Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Chicken Piccata coated in Flax Meal

Chicken Piccata coated in Flax Meal

This recipe submitted by Leslie Rogers. 

Ingredients
4 sliced thin thicken breasts
2/3 cup of flax meal 
2-3 Tbs of Italian seasoning
1 egg white lightly beaten
S/P to taste
Glaze
1/2 cup low sodium/low fat chicken broth
1 lemon, juiced
Kale
Capers
Optional: Sliced Applies

Instructions
1) season chicken w/ salt and pepper, 
2) mix the Italian seasoning with the flax meal. 
3) Dredge chicken in egg white and then the flax meal/seasonings 
4) place in a pan with 1-2 tbs of olive oil heated on medium high. 
5) cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked, remove from pan.

6) Deglaze the pan with 1/2c of low sodium/fat chicken broth and juice of one lemon, add kale and capers and braise. Place chicken on top of the kale.
Add some sliced apple to this which adds a little sweetness.   

Turkey Meatloaf with Rosemary and Almond Meal

Turkey Meatloaf with Rosemary and Almond Meal


This is a really quick way to enjoy some lean ground turkey. I used the same recipe mix to cook the meat two different ways. The Turkey Meatballs are described here.

This was honestly one of the most flavorful, moist dishes I've ever prepared, even when eaten as leftovers one & two days later.  

Ingredients
16 oz of lean ground turkey
1 3.5 oz package of crumbled low fat feta cheese (optional: With tomato & basil seasoning)
1/2 cup of almond flour/almond meal
1/3 cup of egg whites
Far out Feather Dust** to taste (momsgourmet.net)

Directions
Mix the Turkey, feta cheese, almond meal and egg whites in a large mixing bowl.   Shake on the far out feather dust or other poultry seasoning to taste.  I used mabye 1/4 tsp. 

Press the turkey mixture into a small loaf pan with at least 1/4" to 1/2" space remaining at the top. I'm not quite sure why...but this recipe rises nicely!   Take a sprig of fresh rosemary and break off the smaller branches. press lightly into the top of the loaf.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees and bake for 45 minutes to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

Let cool and serve immediately sliced with your favorite greens on the side, or cover and place in the fridge for amazing lunch leftovers.

Additional ingredients used for the meatloaf (rosemary) and the meatballs (coconut oil)
Small Turkey Meatloaf pan before baking. Sprigs of Rosemary pressed into surface of loaf.
Cooked 45 minutes @ 325 F to internal temp of 160

Nutritional information for the almond meal

Low Fat Feta Cheese Nutritional Info



Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Oil

Turkey Meatballs grilled in Olive Oil

This is a really quick way to enjoy some lean ground turkey. I used the same recipe mix to cook the meat two different ways. For simplicity of each post I'll cover the Turkey Meatloaf in a 2nd post.

These were a cross between meatballs and burgers. The consistency of the ground turkey mixture was soft enough taht itwas easier to form balls and drop them in the pan. But as they cooked i worried that they wouldn't cook through so I flattened them a bit. No matter what you call them, this is still a GREAT way to enjoy some lean turkey meat.

(Gluten Free, Diary Free, Soy Free)

Ingredients
16 oz of lean ground turkey
1 3.5 oz package of crumbled feta cheese (optional: With tomato & basil)
1/2 cup of almond flour/almond meal
1/3 cup of egg whites
Far out Feather Dust** to taste (momsgourmet.net)
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil

Directions
Mix the Turkey, feta cheese, almond meal and egg whites in a large mixing bowl.   Shake on the far out feather dust or other poultry seasoning to taste.  I used mabye 1/4 tsp.

Melt the Coconut oil in a skillet and drop small spoonfuls of the turkey mixture into the skillet and saute for a few minutes turning once when browned.

Show here served with sliced cold kiwi slices. Cold cucumber slices would also make a great side serving.




** Far out feather dust contains chili, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, fennel, garlic and marjoram.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Parchment Baked Tilapia with Ginger, Carrots & Garlic

This was my first experience cooking with parchment paper, and it was fantastic!

