Happy New Year!

As we all say “good-bye to 2022 and welcome in 2023,” many of us are making resolutions for the new year. It may be to lose weight. Quit a bad habit. Learn something new. So now is a good time to start making these goals for the year happen.

Dieting can be a pain and sometimes a person feels like they have failed before they even really get started. My advice is to just take one day at a time and if you mess up, just say to yourself, “Tomorrow is a new day and I’ll do better,” rather than giving up.

Many recipes that we use can be homemade with a reduction in calories simply converting over to the light version of a recipe’s ingredients. In the following recipe there are veggies, fiber rich beans and high protein lean ground turkey, so it is a balanced meal with only 160 calories a bowl.

Taco Soup

1/2 yellow onion,

finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. lean ground turkey/

or preferred ground meat

1 (15 oz.) can black beans,

drained and rinsed

(or kidney beans)

1 (11-15 oz.) can corn (fiesta

or regular, drained/rinsed)

1 (4-5 oz.) can green chiles

(optional)

2 (14.5 oz.) cans fire roasted

crushed tomato

2 c. low sodium chicken

broth

1 packet taco seasoning

Heat 1 teaspoon oil (or use cooking spray) in a pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it is browned. Add remaining soup ingredients and turn heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 10-30 minutes to bring the flavors together. Add water if soup appears to be too thick.

Serve with desired toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, corn or tortilla chips, sliced or diced avocado.

The Taco Soup recipe can also be cooked in a crockpot on high for two hours or on low heat for four hours. It will keep well in your refrigerator for four days or can be stored frozen for up to three months in your freezer.

Two lighter version recipes are the Orange 7-Up Salad and Fluffy Key Lime Pie.

Orange 7-Up Salad

2 pkgs. orange light gelatin

2 c. hot water

1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice

1 c. Diet 7-Up

1 can light mandarin oranges, drained

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into jello mold or any other salad bowl.

Fluffy Key Lime Pie

1/4 c. boiling water

1 pkg (3 oz.) sugar free lime yogurt

2 cartons (6 oz. each) light key lime yogurt

1 carton (8 oz.) frozen fat free whipped topping, thawed

1 reduced fat 9-inch graham cracker crust

In a large bowl, add boiling water to gelatin. Stir for two minutes to completely dissolve. Whisk in yogurt. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into pie crust. Refrigerate, covered, until set, about two hours. Calories for this recipe per slice is 154 calories.

Did you know? A healthy diet should have calorie dense foods, such as eggs, nuts, seeds, and avocados, which are higher in calories than fruits and vegetables but can still be good for you. Pairing calorie dense foods like these with vegetables and fruit can make your meals more filling and satisfying.

Loretta Krahling is a columnist with over 30 years of newspaper experience. If you have any lower calorie recipes or other favorites, email her with your recipes and why they are your favorite to krahling93@gmail.com.