"Prednisone-Friendly" Recipes

Being on prednisone and trying watch your weight gain means being restricted to a limited choice of ingredients. Below are some recipes you can try to help manage food cravings, without starving yourself.
 
 






Coffee Latte

1-1/4 cups regular grind espresso or other dark roast coffee
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
6 cups water
2-1/2 teaspoons artificial sweetener
2-1/2 cups skim milk
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg
Place espresso and cinnamon stick in filter basket of drip coffee pot; brew coffee with water. Stir sweetener into coffee; pour into 8 mugs or cups.

Heat milk in small saucepan until steaming. Process half the milk in blender at high speed until foamy, about 15 seconds. Pour milk into 4 mugs, spooning foam on top. Repeat with remaining milk and coffee. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
Makes about 8 servings

Nutrition info per serving (about 8-ounces):
31 cal., 3 g pro., 5 g carbo., 0 g fat, 1 mg chol., 46 mg sodium
 
 






Fruit Smoothie
(you’re gonna need a blender for this one, folks)

Ingredients:
1 banana, cut into large pieces
(you can use other fruits for this: mango, papaya, strawberries, peeled apple; leather shoes, up to you…)
1 cup skim milk
2-3 ice cubes
Honey or artificial sweetener

Garnish: Cinnamon or nutmeg


Place all ingredients in the blender. Blend on high until smooth.
Pour into a chilled glass. Dust with cinnamon or nutmeg.






Breakfast Yam

Ingredients:
1 large yam


If you microwave:
Wash the yam, remove all dirt from the skin unless you like the taste of dirt, of course.
Pierce the yam in several places with the twines of a fork. Put it on something microwave safe that isn’t going to melt all over the place and cook on HI for 9-12 minutes, depending on the size.

If you bake it in the oven:
Preheat oven to 400°. Wash and pierce the yam as above, and put it on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes. Slice the yam open and sprinkle with cinnamon, allspice, and artificial sweetener. Just like a baked potato! Oh, it is, I forgot!








Hot Cereal
OK, this isn’t brain surgery, here:

Ingredients:
cereal (like oatmeal or Wheatina)
artificial sweetener
fruits (your favorite berry or chopped item)
Cook cereal according to package directions, but use water instead of milk, and if you have to use milk, use skim milk. Don’t add any butter or salt. Instead, add the sweetener and the fresh fruit. If you like cherries, try adding them with a tiny amount of almond extract.






Yogurt and Warm Fruit

Ingredients:
fruit (1 apple, peach, pear, or nectarine)
1 8-oz container of plain non-fat yogurt (you can get it sweetened or sweeten it yourself)
1 or 2 Tbs. of granola (or other cold cereal such as Grape Nuts)
Slice the fruit and microwave it in a safe dish for one minute. Drain any liquid from the fruit. Spoon the yogurt over the fruit and top with cereal. You also might like to add cinnamon or nutmeg, or a drop or two of extract such as vanilla, lemon, or almond.






Dutch Apple Pancake

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup skim milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4-1/2 packets artificial sweetener
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon margarine
5 large cooking apples, sliced
2 tablespoons margarine
18 packets artificial sweetener
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 dashes ground allspice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup apple cider
4 teaspoon cornstarch
Ground cinnamon


Mix eggs, milk, flour, 4-1/2 packets artificial sweetener, and salt in medium bowl (batter will be slightly lumpy). Heat 1 tablespoon margarine in 12-inch oven-proof skillet until bubbly; pour batter into skillet.

Bake pancake in preheated 425ºF oven 20 minutes; reduce temperature to 350ºF and bake until crisp and golden, 7 to 10 minutes (do not open oven door during baking). Transfer pancake to large serving plate.

Sauté apples in 2 tablespoons margarine in large skillet until apples begin to soften, 5 to 7
minutes. Mix in 18 packets artificial sweetener, spices and lemon juice. Add 3/4 cup cider and heat to boiling. Mix cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup cider; add to boiling mixture, stirring until thickened, about 1 minute.  Spoon apple mixture into pancake. Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Makes 8 servings

Nutrition information per serving:
236 cal., 5 g pro., 39 g carbo., 7 g fat, 107mg chol., 162 mg sodium
 
 

Chicken and Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon poppy seed
4 packets artificial sweetener
1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice
4 cups torn spinach leaves
8 ounces thinly sliced cooked chicken breast
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup halved seedless green grapes
1-1/2 cups thinly sliced yellow summer squash
2 medium oranges, peeled and sectioned
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces (optional)


Combine yogurt, lemon-pepper seasoning, mustard, garlic salt, poppy seed and sweetener
in small bowl. Add enough orange juice to reach drizzling consistency; set aside.

