There are more than 40% people in America who are obese. In the quest of finding the best ways to lose weight, people tend to cause major harm to their health and put on more weight. There is a big commercial extravaganza about fad diets, which are actually a type of crash diets. They help a person lose weight, but the weight loss is temporary.
A rapid weight loss diet that doesn't have any long-term effects is of no use. To solve this problem, you can try to follow a diet that makes you slim and healthy, and is anti-fad at the same time. There are several weight loss recipes that you can include in your diet plan. Some of the recipes are given below.
Weight Loss Diet Plan
This is a simple diet plan that can be helpful to lose weight.
- Breakfast: 1 cup milk + 1 pack of prepared oatmeal
- Snack: 1 fruit or raw vegetable salad (without dressing)
- Lunch: 1 chicken sandwich (whole wheat) + asparagus soup
- Snack: Tuna sandwich (whole wheat)
- Dinner: Broiled halibut + steamed rice + mixed vegetables
Appetizers
Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 cans of Garbanzos (partly drained and rinsed)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin Olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves (minced)
- ¼ cup Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaved Parsley (chopped)
- 3 tablespoons Tahini
Procedure
Make a puree of the garbanzos in a food processor. Combine the paprika, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley leaves, pepper, and garlic in a blender, and blend the mixture thoroughly. Ensure that the mixture has a consistency of a spread. You can serve it immediately with brown bread, or store it in the refrigerator.
Nutritional value: 48 calories, 6 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fats, and 1 g mono-saturated fats.
Pita Wedges with Green Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
- 8 wedges of whole wheat Pita breads
- 1 Shallot (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin Olive oil
- 2 Roma tomatoes (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Oregano (finely chopped)
- 1 Garlic clove (minced)
- ½ teaspoon red Pepper flakes
- ¾ cup green Olives (pitted and chopped)
- ½ cup dry White wine
- Zest of 1 Lemon (grated)
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaved Parsley (chopped)
Procedure
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots to it and sauté them well, until they soften. Add the garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and oregano to the shallots, and cook it until the tomatoes become tender. Add the dry white wine to it, and stir the mixture slowly, bringing it to a boil. Keep stirring until the mixture gets thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. When the mixture is completely cooled, add the lemon zest and chopped olives to it. Mix it well, and keep it in the fridge for 2 days. Before serving it, let it come to room temperature, and then spread it on the pita bread wedges, and serve.
Nutritional value: 113 calories, 20 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fats, and 2 g mono-saturated fats.
Salads
Avocado Salad with Ginger-Miso Dressing
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plain Tofu
- 1 tablespoon fresh Ginger (minced)
- ⅓ cup plain Soy milk
- 1½ teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon light Miso
- 1 tablespoon each of fresh Cilantro and Spring onion
- 1 small Avocado (pitted, peeled, and cut into 12 slices)
- ½ cup Red onion (chopped)
- 12 oz Baby lettuce (mixed)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 Spring onion (thinly chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh Cilantro (chopped)
Procedure
For making the dressing, combine the tofu, soy sauce, soy milk, miso, and mustard in a food processor, and blend it until it obtains a creamy texture. Pour it in a bowl and add the cilantro and a spoonful of spring onion to it. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. In a clean bowl, toss the slices of avocado in the lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown in color. Now, take a large bowl and combine the chopped red onion, cilantro, spring onions, and lettuce together and toss them well. Add ⅔ of the previously prepared salad dressing, and mix it lightly to form a layer over the vegetables. Put some of the salad on a serving plate, and arrange the avocado slices on top of it. Put some of the dressing on the slice and serve it immediately.
Nutritional value: 76 calories, 7 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fats, and 3 g mono-saturated fats.
Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 oz boneless Chicken breast
- 3 tablespoons fat-free Italian dressing
- ¼ teaspoon extra virgin Olive oil
- 1½ tablespoon fat-free Mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon red wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh Lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ Garlic clove (minced)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons Water
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce
- 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- ½ cup whole wheat Croûton
Procedure
Coat the chicken breast with the Italian dressing and put it in an airtight plastic bag. Seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator for half an hour. Remember to turn the chicken after 15 minutes. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. Coat the grill rack with cooking oil, and position it 4 to 6 inches away from the heat. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on each side, until it turns brown in color. Let it cool, and then cut it into strips. For making the Caesar dressing, combine mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon juice, and water in a bowl. Whip all the substances well together and season the mixture with the freshly ground black pepper. In a large bowl, combine the croûtons, lettuce, and Caesar dressing. Coat the lettuce with the dressing and serve the salad in plates. Place a strip of grilled chicken and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on every salad plate and serve.
Nutritional value: 201 calories, 13 g carbohydrates, 25 g protein, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fats, and 1.5 g mono-saturated fats.
Main Course
Cottage Cheese Vegetable Lasagna
Ingredients
- 250g Pumpkin (peeled and sliced)
- 400g Tomato pasta sauce
- 1 Garlic clove (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 150g Spinach leaves
- ½ can of Cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning
- 1½ Eggs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 3 fresh Lasagna sheets
Procedure
Simmer the pumpkin slices and tomato pasta sauce together over low heat for about 10 minutes. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add the spinach leaves to it, and cook it until the leaves wilt. Remove the pan from the heat, and allow the leaves to cool. Take a deep, 24 cm square baking dish, and add half of the pumpkin mixture to it. Cover it with a layer of lasagna sheet and cottage cheese. Cover it again with the remaining lasagna sheets, and put the rest of the pumpkin mixture on top of it. Finally, put some more cottage cheese and the spinach mixture over the pumpkin mixture. Put a generous amount of Parmesan cheese on it and bake it in an oven preheated to over 180 degrees. Serve it with any favorite salad and crushed whole wheat bread. You can also use other vegetables instead of pumpkin.
Nutritional value: 162 calories, 16.5 g carbohydrates, 8.6 g protein, 5.2 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fats, and 2 g mono-saturated fats.
Rice Krispies Bars
Ingredients
- 4½ cups Rice krispies
- 2½ cups miniature Marshmallows
- 1 cup Almonds (toasted and sliced)
- ½ cup Apricots (dried and diced)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
- ¼ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- ½ cup White chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons Canola oil
- 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
Procedure
Using cooking spray, coat a 9x9 pan and set it aside. Apply cooking spray on a spoon as well. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, and mix the brown sugar and butter together. Stir well, until both ingredients melt. Add the cinnamon to this mixture and stir it again. Add the marshmallows to this mixture, and melt the puffs. Keep stirring until you get a smooth texture. Once the mixture is prepared, add the rice krispies to it, along with the apricot and almonds. Stir the mixture well and pour it into the coated 9x9 pan. Even it out with the help of the butter-coated spoon. Let the mixture cool in the refrigerator for half an hour. Cut it into 12 pieces. For the topping, melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Add the canola oil and Grand Marnier to the melting chocolate. Pour it over the bars, and eat them after the chocolate cools.
Nutritional value: 62 calories, 29 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, and 7 g total fat.
There are many recipes that serve the purpose of weight loss. You will also find many liquid diet recipes for losing weight. Diet recipes should be low in calories, and high in nutritional ingredients. Instead of losing weight fast, you should lose it in a healthy manner.
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