3 Garden Dinners; Lettuce-Free & Protein Packed

I've been a bad blogger lately, I know.  I started a new job, took some time off in between and have been pretty caught up in every day life.  So to make up for it, I've been sure to take photos of some new recipes I've thrown together that I thought would be of interest.

I wrote about my patio garden a few weeks (maybe a month ;) ago and I've really put it to use lately.  The following recipes all utilize ingredients from my garden, which has also been super convenient because I haven't grocery shopped much lately.  You'll also notice that some of the same ingredients are used in all three recipes.  You do not need to spend a lot of money to eat healthy, you just need to get a little creative and mix up the flavors.  I've made all three of these meals since last Friday, I haven't food shopped for anything extra once. These recipes are EASY, healthy, and very flavorful. Also, the mint/cucumber salad/chicken recipe and the pasta recipe are loaded with protein.  Here's how to do it!

Caprese with Cucumber, Avocado, and Pumpkin Seeds

Why mix up an old favorite? Why not?  The cucumber adds crunch and bulk.  The pumpkin seeds add mono-unsaturated fats (lowers LDL cholesterol and helps absorb the nutrients in the veggies) and they also add crunch.

Need:

- Chicken breast

- Cherry or grape tomatoes (mine are store bought - my tomatoes aren't ready yet)

- Mozzarella

-Avocado

- Basil (from the garden if you have it)

- Cucumber

- Pumpkin seeds

- Extra virgin olive oil, crushed red pepper, lemon, pinch of salt (mix and drizzle on top)

1. Slice tomatoes in half, dice cucumber, dice mozz, dice avocado, cut basil into strips and arrange on plate with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds. 

2. Marinate chicken in olive oil in lemon, o/o, crushed red pepper, lemon, and salt. Throw on the grill pan, grill or saute pan and cook through.  Dice and add to salad.

3. Done!

Lemon Yogurt Chicken with Cucumber, Mint, Feta Salad

I have a ton of mint growing on my patio and besides mojitos (which I've made a few of) I was trying to think of something that that it could pair with easily for dinner.  I know I like cucumber mint cocktails soooo I figured they might pair well on the plate.  This recipe was very refreshing, but, you must like mint if you're going to make it :)

Need:

- Mint (from the garden if you have it)

- Cucumber

- Feta

- Juice of one lemon

- Lemon peel (use the same lemon)

- Avocado

- Chicken breast

- Non-fat plain greek yogurt

- Extra virgin o/o

1. Chop mint, cucumber, avocado, arrange in a bowl and add lemon juice, lemon peel, feta, o/o. Mix and arrange on plate

2. Cook chicken with lemon, salt, pepper, o/o on grill pan, grill, or saute pan. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix greek yogurt, the juice of one half lemon, lemon peel, chopped mint, and salt. 

4. Once chicken is cooked, add the greek yogurt mixture.  The greek yogurt adds an extra protein if you're feeling you need it! (Hint: This meal would probably taste better with pork or lamb, but, I had chicken in my freezer so I had to deal).

Done!

             

Caprese Pasta with Cottage Cheese (don't ignore this yet)

I came home from a pretty tough boxing class tonight and craved something that would replenish my energy (I wassss wiped).  Anyway, I figured some barilla protein plus pasta would do the trick but I didn't have the energy to defrost and cook chicken, so I used cottage cheese.  Why? You might wonder.  Well, I first read about using it in one of my health magazines a few years ago, tried it, and loved it.  If you add mozzarella or feta to the pasta - it all kind of blends.  I promise it basically takes on the flavors in the pasta and, most importantly, the protein amino acid compound in cottage cheese has been known to heal muscles faster than other forms of protein.  So try it. 

Need:

- Barilla protein plus pasta

- Grape or cherry tomatoes

- Couple/few cloves of garlic

- Fresh basil 

- Mozzarella (or feta)

- O/O, crushed red pepper, salt

- Cottage cheese

1. Boil water (with salt), and cook pasta

2. While that is happening, slice tomatoes in half, and add to saute pan with garlic, salt, tbs of o/o, and crushed red pepper (do not add basil yet)

2. Once pasta is done, add 1/4 cup of cottage cheese, mozzarella cubed, and the saute pan sauce, then sprinkle with basil and a little bit of Parmesan. 

done!

