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Skinny Strawberry Milkshake

While this recipe blends into a milkshake that is just as smooth and creamy as you would expect, it has one big secret to keeping the calorie count low. It doesn’t actually contain any ice cream! While that may have you turning the page, we promise that blending frozen strawberries into vanilla-scented milk creates the exact texture and flavor you love in a milkshake.

Skinny Strawberry Milkshake
 
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Recipe type: Satisfying Snacks
Makes: 2 small milkshakes
Ingredients
  • 1 cup frozen whole strawberries
  • ⅔ cup 2% milk
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Place all the ingredients in a blender, and pulse 8–10 times to break down the frozen strawberries.
  2. Blend for 1 minute, until milkshake is completely smooth. Serve immediately.
Perfect Portion Skinny Strawberry Milkshake

HELPFUL TIP: Top these with 2 tablespoons of canned whipped cream for an additional 15–20 calories, depending on the brand. We prefer Land-OLakes brand “whipped heavy cream” that does not contain corn syrup.
Serving size: ¾ cup Calories: 100

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“Hot Cocoa” Pretzels

Anson’s American Treasures: You’ll be amazed by how much these pretzels taste like a steamy mug of hot cocoa, marshmallows and all! After a quick coating of egg white and vanilla, we toss the pretzels with cocoa and sugar and bake until crisp. It actually tastes like marshmallows! The pretzel, chocolate, and meringue flavors combine as the perfect balance between salty and sweet. This snack is sure to bring back great childhood memories and will definitely satisfy any chocolate craving!

5.0 from 1 reviews
"Hot Cocoa" Pretzels
 
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Recipe type: Satisfying Snacks
Makes: 10 Snack portions
Ingredients
  • 100 mini pretzels (about 4 packed cups)
  • 1 large egg white, beaten
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 275°F, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pretzels in the egg white and vanilla extract until all are evenly coated.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and cocoa.
  4. Add ⅔ of the cocoa and sugar mixture to the pretzels, and toss until well coated.
  5. Spread the coated pretzels in a single layer on the paper-lined sheet pan, and sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the cocoa and sugar mixture over the top.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping pretzels halfway through. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Hot Cocoa Pretzels

HELPFUL TIP: You can use either salted or unsalted mini pretzels in this recipe, but salted pretzels add a nice contrast to the sweet cocoa coating.
Serving size: 10 pretzels Calories: 100

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Avocado Toast

My daughter’s own recipe! Just add mashed avocado and spices to tomato to top your favorite healthy light toast, The healthy fat from the avocado enhances the absorption of lycopene, the good anti-oxidants in the tomatoes. A snack to stay fuller longer, too! One slice of avocado toast is 100 calories… the perfect portion!

Avocado Toast
 
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Recipe type: Satisfying Snacks
Makes: 5 Snack portions
Ingredients
  • 1 medium Haas avocado, pitted
  • ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • Per Slice:
  • 1 slice light wheat bread
  • 2 slices fresh tomato
  • Garlic powder
  • 2 basil leaves
Directions
  1. Scoop avocado out of the peel and place in a small mixing bowl. Use a heavy fork to mash the avocado until it is spreadable, but still chunky.
  2. Add the lemon juice to the avocado, and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Toast the wheat bread to your liking.
  4. Spread 1∕5 of the mashed avocado onto the toasted wheat bread. Cover, and refrigerate any unused avocado for up to 3 days.
  5. Top the avocado toast with 2 slices of fresh tomato, and lightly season the tomato with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place fresh basil leaves over the tomato before serving.
Perfect Portion Avocado Toast

HELPFUL TIP: This recipe makes enough mashed avocado to prepare 5 slices of avocado toast. If you are preparing all 5 slices at once, you will need about 2 small tomatoes to make the 10 slices of tomato needed.
Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 100

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Smart Snacking

Surveys show that 90% of adults snack every day, often several times per day in fact. When you are snacking smart, it is actually a very good habit to have. It keeps your body’s fire burning while also keeping your blood sugar levels even. The problem is that most Americans snack on processed carbohydrates like chips and candy that are very low in fiber and nutrients.

A better way to snack is to choose those with a combination of food groups or a combination of macronutrients (such as carbohydrates, protein, and fat). An ideal snack would pack both protein and fiber, which will fill you up and boost your energy. As for the portion, a smart snack should fall between 100 and 200 calories for most people. This is just enough to satisfy the between meal hunger pangs without going over your daily caloric needs.

While we have also included an entire section of snack recipes in The Perfect Portion cookbook, here are a few quick and easy Grab and Go Snack options. Not surprisingly, they all contain 100 calories (or even a bit less)!

  • 1 medium apple
  • 5 dried apricots
  • 1 medium banana
  • 13 dry-roasted almonds
  • 2 cups Stovetop Popcorn
  • 40 baked Goldfish crackers
  • 25 grape tomatoes
  • 31 pistachios

 

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Blue Ribbon Barbecue Sauce

Store-bought barbecue sauces may be convenient, but they are typically loaded with sugar or corn syrup. We season a rich tomato base with a little molasses, vinegar, and liquid smoke for a standout sauce in a mere 15 minutes.

Blue Ribbon Barbecue Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Dressings, Sauces & jams
Makes: 4 Sauce portions
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (sold near the spices)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • Salt to taste
Directions
  1. Heat the oil and onions in a saucepot over medium-high heat, and cook until golden brown and softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir in all the remaining ingredients, except the salt. Cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, and add salt to taste. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 10 days.
Perfect Portion Blue Ribbon Barbecue Sauce

HELPFUL TIP: This recipe makes 1 ⅓ cups of sauce, about the same amount as a standard bottle of store-bought sauce.
Serving size: ⅓ cup Calories: 100

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Boneless BBQ Ribs

Bob’s Farm to Table: Most pork ribs are riddled with fat, however boneless “country- style ribs” are cut from the pork loin, making them a far leaner, healthier option. We cook them low and slow, first coated with a spice rub and covered, and finally smeared with barbecue sauce and uncovered to caramelize. These sticky, sweet ribs “melt in your mouth” every time, just the way mom used to make them for Saturday night dinners on the farm!

