Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Southwestern Cheddar Steak Fries

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 lb red or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 3/4-inch wedges
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 oz finely shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place potatoes on baking sheet, drizzle evenly with oil and toss to coat lightly. In a small bowl, combine paprika, cumin and garlic powder. Sprinkle paprika mixture evenly over both sides of potatoes, then arrange potatoes in a single layer. Bake in center of oven for 10 minutes, then flip and stir, and bake for 7 minutes or until lightly golden and tender when pierced with a fork.
  2. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with salt, cheese and pepper. Bake for 2 minutes more or until cheese has melted slightly. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately for peak flavor.


Egg 'n' Baked Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed (I prefer Yukon Gold Potatoes myself)
  • 2 slices all-natural turkey bacon (no nitrites or nitrates added)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 lightly packed cups baby spinach
  • 1/4 tsp each sea salt and fresh ground 
black pepper
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup grated reduced-fat cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp chopped scallions or chives
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray. Prick potatoes with a fork 
and transfer to tray. Bake for 50 minutes, turning once, until tender. Set aside to cool for 
20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350˚F.
  2. Meanwhile, mist a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-low. 
Add bacon and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. When cool enough to handle, chop into small pieces.
  3. To skillet on medium-low, add onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Add spinach and sauté for 
3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until wilted. Remove from heat.
  4. If needed, cut a thin slice from long side of each potato so they sit flat on sheet. Cut an oval into the top of each potato and scoop out flesh using a spoon or a melon baller, leaving a shell about 1/3-inch thick. Reserve potato flesh for future use. 
(MAKE AHEAD: Potatoes can be baked, cooled and scooped up to 2 days in 
advance. Cover and refrigerate.)
  5. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper. Divide spinach mixture and bacon evenly among potatoes. Carefully crack 1 egg into each potato and top with cheese, dividing evenly. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, to desired doneness of egg. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and scallions and serve with potatoes.

Clean Eating Italian Style Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. frozen, pre-cooked shrimp
  • 1 Tbs dried basil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste, no sugar added
  • 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Place everything, but the shrimp, in a skillet and heat just enough to it's all blended together.  Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are warmed through, stirring regularly.  Do not overcook the shrimp.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Good Carbs

You don't have to say goodbye to sandwiches, French toast, and stuffing to lose weight & keep it off.  As long as you read your bread labels, you should be good.  Many labels say "whole grain" or "whole wheat" but only contain 51 percent whole grains. Only buy loaves with "100 percent whole wheat" on the package, are 80 to 90 calories, have at least 2 grams of fiber, and less than 1 gram of sugars per slice.

Suggestion: 2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Gran Bread:  160 calories, 30g carbs, 8g fiber.  It's my favorite clean-eating bread.  I also love the Ezekiel English Muffins with a little Sunflower butter - great with my eggs, banana & coffee on a Saturday morning!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Provolone Chicken Melt

Ingredients:
(4) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
4 tsp EVOO, divided
4 slices multigrain bread (I use Ezekiel bread)
1 clove of garlic, halved
1 roasted red pepper, quartered
4 slices reduced-fat provolone cheese
 
What to do:
* Turn your oven broiler on
* Lightly pound out each chicken breast to help even out the thickness and then season with the salt & pepper (to taste)
* Heat 2 Tsp EVOO in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Cook the chicken until thoroughly cooked (approx. 5 minutes per side).
* Place your bread on a cookie sheet and brush with remaining EVOO.  Rub with the cut sides of the garlic
* Place the bread under the broiler just until toasted (maybe 1 minute).  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.
* Remove and top each piece of bread with a pepper piece, a chicken breast, and a slice of cheese.
* Place back under the broiler just until the cheese has melted (1-2 minutes)
* Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Invasion of the "Superbug"

Our family is members of Lifetime Fitness - have been for many years.  Every month we receive their Experience Life Magazine.  One of the articles in this last month's magazine really got my attention - well actually it made me really sick to my stomach.  It made me think twice about what I'm eating.  Foods I eat that I thought were safe for me.  Turns out, not much out there is safe for me to eat.  Things that are being allowed into our foods and those foods that we are consuming every day are slowly hurting each and every one of us.  How can this be?  Why isn't the FDA doing something about this?  Why aren't they protecting us?  Isn't that what the FDA is supposed to be doing?  It turns out NO!

If you haven't taken the time or you don't know anything about it, I encourage to read-up on the subject of "Superbugs".  It will blow your mind.  As I read the article in my Experience Life Magazine, I became more and more shocked with each line I read.  The antibiotics & hormones that are pumped into the food that we consume every day is off the chart.  Antibiotics are in so many foods that we eat, that our bodies are becoming immune to them (they become less potent).  "Bacteria are smart, and over the years, thanks to constant exposure to certain drugs, a handful of the strongest bugs have figured out how to outmaneuver standard antibiotics", say Drlica, coauthor of  Antibiotic Resistance: Understanding and Responding to an Emerging Crisis (FT Press, 2011).

In 2010 the FDA began to publish details about the amount of antibiotics sold for humans vs. animals.  Can you believe that 80% of all antibiotics sold went to animals and 20% were for humans.  Farmers have been using low-doses of antibiotics and adding it to the animal feed since the 50's.  It was initially supposed to be administered to just the sick animals, but Farmers soon discovered that if they have low-doses on a daily basis, they would have less sick animals and the conditions in which they kept the animals didn't have to be as properly maintained as before.

It's not only about the meat that you eat.  Runoff and groundwater carry superbugs from manure-filled farms into fruit orchards and vegetable fields. So the threat is in everything we eat.

I'm not trying to scare people, although I am a little scared myself and angry to be honest.  I want everyone to be aware of this.  I myself can't afford to buy everything hormone & antibiotic free.  Grass fed meats, hormone free & antibiotic free products are unbelievably expensive.  I guess my question is why we, the Consumers, have to go through such greats lengths & expense to make sure we aren't eating things that are harmful to our bodies and our families, when the FDA is supposed to be doing that for us?  What are they here for?  We have been trusting them for years to regulate & maintain the health & safety of anyone that buys a product off the store shelf.  They are hurting us instead of protecting us.  Why isn't something being done about this?

Again, I really encourage people to educate themselves on this subject and spread the awareness.  That's what I'm doing.....

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 Tsp garlic powder
1/4 Tsp onion powder
1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 Tsp dried oregano
1/2 Tsp paprika
1-1/2 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp kosher salt
1 Tsp ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight container.  Enjoy!