Recipe Day: Healthy Kung Pao Chicken!

The other night I passed by a Panda Express and I
thought to myself…
 
“Kung Pao Chicken sounds really good right now! “
 
However, Panda’s Kung Pao Chicken, as well as most
places is loaded with calories (from the cooking oil)
and one serving has about 15 grams of fat.
 
So, the following night I went to the store and was
on a mission to make some of my own and to my
surprise I saw that Panda Express had their Kung Pao
Sauce at the regular grocery store.
 
So that night I came up with this recipe…
 
Healthy Kung Pao Chicken (3-4 Servings)
 
1 Pound Thin Sliced Chicken Breast
1/2 White Onion sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
1 Medium Zuchini sliced
1/2 Cup Roasted Peanuts
2-3 Tbs of Kung Pao Sauce per serving
 
Instructions:
Grill the chicken breasts with non-stick cooking spray
or on a Foreman Grill if you have one. Now as soon as
the chicken hits the grill, combine the bell pepper,
zuchini, peanuts in a large skillet or pan (Once again
using non-stick spray). Once the chicken is cooked
through, remove it from the cooking surface, and cut
the cooked chicken into small pieces. Add them to the
Veggie pan. Let it sit for about 5 minutes mixing the
veggies and chicken. It also might be a good idea to
add a little dash of salt and pepper. That’s it, it only
took me about 15 minutes with prep.
 
Combo this w/ 1 cup of brown rice (lunch) or a 1/2
cup brown rice and veggies (dinner).
 
I attached a photo of what it looked like when it was
finished. It tasted amazing!
 
By the way, this is a great meal to store away in some
tupperware and have for lunch the next day.
 
Enjoy!
 
Committed To Your Success,
 
Your Coach, Mark
 
P.S. Bootcampers! Be sure to get a weigh-in time
for this weekend if you haven’t yet. I’ll have the
sign up sheet at our next session.

Here’s An Easy Bedtime Snack!

Super Easy Bedtime Strawberry Delight

Ingredients:

1 cup Frozen Sliced Strawberries
½ packet Splenda
¼ cup 2% cottage cheese or skim ricotta
Fat Free Whip Cream

Instructions:
Place Frozen Sliced Strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle just a dash of splenda on top. Place it in the Microwave for 30 seconds then take out mix together, add cottage cheese or rictta and put a dollop of Fat Free Whip Cream on top. If you prefer to not have them a little frozen and more like room temperate then place back into the microwave for 15-20 more seconds. It’s a delicious way to end a great day!

Boot campers! If you have any recipes or tips on eating that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear about ‘em! Comment Below.

The Best Junk Foods, Part 2

I hope you’re having a great morning. I know I am.

I just got done with the Tue/Thur Boot Camp Crew

and they rocked it. I’m sure it’s nice that we finally

have our tunes back.

 

Here’s part 2 of the best junk foods…

 SOUR CREAM

Why you think it’s bad: You know 90 percent of its calories are derived from fat, at least half of which is saturated.

Why it’s not: The percentage of fat is high, but the total amount isn’t. Consider that a serving of sour cream is 2 tablespoons. That provides just 52 calories — half the amount that’s in a single tablespoon of mayonnaise — and less saturated fat than you’d get from drinking a 12-ounce glass of two percent reduced-fat milk.
Eat this: Full-fat sour cream. Unless you actually prefer the taste of light or fat-free products (and who does?), opt for the classic version; it tastes richer, and the fat will help keep you full longer.

COCONUT

Why you think it’s bad: Ounce for ounce, coconut contains more saturated fat than butter does. As a result, health experts have warned that it will clog your arteries.

Why it’s not: Even though coconut is packed with saturated fat, it appears to have a beneficial effect on heart-disease risk factors. One reason: More than 50 percent of its saturated-fat content is lauric acid. A recent analysis of 60 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that even though lauric acid raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, it boosts HDL (good) cholesterol even more. Overall, this means it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease. The rest of the saturated fat is almost entirely composed of “medium-chain” fatty acids, which have little or no effect on cholesterol levels.

Eat this: Shredded, unsweetened coconut.Have a handful as an anytime snack, straight from the bag. (Don’t gorge; it’s still high in calories.) It’ll be filling, and won’t spike your blood sugar.

CHOCOLATE BARS

Why you think they’re bad: They’re high in both sugar and fat.

Why they’re not: Cocoa is rich in flavonoids — the same heart-healthy compounds found in red wine and green tea. Its most potent form is dark chocolate. In a recent study, Greek researchers found that consuming dark chocolate containing 100 milligrams (mg) of flavonoids relaxes your blood vessels, improving bloodflow to your heart. What about the fat? It’s mostly stearic and oleic acids.

Eat this: CocoaVia chocolate bars. Each 100-calorie bar is guaranteed to contain 100 mg flavonoids. As an added benefit, the chocolate has been beefed up with phytosterols, compounds that have been shown to help reduce cholesterol. Find the bars at many Wal-Mart stores, or online atcocoavia.com.

The Best Junk Foods, Part 1 of 2

Did you know there are more than 15 types of saturated fat?

And despite the fact that they’ve been damned as a whole by
nutrition experts for decades, some of them are actually heart
healthy. That’s good news, since high-fat foods are often the
tastiest.

But a bad reputation is hard to shake.

And though saturated fat is the most obvious example of a bad
food gone good, it’s not the only one. I’ve run the numbers and
scoured the research to determine which vilified foods have
been unjustly convicted.

The result: Five snacks that deserve an immediate pardon.

PORK RINDS

Why you think they’re bad: These puffy snacks are literally
cut from pigskin. Then they’re deep-fried.

Why they’re not: A 1-ounce serving contains zero
carbohydrates, 17 grams (g) of protein, and 9 g fat. That’s
nine times the protein and less fat than you’ll find in a serving
of carb-packed potato chips. Even better, 43 percent of a
pork rind’s fat is unsaturated, and most of that is oleic acid -
the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Another 13 percent of
its fat content is stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that’s
considered harmless, because it doesn’t raise cholesterol levels.

Eat this: J&J Critters Microwave Pork Rinds ($6.50 for a 10-
ounce container; www.microwaveporkrinds.com). Because the
rinds are cooked and puffed in a microwave instead of deep-
fried, each serving contains only 4 g fat – meaning they’re
lower in calories and less greasy than regular pork rinds.

BEEF JERKY

Why you think it’s bad: It’s unhealthy meat that’s loaded
with preservatives.

Why it’s not: Beef jerky is high in protein and doesn’t raise
your level of insulin – a hormone that signals your body to store
fat. That makes it an ideal between-meals snack, especially
when you’re trying to lose weight. And while some beef-jerky
brands are packed with high-sodium ingredients, such as MSG
and sodium nitrate, chemical-free products are available. If
you have high blood pressure, check the label for brands that
are made from all-natural ingredients, which reduce the total
sodium content.

Eat this: Gourmet Natural Beef Jerky (americangrassfedbeef.com).
It has no preservatives and is made from lean, grass-fed beef.
Research shows that, unlike grain-fed products, grass-fed beef
contains the same healthy omega-3 fats found in fish.

Part 2 covers some sweet and sour “junk foods” I know you’ll
Be surprised made this list.

To Your Fitness Success,

Mark

P.S. Thank you to those who made it to class this morning. It
was dark, a little wet, and it’s our first day since daylight savings
time so I appreciate your dedication.

If you didn’t make it to class this morning be sure to come tonight
(at Murdy) or tomorrow morning at Manning.