Food Recipes have been my hot topic of the week recently, and is one of the most favorite things I love to talk about. I really love trying new and creative ways to keep my meals fresh, delicious and interesting, and of course I enjoy passing on that information to all of you.
Today I’ve got 2 fantastic recipes for you, whose claim to fame is going to be “delicious with minimal ingredients”. The first is my all new favorite pregnancy snack (and, NO, you don’t have to be pregnant to enjoy it), and the second is a recipe I have all set to make this evening as a treat for my family.
In my search for new and creative recipes, I actually chose these two because they have very few ingredients and are super quick to put together while still being delicious (of course!).
As many of you have realized by now, I really LOVE trying new foods, and finding new ways to make meals tasty while still fitting into my healthy way of eating. I also got very much into cooking, once my son started getting older because I realize that if I want him to continue to eat healthy, it’s really up to me to make his food YUMMY. This is also true for adults who want to continue to keep a healthy way of eating…if your food tastes good, a healthy way of eating is easy to follow. If your food tastes bad, well, then you know what’s going to happen…frustration, abandonment and a possible quick trip to the closest fast food joint.
These 2 recipes came straight out of Dave Ruel’s Metabolic Cooking cookbooks. His cookbooks are really great and you’ll see below that his recipes are a great complement to our principles of healthy eating.
Without further ado, here are 2 great recipes for you to try this weekend:
Apple No-Crisp (1 of my new favorite snacks!)
INGREDIENTS - RECIPE MAKES 1 SERVING
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 apple, sliced or diced
• Pinch of stevia
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
DIRECTIONS
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, stir well and enjoy!
LEMON-HERB STUFFED SALMON
(I picked this one because it sounds delicious)
INGREDIENTS - RECIPE MAKES 2 SERVINGS
• 2 salmon fillets (4 oz each)
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Make a horizontal cut in the salmon fillets, for 2/3 of the fillet’s length.
2. Lay the salmon on a baking dish (I prefer a glass dish for fish).
3. Stuff the salmon (in the horizontal cut) with lemon slices.
Do the same with the scallion.
4. Mix together the two herbs and stuff them into the salmon as well.
5. Bake the fillets for 15 minutes.
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cooking. Show all posts
Monday 11 April 2011
Saturday 20 March 2010
Potatoes and "White Foods" - for a Lean-Body?
by Mike Geary
I think it about time we started a little discussion about carbohydrates... and in particular, so called "white foods" including potatoes. One reason I wanted to talk about this is because so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some people are saying such ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates".
Now while I agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding our bodies. I don't believe in avoiding any and all "white carbohydrates".
Believe it or not "White Foods" aren't always the enemy.
It's true that colourful foods are great, but it is also a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Let's take a look at a few examples...
Onions & Garlic
What about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren't easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet... such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Cauliflowers
Here is another example of something white, that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is full of vitamin C, trace elements, fiber, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. A little-known fact is that some of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to counteract other estrogenic compounds in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat. So eat up that cauliflower!
Mushrooms
Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.
Potatoes
Now that also leads us to another example - white potatoes. Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index. If you've read my Truth about Six Pack Abs book, you will understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates.
While making the assumption that most low glycemic index carbohydrate choices will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not all that it's cracked out to be. There are many other factors that determine how your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods.
For example, using glycemic load as an example... it is known that watermelons have quite a high glycemic index. However, the glycemic level of a normal serving of watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to have any negative glycemic effect, that's just not logical.
Not to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and lycopene. There's just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high GI. The point that I am trying to get across is... candy bars, cupcakes, and donuts etc make you fat... NOT watermelons, carrots or potatoes... French fries excluded of course.
Also, as i mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. E.g if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food. I talk in great detail about this topic in my book.
Back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as long as you eat them in the right form... with the entire skin, and please don't ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries or Chips whatever you want to call them, are one of the most evil things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.
Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try. Also, as long as you eat the skins, you get a decent shot of fiber too.
Will eating 8 potatoes per day make you fatter? of course not.
On the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don't remember where I saw this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks.
