Category: What I Make

Serves: Many

Ingredients:
1 head Romaine lettuce
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
10 pea pods
English cucumber, to taste (Not pictured, because I was out.)
buttermilk ranch dressing, to taste (The brand I buy has 1g sugar in 2 tablespoons.)
roasted and salted sunflower nuts, to taste (The brand I buy has 1g sugar in 1/4 cup.)

Directions:
Wash vegetables. Peel carrots. Chop vegetables and toss with a small amount of dressing. Sprinkle with sunflower nuts. Have with a glass of water. You can eat this salad at home, or take it on the go. If you do take it with you, pack the dressing and the sunflower seeds separately and add them to the vegetables right before you’re ready to eat so the vegetables and the nuts stay crunchy. Great to take to a potluck, so you know there will be at least one thing you can eat without guilt.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 russet potato
1 box frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and cheese sauce
1 serving sliced deli turkey breast, or any cooked turkey (optional)*

Directions:
Scrub the potato and pat it dry with a paper towel. Poke holes in the potato with a fork. Cook the potato on a paper towel in the microwave for 5 minutes or until the skin has started to shrivel like your fingers in the bathtub. Wrap the potato in aluminum foil. Cook broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and cheese sauce according to package directions. Cut turkey breast into small pieces. When cheesy vegetables are done, measure out one serving (according to nutrition label). Refrigerate leftover cheesy vegetables in an airtight container to have as a side with another meal. Mix turkey breast and cheesy vegetables together. Cut the potato in half and score the inside. Top the potato with the cheesy vegetables and turkey mixture. Have with a glass of water. *If you omitted the meat, have with 1 serving (according to nutrition label) of milk.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 apple, preferably Braeburn
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1-1.5 oz. ham steak*

*I like to use a fully cooked hickory smoked ham steak. According to the package directions, it can be heated up in the microwave in a covered dish with 1/4 cup water for 4 minutes. If your grocery store doesn’t sell that, any cooked ham will work.

Directions:
Wash, peel, and chop apple. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add apple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook until apples are soft, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Heat ham. When it is time to eat, divide the apple mixture into thirds. Put one third on your plate with the ham. Put the other two thirds in two airtight containers and store in the refrigerator. You can heat these up in the microwave later to have as a snack or a side with a different meal. Have the ham and apples with a glass of water.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 package frozen sweet potato fries
¼ lb. lean ground beef (I buy 93% lean/7% fat)
1 tablespoon ketchup
3 tablespoons water
1 hamburger bun. (I buy a brand that is made with an enriched flour because I haven’t found one I like that is made with whole grains.)*
Pickle spear

*Several months after posting this recipe, I did find a hamburger bun I like made with organic whole grain wheat flour. The bun made with enriched flour is pictured.

Directions:
Look to see how many grams of sugar are in the bun and the ketchup to figure out how many fries you can have without going over 10g. For example, the nutrition label on the products I bought said the bun had 3g and the ketchup had 4g. That left 3g for the fries which equaled ½ serving. Preheat oven. Put the amount of fries you can eat on a baking sheet. Bake according to package directions. Break ground beef into small pieces while browning it in a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the ground beef is no longer pink, drain grease from pan, if there is any. Stir in ketchup and water. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid has reduced. Spoon meat onto bun. Serve with fries, pickle spear, and a glass of water.

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
1 box blueberry muffin mix that makes 12 regular size muffins and the ingredients to make it. The one I buy is made with an enriched flour, because I haven’t found one I like that is made with whole grains.
¼ cup 100% orange juice, optional
16 oz. sour cream
1-1 oz. packet ranch dip mix
fresh vegetables, such as: carrots, celery, and cucumbers
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg
1 splash milk
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 brown and serve sausage link, like a frozen brand you can heat in the microwave

Directions:
Combine muffin mix ingredients. Stir in orange juice, if desired. Fill muffin cups and bake according to package directions. If you do add the orange juice, the tops of the muffins will only get golden brown around the edges when baked. Combine sour cream with ranch dip mix. Wash and cut vegetables. In a bowl whisk together egg, milk, salt, and pepper. Microwave butter until melted. Brush some of the butter in a small skillet. Pour the egg mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until eggs are set. Cook sausage according to package directions. Cut a muffin in half and brush with butter. To stay under 10g sugar, I eat the egg, sausage, and veggies with 1 tablespoon of dip and ½ muffin. Have with a glass of water. Store the leftover muffins, dip, and fresh vegetables in the refrigerator. When I want a snack, I have ½ muffin with 1 serving (according to nutrition label) lightly salted cashews and 4 oz. milk. Or, I have the dip with fresh vegetables or crunchy veggie chips made with ingredients such as: potato flour, tomato paste, spinach powder, and beet powder.