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Category: Cooking Smart

Enjoy a Healthy Labor Day Weekend!

Enjoy a Healthy Labor Day Weekend!

Good Morning McKinley!!

Here are some tips and recipes to help you have a fun and HEALTHY Labor Day weekend!

These tips are from Hayley Pomroy’s book “The Fast Metabolism” and I think you’ll find these tips very useful 🙂

1. Don’t starv yourself before your BBQ or gathering thinking that your doing yourself a favor by saving all of your calories for 1 HUGE meal.  Why?  Your metabolism will be working VERY slowly and by the time you do eat you’ll be so hungry that you’ll be at risk for making bad food choices.
Solution:  Eat 10-15g of protein every 2 hours before your BBQ.
Options: Greek yogurt, chicken, beef, 1/2 protein bar, hemp milk, lentils

2. DESERTS!!  If you can’t avoid them eat some healthy fats before you eat them.  Why? This will help to keep the sugar from turning into a permanent fat store.
Options: Raw almonds, pistachios, walnuts, hummus.  If nuts or hummus aren’t available eat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil…raw.  I know this sounds weird but just give it a try 🙂

3. If you’re going be enjoying beer, wine or a delicious cocktail you will need to replenish with some potassium rich foods the morning after.  You might be thinking “Ok, I’ll eat a banana”.  Good idea, but there are some other options with less sugar.  These will also help prevent water retention.
Options: Cucumber, cilantro and basil.  You can eat them raw on their own or in a delicious recipe.

Try one of these delicious recipes this weekend!

Summer Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad
~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/17450

Healthy Seven-Layer Salad
~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/7595

Zucchini Rice Casserole
~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/7593

Toasted Pita and Bean Salad
~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/10449

Strawberry Pandowdy
~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/17175

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler
~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/7363

Have a wonderful weekend!!  Enjoy 🙂

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

 

Amaranth…Have you tried it?

Amaranth…Have you tried it?

Hey McKinley!

There is a growing population of people who have to abide by a gluten free diet.  I wanted to bring a gluten free grain to your attention you may have never heard of or tried.  Amarnath or amaranthus is a short-lived perennial.  It  produces thousands of seeds that make up a grain-like product and is related to swiss chard, quinoa, beets and spinach.   I didn’t even know it existed until I started doing more research on gluten free grains.  It has a similar consistency to a thick porridge if you were to combine 1 cup of amaranth with 3 – 3.5 cups of water, just a little stickier.

The amaranth grain is very nutritious and is a more complete protein than many other grains.  You can click the link below to view the full nutritional analysis or you can read my brief overview:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5676/2

1 cup cooked amaranth:
Calories ~ 238
Fat ~ 4.6g
Sodium ~ 2.5mg
Carbohydrates ~ 42g
Protein ~ 8.6g
Dietary Fiber ~ 4.6g
Sugars ~ 1g

Amaranth is rich in (this is not a full list):
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Omega 6 fatty-acids ~ our bodies don’t naturally produce omega 6 fatty-acids and we need them to support healthy brain function.
Amino acids such as lysine, methionine and cysteine

Below are 2 recipes. One features amaranth and the other is a muffin recipe featuring quinoa flour…ENJOY!!

Vegan Amaranth With Spinach-Tomato-Mushroom Sauce:
~ http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=381027

Quinoa Muffins:
~ http://www.grain-free-gluten-free.com/quinoa-muffins.html

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

Easy Low Sodium Recipes

Easy Low Sodium Recipes

Try one of these great recipes that all contain less than 375mg of sodium per serving!!

Mushroom and Spinach Crepe:

~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/52718

Lisa’s Granola:

~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/68420

Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans:

~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/16972

Turmeric Roasted Green Beans and Potatoes recipe by Barefeet In The Kitchen

 

Tomato-Corn Pie:

~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/16010

Black Bean and Salmon Tostadas:

~ http://www.eatingwell.com/print/15361

 

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Chicken and Rice Casserole

~ Chicken and Rice Casserole:  If you would like to make this recipe a lighter version without having to sacrifice on taste do the following:
1. It calls for 2 tbsp of butter – use 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of coconut oil
2. It calls for full fat sour cream – use low fat sour cream (not fat free)
3. It calls for 1 cup diced Havarti Dill cheese – use a low moisture (low fat) swiss cheese and add 1/2 – 1 tbsp of dill (depending on how you like it flavored)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_684603_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html