Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Awesome Recovery Meal

This meal is really great after a hard days training as it will provide a great source of quality nutrients, glycogen replenishment, as well as healthy protein and fats. To make this all you need is some fresh fish (we used WILD caught Pacific Rockfish. Note: it is always far healthier to choose a wild caught fish versus a farm raised fish. This is simply due to the fact that farm raised fish are not found out in the ocean in their natural element and are farmed in very close and compacted living quarters with sometimes very questionable sanitary conditions) some rotelle pasta, fresh garlic, spinach, onion, red pepper, 1/4 stick unsalted butter, and a ripe lemon. For the fish we coated them in a mix of organic flour, some dried oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and a touch of paprika and cooked them for a couple minutes on each side in a hot pan with a little vegetable oil. We also cooked the minced garlic, spinach, red pepper, and onion in a pan for about 6-8min. Once we boiled and strained the pasta we combined the pasta and veggies in a pan with the melted butted and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Then we simply flaked the fish on top and sprinkled a very small amount of shredded cheese and we had a super tasty complete meal that helped to replenish after a tough day of training. All in all this meal took about 40min to prepare and cook and it offers quality carbohydrate, healthy fats, good protein, and a lot of vitamins and minerals from the garlic, spinach, onion, pepper, and lemon. Stay tuned for more healthy recipes to provide optimal fuel for your active lifestyle!   

Monday, July 25, 2011

Healthy Burger & Fries

Just because you are eating a diet based on minimally processed foods doesn't mean you have to give up the staples of comfort food. As long as you make some minor adjustments there is no reason you can't fit our modified version of a cheeseburger and fries into your diet. What we have done here is taken 90/10 lean ground beef and seasoned with some salt, pepper, basil, thyme, parsley, and a touch of garlic powder. We then grilled the burger so the excess fat will drip away and melted a 1/4 cup of a reduced fat cheddar/jack cheese blend on the patty. In the spirit of keeping it non-processed we skipped the bun and replaced the traditional french fries that are high in saturated and trans fats with roasted red potatoes that also contain a blend of sweet onion and red pepper. Finally to give it a summer feel we added some cool fresh watermelon which provides a satisfying sweetness without all of the calories and refined sugars of a soda or milkshake. The total calories in this meal is only about 400 (a fraction of a burger and fries from a traditional fast food joint) and is packed with protein, complex carbohydrate, and quality nutrients from the fruits and vegetables. Give this a try and we promise you will not miss the refined bun, greasy fries, and sugary soda!   

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Healthy Snacking Options

When people are out and about for a quick bite to quench hunger they often can find very healthy non-processed options in some of the least expected places. A lot of times people will search the nearest fast food spot, or sandwich shop, or even pick up a pastry at Starbucks with their coffee. Most of the time these options are high in fat, sodium, and refined sugars. They will likely cause spikes in blood sugar and potential unwanted fat storage. However, the picture you see above is an eight piece spicy tuna roll with fresh minced tuna, avocado, sprouts, and wrapped in cucumber and best of all it was made right in front of me! Which sushi restaurant did I have to call in advance and then drive to to pick this up? I purchased this snack from the local grocery store where they have an employee who makes fresh sushi everyday from 10-2. The best part this only cost me $7 and packed only about 250 cals. Not only that but it is rich in protein, unsaturated fat, it's non-processed, and very delicious. The moral of the story here is for the same cost of a meal at a fast food restaurant I was able to get a very healthy low calorie meal with quality ingredients to tied me over for a couple hours. These are the kinds of strategies that can make or break an eating plan and the more strategic you can get the greater your chances will be for success in your program!    

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Super Post Workout Meal





This is a very simple meal that would work very well post workout and is easy to make. There are a lot of quality nutrients and the total calorie count is pretty low. The steak is a 4oz sirloin (the leanest cut you can buy) that has been seared with a simple rub of salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and a touch of brown sugar. The egg is sunny side up to add some creaminess and depth of flavor to the steak. The potatoes are a blend of sweet and red potatoes cooked with a little vegetable oil and mixed with red pepper & onion. Finally we have some sliced fresh cucumber with a touch of organic thousand island. All in all this meal yields about 400cals and has a lot of vibrant color and best of all the only real processed ingredient is the salad dressing but the amount is pretty negligible as it equates maybe a teaspoon. If you were to eat a meal like this at a restaurant you would easily be looking at probably 900cals but with a simple preparation of about 20min you get all the satisfaction of steak and eggs with half the calories. Stay tuned as we will continue to update our blog with simple & delicious healthy meals to compliment your hard work in the studio.