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jrbowers83
jrbowers83 Posts: 282 Member
in Recipes
Hi everyone. I have this tex-mex style stew that I love to make for my family, but it is very high in sodium and fat. I was just wondering if you could look over the recipe and suggest ways of making it a little healthier.

P.S. Can't really add veggies because my picky eaters will no longer enjoy it :grumble:

Meat and Potatoes (it's like chili with potatoes)

1 lb. ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 c. spaghetti sauce
2 c. beef broth
6 medium potatoes (peeled, cubed)
Water
1 c. Cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef;drain. Lightly saute potatoes w/ cooking spray to soften in large stew pot (or crock pot). Add back the ground beef and remaining ingredients and enough water to cover all potatoes. Boil for about 30 min. or cook on high in crock pot for about 3 hours. Top with cheese just before serving.

Now this makes a good size serving (about 6-8 bowlfuls), but I estimate nutritional values at: 660 cal, 26 g fat (with cheese), 69 g carb, 38 g protein and 1779 mg sodium


If you have any suggestions please post them :smile:

Replies

  • jacqueline0821
    jacqueline0821 Posts: 667 Member
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    I would use ground turkey, low sodium spaghetti sauce, low sodium broth, and a low fat cheese. Not sure if it would make a huge difference but those are a few things for the sodium and fat.
  • kim_38
    kim_38 Posts: 2
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    I agree with Jacqueline...and the other thing to look for would be a spaghetti sauce with natural ingredients, no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
  • pattitricia85
    pattitricia85 Posts: 376
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    you can also get low sodium taco seasoning!
  • MindOverMatter
    MindOverMatter Posts: 168 Member
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    My suggestion is instead of using jar or canned premade sauce use pastene kitchen ready tomatoes no salt added. That will remove alot of sodium from your dish. Also the taco seasoning is propably has the most sodium in it...try looking at the ingredients and adding your own salt free versions of those spices like powers and fresh herbs. Good luck :)
  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    In addition to the low sodium options previously mentioned, you might be able to slide some veggies past your anti-veggie audience by substituting spaghetti sauce with low sodium diced tomatoes, or organic ones if LS not available ( S&W makes a line of organic diced tomatoes available at Costco where I am ( Western US). In addition to the diced tomatoes, you can use a small can of tomatoe paste ( low sodium if available) to offset the liquidity of the diced tomatoes.

    Those two things might change the texture a bit, but the tomatoes might be a veggie that might be "acceptable" ...
    Just a thought.:flowerforyou:

    Another variation that just occured to me, if you wanted to eliminate the taco seasoning all together would be to get some fresh pico de gallo, (available in the produce at Walmart, and probably other places as well). There is so much flavor and spice in that fresh mix that I would think the taco seasoning wouldn't be missed, and fresh pico de gallo is not too high in sodium.
  • AshliColon
    AshliColon Posts: 70 Member
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    Those are all good ideas. :happy:

    If you are looking for a substitute for the potato to reduce the calorie and carb count, you could try these (all values are 100g and boiled, drained without salt):

    Jicama / Yambean - 38 kcals, 0g fat, 0g fiber, 1g protein, 4 mg sodium, 9g carbs.
    Turnips - 22 kcals, 0g fat, 2g fiber, 1g protein, 16mg sodium, 5g carbs.
    Chayote - 24 kcals, 0g fat, 3g fiber, 1g protein, 1 mg sodium, 5g carbs.

    Potatoes - 86 kcals, 0g fat, 2g fiber, 2g protein, 5mg sodium, 20g carbs.

    -ash
  • shadechick
    shadechick Posts: 54 Member
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    You should puree the veggies to sneak them in. I have a couple friends that have bought the book Deceptively Delicious and love it. Check it out http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com/

    I bet they'd never know if it was pureed in there! Gotta be super sneaky!!!

    The beef broth is adding the MOST sodium at around 2000mg in your 2 cups. That's quite a bit!

    Good luck!
  • Nipha
    Nipha Posts: 12
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    I agree with all the previous suggestions (careful with ground turkey breast if you use it though, the lack of fat makes it liable to burn faster). Also you can do your own taco seasoning with no salt:

    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 tablespoon chili powder
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    (and if your feeling spicy - as much cayenne as you dare)
    My husband likes it with some onion powder, but he just sprinkles it in when he thinks I am not looking so use it to taste.
  • mamaturner
    mamaturner Posts: 2,533 Member
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    another good way to add some veggies is by shredding them in.. I shred carrots and zucchini into chili, they end up so thin that when you cook them down they almost disappear into the end product.
  • Nipha
    Nipha Posts: 12
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    Okay, because I am bored and would rather not do any housework... I entered the following recipie into http://caloriecount.about.com/ for nutritional info:

    1 lb ground turkey breast
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 tablespoon chili powder
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    1 teaspoon dried oregano
    1 c. tomato sauce
    2 c. low sodium vegetable broth
    6 medium potatoes
    1 cup low fat cheddar cheese

    Set at six servings it gave me:
    345 calories, 7.6 g fat (2.5 saturated), 60mg cholesterol, 534mg Sodium, 38.7 g Carbs, 6.3g fiber, 4.8g sugar, 30.7g protein
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
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    In regards to the vegetables- I sneak vegetables into my kids' dinner by pureeing them. They go completely unnoticed in a red sauce. You could easily steam some veggies until they're nice and soft, then puree them in with some tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic and a little tomato paste for thickening. Add a LITTLE bit of sea salt, some oregano. That would be your sauce…
    I'd replace the ground beef with ground turkey or soy ground round (honestly, I can't tell the difference when I put it in my spaghetti), the cheddar with a skim mozzarella, or a light mozzarella blend. The taco seasoning, I'd get the low sodium variety. I'd probably skip the sautéing step with the potatoes, or else use some nice light butter substitute.
  • thedreamhazer
    thedreamhazer Posts: 1,156 Member
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    I see a lot of recommendations I agree with above, but I'm just gonna say what I would do, if it contains repeats!

