Stress Free Meals

We all are busy and the last thing we want to do at the end of a long day is to cook a meal.  Let alone a healthy one if we haven't properly snacked throughout the day.  Well below are some great recipes to help you achieve your clean eating lifestyle and not have to spend hours in the kitchen.  One of my favorite tools to use in the winter months is my crock-pot.  I love to throw meals together and let it sit all day and come home to a freshly cooked meal.  One thing that is nice about crock-pots is it's hard to go wrong in what you put in them.  This past weekend I cooked recipe #1 & 3 both turned out wonderfully.  The pineapple chicken slow cooker recipe was a little easier to cook then the baked ziti that had a little more prep.  So below are 5 great recipes for you to try on a cold winter night.

Recipe #1

Light pasta bake

Click below for the recipe! 

http://www.taylormadebytaylorbee.com/2013/02/light-pasta-bake-with-chicken-sausage.html?m=1

Recipe #2

Southwestern Flank Steak 

By Cara Lyons

Click here for the recipe.

Recipe #3

Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken

Check out more recipes at http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-crock-pot-pineapple-chicken/

Recipe #4

Chicken Cacciatore

By Cara Lyons

Click here for the recipe!

Recipe #5

Slow Cooker-Honey & Garlic Chicken

http://www.justataste.com/2013/09/slow-cooker-crock-pot-honey-garlic-chicken-recipe/

In good health,
Andrea

Healthy Snack Ideas

We all have been there we look in our cupboard and you can't find anything to much on.  So you break out your ice cream, chips and whatever else you can get your hands on.  With a little advanced planning and prep work you can find yourself a healthy snack to help curb those cravings.  Below are great snack ideas I personally use as well as my clients to help keep those cravings at bay.

Morning Snacks

1 Kiwi

1 Orange

15 grapes

1 small pear

1 cup cubed cantaloupe

3 dried figs

12 cherries

2 small plums

1 cup cubed watermelon

4 dried apricots

1 medium peach

1/2 cup mango

1 medium apple

2 tbsp. dried fruit

3/4 cup grapefruit sections

1/2 cup dried fruit and 12 almonds

1 cup frozen berries

Afternoon Snacks

1 oz string cheese, 2 small tangerines and 6 whole grain crackers

1 oz low fat cheese, 4 wasa crackers, 1 cup sliced bell peppers and zucchini

1 granny smith apple,6 oz yogurt w/2 tbsp raisins

1/2 cup cottage cheese mixed w/ 2 tbsp chopped walnuts, 1 plum

4 rye crackers, 2 tbsp low-fat cheese spread, 1 med. orange

6 oz low-fat yogurt, 6 almonds, 4 dried apricots

2 oz turkey, 1 oz low fat cheese, 1 slice whole wheat brea, 1 plum

1 scoop why protein mixed w/water and 1 large bananas 

High-protein energy bar

8oz skim milk, 1 oz turkey, 1 slice bread

15 baby carrots w/3 tbsp hummus

2 kashi crunchy granola bars

1/2 cup fiber one cereal w/3/4 cup low-fat milk and 1/2 cup blueberries

1 apple w/ 2 tbsp peanut butter

2 hard-boiled eggs, 6 whole wheat triscuit crackers

As always if you want more information check out www.safiretraining.com 

Clean Eating Summer Foods

Everyone loves a good summer treat with the warmer weather, kids out of school, running from one event to another.  Most people need quick and easy recipes and foods to eat on the go.  I advice all my clients to eat clean.  In case you have never heard of that or need a refresher on what clean eating is below are some guidelines to follow.

• Whole grain foods
• Fruits & Vegetables are staples in this way of life 
• Avoid processed foods as much as possible
• Eat 5-6 small meals a day
• Avoid sugar loaded drinks and foods
• Limit alcohol
• Stick to proper portion sizes 

So where can you find healthy clean eating recipes for all your summer eats & treats?  Below are two great websites with tons of fabulous recipes.  I have posted 2 recipes below one from each website.  I encourage you to try them! 

The first recipe is a tried and true breakfast treat.  I have many of my clients say they can eat this as dessert it tastes so sweet and is delicious!  The website you want to check out for this recipe is at www.cleaneatingmag.com 

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium bananas
• 2 cups 1% cottage cheese
• 6 tbsp all-fruit strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel and cut each banana in half lengthwise. Place 2 banana halves in a shallow dish or bowl (or a deep traveling container if you’re off to work). Using an ice cream scooper, place 1/2 cup cottage cheese over center of banana and top with 1 1/2 tbsp jam, 1 tbsp peanuts and pinch of salt. Repeat with remaining ingredients to assemble 3 more Breakfast Banana Splits. Serve immediately.

Nutrients per banana split: Calories: 255, Total Fat: 6 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 44 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 25 g, Protein: 17 g, Sodium: 460 mg, Cholesterol: 4.5 mg

The second recipe is from another favorite website of mine http://busygirlhealthylife.com/ Lori Harder publishes her personal recipes she creates right on her website they taste great and are clean eats as well! 

Summer Kale Salad 

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups kale leaves, chopped without spine
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup Asiago cheese
• Dash hot pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup strawberries, chopped
• 2 4-6 oz. chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup shredded cabbage - purple or yellow
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. In a lightly sprayed frying pan, add garlic and salt. Then sauté chicken, pine nuts and green onion until cooked through or lightly browned.
2. In a separate bowl, combine kale, water chestnuts, hot pepper flakes, mint, strawberries, cabbage and carrots.
3. For the dressing, in a blender or Magic Bullet, combine olive oil, lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, Asiago cheese and a dash of pepper and salt. Blend until smooth and pour over kale mixture. Let set at least 5 minutes before serving.
4. Combine all ingredients including chicken, and mix well.
5. Tip: Feel free to do this with shrimp, tofu or just serve plain. It’s delicious!

As always check out www.safiretraining.com  for more fitness and nutrition tips! 

The importance of what you eat a life lesson learned

Today I went to get my resting metabolic rate measured expecting it to be great with no issues.  After all I workout and eat better than the average person.  Well boy was I in for a surprise.  My calorie burn was within the average by 20 calories which is rare for someone who works out 5-6 days a week.  We than looked at the percentage of calories I was burning from fat and it was 19% the average person burns 50% and you want to burn around 75% or higher.  So a whopping 19% is not good at all.

So now I am logging all of my foods and changed the percentage of carbs, fats and proteins I am eating.  If you chart your own you should only be getting 100grams of carbohydrates when on websites it will allow for close to 300 which is much more than the body can process I learned today.  So I thought if my body is this out of whack on my metabolism and I am in the average weight and body fat percentage.  This is a major issue that can be affecting millions of americans and we don't even know it.

So my advice for you would be find someone who can measure your metabolic rate at rest so you do know how many calories you should be eating and of what percentage you should be eating of carbs, proteins and fats.  I was under eating and thought I was eating plenty of food throughout the day. So get your nutrition in check to help change that metabolism it can take months but stick with it, it can be done.  I will be doing it myself right along with you!