Whole30 & Red Swiss Chard

I am back from my New York trip! It was a very fun trip; I was able to do almost everything in a tour guide book plus go to some local restaurants! One of my favorite activities I was able to do was spend 2 hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it has art from the 1st and 2nd centuries all the way to the 1960s. It was a great last vacation before I start back up in school.

Before my New York trip, I went back to school shopping and picked up some new workout clothes!

Now that I am back, I want to get back onto the paleo lifestyle; I realized after following the paleo lifestyle for almost 2 months, I have felt better all over (both physically & emotionally) and have had a significant decrease in my stomach problems. For me, this lifestyle is not only for weight management, but is for the increase in energy, improvements in the way I feel, and the knowledge that I am benefiting my health with what I am putting in my body. I have noticed a lot of commercials on TV about medications and medication problems relating to diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, etc., and the best way to prevent any of these is to begin a healthy, whole foods lifestyle NOW. 

I have been researching the Whole30 Program. Whole30 concentrates on eating food with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, and real, whole food like meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. The most important is what not to eat during the Whole30 Program: no added sugar (real or artifical), no alcohol, no grains, no legumes, no dairy, no carrageenan, msg or sulfites, and no white potatoes. Also something whole 30 urges is to not make junk food with "paleo approved" ingredients, like pizza, muffins, brownies, ice cream, etc.

Some exceptions to the Whole30 Program are: clarified butter or ghee, fruit juice as a sweetener (apple or orange juice), green beans, snap peas, vinegar (like balsamic, apple cider, and red wine; vinegar with no added sugars), and minimally processed foods like canned coconut milk, applesauce, tomato sauce, canned olives and chicken broth (as long as you avoid carageenan, msg, or sulfites).

This is not suppose to be an easy program, and will take a lot of meal prepping, but on their website it plans out what you should expect while going through the program.
For more information: http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/

The whole30 website provides a detailed grocery list with the best choices for the program. This is a great resource if you are ever unsure of what to buy at the grocery store. http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Shopping-List.pdf

I am currently trying to like red swiss chard in my smoothies because red swiss chard is EXTREMELY good for you; it is high in antioxidants, phytonutrients, anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin K, vitamin A, and is beneficial for blood sugar regulation & bone health (for more information: http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16). I find the flavor very strong, so I am experimenting on different fruit and vegetables to add with it. For my Red Smoothie, I added fresh grapefruit juice to help cut the flavor and I feel it worked well. Any ideas for other ways to cook with red swiss chard? Let me know!

Red Smoothie:
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 leaves red swiss chard
1/2 cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1/4-1/2 cup water

Blend and serve!

Some other clean eats...

For the airplane trip to New York, I packed some paleo approved snacks! Bell pepper slices, green grapes, raw almonds + raw pumpkin seeds, cherry tomatoes and an Apple Pie Lara Bar.

3 egg white omelet filled with zucchini, tomato and onion, cooked in coconut oil and topped with avocado slices, and red pepper flakes, a side of steamed broccoli (with a little lemond juice and garlic) and fresh tomatoes

3 egg white scramble with zucchini and tomatoes topped with avocado chunks! With Vita Coco Coconut Water. Coconut water is a great way to hydrate your body naturally! 

Zucchini egg white frittata cooked in coconut oil, topped with raw almonds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, tomato slices, bell pepper slices and some spinach-pepper chicken sausage!

Pre-Workout Fruit Salad:

½ cup green grapes, washed & halved

½ cup blueberries, washed

½ banana, sliced

½ tbsp whole flaxseeds

½ tbsp raw cacao nibs

1 tbsp raw Coconut Nectar

Mix above ingredients and top with unsweetened coconut shreds 

Turkey & 3 Bean Chili

It's chili time! I have been craving chili ever since I saw a very simple, single serving chili recipe in Women's Health and it made me so hungry! I used that recipe to get an idea, but mostly just started adding vegetables, turkey, water and spices to a big pot!

Turkey & 3 Bean Chili
(Serves about 5, 1 cup servings)

1 Can Chili Beans (Kidney, Pinto, Black), drained & rinsed
1 Can Black Beans, drained & rinsed

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 green bell pepper, rough chop
1/2 large white onion, rough chop
3 Roma tomatoes, rough chop
2 ears of corn, cooked & corn cut off husks

In a large pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, and cook the onions on medium-low heat until translucent, then add green bell peppers. Cook on medium-low heat until bell peppers are sweating.

