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

Grilled Tuna with Mango Salsa

The weather is finally starting to turn nice and the weekend is just around the corner, so break out your grills, invite some friends over and make the below vitamin & nutrient packed Tuna w/ Pineappe-Mango Salsa. With a kick from Jalepeno, the flavors are complex but the ingredient list is simple!

Pineapple: Pineapple offers a fun tropical flare to this recipe. This delicious fruit is a great source of Vitamin C to help keep your immune system health. But, even cooler Pineapple is a great source of Bromelain- an enzyme with anti-inflammatory properties- great for people dealing with Arthritis. Bromelain also aids in the digestion of protein. Good thing we're pairing this with Tuna Steaks! Another fun fact about pineapple is that it is an excellent source of manganese, a mineral important to the health of bones, skin, nails, & cartilage.

Mango: Mangoes are back in season and I'm thrilled! Mangoes are a great source of iron. If you're like me and bruise like a peach, you're not getting enough iron. Instead of turning to leafy greens to get iron, try a yummy mango! Mangoes also offer maganese & potassium which studies show help to lower blood pressure. And if you need another incentive to try out this recipe.. Mangoes are also a good source Vitamin E which has been shown to help regulate sex hormones and thereby boost sex life so why not give it a try!

Grilled Tuna with Pineapple-Mango Salsa:

Salsa:

1-2 Cups Fresh Pineapple, Diced

1 Fresh Mango, Diced

1 Jalepeno, minced (remove seeds to lessen heat or leave them in to make hotter)

1 Tbsp Lime Juice

Splash of OJ

1/4 Cup Green Bell Pepper, minced

Tuna:

4 (6-8 oz) Tuna Steaks

Salt & Pepper

Combine all Salsa ingredients & let stand at room temp for 2 hours to let flavors marry

Season Tuna Steaks w/ Salt & Pepper grill to desired degree of doneness. About 3-4 mins per side.

Top Tuna w/ Salsa Mixture & pair with a simple Spinach Salad for A killer super easy weekend dinner!

"The 3-Day Cleanse", by the founders of BluePrintCleanse® (2010).

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2009964/health_benefits_of_mangoes.html?cat=68

Great Snack Idea from Women's Health Mag

I'm always looking for healthy afternoon snacks that will give me an energy boost and steer me away from the coffee pot. I just ran accross the below Apple w/ Cinnamon Peanut Butter 'recipe' on Women's Health and am so excited to try it out! I always reach for an apple when that 4:00 energy lull stirkes, but adding Cinnamon & Peanut Butter offers such a fun way to kick it up.

This is great also if you have a workout coming up later in the afternoon. You'll get some protein and carbs in your stomach to fuel your workout and keep you on that treadmill longer!



Apples: A favorite of mine since I was a kid, apples are loaded with great health benefits. The thing that stands out the most for apples is their high fiber content. According to the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy, the avg American consumes 15 g of fiber though the RDA is 38g for men & 25g for women. Eating 1 apple a day will get you 15% of your RDA for fiber- it's so easy!
Fiber is important because it helps regulate weight and keeps your digestive system functioning optimally. There are two types of fiber & apples contain both- Soluble & Insoluble. Soluble Fiber helps maintain cholesterol & blood sugar levels while Insoluble Fiber helps with digestion and protects against colon cancer.
Apples also are rich sources for flavonoids. I know, why does that matter?... Flavonoids offer antioxidant protection from free-radicals that seek to damage cells' integrity. Other flavonoids regulate blood pressure and over production of fats in your liver cells- gross right? So grab an apple and do your body some good!

Cinnamon: The dash of cinnamon (or more if you're like me and love this spice) can help with any inflammation you might be experiencing from arthritis or even just inflammation that effects sinuses when you have a cold.

Apples w Cinnamon Peanut Butter

1 Apple cut into thick slices
1 1/2 tbsp Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

In a bowl combine peanut butter & Cinnamon (you can add more or less as you like but the more you add the greater the health benefits!).
Cut apples into thick slices and serve w/ PB mixture

See super easy, super delicious, and super fast! There's no reason to not try this out :)

www.whfoods.com

Kale: I'm Kind of in Awe

I've been seeing Kale recipes popping up all over the place recently. This is no surprise. Kale really is somewhat of a superfood. And the below Kale & Green Bean recipe is a yummy way to incorporate it into your diet!

Kale: First and foremost, Kale offers only 36 calories for a full cup. Combine that with the fact that it contains about 10% of your recommended daily Fiber content, and you've got an awesome side dish that will fill you up on fewer calories.
On top of that Kale is a excellent source of Vitamin A & Vitamin K (which maintain eye health and heart health respectively.) Vitamin K is great, too, because it aids in the absorption of Calcium. Now, Kale has about 10% of your recommended daily intake of Calcium, because it's inherently consumed with Vit K in Kale, that means the calcium is actually absorbale and won't get flushed out of your system! Hello healthy, strong bones :)

Another thing that's so cool about Kale is it contains some surprise nutrients you don't normally associate with greens (on top of the calcium mentioned above). Normally you don't think of greens as being high in Protein or Vitamin C, but 1 cup of Kale contains about 5% of your Daily Value of Protein, and over 80% of your Daily Value of Vitamin C. That protein will help repair damaged tissues and the Vitamin C will help protect your heart and keep your immune system healthy.

