A couple of weeks ago, I asked members on my WebMD Food & Cooking Exchange to vote on which of my favorite recipes they wanted me to share:

• Lasagna recipe (23%)
• Meatloaf recipe (31%)
• Salmon recipe (23%)
• Brownie recipe (8%)
• Cookie recipe (15%)

And much to my surprise, meatloaf won! My money was on the cookie or brownie recipe. Many meatloaf recipes can cause problems for people with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) because they are often high in fat (some contain sausage or ground pork), or spicy, or both.

The meatloaf recipe below is a light but flavorful version of this American classic. Compare the two versions.

The original recipe (with half regular ground beef and half ground pork, whole milk cheese, egg and added salt) contains:

350 calories
22 grams fat
10 grams saturated fat
120mg cholesterol
600mg sodium

The light version (with ground sirloin, reduced fat sharp cheddar, egg substitute and no added salt) contains:

230 calories
9 grams fat
4.5 grams saturated fat
75mg cholesterol
360mg sodium

SAVINGS

• Calories are cut by 34%
• Total fat is cut by 59%
• Saturated fat is cut by 55%
• Cholesterol is cut by 38%
• Sodium is cut by 40%

So, as promised...here's my favorite lightened meatloaf recipe (and I've lightened quite a few).




If you want to make two smaller meatloaves instead of one larger one (so you can freeze one), use two, 1 1/2-quart baking dishes and make two smaller meatloaf domes instead of one.


Ingredients:

2 pounds ground sirloin or other extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided use
1 small onion, chopped
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs (Italian bread crumbs can be substituted if that's what you have in your pantry)
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon or prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup marinara sauce, pizza sauce or tomato sauce

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with canola cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, combine ground beef, egg substitute, 3/4 cup of the cheese, onion, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper. Mix well with hands or wooden spoon.
3. Form meat mixture into a dome and bake for 50 minutes. Pour the marinara sauce over the top of the meatloaf and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake an additional 8-10 minutes. Cut into the center to make sure the meatloaf is cooked throughout.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Nutritional Analysis per serving: 230 calories, 28g protein, 9g carbohydrate, 9g fat, 4.5g saturated fat, 3g monounsaturated fat, 1.5g polyunsaturated fat, 75mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 360mg sodium. Calories from fat: 35 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .1 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1 gram

Weight Watchers Points = 5

Bon appétit!

Share your favorite meatloaf recipe on the Food and Cooking Exchange.

Labels: comfort food, dinner, makeover, meat, Recipe Doctor, recipes

Are you out of ideas for dinner? Time to have breakfast for dinner. This is one of my favorite weeknight dinner strategies when I don't want to drive to the store and I just want to make do with what I have on hand.

Got eggs and cheese? Got frozen hash browns in the freezer? Got some veggies you need to use in the crisper? Sounds like Omelet Night at the Magee house!

Tonight I started the hash browns going in a nonstick frying pan with about 1 teaspoon canola oil per serving of hash browns. Next I sautéed some onions and sliced mushrooms with some canola cooking spray until they began to brown. Then I threw in some fresh spinach (I always have some on hand for salads) and a splash of water and sautéed that with the mushrooms and onions to cook down the spinach slightly. Put aside the veggies while you beat some high omega-3 eggs with egg substitute (I use 1 egg and 1/4 cup egg substitute per omelet).

You are ready to start making your omelets using 1/2 cup of your egg mixture per omelet. Once you flip over each omelet, top with an ounce of reduced fat shredded cheese and some of your veggie filling (at least 1/2 cup cooked veggies).

I estimate that this dinner (4 ounces fat free shredded hash brown browned with 1 teaspoon canola oil, an omelet, a few slices of fresh tomato) added up to:

Calories: 365 calories
Protein: 26 grams
Carbohydrate: 35 grams
Fat: 14 grams fat (34% calories from fat)
Saturated fat: 5 grams
Monounsaturated fat: 6 grams
Polyunsaturated fat: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 240 mg
Fiber: 5 grams
Sodium: 447 mg
Omega-3 fatty acids = 1 gram

Serve each omelet dinner with 2 strips of turkey bacon and the total is:

Calories: 435
Protein: 30 grams
Carbohydrate: 35 grams
Fat: 19 grams (39% calories from fat)
Saturated fat: 7 grams
Monounsaturated fat: 8 grams
Polyunsaturated fat: 4 grams
Cholesterol: 270 mg
Fiber: 5 grams
Sodium: 807 mg
Omega-3 fatty acids = 1 gram

Tell me about some of your breakfast for dinner adventures!

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Labels: breakfast, dinner, family, healthy diet, Recipe Doctor, recipes

Sharing a meal with your family has many benefits and is so important - especially these days. Here's new take on an old favorite for a homemade family supper. Typical tuna casserole recipes contain around 450 calories, 23 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, and 70 mg cholesterol per serving. This version is 100 calories less per serving and cuts the fat by more than 50%!



Ingredients:

6 ounces whole wheat blend extra wide noodles (about 4 cups cooked)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
2 cups sliced mushrooms (baby portabellas, crimini, or regular)
2 teaspoon minced or chopped garlic
3 tablespoons unbleached flour
3 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half (low-fat milk can be used)
1 cup fat-free half-and-half (low-fat milk can be used)
3/4 cup condensed or double strength low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano flakes
Black pepper to taste (1/2 teaspoon or more)
2 cups lightly cooked green vegetables of choice (sugar snap peas or broccoli florets) or 1 cup of green peas
10 ounces solid white albacore tuna, drained
1 cup reduced fat sharp cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup crouton crumbs (Put some croutons in a sandwich bag and use a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet to transform your croutons into crumbs)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with canola or olive oil cooking spray.
2. Start boiling the water for the pasta in a large saucepan. When the water is boiling, cook the noodles following the directions on the pasta box or bag. When cooked al dente, drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, start heating a large nonstick skillet or large saucepan with the olive oil over HIGH heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic into the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes or until mushroom are lightly brown in some places.
4. In small bowl, combine the flour with 3 tablespoons of half-and-half. Slowly stir in the cup of half-and-half and the chicken broth. Pour the flour mixture into the skillet with vegetables and cook on low until the sauce is nicely thickened (about 3 minutes). While it's cooking, stir in the oregano and black pepper.
5. In the skillet, combine the green vegetable, tuna chunks, cooked and drained noodles, and cheeses with the sauce. Spoon the mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle the crouton crumbs evenly over the top. Bake the casserole, uncovered, in the oven until the edges and crumbs on top are golden brown (about 25 minutes). Enjoy!

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Analysis per serving: 350 calories, 27 g protein, 39 g carbohydrate, 10 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 3.3 g monounsaturated fat, 1.2 g polyunsaturated fat, 39 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 391 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 26 percent calories from fat. Omega-3 fatty acids = .5 g, Omega-6 fatty acids = .5

Related Topics:

• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox

Labels: dinner, family, healthy diet, makeover, Recipe Doctor, recipes, tuna