Boneless BBQ Ribs
 
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Recipe type: Everyday Meals
Makes: 4 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds boneless loin country-style ribs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 batch Blue Ribbon Barbecue Sauce
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to toss ribs in the olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, rubbing the oil and spices into the meat.
  3. Transfer the rubbed ribs to a sheet pan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 2 hours.
  4. Drain the pan of all liquid, and coat the ribs with the Blue Ribbon Barbecue Sauce. Return to the oven, and bake, uncovered, for 1 additional hour before serving.
Perfect Portion Boneless BBQ Ribs

HELPFUL TIP: The nutritional information in this recipe was calculated for country-style ribs cut from the pork loin, not the shoulder. The pork loin variety is the most popular and easiest to find, though some stores will sell both varieties.
Serving size: 1½ oz Ribs with sauce Calories: 100

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Baked Fish Packets with Dill

Cooking fish in sealed parchment paper packets, or in papillote, not only makes for a beautiful presentation but also allows the fish to steam in its own juices instead of using extra butter or oil for sautéing. The fish stays incredibly moist, and its flavor can really shine!

Baked Fish Packets with Dill
 
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Recipe type: Everyday Meals
Makes: 4 Lunch or Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • 4 (4-ounce) tilapia fillets
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 sprigs fresh dill
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F, and lay out 4 large squares of parchment paper.
  2. Place a tilapia fillet in the center of each square of paper, and then squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top.
  3. Top each fillet with ½ tablespoon butter, and then sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon of minced garlic.
  4. Lightly season each fillet with salt and pepper, and then top with a full sprig of dill.
  5. Fold the sides of the paper up and over the fish, and then fold the edges over each other to fully seal. Place on a sheet pan, seam-side down.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes, and let rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion Baked Fish Packets with Dill

HELPFUL TIP: You can also make this in aluminum foil rather than parchment paper. It is far easier to seal the packets this way.
Serving size: ½ fillet Calories: 100

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3 Ways to Tip the Scales

There are several ways that you can help tip the scales in your favor when trying to eat healthy. Here are 3 tips to aid in your success.

Perfect Portion - Make the meal Make the Meal – Cooking at home not only allows you to control which ingredients you use and in which amounts, it also requires you to literally work for your food, burning calories in the kitchen before you sit down to eat.
PerfectPortion-TippingTheScales-vegetables Bulk Up on Veggies – Most vegetables, especially green vegetables, are so low in calories and high in fiber and nutrients that you should consider them “free” foods. Add them to any dish to create larger, more satisfying portions that keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. To increase the portion size of these recipes, we frequently increased the veggies and reduced the protein with rave results. Bob’s Chicken Pot Pie is an excellent example.
PerfectPortion-TippingTheScales-bread Control the Carbs – Carbohydrates should be a side dish, not the main attraction. When it comes to carbs, especially pasta, we have a tendency to fill the entire surface of our plate before topping with a protein. For a balanced meal, your protein serving should be about the size of a deck of cards, your carbohydrate serving should be slightly smaller, and your vegetable serving should fill the rest of the plate.
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100 Calorie Brownie Bites

Mona’s Family Favorites: I LOVE chocolate! I found that using semisweet chocolate chips produced knockout fudgy flavor and allowed us to slightly reduce the butter without noticing! Also, I bake the brownies in mini-muffin tins for a PERFECT portion with plenty of the crispy edges that we all crave. Yum, no, super yum!

100 Calorie Brownie Bites
 
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Recipe type: Desserts
Makes: 24 Brownie Bites
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon 2% milk
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and spray a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt butter into milk, then whisk in sugar until dissolved.
  3. Bring mixture to a simmer, remove from heat, and slowly fold in chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and stir until all is combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt before folding into the chocolate mixture to create a smooth and thick batter.
  5. Split the batter evenly amongst the 24 prepared muffin cups, adding 1 ½ tablespoons of batter to each cup.
  6. Bake for 15–17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a brownie comes out mostly clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Perfect Portion 100 Calorie Brownie Bites

HELPFUL TIP: You can also prepare this in an 8 x 8-inch baking dish by increasing the baking time to 22–25 minutes. Cut the cake into 4 rows by 3 rows to make 12 delicious brownies with only 200 calories each.
Serving size: 1 Brownie Bite Calories: 100

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Classic Meatloaf

Our culinary tricks were at work with this recipe to make it better for you without compromising on flavor. We used extra lean ground beef, but added minced zucchini and onion to make it moist. Plus, we added some extra veggies to your dinner! Shh, the kids will never know!

Classic Meatloaf
 
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Recipe type: Everyday Meals
Makes: 6 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 ½ pounds (93%) lean ground beef
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
  • ½ cup minced yellow onion
  • ½ cup minced zucchini
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ¾ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ cup ketchup
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, use your hands to mix all the ingredients except the ketchup, folding until well combined.
  3. Spread the meatloaf mixture into the prepared loaf pan, and pat it down to smooth out the top. Spread the ketchup over the top of the entire loaf.
  4. Bake for 1 hour. Let rest for 8 minutes before slicing into ½-inch-thick slices.
Perfect Portion Classic Meatloaf

HELPFUL TIP: Mincing the yellow onion and zucchini can be done quickly in a food processor, though you can also grate the zucchini using a cheese grater.
Serving size: ½ inch slice Calories: 100

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