Meets the 90/10 Nutrition Guidelines


Serves 2
Nutrition Information:

p90x Portions
1 Protein
1 Veggie
1/2 Fat

Ingredients: 
Tilapia Fillets (2)
Fresh Basil Leaves sliced lengthwise in 1/8" strips (10-20 leaves)
1 Clove minced Garlic
1/4 " minced ginger root
1/2 Cup shredded carrots
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 tsp White Wine or Cooking Wine
2 sheets of parchment paper
Cooking Spray


Instructions:
Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

Mince, grate and slice the carrots, basil, garlic and ginger and set aside

Prepare 2 sheets of parchment paper (nonbleached) with a light spray of olive oil

Lay each piece of thawed Tilapia in the middle of the parchment

Sprinkle the sliced basil leaves, ginger, garlic and shredded carrot over each piece

Drizzle 1 tsp each of olive oil and white wine over each piece

Fold parchment over the fish fillet and seal remaining three edges with small narrow folds or rolls.

Bake for 15 minutes until parchment is puffed up.  Slice open parchment to allow steam to escape and serve as is, or slide it out and serve on the plate with your sides.






Parchment Baked Tilapia with Basil, Ginger, Carrots & Garlic poached with white wine and Olive Oil



Tuesday, March 05, 2013

90/10 Traffic Light Food Zones Based on Michi's Ladder

**Thanks to Coach Ryan Chapman for organizing Michi's Ladder into a much simpler system to follow here ** 


Green Light Zone

90% of Calories from this Tier, no need to track them

Proteins CarbohydratesFats
Beef, Lean cuts (between 10% and 20% fat)
Cottage Cheese (F)
Egg Whites
Fish (Broiled, Steamed, Grilled)
Fowl (skinless, dark meat)
Fowl, Ground (between 10% and 20% fat)
Lamb, lean
Shakeology
Yogurt (Greek or Regular, unsweetened) (F)
Apples
Applesauce (raw, unsweetened)
Artichokes
Asparagus
Bananas
Beans (low sodium if canned) (P)
Beets
Berries (fresh)
Bok Choy
Bread products (100% Whole Wheat only, no HFCS)
Broccoli
Broths (low sodium only)
Brussell Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Citrus Fruits
Coffee (Black)
Corn
CousCous (100% whole wheat)
Cucumbers
Dates
Eggplant
Figs
Garlic (fresh, not powdered)
Granola (raw, no sugar or preservatives)
Grapes
Greens, Leafy (all types)
Herbs
Hummus
Kiwi
Lentils (P)
Lettuce
Mangoes
Melons
Milk (fat free or whole raw) (P)(F)
Muesli (raw, no sugar or preservatives)
Mushrooms
Nectarines, Peaches
Oatmeal
Onions
Papaya
Pasta (100% Whole Wheat)
Pears
Peas
Peppers
Pineapple
Plantains
Plums, Prunes
Quinoa (P)
Radishes
Raisins
Rice (Brown and Wild)
Spelt
Squash
Stevia
Sweet Potatoes, Yams
Tea (unsweetened)
Tomatoes
Vegetable Juice
Vinegar
Water
Yacon Syrup
Zucchini
Almond Milk (unsweetened and unflavored)
Avocados
Butter, Unsalted
Coconut
Flaxseed
Hempseed
Nut Butters (raw, unsalted) (P)
Nut Butters (roasted, unsalted) (P)
Nuts (raw, unsalted) (P)
Nuts (roasted, unsalted) (P)
Olive Oil
Olives
Sunflower Seeds

