When I am at the gym in the early morning hours, I spend about 15 mins on the bike, warming up.  I take that few minutes to leaf through whatever new magazines are out.  So many good recipes right now because of the holidays, this one looked really good, with one minor substitution.

It was super easy to make and was on the table in about 30 minutes.  Lot’’s of healthy ingredients, but not too heavy.  If you haven”t spent some time understanding the benefits of kale, you should.  We have been adding kale to many recipes to get that extra boost of antioxidants and nutritional benefit.

I served this soup with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese on top and some Parmesan toast.  Don”t leave out the red pepper, it gives the soup a little kick.  A great way to warm up on a cool evening.

Adapted from Woman’’s Day November 2010

Super healthy and hearty!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz fully-cooked smoked turkey sausage, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1⁄2-in. chunks – This is the substitution from the original recipe.
• 12 oz fresh kale, stems removed and leaves chopped (8 cups)
• Crushed red pepper (optional)

What To Do:

1. Heat a 5-qt pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add broth and bring to a boil.
3. Stir in squash and kale. Simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes or until squash and kale are tender. Serve with crushed red pepper, if desired.

Serves 4

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Protein 18g
Carbs 28g
Fat 6g
Trans Fat 0g
Saturated Fat 2g
Fiber 5g
Sodium 1403mg
Sugar 6g
Calories 224

What do you look for in a good recipe?  Do you typically make meals to the recipe or do you adapt them?

The market had some pretty nice poblano peppers this week and this is a recipe that I have been wanting to try.  If you cannot find poblanos, you could try green peppers.  The flavor of the dish would be a bit milder, but you could always add a little more spice!

I know I have written about quinoa before and we have posted some recipes with the versatile grain.  Quinoa is a healthy alternative to rice or pasta, if you haven”t tried it, we highly recommend it.

The original recipe from an old Cooking Light magazine called for pumpkin seed kernels instead of sunflower seeds, but I could not find them at our market, so I made the substitution.  Life is all about substitutions, experimenting with recipes is what makes this so fun!

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed chile halves)

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut chiles in half lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Set aside. Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 13 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add bell peppers, onion, jalapeño pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add sunflower seed kernels; saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in quinoa, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, and lime juice. Spoon 1/3 cup quinoa mixture into each chile half.

Pour tomato juice into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; place stuffed chiles in dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over chiles; bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts and chiles are thoroughly heated. Spoon tomato juice over chiles.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Nutritional Information

Calories:  329 (26% from fat)

Fat:  9.6g (sat 4.3g,mono 2.5g,poly 2.2g)

Protein:  20.4g

Carbohydrate:  47.9g

Fiber:  7g

Cholesterol:  19mg

Iron:  7.4mg

Sodium:  787mg

Calcium:  347mg

The secret to this recipe is in the pork.  Usually, this type of recipe would have used a pork shoulder or pork but and you would spend a great deal of your prep time skimming fat out of this meal.  I chose a pork tenderloin and trimmed the fat before cooking for a tender and very flavorful slow cooked stew.

You can use prepared salsa verde, but I do make my own, as long as I can continue to buy tomatillos at my market.  What I like best about a homemade salsa verde over the store bought brands is that my is much lower in sodium content. We served this dish over cooked quinoa, but you could also serve it over rice.

At first this looked like it was going to have an awful lot of steps to put it together and frankly it didn”t look too appetizing. But when everything started coming together at the end I was amazed at how delicious it was — it was tender, tasty and very flavorful. This meal is also great for those paying attention to their diets as it is high in protein while being low in fat and calories.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into cubes
• 1 cup Salsa Verde (click for our recipe) or use prepared
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro (fresh or dried)
• 3 cups of quinoa*

*Quinoa is a grain that is high on protein and very low in calories.  Quinoa is  considered a complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids.  One of those amino acids is lysine which promotes repair and growth of tissue.  Quinoa has a fluffy texture, but a creamy and slightly crunchy or nutty taste.

Directions:

1. Place meat in a slow cooker – turn heat to high
2. Combine salsa, broth, onion and cumin in a saucepan or deep skillet and bring to a boil.
3. Pour salsa mixture over meat
4. Add tomatoes to slow cooker
5. Cover and cook 6-7 hours, until meat is pull apart tender
6. Remove meat from slow cooker and set aside, keeping warm
7. Pour remaining sauce into a deep skillet, bring to a boil until slightly thickened
8. Add pork and cilantro heat through
9. Ladle into bowls over quinoa or rice, garnish with cilantro, diced tomatoes or sour cream

Serves 4

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Protein 31g

Carbs 38g

Fat 6g

Saturated Fat 1g

Sodium 431 mg

Sugar 6g

Calories 338

Many people (and some in the media) still think of Almonds as fatty, high calorie and salty – more or less a junk food.

