FIGURE8 Healthy Indulgent Recipes

 FIGURE8 Meal Plan

SNEAK PEAK!

Check out these recipes that are part of the FIGURE8 Meal Plan!  Say "NO" to diets that deprive you of the foods you love.  This keeps you in a cycle of yo yo dieting and psychologically makes you believe that you have no self control when you end up binging on the foods you've been deprived of.  We say, "Eat what you love!"  Instead focus on serving sizes and mindful eating.  Tracking is key and brings awareness especially when you start this program.  The program will be launched shortly!  For now, enjoy some of these indulgent recipes.  Do you have a sweet tooth?  Are you a Carb Craver?  Do fatty foods like cheese, nuts, and bacon make your mouth water?  Try any of these recipes below to satisfy any of those cravings.  Each serving is waistline friendly!

Sweet Tooth- Mediterranean Style Chicken Skewer with Roasted Veggies and a Peaches and Cream Cup Cake.

YES!  You can have your cake and eat it too!!!
Keep the entree light and choose between a larger portion of a healthy cupcake or a small portion of a more indulgent cupcake.

Mediterranean Style Chicken Skewer

This will make 3 servings.

2 Medium Chicken Breasts- 9 oz total

½ cup 0 % fat Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Paprika

½ Tsp Cumin

1 pinch Cinnamon

Chili powder to taste

¼ tsp lemon zest

2 TBSP Lemon Juice

Pepper to taste

1 tsp granulated or powdered garlic.

1 red onion cut into chunky pieces for skewering.

Mix all ingredients except chicken in bowl. Refrigerate while prepping chicken.

Pat Chicken dry. Cut into small cubes and skewer.  If you use wooden or bamboo skewers make sure to presoak or you will have a very smokey kitchen. If you have metal skewers no need to presoak. Skewer the chicken and onions and slather in yogurt marinade. Marinade at least an hour but over night is best.

You can make this in a grill pan, on the BBQ and if you prefer make on the outdoor grill for your family BBQ

Quick Tip: You can use a premade spice mix just make sure it is not loaded with salt. I like Sadaf chicken Kabob mix. Then you can skip the dry ingredients.

Quick Tip #2: This yogurt mix is really good and can also be used to snack on with fresh veggies like baby carrots or broccoli.

Grilled Veggies:

You can skewer your favorite veggies and lightly brush with lemon and garlic or you can slice and grill to your liking.

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Vegetable Raw - Yellow Summer Squash, 1 medium	20	4	0	1	2	3
Squash - Zucchini, includes skin, raw, 1 medium	31	7	0	2	20	3
Onion - Red or Yellow Onion, Raw , 1 cup	60	32	0	4	24	16
Fage - Total 0% Non Fat Greek Yogurt (6oz), 3 oz.	50	4	0	9	33	4
Spice Islands - Paprika, 1 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
the Spice Hunter - Turkish Cumin Ground, 0.5 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Spices - Cinnamon, ground, 0.02 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Spices - Chili powder, 1 tsp	8	1	0	0	26	0
Generic - Lemon Zest, 1 tsp	2	0	0	0	0	0
Lemon Juice - Fresh Squeezed, 2 Tbl (1 fl oz/28 g)	7	2	0	0	0	0
Spice - Black Pepper - Ground, 0.25 tsp	1	0	0	0	0	0
Mccormick - Granulated Garlic, 1 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Generic - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Grilled, 9 oz	315	0	13	48	639	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	494	50	13	64	744	26
Per Serving:	165	17	4	21	248	9

Peaches and Cream Cupcake 8 x 1 TBSP servings

Frosting 8-10 servings

4 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese

¼ cup 0% fat greek yogurt

1 TBSP Honey

½ tsp vanilla

Zest of half an orange

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Kraft Philadelphia - 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese 8 oz (226 G) (Mdh), 0.5 container (14 tbsp (31 g) ea.)	245	7	21	7	490	7
Fage - Total 0% Non Fat Greek Yogurt (6oz), 3 oz.	50	4	0	9	33	4
Honey, 1 tbsp	64	17	0	0	1	17
Mccormick's - Pure Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp. (5mL)	12	1	0	0	0	1
Orange Zest - Ingredient, 1 teaspoon	2	1	0	0	0	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	373	30	21	16	524	29
Per Serving:	47	4	3	2	66	4

 Cupcake #1 2 healthy cupcakes

1 Medium Peach

1 Large Egg White

6-9 drops Liquid Stevia ( to your desired sweetness)

1Tsp Veg Oil

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup AP flour

¼ tsp heaping tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 ½ tbsp skim milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.

