Tastes fattening but is healthy

lcarr417

To start off I'm a Picky Eater... I have the a diet worse than a 6 yr old. I love Pizza, PB&J, mac & cheese, spaghetti & marinara sauce... and FRIES!! The only meat in my diet is chicken and I prefer it fried. I get tired of eating chicken most nights because theres no variety. I want to eat more things but I just cannot get myself to try most things. And to top it off, I want healthy foods that mimic the taste of these fatty foods.

*I'm looking for some ideas that you have used your self that stay around the same type of food I like. Without to much ingredients would be a plus. *

All I ask is Please don't say, "just try new things", I can't. Think of the food you hate the most, that is how I feel about most things.

Thanks!!

thecanface

TASTE FAT! BUT SO SKINNY!

chicken stuffed with ham n cheese.

Ingredients
1/4 cup grated Swiss, Monterey Jack or part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped ham (sub w/turkey if desired)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
1 egg white
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

figured it would be good with steamed Brocolli or mashed sweet potatoes!

Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Use a baking sheet with sides and lightly
coat it with cooking spray.
2.Mix cheese, ham, mustard and pepper in a small bowl.
3.Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast
half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up the breast and
place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over
the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with
the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
4.Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place
breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half
together and dip in egg white, then dredge in breadcrumbs. (Discard
leftovers.)
5.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add
chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes.
Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake
until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an
instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.

AnaNotBanana

You should go to www.hungry-girl.com. She makes lots of super yummy recipes that are low in calories but still taste good. She has buffalo chicken fingers, fries, pizzas and desserts too. Sign up for the emails and you'll get ideas every day!

rodegghero

Okay I am going to give you some tips. But I will say...try new things very slowly. Go with things similar to things you like at first and be sneaky. Pureed cauliflour in mac and cheese, etc. There is a book called deceltively delicious.....

To pretend fry things ( veggies, pickles, potatoes, chicken)

Beat an an egg, dip item into it to coat
then dip in bread crumbs, whole grain is better/ you can also mix some parmesean or ground walnuts into this
drizzle with a little olive or canola oil
Bake until crispy and cooked at 400

Salt and pepper it as soon as it come out
it is nearly identical to fried food

amfmmama

that chicken sounds awesome. What do you figure for calories on that?

sweetscorpio17

Lean Cuisine flatbread sandwiches taste fatty but aren't. Sweet potato fries are a good alternative as well.

Also, what about oven frying your chicken. Coat the chicken in bread crumbs (no skin) and bake in the oven until cooked and crispy.

For your spaghetti, make your own sauce. Add vegetables to your sauce and let it cook for at least an hour. I take a can of ragu, add chopped tomatoes, a whole onion, a whole zuchinni and 2 carrots. If you are not a veggie fan take a food processor or blender or just chop them very fine. They add amazing flavor. Cook them down and you wont even see them.

Just cut back your portion size on your favorite food and eat them with healthy foods, like fruit or veggies or a salad.

hottamolly00

I am SO YOU! I feel the same way about a lot of foods.. pickles, fish, and seafood in particular.

I simply eat tasty foods and practice portion control, and it seems to be working just fine for me.

amfmmama

Okay I am going to give you some tips. But I will say...try new things very slowly. Go with things similar to things you like at first and be sneaky. Pureed cauliflour in mac and cheese, etc. There is a book called deceltively delicious.....

To pretend fry things ( veggies, pickles, potatoes, chicken)

Beat an an egg, dip item into it to coat
then dip in bread crumbs, whole grain is better/ you can also mix some parmesean or ground walnuts into this
drizzle with a little olive or canola oil
Bake until crispy and cooked at 400

Salt and pepper it as soon as it come out



I use progresso italian flavor panko bread crumbs and butter milk instead of eggwhites. I marinate the breasts in seasoned buttermilk for at least a day.
it is nearly identical to fried food

RachelHancock

bump

I want the same thing for some upcoming lonely night next week

dawnemjh

I am a peanut butter FANATIC!!! You can have this, but to try to limit the calories, use a low cal/high fiber wheat bread, measure out 2 tablespoons peanut butter, and use a sugar free or low sugar jelly. You can also omit the jelly all together and put thin slices of peanut butter on the sandwich!! Icould never give up my pb&j!
Also for chicken, you can try baking chicken breasts plain, no breading or anything, then grind up in food processor or grind up and add a teaspoon or so of smart balance mayo ( taste like regular but has some healthy omega fats ) and make a wrap using lettuce or high fiber/low cal wrap. you can also omit the may all together and spread one wedge of laughing cow light cheese on it.

