XO Fitness healthy eating Archives - Page 5 of 5

17-Aug-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Edamame Falafel w/low fat cumin chipotle sauce

Friday Foodie: Edamame Falafel w/low fat cumin chipotle sauce

Tags: easy recipe, falafel, healthy eating, low calorie, nutrition, personal training de pere, personal training green bay, simple recipe, tatziki

I found this recipe in the May 2012 edition of Martha Stewart’s “Everyday Food” magazine. It looked simple and absolutely

Edamame Falafel Patties

delicious at first glance, but the calorie count was way too impressive: a serving had a whopping 600 calories. Falafel is traditionally fried and in my opinion, despite dripping in oil, usually tastes dry anyway. Here is my variation that drops the calories to only 240 per serving by baking them instead of deep frying them and serves them with my new favorite low calorie sauces.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry chickpeas (2 cups re-hydrated)

2 cups shelled edamame, frozen.

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method: Put the chickpeas in water and leave overnight. They should double in volume, leaving you with 2 cups uncooked chickpeas. To hurry this process up, you can boil the chickpeas in the microwave and allow to sit for 2-4 hours. Drain.

Use a food processor or a blender to mince chickpeas and edamame to a coarse mixture that sticks together when squeezed.

Falafel ready to form into balls or patties

Falafel mixture & sauces

Thoroughly mix or blend in cumin and salt.

Form in to patties and place on a greased cookie sheet. I like to use an ice-cream scoop for this. Pop in the oven at 375′ until bottom side is browned, flip, and brown the other side.

Serve in whole wheat pita pockets (or whole wheat tortillas) with diced tomatoes, onions and your choice of the following sauces:

Chipotle-Cumin ‘Greek God’ dressing: (6oz plain, nonfat greek yogurt with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle blended together). This ‘sauce’ has no fat, 18 grams of protein and only 100 calories PER CUP!!! or 7 calories per Tablespoon. Compare that to cumin-chipotle mayonaise which weighs in with 12g fat and 110 calories per Tablespoon (or 192 grams fat and roughly 1760 calories per cup).

Coriander Tatziki (speedy version): Peel and cut a cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and toss into a blender with a 6 oz container of plain, nonfat greek yogurt. Add 1 teaspoon of ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Blend well. Options: Blend in fresh dill or add 1 teaspoon of garlic-ginger paste (available at Indian grocery stores).

Another healthy sauce is to add a bit of water to store-bought hummus and to use as a dip. This is really a good idea if you think about all the flavors now available.

10-Aug-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

Friday Foodie: 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: avocado, easy recipe, foodie, healthy eating, Healthy Recipe, nutrition, pasta, personal training de pere, personal training green bay, simple recipe

Two things attracted us to this recipe:

15 minutes…we love any dinner item that takes only 15 minutes!
Avocado…we love avocado (although it’s really hard to spell!)

We want to give credit where credit is due, so the source of this recipe is www.ohsheglows.com

Bowtie pasta with creamy avocado sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish (use caution, it is easy to make this too tart)
1-3 garlic cloves, to taste (we used 3 b/c we love garlic, but if you’re not a big fan use less)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
~1/4 cup Fresh Basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (We like Barilla brand pasta in the yellow box)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice (be careful with the lemon juice…you can always add more, but you can’t take it out…the first time we made this it was WAY TOO TART), and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy. Ryan says next time he would omit the olive oil and just blend up the other sauce ingredients.

3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Please note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately.

03-Aug-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Crunchy Chickpeas Snack

Friday Foodie: Crunchy Chickpeas Snack

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: diet, easy recipe, foodie, Grill cooking, healthy eating, healthy snack, low calorie, nutrition, personal training green bay, simple recipe, weight loss

One of our clients suggested that we try this super simple savory snack. Low in fat and high in fiber these are a nicely satisfying snack that ranks high in the nutrition world.