Boil a pot of water with enough liquid to cover peach. Blanch peach about 2-3 minutes. Hint if the water begins to turn orange remove peach right away. You want the skin to loosen but you do not want to cook the fruit. Run under cold water and peel skin away if you have blanched correctly it will slide right off. Set aside.

In a bowl, add egg white and stevia and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and oil and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Dice ¼ of the peach. Add blanched peach to batter. Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners. A standard cupcake pan uses about 1/3 cup of batter per cup. Bake 15-18 minutes the moisture from the peaches makes this have a longer baking time.

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Peach - Peach - Fresh, Medium (2 1/2" Dia.), 1 peach	38	9	0	1	0	8
Egg - Egg White Only, 1 white	17	0	0	4	55	0
Sweetleaf - Stevia Clear - Liquid Stevia, 7.5 drops	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mccormick's - Pure Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp. (5mL)	12	1	0	0	0	1
Pillsbury - All-Purpose Flour, 0.25 cup	100	3	0	0	0	0
Shur Fine - Baking Powder, 0.25 tsp	2	1	0	0	80	0
Milk - Nonfat (fat free or skim), 0.25 cup	21	3	0	2	32	0
Oil - Vegetable, canola, 0.5 tbsp	62	0	7	0	0	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	252	17	7	7	167	9
Per Serving:	126	9	4	4	84	5

Cupcake #2- The Real Deal 4 mini cupcakes

1 Medium Peach

1 egg white
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted unsalted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners. Boil a pot of water with enough liquid to cover peach. Blanch peach about 2-3 minutes. Hint if the water begins to turn orange remove peach right away. You want the skin to loosen but you do not want to cook the fruit. Run under cold water and peel skin away if you have blanched correctly it will slide right off. Set aside.

In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Dice ¼ of the peach. Add blanched peach to batter. Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners. A standard cupcake pan uses about 1/3 cup of batter per cup. Bake 15-18 minutes the moisture from the peaches makes this have a longer baking time.

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Peach - Peach - Fresh, Medium (2 1/2" Dia.), 1 peach	38	9	0	1	0	8
Eggs - White only, raw, 1 large	17	0	0	4	55	0
Jewel Brand - Granualted Sugar, 2 tsp	30	8	0	0	0	8
Butter - Unsalted, 2 tbsp	204	0	23	0	3	0
Shur Fine - Baking Powder, 0.25 tsp	2	1	0	0	80	0
Spice - Salt, 0.025 teaspoon	0	0	0	0	58	0
Milk - Whole, 3.25% milkfat, 1.5 tbsp	14	1	1	1	9	1
Pillsbury - All-Purpose Flour, 0.25 cup	100	3	0	0	0	0
Add Ingredient

Total:	405	22	24	6	205	17
Per Serving:	101	6	6	2	51	4

Carb Craver- Yummy Lasagna

This is a great recipe because it can be converted to a Veggie Lasagna by simply bulking up on the veggie portions. 

I used a small loaf pan- This recipe makes 4 servings.

Sauce (6 servings)

¼ of a large onion finely diced

2-3 garlic cloves minced finely

1 tsp olive oil

¼ water

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning

Dash of salt

2 bay leaves

1 large Can no salt crushed tomatoes. (I used hunt’s 100%  natural)

Short Cut: You can use a premade pasta sauce but make sure it is not full of oil and salt. Healthy alternatives such as Ragu light with no extra oil, salt, or sugar.

Heat Sauce pan. Add oil and water. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat add onions and garlic. Sweat onions and Garlic until onions are clear. Add tomatoes, oregano/Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Simmer on low for an hour until sauce is to your desired thickness and the flavors are absorbed in the sauce.  Remove whole bay leaves.

Filling

¼ ricotta

1 egg white

1 Tbsp Grana Padano( this is cheaper than Parmigianino Reggiano with the same great taste)

¼ cup of part skim ricotta and one egg white. Mix and refrigerate while sauce and other fillings are prepped.

Turkey Filling

8 oz of ground lean turkey – do not use extra lean it will be too dry

1tsp ground oregano

1 tsp granulated garlic

Salt/pepper to taste

Blend spices with ground turkey. Heat small pan and spray with cooking spray add to hot pan. Cook until golden brown. Set aside.