Hope this helps!!!

rockabyesarojane

BUMP

perrytyra

A baked potato (get the good ones) with toppings. I just had a baked potato at church on Sunday with some cheese and broccoli and sour cream. I tried to keep the toppings to a minimum. I didn't use any butter. Those were some darn good potatoes!

You could use light sour cream on them.

erickirb

Lean Cuisine flatbread sandwiches taste fatty but aren't. Sweet potato fries are a good alternative as well.

Also, what about oven frying your chicken. Coat the chicken in bread crumbs (no skin) and bake in the oven until cooked and crispy.

For your spaghetti, make your own sauce. Add vegetables to your sauce and let it cook for at least an hour. I take a can of ragu, add chopped tomatoes, a whole onion, a whole zuchinni and 2 carrots. If you are not a veggie fan take a food processor or blender or just chop them very fine. They add amazing flavor. Cook them down and you wont even see them.

Just cut back your portion size on your favorite food and eat them with healthy foods, like fruit or veggies or a salad.

Lean cuisines are not healthy. Low cal does not mean healthy.

And for the pasta sauce you can pre-cook the veggies, puree them and add to the sauce, you won't even know they are there. You can do this with pizza sauce and soups as well.

Duliebob

I was a picky eater...but then with some support and pushing from some friends, I have expanded the foods I like to the point that I can barely stand the smell of fried food.

It took a LOT of encouragement, and a little courage, but now I would rather have a stir-fry or curry dish than a piece of fried chicken. There is so much flavor mingling involved.

I say to do as the song/poem "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" says, "Do one thing everyday that scares you."

thecanface

that chicken sounds awesome. What do you figure for calories on that?

it's 236!!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/ham_cheese_stuffed_chicken_breasts.html

wewon

To start off I'm a Picky Eater... I have the a diet worse than a 6 yr old. I love Pizza, PB&J, mac & cheese, spaghetti & marinara sauce... and FRIES!! The only meat in my diet is chicken and I prefer it fried. I get tired of eating chicken most nights because theres no variety. I want to eat more things but I just cannot get myself to try most things. And to top it off, I want healthy foods that mimic the taste of these fatty foods.

*I'm looking for some ideas that you have used your self that stay around the same type of food I like. Without to much ingredients would be a plus. *

All I ask is Please don't say, "just try new things", I can't. Think of the food you hate the most, that is how I feel about most things.

Thanks!!

Just looking at the brief list, the problem isn't that you eat really "bad" things, it's just that you have a tendency to have in prepared in bad ways.

Mac-n-cheese: The cheese part is the problem. Maybe cut this back to 1/week.
Pasta Marinara: Actually Marinara sauce is pretty good for you. Low in fat, and concentration in tomato goodness.
Fries: Deep fried is bad. Try tossing the fries in olive oil and baking at 425 for 40 minutes. Less fat.
Pizza: Hard to defend. Cut back on the cheese and use this as an opportunity to expand your palet
Chicken: tons of opportunity

Other than that, you really have to grow up a bit and start eating a wider variety of foods or simply get used to your limited options.

lcarr417

i appreciate the advice on the food, but do not tell me to grow up. I've been feeding myself for over 10 years and I have tried tons of new foods with out success.

jolarocknrolla

Haw about whole-whear pita-pizzas?

2 whole Wheat Pitas
1 large tomato sliced very very thin
1 red onion slices very thin
drizzle garlic infused olive oil
fresh basil (torn) & dried oregano
1/2 tsp asagio cheese
1/3 cup low-fat mozerella

Preheat oven to 400, put your pitas on an ungreased cookie-sheet. drizzle w/ olive oil & asagio cheese, layer on tomato slices, onion (you can also add sliced black olives if you like them), basil & oregano, and cheese. bake until cheese starts to melt.

The whole wheat pitas toast up crunchy and delicious with very little fat. It's a quick and healthy was to have pizza without the grease Plus the asagio is a great way to add a lot of cheese flavor while using very little cheese.

good luck!

PlanetVelma

i appreciate the advice on the food, but do not tell me to grow up. I've been feeding myself for over 10 years and I have tried tons of new foods with out success.

I was not allowed to be picky growing up. If we didn't eat what was on the table we didn't eat, period.

Honestly, I think you're going to have a tough time finding "healthy foods that mimic the taste of these fatty foods". Perhaps you should consider talking to a nutritionist and your doctor. Perhaps talking about WHY you don't like certain types of food will help.

In the interium, try ground turkey (that's pretty close to chicken) - make your own meatballs, make meatloaf out of it, make your salad w/ oven baked chicken, etc.... Consider taking a cooking class to expand your food horizons. Perhaps if you work on preparing your own food that will give you motivation to try different stuff.