While the onions and bell peppers are cooking, cook 1-1.5 lb turkey breast seasoned with a drizzle of olive oil, pepper & red pepper flakes. Drain any excess fluids once finished cooking.

Once turkey and onion-bell pepper mixture are finished cooking, add turkey, beans, corn, and tomatoes to the pot with onions and green peppers. Keep the heat over medium-low heat.

In a serperate bowl, mix together 2-3 cups warm water, 1 packet chili seasoning , and 4-6 tablespoons ground flax seed. Mix until everything has dissolved, then add to the pot. It will look very watery at first, but after some of the water cooks off, it will become thicker.

Add the chili seasoning mixture to the big pot. Let this simmer for 20-30 minutes, until it is a thicker consistency.

After 20-30 minutes you're all set! Let the chili cool a little before serving because it will be very hot!

Green onions, rough chop, for topping
(Optional topping: nonfat plain green yogurt, in place of sour cream)

Final Product!

This was my first time making chili from scratch (except for the seasoning). And it turned out very well! I would love any suggestions for ways to make this chili even better or healthier then it was.

I will be having chili left overs for the next few days, and I am very excited. I have a feeling it will make even better left overs with letting the flavors marinate longer!

Enjoy! :)

Banana Almond "Crepe"

Yesterday and this morning were my days to hit the store! It was a big store run, since we just had our refrigerator worked on and had to get rid of most of our fresh food; which says a lot since most all of my food is in the vegetable and fruit drawers. 

I got most everything on my list with the exception of Coconut Flour and Chia Seeds. I also added Mangoes, they were 2 for $1 at Albertsons. I couldn't say no! My Uncle got my sweet potatoes and bananas also! I will be stoked up and ready for the next week.

Also, I couldn't find Ezekial Wraps BUT I found Ezekial tortillas, I am a bit obsessed now. The ingredients are clean and fresh. It tastes very similar to a regular whole wheat tortilla.

So with the tortillas in mind, I had a breakfast idea!

First though, I made a Kale, Onion, Turkey & Bell Pepper Scramble.

I sauteed onion in some olive oil, and added some spicy garlic chili paste (YUM!). I then added my orange bell peppers, kale, and turkey breast.

After the vegetables (and meat) were warm and cooked, I added 2 full eggs and 2 egg whites. I put the top on and cooked this over medium heat. I topped the final scramble with 1/4 avocado slices, and some medium Salsa Verde. It's just a simple scramble, but it was still good and filling!

While these were cooking away, my brain was thinking of a good way to use these tortillas. At first I was going to do a simple breakfast burrito, BUT I had just bought almond butter and I was craving it. Soooo... 

I present to you, Banana & Almond "Crepes"

Ingredients:

1 Ezekiel Sprouted Tortilla

1/2 small banana, sliced

1 Tablespoon Raw Crunchy Unsalted Almond Butter

1/2 Tablespoon ground flaxseed meal

1/2 Tablespoon Agave Nectar (for topping)

Simple, get 1 tortilla, spread almond butter all over, sprinkle flaxseed meal evenly, add 2 rows of banana slices, roll into a "crepe" form. I warmed the crepe up in the microwave for about 15 seconds and topped it with extra banana slices and drizzle with warmed agave syrup!

Final product!

Now, note that these need to be eaten quickly after warmed because the tortilla will get hard relatively fast (which didn't ruin the taste, just made it more difficult to cut through). 

I got my first half gallon of Trader Joe's Original Unsweetened Coconut Milk this morning too! I must say, after having a glass this morning, it may now compete with my love of almond milk. Thank goodness I have both right now so I can switch off.

 

Final breakfast was great!

Scramble + Crepe + Coconut Milk

The perfect way to get your day going :)

Turkey Burgers

Ground turkey is super cheap yet still high in protein and low in fat! I got 1.5 lbs from Trader Joes for $4.50 and was able to make 5 turkey burgers! I did not put my turkey burgers on buns because I was adding a small amout of BBQ sauce and did not want the extra carbs from the buns, so I ate it like a steak with a fork and knife. Another good way to go is a "protein" style burger with 2 pieces of lettuce.

Turkey Burger Recipe:
1.5 lb. ground turkey breast
4 tbsp panko bread crumbs
2 egg whites
2 garlic cloves, minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 white onion finely chopped or 2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp black pepper or cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 5 patties, and make a nice indent in the middle of each patty (this helps so they cook into an even patty and are not raised in the center). Heat a grill pan, spray with cooking olive oil spray, over medium-medium high heat grill each side for 5-6 minutes.

