When you peruse cookbooks and magazines featuring low-calorie recipes, many call for unusual ingredients and extensive preparation. With job, family and social obligations, these recipes are not always practical or budget-friendly. Keep healthy, cheap ingredients on hand such as chicken breast, pork tenderloin, eggs, brown rice, canned beans, pasta, pre-cut fresh or frozen vegetables, onions, garlic, plant oils and soy sauce, so you can always prepare a quick, healthy meal.
Eggs
Eggs cost little per serving and provide protein, vitamin E, lutein and choline. Use eggs to make a quick potato frittata. Slice and a peel russet potato thinly and sauté in a hot pan coated with olive oil with ½ cup of sliced red onion. Beat together 4 eggs with black pepper, salt and a splash of milk. When potatoes are soft -- about 7 minutes -- top with the egg mixture and place the entire pan into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes, or until set. Serve with steamed veggies or a green salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. If you are really short on time, cook two eggs, sunny-side up, in a pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Serve over brown rice with a ½ cup of salsa, which counts as a serving of vegetables, and slices of avocado which provide healthy, unsaturated fats.
Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a lean source of protein that cost between $3 and $4 per pound. Purchase tenders or thin cutlets for quick-cooking. For an Asian-flavored meal, marinate chicken tenders in equal amounts soy sauce and lime juice with minced garlic -- let them sit for 10 minutes up to several hours. Heat a pan over high heat and coat with a small amount of olive oil. Sear the chicken on both sides and then finish cooking in a 350 degree F oven until cooked through -- about 7 to 10 minutes. Serve with brown rice and baby spinach wilted in a pan with olive oil and garlic. Feta is a salty, Greek cheese that is relatively low in calorie and high in flavor. Season raw chicken cutlets with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and a sprinkling of oregano. Top with ½ oz. of crumbled feta cheese and place in a 350 F degree oven for 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve with microwave-steamed green beans and orzo, a tiny pasta.
Pork
Pork tenderloin contains just 40 calories per ounce and provides thiamine, vitamin B6, niacin and phosphorus. It cooks up quickly, costs less per pound than beef tenderloin and most fresh fish, and can be flavored in many different ways. Slice 8 oz. of tenderloin into four rounds and place between two pieces of plastic wrap to pound into thin cutlets, about ½-inch thick. Season with chili powder, cumin and salt. Saute in a pan coated with 1 tbsp. of olive oil until brown on each side. Serve with brown rice, canned black beans heated with garlic and cumin and a romaine salad with tomato, avocado and balsamic dressing. You can also dice a pork tenderloin into 1-inch chunks and brown in a small amount of olive oil with ¼ cup diced carrots, ¼ cup minced red onion and 1 tbsp. minced garlic. Add a can of diced tomato and Italian seasoning to taste. Serve over whole wheat spaghetti with steamed broccoli.
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