by Sarah Burbank-Douglas
Robin Miller is notorious for her endlessly versatile meals in Robin Rescue’s Dinner and Robin to the Rescue and now she has teamed up with the Slim Fast team to create fulfilling meals in 500 calories or less. With nine cookbooks published, endless TV appearances and being featured in numerous magazine articles, and not to mention four nights of soccer practice, there is no stopping Robin. Luckily, TheCelebrityCafe.com had the opportunity to catch up Robin to see what we need to know to look our best this summer and we even have three of her delicious recipes!
TheCelebrityCafe.com: Where did your passion for studying and writing about a more nutritional lifestyle stem from?
Robin Miller: Well, I guess it’s a way of life. My mother has always been one of those garden-to-table type of people so I grew up with a bountiful, fresh produce and beautiful grain and lean meals my whole life. I think watching her prepare those meals, and the way she had so much fun doing it - you know, that being in the kitchen was a fun place and still is. It’s a fun place to be, a delicious place to be and so I truly believe that the deep down passion for health, nutrition and eating deliciously and healthfully came from my mom.
TCC: Tell me about the recipes you created for The American Heart Association, The American Institute for Cancer Research, and Weight Watchers.
RM: You know, those recipes aren’t really any different from recipes that I created for every magazine that I write for, and for every cookbook that I write for because I like to incorporate lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of grain, whole grains, lots of flavors that are internationally inspired; whether it’s adding soy and cilantro if I want to go Asian or if it’s curry and cumin if I want to go Indian, or even the flavors of Mexico. I’ve always been driven by it being a bounty on your palate, gourmet flavors but with very few ingredients and most definitely healthy ingredients.
TCC: You are currently working with the Slim-Fast Studio, how can dieters “Vow to WOW” in 2012?
RM: Well now that we are heading into shorts and swimsuits, we’re heading into the summer where people are going to be outdoors more and wearing less. So it’s perfect timing for me to kind of join forces with the Slim Fast 3-2-1 plan because, they’ve got the 3-2 down, and what I found working with them is that a lot of people couldn’t figure out the 500 calorie meal part. So, they can do that 3, they can do the 2, they have delicious new shakes, that part was easy, but in terms of getting where they wanted to look and feel that 500 calorie meal seemed daunting. I stepped into show and prove that you can have a gourmet feast with less than 500 calories.
As I had mentioned, all of these wonderful flavors that are globally inspired and you can feel so satisfied for 300 calories or even 400 calories. What I love about it is people can create these meals. So they are getting ready for bathing suit season, but it’s also something that they can take with them into the summer and through the fall by learning how to cook a healthy meal. If you don’t learn how to cook, you are always going to go reaching for those unhealthy choices. I’m hoping that I am giving people the skills to just keep going until the weight has been lost.
TCC: Yes, and that’s something we constantly question, what foods should we stay away from in order to look our beach-best?
RM: The Slim Fast people, we agree on the way that you should fill your plate, if people would just rethink it. If you fill half of your plate with vegetables and fruits and beautiful produce, foods that come to us close to nature as you can possibly imagine, and have not been changed in any way through processing. And then a quarter of the plate should be lean protein like chicken and fish and shellfish, even lean steak. Then the other quarter with whole grains, pasta or brown rice. If half of your plate is loaded with vegetables and a quarter-quarter, you have a beautiful plate well under 500 calories that you can feel super satisfied after. So it’s a good visual for people to remember.
TCC: With summer vacation rapidly approaching, what is the best way to stay on track when you’re not at home?
RM: Keeping that in mind the visual, say you’re not preparing your own food, you’re eating out, ask for the steamed vegetable plate and half a cup of brown rice and a little piece of grilled chicken. Bring those shakes and bars with you, or you can get them anywhere when you’re traveling so you can stay on the Slim Fast plan during the day. Then, when you’re ready for that meal and you’re eating out, another thing that I love is I get 2 or 3 appetizers. For example when I go out, I love fresh crab meat, so I will get crab, I get a salad and a baked potato. Three different appetizers; nobody says you have to be stuck with one single entrée on a menu no matter what kind of dinning place it is. Three different appetizers may be a better choice for you. This way you can get two different vegetables and maybe some sort of a small protein.