Ok,  yes almonds are a high fat food. But almonds are high in monounsaturated fats. These are the same kind of positive healthy fats found in olive oil and this type of fat has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. The bad rap that almonds get is that they are too fatty to be considered a healthy snack even while research shows that they actually reduce cholesterol levels.

Almonds are also loaded with protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and other antioxidants. Studies have found that overweight individuals are able to lose weight more efficiently when on an almond aided reduced calorie diet than on a reduced diet that is heavier on complex carbs (starches & grains).

Many even find dry roasted almonds to be a great snack due to their signature taste and unique texture. Dieters also find that the crunchiness is very satisfying and particularly enjoyable as their diets go through the initial stage of realigning their carbohydrates intake (replacing bad carbs with good and carb tapering).

As an added fat burning benefit, dry roasted almonds are not only excellent sources of protein (over 6 grams per ounce) but they are also high in fiber (with over 13% of the daily recommended amount). Research has suggested that the consumption of almonds prevents some of the fat and calories from being absorbed into the body — it acts like kind of a super highway right through the body.

As is the case with many of the best fat burning and healthiest foods the skins contain many of the best nutrients and almonds are no exception to this. Almond skins contain flavonoids that when combined with the high amount of vitamin E in the inner almond more than doubles the antioxidant benefits than when these two are ingested separately.

So enjoy almonds as a great stand alone snack but they can also be combined to form a powerful one two punch when cut into slices and added to your oatmeal, smoothies, green beans, mixed in with low fat yogurt, added to potatoes or just about anywhere else some extra crunch is desired.

Be sure to consume unsalted, dry roasted almonds and stay away from those that may be coated in salt or sugar.

Most of us know that a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of many leading causes of death while also playing a significant role in helping Americans getting leaner. The CDC has just released their annual report and it shows that only an estimated 26.3% of adults consumed vegetables three or more times per day in 2009 while only 32.5% of adults consumed fruit two or more times per day.

Both of these critical figures are down in 2009 compared to 2000. Fruit consumption dropped from 34.4% to 32.5%, while vegetable consumption remained relatively flat 26.7% in 2000 and 26.3% in 2009. Other interesting numbers from this report show that women are much more likely than men to be getting their fruits (36.1% to 28.7%) and vegetables (30.9% to 21.4%).

So I guess that means that the KFC commercials for the Double Down Chicken Sandwich, with two pieces of fried chicken, two strips of bacon, two slices of cheese and  no bread (and not even a token piece of lettuce) sandwiches has been quite successful in their targeting of men. You Go Colonel!

According to the nutritionists of some of the fittest athletes in the world when your goal is fat loss, your diet should contain larger amounts of foods that have a high thermic effect. That means lean protein and fibrous vegetables. You would find it impossible to be fat if you are on a feeding regimen of lean protein and green salads.

Fruits and vegetables also make the best in between meal snacks – they are generally nutrient rich and light on calorie density. And if you are a believer in eating smaller meals frequently then vegetables fit right in line with this program.

Fresh fruit is packed with healthy nutrients

Fruit consumption is best when used as a smaller part of your overall carbohydrate calories and they should not be the primary source. Your goal should be one to two pieces of fruit a day (like blueberries or kiwi) and the remainder of your carbs coming from complex starchy carbs (such as oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes) and also from fibrous carbs (i.e. asparagus, carrots, broccoli, etc.).

Sweet potatoes - a healthy alternative

Helpful hint – try to consume a variety of colors and kinds of produce, this gives your body the best mix of the various nutrients it needs.  Your best bet? Go for dark leafy greens, tomatoes and anything that’’s a rich orange, yellow or red in color.

A variety of fresh, healthy vegetables

And as a last thought – try to eat your fruits and vegetables in their most natural state possible. Fresh is always better than canned or frozen. Eat them as Mother Nature intended and you can’t go wrong.

If you are looking to eat clean and get lean then eat your five total servings of fruits and vegetables every day!

For those working on a fat burning diet one of the ongoing struggles is finding good tasty, clean food. I love to experiment with different foods and Kiwi fruit is one of the healthiest pieces of fruit that you can find. Because it isn”t as well known as the more popular super fruit blueberries, it most likely doesn”t make it’’s way into your grocery basket.

Here are some of my favorite kiwi fruit nutrition facts.