While the burgers were cooking, I grilled up some asparagus, sweet potatoes, broccoli and onion slices! Seasoned the veggies with olive oil, pepper, garlic powder and sea salt.

I topped my burger with 1 tsp of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (but they are great plain too!)

I had plenty of left overs which was great! I stored them in an airtight Tupperware container so they could last a few days in the fridge.

For breakfast I wanted another turkey burger, so I paired it with an egg white scramble with zucchini, white onions, spinach and red pepper flakes! To reheat the burger, I heated up a pan, added a little cooking spray and cooked on medium-high for 2 minutes on each side with the lid on.

Put Your Lunch Face On

After work yesterday, I made myself an open faced sandwich!

I have never mixed avocado and hummus but I saw a recipe for an appetizer that did it, so I thought why not try it in a sandwich!

1• I began by roasting a thick tomato slice and toasting a piece of whole wheat bread.
2• After my bread was toasted, I added 1/4 mashed avocado in top, and then added 1 tbsp of Trader Joes eggplant hummus.
3• I like mesquite turkey, but any lean meat will work (or no meat at all too!). I used 4 slices of turkey breast, adding some good lean protein.
4• Top the turkey with a small amount of arugula, the roasted tomato slice ad a sprinkle of black pepper.

A fresh tomato will work well also, but roasting it for a couple minutes adds a little sweetness and warmth that I really enjoy on this sandwich.

That's it! How easy was that?

This open faced sandwich has good protein, whole grains, healthy fat, and fiber!

Mmmmm

Italian Inspired Frittata

On Tuesday morning before class, I did an intense an workout I got from April Oxygen Magazine! (I am obviously late posting this one haha)

After an intense ab workout and a 4 mile run, I was hungry!

I made a Tomato, Spinach, Feta Frittata with toast and a glass of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

To make the frittata:

1• Spray Trader Joe's Olive oil spray (or any other cooking spray) in a small sautée pan, add 2 cups fresh spinach, once wilted, transfer to a separate plate
2• Spray a little more cooking spray so eggs don't stick. Then add 1/2 roma tomato, sliced (4 slices), then add the spinach back into pan, and pour 6 tbsp egg whites into pan, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
3• Put top on the pan, cook until bottom is cooked (I like mine a little browned) (~4 min over medium heat)
4• Flip over carefully (!!!) and cook another 2 min-3 min over medium heat.
5• Top with 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (can add more if u like it spicer) & 1-2 tbsp nonfat feta, put top on pan to let cheese get warm (~1 min)

****Serve!

For the toast:
• Toast 1 slice whole wheat bread, add 1/4 mashed avocado on top with a sprinkle of black pepper

Nom nom nom! :)

Roasting Up!

I wasn't very hungry for dinner last night since I had been munching on raw walnuts all day, so I made a small plate of roasted veggies for dinner! I have never cooked brussels sprouts nor sweet potatoes, but I know I like them!

4 brussels sprouts, quartered
4 asparagus spears
5 cauliflower florets, halved if too large
1/2 sweet potato, peeled & cubed

Preheated oven 375

 

I first boiled water in a pot and added in the sweet potato chunks for 3-4 minutes, so they softened. (This was to ensure that all the vegetables would cook in the same amount of time)

Once I had arranged vegetables on the baking sheet, I sprayed olive oil cooking spray on each, and sprinkled lightly with sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. I put the baking sheet in the oven for ~10 minutes, and broiled them for the last 30 seconds to 1 minute!

Served immediately!

Delicious

Greek, Chinese, and Dessert!

Yesterday, before work, I had prepared my chicken greek salad for lunch! Work was so slow, so I also finished reading April Oxygen magazine and finally starting doing my math hw! I picked up the may edition of Clean Eating and Oxygen magazine so I will have something to do Friday at work!

Greek salad with grilled chicken:
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 tomato, chopped
1/4 cucumber, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup cubed grilled chicken
1-2 tbsp nonfat feta
2 tbsp Trader Joes Nonfat Balsamic Viniagrette

Once I got home from work, I was so hungry! I had left overs from the Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe so I decided to make it into a "fried" quinoa with green beans and broccoli. I was hoping that by mixing the left overs with the quinoa and veggies it would mellow the spice. It worked! It was still spicy, but not nearly as bad.

I mixed the left over chicken & bell pepper and sautéed it with 1/4 cup cooked quinoa and a lot steamed broccoli and green beans! I used Trader Joes Olive Oil Spray which has no calories! So it was a healthy "fried" quinoa.