Btw - I used to despise oatmeal because my dad forced me to eat Malt o Meal once but now i really enjoy it as an adult, so your palette does change as you age....

fteale

I make potato wedges by chopping up potatoes, spraying them with 1 cal cooking spray, then roasting them. They come out half way between fries and wedges, and are great with ketchup. Keep the skins on for fibre and vitamins.

Noz7

Enchiladas: boiled chicken (flavours in water) flaked, put in a flat bread roll with whatever you can stomach but traditionally red kidney beans, little sauce. covered with tomato sauce (not ketchup) and some cheese.
Eat pasta with as low a Glycemic Index as you can find; tomato based sauces are good and a little oil makes the lycopene bioavailable so is good - but add it after you've finished cooking it.
I love salad with fruit in it: peaches with mint and/or cos lettuce and/or coriander. A peach is 90 calories and if I just eat it, I don't feel full but if I add lettuce, much more filling. Before I started losing I used to make a sweet white wine vinegrette but now I carefully (oh so carefully) add the smallest amount of oil (a teaspoon or less) with as much lemon juice as I want.
The thing to note about oil is that you actually need some of it to help you lose weight - just heaps less than you'd normally eat.
Protein and oil help make you feel full.

As for the people who've told you to grow up, how annoying. Just ignore them and try what you can.

sliceofsarah

This is not a recipe, but you should try Freschetta Mediterranean Garlic Veggie Pizza (its a frozen pizza from the store)! I tried it this weekend and was shocked by how good it was. There are 290 calories for 1/4 of the pizza, and it it vegetarian. It tasted super buttery and delicious, and the crust cooks really nice, with a lot of flavor and some crunch.

wewon

i appreciate the advice on the food, but do not tell me to grow up. I've been feeding myself for over 10 years and I have tried tons of new foods with out success.

Honestly, I wasn't trying to be harsh, but you are not describing a food allergy here, it's a choice.

Eating a veggie isn't going to send you to the hospital with a closing windpipe or hives..

"Picky" is generally an affliction of people with abundance, I wonder how many people from the 3rd world are carrying this "curse".

dls06

Dieting is not just about loosing weight it should be about getting healthy.
Its time to grow up and start eating right. You can not be healthy and only eat
Pizza, mac and cheese and spaghetti. So yea I'm telling you to Try other things or force youself. It's not going to kill you.
You may be surprised. If not your going to be unhealthy forever. What do you want? It's your choice!

dls06

that chicken sounds awesome. What do you figure for calories on that?

If you take the recipe and add it to the create a recipe it will give you all the information you need>

dls06

i appreciate the advice on the food, but do not tell me to grow up. I've been feeding myself for over 10 years and I have tried tons of new foods with out success.
[/quote

Why are you asking us to justify you eating like a? I can't even say 6 year old because my children never ate this way. Did you ever
speak to a Doctor about this maybe there is a reason you can't eat real food.

spcopps

I have to agree with your taste changing. I have been eating healthy for 2 months and my taste are already changing. I started small changes..Used to fry my brocolli in olive oil with garlic. Then I started steaming frozen brocolli and adding garlic powder. Now I LOVE fresh brocolli steamed..plain. It does take time. Tonight I made a whole lemon baked chicken and accidentally got some dark meat and I almost gagged. First time I have had dark meat in 2 months and it tasted like pure greasy fat although it was baked. BEFORE all I would eat was legs and thighs..couldn't stand breast. I am not saying to "grow up" but like I tell my DD..at least TRY it, if you don't like it, spit it out. I read someplace it can take 5-10 times of trying a new food to begin to like it so go ahead and taste that AWFUL food 1 more time..worse than can happen is you spit it out in your napkin

ronnilee1

This all sounds great!!!

westcoastSW

As others have mentioned, maybe you can try adding one new ingredient item at a time. Also, try searching these forums for "5 favorite healthy foods" posts, where MFP people have posted their favorites. Those might give you some ideas for things that are fairly healthy (think fruits, nuts, various meats/fish/poultry, eggs, etc.).

As a side note, I wouldn't tell you to "grow up," but I would advise that if what you're currently doing is producing your desired results, then stick with it; it isn't, try to keep an open mind about others' ideas and suggestions. Good luck on your food journeys

Larode

I saute my chicken on the stove, usually 3 or 4 breasts at a time. After the 2nd day (cuz I get sick of chicken) I put it in the food processor with celery, apples and light mayo. Put it on a high fiber, low carb wrap. Awesome chicken salad.... Low the La Tortilla Factory wraps - they taste great and are good calorie/carb mix. Little high in Sodium....

karriesue

i also like to use crushed sunchips instead of bread crumbs for baked "fried" chicken!