Decadently Fit - Page 7 of 11 - enjoying the road to healthy

18
Apr
2013

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

When you think ‘health food’, the word mashed potatoes usually doesn’t exist. When I found out those words could co-exist in the same recipe I ran home and made a batch. I think it’s been about 8 years since I first made them, and they are still a go to recipe.

This recipe is simple and translates into any mashed potato use you can think of. I have used it on top of Shepherd’s Pie. I have made ‘potato’ cakes. Of course you can eat them in their simplest form too.

Regular mashed potatoes, made from scratch have a calorie count of 239 calories, for one cup. A whopping 79 calories are from added fat. The carb count comes in at 35.5g and the sugar content is 3g. It would take you 27 minutes of jogging to burn off the spuds.

For the same amount of cauliflower mash, there are 90 calories. 40 of them are from healthy fat, the carb count is 5.1 g, fiber 3.3g and sugars are 1.7. This version only takes approximately 10 minutes of jogging to burn off. Kind of a no brainer nutritionally. Especially because this healthy version of the mashed taters will have you saying “potato who?”.

Recipe

Serves 6 – 8

1 head of cauliflower, core removed and florets pulled apart into smaller portions

4 tablespoons Smart Balance butter

salt & pepper to taste

Steam the cauliflower florets until they are soft enough to mash.

When cooked, put the florets into a food processor with the remaining ingredients and process until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky.

Servings: 4

Calories: 94 • Fat: 5g • Carb: 2 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 1g • Sugar: 1g Sodium: 99mg • Cholest: 0mg

17
Apr
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 4.17.13

categories: Fit Tips

As I was deciding what fit tip to post, I came across this. I have to say that I wish I had some super glue gloss in the past week. Granted it was my child’s 7th birthday and birthdays are meant for splurging, but I went way beyond that. Needless to say I am back on track after lecturing myself about my ultimate goal. Continuing on the my indulgent path would just erase all the hard work I had done. As good as those foods were they aren’t worth the work I am going to put in to erase that errant food rant.

Sometimes our will power fails, and only superglue lip gloss will keep us from falling into our old patterns. When you reach that fork in the road, the path you take in the long road means everything. Are you struggling with eating healthy right now? If so, step back and ask yourself why you started in the first place. I doubt it was to become overweight or unhealthy. Your actions should reflect your goals. If they aren’t, change them. Only you have the power to do that. Get back on the path to your goal! You will be glad you did.

16
Apr
2013

Beet Chips with Sea Salt

categories: Condiments, Side Dish

It’s most likely apparent that I love food. Food prep is a stress relief to me and a enjoy to eat. There are very few things that I do not like, boxed potato au gratin, nacho cheese Doritos and beets have always been on my list. Always. Until recently I had not even been near a beet purposely since I was little.

In December my husband and I went on a much needed cruise together. We did not follow the crowds and join in on excursions. The only ‘group’ activity we participated in was the Chef’s Table. We signed up 3 months ahead to assure one of the only 12 spots. I was so ecstatic when I received an email from the maitre d’ confirming our seat.

When the night finally came we started off eating 3 meticulously made appetizers in the galley, then we headed to the library for the remainder of our 8 course meal. Every course that came out was better than the last. Then it happened. Our luscious fish course came with a beet on the plate. I looked at my husband and then froze. If I didn’t eat it I risked insulting the chef and his amazing meal. Everything up to this point had been dreamlike, perfection. So I put my big girl panties on and I ate it. Even the red devil that I have always had an aversion to was over the top.

Recently I came across a beet chip recipe. My thoughts raced back to that delectable beet. That is when the decision came to give them a real shot. Even as I was peeling them, I was sure I wasn’t going to like them. I am not a classically trained Chef and have no idea how the chef on the boat prepared them. But, I had to try them again. They are packed with vital nutrients that fight cancer, and heart disease. They are chocked full of good carbs, and fiber.

I will officially say that they are off the “Does Not Eat” list and on the they are not so bad list. They aren’t something I will crave. But, I will eat them over a fatty potato chip any day.

The moral of the story? Try it, you may like it, even just a little.

Recipe

2 large beets, top cut off and peeled (the tops can be eaten as well)

Olive oil in Misto

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. I used my food processor to make the beets into chips. If you have a mandolin I would use that instead. (A mandolin is currently on my, I want that list). Place the beet slices onto a cookie sheet that has been lightly sprayed with olive oil. Spray the top side of the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 10 -15 minutes until the edges start to curl slightly. Be careful not to burn them, like I did the first time. They go from done to burned quickly. They will dry a bit after they cool.

15
Apr
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 4.15.2013

categories: Fit Tips

I recently was teaching a young girl to cook a healthy meal, and used a bag of organic broccoli in a quinoa dish. She asked me why I used frozen over fresh. This is how I explained my decision. Studies have shown that fruits and veggies can lose up to 45% of the nutritional value in transport. Unless you live in California, frozen may be your only option to obtain ‘fresh’ organic vegetables. The farmers use a method called flash freezing to hold the nutrients in place. No matter what time of the year it is you can eat healthy fruits and vegetables due to this native Canadian preservation method.

Don’t be afraid to buy frozen veggies for your next stir fry, or quinoa dish. But, remember not to keep them frozen too long. Write the date you buy them on the bag, and use them up to 3 months after purchase to maintain the nutrients.

11
Apr
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 4.11.2013

categories: Fit Tips

I found this nifty little chart the other day (click to enlarge). It shows how many pounds you can lose by just changing one small habit. For instance, drinking a glass of water versus a can of soda can lead to a 15 pound weight loss in a year. Pretty amazing! So put that soda down, stop super sizing, and get off your booty! Small changes lead to big results.