After dinner, I was craving an apple crisp so I decided to experiment! I was determined to make a "healthy" apple crisp, so I used no butter nor oil, and added ground flaxseed, wheat germ and fresh blueberries!

Before:

After:

Final Product:

Recipe will be up soon! Putting the final touches together :)

Tofu Part 2

I used some more tofu this morning to make my breakfast shake!

1/3 cup firm tofu
1/2 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 scoop vanilla Pro7 Synthesis Protein Powder
Water & ice

Total calories: ~250 calories, 4g fat (0.5 saturated fat), 25g protein

This tofu shake turned out a lot better then yesterday's and I think it's because of the vanilla protein powder! in my opinion, vanilla protein powder is a lot more versatile then chocolate.

Now I am at work reading April Oxygen Magazine having my healthy and yummy breakfast!

Hot Hot Hot!

For dinner, I cooked Clean Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken! Holy moly it was spicy! I do not eat spicy foods very often, because both my mouth and tummy are sensitive to foods that are too hot. However, I am definitely getting into the spicy life. I got this recipe idea from April 2012 Oxygen Magazine.

~4 oz. chicken breast, diced into bite size pieces

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 red bell pepper, diced

Sauce: 1 Tbsp ketchup (low-sodium recommended)

1 Tbsp peach preserves (low sugar recommended)

 1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard

Combine first three ingredients in a bowl until chicken is completely covered. 

Add olive oil cooking spray to a saucepan then add chicken, cook 6-8 minutes on medium to medium-high heat until browned and cooked through.

Meanwhile, dice bell peppers and set aside, then combine the three ingredients for the sauce in a separate bowl.

After the chicken is cooked, add the bell peppers and sauce to the skillet and lower heat. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until heated through.

(Makes 1 serving; 230 calories, 2g fat, 20g carbs, 28g protein)

I served this with brown rice-quinoa mixture and steamed broccoli, green beans, and carrots.

Next time I made this (which I definitely will!), I will add the steamed veggies to the chicken-bell pepper mixture for the last few minutes of cooking to give them some extra flavor and hopefully make the dish a little less spicy! 

For the boy, I made him steamed veggies, brown rice-quinoa mixture and grilled chicken. Simple, tastey and healthy all at once! He is not a fan of the spicy food, so he got the regular chicken, veggie dinner.

Cottage Cheese

In between classes today I went home to make a quick, easy, yet healthy lunch!

•1 hard boiled large egg
(80 calories, 5g fat (2g sat fat), 6g protein, 1g carb (1g sugar))
•1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
(80 calories, 1.5g fat (sat fat), 4g carbs (3g sugar), 14g protein)

Salad:
•2 cups of fresh spinach
(20 calories, 0g fat, 3g carbs (dietary fiber 2g, 0g sugar), 2g protein)
•1/4 of a cucumber (8 slices)
(20 calories)
•1/2 Roma tomato, quartered
(20 calories)
•1-2 tbsp fat free balsamic vinaigrette
(25 calories, 0g fat, 6g carbs (5g sugar), 0g protein)

Total calorie count: 245 calories, 22g protein, 6.5 g fat, ~14g carbs

Final product...

Pasta!

I was watching the food network and got good ideas for "volumezing" pasta. If you want fettucini then add half a serving of whole wheat cooked fettucini with zucchini or squash ribbons (use a peeler to peel zucchini and add to cooked pasta). Add a healthy sauce and serve with a salad or steamed veggies! It will look like your eating a full serving or more of pasta with cutting calories. If you prefer angel hair pasta or spaghetti, you can do the same thing but instead of zucchini , microwave a halved spaghetti squash for ~8 minutes and with a fork create strands and add to cooked pasta + sauce.

I was craving pasta all so I decided to try this volume zing technique. I used 1/2 serving whole wheat linguini and 1 cup zucchini ribbons. For the sauce I sautéed some onions, garlic, basil and oregano in a small amount of olive oil. After the onions were translucent I added diced zucchini and tomatoes, then spinach, a spoonful of marinara, red pepper flakes and finally some red wine. I let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes and served over the pasta.

Fresh Ingredients!

Just added the red pepper flakes, it ended up having a nice kick to it.

Linguini and zucchini ribbons

I am definitely making pasta with zucchini ribbons again because I feel full and satisfied but I cut the calories! So now I feel even more satisfied knowing I made a healthy substitution that I will use again.