Meal Plan – Spicy Stir-Fried Mushroom

Meal Plan – Spicy Stir-Fried Mushroom Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 whole dried red chile
1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups quartered mushrooms
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed tomato
7 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/8 teaspoon Garam Masala
8 (1-ounce) slices country bread, toasted

Preparation

1. Heat first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat; sauté 1 minute or until cumin begins to darken. Add ginger to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add red onion and fenugreek; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Add salt and jalapeño; saute 2 minutes or until onion softens and begins to brown. Add coriander, red pepper, and minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook 7 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Stir in tomato, tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and Garam Masala; bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve with slices of country bread.

Suvir Saran, Cooking Light

Meal Plan – Slow-Cooker Oatmeal

Meal Plan – Slow-Cooker Oatmeal

Ingredients:
1-cup steel-cut oats
1/3 cup chopped dates
2/3-cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried figs
1/2-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
4 cups water
1/2-cup half-and-half (or non-fat, plain yogurt)

Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together in a slow cooker before you head to bed. Set to LOW and cook for 8 to 9 hours. Stir to combine and serve.

Healthy Diet over the Holidays and Timely Workouts

Holidays are a time of celebration and great times with family and friends. It can also be a time to over enjoy the sweat foods. Where nothing is off limits. There’s the Pot of Gold, turtles,  candy canes and numerous cookies and other indulgences to satisfy our sweet tooth. It is never ending! Then comes (for most of us) the multiple Christmas suppers/parties, with full course meals that includes seconds and pie! AHHHH the holidays are a great time!

But, at some point in late December,  that one moment, where nothing FITS! You stand their dumbfounded, how could I allow this to happened! Well there is a way you can reverse the trend! Its called  “healthy life style” choices. The ability to take control of what you put in your mouth, the commitment to “buy in” to having a healthy and productive life style. Each and every one of us can  accomplish this!

Thanksgiving and Christmas is a time of celebrating and enjoying the good things in life. You don’t have to completely give up your favorite foods during this time. Just be smarter about what you eat and “buy in” to living a healthy live style!

1. Find Time For Your Workouts – This should be top on your list everyday to make the commitment to find the time for your workout. I won’t argue that time can be stretched at this time of the year. Maybe its an early morning workout, you shorten the workouts from 1 hour to 3o minutes or instead of driving to the gym you do a home work out program like Beach Body’s P90.
Just make the time you feel better and more importantly you will feel better about your self!

2. Cut Out The Alcohol – Okay okay, I can here the pitch forks clamoring up my front step. As we now some alcohol has some health benefits, but only in moderation. It is important to know how much you are consuming over this period of time and keep it in moderation. Stay away from the cream liquors as they pack a heavy calorie count.

3. Hydration – Due to increased alcohol and other types of drinks available during the Holiday Season, we can forget about our water intake. Drinking waster is an excellent way, to help us decrease our cravings for the sweet foods to a manage level. Plus, more importantly the body needs water to operate effectively, especially during and after those workouts. Water is a key to a healthy holiday!

4. Food Preparation – Refrigerate the gravy to harden the fat, then skim it off! You would surprised how much fat you will remove! Use skim milk in those mashed potatoes or replace with my favorite sweet potato. Everyone likes the dressing but decrease the bread and add more veggies, cranberries and use chicken broth for flavor instead of butter.

5. Portions – Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Savor your favorite foods while eating small portions. This is a trick I have done in the past, use a smaller plate to eat off of!

I hope you all have a great festive season with fun, conversation and being around the people that matter most to you.
Keep you nutrition and health in the forefront when making your daily plans!

Meal Plan – Stir Fried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon bottled chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 4 cups mixed salad greens $
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts $
• Lime wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken to broth mixture, stirring to coat. Let stand 3 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Add chicken to the pan; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring frequently. Stir in the reserved marinade. Reduce heat; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat.
3. Combine greens and basil in a large bowl. Add chicken mixture, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/4 cups salad mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts. Serve immediately. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Note:The pan sauce in this dish doubles as a piquant vinaigrette for the salad. Serve with crunchy breadsticks, if you wish.

