Add egg and egg white and mix for 1 minute. Add vanilla extract.

Mash raspberries with a fork, and push mashed fruit through a sieve into cream cheese mixture. Stir well.

Fill muffins cups two-thirds full with cream cheese mixture.

Bake 15-18 minutes until set around the edges and barely soft in the middle.

Top each cheesecake with a raspberry if desired.

Cool, then remove from pan and chill until ready to serve

Per cheesecake with wafer: Calories 126, Calories from Fat 42, Total Fat 4.7g (sat 2.5g), Cholesterol 33mg, Sodium 212mg, Carbohydrate 15.8g, Fiber 0.8g, Protein 5.2g

Per cheesecake (without wafer): Calories 110, Calories from Fat 37, Total Fat 4.2g (sat fat 2.4g), Cholesterol 31mg, Sodium 201mg, Carbohydrate 13.2g, Fiber 0.7g, Protein 5g

(Recipe originally posted on About.com)

* 1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey ( I prefer to use the 83% fat free which changes the calorie information below slightly)

* 1 slice wholewheat bread, made into crumbs

* 1/4 cup fat freemilk

* 1 egg white

* 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

* 1/2 tsp dried oregano

* ground black pepper

* 2 tsp olive oil

* 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

* 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti

Preparation:

Place ground turkey in a bowl with bread crumbs, milk, egg white, cheese, oregano and pepper. Combine thoroughly. Without handling the meat too roughly, shape the mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add meatballs and cook over a medium heat until meat is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add tomatoes; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Cook spaghetti according to instructions on package. While the spaghetti is cooking, uncover the skillet with the meatballs and tomatoes, and continue to simmer until the pot of spaghetti is ready.

Serves 4.

Per Serving: Calories 259 Calories from Fat 52, Total Fat 5.7g (sat 1.8), Cholesterol 16mg, Sodium 455mg, Carbohydrate 33.8g, Sodium 6.9g, Protein 18g

 Serves 4; Cook Time: 30 minutes

 Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 stick of celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 pound 99% fat-free ground turkey
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 tbsp fat-free sour cream or yogurt
• 4 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

 Preparation:

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, celery, chopped pepper and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Crumble the turkey into the pan, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander and oregano. Add in tomatoes and tomato sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, mix well and cook on low heat for a further 5-10 minutes.

Mangia!

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups crisp brown rice cereal

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup chopped dried figs

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, peanut butter, maple syrup, canola oil, brown sugar, cinnamon. Stir and cook until mixture just begins to bubble, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, combine oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, peanuts, apricots, figs and salt.

Pour peanut butter mixture over oatmeal mixture and stir gently with a spatula until well combined. Transfer to baking dish, cover with parchment paper and press firmly into dish. Allow to cool completely (will cool faster in the refrigerator). Cut into squares or bars.

Nutrition analysis per serving:

• Calories: 240
• Total fat: 10g
• Saturated fat: 1.5g
• Carbohydrate: 30g
• Protein: 6g
• Sodium: 70mg

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Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

Low Fat Smashed Potatoes!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (4 medium) unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, warmed
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place potatoes in a steamer basket fitted over a large pot of boiling water. Cover and steam for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Add the broth, and coarsely mash the potatoes. Stir in the sour cream and chives. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

This recipe is courtesy of Ellie Krieger of the Food Network.