Veggie Filling

We encourage you to use both Veggies and Turkey but if you are a vegetarian go ahead and make extra veggies.

We used items listed below but you can use whatever your favorites are.

Yellow sunburst squash- 1

Zucchini Squash-1 large

Fresh Vine ripe tomatoes- 2 medium

Slice thin for easy stacking. Set aside until assembly is required.

(think ahead tip- slice extra veggies for meals later in the week.)

Assemble

Additional ingredients

3 TBSP- Grana Padano Cheese ( this is cheaper than Parmigianino Reggiano with the same great taste)

4 Barilla no boil pasta sheets (this eliminates the extra step of cooking the pasta)

Yes, we used real white pasta because we don’t want you craving a large bowl of spaghetti later. You can use a whole grain pasta if you like as well. With all the good veggies and lean protein you can afford a few of the naughty carbs. You can also go all veggie and remove pasta by using thinly sliced zucchini in place of noodles. We try to give you options with the recipes wherever possible.

1.       Spray bottom of pan with cooking spray

2.       Spoon a thin layer of sauce

3.       Put down first noodle sheet ( the barilla sheets fit perfect in a small loaf pan)

4.       Add 2 small dollops of ricotta mixture

5.       Sprinkle 1/3 of turkey filling in

6.       Stack veggies

7.       Repeat step 2-6 three times.

8.       Finally top with last sheet of pasta

9.       Add one more layer of sauce

10.   Sprinkle 3 TBS of Grana

11.   Bake covered at 375 for 45 minutes

12.   Bake uncovered for another 5-15 minutes until top is golden brown and delicious.

Serve with light salad.

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Onions - Raw, 1 cup, chopped	67	16	0	1	5	7
Garlic - Raw, 3 cloves	13	3	0	1	2	0
Oil - Olive, 1 tsp	40	0	5	0	0	0
Spices - Bay Leaf, Whole, 2 leaf	12	2	0	0	0	0
Spices - Oregano, dried, 1 tsp, leaves	3	1	0	0	0	0
Spice - Salt, 1/2 teaspoon	0	0	0	0	1,163	0
Canned Veggies~Jen's - Hunts Crushed Tomatoes-28 oz Can, 1 container (3 1/2 cups ea.)	315	63	0	14	1,610	28
Cheese - Ricotta, part skim milk, 0.25 cup	86	3	5	7	78	0
Egg - Egg White Only, 1 white	17	0	0	4	55	0
Cello - Shaved Grana Padano Parmesan Cheese, 4 Tbsp (approx 5g) Uncooked	80	0	6	8	140	0
Jennie-o Ground Turkey - Fresh Ground Turkey (85% Lean / 15% Fat), 8 oz	440	0	30	38	160	0
Spices - Oregano, dried, 1 tsp, leaves	3	1	0	0	0	0
Mccormick - Granulated Garlic, 1 tsp	0	0	0	0	0	0
Spices - Pepper, black, 1 tbsp	16	4	0	1	3	0
Spice - Salt, 1/2 teaspoon	0	0	0	0	1,163	0
Tomato - Tomato Slice, 12 slice	120	8	0	0	0	12
Squash - Zucchini, includes skin, raw, 1 medium	31	7	0	2	20	3
Squash - Summer, all varieties, raw, 1 medium	31	7	0	2	4	4
Add Ingredient

Total:	1,274	115	46	78	4,403	54
Per Serving:	319	29	12	20	1101	14

Friendly Fats- Open faced pulled pork sandwich with tangy slaw

(The picture above is not open faced.  Make sure to only use 1 slice of a bun)

 

This recipe can feed the whole family but is also great for leftovers. The pork freezes well. You can freeze individual portions in zip lock baggies and microwave as needed. \

Makes 8 servings

2 pounds of pork shoulder/pork butt (it is the same but sometimes called these 2 names)- do not use chops these will be too dry and will not satiate the fats craver remember it is ok to have some fat with your meal.

Rub-

1 tbsp dark brown sugar- this will give the pork and nice crispy crust

1 tsp Kosher Salt- Depending on your dietary needs you can add or remove salt

1 tbsp Chili Powder- You pick spiciness. California Chili powder is pretty mild.

