Low Calorie

Farro and Shrimp with Parmesan and Feta

Leah Short — Sat, 25 Aug 2018 14:46:03 +0000

Are y’all in love with the Instant Pot as much as I am? When anyone asks me if they should buy one, my answer is always yes! And, if you use it for nothing else other than to make risotto, it’s worth the money. So, why am I talking about risotto? Well, this Farro and Shrimp with Parmesan and Feta reminds me of risotto so much. It’s creamy, decadent, and super fast and easy to make in the Instant Pot. The big difference is that instead of rice, it’s farro.

Farro is a grain that’s really hearty. I was introduced to it a few years ago back when I made this Cheesy Baked Farro (move over mac & cheese!) and one of my all-time favorite dishes on the blog is Farro with Brie and Squash. If you haven’t had farro, start with those recipes and you’ll love it! So, with the combination of hearty farro and basically being like a risotto, I couldn’t get enough of this!

The Old Bay seasoning mixed with just a bit of butter makes the sauce ever so decadent. And, it was my first time cooking and eating Swiss chard! If you haven’t had it, it’s a little more earthier than spinach, but not as delicate. It wilted down, but holds up a bit more. Finally, the saltiness from the Parmesan and feta put this over the top. If you saw me make this on my Instagram stories, you’ll hear me say how this dish could be something served in a restaurant. It’s THAT good!

Yield: 4 servings

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Farro and Shrimp with Parmesan and Feta

Ingredients:

14.5 oz. can chicken broth, reduced sodium
1 cup pearled farro, rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 lb. medium frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined, no tail
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tbsp. butter
8 oz. bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

In your Instant Pot, combine the first five ingredients (through pepper). Stir. Lock lid in place. Set Instant Pot to cook for 12 minutes on high pressure. Use a quick release.
Carefully open lid. Stir in Old Bay and frozen shrimp. Stir. Lock lid in place. Set Instant Pot to cook for 1 minute on high pressure. Use a quick release.
Carefully open lid. Add Parmesan, butter, and Swiss chard. Stir until chard is wilted. Add lemon juice and feta. Stir and serve.

per serving: 364 calories, 8g fat (4g sat fat), 203 mg cholesterol, 1,351 mg sodium, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 2g sugars, 35g protein

Better Homes & Gardens, Fast or Slow

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Salmon Burgers with Slaw

Leah Short — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 14:22:57 +0000

If you’re looking for a quick, but super tasty dinner, you’re going to love this recipe. I couldn’t wait to make these Salmon Burgers with Slaw. Super easy and super fast! Canned salmon and bagged slaw make this a cinch to put on the table in no time.

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Grab & Go Breakfast Wraps

Leah Short — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 01:12:21 +0000

These days I’m all into meal planning and prepping. The weekend (especially Sunday) is my time to get everything together so I can do as little as possible when it comes to meals during the week. I get up super early for work and the last thing I’m going to do is get up even earlier to cook. Enter Grab & Go Breakfast Wraps. I can make five of these for the work week on Sunday and I literally grab and go. Seconds devoted to getting breakfast together.

This wrap is pretty simple, but what I like is you can change the meat and cheese if you want more variety. I tend to eat the same thing through the week, but by the next week, I like to change things up. My favorite version of this wrap is a hard-boiled egg with ham, dill havarti, and spinach. That’s it. No condiment, no fancy spread, no frills…but easy!

This is not an original recipe (although I added the spinach and dill havarti) but I can’t remember where the inspiration came from and asking Google was no help. So whoever you are out there, thank you for the hard-boiled egg + ham + cheese inspiration!

Important note: I make these for the entire work week and they pretty much stay tasty through day five. However, you’ll notice the havarti will soften more due to the water content in the ham the older the wrap is. I didn’t mind it, but just a heads up. Other meat / cheese combos may or may not do this.

Yield: 5 wraps

Grab & Go Breakfast Wraps

Ingredients:

5 wheat tortillas (I like La Tortilla Factory)
2 1/2 cups spinach leaves (about 1/2 cup per wrap or the amount you prefer)
5 slices low-sodium ham
5 slices dill havarti
5 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Directions:

1. To make each wrap, layer the tortilla with spinach leaves, overlapping if necessary.

2. Top spinach leaves with a slice of havarti, followed by a slice of ham.

3. Add slices of hard-boiled eggs on top of ham.

4. Roll wrap and secure by wrapping in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for no more than 5 days.

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Fun & Healthy Lunches #2

Leah Short — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 00:34:46 +0000

My first Fun & Healthy Lunches post is one of my most popular posts, so I thought I’d do another one and you can see other options of what I pack for lunch. I’m a big fan of meal prepping, especially for the work week and I’m still using the Rubbermaid Lunch Blox Sandwich Kit. I like how the containers are separate, which comes in handy when you don’t want certain foods to touch each other and it makes them easy to pack.

This second version that I’ve started packing lately definitely satisfies my hunger and keeps my energy up through the rest of the work day. I tried to lower the carbs by making half sandwiches, yet still kept my craving for crunch under control with a few Pop Chips and nuts.

I packed two flavors of cheese sticks (colby jack & pepper jack), a hard-boiled egg for more protein, mixed fruit, and half of a Lärabar. It doesn’t look like a lot of food, but I will usually save the fruit and Lärabar for later on in the day because I get full at lunch. Both satisfy my sweet tooth!

I like to keep my lunch around 400 calories. Of course it will vary depending on the ingredients used. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you see in the pictures and their estimated calories. I try not to get caught up in every single calorie because it can be mind-numbing to calculate those bites of mixed fruit or six almonds. The calculations below are estimates of amounts and calories. Numbers will vary based on amounts, types, and brands of items used.