Yellow Light Zone

10% of Calories for this tier...keep track of these only

Proteins CarbohydratesFats
Beef, ground and cuts (greater than 20% fat)
Beef, Lean cuts (between 10% and 20% fat)
Canadian Bacon
Fowl (skinless, dark meat)
Fowl (with skin)
Fowl, Ground (between 10% and 20% fat)
Fowl, Ground (greater than 20% fat)
Ham
Hot Dogs (Turkey)
Jerky (Turkey)
Lamb, lean
Pork (fatty cuts, pork chops, etc)
Veal
Applesauce (big brand)
Agave Nectar
Broths
Corn Tortillas and Tortilla Chips
Crackers (whole grain only)
Chili (not homemade, no sugar or lard added)
Granola (not raw, no sugar added)
Honey
Jam or Marmalade (no sugar added)
Lettuce (Iceberg)
Maple Syrup (natural, no sugar added)
Milk (1% or 2%) (P)(F)
Muesli (big brand)
Molasses
Oatmeal (Flavored and sweetened)
Pancakes (buckwheat or whole wheat, not 100%)
Pickles
Popcorn (plain)
Potatoes (baked or boiled)
Refried Beans (low-fat)
Rice Cakes
Rice Milk
Rice (white)
Sauerkraut
Sugar alcohols (anything ending in -tol)
Tortillas (whole wheat, not 100%)
Wine
Artificial Sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, saccharine, etc)
Bagels (Refined Flour)
Beer
Bread (Refined Flour)
Chips (low-fat, baked)
Coffee (sweetened and/or creamed, includes lattes, etc)
Crackers (not whole grain)
Graham Crackers
Ice Cream (sugar or fat free)
Jell-o
Juice (from concentrate)
Milk (whole, not raw)
Muffins
Nut Butters (big brand, not natural)
Popcorn (with salt and butter)
Pancakes
Pasta
Pretzels (not 100% whole wheat)
Sauces (steak, BBQ, ketchup, etc)
Sherbet
Soup, Canned (creamy)
Soy Sauce
Yogurt (frozen)
Almond Milk (sweetened and/or flavored)
Butter (salted)
Canola Oil
Mayonaise

Red Light Zone

Just avoid these for 6 weeks..see how you feel!

Alcohol (hard liquor)
Cake
Candy
Cereal (sugared)
Chips (potato or corn)
Milk Chocolate
Cinnamon Roll
Coffee (extremely sugared and full cream versions, mochas, lattes, etc)
Cookies
Creamed Veggies
Creamer (non-dairy)
Doughnuts
Energy Drinks (sugared versions)
Fast Food (unless you can verify all ingredients are from upper Tiers)
Fried Foods of any kind (excludes items litghly sauteed in EVOO)
Gravy
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Hot Dogs
Hydrogenated Foods
Ice Cream
Juice (sugar added)
Margarine Pastries
Pies Pizza (restaurant)
Salad Dressing (creamy, full fat)
Sausage
Soft Drinks, Diet
Soft Drinks, Regular
Sports Drinks and Sports Nutrition Products (unless you are seriously training and using them properly)
Syrup
Sugar
Vegetable Oil (big brand)

5 Things to Do Before Your 90/10 Nutrition Challenge Starts

Doing these 5 things will help you succeed in your 90/10 Nutrition Challenge.

Tip 1)  Set a realistic goal and TELL someone about it.  You don't have to tell the whole world, but tell some one you trust outside of the challenge group.  Letting others know your goal makes it more real to you and improves your chances of success.

Tip 2) Clear your kitchen and Pantry of any RED ZONE foods!  Don't even let there be a temptation.  If you live with someone else, or even a whole family, make sure that they understand what you are doing and if possible, get rid of ALL the forbidden food sin the house. If this is not possible, designate a small cupboard or pantry area for those Red Zone foods that other people in your family will still eat.  When the family sees yoru results, everyone will be ready to ditch the bad stuff.

Tip 3)  Get your SPOUSE or SIGNIFICANT OTHER on board.  This is vital. Even if your spouse or significant other is not interested in following the challenge with you, they will most certainly want to support you in your effort to become healthier.  You may be surprised with how much they will go out of their way if they KNOW what you are trying to achieve. But they won't know unless you tell them.

Tip 4)  Take Photos and Measurements in the week before you start. YOu are about to start a great journey and you can't go back and take them again later!  You'll be really glad you have these in the future, even if you don't want to look at them now or show them to anyone.