Not only are these one of the most nutrient dense amazing fruits but they will have a wonderfully delicate and sweet taste unlike just about any other fruit or vegetable. Kiwifruits are also called called kiwi fruits or simply kiwi. No matter what you call them they are are jam packed with many vitamins, minerals and flavonoids.

Just one kiwi contains almost the complete daily recommended amount of vitamin C and has as much potassium as a banana. You’ll also find these to be excellent sources of Vitamin E, beta-carotene, dietary fiber (12% of the daily recommended amount) and are very low on the glycemic index.

Brimming with more vitamins and minerals than 27 more commonly consumed fruit the kiwi provides a semi truck full of other benefits too. A study released by the University of Oslo found that consuming two kiwis per day may significantly lower the risk of blood clots, combat the signs of aging and dramatically increase your fat burning potential during exercise.

When choosing the perfect kiwi here are a couple of helpful tips to be on the lookout for. Hold one in your hand and gently squeeze. Those that provide the sweetest taste will give a little to the pressure of your fingers. Stay away from those that are really soft, mushy or are bruised. Just slightly firm is ok but you will need to let them sit at room temperature for several days to fully ripen. Research from Austria shows that kiwi when fully ripened (almost to the point of over ripe) actually boosts the release of their antioxidants.

So the next time you are craving something a bit sweet, but you are also working on perfecting your fat burning diet, try a kiwifruit instead.

I’ve been working out for a long time and I have a hyper competitive personality (Penny stop laughing) and since I no longer compete in team sports I have turned this competitive energy into competing against myself. At some points during the year I change my workout cycle and concentrate on increasing muscle mass. My current cycle is about seeing how lean can I get.  I’m an old guy now so I am never going to have a young guys 6 pack abs – but I want to see if maybe I can get them to a 4-1/2 pack.

I don’t have a problem with motivation or discipline and I am very in tune with fueling my body with food. While I do obsess over food it is because in order to be successful at getting lean (or increasing muscle) you have to focus on your eating program – what, when and how much.

Building lean muscle mass also helps rev up your metabolism as it makes your body more efficient at burning calories throughout the day. But you also must have a strategic approach to cardio and interval treadmill training allows me to burn maximum calories, jump start my metabolism for the day and most importantly get out of the gym quicker. No boring 45 – 60 minutes cardio sessions for me!

My Current Interval Treadmill Program

For this current cardio cycle I modified my Interval Treadmill work and upped my total weekly cardio time a bit. I am still lifting 3-4 times per week (depending on where I am in my lifting cycle) and have been consistently hitting the treadmill 5 days a week.

On lifting days I complete my workouts with a 20 minute treadmill interval session and on non-lifting days I do a 28 minute session. I started this cycle at 14 and 20 minutes respectively and worked my way up to the level that I feel comfortable at.

My previous treadmill interval cycle was based on a program from the guys at Precision Nutrition. For this cardio cycle I switched to the base program from Darrin Steen and then made my own modifications to fit me.

Most of the cardio interval programs recommend a 5-10 minute warm-up, 5-9 intervals and then a 5 minute cool down. Darrin’s program recommended keeping your working intervals at a 45:1 ratio – 45 seconds of jogging and sprinting and then 1 minutes of rest (rest means slowing down to a moderate or quick walking pace). I found it too difficult to keep track of the 45 seconds of jogging and sprinting so I went with running for one minute during the work phase of this interval so a 1:1 ratio works best for me. You’ll have to find what works best for you.

The secret to this cycle was to continue to up the intensity for each interval (both the work phase and the rest phase). Up the intensity means kicking up the speed and/ or increasing the incline.

Here are samples of my two interval treadmill programs (20 minutes for lifting days and 28 minutes for cardio only days). I never do the same workout twice and look to increase my working interval speed each workout until I hit a max and then cycle over again.

This has been an amazing program for me and if you are up for it I would highly recommend that you start with 4-5 interval cycles with a 1:2 ratio until you comfortable (be sure to keep the warm up and cool down periods) and when comfortable bump it up in 1 cycle increments.

Remember I am not a doctor this is just a highly effective program that has worked for me.

We talk about food a lot – but it’’s not all about what you eat – it is also what you do.  The ”balance” is about incorporating all parts of your lifestyle into a healthy, fit, happy way of life.  You do have to be conscientious about what you put into your body, but you also have to learn how and when to move your body to maximize and use the food, ”fuel” you put into it.  The other part of the balance, as I see it, is the ability to relax and enjoy the things that go on around you.  Take time to step back, slow down and breathe.

This post however is about moving.  I have worked out consistently for many years.  I am by no means an expert and I have always struggled with weight issues while other people can do less than I do and see faster results.  I used to let that bother me – but I finally let that part go – I do what I do and my goals are different now than they were when I was 20 or 30 years old.  My body has served me well over the last 47 years, through childbirth, weight issues and most recently surgery, and I have to make sure I keep it healthy and fit to be there for me for however long I need it.