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Broth

1 onion sliced coarsely

1 can no salt chicken broth

4 chopped garlic cloves

Let’s Cook

Pat down pork shoulder until it is dry. Then rub with a generous amount of the dry rub ( hint for extra flavor do this the night before)

In a large crock pot or dutch oven pour the chicken broth and drop the onions and garlic in as well. Place pour on top of mixture. It is ok for the top of the pork not to be covered in liquid this will create a lovely crunchy crust. The steam from the broth will help keep everything moist and flavorful.

Cook for 2 -3 hours on medium if you use a crock pot and 375 degrees if you use a dutch oven in a stove.This needs to be super tender and should fall apart as soon as you insert a fork, if it is not fork tender leave a little longer. Set aside to cool. Add Sauce recipe to follow.

Make the items below while the pork is cooking.

This is delicious as is but you can add a sauce for a more down home BBQ taste.

Sauce

¼ cup unsalted tomato paste

¼ cup  water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp – Maple Syrup or Molasses

2 Tsp Curry powder

1 Tsp- orange zest

½ tsp ginger grated

2 pinches of salt

2 TBSP- Natural Honey (if your syrup is super sweet you may want to reduce this taste it before you add the second TBSP)

Siracha to taste (asian style hot sauce add lovely smokey flavor and spice)

Set aside part of the sauce as the pork will absorb it quickly and you may want some to use on leftovers. Use the rest to smother the pork right before serving.

Coleslaw

¼ cider vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

1 tsp celery seeds

3 cups bagged slaw mix

2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds ( you can buy raw and toast on stove top as well)

Heat vinegar, honey, celery seeds on stove stop.  Remove as soon as it boils. Pour over cabbage refrigerate for an hour or more so the flavors absorb.  Add pumpkin n seeds right before serving to preserve the crunchiness.

Assemble: Use a whole grain bun or a Sandwich Slim (for even less calories) Stack 1/3 cup of pork onto bun, stack slaw and enjoy with a green salad and veggies. These also work well as lettuce wraps for a lower calorie lower carb alternative.

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Homemade - Smoked Pork Shoulder Butt, 24 oz.	1,200	24	64	104	240	24
C & H - Pure Cane Sugar-Dark Brown, 2 teaspoon (4g)	30	8	0	0	0	8
Spice - Salt, 1 teaspoon	0	0	0	0	2,326	0
Spices - Chili powder, 1 tbsp	24	4	1	1	76	1
Spices - Cinnamon, ground, 0.25 tsp	2	0	0	0	0	0
Generic White Onion - Raw, 1 cup	68	16	0	2	6	10
Swanson - Natural Goodness Chicken Broth (100% Fat Free, No Msg, 33% Less Sodium) , 1 container (4 c (240 ml) ea.)	60	4	0	8	2,280	4
Fresh - Chopped Garlic, 13.5 g (1 tsp )	30	3	2	0	0	0
Hunt's - 100% Natural Tomato Paste - Mab 6 oz Can, 1 tbsp (33g)	15	4	0	1	10	2
Bragg - Raw - Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 Tbsp (15 ml)	0	0	0	0	0	0
New Hampshire Pure Maple Syrup - Maple Syrup, 1 tbsp	50	13	0	0	2	13
Spices - Curry powder, 2 tbsp	41	7	2	2	7	0
Orange Zest - Ingredient, 0.5 teaspoon	1	0	0	0	0	0
Generic - Fresh Grated Ginger, 0.25 oz	6	1	0	0	1	0
Spice - Salt, 1/2 teaspoon	0	0	0	0	1,163	0
Honey, 2 tbsp	128	35	0	0	2	34
Sirachi Hot Sauce - Hot Sauce, 1 tsp	5	1	0	0	100	1
Bragg - Raw - Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar, 4 Tbsp (15 ml)	0	0	0	0	0	0
Honey, 2 tbsp	128	35	0	0	2	34
Generic - Celery Seeds, 1 tsp (2g)	8	1	1	0	0	0
Fresh Express - Green Shredded Cabbage (for Cole Slaw), 3 cup	50	6	0	2	30	6
Raw - Pumpkin Seeds, 2 Tbsp	82	3	7	4	0	0
Oroweat - Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat Hamburger Bun, 4 bun (74g)	760	128	14	36	1,520	16
Add Ingredient

Total:	2,688	293	91	160	7,765	153
Per Serving:	336	37	11	20	971	19