This video will help with doing pics

This video will help with measurements

Tip 5) Plan your meals ahead of time, especially dinners which tend to be more involved.  Keep things simple if you like or go ahead and let your inner gourmet cook shine...just plan ahead.   Here is a blog post that describes how I plan my dinners in just 20 minutes a week.


Ready to get involved?
Step 1)  Read the main 90/10 Nutrition Challenge page here to get up to speed if you haven't read it yet.
Step 2)  Review the 7 Rules and make sure you are ready to commit!

In order to participate in my 90/10 Nutrition challenge group, simply click  HERE  to make me your coach.. If I am your coach, send me an email or message and let me know you want to participate in the challenge.  After you email me at coach@steelcityendurance.com, you will receive an email (within 24 hours) with final instructions for being added to the group and getting your Shakeology ordered.
 


7 Rules of the 90/10 Nutrition Challenge

Here are the 7 Rules of the 90/10 Nutrition Challenge

These rules are simple enough to be easy to follow, yet firm enough to guarantee success as long as you want to succeed!  Once you've decided to commit to the challenge you MUST take action in order to reach your goals. 

Rule 1) Commit to the first 2 weeks before deciding if you need to modify the rules or diet.  For many people, changing to the 90/10 nutrition will mean significant changes in the amount of refined carbohydrates and sugars that they eat.  This shift in energy use by your body can cause fatigue, headaches and a foggy feeling in some people.  Unless you already have a clean diet, it's almost a guarantee you'll feel tired and foggy the first 2-5 days.  You MUST decide ahead of time that you will push through this phase because the rewards are so great.  This is an unsolicited comment from a challenger on only day 8 of  Power 90 which basically follows the 90/10 plan:
I find myself not being as hungry as a used to and less food filling me up  - Patrick M.
The rewards are worth it so decide and commit to succeed.

Rule 2) You must eat 90% of your daily calories from the "Green Light Zone".   Eat from these food selections until about 80% full and then wait 15 minutes before finishing any remaining food.   You don't have to count and track this 90% closely...for some folks like me, it simply becomes too tedious. If your foods are all Green Light Foods then you'll be getting great nutrition & fiber as well.

Rule 3) You may eat 10% of your daily calories from the "Yellow Light" or Caution foods.   These foods are fine in moderation...so we carefully measure only these foods and STOP at 10%.  If your daily calorie goal is 2000 calories, then you'd limit yourself to just 200 calories from this group.  Remember, you don't HAVE to eat from this tier, but you may.  Just be sure you track this 10% closely.

Rule 4) All foods in the "Red Light" Zone are OFF LIMITS for the duration of this challenge.    Now I know that we are not perfect, I certainly am not. If you eat from this Zone during the challenge, it needs to be a conscious decision and an exception to your daily habits!  And you MUST fess up in the challenge group!!!  It's OK...just get it out of your system, we will still love you. :)

Rule 5) Drink your Shakeology every day!  You must be on Shakeology Home Direct with me as your coach.  Drinking your Shakeology every day is the best way to add fiber, antioxidants, probiotics and greens along with protein & carbs from plant sources!   Shakeology is a clean, Good to GO meal that is very versatile.  You can drink it first thing in the morning as is or with added fruit, yogurt or almond butter for example.  You can drink it pre workout, post workout or as a between meal snack.   If you're working 12 or even 16 hour shifts...this is a fantastic thing to have...it's really saved me during many a work day!

Rule 6)  Be active in the Facebook challenge group. Make quick daily posts, "like" others comments and in general get involved with the others int he group. We are all there to help and motivate each other and keep each other accountable.

Rule 7)  Plan to Succeed!!   Follow the Five Getting Started Tips (which will also be posted in the facebook group prior to day 1) to give yourself the best chance of success.



Want to get involved?  

First, Make me your Beachbody Coach by clicking HERE to set up a free account.   Check here for the next challenge group start, and then send me an email at coach AT steelcityendurance.com to let me know when you are ready to order your Shakelogy on home direct. I will walk you through the process.  Don't hesitate to ask me any questions or leave questions here in the comment section.