At the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost weight! I'd venture a guess that the reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can surely imagine you'd be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.
Now I would never recommend going to those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein. On that note, here is one of my favorite recipes for you to try, using potatoes.
* 1 red pepper
* 1 green pepper
* 1 yellow pepper
* 1 or 2 onions
* a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and / or coconut oil
* a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)
Cut the baby potatoes into smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Mix together and serve. Its is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.
I hope you've enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates, glycemic index, and my healthy potato recipe idea!
Mike Geary
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Truth about Abs
I think it about time we started a little discussion about carbohydrates... and in particular, so called "white foods" including potatoes. One reason I wanted to talk about this is because so many health and fitness professionals trash talk potatoes about being a bad carbohydrate choice because of the high glycemic index. Some people are saying such ridiculous things as "avoid any and all white carbohydrates".
Now while I agree that white bread and refined white sugar are two of the worst things we can be feeding our bodies. I don't believe in avoiding any and all "white carbohydrates".
Believe it or not "White Foods" aren't always the enemy.
It's true that colourful foods are great, but it is also a big mistake to specifically avoid white foods! There are plenty of white foods that have specific nutrients that are hard to find elsewhere. Let's take a look at a few examples...
Onions & Garlic
What about onions and garlic? They are both white and they are chock full of protective phytonutrients, vitamins, and trace minerals that aren't easy to find elsewhere in a normal diet... such nutrients as allicin, quercetin (an important flavonoid), chromium, and other unique anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Cauliflowers
Here is another example of something white, that is great for you is cauliflower. Cauliflower is full of vitamin C, trace elements, fiber, and special compounds such as glucosinolates and thiocyanates, which are specifically abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. A little-known fact is that some of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables help to counteract other estrogenic compounds in our food supply and environment and can help prevent excess belly fat. So eat up that cauliflower!
Mushrooms
Not many people realize this, but surprisingly, even white mushrooms have high levels of unique nutrients and antioxidants. White mushrooms are high in a couple types of antioxidants called polyphenols and ergothioneine.
Potatoes
Now that also leads us to another example - white potatoes. Many health professionals claim that potatoes are a bad carbohydrate because they are thought to have a high glycemic index. If you've read my Truth about Six Pack Abs book, you will understand that glycemic index is not necessarily the most important factor in choosing your carbohydrates.
While making the assumption that most low glycemic index carbohydrate choices will help you lose body fat easier than high glycemic index choices, it is not all that it's cracked out to be. There are many other factors that determine how your body will react-to and process the carbohydrates you ingest, such as glycemic load and also how you combine the high GI food with other foods.
For example, using glycemic load as an example... it is known that watermelons have quite a high glycemic index. However, the glycemic level of a normal serving of watermelon is just way too low for your body to start packing on body fat just because you ate a high glycemic index fruit. You would have to eat such an enormous quantity of watermelon just to get enough grams of carbohydrates to have any negative glycemic effect, that's just not logical.
Not to mention that watermelon is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and lycopene. There's just no reason to avoid it simply because it has a high GI. The point that I am trying to get across is... candy bars, cupcakes, and donuts etc make you fat... NOT watermelons, carrots or potatoes... French fries excluded of course.
Also, as i mentioned, food combinations are important in how your body processes the carbohydrates and the associated blood sugar and insulin response you receive. E.g if you mix a high glycemic index carbohydrate with an extra source of fiber, healthy fats, or even certain proteins, many times the blood sugar and glycemic response will be slowed down considerably by the way you combined the food. I talk in great detail about this topic in my book.
Back to my point that white potatoes are actually a healthy carbohydrate as long as you eat them in the right form... with the entire skin, and please don't ruin them by deep frying them into french fries either! French fries or Chips whatever you want to call them, are one of the most evil things ever invented for your health, but only because we ruin them by soaking them in a scorching bath of trans fats in the deep fryer from the hydrogenated oils that are typically used.
Keep in mind that potatoes contain so many vitamins and minerals that the list is way too long to even try. Also, as long as you eat the skins, you get a decent shot of fiber too.
