Thursday, August 20, 2009

Recipe Of The Week!!

Sydneys Coconut and Chicken Curry

2 chicken breasts, sliced
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbs red curry paste
1 tsp turmeric, ground
400ml coconut milk
12 bay leaves


Heat 1 tbs of olive oil in a wok or fry pan, add chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from pan. Place remaining oil into the pan and fry onion and garlic until slightly browned, add red curry paste and turmeric and stir for 1 minute. Add coconut milk and bay leaves and leave to simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

PS - Check back next week for an entire week of Vegetarian Meal Suggestions.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Recipe Of The Week!

Sauteed Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Veggies

Here’s a spin on this recipe, adapted from Eating Well magazine. You’ll note that this recipe has a hefty portion of veggies to boot. Don’t like red peppers or asparagus? Go with onions, broccoli, tomatoes, whatever suits your fancy!

Serves 4.
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large red bell peppers, diced
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound raw shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (make sure it’s gluten-free!)
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl; cover to keep warm.

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth and heavy whipping cream to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has cooked through and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Recipe Day!!

Lemon, Tomato, And Olive Chicken Pilaf

Mediterranean flavors take this chicken and rice combo to a whole new level. Nicoise olives are small and black. Feel free to substitute another type if they're not available.

Serves: Prep: 15minCook: 25min Total: 40min

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup white rice
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper add to shopping list
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons pitted and chopped nicoise olives
1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into ribbons

Directions

1. HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate. Stir the rice, onions, pepper, broth, wine, lemon zest, and lemon juice into the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, and basil. Top with the chicken. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a breast registers 160°F and the juices run clear.

Nutritional Facts per serving CALORIES 369.3 CAL

FAT 6.4 G

SATURATED FAT 0.9 G

CHOLESTEROL 68.4 MG

SODIUM 125.1 MG

CARBOHYDRATES 38.4 G

TOTAL SUGARS 5.4 G

DIETARY FIBER 2.8 G

PROTEIN 32.9 G

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Top 5 Eating Out Tips!

Top 5 Tips to Tighten Your Waist at Your Favorite Restaurant!

1) Hold the Bun to Look Better & Sexy: When ordering any sandwich on the menu, ask your server to “hold the bun”. Eliminating excess starches in your diet forces your body to burn more unwanted body fat for fuel 24-7. The result- leaner legs, a tighter butt, and a flatter tummy!

2) Upgrade Your Salad to Burn More Calories: Anytime you eat, your metabolism increases as you burn calories from the digestion, absorption, and storing of nutrients from food. This is called the thermic effect of feeding. Furthermore, research shows that the thermic effect of protein is roughly double that of fat or carbohydrates. So, boost your metabolism by adding lean proteins sources such as chicken, steak, salmon, or shrimp to any of your favorite salads.





3) Dip Your Fork to Drop Some Pounds: Dressings can easily contain several hundred hidden calories in the form of refined sugar or excess fat that can go straight to your gut. So the next time you order a salad, simply ask for the “dressing on the side” and dip your fork in it with each bite. You’ll keep the flavor your taste buds crave without any of the guilt!




4) Go Green to Be Lean: To make any entrée a belly fat-burning treat, replace any starch-based sides like fries or bread with sautéed, grilled or steamed vegetables. Better yet, opt for green vegetables like broccoli, spinach, green beans, or asparagus as much as possible since they have the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for optimal health. Furthermore, green veggies are loaded with fiber and thus help fill you up faster and keep you fuller between meals.




5) Make Your Dessert Guilt-Free: You don’t have to be perfect all the time… just most of the time! In other words, if you eat well and exercise regularly 80-90% of the time, you can afford a tasty treat in moderation. Studies show that if you eliminate temptation you can avoid its pitfalls. But studies also show that flexibility is the key to long-term weight loss success. So first get rid of any sweets you may have at home and then limit dessert to once or twice per week when eating out. You can even go one step further by cutting the calories in half by splitting a dessert with a friend or family member.

