Chicken Cabbage Dinner De-“LITE”

I couldn’t figure out how to classify this meal. It is not a soup, not a chili, and not a cabbage roll…It is like all three mixed together and it is delicious!

Cabbage Chicken

 

Ingredients (serves 6):

1-2 pounds ground chicken or ground turkey
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 small head cabbage, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
(optional): 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil

 Directions:

  1. In a skillet, on medium-high heat, cook the ground chicken (or turkey) until done.
  2. Drain the chicken and combine into a large pot with diced tomatoes (including the juice) and chopped cabbage on medium heat.
  3. Sauté the onion, crushed fresh garlic, red pepper, and mushrooms until just tender – add to the pot.
  4. Add black pepper and Italian seasoning to taste.
  5. Cover and simmer for ~30 minutes.cabbagge chicken
  6. Serve over cooked brown rice or it is delicious on its own as well! …(I usually eat it alone sprinkled with parmesan cheese)
  7. ENJOY!

 

 
Nutrients Per Serving (without rice):
Calories: 175kcal
Protein: 16.3g
Carbohydrate: 13.3g
Fat: 7.9g

Ch-Ch-Chia!

Chaaachaacha CHIA! Chia seeds are becoming more and more popular by the minute. So what’s all the hype?
chia

Chia seeds contain Omega-3 fats which are very important fats to include in our diets as they serve many functions within the body. For example, when you exercise for a prolonged period of time, these fatty acids are utilized more heavily than carbohydrates which are stored in the muscle or in the blood.

What are the benefits?

  • Chia seeds are a great source of ALA: ALA (alpha-linoleic acid) is one of the three omega-3 fats. ALA, unlike the other two omega-3 fats (DHA & EPA) is essential to consume in the diet because the body can not make or synthesize it.You can also get ALA from other sources such as, leafy greens, flaxseed oil, omega-3 eggs, fish oil, etc.
  • Chia seeds are high in fibre (1/4 cup = 14g)
  • Chia seeds are a great source of protein (1/4cup = 6g protein)

So Chia-UP! They are a great addition to your morning yogurt, smoothies, baked goods, granola, cereal, salads, and much more.

 

Pesto Zucchini “Pasta”

Oh my Zoooodles! This is one of my favourite meals.
Zoodles

What you will need (serves 2):
2 zucchinis, grated into noodles
2 tbsp pesto
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1.5 cups mushrooms, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 barbequed chicken breasts, sliced – with seasoning of choice

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Grate two zucchini’s into noodles (shown below)…
Grated Zucchini
3.Place grated zucchini on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dab the zucchini with a towel to remove some moisture.
4. Place in the oven for ~15 minutes – toss occassionally
5. While this is in the oven, sauté your vegetables (mushrooms, pepper, onion, tomatoes, crushed garlic) on medium heat in 1 tbsp olive oil until tender (~10 minutes)
6. Once the noodles have baked for 15 minutes, place in a pot on the stove with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.
7. Mix in 2 tbsp of pesto.
8. Stir and let cook for 10 more minutes.
9. Serve topped with vegetables and barbequed chicken breast.
10. Enjoy your pasta-free pasta!

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 402 kcal
Protein: 38g protein
Carbohydrate: 20g
Fat: 15.1g

Pre-Exercise Foods to Avoid

Ensuring that you are well-nourished before exercising is extremely important for optimal exercise performance. BUT eating the wrong foods before your workout can negatively impact your exercise.

So what foods should you avoid before your workout?
High fat foods: Fat is digested slowly in the body therefore, when it is consumed close to your time of exercise it can negatively impact your workout. High fat foods may make you feel sluggish, full, and bloated.
High fibre foods: High fibre foods have long polysaccharide chains which are not digested easily in the body. Therefore, this leads to gas, cramping, increased bowel movements, and gastrointestinal distress.
Refined sugars: These sugars are found in many white coloured and highly processed foods. For example- white pasta, table sugar, white bread, etc. Refined sugars have a high glycemic index. They cause a drastic increase in your blood glucose quickly after intake and tend to have a low satiety effect. This type of sugar gives you a very short boost of energy and then you become tired shortly after due to an abrupt decline in your blood glucose levels. This abrupt decline in blood glucose also leads to feelings of hunger.
Avoid expensive “pre-workout” supplements: Many pre-workout supplements tend to be high in the refined sugars (always read ingredient labels!)

