It’s All About the Layers

So, a question often asked… How does your food taste so good if it’s so clean, or natural? It’s a trick I call layering. So, if we are making something from my repertoire of easy healthy recipes or clean healthy snack recipes, we want to think the meal through. Let’s say we have chicken and a salad mix.

Choose the flavors you like and start to layer it.

Start with Garlic… I love garlic! Take a few cloves and peel them.

Rough chop them first, then throw them into a bowl.

Next, add the chicken to the bowl with some extra virgin olive oil and an splash of balsamic vinegar. Let the chicken sit and marinate. Now, find a lime and squeeze it over the remaining garlic on a cutting board. With a knife, chop the garlic very fine in the lime juice so that the lime juice is infusing with the garlic. This my friends, is the start of your own dressing!

Throw the limes after being squeezed into the marinade with the chicken.
Now we have flavor layered limes and garlic.

Pour two Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil over the garlic and lime

Now grill the chicken on a hot grill pan until cooked thoroughly. Let cool

Chop up some healthy clean veggies.

Slice the chicken, plate all your clean food on a plate and pour the lime garlic olive oil dressing over the plate.

Because you “layered” the flavors this meal, any way you serve it has delicious clean flavor without any salt or added fat.

Options: place clean food in a whole grain wrap, toss in mixed greens or serve over brown rice.

Salmon

Something fishy around here….

Salmon… hmmm… the fish that you need to try if you haven’t, yet if you are following any low carb diet of if you are looking for some great weight loss recipes, should. It is what your Mom would call brain food. Although salmon is higher in fat, it contains the good fats you need in developing lean, clean muscle. Because Salmon has a distinct flavor you can “marry” it with some strong flavors to make some great tasting high protein recipes and smart food!

What does salmon contain? 281 calories in a 1/5 filet, high in omega 3 fatty acids and DHA. A 5oz, half filet serving of salmon gives you 1.42 grams of DHA (Brain function.) It has 0 carbs and 39 grams of protein.

I have done a few fun things with Salmon.

First, I buy the whole fish with skin on the bottom. I pat the fish dry and then dust some wasabi powder and a light layer of whole mustard (straight mustard seed and vinegar, no added sugar). I then place my fish in a piece of foil, or if you have a fancy cedar fish plank you can use that. Then, I slice fish into its serving size. Don’t cut through the skin. Just through flesh.

Now here is a trick for a little crunch. Take 2 scoops of whey crisps and crush, smash, chop until its like sand. Add a small amount of garlic powder and dust over the mustard on the salmon. Broil the fish on high for 12 minutes and then let rest.

Meanwhile, sautee some vegetables that you enjoy in a wok or sauce pan. I like green beans, asparagus, bok choy (chinese celery) and onions. Add some garlic to the vegetables with some olive oil and then plate.

When your rich in Omega Salmon is done setting, (give it a few minutes out of the
oven) simply place a butter knife under the skin of the fish. It should slide right off. Place the fish over the vegetables and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.

WHEY easy…delicious… By the Whey… You can easily omit the Whey Crisps from the recipe however you can add a significant amount of protein while adding texture to this fishy dishy.

AVOCADOS!!

I love to listen to people talk about food. I love to exchange easy health recipes. I love finding new weight loss recipes. You can almost identify people by how or what they eat. Once you start to eat clean, or simply clean up your diet a small amount the things you crave daily will change as well.

When you work in the natural/fitness industry you are surrounded by people who eat just like you. They look for high protein recipes, low carb recipes and high protein snacks. However they may reference things in the unclean world such as cereal or candy. “Try this protein shake, it tastes just like taffy!!” I started to think about the one thing I can’t live without…AVOCADOS is the answer today.

They are essentially a good woman’s fat that is creamy and so versatile. They are imperative to a clean, lean lifestyle and can be used on any low-carb diet – they are perfect for your low carb recipes!

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a “nutrient booster” by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

How to Cut and Prepare an Avocado:
With a knife slice the avocado in half.

Place knife with pressure into the seed to remove

Slice long wise..

Then across

Squeeze the avocado half lightly until you have only the empty skin

There are so many different ways to add this different healthy fruit into your new clean lifestyle. Look for new avocado recipes this week!

Be sure when you are talking about food and exchanging your easy healthy recipes, to slip in some with avocados! Avocados can be used in a ton of weight loss recipes!

Will Power

When genetics are not on your side and food is your first thought in life, will power is the challenge. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle is easy to say and I actually believe it now. When I was stuck at a plateau a few years ago, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t easier to cheat.. “What the hell…, may as well ” Once we see results is when it becomes easier to say NO to the mint chip ice cream, or peanut butter cookie, mmmmm or pizza.

Remember eating clean is a lifestyle, we need to focus on high protein snacks, learning to incorporate some low carb recipes to your diet. Start SLOW…

It doesn’t mean you have to omit everything out of your diet. If you crave something for more than a day, have it… in moderation.

Try this trick. It is summer and I love Italian ice and ice cream, loaded with sugar. I buy the mini size cones and put a spoonful of ice cream in the cone. It is novel, a taste and it hits the spot!

If you add a handful of Whey Crisps to your ice cream cone, it then adds a little bit of crunch, a chocolate flavor and it then becomes a high protein snack!

Bruschetta

People always ask me for low fat recipes, my reaction,. “You mean GOOD fat recipes” No/ low fat recipes are over rated. We need good fats for skin, hair, muscle tone, and general health. A good fat such as olive oil or avocado may have more grams of fat than say a piece of pie, however it’s about fueling your bodies with energy. I grill chicken daily. Whether it is low fat recipes, low carb recipes or weight loss recipes in any way, grilled chicken is a staple. Whatever you are making you have to change it up or the diet Lifestyle will get BORING…..

