Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1 cup nonfat milk
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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The Difference between Simple Carbs (simple sugar) and Complex Carbs

Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients that provide calories in our diets. The other two are protein and fat. Carbohydrates provide most of the energy needed in our daily lives, both for normal body functions such as heartbeat, breathing and digestion and for exercise such as biking, walking and running up the stairs.
Carbohydrates are considered simple or complex based upon their chemical structure. Both types contain four calories per gram, and both are digested into a blood sugar called glucose, which can then be used to fuel our bodies for work or exercise.
Somehow, simple carbohydrates have become known as the “bad” carbohydrates, while complex carbohydrates seem to be designated as the “good” carbohydrates. But there is no real scientific or nutritional justification for these descriptions.
• Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Examples include fruits, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, molasses, maple syrup and sugar.
• Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Examples are vegetables, breads, cereals, legumes and pasta.
Most experts recommend that 50-60 percent of the total calories in our diet come from carbohydrates. The bulk of the carbohydrate choices should be complex carbs and most of the simple carbohydrate choices should come from fruits and milk or yogurt, which also contain vitamins and minerals.
Source: Lynn Grieger, RD, CD, CDE

How the South Beach Diet Works

The father of The South Beach Diet is cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fl.  Highly processed carbs, according to the South Beach theory, get digested too quickly. That makes insulin levels (a hormone the body makes to process sugars) spike. And once those fast-burning carbs are used up, your high insulin level makes you crave more food.
Cindy Moore, RD, a director of nutrition therapy at Cleveland Clinic and a former spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, discussed The South Beach Diet
Moore says the diet truly does meet several of the criteria for a healthy diet. It’s rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein, she says. Most importantly, it doesn’t leave out any major food groups.
Moore warns that during the induction phase, much of the lost weight is water weight. Losing this much water can throw your electrolyte balance off. So if you’re following the diet, it’s a good idea to work closely with a professional.
Despite the popularity of The South Beach Diet, Moore warns, there’s no one-size-fits-all diet. A professional can help you individualize The South Beach Diet to fit your health needs.
Source: Cindy Moore, director of nutrition therapy, Cleveland Clinic.  Courtesy of WebMD: Live Transcripts

Ground Turkey or Ground Beef?

Ground turkey usually contains fat and skin when it is ground.  3 oz. can contain triple the amount of fat than ground beef*.  The full fat version of beef contains about 3 grams more fat and 100 calories more than turkey.  However, lean ground beef actually has about 20 less calories and only 3 grams of fat total compared to 10 grams in ground turkey.  Look for lean ground turkey, or stick with beef!  Be careful with ultra-lean ground turkey as it is easy to dry out when cooking.
*Courtesy: Fitness Magazine 2/10

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat chicken tenders in a seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust and then oven-fry them to perfection. With half the fat of standard breaded chicken tenders, you can enjoy to your (healthy) heart’s content.
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INGREDIENTS
________________________________________
Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)

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Barbecue Pulled Chicken

 
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INGREDIENTS
________________________________________
1 8-ounce ca reduced-sodium tomato sauce
1 4-ounce ca chopped green chiles, drained
3 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

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COOKING DIRECTIONS
________________________________________
Step 1
Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add chicken, onion and garlic; stir to combine.

Step 2
Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.

Step 3
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return the chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.
NUTRITION INFO
Calories: 184
Carbohydrates: 8g
Fat: 8g
Protein: 20g

Gluten Free- Asian Chicken Salad

Gluten Free- Asian Chicken Salad

Serves 6.  Prep Time- 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 1/2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce, (see Ingredient notes)

3 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tahini paste

3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, or reserved chicken-poaching liquid

2 tablespoon sesame seeds

8 cups shredded napa cabbage, (1 small head; see Ingredient notes)

1 1/2 cups grated carrots, (2-3 medium)

5 radishes, sliced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup chopped scallions

3 1/2 cups shredded skinless cooked chicken, (about 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast) (see Tip)

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Gluten Free Recipe- Bread (No Eggs)

Gluten-Free Bread
Most gluten-free bread recipes rely on eggs for texture and rise. Not this one

First – place 1 tbsp instant dry yeast in 1 ¼ - 1/1/3 cup warm water (at 110 – 115 degrees).  Add 2 tbsp honey.  This mixture should get foamy (called proofing)

Next - whisk together your dry ingredients and set aside:
1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup millet flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Add foamy yeast mixture to flour mixture along with
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mild rice vinegar or lemon juice
1 egg

Beat until a smooth batter forms. I use the word batter because gluten-free bread dough is more like muffin batter than wheat based bread dough.

Scrape the dough into a loaf pan (or 7 to 8-inch round cake pan for ciabatta style) and smooth evenly (I use wet fingers). Top with sesame seeds. Loosely cover the pan and allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes in a warm spot.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. When the oven comes to temperature bake the bread until it sounds hollow when thumped. This might be anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes.  Lower style round pan loaves will bake at 30 to 40 minutes, usually.

If you like a crusty loaf, remove the bread from the pan and return it naked to the oven for an additional 10 minutes- keep an eye on it and don’t let it get too brown. It should be a light golden color.

Roast Beef Wraps with Horseradish-Mustard

This recipe serves:  4   
Preparation time :   15 minutes

For the horseradish-mustard sauce:

1/4 cup freshly grated horseradish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup non-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

For the wraps:

4 large flour tortillas
3/4 pound sliced, lean roast beef tenderloin, from the deli
4 lettuce leaves, green leaf, bibb or romaine, shredded
4 large slices of ripe tomato, sliced very thin
Cooking Instructions
For the horseradish-mustard sauce:
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the horseradish, mustard, sour cream, sugar and salt.

For the wraps:
2. Lay the tortillas out and spread 1 tablespoon of the sour cream mixture on each of them. Divide the roast beef among the tortillas and spread the remaining sour cream mixture on top of the beef. Divide the shredded lettuce among the tortillas and top with a tomato slice. Tightly roll each tortilla into a cylinder, ending with the seam side down.
(The wraps can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

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Dried Cherry and Walnut Bars with Chocolate Drizzle

This recipe makes  15  bars. 
Cooking time :   20 minutes

Ingredients
2/3 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 cup walnuts, chopped
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

  click here for more »

  click here to read past tips

• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
  click here for more »