Low-Calorie Recipes for "Bad" Foods You Should Be Eating

August 27, 2019
Some healthy foods have gotten bad reputations they just can’t shake. Peanut butter, eggs, beef, chocolate, potatoes, coffee, nuts, bread and corn are 9 "bad" foods you should actually be eating. (To learn why, read more about these "bad" foods you should be eating here .) Keep these "bad" foods in your diet and still meet your weight loss goals with these healthy, delicious low-calorie recipes.
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Turkey, Corn & Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps

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Fresh corn kernels, tomatoes and lettuce fill these hearty turkey wraps. This wrap is great for picnics or when you need to have dinner on the run. Add some crumbled feta or shredded Cheddar for another layer of flavor. Serve with carrot sticks, sliced bell pepper or other crunchy vegetables plus your favorite creamy dressing.

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Stir-Fried Chile Beef & Broccoli

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This quick stir-fry features broccoli and flank steak in a flavorful sauce. This dish is typical of many traditional Chinese stir-fries--the sauce just clings to the beef and vegetables but is not enough to spoon over rice. Marinating beef is essential for ensuring the meat is flavorful. The meat does not marinate overnight, as in traditional Western recipes. The moment the beef is combined with the seasonings it is ready to be stir-fried.

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Breakfast Fruit Bread Pudding

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Studded with strawberries, this breakfast recipe is a cross between a baked French toast and a dessert bread pudding. Swap in almost any fruit depending on what's in season. Although we typically advocate using whole-grain bread, we stuck with challah for this recipe, because the results are so luscious.

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Creamy Chocolate Gelato

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This ultra-chocolaty, dairy-free Sicilian-style gelato--made without eggs or cream--is relatively lean but still creamy-smooth and flavorful. The coconut milk used for the base gives it a silky, rich mouthfeel and a subtle coconut flavor.

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Potato, Asparagus & Mushroom Hash

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Made with asparagus, roasted red pepper and mushrooms, this hash has a fresh and light, springtime taste. Serve with hearty whole-grain toast for an easy vegan breakfast or with an egg on top for a vegetarian take.

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Rocky Road Brownies

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These super-rich brownies made chocolaty with plenty of cocoa powder have less fat than other brownies, but stay extra gooey and good with marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chunks on top.

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Crispy Potatoes with Spicy Tomato Sauce

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This recipe is inspired by our love of the Spanish tapa Patatas Bravas--crispy bites of potatoes sometimes served with a spicy tomato sauce. If you're not in the mood for a spicy sauce, just add a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper or omit it altogether. The recipe makes lots of the zesty, lycopene-rich sauce--any leftover sauce will hold well for a few days. Try it in an omelet or as a sandwich spread.

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Spicy Pecan Popcorn Chicken

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These spicy and crunchy pecan-crusted chicken nuggets are paired with a quick, creamy ranch dip. If you can't find coarse breadcrumbs, substitute Grape-Nuts cereal instead.

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EatingWell Frozen Mochaccino

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If you lust after those frothy frozen coffee drinks at your local coffee shop, then this mochaccino recipe is for you. This easy homemade version uses low-fat milk, cocoa powder, coffee and just a little bit of maple syrup, so it has a fraction of the calories of a traditional version. (A small mocha frappuccino at Starbucks is 270 calories!) Coffee ice cubes, made by freezing coffee in an ice cube tray, make this drink frosty and give it a big, strong coffee flavor. Recipe by Joyce Hendley for EatingWell.

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Multigrain Molasses Bread

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The flavor of this hearty, home-style multigrain bread is reminiscent of nice, “bran-y” bran muffins. It's great for toasting, making sandwiches or eating as is. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

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Lemon-Parm Popcorn

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Perk up your popcorn with a bit of lemon pepper and Parmesan cheese.

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Chocolate-Graham Muffins

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Graham cracker crumbs lend a hearty texture to a chocolate treat so it maintains the characteristics of a muffin, rather than an oversized cupcake, perfect to pack in a lunchbox.

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Peanut Noodles with Shredded Chicken & Vegetables

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If you can't find a bagged vegetable medley for this easy noodle bowl, choose 12 ounces of cut vegetables from your market's salad bar and create your own mix.