Cooking Light

Meal Plan – Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, divided

Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast tenders, lightly pounded
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium shallot, sliced
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
11/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
2 medium zucchini
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:
1. In a ziplock bag, combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, and 2 teaspoons thyme; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add chicken tenders, seal the bag, and gently turn to coat. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, remaining garlic, edamame, and tomatoes; saute 4 minutes.
3. Use a vegetable peeler to slice zucchini into long ribbons. Add zucchini and remaining lemon juice and thyme to vegetables in skillet; saute 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, stir in feta, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Add remaining oil to skillet. Remove chicken from marinade and saute 2 to 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Serve with vegetables.

Nutrition facts per serving: 327 calories, 28g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 13g fat (3g saturated), 5g fiber

Les Mills Pump and Shredded me!

Good evening, Shellie and I completed Les Mill Pump and Shred just before supper! I have yesterday off because my body was completely messed up. My muscles and mind were struggling to complete any task. I ate very well and had a great 7 hour sleep. I have been drinking much more water in the last week and I feel a big difference overall. My energy has been more consistent through out the day, not the huge drop around 3 pm. My body feels more alert and strong then in the past. I also commend taking shakeology. Just adds so many nutrients into my system that typically would never have with my normally healthy diet. So,  I feel much better today!

The work was fantastic tonight. I was strong and focused throughout the workout. I pushed hare through each track. I had to stop for a couple seconds for rest in the chest, back, lunge and shoulder tracks. I have no issue with this as went to failure in each track with now lowering my weight. I added weight to the back and shoulder tracks. The ab track was solid, took my time and felt the burn! Overall, very happy with this workout, the day off helped!

We both took the energy and endurance formula before we did Les Mills Pump and Shred! Shellie also had supper already made prior to the workout. I was Quinoa with mixed veggies. It was fantastic! She mixed the Quinoa in with peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, garlic powder and chicken broth. She mixed it all together and we topped it off with either hot sauce or salsa! Yummy! Great meal to have right after a workout. I will finish of the night with Tropical shakeology!

I made good choices today and I feel strong and I feel healthy! Have a great night!

Healthy Meal – Chicken Cutlets with Lemon

Ingredients

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation

1. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet; wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
3. Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Recipe from Cooking light

Healthy Meal – Mini Pizza

Recipe from Cooking Light

Calories: 323
Fat: 15.4g
Saturated fat: 5.2g
Monounsaturated fat: 6.7g
Polyunsaturated fat: 2g
Protein: 15.8g
Carbohydrate: 27.9g
Fiber: 1.3g
Cholesterol: 192mg
Iron: 2.6mg
Sodium: 605mg
Calcium: 237mg

1 (11-ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust dough (such as Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved fresh Romano cheese, divided
1 tablespoon white vinegar
6 large eggs
1 (5-ounce) package baby arugula
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Unroll pizza dough on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray; place in preheating oven. Bake as oven heats for 7 minutes.
3. Combine the ricotta and 1/4 cup Romano. Remove pan from oven. Quickly spread cheese mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Return pan to oven, and bake for 5 minutes.
4. While pizza bakes, add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer. Add vinegar. Break each egg into a custard cup, and pour gently into pan. Cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon.
5. Combine arugula, remaining 1/4 cup Romano cheese, and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl; toss well. Top pizza with arugula mixture and eggs; sprinkle with pepper. Cut into 6 pieces.

Healthy Recipe – Yogurt Fruit Glass

 

Layer 1/4 cup strawberries, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/3 container yogurt, 1/3 tablespoon wheat germ, 1/3 of the sliced banana, and about 2 tablespoons of granola in a large bowl. Continue to build the parfait, repeating the layers until all of the ingredients are used completely.

Healthy Meal TOMATO CHICKPEA PESTO

 

TOMATO CHICKPEA PESTO

According to a study published in 2010 in the journal Appetite, participants who added half a cup of chickpeas to their daily diet ate less junk food and felt fuller compared with days they didn’t eat chickpeas. Researchers credit the bean’s fiber (11 grams per cup) for the healthy results. Cooked tomatoes provide the antioxidant lycopene, which studies show can protect skin from UV rays. Pesto adds a rich flavor, while basil contains anti-inflammatory antioxidants, says Dorfman. She also notes it’s packed with magnesium, a mineral that regulates blood sugar.

TO MAKE: In a pot, saute 1/2 a diced medium onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat till soft. Add 1 minced garlic clove; cook 30 seconds. Add one 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and 1/3 cup water; bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. If you like a smooth soup, puree mixture in a blender. Transfer back to pot. Add one 15-ounce can drained, rinsed chickpeas. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Top each serving with a dollop of jarred basil pesto.