Maintain a healthful diet with these low-fat, nutrient-rich dishes that won’t break your travel budget.
By Janet Groene, F47166
March 2012
Prices continue to rise for healthful foods such as lean meats, whole grains, vegetable oils, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Motorhome travelers are paying more for food and fuel while trying to lose weight, exercise more, avoid processed foods, eat less red meat, and consume more legumes. It’s not easy to eat healthy when you’re on a budget or are cooking for a meat-and-potatoes family that balks at heart-healthy dishes.
These recipes taste delicious, are easy to make in the motorhome galley or outside on the grill, and they will help shave costs, calories, or both.
Low-Sugar Brown Rice Pudding
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 cup dry brown rice (2 cups prepared rice)
1 four-serving packet sugar-free French vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cups milk
Drain the juice from the pineapple and retain. Cook the brown rice according to package directions, using the juice drained from the pineapple as part of the water measure. Whisk together the milk and pudding mix until it begins to thicken. Fold the pudding mixture into the rice mixture and add the pineapple. Allow to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled. This recipe makes six to eight servings.
Low-Fat Strawberry Vinaigrette
Make a salad with torn lettuce and chunks of fresh fruit tossed with just enough of this sweet, fruity dressing to coat all of the ingredients.
1 10-ounce jar low- or no-sugar strawberry jam
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
½ cup canola oil
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
Put the jam, vinegar, water, and mustard in a bowl and whisk to blend well. Add the canola oil and whisk again. Season to taste. Refrigerate any leftover dressing.
Oven-Crisp “Fried” Chicken
The problem with coating chicken and fish is that the job requires three containers. I use disposables — paper plates for the dry ingredients and a used foil pie tin for the eggs. To make oat flake crumbs, put oat flake cereal in a plastic freezer storage bag and roll over it with a bottle or rolling pin.
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
4 portions chicken, skin removed
½ cup liquid egg white
1 ½ cups oat flake cereal crumbs
Line a baking pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil and set the oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the flour and poultry seasoning. Pat the chicken dry and dip it in the flour and poultry seasoning mixture, then dip in the egg whites, and dredge through the oat flake crumbs. Press the chicken firmly into the cereal crumbs to coat, and carefully place it on a baking sheet. Bake the chicken until golden and crispy, which should take approximately 40 minutes.
Barley Mushroom Salad
Rich in fiber and low in fat, this is a satisfying main dish for vegetarians and also can be served to accompany meat or fish from the grill.
1 ½ cups water
3/4 cup quick-cooking barley
1 8-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 small can sliced shiitake mushrooms, drained
1 small sweet onion, diced
Half a red sweet pepper, diced
½ teaspoon dill weed
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, pepper to taste
Bring the water to a boil; add the barley; cover; and cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the water is absorbed by the barley. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. This recipe serves four as a side dish or two as a main dish.
Salsa-Poached Eggs
2 cups salsa (hot, medium, or mild)
1 or 2 eggs per person
2 tablespoons grated low-sodium cheese
In a nonstick skillet, bring the salsa to a simmer. Do not boil. Break the eggs one at a time into a saucer. Make an indentation in the simmering salsa with the back of a spoon and slip in one or two eggs. Cover and cook for three minutes over low heat or until the eggs are done to taste. Using a spatula, remove the eggs to two plates and spoon the salsa over them. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with torn chunks of French bread to mop up the salsa. This recipe makes two servings.
Fettuccini Siciliano
Sardines are an excellent source of calcium. Keep a small jar of capers on hand for recipes such as this one. They add a burst of flavor to so many dishes. For long-term storage, drain the capers after opening and add fresh vinegar, then keep refrigerated.
1 12-ounce package whole-wheat fettuccini
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
1/4 cup olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
2 4-ounce cans sardines in olive oil
2 tablespoons capers
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
½ stick butter
While the fettuccini cooks according to package directions, saute the onion in olive oil until limp. Stir in the white wine, sardines, and capers and heat gently. The sardines can be left whole, in chunks, or mashed to a paste, depending on your preference. To make buttered breadcrumbs, melt the butter in a small, nonstick skillet and stir in the breadcrumbs and cook until they become toasty.