Will eating 8 potatoes per day make you fatter? of course not.
On the topic of potatoes not being so bad after all, I don't remember where I saw this referenced, but I recently saw a particular study that had participants eat something like 7-9 whole potatoes per day for several weeks.
At the conclusion of the study, the potato eaters had actually consistently lost weight! I'd venture a guess that the reason the people lost weight is that they were probably so full from eating all of those damn potatoes, that they actually consumed less calories than normal! An average sized potato only has about 100-120 calories, and I can surely imagine you'd be full constantly from eating 7-9 potatoes each day.
Now I would never recommend going to those extremes, but my point is that an occasional potato is not going to hurt your efforts to get lean, especially if you combine it with some other fibrous vegetables and maybe a healthy fat and some protein. On that note, here is one of my favorite recipes for you to try, using potatoes.
Mikes's Lean-Body Potato Side Dish
* Desired quantity of baby potatoes (I like to use this mixture I found recently at a health food store... it is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and purple baby potatoes)* 1 red pepper
* 1 green pepper
* 1 yellow pepper
* 1 or 2 onions
* a couple cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 1 or 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and / or coconut oil
* a little salt and pepper to taste (I like using a sea salt instead of normal commercial salt)
Cut the baby potatoes into smaller pieces and place in a steamer until soft all the way through. Slice up the peppers and onions into strips and add with the chopped garlic into a pan with the olive oil. Cook the peppers, onions, and garlic until tender, and then add the steamed baby potatoes. Mix together and serve. Its is a delicious and healthy side dish that goes great with chicken or red meat.
I hope you've enjoyed this little topic today about potatoes, healthy carbohydrates, glycemic index, and my healthy potato recipe idea!
Mike Geary
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Truth about Abs
Friday 16 October 2009
Not all fat makes you fat.
Hello Everyone, I am going to discuss fats.
There is an incredible thing that happens when you lose weight and finally get your health in order (I'm not talking about buying a new bikini)...Everyone wants to know how you did it. Am I right?
This is exactly what has happened to my mom. Last year she lost 40 pounds and was able to stop taking her blood pressure and cholesterol medications just by using the principles in The Diet Solution (I haven't asked her about the bikini).
Now, even a year later, all of her friends are constantly calling her to ask their nutrition and health questions. Funny thing, they never want to talk to me, they only want to talk to her!
Last week my mom called me and needed a bit of help. "Isabel, I tried to tell one of the ladies at the YMCA where I exercise that she should use coconut oil to cook and she nearly fell off the exercise machine. I think she thought I was trying to kill her. She said her doctor told her to stop eating all saturated fat and that oils like coconut oil are fattening. How do I explain to her that it's actually good for her?"
This same scenario happens to me all the time. People have a really hard time believing that coconut oil is not "fattening" or "dangerous". We have all been falsely led to believe that fat, especially saturated fat, is the cause of our weight gain and health problems. This is only true half true. Some fats like hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils do contribute to heart disease and weight gain, but good fats like coconut oil, butter and olive oil are actually great fats for our bodies. Think about how much healthier people were in the late 1800's and very early 1900's. Heart disease was almost unheard of back then.
Let's put some of these MYTHS about coconut oil to rest right now.
Myth 1 - Coconut Oil contains a lot of fat so it must be fattening.
Truth - Not all fat makes you fat (I want to get this tattooed on my forehead). Certain fats do cause weight gain, but other good fats will actually burn unwanted fat off your body and accelerate your metabolism. I explain this in much more detail in the FATS Chapter of The Diet Solution Program so be sure to reference your manual for those details.
Myth 2 - Coconut Oil contains almost all saturated fat so it must be bad for you.
Truth - Saturated Fat is not the cause of heart disease, weight gain and high cholesterol. Saturated Fat has been falsely accused and it is SUGAR that is Enemy Numero Uno (It is worse than the Joker in Bat Man). Again, this is explained thoroughly in your manual (The Truth About Saturated Fat), stating facts and figures that prove saturated fat is really not our major problem.