Crunchy Chickpeas

Each 1/4 cup of crunchy goodness has 120 calories comprised of 2g fat, 6g protein, 20g carbs (including 6g of fiber: that’s a whopping 24% of the recommended daily allowance of fiber). Omit the salt and use chickpeas made from dry if you are concerned about your sodium intake.

Crunchy Chickpeas (makes 1 3/4 cups):

2 cans (3 1/2 cups cooked) Chickpeas
A whimsical mixture of your favorite spices (see suggestions)
popcorn salt (for after cooking)

Method: Drain and rinse chickpeas, then pour onto a dish towel and pat dry. Place into a largish bowl and sprinkle with spice mixture, then stir well. Pour chickpeas onto a non-stick jellyroll pan (cookie sheet with low sides) and pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Bake until mostly crunchy and allow to cool. Use popcorn salt to adjust saltiness if needed. Although not required by most recipes I reviewed, I would suggest refrigerating them if you aren’t going to eat them within a few days.

I successfully made these on our grill with both burners on their lowest setting so I wouldn’t heat up the house. I used a spatula to stir them every 5-10 minutes as the grill

Chickpeas being roasted on the grill instead of the oven.

A grill is your summer oven!

doesn’t cook quite as evenly as an oven. (Some “extra crispy” chickpeas happened anyway.)

Spice suggestions for your signature super simple savory subtly spicy snack*:

1/2 teaspoon of: cumin & 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne.
1/2 teaspoon of each coriander and paprika (or smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon curry, either hot or sweet
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of any premixed seasoning blend, ie: Nature’s seasoning, Pleasonings, Lawry’s etc…
Note: Do not use spice mixtures containing sugar as it will burn.

*Now say “signature super simple savory subtly spicy snack” five times fast! Enjoy -XO

27-Jul-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Simple Basil Pesto

Friday Foodie: Simple Basil Pesto

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: easy recipe, healthy eating, Healthy Recipe, personal training de pere, personal training green bay, simple recipe

Keep it simple, right?

This pesto is kept simple with fancy additions later.

All you need is two large bunches of basil, 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, ½ – ¾ cup olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. You can add parmesan and pine nuts later if you like.

Basil from Farmers Market

Fresh basil is best purchased at the farmer’s market for a fraction of store bought. Karin purchased a plastic shopping nearly full of basil for just $4 (four large bunches).

You only need two bunches for this recipe.

Remove the flowering heads, leaves from the stems and wash the leaves to remove any sand and dirt.

Pat them dry with a towel and coarsely chop them.

Garlic and oil in blender

Pour ½ cup Olive Oil and 2-3 cloves of garlic into a blender and blend well with the cover on (unless you like oil on your ceiling). Add the coarsely chopped basil in bunches, alternately stopping the blender to push the basil down. Patiently continue to do this, adding more olive oil as needed to allow blending.

Once you have a thick, but coarse paste add ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt to taste. That’s it!!! We like to freeze it in small 4 oz. Glad containers. You can add minced pine nuts (walnuts or raw skinless peanuts also work well) and parmesan cheese to taste when you serve it.

What can you do with pesto?

PestoThere are many uses for pesto, and all of them are delicious. Pesto can be frozen into small plastic containers or even ice-cube trays for handy single serving size cubes.

Make a speedy-quick version of a Caprese Salad: Mix several tablespoons of pesto, halved grape or cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese. Yum!

Also, it’s great mixed with pasta and fresh tomatoes, on toasted french bread and pizza!

21-Jul-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Blueberry Health Muffins

Friday Foodie: Blueberry Health Muffins

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: easy recipe, foodie, healthy, healthy eating, Healthy Recipe, personal training de pere, personal training green bay, simple recipe

This time of year you can buy blueberries by the quart instead of by the pint. Sometimes we get overzealous at the Farmers Market and have so many we have to start making everything with blueberries! This week we’ve made blueberry pancakes, blueberry smoothies and blueberry muffins.

