Skinny Foods

Skinny foods can help you shed pounds

Joy Bauer, TODAY contributor and author of “Your Inner Skinny,” reveals six slimming foods that help curb your appetite but satisfy your taste buds.

By Joy Bauer
TODAYshow.com contributor

I’m a firm believer that losing weight doesn’t mean you have to subsist on bland, boring cardboard. With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of strategic skinny eats, each of which has its own unique way of satisfying your taste buds while blunting your appetite. I encourage you to peruse my list and use these tasty bites to your calorie-burning advantage!

Shrimp cocktail
At around 8 calories apiece, shrimp are a fabulous source of lean protein, which helps rev your metabolism and keeps you feeling full for hours. Next time you dine out, start your meal with a shrimp cocktail appetizer. When you’re eating at home, dunk your shrimp in this could-not-be-easier cocktail sauce recipe: Simply combine 1 tablespoon ketchup with 1 teaspoon bottled horseradish, (add a squeeze of lemon or a splash of hot sauce for extra zing).

Fiery chicken salad
Adding a few dashes of fiery hot sauce to your food sloooows down your eating big time so you’re less likely to eat past the point of fullness. For a simple lunch, whip up a chicken salad with diced chicken breast, 1 to 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayo, hot sauce to taste, and any diced veggies on hand. Serve over a bed of lettuce (and have a glass of water handy!).

Pumpkin pudding
Decadent, creamy pudding for less than 150 calories — and it helps you lose weight! Just combine a 6-ounce container of nonfat vanilla yogurt with ½ cup canned 100% pure pumpkin puree and a dash of cinnamon. (NOT pumpkin pie filling – pumpkin puree) The pumpkin bulks up the yogurt — already a protein-rich, nutrient-packed food — and adds a hefty dose of fiber. This winning combo of protein and fiber expands in your stomach, keeping you full long after you finish, so you’re not looking for more munchies an hour later.

Vegetable soup
Studies have shown that just by starting a meal with a fiber-rich bowl of broth-based veggie soup, you can reduce your total calorie intake by 20 percent. The soup takes the edge of your hunger and fills you up quickly, so you end up eating less of your main entrée. If you’re looking for a new recipe to call your own, try Joy’s Skinny Veggie Soup — and be forewarned, the Creole version is super spicy! (see below!)

**Broth based soup with non starchy veggies = water from broth plus fiber from veggies expands and makes you feel full faster.

Cucumber tomato onion salad
Try my low-cal version of this classic Mediterranean salad. Slice up one whole cucumber, one tomato, and half a red onion, then toss all the vegetables with light vinaigrette or unlimited vinegar (balsamic or red wine is best) plus 1 teaspoon olive oil. The entire salad has less than 150 calories! Thanks to their high percentage of water (95%!), cucumbers are a low-calorie, high-volume and top-notch food for weight loss!

Ginger green tea
Nursing a warm mug of tea is a calorie-free way to de-stress after a long day without falling prey to emotional eating. As an added bonus, research suggests that regularly drinking green tea may give your metabolism a slight boost. Steep your tea with a thin slice of ginger root for an extra punch of flavor.



Slurp up Joy’s healthy veggie soup
By Joy Bauer
TODAYshow.com contributor

Start dinner every night with either a large tossed salad with 2 tablespoons reduced calorie dressing or one 2-cup serving of LIFE Veggie Soup.

***Be sure to count the proteins/carbs in the dressing, or the proteins/carbs in the stock toward your total for the meal. As long as you use “good” {non starchy} veggies in this recipe, they are free! You could enjoy 2 cups of soup for only about 2 proteins and 2 carbs—all from the chicken broth. Vegetable broth would be free!

Feel free to omit any vegetables in the soup that you don’t enjoy and replace with other non-starchy vegetables.

LIFE veggie soup
Joy Bauer, 'Joy's LIFE Diet'
6 2-cup portions

INGREDIENTS
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (4 teaspoons)
• 1 onion, diced (1 cup)
• 3 celery stalks, diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms
• 8 cups (2 quarts) low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
**(count proteins/carbs and divide by # of servings [12 cups] to figure out how many per serving)
• 1 cup sliced carrots (frozen or fresh)
• 1 zucchini, diced (2 cups)
• 1 cup chopped green beans, fresh or frozen
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets, fresh or frozen (1/2 medium head)
• 3 cups cabbage, roughly chopped (1/2 cabbage head)
• 1 can diced tomato (15 ounces), preferably no salt added
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

Choose one seasoning blend:

Creole
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

Italian
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Garden herbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped thyme
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil

DIRECTIONS
In large, nonstick stock pot coated with cooking spray, sauté the garlic, onion, celery and mushrooms over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Add stock, carrots, zucchini, green beans, cauliflower florets, cabbage, canned tomatoes and bay leaves. If you have chosen one of the dry seasoning blends (Creole or Italian), add it now. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add vinegar and cook an additional 2 minutes. If you have chosen the fresh garden herbs seasoning blend, add it now. Remove bay leaves before serving or freezing.