1/2 sandwich – 77 calories (Healthy Life wheat bread, 1 oz. Boar’s Head low sodium turkey, 1 tsp. Hellmann’s Light Mayo)
1 hard-boiled egg – 78 calories
1/2 stick reduced fat colby jack Sargento cheese stick – 30 calories
1/2 stick pepper jack Sargento cheese stick – 40 calories
4 cheddar & sour cream potato Pop Chips – 22 calories
6 Emerald dry roasted almonds – 40 calories
1/2 Lärabar (pictured are Blueberry Muffin & Pecan Pie) – 100 calories

Feel free to make your lunch even healthier by subbing veggies like carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower for some of the cheese, chips, or Lärabar. For more ideas, see my first Fun & Healthy lunches post.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with any of the products listed in this post. This post is my personal opinion and I was not compensated to write it. This post contains an affiliate link.

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Chili-Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Rice and Snap Peas

Leah Short — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 21:09:33 +0000

Meals that come together quickly, but bring so much flavor are winners in my book. This Chili-Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Rice and Snap Peas takes under 30 minutes to make! The bonus with this recipe is that you make more shrimp than you need and you can freeze the rest to make this dish again or use in other dishes. This shrimp recipe is one of the best I’ve ever made. It’s spicy from chile paste and sweet from a touch of brown sugar. I could just eat a big bowl of the shrimp by itself!

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Rosemary Parmesan Polenta

Leah Short — Wed, 20 May 2015 13:21:32 +0000

Look at that simple bowl of polenta. Unassuming, nothing fancy, but oh how your eyes can deceive you! This Rosemary Parmesan Polenta is one of those dishes that I want to faceplant in and eat my way out. Yes, to all zee carbzzz! I served this with the Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout and together…sweet, sweet harmony. Plus they don’t blow our your calorie budget. You can have both!

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Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout

Leah Short — Mon, 11 May 2015 23:12:27 +0000

Posts have been a little scarce around here lately, but for good reason. So, How’s It Taste had a little behind-the-scenes makeover and you should notice how much faster the site is! It’s lightning fast thanks to moving to a new hosting company. More changes are coming soon…but until then, let’s talk about this Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout. You won’t believe the flavor in this, and all under 300 calories per serving. One recipe makes four large servings and wait until you see what I serve with it.

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Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas

Leah Short — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 16:01:35 +0000

Quesadillas are one of those foods that I love, but rarely make at home. Why? Because I stink at getting them restaurant crispy. The skillet method never worked for me. They’d get a little brown or my pan wouldn’t be hot enough and they’d soak up all the oil or butter…and no one wants a soggy quesadilla. Enter Crispy Vegetable Quesadillas and my life has been changed forever. They are seriously crispy and it’s one of those “d’oh, why didn’t I think of that” moments. Use your broiler! Also, there’s quinoa inside and it works. Quinoa…in a quesadilla.

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Lemony Orzo Salad with Chicken

Leah Short — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 16:23:00 +0000

It’s two days from officially being spring. Two days! I’ve never been so excited for winter to be over. I’m starting to crave lighter foods like this amazing Lemony Orzo Salad with Chicken. Not only is it light as in the opposite of a rich, heavy meal, it’s also light as in low calorie. You know I love me some super tasty low calorie eats! This salad is really quick and easy to prepare. It’s mixed with a tangy lemon dressing and tossed with rotisserie chicken, cucumbers, green onions, fresh dill, and goat cheese. I’ve been eating it for lunch all week with no complaints!

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Clean Slate: Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Kale, & Ginger

Leah Short — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 18:47:38 +0000

Oh if there’s ever been the perfect time for this soup. I’ve been stuck in my house since last Sunday thanks to an unreal ice storm plus snow in Nashville. I can finally see parts of my driveway peeking through the ice as it melts more and more. With temps below freezing, all I want is soup. Y’all know my love for odd flavor combinations, so I had to try this Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Kale, and Ginger from the Clean Slate cookbook. Yep, it’s not only a big bowl of comfort, but it’s good for you!

So, how’s it taste?

I was really curious about how almond butter would work in a soup. I’ve had it mixed with savory before in this sandwich, but I couldn’t imagine how it would work in broth. It makes it incredible! The almond butter with the ginger makes this soup phenomenal! The original recipe in Clean Slate called for collard greens, but I subbed kale. Kale really stood up to the soup and didn’t get mushy. I had leftovers from the fridge and froze some as well, and both times the soup was just as good as when I first made it. I loved the texture of the smooth broth with the chunks of chicken and sweet potato. The squeeze of lime at the end brightens the dish. I can’t wait to make this one again!

The dishes you see in the pictures above are part of the Martha Stewart Collection white dishware available exclusively at Macy’s. Fantastic dishware for everyday use, plus they’re dishwasher and microwave safe!

Yield: 4 servings

Almond Chicken Soup with Sweet Potato, Kale, & Ginger

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken stock
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and finely chopped
8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup smooth almond butter
1 cup chopped, trimmed kale leaves (or collard green leaves)
2 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Combine stock, onion, garlic, and sweet potato in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and add the chicken; cover and simmer 20 minutes.

2. In a bowl, whisk together almond butter and 1/2 cup of hot broth into a thick paste.

3. Add kale (or collard) and ginger to soup; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in almond butter paste. Season with salt and pepper. Serve soup immediately with lime wedges.

per serving: 348 calories, 21g fat, 17g carbs, 26g protein, 3g fiber

*Nutrition based on using collards, not kale.

Source: Clean Slate by the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Disclosure: I received a copy of Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide: Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body, and Feel Your Best and the Martha Stewart Collection white dishware at no cost. All opinions expressed here are solely my own, as always. This post contains affiliate links.

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