I tore this recipe out of a Whole Living magazine a few years back. It has become a favorite at our house and I’ve even brought a batch into the studio on occasion to share with clients.

Muffin Ingredients

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (we usually don’t have white flour in the house, so I make it with all whole-wheat flour and it turns out fine)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
(I also like to add 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Muffin topping ingredients

2 Tbsp. wheat germ
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix dry ingredients. Add milk, oil, eggs and vanilla; stir until just mixed. Gently fold in blueberries.
Divide evenly among 12 lined muffin cups. We like to use a regular size ice cream scoop for this.
Sprinkle tops of muffins with muffin topping.
Bake approximately 20 minutes…until a toothpick comes out clean.

Full of juicy berries!

Nutrition Information (per muffin)

196 calories; 1 g saturated fat; 5 g unsaturated fat; 36 mg cholesterol;

30 g carb; 5 g protein; 2 g fiber

If you want to read all about the benefits of blueberries

in your diet check out The World’s Healthiest Foods

13-Jul-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Friday Foodie: Avocado Salsa

Friday Friday Foodie: Avocado Salsa

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: diet, easy recipe, foodie, healthy, Healthy appetizer, healthy eating, Healthy Recipe, low calorie, nutrition, simple recipe, weight loss

This week’s Friday Foodie is Nicole C. who suggested this most delicious salsa from one of my favorite food websites:

Salsa ingredients

www.epicurious.com. If you haven’t checked epicurious out, you can type in a main ingredient and come up with a list of recipes that incorporate your searched ingredient along with excellent reviews and ratings. It is an un-abashedly flavor first, damn the calories website, so it is wise to be calorie wary when surfing their delicious recipes.

Simple and delicious, the original recipe adds more olive oil than we would without sacrificing flavor. That said, we’ve tweaked the recipe with 1/2 the olive oil (subtract roughly 200 calories) and we strongly suspect that 1/4 the olive oil (1T) would be un-noticeable. Here’s our take:

Avocado Salsa:

2 large tomatoes, seeded, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Avocado Salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil (try 1 tablespoon, it’s probably plenty and you can always add more)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 to 2 large jalapeño chilies, seeded but not deveined, minced
1 large avocado, diced

Mix well and serve! Enjoy with friends to savor the fresh wonder of this simple recipe. -XO

29-Jun-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Grilled Swai & Cauliflower

Friday Foodie: Grilled Swai & Cauliflower

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: easy recipe, foodie, Grill cooking, Grilled Fish, healthy, healthy eating, low calorie, nutrition, personal training green bay, simple recipe, weight loss

It’s time to pull out the grill when it’s over 90’F outside with 100% humidity(and the air conditioner seems to be running non-stop just to keep the house below 80!).

This week our Friday Foodie’s are Karin and her father Paul. Karin for her cauliflower recipe recently posted here, and Paul for his seasoning recipe that he found for Spicy Grilled Fish. His recipe calls for Red Snapper or Orange Roughy Fillets, but I found something in the Fish Freezer called Swai. So I bought it, brought it home, and then looked up online what the heck it was and how to cook it.

According to Wikipedia, Swai is actually an omnivorous freshwater fish found in Thailand’s Mekong River. It is really an “Iridescent Shark Catfish” but apparently due to international concerns regarding shark products, it was renamed Swai. That said, Swai is a mild white fish that has a soft texture and could easily be blackened like Catfish. I used Paul’s seasoning blend sparingly (although I love it hot!

Paul’s Spicy Fish Seasoning Blend:

2t Paprika

1t salt

1t onion powder

1t garlic powder

1/4-1/2 t cayenne powder

1/8-1/4 t white pepper

1/4 t each of dried oregano, basil & thyme.