My workout routine is pretty straight forward.  T-TH-FR, I work out with Ben, my trainer.  He pushes me as hard as any of the 20 or 30 year olds he trains.  He doesn”t let me get away with anything.  I like that – he knows I can do anything he throws at me, (Literally, he throws things at me like weighted balls!) – even when I don”t think I can – and won”t let me give in until I know it too.  If you have thought about a trainer, but aren”t sure – here are 10 good reasons to get a personal trainer.

M-W are my cardio days.  I like to run on the treadmill, use the elliptical, and now my gym just got spinning bikes!  Do I love it?  I don”t know yet – it is HARD for sure – but I am sticking with it.  I needed a change to my routine for the Summer and this is a good change for me.  It has been a couple of weeks and I have gotten better at the form – and I got a gel seat to help cushion my rear end – yeah – get a gel seat or bike pants for sure – you will need them!  OUCH!!!

Sat – Sun, I rest my brain and my body.  I move – but it is usually more about housework and laundry than running and biking.  I have a full time job, plus I help Greg run our SpicesInc company on my off time – so I have to make sure I make time for me.

I read something this weekend called the 23:1 rule.  You can work out for 1 hour a day – really hard – push, push, push – but what are you doing with the other 23 hours in the day?  It is the other 23 hours that have the bigger affect on your life.  Make the workouts count – but use the other 23 hours to eat, sleep, work and be healthy.

How do you use your 23 hours?

Quick breakfast after spinning - Kashi cereal with fresh blueberries!

I leave for vacation in 31 days – so the countdown is on!       Have a GREAT day!! 

We decided to take a bit of a break from writing for the last couple of days since we have past 100 posts. We decided now was the time to take a breath and re-evaluate where we’ve been and where we want to go.

While the general idea of the blog was to talk about things that we were interested in.  It isn’t just a personal blog discussing the healthy food that we eat on a daily basis. This is really meant to be more about helping people not be so intimidated by using spices, chiles and dried herbs. So we are going to change our focus just a bit to better reflect that.

So today I am going to show some of the widely believed health benefits of herbs and spices. The earliest recorded use of spices and herbs was medicinal and in many regions where they are still grown this is still a primary function. It is common that their use in cooking is for the long held perceptions that they promote health or aid in digesting fatty foods as much as for improving the taste of any particular dish.

The Benefit of Spice

Here are some of the most commonly held health benefits of some of the more common spices and herbs:

Cinnamon

It has been reported that cinnamon may help lower blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes. As with any spice go for moderation but it works great in everything from morning oatmeal to chili.

Turmeric

Containing curcumin, which studies have shown may inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Turmeric is a popular Indian spice and is common in various curry powders, ras el hanut and berbere.

Garlic

The American Institute for Cancer Research reports that garlic may disrupt the metabolism of tumor cells and destroys cancer cells. Garlic is one of the most common spices known to man and US per capita consumption is up more than 1,000% over the last 20 years.

Ginger

It is believed that ginger may relieve arthritis pain and swelling and may aid in minimizing the effects of nausea and  motion sickness. Ginger is a chief ingredient in both Curry and Chinese Five Spice blends.

Paprika

Paprika contains capsaicin which is also found in chiles and it is believed that capsaicin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that may lower the risk of cancer. There are several varieties of paprika – Spanish parika is consider a bit smoky sweet, Hungarian paprika packs a touch more heat and then there is Domestic which is grown in California.

Chile Peppers

Besides being loaded with vitamin C chile peppers contain the compound capsaicin and may lower the risks of skin and colon cancers. Chiles also have a reputation for raising the metabolic rate and studies have shown that those with higher amounts of chiles in their diets tend to consume fewer calories.

Nutmeg

Research shows Nutmeg contains antibacterial compounds that may help combat E. coli and salmonella. Try it in soups (especially split pea and tomato soups), and with seafood chowders, cheese dishes, lamb, milk dishes, pumpkin pie, eggs and sweet potatoes.

Oregano

The USDA reports that oregano possesses the highest antioxidant activity of 27 culinary herbs tested. Oregano comes in several varieties with the most popular being Mediterranean Oregano (also known as Greek Oregano) and Mexican Oregano.

Cumin

Cumin is an antioxidant and powerful anti-inflammatory that may help slow or halt tumor growth. Only recently has cumin started to be recognized as a popular spice in the United States but worldwide it is one of most consumed spices right after chiles and pepper.

Let us know what you think.