Showing posts with label be. Show all posts
Showing posts with label be. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Chicken Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad Low Carb Gluten Free Can Be Paleo
A delicious zucchini noodle salad with pesto-marinated chicken and a pesto vinaigrette.
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I've been making zucchini noodles with the Spiralizer all summer long, and I need to get busy sharing the new recipes I've come up while some of you have a surplus of zucchini. I created this Chicken Pesto Zucchini Noodle Salad with help from my niece Kara, and we both agreed it was easy to make and really tasty. What bumped up the flavor here was marinating the chunks of chicken in the pesto vinaigrette for a few hours before we tossed the salad together, along with additional pesto vinaigrette that's tossed with the noodles. I've been making Basil Pesto with Lemon with the basil I'm growing in big pots along my front sidewalk, but if you don't have homemade pesto this salad will still be delish with pesto from the store. You could also make a dairy-free or Paleo version of this by switching the dressing to Basil Vinaigrette made with homemade vinaigrette.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Cuban Flank Steak Recipe Low Carb Gluten Free Can Be Paleo
Flank steak is delicious when it's marinated in Cuban flavors and grilled.
(For Phase One Fridays I feature Phase One Recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites, and this Cuban Flank Steak is one of my most-used ways to cook beef on the grill. If you're grilling for a beef-loving Dad this weekend, I can promise this will be a hit!)
In one of my previous lives, before I became a food blogger and a South Beach Dieter, I used to be president of my local teacher's association, aka the teacher's union. This was a demanding high-pressure job that I sometimes loved, sometimes hated, but one thing I did enjoy about the job was the chance to travel. I went all over the U.S., and it was in Miami Beach that I had my first experience with Cuban food. I loved the way beef and pork were marinated in lime juice in the Cuban cuisine, so a few years ago I tried to re-create that flavor in this flank steak. If you like flank steak, give this flavorful Cuban-style marinade a try!
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Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Just Be On Your Mat
photo: shaletannYoga teaches you how to listen to your body.
~ Mariel Hemingway
I have a friend whos been chronicling her first 100-day foray into the Land of Raw Foods on YouTube. Its been a joy to witness the very visible physical and emotional transformation in her as shes fully engaged in a 100% raw, living foods diet. Her public sharing has been a source of inspiration to many whove watched her shed forty excess pounds and emerge a vibrant and vital young woman.
Long about Day 75 a troll showed up in the comments: "Stop fooling everyone into thinking you eat only raw foods. Youre too fat and youre giving the whole raw foods movement a bad name..."
Mr. Troll (read: toe jam, ignoramus, jerk) had much more to say before he was forcibly vaporized from cyberspace, but not before my own hackles went up. You see, I know that berating voice of the troll all too well – its taken up residence in my own head longer than I care to admit.
For years, I had a desire to do yoga. But I never acted upon the desire. Why? Because the voice in my head told me I couldnt possibly do yoga. I do not have a yoga body (translate: very thin, lithe body). I dont look like someone who does yoga is supposed to look. I have boobs. Hips. A belly. Cant wear a unitard or one of those midriff-exposing, little spaghetti-strap numbers.
Despite my size, I do have a very flexible body. I am still able to do the splits. And if I didnt have something resembling a small buddha belly that gets in the way, I could probably still take my right foot and place it upon my left shoulder. Really.
Somewhere around my own Day 75, I discovered Mega Yoga™ – the first yoga program for curvy women – developed by plus-size model Megan Garcia. I got a mat and began the daily practice of hatha yoga in the confines of my own living room. My body loved it! After moving down the insurance charts from "morbidly obese" to "obese" (hey, Im fast approaching just plain ole "overweight" and you can bet were gonna have a party about it!), I kicked that freakin troll to the curb along with a good 85 pounds of fat and declared Im taking a yoga class! Screw the image of the perfect body Im supposed to have. Its all an illusion anyway. Some crazy preconceived notion Ive come up with to prevent me from doing 101 things because of the way I look (and feel).
I know all about the Mind-Body Connection. How you feel physically, determines how you feel mentally. How you feel mentally, determines how you feel physically. But my internal radar is waaaaaay off kilter. Whacked. Off the Richter scale.
So. I quelled the inner demons and signed up. Eight weeks. Yoga. With other people in the room.
photo: myyogaonline.com
I had totally prepared myself beforehand for the fact that I would most likely be the largest person in the room. My mantra the whole time I was driving there: Just be on your mat.
What I was NOT prepared for were the mirrors. Mirrors. Everywhere. What cruel and unusual punishment is this? Oh, the horror.
Panic. Breathe. Just be on your mat.
I stayed. I didnt go running out of the room.
Mountain pose. Upward Salute. Standing Forward Bend. Lunge. Plank. Staff. Upward Facing Dog. Downward Facing Dog. Lunge. Standing Forward Bend. Upward Salute. Mountain. Put them all together and you get a Sun Salutation. Flow through this sequence six times and you sweat like a pig. Not so pretty. BUT, I gotta tell you, it sure feels good. My body really likes this stuff.
The more Im able to practice and just be on my mat without the harsh self-judgments, the deeper and more intimate connection I have with my own body. Ninety whole minutes free from my mind wandering, planning, scheming, wishing, dreaming. Theres a Sanskrit term, Samadhi, that essentially means an ecstatic state of expanded awareness and complete freedom from suffering. A diet of raw, living foods and yoga is going to be my path toward experiencing Samadhi. I just know it.
Maya doesnt have a yoga body either. But that doesnt stop her.
Do you have a troll that takes up residence in your head? What does it say you cant do?
