Guilt-Free Chocolate Dessert!

For my clean eating, chocolate loving friends out there, here's a DELICIOUS, nutritious dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth :)

Spray a coffee mug with nonstick spray

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 c. Liquid Egg Whites
• 1 tsp. Extra Dark Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
• 2 tsp. Stevia (or sweetener of your choice)

Put all ingredients in the mug, and microwave for 1-2 minutes.  The dessert will rise into a delicious little souffle :)

Calories:  135
Carbs:  23g
Fat:  2g
Protein:  14g
Fiber: 6g

I Love Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is one of my favorite oils to cook with because it's full of healthy fats, but also packs a lot more flavor than traditional cooking oils.  Tonight, I went out for a nice run (2 miles!) and was starving when I returned, so I sauteed 5 oz. chicken breast, 1 cup string beans, 1.5 cups broccoli, and 1 cup water chestnuts in 1 tsp. of sesame oil and a bunch of garlic powder.  Then I added 1/4 c. whole wheat couscous and mixed it all up for a healthy alternative to traditional stir fry.  It was flavorful, light, and delightful.  It packed 550 calories (which sounds like a lot, but is perfectly reasonable for dinner, especially post-workout), 72g carbs, 43g protein, 11.8g fat, only 154mg sodium, and 15g of fiber.  Such a perfect recovery meal :)

Clean Cuisine

I'm sure many of you are familiar and/or in love with the lettuce wraps on the menu at PF Changs and the Cheesecake Factory.  However, for a seemingly healthy alternative to a sandwich or tortilla-type wrap,the nutritional information is astounding.

For one order of PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps (which are typically eaten as the appetizer BEFORE the meal!), be ready to spend:

• Calories:  640
• Fat:  28g
• Saturated Fat:  4g
• Sodium:  2600mg
• Carbohydrates:  68g
• Protein:  32g
• Fiber:  8g

The sodium level alone is enough to make me cringe.


And if you think that's bad, get ready for the nutritionals on the similarly named dish from the Cheesecake Factory:

• Calories:  1536
• Fat:  6g
• Saturated Fat:  6g
• Sodium:  2346mg
• Carbohydrates:  114g
• Protein:  96g

Gagging yet?  Well, tame your gag reflex for a minute, and try my clean, healthy take on Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  Ideally, you want to use Iceberg lettuce for this dish, but I only had Romaine, so I worked with it.

Ingredients:

• 10 large lettuce leaves
• 1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast (about 4-5oz)
• 1/4 c. whole wheat couscous
• 1 c. frozen, chopped broccoli
• 3/8 c. water (or just a little under 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper

Thoroughly wash lettuce leaves, and leave soaking in cold water for 1-2 hours prior to assembling/serving wraps
Preheat the oven to 450
Prep a baking pan with foil and cooking spray
Place the chicken breast on the pan and season with garlic powder and black pepper
Bake approximately 25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked
While the chicken is cooking, bring water and frozen broccoli to a boil in a small pot with garlic powder and sesame oil.
Add the couscous, cover, and turn heat off.  Let sit for 8 minutes, and then fluff with a fork
When the chicken is done, shred it using 2 forks
Assemble your wraps with small amounts of chicken and the couscous/broccoli mixture
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Not only does this taste amazing, but the nutritional information is much prettier than the restaurant versions, and you can play around with different spices to create totally different flavors.

Nutritional information for the entire dish:

• Calories:  410
• Fat:  7g
• Saturated Fat:  0.4g
• Sodium:  94mg
• Carbohydrates:  45g
• Fiber:  10.3g
• Sugars 3.8g
• Protein:  42g
• Vitamin A:  194%
• Vitamin C:  121%
• Calcium:  10%
• Iron:  22%

 
 ...a little bit more bang for your nutritional buck, no?  And it's ridiculously filling.

Be sure to soak the lettuce leaves for at least an hour so they won't break when you roll them...and definitely use Iceberg over Romaine

Shred the chicken using 2 forks if it's too hot to shred by hand

Couscous and Broccoli Mixture

Finished Product!

YUM!

Hope you all enjoy!!

Sugar and Spice...

I love having something for breakfast to kick-start my day.  As tempted as you might be to reach for a pop-tart or a nutri-grain bar, why not try to make something that's sweet, but that will also fuel your morning?

I always say you cannot go wrong with oats in the morning.  I buy Old Fashioned Oats and make my breakfast the night before so they can soak up all the liquid and be extra flavorful and delicious in the morning.

Today's concoction:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium Gala apple, diced
• 1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (I used Almond Breeze)
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein (use what you like, but I use MRM All Natural Vanilla Whey...only 1g sugar)
• Lots of cinnamon!

Combine all ingredients in a tupperware, put the lid on, and shake vigorously to blend.  Store in the fridge overnight, and enjoy the next morning either cold or hot.

Protein Monster

After my workout tonight, my body was craving protein.  The resultant dinner was Garlic and Cayenne Pepper Tilapia over Quinoa with broccoli, edamame, tomatoes, and onions.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. quinoa
• 1/2 c. organic salsa (with chunky onions and tomatoes)
• 1 c. frozen, chopped broccoli
• 1/2 c. edamame (shelled)
• 4 oz. Tilapia fillet
• Garlic Powder and Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 425
Coat Tilapia with garlic powder and cayenne pepper
Bake Tilapia for 8-12 minutes until white and flaky
In a small pt, bring water, quinoa, broccoli, salsa, and edamame to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.

Mix together and enjoy!