After reading all that how could you not want to incorporate this nutrient dense green into your diet!

Spicy Green Beans & Kale
(Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis)

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 lbs green beans trimmed and sliced into 1'' pieces
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 c. white wine
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale (1/2 lb) rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp grated parmesan

Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the green beans, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 mins. Add the wine and continue cooking until the green beans are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the kale and continue cooking until the kale has wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
http://health.learninginfo.org/benefits-of-vitamin-k.htm

Salmon & Quinoa: The Perfect Post-Gym Meal

I'm on a mission to find the perfect post-gym dinner to both help recovery time and maximize my workouts. So, I did a little research and I think the below Salmon & Quinoa recipe might just be it!

Why do you need to concern yourself with what goes into your body after a workout?
Great question. The hour after your workout is referred to as the "Golden Hour". It's the time when your muscles absorb the most nutrients and glycogen. Glycogen is a molecule derived from carbohydrates that is produced and stored mainly in the liver and muscles. It's used up as a form of energy on an as-needed basis (i.e.- when you're kicking butt at the gym!). We need to replenish those glycogen stores after workouts by consuming enough healthy carbs such as quinoa.

But to just eat carbs after a workout doesn't address the whole picture. We also need to eat proteins for muscle repair and growth. When you workout you are essentially making very tiny tears in your muscles. Consuming enough proteins and nutrients aids in the repair and eventual growth in these muscles. Consuming proteins can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines! Pretty cool huh?

Now that we know all this how could you not want to try to cook up something new to help the overall impact of your workouts. And if salmon isn't you're thing, sauté up some chicken to pair with the quinoa salad. You really won't regret it :)


Salmon w/ Quinoa & Grapefruit

* 3/4 cup quinoa

* 4 4 oz Salmon Filets

* Juice from 1/2 a Lemon

* Salt & Pepper for seasoning

* 1 medium grapefruit
* 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
* 2 teaspoons honey

* 1/4 tbsp minced ginger

* 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 small serrano or jalapeno chile, minced (with seeds for maximum heat)
* 2 scallions (both white and green parts), minced
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
* Freshly ground black pepper

* 4 4 oz Salmon Filets

Cook quinoa according to package directions. When done fluff with a fork and put into a serving bowl.

For the fish, preheat stovetop to med-high heat & coat a non-stick pan with cooking spray. Season filets with salt and pepper & lemon juice. Place salmon on non-stick pan skin side down and cover. (Pan is hot enough when a drop of water sizzles when it hits the surface). Cook until desired degree of doneness. Approx 12-15 mins.

While salmon cooks, segment the grapefruit over a bowl, reserving the segments and juice separately. Whisk 3 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice with the vinegar, honey, ginger and pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a stream to make a slightly thick dressing. Toss quinoa with the dressing, chiles, scallions, and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Toss the grapefruit segment into the salad, divide among 4 plates, and top with the salmon filets. Enjoy!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ00594_D/NSECTIONGROUP
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa081403.htm

Eggs: The Perfect Protein Source

Sometimes after a long day at work the last thing you want to do is make dinner. That is when I turn to eggs. They are such an amazing & complete source of protein! The flavors in the below Western Omelet are so vibrant it actually ends up being a super-satisfying meal: breakfast or dinner!

What's so great about eggs? First of all, eggs contain lechithin which the liver needs to produce bile. However, after my Asian Cabbage Salad post earlier, I'm sure we've heard enough about the liver for 1 day so let's talk protein!

Eggs are a complete source of all 9 essential amino acids (Meaning the body can't store or make these so they must be replenished through diet). You remember these from high school biology, they're the "building blocks" that make up protein. Proteins are essential for growth, repair and healing of bones, tissues and cells. The enzymes that regulate all bodily processes are proteins. A deficiency in proteins can throw off the body's fluid balance causing water retention- that's right bloating, gross. Amino Acids also allow vitamins & minerals to perform their jobs most efficiently. That's right, all those nutrient rich recipes you've been trying from this blog need plenty of amino acids in the body to perform at their peak :)

Western Omelet

Recipe Courtesy of The South Beach Diet

1 tbsp chopped Green Bell Pepper

1/2 tbsp chopped Scallion

1 tbsp chopped Red Bell Pepper

2 Eggs

1/4 Weight Watchers Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Coat medium sized skillet with cooking spray. Saute peppers and scallion until they are tender (approx 6-8 mins). Pour eggs over the veggies. When partially set, spread the cheese over half the egg mixture. Fold the omelet in half over the filling. Continue cooking until cooked all the way through. Serve immediatly and enjoy this meal! Pair with a quick salad for a more complete meal.

Source: www.becomehealthynow.com