Some foods to avoid pre-exercise:
avoidpreex

Fruit Kabobs

Looking for a quick and easy treat to bring to a gathering?

Today I threw together some delicious fruit kabobs for my family for Mother’s Day. I also added yogurt and chocolate covered pretzels to sweeten things up just a bit more 🙂

These kabobs are mess-free and make snacking easy at busy gatherings!

Fruit Kabobs

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mother’s Day!

xx

Brooke

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

What’s on your plate for dinner? Tonight we are having cashew chicken stir fry in my house!

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 skinned carrots, chopped
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tbsp (light – low sodium soy sauce)
1/3 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup cooked brown rice

Directions:
1. Turn the stove on to medium heat and in a wok/skillet add 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
2. Chop up two thawed chicken breasts and add to the heated wok
3. While the chicken is cooking.. chop up all your vegetables
4. When the chicken is cooked throughout (no pink colour ~10 minutes) – remove chicken from the wok and place aside.
5. Now cook your vegetables for ~12 minutes; add in crushed garlic (I usually add broccoli a few minutes later as it cooks the quickest and I like it to have some crunch!)
6. Add the chicken back into the wok and add 2 tbsp of soy sauce.
7. Cook for another 3 minutes.
8. All finished! Serve on brown rice and top with cashews!

and
Enjoy 🙂

Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 404 kcal/serving
Protein: 30.3 g/serving
Fat: 12.1 g/serving (0 trans fats)
Carbohydrate: 46.4 g/serving

Healthy Hello Dolly Squares

Healthy Hello Dolly Squares

Combine in a mixing bowl:
1 1/2 cups almond meal/flour
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (0% m.f.)
1/4 cup natural honey
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp flax seeds
1 tbsp flax meal
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
3 tbsp of 70% cacao quinoa nibs (can be found at health food stores)
1/2 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt

Put in a baking pan with parchment paper or a buttered baking pan (to prevent sticking).

Topping: sprinkle with shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for ~25 minutes (you will notice that the edges are browning and the coconut has become slightly toasted when finished).

The Benefits of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains a higher saturated fat content (92%) versus other oils such as, olive oil (at 15% saturated fat). So WHY is there an increasing trend toward the use of coconut oil?

The answer to this question lies behind triglyceride content.

What is a triglyceride? This is a type of fat that is found in your blood. High triglyceride content in the blood leads to an increase risk of developing heart disease.

Coconut oil contains smaller triglyceride chains in comparison to other oils. It is made up of ~60% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) and 40% long-chain triglycerides(LCTs). In other oils, the majority of triglycerides found are of the long-chain form. LCTs are more likely to be stored in adipose tissue (fat tissue) as they circulate throughout the body.

What is the benefit of medium-triglyceride chains in coconut oil?
The medium triglyceride chains are transported directly from the intestinal tract to the liver where they are more likely to be burned off as FUEL (e.g. during exercise)!
Therefore, less fat circulates through the body and deposits in your adipose tissues.

BUT don’t forget – coconut oil is still a fat and should be used in moderation.

Uses for coconut oils besides cooking: may be used as a facial moisturizer, to remove make-up, can be used as a lip moisturizer, and help with moisture retention in damaged hair.

coconutoil

The Power of Oats

Oats are a whole grain and also considered to be a super grain in my books! The oat kernel is made up of three components: the oat bran, oat endosperm, and oat germ. In comparison to other sources of whole grains, oats are higher in protein and contain a healthier fat content. Additionally, oats are known for their soluble and insoluble fibre content.

oats

Benefits of fibres:
Soluble fibre – dissolves into water and forms a thick “sticky ball” within the body. This helps slow the digestion of food and makes you feel full for a longer period of time. Additionally, this sticky ball will retain some of the fat content causing a cholesterol-lowering effect.
Insoluble fibre – does not dissolve into water but, helps maintain a healthy digestive system and regulate bowel movements.

Potential benefits of oats:
-May help lower bad cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol)
-Improve blood glucose control
-Support a healthy digestive system
-Regulate bowel movements
-The oat germ contains many nutrients (e.g. B vitamins, vitamin E, phytochemicals, minerals)

In conclusion, a bowl of oatmeal is a great way to start your day!
Try to choose old fashioned, steel cut, or quick oats as they contain the most wholesome, hearty oat content.