Fun Date-Night Soup

This recipe is borrowed from Tiffany on Top Chef with a few modifications. It's fun to cook with another person so is great for a date night. I love it because it uses pork over beef (less cals & fat!) and is packed with veggies I don't typically use, such as red potatoes- turns out these have tons of health benefits on top of being super satisfying!

Red Potatoes: With the skin left on, these guys pack a great fiber punch with 3g per serving. Fiber is something I talk about frequently and it's no wonder. Fiber helps lower cholesterol, aids in digestion and helps you feel fuller longer.

On top of being a great source of fiber, red potatoes also are a surprising source of Vitamin C with 45% of your RDA, and one medium red potato offers 37% more potassium than a banana! Now don't you want to try the below recipe for a fun way to include red potatoes in your diet? :)

Allspice & Citrus Pork Soup

6 oz. Pork Seasoned w/ Salt & Pepper & Cut Into 1 In Cubes

3 Celery Stalks Chopped

1 Lg. Carrot Chopped

3 Red Potatoes Thinly Chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped

1/4 Vidalia Onion Chopped

1 1/2 C Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp Allspice

1 Orange (1/2 tbsp zest, 1/4 c. juice).

In one deep pan (big/deep enough to fit all veggies and chicken stock) add 2-3 tbsp Olive oil and Celery through Vadalia Onion. Sauté until soft (approx 30 mins- feel free to cook in any manner that's faster!).

Coat a separate non-stick skillet with cooking spray and place over med-high heat. Add pork and cook until done (approx 5-6 mins). When veggies have sautéed for approx 30 mins, add chicken stock, allspice, orange juice & orange zest. Stir then cover for 5 minutes more (until veggies are totally cooked through). Add the cooked pork then season with salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with a piece of grain-filled bread for a super satisfying meal!

http://www.ehow.com/list_6006685_benefits-red-potatoes_.html

Chicken W Sauteed Asian Veggies- Post Gym Meal

After a hectic start to the year (with little time for following through on New Year's Resolutions) I've decided that as life has started to settle down, now is the perfect time for a mid-March "resolution". My resolutions: post more recipes and get back to a 5 day a week gym schedule.

In keeping with this, below is an awesome post-gym Chicken w/ Sautéed Asian Veggies recipe to replenish you and get you fueled up to get after it again tomorrow. Why is this so good post workout?

1. Protein: Your muscles get torn up while you're working out (don't worry it's tiny, little tears) eating a protein rich food (I recommend chicken with this dish) post workout helps repair the damage and fuel you up for tomorrow's workout.


2. Carbs: Glycogen, a form of carbohydrate, essentially acts as fuel for your muscles while you workout. You literally need to replenish your glycogen levels to aid proteins in the rebuilding process. I like to include carb rich veggies like carrots and also add a little brown rice or quinoa (which offers both carbs and about 5 g protein per serving).
   

Chicken W/ Sauteed Asian Veggies:

2 Chicken Breasts (Cooked fully per chef's taste, I recommend this marinade recipe)
1 1/2 Tbsp Peanut Oil (Can use Olive Oil)
1 Tbsp Minced Ginger
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Extra Large Carrot (peeled into thin strips)
1 Zucchini (thinly sliced)
1/2 Vadalia Onion (thinly sliced
Handful Snow Peas
1/4 c Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce (or more to taste)
Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Coat non-stick pan w/ oil and bring to med-high heat. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 1-2 mins. Add onion and continue to sauté for approx 5 mins. Add carrots, and zucchini and splash with soy sauce and continue to sauté until onions are transparent and zucchini and carrots are fork-tender. (Cook longer for softer veggies). Pour the remaining soy sauce and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes on and toss to coat. Plate alongside chicken and rice and enjoy :)

This Recipe is very much cook to taste so have fun with it and play-up the flavors you love and play-down what you can live without. Feel free to post comments below on what did and didn't work for you :

http://www.ihavenet.com/recipes/3-Perfect-Post-workout-Recipes-RCG.html