    As someone who has to cook bulk meals that satisfy vegans and omnivores alike, I've learned some sneaky ways to make things "vegan", and even if that's not how you want to go, you can still use some of it to make it a lot healthier!


    1 lb. ground beef -- Use ground turkey instead or even boca burger.
    1 packet taco seasoning -- Look for low sodium alternatives
    1 c. spaghetti sauce -- Check labels! Not really any alternatives, just look for low sodium and natural goodness!
    2 c. beef broth -- Try chicken or vegetable broth. It will change the flavor a little, though. Onion based broths is frequently a good alternative for beef, though! If you can't find it, it's easy to make at home! "For a rich onion broth, you can caramelize the onions, deglaze the pan with some sherry or white wine, and add stock. Simmer until the onions are falling apart and the broth is flavorful."
    6 medium potatoes (peeled, cubed) - See if you can sneak in some cauliflower in place of some of the potato. The taste is pretty similar, and healthier!
    Water
    1 c. Cheddar cheese -- Perhaps not the best advice, but I say just go for the cheese! :)


    Good luck!

    (Oh, ps--- Cook with water instead of oils or butter wherever you can. If you can't it's usually safe to cut the recipes' recommended amount in half!)
  • jrbowers83
    jrbowers83 Posts: 282 Member
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    Hey everyone, thanks so much for all the feedback. I didn't want to make a grocery run tonight....so cold and I wanted stew to warm up. So I cut back on the beef broth and spaghetti sauce, made my own taco seasoning eliminating the salt, used extra lean ground beef, and made myself a smaller portion. As far as sneaking in the veggies, I sauteed some onions and bell pepper finely chopped (I don't know why I didn't think of the squash and zucchini, bc I do that all the time with meatloaf and spaghetti). No one even noticed the changes, and it saved me almost half the cals and sodium :happy:

    I will definitely look to buying the low sodium broths and sauces and stay stocked on those. I just recently started paying attention to my sodium intake as a way to lower my bp, so that is going to make a huge diff!
  • supermom1114
    supermom1114 Posts: 577
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    Hi everyone. I have this tex-mex style stew that I love to make for my family, but it is very high in sodium and fat. I was just wondering if you could look over the recipe and suggest ways of making it a little healthier.

    P.S. Can't really add veggies because my picky eaters will no longer enjoy it :grumble:

    Meat and Potatoes (it's like chili with potatoes)

    1 lb. ground beef
    1 packet taco seasoning
    1 c. spaghetti sauce
    2 c. beef broth
    6 medium potatoes (peeled, cubed)
    Water
    1 c. Cheddar cheese

    Brown ground beef;drain. Lightly saute potatoes w/ cooking spray to soften in large stew pot (or crock pot). Add back the ground beef and remaining ingredients and enough water to cover all potatoes. Boil for about 30 min. or cook on high in crock pot for about 3 hours. Top with cheese just before serving.

    Now this makes a good size serving (about 6-8 bowlfuls), but I estimate nutritional values at: 660 cal, 26 g fat (with cheese), 69 g carb, 38 g protein and 1779 mg sodium


    If you have any suggestions please post them :smile:


    Replace the beef with either 93 % lean 7% fat beef or ground bison... you could switch it to ground turkey or chicken but those can both get dry or chewy and picky eaters may notice.

    cut the taco seasoning out, pre-packaged seasonings can pack a lot of extra salt try to find a low sodium version, use a Mrs Dash blend(the southwest chipolte one would be good for a taco seasoning) or read the back of the taco seasoning and try to use the seasonings it lists in their natural state, so like paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, etc

    low sodium spaghetti sauce or make your own at home or buy organic to cut out the funky preservatives and chemicals mass produced porducts get.

    Same thing for the broth, low sodium and organic would be best

    low fat cheese for sure!!
  • conniec13
    conniec13 Posts: 24
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    Hi everyone. I have this tex-mex style stew that I love to make for my family, but it is very high in sodium and fat. I was just wondering if you could look over the recipe and suggest ways of making it a little healthier.

    P.S. Can't really add veggies because my picky eaters will no longer enjoy it :grumble:

    Meat and Potatoes (it's like chili with potatoes)

    1 lb. ground beef
    1 packet taco seasoning
    1 c. spaghetti sauce
    2 c. beef broth
    6 medium potatoes (peeled, cubed)
    Water
    1 c. Cheddar cheese

    Brown ground beef;drain. Lightly saute potatoes w/ cooking spray to soften in large stew pot (or crock pot). Add back the ground beef and remaining ingredients and enough water to cover all potatoes. Boil for about 30 min. or cook on high in crock pot for about 3 hours. Top with cheese just before serving.

    Now this makes a good size serving (about 6-8 bowlfuls), but I estimate nutritional values at: 660 cal, 26 g fat (with cheese), 69 g carb, 38 g protein and 1779 mg sodium


    If you have any suggestions please post them :smiley

    Here's what I would do

    Ground turkey or chicken
    instead of spaghetti sauce, use a can of crushed tomatoes with basil. San Marzano are expensive but very sweet tasting.
    use beef stock & water or low sodium beef broth. Low sodium has less than half the sodium.
    mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar. Alpine Lace makes a colby jack that is 25% reduced fat.
    you can try sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.

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