Recipe of the Week – Mason Jar Chicken Burrito

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Skip Chipotle and give this Chicken Burrito recipe a try for a healthier version.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1
tablespoon lime juice (from ½ lime)
  • 2
tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼
teaspoon cumin
  • ¼
teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼
teaspoon honey
  • ⅛
teaspoon salt
  • ¼ 
cup diced red bell pepper
  • ¼
cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
  • ¼
cup black beans
  • ½
cup cooked brown rice
  • ½
cup cooked, shredded chicken (such as rotisserie chicken)
  • 1
cup chopped romaine lettuce
  • 2
tablespoons shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • ¼
avocado, chopped into small cubes
  • ¼
cup crumbled tortilla chips

 

DIRECTIONS

Combine the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, honey, and salt in the bottom of 1 quart wide-mouth mason jar. Stir with a fork to combine.

Add the bell pepper and tomatoes. Top with the corn, black beans, brown rice, and chicken. Add the romaine, pressing to pack it down, then top with the cheese, avocado, and cilantro. When ready to eat, pour salad into a bowl and top with crumbled tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

 

Recipe Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/mason-jar-chicken-burrito-bowl

 

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Gluten-Free Doesn’t Mean Healthy

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A gluten-free diet is not a weight loss plan.

While some individuals have a gluten allergy and must avoid gluten from their diet, which typically results in weight loss. For those who don’t have this allergy this isn’t necessary for weight loss and can even be misleading as to making food choices.

A quick walk through any grocery store will turn up gluten-free cookies, muffins, pancakes, pasta, bread, and yes-even beer. Just because these items are gluten-free doesn’t make them any better for you than non gluten-free counterparts.

When it comes to weight loss it is better to focus on eating unprocessed foods and not focusing on eliminating one thing.

Breads and pastas are always good to reduce or remove because they are highly processed, which is why the removal tends to lead to weight loss. Not the gluten.

Meats, vegetables, and fruits tend to keep you feeling fuller longer than processed carbs and don’t make you crave more. This results in eating less total calories, which leads to weight loss and leaning out.

Just because a food is gluten-free doesn’t make it healthy and eating a gluten-free diet doesn’t guarantee weight loss.

Weight loss and body fat reduction are the result of the quality of foods choices made, not the diet followed.

 

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Recipe of the Week – Caprese Salad in a Jar

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Prep one of these the night before and have an easy ready to eat salad tomorrow for lunch. Add some of left-over grilled chicken from last nights dinner and you a full meal.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of arugula
  • 1/2 cup green basil (leaves only)
  • 1/2 cup purple basil (leaves only)
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • mini bocconcini

For the dressing:

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • a drop of honey
  • Maldon salt
  • cracked black pepper

Directions:

One ingredient at a time, layer first the arugula then the 2 basils, tomatoes, and bocconcini in 4 jars. Set open jars in the fridge to chill. Next, whisk all ingredients of the dressing together. When you’re ready to serve the salads, take the jars out of the fridge, drizzle the dressing on top of the salads, close the lids, and shake it up to mix everything together.

Recipe Source: http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com/2011/06/caprese-salad-in-jar.html?m=1

 

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Recipe of the Week – Chicken Taco Salad in a Jar

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Recipe of the Week – Chicken Taco Salad in a Jar

Prep this recipe in a mason jar and have lunch pre-made for the next day.

Ingredients:

( Serves 4 )

4 whole 12-ounce mason jars

2 whole chicken breasts (grilled or poached)

1 cup black beans (canned)

1 cup corn (canned)

1 cup tomatoes (diced)

1 cup romaine lettuce (chopped)

Creamy Avocado Dressing:

1/4 cup greek yogurt

2 ounce goat cheese (crumbled)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1 whole lime (juiced)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 whole avocado

1/4 cup water

 

Directions:

  1. To make dressing: Combine greek yogurt, goat cheese, cilantro, lime juice, salt, avocado, and water in a food processor. Puree until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
  2. Using a fork, shred grilled chicken into small pieces.
  3. Assemble each mason jar in the following order:

– First (bottom) layer: 1/4 cup avocado dressing

– Second layer: 1/4 cup corn

– Third layer: 1/4 cup black beans

  • – Fourth layer: 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • – Fifth layer: 1/2 cup chicken
  • – Sixth (top) layer: 1/4 cup romaine lettuce
  1. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. When ready to serve, dump jar’s content into a bowl, toss, and enjoy!