Use tongs to arrange the hot fettuccini on plates and spoon the sardine sauce over it. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. This recipe makes six servings.
Glazed Pork Chop Skillet Meal
Turnips and sweet potatoes are two vegetables we don’t combine often. The glaze brings out their sweetness.
4 portions lean pork chops
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 medium turnips
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
In a large skillet, brown the chops on both sides in hot oil. Peel the sweet potatoes, cut in half, and place cut-side down in the skillet. Do the same with the turnips. Mix the honey and mustard and drizzle it over the chops and vegetables. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender. Place on four plates and drizzle with pan juices.
Note: This recipe also works well with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Salmon Salad
To save more of the salmon’s calcium, remove the bones and mash them with a fork. They’ll disappear in the sauce.
1 cup whole-wheat macaroni
½ cup low-fat vinaigrette dressing
5 to 6 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 15-ounce can salmon, drained and skinned
1 small red sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 small green sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 package romaine lettuce (about 6 cups), washed and torn
Cook the macaroni; drain; and stir in the dressing. Trim the snow peas and cut large ones into bite-size pieces. Fold everything together lightly and add more dressing if needed. This recipe serves six as a main dish.
Pineapple Pork Chop Skillet
4 double-thick pork chops with pockets
4 whole water chestnuts
4 whole pineapple slices
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup pineapple jam
1/4 cup sherry
1 teaspoon dry mustard
If your butcher doesn’t offer pork chops with pockets, cut them yourself. Trim the excess fat from the chops. Place a whole water chestnut in the hole of each pineapple slice and slide the combination into the pockets in the chops. Brown the chops in a large, nonstick skillet. Arrange the potatoes, cut side down, and the carrots around the chops. Whisk together the pineapple juice, pineapple jam, sherry, and mustard and drizzle over the chops. Cover and cook over low-medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Place portions on four plates and drizzle with the pan juices.
Beef Stroganoff Sans Noodles
When it comes to carbohydrates, noodles are the culprits in this popular dish. So serve the beef over shredded cabbage or French-cut green beans instead.
2 pounds lean beef for stew
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup red wine or water
1 cup light or non-fat sour cream
4 cups shredded cabbage
or
4 cups frozen French-cut green beans
or
4 cups canned French-cut green beans, drained well
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mix the beef, soups, and wine or water in a slow cooker and cook for eight hours on low. Stir in the sour cream just before serving. Heat the oil in a large skillet and stir-fry the cabbage or green beans until crisp-tender. If you use canned green beans, skip this step. Serve the beef over the vegetables.
Hash Crust Tomato Pie
1 15-ounce can corned beef hash
1 egg
4 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Cheddar
Set the oven to 425 degrees. Using a fork, mix the egg into the hash. Grease a 9-inch pie plate and spread the hash evenly on the bottom and sides to form a crust. Slice the tomatoes, allow them to drain on paper towels, and then arrange them in the hash crust. Mix the mayonnaise into the grated cheese and use two teaspoons to dot the tomatoes with the cheese mixture. It will spread as it bakes. Watching carefully, bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the hash forms a crispy crust and the cheese mixture browns on top. This recipe makes four servings.
Sunshine Squash Casserole
1 large summer squash, finely diced (about 3 cups)
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
1 cup biscuit mix (such as Bisquick)
2 eggs
2 cups grated cheese, such as Cheddar
Grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole and set the oven for 350 degrees. In a bowl toss the diced squash and onion with the biscuit mix and spread in the casserole. Beat the eggs and fold in half the cheese. Spread this mixture over the casserole and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the mixture is golden and the eggs are set. This is a main dish for two or three.
Oatmeal-Banana Drop Cookies
Bananas add all the sweetness you need in these sugar-free cookies. Oats and flaxseed add fiber.
2 large, ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups raisins
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup milled flaxseed
½ cup chopped nuts
In a bowl mash the bananas and add the oil and vanilla. Fold in the raisins, oats, flaxseed, and nuts. The dough will be stiff. Using two spoons, place 24 mounds on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick spray.
Using a fork dipped in sugar or sugar substitute, flatten the mounds a bit. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until they are golden around the edges and set in the middle.{loadpositionEndBlurbCooking}