Thai Chicken Salad

Tonight's dinner was from a cookbook I use called "Eating for Energy".

Because I favour really easy meals over anything extravagant, I thought that this one was on the medium side in terms of prep-work (only b/c you mix 2 separate sauces: this is big for me)... Other than that it was really easy and very tasty!

1. Slice chicken breast and tofu into strips; saute in oil with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Set aside.

2 Chicken Breasts (skinless/boneless)

1/2 Package of Extra Firm Tofu

2 tsp ginger crushed

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce

2. Add dressing ingredients to pan, heat and stir.

Dressing

2Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp organic brown rice syrup (can use brown sugar here too)

2 Tbsp organic almond butter

2 tsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp teriyaki Sauce

Sprinkle chili powder

Fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 a lime

3. Place 1 cup of noodles on a plate and top with spinach, green onions, sliced peppers, nuts and chicken. Add dressing and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

1 bag baby spinach

2 green onions

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup toasted peanuts

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

1 package of brown rice noodles (You could also use whole wheat pasta here)

cilantro

NYC 2012 Marathon

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January 30 Day Challenge

One of my goals for 2012 is to come up with a 30 Day Challenge every month to keep me on track with my health, and to remove some of the pressure that can sometimes be associated with New Years' Resolutions.

For January I have decided to cut out sugar from my diet, which at the moment doesn't seem too hard considering I have been indulging in pretty much whatever dessert I have wanted over the last month without guilt.

The rules are simple, no cookies, cakes, candies, etc- as well as no sugar in my coffee and a limit of 1-2 servings of fruit per day (sugar is sugar kids)... I'll let you know how it goes.

What are you willing to do for 30 days?

Chia: What is it good for?

Chia Seeds epitomize the expression that good things come in small packages…. Used for centuries as a staple food of the Tarahumara tribe (See Born to Run by Christopher McDougall), the author relates a number of stories explaining how a handful of these tiny seeds allow members of this tribe to run, seemingly effortlessly, for up to 50 or 100 miles per day!

Remember the Chia Pet? Yep, it’s the same thing. Mix a spoonful of chia seeds with water and you will notice that it forms a gel-like substance… It does this because chia absorbs 12 times its weight in water! When you eat it, the gel that forms in your stomach creates a barrier between carbohydrates and the enzymes that break them down and subsequently slows the conversion of carbs to sugar. In other words, these little guys sustain you for longer.

They also keep you better hydrated, act as a significant source of protein, and because you can add them to pretty much anything, from smoothies, to power bars, or just sprinkled on your cereal, they are extremely easy to incorporate into your diet.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Chia Seed Smoothie for @RunnergirlAJ :)

Chia Seeds are MAJOR when it comes to straight up nutritional bang-for-your-buck (See tomorrow's post) ... The best part is you can pretty much add them to any type of smoothie, but this morning I opted for the following:

Banana Raspberry Explosion!

1 Banana

Handful of Frozen Raspberries

Handful of Baby Spinach

2 tablespoons Hemp Protein Powder

1 tablespoon Flaxseed Oil

1/2 Cup Water & 1/2 Cup Coconut Water

2 tablespoons Chia Seeds (you can grind them up first, or just throw them in whole)

Hope you like it!

Fuel Up Naturally

In 9 months I will be competing in my first Ironman and while my mental prep began months ago, I have really been honing my skills in the kitchen so that I am able to train for this event on a natural diet. Last year I went through a myriad of different gels, bars and bloks during training which left my digestive system a bit of a mess. It's amazing that athletes, who are presumably healthy individuals, allow themselves to ingest all those fake ingredients...

Here is a recipe for Sweet Potato Balls- The perfect combination of carbs, fat and protein to fuel your body for a swim, bike, or run... Or just to have as a side with a big salad (like we had for dinner the other night).

They are so easy to make, just boil 2-3 sweet potatoes and mash with a can of black beans and a couple of spoonfuls of salsa. Roll this mixture into small balls (think 3-4 bites/ball).

On a seperate plate sprinkle flax seeds and roll the ball in them so you have coated about 75%.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. They are great to eat both hot and cold.

Enjoy!

Beet&BlueberrySmoothie

This morning in place of a banana in my smoothie, I decided to throw in a beet... It may seem random, but it actually turned out pretty good. Packed with high levels of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium and Folate, beets pack a powerful punch of nutrients!

Beet and Blueberry Smoothie Recipe:

1 cup of water

1 cup of ice

1 tablespoon Hemp Protein Powder

1 tsp Hemp Oil

1 cup of frozen Bluberries

1 roasted beet