150 Calorie Bacon Mushroom Salad

I made this Bacon Mushroom Salad for dinner tonight and it was awesome - only 3 ingredients and under 20 minutes to make! 

The bacon and mushrooms would also be good as a steak or chicken topping, or on their own as a side dish - they are very versatile and there is no added oil because the mushrooms cook with the bacon - you can also add some extra spices like garlic or plain old salt and pepper.

This dish is gluten free, dairy free, and paleo :)

Ingredients: 

1 large slice of bacon - 80 calories

8 oz sliced mushrooms - 50 calories

2 cups mixed greens - 20 calories                       

= 150 calories total

1. Wash and slice up mushrooms, and cut bacon into 1 inch or smaller pieces

2. Add mushrooms and bacon to skillet or wok - cook on high heat

3. Stir occasionally, continue cooking until liquid from mushrooms cooks off and mushrooms are browned and bacon is cooked through

4. Remove from heat and serve over mixed greens - add salt and pepper, or garlic if desired

170 Calorie Turkey Club Salad

Turkey Club sandwiches are classic - so I thought I'd try to make a salad version - 

I had a salad with Mustard dressing last week and it was fantastic so I decided to use mustard as the dressing for this salad - It is also much healthier than oily salad dressing

I also used Boston Lettuce for this - it's still alive when you buy it(it has the root attached) so it stays nice and fresh in the fridge :)

This salad is gluten free and dairy free!

Recipe:

1 head Boston Lettuce - 20 calories
2 slices Bacon - 60 calories
2 slices turkey - 70 calories
1.5 tablespoons Dijon Mustard - 20 calories          
= 170 calories total


1. Wash and chop up lettuce
2. Cook bacon and chop up, add to lettuce
3. Chop up turkey and add to salad
4. Add Mustard (as dressing) and toss to incorporate

100 Calorie Spicy Italian Salad

As you may already know, I love spicy food. One of my favorite ways to spice up my food is to use hot sauce as salad dressing (like I do at Chipotle) - this salad is a variation of that, using a mixture of Light Italian Dressing and Green Tabasco :)

This really tastes like a spicy italian sub sandwich - but it is only 93 calories! You can add some lunchmeat if you want more protein, or serve this as a side dish - 

This salad is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan :)

Recipe:

2.5-3 cup Lettuce - 20 calories

1 small (or half of a large) Heirloom Tomato - 35 calories

4-6 Pepperocini peppers - 15 calories

1 tablespoon Light Italian Dressing - 22 calories

2-3 teaspoons Green Tabasco Sauce                                 

= 93 calories total

1. Wash and chop up the lettuce and tomato(salt and pepper the tomato), and cut up the peppers

2. Before adding the tomato and peppers, add the italian dressing and tabasco sauce to the lettuce and toss well

3. Top with tomato and peppers, toss well again, and enjoy :)

260 Calorie Big Mac Salad

I love McDonald's Big Macs - but this salad version is much healthier, I don't even miss the bun and the cheese!

This is a very heavy salad, but it tastes exactly like a Big Mac in my opinion - 

It is also Gluten free and Dairy free!

Recipe:

1/4 pound Ground Turkey Breast (or other meat) - 120 calories

1 large pickle - 20 calories

2 tablespoons Thousand Island Dressing - 90 calories

Lettuce (about 2.5 cups) - 20 calories                            
=260 calories total


1. Grill your turkey burger, flipping about halfway through
2. While the meat is cooking chop up the pickle, wash and chop up your lettuce
3. Put the lettuce in a large salad bowl, top with pickles
4. Add your turkey burger to the top of the salad, top with Thousand Island Dressing and more pickles

Dining Out: The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is one of the worst offenders as far as high calorie restaurant entrees - If you choose to eat here while watching your calorie intake you have to be very careful about what you order

I only order off of their new Skinnylicious Menu - I get the Mexican Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos, they are 260 calories, and they are gluten free and dairy free(without the crema) - they are basically like a mexican chicken salad in lettuce wrap form

For comparison, my boyfriend orders the Baja Chicken Tacos - these are 1,119 calories! And his entree does not look very different from mine except that his comes with actual tortillas and rice and beans. I would not have thought that his meal would be that high in calories - but leave it to Cheesecake Factory to make even the healthy-looking things high in calories..

Also if you eat here while restricting calories do not order cheesecake! Instead you should make your own low cal version at home - You can do this using 1 container of Chobani or Fage low fat greek yogurt and a tablespoon of Jell-O Sugar Free Cheesecake mix - just stir the two ingredients together well and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes - you could add PB2 powder or cocoa powder to make a peanut butter/chocolate cheesecake, or top with some fruit preserves for a classic fruit-topped cheesecake treat :)

Dining Out: Panera Bread

One of my favorite places to go when I'm watching what I eat is Panera Bread (or St. Louis Bread Co. for anyone from St. Louis).
Disclaimer: I don't worry about gluten contamination so it works fine for me, but if you have Celiac's it probably should be avoided.

I usually get soup or a salad - today I ordered the You Pick Two with a Classic Salad(80 cal) and Black Bean Soup(170 cal)

Some other low-calorie choices are:

A Full Classic Salad - 170 calories
Classic Salad with Chicken - 290 calories
Chicken Noodle Soup(not GF) - 90 calories for a cup
Power Chicken Hummus Bowl (DF without cheese) - 330 calories
Caesar Salad(Gf without croutons, but not dairy free) - 310 calories
Fruit Cup - 70 calories
Apple (as a side) - 50-80 calories

Making informed choices is especially important when you are eating at restaurants, you would be surprised at how many calories some items contain.
My boyfriend ordered the Smokehouse Turkey Panini(710 cal), with chips(160 cal) and a Pumpkin Muffy(290 cal) - that's over 1,000 calories for one meal! Some people are able to eat more calories but for those of us with slower metabolisms restaurants can be tricky, which is why it is important to check calorie information before you order.

Make Good Choices!