Source: Recipe Corner original recipe, developed by editor Amanda Patton. http://www.recipecorner.com/chicken-side-salad-recipe_recipes/chicken-taco-salad-jar_recipe

 

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Recipe of the Week – Asian Noodle Jar

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Prep this recipe in a mason and have lunch pre-made for the next day.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

  • 4 ounces soba noodles
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup crunchy rice noodles

For the Spicy Peanut Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 4 teaspoons sambal oelek
  • 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

Directions:

  1. In large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water and drain.
  2. Meanwhile, make Spicy Peanut Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sambal oelek, rice vinegar and soy sauce. While whisking, slowly drizzle in oil until all oil is incorporated. Stir in sesame seeds.
  3. Divide Spicy Peanut Dressing equally among 4 pint-sized mason jars. Divide soba noodles over dressing. Layer remaining ingredients, ending with rice noodles. Top with lids and refrigerate up to 5 days. To serve, pour onto plate or bowl, stir and enjoy.

Recipe Source: http://foxeslovelemons.com/asian-noodle-salad-jars/

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Say “No” To Franken-Foods

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Fat free, sugar free, low sodium, reduced calorie, gluten free, low carb; Are these really better?

Taste comes from three places: sweet (sugar), salt, or fat. Remove our reduce one an another has to be added or increased to make up for taste. Or worse, something fake gets added.

Eat real food and stay away from all the Franken-Foods and their deceiving labeling that makes them sound like better options.

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What 80/20 Really Looks Like

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You may not be eating as well as you think.

Sure Monday through Friday you may do well. But, then Friday night hits. You go out for dinner and order the grilled salmon with steamed veggies and skip the bread. But, you have dessert and a bottle of wine.

Or maybe on Saturday you feel that it would be nice to make your kids a big breakfast of pancakes and bacon. You tell yourself it’s okay because “it’s for the kids” and you’ll only have a little.

Then there is that stressful day that just needs unwound with a few drinks or a bowl of ice cream.

These are the small things that by themselves are perfectly fine, but added up can wreck your progress. To get results in the gym it takes eating clean 80% of the time. For most, it ends up only being 60-70% clean.

So what does 80% look like? Or better yet, what does the 20% look like?

To stay at 80% or above means you can have roughly 3-4 cheats per week. Every alcoholic drink that is a cheat. Every dessert that’s a cheat. Every piece of chocolate or candy another cheat. Fried and processed foods, a cheat again. Chips and salsa, you get the point.

Eating clean is the missing link to getting results. And many times what we think is clean eating isn’t clean enough.

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Recipe of the Week – Cacio e Pepe Inverno

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Give this recipe a try for dinner this week after a workout to help your body refuel and recover.

Ingredients:
8 oz. dry spaghetti
1/2 cup freshly grated Percorino Romano, divided
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
4 cups chopped roasted vegetables (carrots, brussel sprouts, leeks) warmed
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 lb. cooked shrimp

Directions:

1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

2. Remove drained pasta from heat and sprinkle with half the cheese and all the black pepper. Pour in 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water and toss.

3. Add vegetables, half the remaining cheese, and enough reserved pasta water to make a smooth sauce. To serve, divide among 4 bowls and sprinkle with more black pepper and remaining cheese. Add shrimp on top.

Recipe source: Men’s Health, January 2017 issue

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Recipe of the Week – Mussels Puttanesca

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Recipe of the Week – Mussels Puttanesca

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 small shallot
1 can (28 oz) unsalted diced tomatoes
½ cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ cup white wine or water
8 oz fresh tagliatelle
1 lb mussels, cleaned

Directions:
1. In a deep skillet with a lid, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook until softened, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, olives, and fennel seeds and cook until bubbly, 5 minutes.
2. Pour in wine and add pasta, stirring to coat with the sauce. Then add mussels, and cover and cook until mussels open, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Source: Men’s Health, January 2017 issue

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Recipe of the Week – Pasta with White Beans, Broccolini, and Lemon

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Recipe of the Week – Pasta with White Beans, Broccolini, and Lemon

1 lb. dry whole-wheat chiocciole
2 bunches boccolini, chopped
1 can white beans (15oz)
½ cup olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp red chili flakes

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package. Add broccolini during the last 2 minutes; drain pasta and broccolini together.
2. Toss with white beans, olive oil, and lemon juice and zest. Sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes.

Source: Men’s Health, January 2017 issue