Cheap Low-Calorie Dinner Recipes

Saving money while eating healthier, thanks to the EatingWell web site for this one!



Cheap Low-Calorie Dinner Recipes

Save money and slim down with these cheap diet recipes.
If you’re hoping to lose weight and save money, we have just the solution for you with our cheap low-calorie dinner recipes. These budget-friendly diet recipes are perfect for shedding pounds and saving money. Each recipe is less than $3.50 per serving, which is cheaper and healthier than eating out. Try one of our cheap low-calorie dinner recipes tonight for a satisfying and healthy homemade meal.





Butternut Squash & Tomato Posole
Posole is a traditional Mexican stew most often made with pork and hominy (dried corn kernels that have been treated to soften the hull) cooked in a fragrant chile-based sauce. In this quick vegetarian recipe, we rely on the meatiness of pinto beans and butternut squash combined with hand-crushed whole tomatoes to make a satisfying stew....




Smoked Turkey, Kale & Rice Bake
This hearty one-skillet dinner is loaded with celery, kale, tomatoes and quick-cooking brown rice. It’s easy to make the recipe vegetarian by substituting smoked tofu for the turkey....





* Click the link below to get all the the great Cheap Low-Calorie Dinner Recipes



http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/cheap_low_calorie_dinner_recipes?sssdmh=dm17.731349&utm_source=EWDNL&esrc=nwewd040714

It's Earth Day!

It's Earth Day!


Our planet is at a turning point. The massive global migration underway now from countryside to cities will demand huge investments in energy, water, materials, waste, food distribution, and transportation over the next 25 years. If the right investments are made now, this unique opportunity will be the catalyst for dramatic changes in the built environment and the fight against carbon emissions and climate change.


http://www.earthday.org/

Seafood of the Week - Edible Seaweed

Seaweed with sea urchin soup, Korea

Edible seaweed are algae that can be eaten and used in the preparation of food. It typically contains high amounts of fiber and they contain a complete protein. They may belong to one of several groups of multicellular algae: the red algae, green algae, and brown algae.

Seaweeds are also harvested or cultivated for the extraction of alginate, agar and carrageenan, gelatinous substances collectively known as hydrocolloids or phycocolloids. Hydrocolloids have attained commercial significance, especially in food production as food additives. The food industry exploits the gelling, water-retention, emulsifying and other physical properties of these hydrocolloids.

Most edible seaweeds are marine algae whereas most freshwater algae are toxic. While marine algae are not toxic, some do contain acids that irritate the digestion canal, while some others can have a laxative and electrolyte-balancing effect.








Seaweeds are used extensively as food in coastal cuisines around the world. Seaweed has been a part of diets in China, Japan, and Korea since prehistoric times. Seaweed is also consumed in many traditional European societies, in Iceland and western Norway, the Atlantic coast of France, northern and western Ireland, Wales and some coastal parts of South West England, as well as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The Māori people of New Zealand traditionally used a few species of red and green seaweed.

Roasted sheets of nori are used to wrap sushi 

Seaweed contains high levels of iodine relative to other foods. In the Philippines, Tiwi, Albay residents discovered a new pancit or noodles made from seaweed, which can be cooked into pancit canton, pancit luglug, spaghetti or carbonara and is claimed to have health benefits such as being rich in calcium, magnesium and iodine.

Polysaccharides in seaweed may be metabolized in humans through the action of bacterial gut enzymes. Such enzymes are frequently produced in Japanese population due to their consumption of seaweeds but rarer in North-American population.

In some parts of Asia, nori ,zicai,and gim,sheets of the dried red alga Porphyra are used in soups or to wrap sushi or onigiri. Chondrus crispus (commonly known as Irish moss) is another red alga used in producing various food additives, along with Kappaphycus and various gigartinoid seaweeds.

Japanese cuisine has seven types of seaweed identified by name, and thus the term for seaweed in Japanese is used primarily in scientific applications, and not in reference to food.

Kitchen Hint of the Day!

Always make stock in a large quantity and freeze it in plastic bags. That way, when you want to make a nice soup or boil veggies, you can simply pull the bag out of the freezer.