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Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Spicy peanut sauce is the perfect match for these Thai-marinated grilled chicken strips.

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Chocolate-Banana Souffles

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The creaminess of mashed banana makes it possible to eliminate egg yolks from souffles without sacrificing the mouth-feel of fat. While cocoa provides the deep chocolate flavor, a touch of semisweet chocolate in the background eliminates that not-quite-right finish of so many cocoa-based desserts.

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Chocolate Crunch

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Crunchy wheat cereal, pretzels and almonds coated in bittersweet chocolate makes an addictive sweet-salty snack.

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Nectarine, Corn & Tomato Relish

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Serve this tomato relish recipe--full of nectarines, corn and fresh tomatoes--as a wonderful accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish or try it tossed it with whole-wheat pasta and a little extra olive oil.

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Shrimp Po' Boy

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This twist on the Louisiana favorite piles grilled shrimp and creamy-dressed cabbage onto a crusty bun. Bread that's soft on the inside and crusty on the outside is perfect for a Po' Boy sandwich. We grill both sides of a whole-wheat bun for that added crunch. You may need a few extra napkins to enjoy it, but this quick and easy sandwich is well worth it. Serve with: Sauteed corn and bell peppers.

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Slow-Cooker Picadillo

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Picadillo, a Latin American-style hash, is usually made with ground beef. This one uses bison or lean beef and plenty of spices including chili powder, cumin, oregano and cinnamon.

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Mocha Ice Pops

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Get an afternoon pick-me-up with these mocha-flavored frozen treats. A little of the cocoa settles at the bottom as they freeze, making a special chocolaty surprise on the top once the pop is unmolded.

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Carne Asada Tacos

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These flank-steak soft tacos are so tasty and easy, they should be in everyone's repertoire. Plus they're made with fresh corn tortillas (not fried) and topped with a quick homemade salsa made with avocado, tomato, onion and a bright squeeze of lime.

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Bistro Salad Crepes

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Poached eggs and lightly dressed salad greens top these savory crepes. They're just the thing to make for a special brunch or luncheon.

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Stir-Fried Carrots, Corn & Peppers

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This eclectic stir-fry is a colorful combination of carrot, red bell pepper, corn and romaine lettuce. This recipe exemplifies how to stir-fry vegetables with different textures. The carrots, which are a “hard vegetable,” should be stir-fried for a minute before adding “medium-hard” vegetables like peppers or corn, which require slightly less cooking. Finally, add “soft or leafy vegetables” in the last 30 seconds to ensure all the vegetables achieve the same level of doneness. Make sure the lettuce is dry--if it's wet when added to the pan, it will turn the stir-fry into a braise.

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Potato-Cheese Pierogi with Sauerkraut

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Potatoes mashed with sautéed onions and sauerkraut makes a flavorful filling in these yummy pierogi. We used whole-wheat pastry flour for added fiber and substituted extra-virgin olive oil for margarine or butter. Pierogi freeze beautifully, so make a large batch if you like.

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Almond-&-Lemon-Crusted Fish with Spinach

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Coating fish with nuts and baking it is an easy, foolproof way to cook it elegantly. And it is especially nice with a mild white fish like cod or halibut. The spinach turns a little yellowy because it's cooked with the acidic lemon juice, but what you lose in green color is more than made up for in great flavor.

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Warm Potato Salad with Bacon-Mustard Dressing

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This updated take on German potato salad is a sophisticated addition to any holiday spread. Granny Smith apples are a good choice, as they hold their shape when roasted.

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Black Bean Nacho Pizza

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Break out the napkins! This pie is an over-the-top, vegetarian concoction with black-bean spread, Jack cheese, tomatoes, scallions, olives and pickled jalapenos; it's part nacho, part pizza. For an even more decadent treat, serve with low-fat sour cream. Beer pairing: Spicy foods need spicy beers--go for an India Pale Ale (IPA). If you're not a hop-head, the malty sweetness of brown ales work well with the sweeter elements on the pizza.

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Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

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Why put the cheese on top of the burger when half of it just melts off? Instead, form the burger around the cheese so you can char the meat and safeguard the more delicate flavors. Use any mixture of hard or semihard cheeses--Emmentaler and Gouda or Asiago and Parmigiano-Reggiano also pair well.

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