Line platter with spinach. Arrange chicken, strawberries, grapes, squash and orange sections over spinach. Drizzle salad with dressing. Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
202 cal., 21 g pro., 20 g carbo., 5 g fat, 51 mg chol., 380 mg sodium
 
 




Breast of Chicken with Fennel, Ginger, and Garlic

Ingredients:
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 T. fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
Black pepper
1/2 cup fresh fennel, sliced in thin strips


Preheat oven to 375°. Place the chicken in a casserole dish. Mix the ginger with the garlic and add the lemon juice. Spoon this mixture onto the chicken. Sprinkle with pepper. Top with fennel slices. Cover with tin foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Serve with rice or a salad.
Serves 2-3.



Grilled Portabello Burger with Basil Mayonnaise

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1tsp cider vinegar
4 portabello mushroom caps
olive oil cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste
4 buns
7 1/2 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
4 thin slices red onion
4 lettuce leaves


Heat grill. In small bowl, combine basil, mayonnaise, and vinegar, set aside.

Spray both sides of mushroom caps lightly with olive oil spray; season with salt and pepper.

Grill mushrooms over medium heat, about 6 minutes on each side, or until tender to the touch.

To serve, split the buns and toast them on the grill. Divide red pepper into four portions. Spread mayo mixture on tops and bottoms of the buns. Make a sandwich with each of the mushroom caps and the red peppers, onions, and lettuce leaves.

Serves 4.






Chicken with Red Sauce and Pasta

Ingredients:
4 pieces of chicken breast
chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 medium can no-salt-added whole tomatoes or tomato sauce
sliced mushrooms
nonfat cooking spray


Preheat oven to 375°. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Mix chopped onions and garlic, dash of pepper, and oregano with tomatoes or tomato sauce. Spoon tomato mixture over the chicken and cover with tin foil. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for fifteen more minutes.
While chicken is baking, boil some water and prepare some pasta as a side dish.
Sauté sliced mushrooms in a skillet, using a small amount of cooking spray. Top the chicken with the mushrooms when serving.
Serves 3-4.
 
 






Turkey Burgers

Ingredients
1 to 1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup chili sauce
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Vegetable cooking spray


Directions
Combine all ingredients except cooking spray in large bowl; mix well. Shape mixture into ten patties. Cook over medium-high heat in pan coated with cooking spray 10 to 12 minutes on each side or grill 12 to 14 minutes on each side.

Makes 10 burgers.
 


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Light and Lemony Cake
 

Ingredients:
White batter-
1 3/4 cups egg whites (12-14)
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
1 1/2 cups sugar
36 packets artificial sweetener
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Yellow batter-
5 egg yolks
2 Tbs cake flour
3 packets artificial sweetener
2 Tbs grated lemon peel

Confectioners sugar


1. Make white batter.
In large bowl, let white warm to room temperature 1 hour. Sift 1 1/4 cups flour with 12 packets of the sweetener; resift three times. With electric mixer at high speed, beat whites with salt and cream of tartar until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised.

Beat in 24 packets of sweetener, 6 packets at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until stiff peaks form when beater is slowly raised. With wire whisk, fold vanilla into egg whites until combined. Sift flour mixture, one fourth at a time, over egg whites.

With wire whisk, using an under-and-over motion, gently fold in each addition with 15 strokes, rotating the bowl a quarter of a turn after each addition. Fold ten more strokes, to blend completely. Turn one third of the batter into a medium bowl. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Make yellow batter.
In small bowl, combine yolks, cake flour and the three packets of sweetener. With mixer at high speed, beat until very thick. Add lemon peel. With wire whisk, using an under-and-over motion, fold yolk mixture into reserved one third batter with 15 strokes.

3. Create marbling effect by spooning batters alternately into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, ending with white batter on top. With a knife, cut through the batter twice. With a rubber spatula, gently spread batter in pan until it is smooth on top and touches side of pan all around.

4. Bake on lower oven rack 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake springs back when pressed with fingertip. Invert pan over the neck of a bottle to cool for 2 hours. With a knife, loosen cake from pan and remove. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar if desired. Goes well with a slab of frozen vanilla yogurt.


Bon appetit!

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