TCC: Going through some of your tips, I see that you talk about “secret substitutes,” for example exchanging French fries for a sweet potato, what is your personal favorite ‘secret substitute?’
RM: When you reduce high calorie of high fat things for their reduced-fat versions, like a yogurt versus a full fat yogurt, you can’t tell the difference. I don’t like going full on fat free with things like cheeses and sour cream, but just a lighter version of the same thing, like a lite sour cream or a lite cheddar cheese, those are secret substitutes, they melt the same, have the same consistency, but you’ve cut the fat in half in many cases.
Rather than deprivation, I’d rather have people think ‘what can I have,’ let’s load up with fresh herbs and fresh sultry seasoning blends, grill things, char things, caramelize things, get the maximum flavor and don’t feel like you’ve skipped anything or you’ve taken something away. When you do take out fat and you reduce calories you need to up the flavor or you will feel deprived.
TCC: With the nine published cook books, television appearances and your shows, not to mention your current work with Slim-Fast, is it fair to ask you what fans can look forward to seeing from you next?
RM: My most recent cookbook Robin Takes 5, it came out in November, it has been wildly popular (knock on wood!), it has been very successful, so I am creating a show based on that concept Robin Takes 5. So 5 ingredients or less, 500 calories or less, and it’s so funny because I wrote that book before I started working with Slim Fast and we were on the same page with the 500 calories or less thing, so it was just a perfect match. You will be able to see a new show, I have a new cookbook idea that’s in my brain, it’s in the publisher’s lap, finished, so we are deciding which direction we should go I have two different ideas. More shows, more books, more recipes and I’m loving it!
Asian Beef Salad
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
• 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup cucumber slices
• 2 carrots, fresh, med
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 pound flank steak, lean, cooked
• 1/4 cup cashews, unsalted
• 1/2 cup Wishbone® Light Asian Sesame
Ginger Vinaigrette
• 4 Whole wheat dinner rolls
Preparation
1. Thinly slice steak. Slice carrots into strips. Chop cashews.
2. On serving platter, arrange spinach, then top with cucumber, carrots, sprouts and steak.
3. Just before serving, sprinkle with cashews, and drizzle with Wish-Bone® Light Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette Dressing.
4. Enjoy a dinner roll with each serving.
Fish Tacos with Bell Pepper Slaw
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes or less
Serves: 4
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 medium red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 2 Knorr® Reduced Sodium Chicken Flavor
Bouillon Cubes
• 1 1/4 pounds cod, raw
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 small whole wheat tortillas, warmed
• 8 cups steamed cauliflower
Preparation
Bell Pepper Slaw: Combine sour cream, 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons cilantro in a small bowl. Toss red peppers with 2 tablespoons of the sour cream mixture; set aside.
Tacos: Mash the Knorr® Reduced Sodium Chicken flavor Bouillon Cubes with the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in a small glass bowl or measuring cup. Microwave at HIGH for 20 seconds or until bouillon is softened. Stir until smooth. Add remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and toss with cod strips to coat well. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook cod about 5 minutes or until fish flakes, stirring frequently. Serve immediately in tortillas and top with bell pepper slaw. Drizzle with remaining sour cream mixture. Enjoy with 2 cups of steamed cauliflower per serving.
Garden Vegetable Lasagna
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
• 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 16 ounces cottage cheese, low-fat, low-sodium
• 1 jar (26 oz) Ragu Light Pasta Sauce
• 4 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 16 ounces vegetables, mixed, frozen
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Halve the four lasagna noodles crosswise.
3. Thaw and dry your choice of chopped, frozen vegetables on paper towels.
4. In small bowl, combine mozzarella cheese with Parmesan cheese. Remove 1/3 cup mixture; reserve. In medium bowl, combine cottage cheese with remaining mozzarella cheese mixture; set aside.
5. In 8 x 8-inch baking dish, evenly spread 1/3 cup Pasta Sauce. Arrange 2 noodle halves over Sauce. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over noodles, then 1/3 of the vegetable mixture and 1/3 cup Sauce; repeat layers twice. Top with remaining 2 noodles and 1/3 cup Sauce.
6. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with reserved cheese mixture. Bake uncovered an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining Sauce, heated.