Lost cooking passion?

Question

I have been on a low-calorie diet for about a month. I enjoy cooking and baking so much, but it seems like i can't find any recipes for meals and for baking. Any websites or good recipes or any ideas? Thanks.

Answer 1

check out kraftfoods.com for recipes in the healthy living section. here are some of my favorite diet recipes:

Low Calorie Chocolate Cake W/ Frosting (about 145 cals, 6 grams fat)
/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar (You may use splenda alternative, but I can't guarantee a moist cake with that)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Frosting
8 ounces light cream cheese
1 tablespoon light butter
2 cups Splenda granular
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
skim milk
In a small bowl place water and cocoa powder and mix together.
Add all of the ingredients for cake mixture(including cocoa powder mixture) into one bowl and mix together.
Place parchment paper on the bottom of a cake tin. Do NOT grease the sides of the tin as you can use a knife to ease it off the edges later. This helps the cake rise more as it sticks.
Pour mixture into pan.
Bake at 350F for 35 minutes.
For frosting, add light creme cheese and light butter and creme together.
Add splenda and lightly mix.
Add cocoa powder and salt and mix to combine.
Add vanilla and mix.
If it is a spreadable consistency, there is no need for the skim milk, but if not add enough milk to make it so. (I suggest adding in teaspoonfuls at a time so you don't over do it).
When the cake is cooled frost the tops and sides of the cake!


Low- Fat Apricot Dessert Quesadillas (about 115 cals, 2 fat)
1/2 cup light cream cheese or fat free cream cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 (6 inch) fat free tortillas
3 cups sliced strawberries
zero-cal cooking spray
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Stir cream cheese, granulated sugar, zest and juice together in a medium bowl.
Spread mixture on 1/2 of each tortilla, layer with fruit and fold in half.
Coat a 12-in skillet with cooking spray.
Arrange two folded tortillas in skillet; saute over med heat till golden, flipping once, about 4 to 5 minutes on 1st side and 1 to 2 on the other.
Remove from pan, cover to keep warm.
Cut each tortilla in half to form wedges and dust powdered sugar on top.

Rosemary Garlic Chicken Pocket (about 300 cals, 2 grams of fat)
nonstick cooking spray
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces baby red potatoes, diced into 1/2-1 inch pieces
16 baby carrots
10 slices yellow squash, 1/2 inch slices
10 slices zucchini, 1/2 inch slices
16-20 grape tomatoes
2 lemon slices
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
Spray a short burst of non-stick cooking spray in a large plastic bag. Add all ingredients except lemon and toss with seasonings to coat.
Prepare 2 18” squares of heavy duty foil.
To make one pocket, put 1 chicken breast on the foil square and pile 1/2 of the veggies around and on top, topping with a lemon slice. Repeat with the remaining foil and ingredients.
Fold and seal foil around the ingredients leaving enough room for steaming.
Grill over medium heat for 25-30 minutes.
Careful of steam when opening!

Answer 2

I know what you mean. But hang in there and keep trying.
Or change your diet from low calorie to low fat. or something. here are a couple of ideas:

LOW CALORIE LASAGNA
8 oz. lasagna noodles
1 lb. low fat cottage cheese
1 egg
3 tbsp. grated Romano cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano, crushed
1 tbsp. parsley, minced
1 1/2 c. tomato sauce (from 2 (8 oz.) cans)
1 tbsp. seasoned bread crumbs
1 oz. Kosher skim milk Mozzarella

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water 20 minutes. Drain, rinse well. Combine cottage cheese with egg, Romano cheese, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. In a 9 x 12 x 2 pan, layer noodles, cheese mixture and tomato sauce. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and top with Mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Yield: 6 servings at 238 calories each.




PINEAPPLE DREAM PIE
3/4 c. flake coconut
1 tbsp. diet imitation butter, melted
1 (4 serving size) env. regular low-calories vanilla pudding mix
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, juice packed
1 env. unflavored gelatin
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. whipped low-calorie dessert topping

In small bowl combine flaked coconut and butter; press on bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate. Bake coconut pie shell at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden; cool.
Prepare pudding mix according to package directions. Cover surface of pudding with waxed paper; cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, drain pineapple; reserve juice in 1 cup measure. Add water to juice to equal 3/4 cup. Soften gelatin in pineapple juice mixture. Stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved; stir in lemon juice. Chill gelatin mixture until partially set (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Whip partially set gelatin until fluffy; fold in cooled pudding and 1 1/4 cups of the crushed pineapple. (Reserve remainder for another use.) Pour pineapple mixture into cooled pie shell. Garnish pie with dollops of whipped low-calorie dessert topping. Makes 8 servings


CHICKEN SOAP
Combine 1 chicken liver, 1 giblet, 1 chicken heart, 1 chicken neck, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley.

Cover and simmer until the giblet is tender.

Chop all the meat for dogs removing bones and mix with kibble; for cats, you may want to grind the meat in the blender.



LIVER COOKIES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1/2 cup dry milk and 1/2 cup wheat germ; drizzle 1 teaspoon honey on top.

Add one 3 1/3 oz. jar of strained liver baby food or homemade blended liver and stir until everything is well mixed.

Form the mixture into balls; place them on an oiled cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Consistency should be fudgy.

Store in a jar in the fridge; freeze if keeping more than a few days.



MACKEREL DINNER
Heat 1 tsp. corn oil in a skillet and fry 1 small mackerel until it flakes apart easily. Remove and cool. Pour 1/2 cup hot water into the pan and scrape the brown bits into it. Remove the bones from the fish and mix with the juice. For dogs, serve in pieces with kibble; for cats, grind with the pan juices.



BEEF COOKIES
Following the recipe for Liver Cookies, using cooked beef puree instead.



FISH COOKIES
Follow the recipe for Liver Cookies but use instead 3 1/2 ounces of mashed and boned mackerel, either canned or freshly cooked.



DOG MORSELS
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups white flour
1 cup skim milk powder
2 eggs
water

1/2 cup melted beef or pork drippings (or lard)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix ingredients together with enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll out and cut into Christmas shapes. Bake on cookie sheet until hard.



BUDGIE BROWNIES
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. finely ground cuttlebone
1 cup hulled millet
2 tbsp. liquid honey
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp. raw wheat germ
4 egg yolks (for larger birds add 1/2 cup peanuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Pat into a greased and floured baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes or until firm (if edges start to get too brown, cover with foil).

Cool and cut into small squares.

Answer 3

try food network.... or diabetic cook book