Lemon-Tarragon Salmon

Here's an easy and fresh spin on a salmon dinner. Try serving it with sauteed asparagus and rice pilaf.

Servings: 2

Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
¾ pound salmon, cut into 2 filets
Cooking spray
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, tarragon, and sour cream. Set aside.
3. Place salmon, skin-side down, in a baking dish covered with cooking spray. Season fish with salt and pepper, and then spread the sour cream mixture over the salmon.
4. Bake fish about 20-22 minutes, until opaque throughout, and then serve.

Nutrition Information
(For ½ of recipe) 340 calories; 5 g carbohydrate; 37 g protein; 18 g fat (6.5 g sat); 0 g fiber; 400 mg sodium. Exchanges: 5 lean meats; 1 fat.

Moroccan-Style Chicken

This a fun, tasty chicken entree that the whole family is sure to enjoy. Try it with the couscous and citrus salad...it's a nice change from the usual chicken and broccoli.

Moroccan-Style Chicken

Servings: 4

4 teaspoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 chicken quarters, skin removed
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried ginger
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F.
2. Drizzle olive oil into a baking dish and then add onion and garlic. Place chicken on top of the onion and garlic, and pour over the chicken stock and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Season the chicken with the paprika, ginger, salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
3. Bake chicken in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and baste with juices. Cover with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 175˚ F.
4. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Nutrition Information
(For ¼ of recipe) 238 calories; 8 g carbohydrate; 28.5 g protein; 10 g fat (2 g sat); 1.5 g fiber; 596 mg sodium. Exchanges: 4 very lean meats; 1 fat; 1 vegetable.

Side suggestions: Couscous. Prepare using chicken stock instead of water for added flavor. Moroccan citrus salad. Combine 2 peeled and chopped oranges, ¼ c raisins, ¼ c slivered almonds, 2 t lemon juice, and ¼ t cinnamon in a small bowl. Cover and chill until served.

Spinach Meatballs

If you are looking to sneak some greens into your family's diet, then these meatballs then these meatballs are for you. You can vary the below recipe by adding your favorite herbs or spices, or substituting another vegetable, such as grated carrots, for the spinach. Consider making a double batch and freezing the extra in a resealable plastic freezer bag.

Spinach Meatballs

Servings: 4-6

1/3 cup oats
1 tablespoon corn starch
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons yellow onion, grated
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
½ cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

1. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, corn starch, and water. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until golden, 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the ground beef, spinach, and salt to the oat mixture and stir with a spoon to combine. Then add in the egg, pepper, and sautéed onions and use a spoon or your hands to mix until well combined.

4. Wet hands and form meat mixture into small balls, making sure that they are all about the same size. (Recipe should make anywhere from 30 to 40 meatballs, depending on size). Place meatballs on a wet cutting board.

5. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add about 1/3 of the meatballs. Shake the pan so that they cook evenly while retaining round shape. Once browned on all sides, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes (depending on size), until cooked through. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Side suggestions: Boiled Yukon gold potatoes. Steamed baby carrots. Lingonberry jam.

Risotto with Turkey and Peas

Risotto requires constant monitoring, frequent stirring, and a little patience, but other than that it's really quite simple and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Once you have the basics down you can vary it by mixing in additional ingredients that you may have on hand--whether fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables, or leftover chicken. In the below recipe I made use of some leftover Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast and added in peas (a classic pairing with risotto, and a favorite vegetable of my almost 2-year old son). Both my son and husband loved this simple comfort meal.

Risotto with Turkey and Peas

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup risotto (arborio rice)
3-4 cups chicken stock (look for one with less than 500 mg sodium per cup)
1 cup frozen peas
1-2 cups roasted turkey breast, diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Add 1 cup of stock and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue to add stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and adding more stock once most of the liquid has been absorbed.
3. Stir in frozen peas and turkey breast and cook until heated through. Drizzle with lemon juice, stir, and serve.

Serving suggestions: Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a side salad.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies pack a whole lot of fiber-rich oatmeal into each bite and are made using heart-healthy canola oil, rather than butter. A bit of applesauce adds extra moistness and keeps them chewy long after they cool. Enjoy a few fresh out of the oven with a glass of skim milk and then freeze the rest in a resealable plastic bag for a quick on-hand treat you can feel good about.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats, and pecans with a whisk.
3. In a large bowl or standing mixer, beat oil and both sugars together for 30 seconds. Add egg and beat until smooth. Then mix in the applesauce and vanilla extract.
4. Turn mixer to lowest setting and slowly add the flour-oatmeal mixture. Blend just to combine and then add the chocolate chips.
5. Use two spoons to drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned on top. Cool on a cookie rack.

Makes 30-36 cookies

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Presenting my 21-month old son, Elliott, with nutritious meals that he will eat can be a challenge. In true toddler fashion, he has taken to voicing his own opinion on what he does or does not want to eat. This is sometimes frustrating when I've spent time preparing his food and scheming up creative ways to present it, only to have it be rejected. Fortunately, I know that one of the most important things I can do right now is not push him to eat anything he doesn't want to, and rather focus on building the foundation for his healthy eating habits by consistently presenting him with a variety of healthful food options. And even though it's comforting to know that he gets some extra vitamins and minerals in the fortified foods that he eats (such as breakfast cereal) the ultimate satisfaction comes when he eats the home cooked food on his plate (particularly the vegetables!).

Of course, there are certain standbys, foods that I know I can count on, time and time again (as long as they are not presented too often!). One of these favorites is pancakes, preferably with with blueberries. And while pancakes are generally a pretty healthful food to begin with, they can easily rise in nutritional standing by making a few modifications, such as replacing some of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat or multi-grain flour, using low-fat milk, soy-milk, or yogurt instead of water, throwing in an extra egg, and adding some fruit to the batter or as a topping. The below recipe for Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes--one of Elliott's favorite weekend breakfasts--also incorporates grated carrots, to provide yet an extra nutritional boost.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Servings: 4 (adult-sized portions)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups nonfat kefir (can also use buttermilk, or, for an extra flavor kick, try vanilla yogurt)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium carrot, finely grated
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
Cooking spray

1. In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together with a whisk.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together kefir, eggs, oil, and grated carrot. Add to flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until just moist. Add blueberries to batter and stir just to combine. (Alternatively, you can also add blueberries to each pancake just after spooning them onto the griddle; though it's a bit more tedious this method controls blueberry distribution and prevents blue streaking).

3. Coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Use a small measuring cup or soup ladle to spoon the batter out onto the griddle. If pancakes seem thick, use the back of a spoon to spread them out a bit.

Tip: Refrigerate (for up to 24 hours) or freeze pancakes for a quick, toddler-approved snack. Reheat in microwave, toaster, or toaster oven.

Nutrition Information
(For 1/4 of recipe) 340 calories; 55 g carbohydrates; 14 g protein; 7 g fat (1 g sat); 5.5 g fiber; 740 mg sodium.

Serving suggestions: Maple syrup, butter, and sliced fruit.