Monday, March 9, 2015
How Many Serves Should You Be Eating
In line with the recent review of the Nutritional Guidelines for Australians by the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council). I have decided to focus this week’s blog around the number of serves needed of the five main food groups (Vegetables and Legumes, Fruit, Grainy Breads and Cereals, Lean meat and Dairy) needed to obtain necessary macro/micro nutrients specific of one’s age.
I am often asked about appropriate serving sizes of a number of different foods. Therefore, I have also included examples of what constitutes 1x serve in each of these respective food groups.
“Current” Recommended Average daily serves for each of the five food groups to meet your energy and nutrient needs | |||||||
Age | Grainy Breads and Cereals | Vegetables and Legumes | Fruit | Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds | Dairy Foods | Extras | |
Adolescents | 12-18 | 4-7 | 5 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 3-5 | 1-3 |
Men | 19-60 | 5-7 | 4-7 | 3-4 | 1.5-2 | 2-4 | 0-3 |
60+ | 4-6 | 4-7 | 2-3 | 1-1.5 | 2-3 | 0-2.5 | |
Women | 19-60 | 4-6 | 4-7 | 2-3 | 1-1.5 | 2-3 | 0-2.5 |
Pregnant | 4-6 | 5-6 | 4 | 1.5 | 2 | 0-2.5 | |
Breastfeeding | 5-7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0-2.5 | |
Women | 60+ | 3-5 | 4-6 | 2-3 | 1-1.5 | 2-3 | 0-2 |
What is a serve?
Cereals, breads, rice, pasta, noodles (Choose mostly wholegrain)
- 1 slice of bread
- ½ medium bread roll
- ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or noodles
- ½ cup porridge
- 2/3 cup breakfast cereal flakes, or ¼ cup muesli
- 3 crisp bread/crackers
- ½ cup cooked barley, buckwheat, semolina, cornmeal, quinoa
- 1 x crumpet or 1 x English muffin/scone
Vegetables and legumes (choose a variety)
- Starchy vegetables:
- 1 small potato (or ½ med potato/sweet potato)
- 1 x sweet corn cob
- Dark green leafy or orange vegetables:
- ½ cup cooked cabbage, spinach, silver beet, broccoli, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts
- ½ cup cooked or canned beans, chickpeas, lentils (no added salt varieties)
- 1 cup raw salad vegetables (Lettuce, tomato, onion, carrot etc)
Fruit (choose a variety)
- 1 piece medium sized fruit (eg. apple, orange, mango, banana, pear, etc)
- 2 pieces of smaller fruit (eg. apricots, kiwi, plum, figs, etc, about 8 strawberries, about 20 grapes or cherries and ¼ medium melon)
- 30g dried fruit eg 4 dried apricots or 1½ tablespoon sultanas
- 1 cup diced, cooked or canned fruit
- ½ cup 100% fruit juice (unsweetened)
Milk, yoghurt, cheese & alternatives
- 250 ml glass or one cup of milk (can be fresh, long life or reconstituted milk)
- ½ cup evaporated milk,
- 40g (2 slices) cheese or 120g ricotta/cottage cheese
- 200g (1 small carton) of plain or fruit yoghurt
- 1 cup of calcium-fortified soy milk,
Meat, fish, poultry & meat alternatives
- 65-100g cooked meat/chicken (eg ½ cup mince, 2 small chops, or 2 slices roast meat) ( good indication is a palm size portion of meat)
- 80-120g cooked fish fillet (1small can tuna/salmon, preferably in spring water)
- 170g tofu
- 2 large eggs
- 30g (¼ cup) unsalted nuts
Extras
Extra Foods are not included in a healthy diet and should be chosen sometimes or in small amounts. Foods in this group are generally higher in saturated fat, sugar, salt and provide approximately 600kJ (143kcal) per serve.
- 1 x Doughnut
- 4 x Plain Sweet biscuits
- 1 x Slice Plain Cake
- 1/2 small bar of chocolate
- 2 x Tablespoons of Cream/Mayonnaise
- 1 x Tablespoon Butter, Margarine or Oil
- 1/3 Meat Pie/Pastry/Pastie
- 12 x Hot Chips
- 1.5 Scoops Ice Cream
- 1 x Can Soft Drink
- 1 x Glass Wine
- 2 x Shooter Spirit
- 400ml Regular Beer
- 600ml Light Beer
- Add Fruit to milk or water for a delicious milkshake/smoothie
- Pack fruit/dried fruit and/or cut up vegetables for lunch as a snack
- Add as much salad to sandwiches OR vegetables to dinner meals as possible
- Use beans/chickpeas in salads and stir-frys for additional (legumes)
- Fresh fruit with low fat yoghurt makes an excellent (and healthy) dessert option
Low GI meal Plan Incorporating Recommended Core Food Group Serves for Men/Women Aged 19-60
Breakfast:
1 x fresh or 1 cup tinned fruit
1 cup cooked Porridge
1 cup skim/low fat milk
1 glass water
Tea/Coffee with skim/low fat milk
Morning Snack:
1 x low fat yoghurt (Yoplait Forme, Nestle Diet)
1 glass water
Lunch:
Wholegrain Sandwich or Roll
1 cup salad vegetables
1 slice reduced fat cheese
1 x cold meat
1 glass water
Afternoon Snack:
1 x fresh fruit
4 x wholegrain crispbreads (eg Vita-Weat)
1 glass water
Dinner:
Beef Stir fry- 100g lean beef stirs, 1-1.5 cups cooked vegetables, 1/2cup kidney beans
1 cup cooked Basmati Rice
1 glass water
Supper Snack:
1 x cup vegetable sticks (carrot/celery/capsicum)
Russell Nassim (APD)
References:
The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating 2012 Draft. Australian Government, National Health and Medical Research Council. www. eatforhealth.gov.au
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