Myth 3 - Coconut Oil should be avoided by those who are at risk for heart disease .
Truth - The fat in coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can consume (yes, even for those with heart disease). It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and contains no trans fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is different than many other oils in that it is of the medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) variety. The body digests MCFAs more easily and sends these fats directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy. Now isn't that great? A fat that is used to make energy instead of storing it on our bodies. We can all use some of that.
I highly recommend everyone use unrefined, organic coconut oil for all of their cooking needs. 1 - 2 tsps for most cooking is more than enough. You can even use it raw if you like as I think, it tastes OH SO DELICIOUS! I usually have about 2-3 total TBSPs per day which is a perfect amount for a fat burning eating plan. While it's really good for you, there's no need to go overboard.
If you have a hard time finding coconut oil in your local supermarket here in the USA, I buy mine here:
http://wildfamilynaturals.com
Now go right ahead and enjoy your coconut oil.
There is an incredible thing that happens when you lose weight and finally get your health in order (I'm not talking about buying a new bikini)...Everyone wants to know how you did it. Am I right?
This is exactly what has happened to my mom. Last year she lost 40 pounds and was able to stop taking her blood pressure and cholesterol medications just by using the principles in The Diet Solution (I haven't asked her about the bikini).
Now, even a year later, all of her friends are constantly calling her to ask their nutrition and health questions. Funny thing, they never want to talk to me, they only want to talk to her!
Last week my mom called me and needed a bit of help. "Isabel, I tried to tell one of the ladies at the YMCA where I exercise that she should use coconut oil to cook and she nearly fell off the exercise machine. I think she thought I was trying to kill her. She said her doctor told her to stop eating all saturated fat and that oils like coconut oil are fattening. How do I explain to her that it's actually good for her?"
This same scenario happens to me all the time. People have a really hard time believing that coconut oil is not "fattening" or "dangerous". We have all been falsely led to believe that fat, especially saturated fat, is the cause of our weight gain and health problems. This is only true half true. Some fats like hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils do contribute to heart disease and weight gain, but good fats like coconut oil, butter and olive oil are actually great fats for our bodies. Think about how much healthier people were in the late 1800's and very early 1900's. Heart disease was almost unheard of back then.
Let's put some of these MYTHS about coconut oil to rest right now.
Myth 1 - Coconut Oil contains a lot of fat so it must be fattening.
Truth - Not all fat makes you fat (I want to get this tattooed on my forehead). Certain fats do cause weight gain, but other good fats will actually burn unwanted fat off your body and accelerate your metabolism. I explain this in much more detail in the FATS Chapter of The Diet Solution Program so be sure to reference your manual for those details.
Myth 2 - Coconut Oil contains almost all saturated fat so it must be bad for you.
Truth - Saturated Fat is not the cause of heart disease, weight gain and high cholesterol. Saturated Fat has been falsely accused and it is SUGAR that is Enemy Numero Uno (It is worse than the Joker in Bat Man). Again, this is explained thoroughly in your manual (The Truth About Saturated Fat), stating facts and figures that prove saturated fat is really not our major problem.
Myth 3 - Coconut Oil should be avoided by those who are at risk for heart disease .
Truth - The fat in coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can consume (yes, even for those with heart disease). It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for its antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties and contains no trans fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is different than many other oils in that it is of the medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) variety. The body digests MCFAs more easily and sends these fats directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy. Now isn't that great? A fat that is used to make energy instead of storing it on our bodies. We can all use some of that.
I highly recommend everyone use unrefined, organic coconut oil for all of their cooking needs. 1 - 2 tsps for most cooking is more than enough. You can even use it raw if you like as I think, it tastes OH SO DELICIOUS! I usually have about 2-3 total TBSPs per day which is a perfect amount for a fat burning eating plan. While it's really good for you, there's no need to go overboard.
If you have a hard time finding coconut oil in your local supermarket here in the USA, I buy mine here:
http://wildfamilynaturals.com
Now go right ahead and enjoy your coconut oil.
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