Post Workout Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

May 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Peanut butter and bananas are good post-workout snacks.  Put them together in a blender with some skim milk, ground flax seeds and ice and you have a creamy drink loaded with potassium, protein, Omega 3 fatty acids and calcium.

This smoothie is also a quick on-the-go breakfast drink for kids of any age.

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
½ cup of skim milk
1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds
½ cup ice (add more if needed)

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.  Add more ice if needed.

Banana Smoothie in Blender Post Workout Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I added another half cup of ice to make it cold and hydrating.  You could add additional peanut butter or protein powder as well.

Banana Smoothie1 Post Workout Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Nutritional Information:

Makes 1 serving:  Calories 376; Carbs 43g; Fat 19g; Protein 14g; Sodium 206mg; Sugar 18g

We make a lot of smoothies, but this may very well be our favorite.  The texture was perfect.  It was smooth, creamy and filling.  The peanut butter gives it a rich flavor that you don’t find with fruit smoothies.  You can add strawberries or other fruit for a variety of flavors.

What’s your favorite smoothie?

Be Social! Share!

 

 

Filed Under: Healthy Eating

Greek Style Chicken Recipe

May 17, 2013 By 2 Comments

The Greek Style Chicken is yet another delicious recipe from Skinny Kitchen, which just happens to be my new favorite skinny recipe site. We had this for dinner the other night and the family loved it.  The left-overs make a healthy brown bag lunch and warmed up beautifully the next day.

Greek Chicken Greek Style Chicken Recipe

Ingredients for Roasted Potatoes:
1 pound mini red potatoes or small red potatoes cut in fours
¾ tablespoon olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Ingredients to Marinate Chicken:
1½ pounds chicken breast tenders, boneless, skinless
2 fresh lemons
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Ingredients for Greek Salad Salsa:
2 cups grape or sugar plum tomatoes
1½ cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, trimmed and chopped
½ cup scallions, chopped, use white and green part
⅓ cup Lite Caesar Dressing or Light Caesar Vinaigrette
2 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Ingredients for Topping:
⅓ cup fat-free feta cheese
8 Kalamata olives, sliced

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Healthy Eating

Skinnified Enchilada Casserole

May 6, 2013 By 2 Comments

I love everything about Mexican food except the calories so when I found this recipe at SkinnyKitchen.com I had to try it for Cinco de Mayo.  It was really good and easy to make.

I made only a couple of modifications to the original recipe.  I substituted ground chicken for the beef and added a can of Rotel to the meat and bean mixture.  Adding the Rotel was suggested in one of the comments on the SkinnyKitchen site and I had a can on hand and tossed it in.  I do think the Rotel gave it an extra kick.

Also, I used sliced black olives and cheese for the toppings, but you really could put whatever you think would work on top.

Ingredients:

8 ounces (½ of a 1-pound package) ground chicken.
1 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4-oz) can of green chiles
1 cup fat free sour cream
½ cup fresh corn kernels (cut from 1 cob) or ½ cup frozen and thawed
¼ cup fat free cottage cheese
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
8 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas
1 (10-oz) can enchilada sauce

Ingredients for Topping:

¾ cup tomatoes, chopped
⅓ cup scallions, sliced
½ cup black olives, sliced
½ cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a 9 inch square pan with cooking spray.  Glass or metal pan is fine.

In a large nonstick pan, cook the chicken onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin over medium-high heat until onions are tender and chicken is no longer pink.  Stir often, breaking up the beef.  Stir in black beans and undrained chiles.

Meat Mixture Skinnified Enchilada Casserole

I added a can of Rotel which is optional. Mix well.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Healthy Eating

Nuts Are Heart Smart And Diet Friendly

May 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Snacking on a serving of nuts can be a smart nutritional choice.  Not only are nuts loaded with healthy fats, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E and protein, a new study shows that people can safely add nuts to their diet without gaining weight.

Because nuts are high in fat, people tend to think that eating them will make them gain weight or increase their insulin resistance.  Recent research has combined data from 31 trials conducted across the globe and found that, on average, there is very little difference in changes in weight between people who were put on a normal diet versus a nut-supplemented diet.

In the trials, participants were randomly assigned to a normal diet or one that included extra nuts and were followed anywhere from a two week to five year period.  The study concluded that the people on the nut-supplemented diet lost an average of 1.4 extra pounds and close to a half an inch off of their waist.

Dr. David Bleich, head of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark says his own work shows that insulin resistance was lower when people added nuts to their diet.

Pistachios Nuts Are Heart Smart And Diet Friendly

Heart Healthy Benefits of Nuts

Men who have already suffered a heart attack can reduce cardiovascular risk by eating nuts regularly, according to the Harvard Men’s Health Watch.  Here’s why:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Health and Wellness News, Healthy Eating

What You Need To Know Before Going Gluten-Free

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There’s been a lot of buzz about going gluten-free the past couple of years.  Misinformation about gluten and celiac disease has led people to believe that limiting or eliminating gluten from the diet will speed up weight loss, let you kiss that muffin top goodbye once and for all, and improve your overall health. But some people may not know exactly what gluten is and whether or not eliminating it from their diet will actually be beneficial to them.