Too busy for Meal Plannign? Think again! 20 minutes on a Sunday afternoon.

This week I sat down for the first time in years and planned out a weeks menu of dinner or main course items.   Up to this point I don't plan too far ahead, and have been following the portion based approach to nutrition.  However  seeing my friend Ryan Chapman's blog photos of his weekly meal planning I was intrigued and actually a little bit jealous.

I've always told myself I don't have time to plan menus, shop & cook.   That was about 6 months ago I first saw Ryan's post about his weekly planning. This week Ryan challenged me to just sit down and try it...and see if it didn't save me time overall.  He said 15-20 minutes tops for the planning portion which is the most important part of the week.

He actually made it sound fun, so this is what I did.

1) I'd just bought a pretty new journal without knowing exactly how I'd use it.  It has a nice durable orange cover with an elastic band to keep it closed and fits nicely in my had when holding it open.  So I made it my nutrition journal!

2) I sat down with 3 cookbooks I've had for awhile, the p90x Nutrition Guide, The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno, and The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet.   If you do this, it can be any 2 or 3 cookbooks...just grab some and sit down with yoru journal!

3) Across 2 open pages of the journal I wrote the following columns. On the left hand side I wrote these headings:  Day, Page and Book.  On the right side of the double page I wrote these headings: Recipe and Nutrition. 

4) Down the left hand side I wrote the days of the week.  I only planned to plan for 3 or 4 nights so that I wouldn't end up with a long shopping list. I need to keep my shopping trips short & simple or else I get overwhelmed easily

5) I browsed through the books and picked out 5 different recipes that all sounded yummy & yet simple plus a few things I"ve wanted to try like cooking with parchment paper.  As I found a recipe, I wrote down the page number and the book, the name of the recipe and simple nutrition information in the form of Calories  grams or fats/protein/carbs.  (So a recipe might look like this:  221 cal  2g/11g/30g) 

6)  As I wrote down the name of each recipe I jotted down a shopping list on another page in the same book. 


The whole process took only about 15-20 minutes to do.  

So today I went to the store with the list and I couldn't believe it...shopping only took me about 20 minutes!   I was so impressed with how quickly I got in and out.  My list had exactly 20 items on it and I checked each one off as I found it, and only had to sub for one item...adn it was a sub for the better...fresh green chilis rather than canned.   






Stay tuned for details of my first yummy recipes from this adventure.  Parchment baked Tilapia, Green Chile-Cilantro Rice and Baby Mixed Greens salad with blueberries. 



 

Week 9 p90x Lean -Emerging Abs & Hipbones! Baggy Clothes to boot.

Yesterday was day 57/90 for me. This is the furthest I've ever made it in my p90x program. I've been light on the workouts during phase 2, but continuing with the nutrition I've continued to lose weight and bodyfat. 

Due to travel last week I didn't train as intensely as I wanted to, but did swim daily and ran once.   My calorie burn was definately down, and fearful of gaining back my total calories were probably pretty low...maybe 1200-1500?

Today I jumped back into Chest & Back for phase 3 and I was crushed. Bonked hard...most likely due to lack of stored glycogen from not eating a lot of excess calories.   I did my best and forget the rest and then ate an amazing meal that I'll post here soon.

Here's a picture I took this morning...this is the leanest I've been in several years. 

Today's weight 144.4 Waist 29" Hips 39" Body fat %age 29%!


The reason I took this photo today is because I'm finally seeing my hip bones emerging with some definition in my abdominal area.   You can even see my ribs in this picture!  p90x Lean works to cut body fat...but only if you follow the nutrition plan!



I like this photo a lot...you can see a small belly there, but the pants I'm wearing were too tight just 6 months ago and now they are actually baggy!  This shirt was a gift from one of my Ironman Athletes after he completed Ironman Arizona...and it's always been snug.  Today it feels great, and you can even see it's big on me in some areas.

I'm so pleased with how things are going so far...very proud of myself.     If I can do it, you can do it too.