healthy oppor-tuna-ties

A lot of the time when I have a recipe in mind to make, or I know I want to make something with a certain food, I plan ahead and make sure to have all the ingredients I need. Sometimes, though, I don't plan anything in particular and I just get to use what I have in the house to concoct something to eat.

Opportunities like that yield some of the best new recipes, because I don't feel obligated to make anything any certain way besides how I am in the mood to eat. Yesterday for lunch I figured I would eat a yogurt with flax seed and berries (as I do everyday), but then I decided to do what I could with a can of tuna fish I saw in my cabinet.

Tuna is a good source of omega-3s (which are essential to healthy cell function), vitamin D, protein,selenium,and calcium. Tuna is also abundant in the toxin mercury, and therefore should not be eaten too often, especially for kids.

Making honey lime tuna wraps with lettuce instead of a tortilla wrap minimizes carbohydrates and calories in the lunch, and adds to the fresh and light meal. A serving of tuna is pretty small, so packing the wrap with other foods will fill up the lettuce leaf and keep you feeling full for the afternoon. Feel free to add / take away any ingredients you want for a great and healthy meal!

Here's what you'll need:
yields 2 servings
1 can albacore tuna
1 tbsp Craisins
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 stalk celery
1/3 cucumber
juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp honey
2 large leaves iceberg lettuce

1. Drain tuna from the can and mix with Craisins and sunflower seeds in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Chop up celery stalk and cucumber into small centimeter-sized cubes. Add to tuna.

3. Juice a lime and add honey.

This juicer is awesome; if you don't already have a juicer you should totally get one!

4. Wash lettuce leaves and wrap tuna inside.

5. Enjoy!

Resources: http://www.livestrong.com/article/542202-nutritional-value-of-canned-albacore-tuna/

2-carrot gold salad

Whether you're hosting a dinner party or just want a delicious side, this broccoli and carrot salad is a perfect dish to complement any meal. Very flavorful and very nutritious, the broccoli is a great source of fiber and carrots are a great source of Vitamins A, K, and C. Maple syrup is a great natural sweetener and apple cider vinegar can help relieve nausea and can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. 

Here's what you need:
yields 4 servings
3 cups broccoli florets
2 shredded carrots
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup apple juice
2 tbsp stone ground mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sea salt 

1. Chop up broccoli into small florets. Blanch for about 5 minutes. 

2. Mix tahini, apple juice, stone ground mustard, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt.

3. In a large bowl, toss broccoli, carrots, cranberries, and seeds.

4. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir to coat.

5. Enjoy!!!

pesto change-o

I went to the library yesterday to return a workout DVD I borrowed and ended up spending half an hour in the Health section, sitting on the floor and sifting through books. Call me a book worm, but I came home with 5 books all about food, some more information based (like "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan - with the motto on the cover "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.") and some are more recipe based, like "Cook This Not That!". From the same writers of "Eat This Not That!", these recipe books alter restaurant favorites, changing up the recipes with substitutions and healthy alternatives.

While I was flipping through "Cook This Not That!", I saw a recipe for pesto sauce that inspired me to try my own tonight. My dad, who is not a fan of pesto, wasn't home for dinner, so me and my mom decided to try out making our own pesto sauce and paninis. I've made a panini before (see this blog post) and although I don't have a panini press, just heating up the sandwich on a pan and pushing down with another pan suffices.

Other alternatives to this recipe could be substituting the Mozzarella cheese for grilled chicken or putting all the ingredients over pasta instead of into a sandwich!

The mozzarella is a great source of protein (which is important for energy and muscle maintenance), calcium (to maintain bone structure and protect tooth enamel), and vitamins B6, A, D, and E. It helps maintain healthy skin and vision and the formation of red blood cells. Keep servings of most cheese at a minimum though because many are sources of saturated fats. Spinach is low in calories and high in vitamins, and improves cardiovascular health, has cancer-fighting antioxidants, and improves brain function. Basil is virtually calorie free and a great source of Vitamins A and K, and nutrients Lutein and Zeaxanthin, both which help in eye health by lowering the risk of macular degeneration. Walnuts are a good source of protein, omega-3s, and monounsaturated fats and out of all nuts have the second highest amount of antioxidants per serving (after pecans). 

Here's what you'll need:
yeilds 2 servings
2 Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats sandwich bread
1/2 - 1 avocado 
8 cherry tomatoes
4 slices Mozzarella cheese
1 small clove of garlic (or less if you want a subtle garlic taste only)
2 tbsp walnuts
1/3 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh spinach
1 tsp grated Parmasean
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Cut up avocado, cherry tomatoes, and Mozzarella cheese.