In reality, unless you have celiac disease, a gluten free diet won’t make you any healthier or help you reach your weight loss goals quicker.  Many nutritionists – and even Dr. Oz – agree that unless you have been diagnosed with celiac disease, eliminating all foods that contains gluten from your diet isn’t a good idea and you may end up nutritionally shortchanged.

Katherine Tallmadge, a dietitian and author of the book Diet Simple, says whole grains, which contain gluten, are a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Gluten-free products are often made with refined grains, and are low in nutrients. If you embrace a gluten-free diet, you’ll end up “eating a lot of foods that are stripped of nutrients,” Studies show gluten-free diets can be deficient in fiber, iron, folate, niacin, thiamine, calcium, vitamin B12, phosphorus and zinc, she said.

bread What You Need To Know Before Going Gluten Free

What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is a digestive disorder triggered by eating the protein gluten.  People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.

The primary symptoms of celiac disease include intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating. Some people with celiac disease do not have the typical intestinal distress but instead have other symptoms including  irritability or depression, anemia, stomach upset, joint pain, muscle cramps, skin rash, mouth sores, dental and bone disorders, weight loss, general weakness and fatigue.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Health and Wellness News, Healthy Eating

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe

April 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Hummus is a healthy high-protein spread that can be part of a nutritious meal as well as an excellent pre or post workout snack. Hummus is easy and inexpensive to make.  Once you have the main ingreidents – tahini and garbonzo beans – there’s no end to the various hummus recipes you can create by adding other ingredients.

 

Lemon Garlic Hummus Sun Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe

Lemon Garlic Hummus (for the recipe, click on the picture).

Tahini

One of the key ingredients in hummus is tahini.  Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and is considered to be a superfood in the eastern Mediterranean because of its high nutritional value.  Tahini contains calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins C and E.

Tahini also has Omega 3 and 6 fatty acid.  Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids that are essential for health.  Omega fatty acids control blood clotting and build cell membranes in the brain.  New research indicates that these fatty acids have a wide range of health benefits including protection against certain cancers, heart disease and stroke.

Garbonzo Beans

The main ingredient in most hummus recipes is garbanzno beans.  Garbanzo’s are high in fiber, antioxidants, and protein.  They help you refuel after a work-out and keep you satisfied between meals.   Putting the tahini and garbonzo beans with other healthy ingredients like lemon juice, olive oil, and sun dried tomatoes makes a nutritious dip for carrots, celery, sweet peppers, and cucumbers.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Healthy Eating Tagged With: ,

Isn’t It Time For You To Break Up With Sugar?

April 5, 2013 By 2 Comments

You can’t live a day without hearing that sugar is bad for you.  I know that some people are tired of hearing about it and plenty more are fed up with leaders that have decided to launch a war on sugar. The best example is Mayor Bloomberg that wants to eliminate extra-large sodas from being sold in New York City.

Still, if you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle you can’t deny that sugar plays a role in your success.  Sugar is a substance that has 16 calories per teaspoon and zero nutritional value.  Eating too much sugar adds inches to our abs, buns and thighs without supplying any of the daily requirements for vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It’s no secret.  Sugar makes us fat.

But a new study shows that sugar does more than that.  Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of California Berkeley, and the University of California San Francisco have found a direct link between sugar and diabetes.  You might think that’s not new news.  But, while  sugar has been the prime suspect, the theory that it actually causes diabetes has yet to be proven until now.

Sugar bow Isn’t It Time For You To Break Up With Sugar?

The team of researchers analyzed a decade’s worth of food supply data from the United Nations that looked at diabetes rates and sugar availability across 175 countries.  Researchers concluded that for every extra 150 calories from sugar per person per day, diabetes prevalence rises by 1.1%.  The study also showed that reduced exposure to sugar was linked to a lower risk of diabetes.

If that’s not bad enough, growing evidence shows that Alzheimer’s is primarily a metabolic disease that is caused directly by the brain’s impaired response to insulin.  The evidence is so compelling some researchers are proposing reclassifying Alzheimer’s disease as Type 3 diabetes.

Even if you’re not convinced that consuming too much sugar puts you at risk for diabetes or Alzhemier’s, there’s no denying it is a big factor when it comes to weight management including getting rid of unwanted pounds and keeping them off.

Where’s The Sugar?

We’ve come to think of sugary beverages as the culprit that’s responsible for excessive sugar consumption and sugar addiction.  But sugar is lurking in places you might never think to look. Below is an infographic that show the foods and beverages that are loaded with sugar and just how much they contain.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Goal Setting for Healthy Behaviors, Healthy Eating
« Older Posts