Method: Defrost and pat excess water off of fish fillets. Rub the fillets with olive oil and then sprinkle both sides with the seasoning blend. (Go light for those who don’t like it hot!) Spray the Grill with cooking spray BEFORE lighting it. Grill fillets, covered, for 3-4 minutes per side or until fish flakes with a fork.

Now, that’s what I was told to do. What I actually did was make an aluminum foil packet and cooked it in that instead. Because the kids are highly spice sensitive, I actually used very little of the seasoning blend and dotted the fillets with butter. The result was almost too tender. I think I’ll blacken the Swai next time I grill it and place it directly on the grill. -Ryan.

23-Jun-2012

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Comments Off on XO Friday Foodie: Super Cool Melon Mint & Feta Appetizer

XO Friday Foodie: Super Cool Melon Mint & Feta Appetizer

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: easy recipe, foodie, healthy, Healthy appetizer, healthy eating, healthy hors deouvre, healthy hors deovres, low calorie, personal training green bay

Feta, Mint & Melon Appetizer

This is my best attempt at recreating that stupendously delicious appetizer that Chris Mangless served at a De Pere at Dusk and client appreciation party we hosted at our studio a couple years back. Chris, AKA The Traveling Chef, is the owner of Three Three Five on South Broadway in Green Bay and features a special menu for each Wednesday night Farmer’s Market.

When I first tasted this combination of flavors I was speechless. It was that good. I immediately turned to Chris Mangless and asked how he could have possibly came up with something so good that just sounds so wrong. Feta and melon? Mint and Balsamic?

His explanation was simple: Learn how to balance the salty with the sweet and you can make combinations most people wouldn’t dream of.

So here it is:

Mint Melon & Feta appetizer

-Cubed or balled cantaloupe, honeydew and/or watermelon*

-Feta, finely crumbled

-Fresh mint leaves

-Balsamic reduction**

In small bowls, place about a half cup of melon, top with about a teaspoon of the finely crumbled feta, a couple of mint leaves and drizzle lightly with the balsamic reduction. Serve chilled.

*I think the melon balls are better than the cubes… but don’t have a melon baller!

**To make the balsamic reduction, simply simmer balsamic vinegar over low heat until it reduces in volume by about half. This is best done at your in-laws home (which, due to time constraints, is what I did), as the vinegar smell is really overwhelming. Let’s just say that I almost lost my favorite son-in-law status, and I’m their only son-in-law!

15-Jun-2012

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Comments Off on Friday Foodie: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – Low Sugar, Gluten Free

Friday Foodie: Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – Low Sugar, Gluten Free

Category : Healthy Eating

Tags: dessert, healthy eating, low sugar, rhubarb, strawberry, strawberry rhubarb crisp

Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp

Thank my Mom and her oversized rhubarb plant for inspiring me to find this recipe! Although our family loves a strawberry

rhubarb pie, crusts are pretty much flour and fat. Crusts also take time and talent to make well (which is the real reason I opt for a crisp). This recipe cuts the sugar way back, and uses oatmeal instead of flour to make it a gluten free option for those requiring a diet free of gluten. The original recipe was found at all recipes and I incorporated the wisdom of the many reviewers.

Ingredients:

4c rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2c sliced strawberries
1T honey or sugar
2T cornstarch
1c oatmeal (old fashioned if you have it)
1/2c brown sugar
1/4c softened butter or favorite margarine
1t cinnamon

Sliced Rhubarb and Strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, honey and cornstarch. Pour this into a greased 8×10 pan. In the same bowl, mix the oatmeal, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until crumbly. Spread over the strawberries and rhubarb mixture and pop in the oven for 40 minutes.

Warning: Depending on your rhubarb, this is a very tart recipe but your taste will quickly adapt. Sprinkling a bit of sugar over the top or serving over ice cream may be needed for younger palates.

Calories per allrecipes.com for a generous 1/6th of the pan: 240 calories and 9g fat. Note that each serving includes a full cup of fruit! Post a comment if you have an improvement or can reduce the calories and/or fat of this dessert!