2. Chop up basil, spinach, walnuts, and garlic. Grate Parmasean. Add ingredients to food processor. 

3. Gradually add oil and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and texture is a paste.

4. Make sandwich. Place on grill pan or frying pan. Press down, then flip and repeat. 

5. Enjoy!!

give it a Thai

A few weeks ago I went out to lunch with a friend to a Thai restaurant in town. Whenever I had gone in the past, I went for dinner and shared a few dishes with whomever I was with. My friend and I decided to each get separate dishes though, and with the lunch special, we each got a soup with it. I ended up getting a perfect portion of food and it was easier to stop eating when only one plate was in front of me, rather than 3 or 4. I was able to gauge how much I had eaten, and it was a guilt-free lunch outing.

I also really liked the dish that I ordered. Every time I had eaten Thai food before, I would order very similar dishes to what I was used to. I decided to try something new, so I got the mango chicken, and it was delicious. I was inspired, so my mom and I mended a recipe we found to our liking, and made our own mango chicken dish. My sisters are home on winter break now and my dad was home for dinner last night, so my mom and I made it for everyone in the family. We got rave reviews for this recipe, and the cool thing is how simple and healthy it is! The mangoes are a good source of fiber and Vitamin A, which helps with bone growth and healthy eyes. Ginger and apple cider vinegar are important during flu season to keep you feeling your best.

Here's what you'll need:
yields 4 servings
SAUCE:                                                            
1 chopped mango (or 1 cup frozen mango)                  
1 tsp Sriracha                                                      
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar                                    
 11/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce                      
zest of 1 lime                          
juice of 1 lime
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp water
CHICKEN:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cutlets
1-3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced

1. In a blender or food processor (I used both because my blender wasn't working well halfway through), add sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth. Add a little more water if a more liquid consistency is desired.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add chicken and coat well.

3. In a wok or large pan, saute peppers in a small amount of olive oil.

4. Remove peppers from wok and heat chicken until cooked through.

5. When the chicken is ready, add peppers back into wok and combine with sauce.

6. Enjoy!!

new year new food

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope everyone's holidays were wonderful and filled with delicious food, family, and friends. And now it's that time of year that resolutions start up again and everyone looks for a new start. New years always bring new excitement; I know for me 2014 will be a very exciting year. In June I'll graduation high school (crazy!), and at the end of August I'll be starting college (even crazier!!). Within the new few months, I'll decide on where I'll go to college, enjoying my last semester in high school, going to prom, graduation.. all really great things ahead!

I hope the new year will bring excitement and happiness to everyone, and very importantly I hope it will bring everyone health. Whether your resolution is to lose weight or get more fit, I hope you stick to it and reach any goals you have. I hope my blog can continue motivating everyone to eat healthy and clean with new recipes and new ideas, and I hope for another great year as a blogger!

a recipe that really pops

The other night I had a babysitting job, and I knew that once the girls were asleep and I was doing my work I would want a snack. I decided to try a new popcorn recipe; a quick and easy guilt-free snack! 

Coconut oil is good for so many things! It benefits in hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. Coconut oil also helps in brain function and is associated with Alzheimer's treatment. Cinnamon is good for lowing LDL cholesterol and enervating headaches. Hot sauces are also a good addition to any foods (I put hot sauce on everything - I even keep extra packets in my wallet!) Because of the spicy sensation, most people tend to eat hot foods slower, it can speed up your metabolism, and a lot of flavor is matched with very few calories! 

Here's what you'll need:

yields 2 servings

2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

2 tsp Sriracha 

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Heat coconut oil over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, Sriracha, and popcorn. 

2. Cover and shake pot constantly. This keeps the sugar from burning. (WARNING: Be careful when opening the lid at any time, the kernels will pop and the oil may splatter - everything is hot!!)

3. When the popping slows to once every 2-3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes.

4. Enjoy!!

follow this recipe gingerly

To begin this post, I need to start with a little anecdote. A few years ago, when I first got into nutrition and healthy baking, I was feeling ambitious and brave, so I tried a new brownie recipe I had been seeing in all the magazines and cookbooks on healthy baking. One of the ingredients was black beans, which sounded like a terrible idea, but I trusted all of the recipes I saw. My family warned me that the brownies wouldn't come out right, but I didn't care and I went for it. Lo and behold, the brownies were disgusting.

That was a few years ago, though. I have since gotten over my valiant attempt gone wrong, but I am still reminded of it sometimes by my family. I've been saying for a while that I want to give one of those bean brownie recipes another chance, assuming I must of followed it wrong or just used one that wasn't so reliable. I have that recipe to partially thank for my curiosity in the kitchen, because from the time I made those brownies, I've since learned so much more about baking and cooking.

For my birthday, I got a few new cookbooks (my friends know me very well!) and I already have gone through them all and flagged recipes I want to try soon. In "Double Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld, I made ginger cookies last night, and they were amazing. I promise you can't taste the beans, and as far as cookies go, these are pretty healthy.

Here's what you'll need:
yields 4 dozen cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 tsp allspice
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup molasses (or equivalent)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and pureed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together flours, spices, salt, and baking soda.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, canola oil, pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add molasses and beans. Stir well. Slowly add dry ingredients to form a smooth, soft dough.

3. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!!