I dished a few days ago about Bruschetta Tilapia.. I had requests for my bruschetta recipe.

* 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 cup white onion, chopped
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
* 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

People make this complicated by boiling tomatoes for a minute and then cooling.

I’m all about easy. Cut tomatoes and lightly squeeze most of the juice and seeds out,then dice them and add the rest of ingredients. It is always better to let the mix hang out for a few hours together before you top tuna, chicken, burgers, even whole wheat pasta.. so simple… Here’s another easy healthy recipe to enjoy!

EATING LEAN

If you are what you eat, and are following even a slightly “clean” diet you are probably counting protein in your daily diet. An excellent way to up the protein count is adding meat to a salad, or making even a lean meat omelet for lunch. Lean meat is an easy healthy recipe. Also by adding meat you have yourself high protein recipes.

Lean meats are packed with important nutrients like B vitamins (niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and B6), which help the body’s metabolism, aid in red blood cell formation and play a vital role in our nervous system; iron, found particularly in red meat, helps maintain energy and carry oxygen through the bloodstream magnesium, and zinc, which is essential for our immune system.

Red meat has gotten a bad name in our society but by reading a label and portion control, red meat can spruce up the monotony of a low carb diet. Lean Meat can also be used to make low carb recipes.

Be Creative..
Lets make mini burgers with our newly found healthy red meat…

I start with the lean meat in a bowl and season it to match the mood I am in. So if I am feisty and in the mood for spice, I add olive oil (2 tablespoons) onion powder, pepper, and cumin. By the “whey” if you add
2 scoops of natural whey crisps to the mix, not only does it help bind your burgers it also adds 56 grams of protein. Then, add an egg white to keep the mix moist and some fresh parsley. (palmful)

For the over achiever.. you can saute onions and mushrooms in a pan, with the garlic

Now DON’T over mix! Mix just enough so that seasonings are mixed throughout.

Preheat grill and use non fat cooking spray. Be sure to get the grill pan HOT!!

Know the size of your plate!

We all know what we can handle in life, the size of your plate.. Between work, kids, stress and laundry alone most of us can’t add prepping every meal the night before, however it is the trick to success!! If you can take the time to be prepared to eat the 6 meals a day, and eat before you are starving, the portion control should be much easier. For instance, 6 small meals every 3 hours keeps your metabolism moving all day along with as much water as you can drink, you should not have hunger pains in life AGAIN!! Here is one of my favorite tricks ever. Go buy three or four small fun plates.

Have it be equivalent to a salad plate.

Load up the plate with greens and lean protein.

It will be a great feeling to see a full plate of food rather than a pathetic portion of something “un”clean…

You will trick yourself if you eat these portions often!!

Fall Clean Up

I hate to be the one to break it to you but Fall is around the corner..

Propane running low, pools are no longer a refreshing temperature and the hamburger and melty cheese on charcoal smell is getting old. Although most of us love the summer weather for workout purposes, the leaves will be changing and so will our wardrobe and schedule.. Time to start thinking about enjoying the last salted margarita and “Clean Up the Diet” What does Clean mean?? Clean eating is simple…it is eating naturally. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Think low fat recipes and high protein recipes.

These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied.

The best part is that if you need to lose weight it will happen almost without you having to try. You can cheat still when you really crave something. The Eat Clean Diet (Tosco Reno) is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. So, if you are planning on a fall clean up in your life.. take a few minutes to research how to clean up the diet too!!!!

I LOVE Garlic!

Garlic is amazing. You can smell the aroma from outside. It is the most distinct smell to a foodie! If I smell garlic I immediately think cheese, Italian dinner, and amazing bread. But then after I have a dream sequence of dipping crusty cheesy bread into the garlic olive oil, I snap out of it and realize that as good as the crusty garlic bread would be I really just need the garlic to have a similar feel to my senses. Roasting garlic is so easy and multiple cloves can be roasted at once for a time saver during the hectic week. A couple heads of garlic, a little extra virgin olive oil and sea salt is all you need for this simple delicious trick. Try freshly roasted garlic in any of your low fat recipes for that extra kick of taste!

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Separate a head of garlic into individual cloves. don’t peel the cloves, Put the cloves in the center of a square piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and using your fingers, rub the oil evenly onto the cloves. Gather the aluminum foil into a pouch and set it directly on the rack of your oven. Roast until the garlic becomes very soft, about an hour.

When done baking, open the pouch and let the cloves sit until they are cool enough to handle. Once they can be handled, simply slide the garlic paste out of the cloves. You can store the paste in the fridge for a few days, after then the paste will become bitter.

Use this unique seasoning in all your bland diet recipes. This is great on brown rice, smeared on chicken, used in a marinade. You can even add roasted garlic to a boring low cal salad dressing. The possibilities are endless!

Tilapia Is My Favorite Fish

TILAPIA is my favorite fish, it’s sturdy and doesn’t fall apart when you cook it. it has no taste really so you can manipulate the flavor and it is relatively inexpensive. My favorite part of it is the nutritional facts! One 4 ounce serving of tilapia is 97 calories, 21 grams of protein, one gram of fat and one gram of carbs. Tilapia can be breaded with an egg white and whole wheat flour, or for even more protein you can season some natural whey crisps crushed up and add sauteed garlic. Easy & delicious!

A little heated extra virgin olive oil on medium heat, few minutes each side. so easy!!

For a wow factor, you can bread and saute the same way but after the tilapia is plated it, add some homemade bruschetta to the already hot pan for a few minutes. Add directly on top of perfect fish. Easy, Healthy, Clean… Impressive!! This is a great recipe to file in your recipe box under – high protein recipes or easy healthy recipes!