The tips above will put your nutrition on track. Now, check out the resource below to put your workouts on track.

http://rialtowellness.getprograde.com/meal-replacement.html
http://www.rialtowellness.com/

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Recipe Of The Week!

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries

1. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg in a small bowl. Whisk ricotta, egg, egg white, buttermilk, lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
2. Brush a large nonstick skillet with 1/2 teaspoon oil and place over medium heat until hot. Using a generous 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake, pour the batter for 2pancakes into the pan, sprinkle blueberries on each pancake and cook until the edges are dry and bubbles begin to form, about 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, batter and berries, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Serve these light pancakes with our Chunky Blueberry Sauce, maple syrup or honey. Sprinkling the berries on top of the cooking pancakes ensures even distribution. Keep finished pancakes warm in a 200°F oven, if desired, while cooking the rest.

Makes 4 servings, 2 pancakes each

238 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 3 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrate;
12 g protein; 3 g fiber; 334 mg sodium; 128 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Selenium (24% daily value), Calcium (16% dv).

Friday, July 10, 2009

Recipe Time!!

Mediterranean Tilapia (adapted from Eating Well)

1 cup quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cups diced summer squash
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped black olives
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1 pound tilapia fillets, cut into 4 equal portions

1. Preheat grill to medium. (No grill? See Oven Variation, below.)

2. Combine tomatoes, squash, onion, olives, lemon juice, oregano, oil, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

3. To make a packet, lay two 20-inch sheets of foil on top of each other (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning); generously coat the top piece with cooking spray. Place one portion of tilapia in the center of the foil. Sprinkle with some of the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, then top with about 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture.

4. Bring the short ends of the foil together, leaving enough room in the packet for steam to gather and cook the food. Fold the foil over and pinch to seal. Pinch seams together along the sides. Make sure all the seams are tightly sealed to keep steam from escaping. Repeat with more foil, cooking spray and the remaining fish, salt, pepper and vegetables.

5. Grill the packets until the fish is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. To serve, carefully open both ends of the packets and allow the steam to escape. Use a spatula to slide the contents onto plates.

Oven Variation: Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix vegetables as above. Assemble packets (Steps 3-4). Bake the packets directly on an oven rack until the tilapia is cooked through and the vegetables are just tender, about 20 minutes.

Approximately 24g of protein and 7 net carbs per serving (yields 4 servings total). If you’re not in the mood for tilapia, try some catfish or maybe even salmon.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Recipe Time!!

Steamed broccoli can get really old really quickly. Aside from doing some sort of saute' or stir fry, have you ever tried roasting your broccoli? Roasting intensifies flavors, also adding a bit of near carmelization to the veggie. Good stuff I say! And added benefit of broccoli and cauliflower are the many nutrients contained, and the low caloric value (1c. of broccoli is only 54cal, 1c. cauliflower is about 38).

Give this one a shot with broccoli (or cauliflower is great too). Oven roasting veggies is a great way to cook up a bunch of veggies at one time without having to stand over the stove stirring something.

Oven roasted broccoli (for cauliflower I suggest dropping the temperature by 25-50 degrees, and no need to peel the stalk of the cauliflower)

Ingredients
1 large head broccoli (about 1 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or crushed
Ground black pepper
Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Cut broccoli at juncture of florets and stems; remove outer peel from stalk. Cut stalk into 2- to 3-inch lengths and each length into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut crowns into 4 wedges if 3-4 inches in diameter or 6 wedges if 4-5 inches in diameter. Place broccoli in large bowl; drizzle with oil and toss well until evenly coated. Sprinkle with pepper and garlic to taste and toss to combine.

2. Working quickly, remove baking sheet from oven. Carefully transfer broccoli to baking sheet and spread into even layer, placing flat sides down. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until stalks are well browned and tender and florets are lightly browned, 9 to 11 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

FYI - cauliflower usually cooks best if you first cover it with aluminum foil for about the first 5-10 minutes of cooking, then flip pieces over and cook another 5 or so until done.