Turkey Meatball Mini Sub w/ Baked Fries

Dinner Tonight:  Turkey Meatball Mini Sub w/ Baked Fries

Another beautiful Spring Day out again. Went and got Mom's car washed for her and stopped at the bank. Later took my Mom to Home Depot, we needed some new shades for the living room windows and picked up 5 bags of fresh mulch. For dinner tonight I prepared Turkey Meatball Mini Sub w/ Baked Fries.









I reheated the Turkey Meatballs leftover from dinner a couple of nights ago. I had used Honeysuckle White Fresh Italian Style Turkey Meatballs. I’ve tried many different Turkey Meatballs and these are the best tasting I’ve found. Their 190 calories and 5 net carbs per serving (3 Meatballs ). And three is plenty as these are good size Meatballs. They were marinated in Ragu Chunky Mushroom Pasta Sauce. When Meatballs are completely heated through I served them on an Meijer Bakery Perfection Deli Mini Wheat Sub Buns and topped with Sargento Reduced fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Makes one fine Turkey Meatball Hogie! I served it with a side of Ore Ida Simply Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt Country Style Fries, my favorite fries! Later tonight for dessert a Jello Sugar Free Black Cherry Jello.

Honeysuckle White Fresh Italian Style Turkey Meatballs

Product Description
Add traditional Italian taste to your pasta dishes with our Fresh Italian Style Turkey Meatballs. They’re fully cooked and ready to heat and eat.


Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 3 oz (85.0 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 190 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10.0g 15%
Saturated Fat 3.0g 15%
Cholesterol 65mg 22%
Sodium 600mg 25%
Total Carbohydrates 6.0g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0.5g 2%
Sugars 1.0g
Protein 17.0g



http://www.honeysucklewhite.com/ProductDetail.aspx?product_id=1

Ragu Super Chunky Mushroom Pasta Sauce

Ragú® Super Chunky Mushroom bursts with chunks of garden style mushrooms and a delicious mushroom taste. This rich, flavorful tomato sauce has the just the right amount of hearty mushrooms for mushroom lovers to enjoy. Mom knows that Ragú®’s Super Chunky Mushroom is a balanced sauce that the whole family will love.  

Features Super Chunky Mushrooms
100% California Grown Tomatoes
Contains two servings of veggies in every ½ cup of sauce
Good Source of Vitamin A & Vitamin C
Delicious, filling sauce the whole family will love


Nutritional Information
Serving Size  128g
Amount Per
Calories  80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol  0mg
Sodium  460mg
Potassium  410mg
Total Carbohydrate  14g
Dietary Fiber  2g
Sugars  10g
Protein  2g


http://www.ragu.com/product/detail/89670/super-chunky-mushroom

One of America's Favorites - Pork Belly

Uncooked pork belly, with rind (skin)

Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is popular in Asian cuisine, including the Rafute of Okinawan cuisine, and forms a part of many traditional European dishes such as the Alsatian Choucroute garnie, the Swiss Berner Platte (de), and the German Schlachtplatte. In the United States, bacon is most often made from pork bellies. In Colombian cuisine pork belly strips are fried and served as part of bandeja paisa (chicharon).

A 100-gram serving of pork belly typically has about 520 calories. The calorie breakdown is: 92% fat (53 g), 0% (0 g) carbohydrates, and 8% (9 g) protein.

This cut of meat is enormously popular in Chinese cuisine and Korean cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, it is usually diced, browned then slowly braised with skin on, or sometimes marinated and cooked as a whole slab. Pork belly is used to make Slowly Braised Pork Belly or Dongpo pork in China (Sweet and Sour Pork is made with pork fillet). Koreans cook Samgyeopsal on a grill with garlic, often accompanied by soju. Uncured whole pork belly is a popular dish in American cuisine as well.

Chinese braised pork belly

The pork belly futures contract became an icon of futures and commodities trading, frequently used as a placeholder name for commodities in general and appearing in several depictions of the field in popular media (such as the 1974 movie For Pete's Sake and the 1983 movie Trading Places). Inaugurated in 1961 on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), frozen pork belly futures were developed as a risk management device to meet the needs of meat packers who processed pork and had to contend with volatile hog prices, as well as price risks on processed products held in inventory. The futures contracts were useful in guiding inventories and establishing forward pricing. The unit of trading was 20 short tons (40,000 lb or 18,000 kg) of frozen, trimmed bellies. (Bellies typically weigh around 6 kg (13 lb).) Pork bellies can be kept in cold storage for an extended period of time, and generally it was the frozen bellies that were most actively traded. Spot prices vary depending on the amount of inventory in cold storage and the seasonal demand for bacon as well as the origin of the pork; in the past, the former drove the prices of the futures as well.