Have an awesome week, everyone!

A Lesson in Labels

Labels can be deceiving, very deceiving.  The USDA's regulations are, well, not where they should be... let's leave it at that. (not opening up that can of worms tonight).  The phrase "you are what you eat"... means more than just the reflection of low-cal/low-fat food onto the external physique.  The abundance of chemicals and man-made 'crap' in 'food' is everywhere.  And, they are especially in low-fat/low-sugar foods.  Foods with these labels are processed so they taste like there is real fat or sugar in them... what do they use? Hydrogenated oils, saccharin, flavor enhancers such as MSG (monosodium glutamate), etc.  

So what's the problem with these additives? Well, I could go on and on... if you want a solid read... pick up Jillian Michael's "Master Your Metabolism".  Here's the issue in a nutshell; These additives are not recognized by your body as food. So what happens?  Your hormones, which regulate your metabolism, get thrown out of balance and sometimes stop working. (oh, and these additives can cause a multitude of diseases including cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and much more) What happens when your hormones are thrown out of balance and your metabolism is off kilter?  You have a really hard time maintaining an appropriate weight. These additives also strip your body of the nutrients you put in it... leaving you feeling fatigued and hungry. Would you water a plant with anything besides water? No. Why? It wouldn't recognize it.  Think of your body the same way.

Here's a list of what to look for:

Monosodium glutamate or ANY GLUTAMATES: These are flavor enhancers and what's worse? They are addictive... that's why you can't put down the Pringles. They are laced with flavor enhancers that make you keep eating.  Annoying, right? Why? They mess with brain chemistry and adversely affects hunger hormones and much more.  Glutamates are one of the worse (if not the worse) additives to put into your body. Glutamates also hide on labels as: autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatin, glutamic acid, hydrolized corn gluten, hydrolyzed protein, monopotassium glutamate, natrium glutamate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, yeast extract, yeast food, yeast nutrient.

Sucralose 'aka' Splenda:  I eat raw sugar.  I do not eat fake sugar.  Sometimes I eat stevia because it comes from a plant extract.  Sugar has 15 calories in a tsp... that's it. Moderation is key.  So here's the deal with splenda: It's indigestible and is not naturally occurring, as they claim. And it's 'generally recognized as safe'.  What does that even mean?  Would you give your child or your dog food that is 'generally safe'?  Seriously.

The word or phrase "NATURAL" OR "ALL NATURAL":  Guess what? It means absolutely nothing in the US.  Depending on the manufacturer - it can be defined multiple different ways.  USDA Organic on the other hand... has strict USDA guidelines as to how it was grown, raised, etc. And, anything labeled 'natural' can have glutamates in them. Bad, bad, bad.

Partially hydrogenated oils or hydrogenated oils aka 'Trans Fats':  By now, there's been enough press on trans fats that most are familiar with why they are bad.  In a nutshell: They are added to foods to make them keep their shelf life longer.  Do you really want to eat a cookie that's been sitting on a shelf for 5 years? Imagine what that is doing to your insides. These fats increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease your HDL (good cholesterol.  Trans fats increase inflammation in the body and some research has found that they even make the liver stop responding to growth hormone and, in turn, metabolism.

What to do with all this information?  Just read your labels.  Any food item with the above listed ingredients will not be recognized by your body and can negatively affect your metabolism.  That's why there are SO MANY articles out there right now that promote not counting calories and just eating 'whole foods'.  Your body processes 'whole foods' and, in turn, positively affects metabolism.

Now, moderation is key.  As much as I try to avoid the above listed ingredients... I must admit that there are times (weekends) when I will have some bad foods. Nobody is perfect.  What I can tell you is that it would be hard to find them in my own apartment. 80% of the time - I am as healthy as possible.  That's my motto.  This post became much longer than originally expected so I'm going to skip 'moves of the week' today.  I hope this helps you all better navigate your labels.  Have an awesome week!