09
Apr
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 4.9.2013

categories: Fit Tips

08
Apr
2013

Turkey Bacon & Egg Cups

categories: Breakfast, Low Carb, Main Dishes, Quick Meal

Last week I was flying solo in the parenting department. I’ve lectured you before on the importance of prepping meals or ingredients ahead of time. This time I figured I should practice what I preach. In the past I’ve been really bad about not eating breakfast at all when don’t have my partner in crime to help assist with the morning craziness. But, I feel like a hypocrite, so I decided to break that cycle. This breakfast dish is an easy go to, quick breakfast for those busy mornings.

I came across these little babies on pinterest. I have now made them twice and have tweaked the recipe to my liking. They are so delicious, healthy and easy. They reheat well, and give me a much needed protein boost in the morning. I ate them with half of a whole wheat english muffin topped with smart balance butter, and half a grape fruit. The meal was perfectly balanced with carbs and protein. Leaving me satiated till my mid morning snack.

They may look fancy but they are super simple. They would even make a great addition to a weekend brunch. Make them, you won’t be sorry!

1 lb Turkey Bacon

1 dozen eggs (preferably organic)

2 tablespoons green onions, or chives, minced

about a 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Line each cup of a muffin tin with foil (or you will never make this again). Make sure the foil is higher than the cup. Make a circle with the bacon and drop it in each muffin cup, it will overlap itself. Crack each egg into the bacon circle. Sprinkle salt and pepper onto each egg cup. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the white is set. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cheese. Sprinkle each cup with green onions. Enjoy hot! (Of course I enjoyed mine with a generous amount of tabasco. Hey! It boosts your metabolism!).

05
Apr
2013

Zucchini Noodles with Asparagus Tips & Portobello

categories: Low Carb, Main Dishes

At the end of a long day of school drops offs, pick ups, housework, volunteering, soccer and tennis, I love entering my kitchen for a bit of stress relief. My reprieve is cooking. Making a delicious, healthy meal is just as fun as eating it. Granted, I’ve been doing it a long time and have my flow going. But, even when I had no clue what braise really meant, I still found the kitchen to be therapeutic.

Kitchen gadgets make cooking even more fun. I recently acquired a new one. It was love at first sight. I first spotted this darling on another food blog. I admired the curves and lines, and kept going back to fawn over the green beauty again and again. I told my husband, “If you ever need a gift idea for me, this is it!”. I showed him where to buy it on Amazon. Then I waited. He didn’t take the hint. The green beauty didn’t arrive on my doorstep. Then, something better happened. Amazon local deals had my beautiful green goddess on sale for half price, for one day! That was it. Within 5 minutes, it was bought and a few days later I had her in my hands. I bet you want to know what it is by now. What I have been gushing over. You will probably think I am strange for obsessing over this tool, but here it is…

If you are looking for the proper wording for this bad boy, it is a vegetable processing device. In simpler terms, it makes veggies into noodles. I have chopped vegetables trying to get them to resemble noodles, only getting an o.k. result. The results you receive with this bad boy are perfect. There are two blades, one for angel hair type noodles, and one for wider noodles. In this recipe I used the angel hair blade, but it really doesn’t matter. I piled my plate as high as I wanted, because everything in this recipe is good for you. So go ahead and stuff yourself silly with this dish.

Oh and by the way, the price is even lower than what I bought it for on Amazon now. For $6, this —–> beauty can be yours! (click on pic for a direct link).

Now for the recipe:

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, visible fat trimmed, cut into 1 inch strips

1 Portobello mushroom cap, cut into 1 inch strips

1/4 sliced brown onion

6 asparagus spears, snap woody bottom off and cut into 4 pieces

1/2 cup bruschetta (click for recipe)

2 zucchini, cut into pasta like noodles (you can use a knife, it just won’t be uniform)

salt, pepper & garlic powder for seasoning

olive oil

Pre-heat broiler. Cover a cookie sheet with foil. Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and put on cookie sheet. Broil for 7 minutes.

While chicken is broiling, sprinkle mushrooms, asparagus, and onions with salt and pepper and saute in 1 tsp, of olive oil over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Put another 1 tsp. of oilve oil in saute pan and saute zucchini for 3/4 minutes, moving constantly. Add in bruschetta, saute for another 2 minutes. To serve divide the zucchini noodles, veggies, and chicken into to bowls. Serve hot

05
Apr
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 4.5.2013

categories: Fit Tips

“Vinegar is a traditional folk remedy long valued for its many health benefits. Recent research shows at least three ways in which the traditional healers were on the right track at least when it comes to weight loss. A 2006 review article in the “Medscape Journal of Medicine” concludes vinegar may have a role in blood sugar control and appetite suppression. Other studies show vinegar may also promote weight loss by preventing fat accumulation through its impact on insulin secretion”.

By adding organic vinegar into your daily routine it can aid in your weight loss and health goals. Just make sure it is organic and has the ‘mother’ abundantly floating in it.

(Source: www.naturalnews.com)

04
Apr
2013

Fit Tip of the Day 4.4.2013

categories: Fit Tips

“Avoid white foods. There is some scientific legitimacy to today’s lower-carb diets: Large amounts of simple carbohydrates from white flour and added sugar can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and lead to weight gain. But you shouldn’t toss out the baby with the bathwater. While avoiding sugar, white rice, and white flour, you should eat plenty of whole grain breads and brown rice. One Harvard study of 74,000 women found that those who ate more than two daily servings of whole grains were 49 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate the white stuff”.

(Source: http://www.rd.com)