In more recent years pork belly futures' prominence declined; eventually they were among the least-traded contracts on the CME, and were delisted for trading on July 18, 2011.








Then from the Pork Be Inspired website


Belly Basics
Pork belly comes from a hog’s ‘belly’ or underside after the loin and spareribs have been removed. This boneless cut may be served fresh, which means it is not cured or smoked.

Fresh belly is succulent and richly flavorful and is often served in small portions. Pork belly is at its best and is most tender when prepared using a slow cooking method, such as braising. Pork belly also is a popular menu item among restaurant chefs who appreciate its versatility, flavor and texture.

Butcher Tips
Request a leaner cut (relatively speaking, as this is not a traditionally lean cut) and be sure to specify whether you prefer it with or without skin. If you plan to make bacon, pork belly without skin will yield the best results.

Pork belly is not widely available in supermarkets, but can be ordered by meatcase managers upon request.

- See more at: http://www.porkbeinspired.com/Cut_Belly.aspx#sthash.jLL9aXEs.dpuf

Braised Pork Belly with Creamy Grits

From the pork Be Inspired website its Braised Pork Belly with Creamy Grits!



Braised Pork Belly with Creamy Grits



Ingredients
2 1/2 to 3 pounds pork belly, skin removed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup clarified butter, OR grapeseed oil
1 bottle pinot noir, or other red wine
4 cups veal stock, OR vegetable stock (32 ounces)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 ounces fresh thyme leaves
6 teaspoons honey, light flavored (such as alfalfa)

Creamy Grits:

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups water
1 cup white grits, OR yellow grits or polenta (not instant)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Cooking Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a very sharp knife, carefully split pork belly crosswise in half. Season both sides of both pieces with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter in a large heavy skillet or 6-quart braiser pan. Add one pork belly piece, fat side down. Cook until fat is nicely brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn pork belly piece over and brown the other side. Transfer pork belly to a plate; discard fat in skillet or pan. Repeat browning with remaining 2 tablespoons clarified butter and pork belly piece. Discard fat from skillet or pan.

With skillet or braiser pan away from heat, add 1/3 cup wine. Return skillet or pan to heat and cook over low heat, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan; remove from heat. If using braiser pan, return pork belly pieces to pan. If using skillet, pour liquid from skillet into a 6-quart Dutch oven and add pork. To the pork, add remaining wine, stock, onion, celery, carrot and thyme. Bring to boil and cover tightly

Bake in preheated oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove and let pork belly cool completely. Reserve braising liquid.

Portion pork belly into 3 ounce to 4 ounce rectangle pieces. Place belly pieces in a large skillet or braising pan with enough of the braising liquid to cover.

Reheat on stove top over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F.

Creamy grits: Bring heavy cream and water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Slowly stir in grits. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until fully cooked. Stir in salt and pepper.

Serving Suggestions: Serve pork belly portions over a small mound of grits and drizzle with honey. If desired, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons hot strained braising liquid and garnish with snipped thyme.

Makes 6 servings pork and 3 cups creamy grits.

Quick tips: Look for pork bellies at Asian or Hispanic markets or order them online if your supermarket or butcher shop does not carry them.
For a cook who does not want to make their own clarified butter, use grapeseed oil because it too has a high smoke point and bland in flavor.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Mark Hibbs of Ratcliffe on the Green in Charlotte, N.C.

Serving Suggestions
Recipe courtesy of Chef Mark Hibbs of Ratcliffe on the Green in Charlotte, N.C. Created for the Share Our Strength's Taste Of The Nation.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 960 calories
Protein: 13 grams
Fat: 79 grams
Sodium: 1120 milligrams
Cholesterol: 175 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 37 grams
Carbohydrates: 34 grams
Fiber: 1 grams

- See more at: http://www.porkbeinspired.com/RecipeDetail/2103/Braised_Pork_Belly_with_Creamy_Grits.aspx#sthash.cx4jSt3u.dpuf