Storage/freezing directions: Allow soup to cool to room temperature. This recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days (any longer and the veggies will become too soggy). Two-cup portions may be frozen and stored for up to a month.



Joy’s diet-friendly chicken Parmesan with broccoli
Some chicken Parmesan recipes call for battered and deep-fried cutlets, jarred spaghetti sauce and excessive amounts of cheese. Not Joy's: Her healthy chicken parm with baked broccoli is a hit with her household, and contains just 569 calories per serving.


Joy’s healthy chicken Parmesan with baked broccoli
Joy Bauer

INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (28 ounces) no-salted-added diced tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus 1 whole sprig
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 egg whites (proteins)
• 1 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs (proteins and carbs)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (protein)
• 4 large skinless chicken cutlets (6 ounces each), pounded very thin (protein)
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 cup grated reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (protein)

DIRECTIONS
1. Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Place over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, two-thirds of the garlic, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 6 to 7 minutes, until the onion begins to soften and become translucent. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomatoes and sprig of basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat while you prepare the broccoli and chicken.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining garlic over the broccoli, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the broccoli tightly in aluminum foil. Set aside.

3. Place the flour on a piece of waxed paper or aluminum foil. In a shallow bowl, beat the egg whites. On another piece of waxed paper or aluminum foil, mix the bread crumbs with the oregano, rosemary, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

4. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the cutlets in the flour, then dip in the egg whites, shaking off any excess egg, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Coat both sides of each cutlet with nonstick cooking spray and place on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake the chicken and foil packet of broccoli until the cutlets are golden and the broccoli is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the broccoli and chicken from the oven.

6. Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the cutlet with the mozzarella and remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Place under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese is golden. (Watch carefully — they can burn easily!) Transfer the chicken and broccoli to a platter. Remove the bay leaf from the tomato sauce and ladle the sauce around the chicken. Sprinkle with the torn basil and serve immediately.

***Add protein and carb counts for entire recipe (don’t include free veggies) and divide accordingly to determine appropriate serving size based on your protein/carb ratio. This will be a high protein low carb dish. The carbs will come from the whole wheat bread crumbs and those are “good” carbs from whole grains.


Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Joy Bauer
Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cup each

Whether you’re watching your carbs or trying to lose weight, or if you simply love hot, creamy comfort food, this recipe is calling your name. It’s very popular among my clients (and staff!) and one serving provides only 78 calories.

INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets of roughly the same size
3/4 cup low-sodium, low-fat chicken broth (proteins/carbs)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces fat-free cream cheese (proteins/carbs)
2 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (proteins)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Salt
Ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Steam the cauliflower over boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain. Place the cauliflower in a food processor or blender along with 1/2 cup broth. Puree on high until smooth. Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan.

2. In a cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/4 cup broth, and add to the cauliflower puree. Add the cream cheese, Romano or Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Cook over medium heat, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, until the puree begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.


Joy’s Turkey Lasagna
Joy Bauer
12 servings

I’ve lightened this recipe up by adding tons of veggies, swapping high fat ground beef for lean ground turkey, and switching to reduced-fat (part-skim) cheeses.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb 93% lean ground turkey (proteins)
1 large zucchini, diced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
1 jar (26 oz) marinara sauce
15 oz part-skim ricotta cheese (proteins)
2 egg whites (proteins)
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups (16 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (proteins)
8 oz box oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles (proteins/carbs—look for whole grain if possible)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet over medium heat, sauté turkey breast until cooked through (drain fat as necessary). Add chopped veggies and sauté for an additional 5-7 minutes until veggies are tender and onions are translucent. Add 1 jar (26 oz) of marinara sauce and heat until warmed through.

Meanwhile, thoroughly mix ricotta cheese with 2 egg whites and black pepper.

Spray a 13x9x2” baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread thin layer of sauce on bottom of pan (to help prevent sticking). Layer 3 lasagna noodles, ¼ of the sauce mixture, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat twice. For the final layer, add 3 remaining lasagna noodles. Cover noodles completely with remaining ¼ sauce mixture, and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

***Add protein and carb counts for entire recipe (don’t include free veggies) and divide accordingly to determine appropriate serving size based on your protein/carb ratio. This will be a high protein medium carb dish—depending on your noodles. The carbs will come from the noodles and those are “good” carbs from whole grains if you choose to go with those types of noodles. Using traditional noodles will increase the carb count and reduce the size of the portion you’ll be able to fit into your ratio.