Chocolate goodness without the guilt

I have been super procrastinating and know I've been saying I am going to keep up with blogging and have neglected to; however, I am determined to keep up with it lol!  Well today is such a beautiful day and the temperature has dropped back down to a really good soup/stew kinda day and plan to make a healthy version of a Hungarian beef stew.  My boyfriend and his best friend are going to be doing a 5k obstacle run in a few months which gives me even more of an opportunity to do more of my recipe/meal planning plus it also helps that he is so open-minded about food and has yet to really dislike anything I have made in the health department.

With the Hungarian beef stew, I wanted to make a good dessert; however, I want something that is sinful tasting but healthy.  Cesar is a massive chocoholic so it gives me the opportunity to work on a Chocolate Almond Torte that he can enjoy without any guilt.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar

3 large egg whites (at room temperature)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, combine the almond milk and cocoa powder, and heat over medium heat 

Whisking constantly until smooth and just comes to a boil

Remove from heat; whisk in chopped chocolate and vinegar until smooth. 

 Cool down to room temp.

Preheat oven to 350, and lightly coat a spring-form pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl stir the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  

Stir in cooled chocolate mix into flour mix.

Stir well until combined.  Set aside

Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.  (your eggs must be a room temperature or you will not achieve the right texture/peaks).  

Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, about 1 Tbs at a time, increasing speed to high until stiff peaks form (peaks should stand straight up). 

Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mix, **Make sure you do not stir or you will break the eggs and your cake will not be fluffy**)  

Fold in the remaining egg whites until combined.  

Spread batter into the prepared baking pain, and sprinkle almonds all over the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 min or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (mine took 25 min).  Cool on a wire rack for about 20 min.  Run a small spatula or thin knife carefully around the edges of the cake to loosen from the sides of the pain; unlock the pain and remove the bottom.  Return to the wire rack and allow to cool completely.  Makes 12 serving.

What do the numbers look like? 

Calories 136

Fat 4.2 g

Cholesterol 0

Sodium 78 mg

Potassium 152 mg

Carbs 25.3 mg

Fiber 2.5 mg

Sugar 15.5 mg

Protein 3.5 mg

Also per my recipe analyzer this recipe is very high in Manganese and Zinc.  Sodium is way lower and the fiber is above the allowable per calories.  The sugar is a tad higher than the allowable but is okay considering you're only having one serving and are being mindful of everything else throughout the day.  Next time, I may try the coconut sugar to see how it tastes as this would change the sugar content considerably.

Can you say sinful?  Look at all those little bubbles created from the egg whites making this so light and fluffy as opposed to heavy and dense.  You can sprinkle a little powdered sugar on top if you like.

Until next time, Happy Eating!

Gobble Gobble, It's a Wrap!

Well I am trying to be diligent in keeping up with my blog; I seriously need something to occupy my brain from thinking about the crap that has been going on over the past several months: the lies, the games & the deceit.  Cooking has always been such a therapeutic measure for me so being able to use my knowledge and talents to create healthy meals AND get paid for them is actually keeping my mind and thoughts occupied.  

I met an individual almost 2 mos ago who works for a very prominent oil & gas company who is also an avid baseball player.  He has been thoroughly impressed with my knowledge of nutrition and my cooking so he asked me to help him get leaner and faster.  As a person who runs several miles daily, works out in the gym daily and lives at a baseball lab to hone in on his skills, my goal was to watch carb intake but not delete it completely, increase his protein intake, fiber, and stay under the fat per calorie ratio as well.  After talking with one of my friends, who happens to be a medical professional and avid Crossfitter, I take into consideration several Paleo aspects when meal prepping for him.  It has now been 5 wks, and he was excited to report the other night that his energy has increased tremendously and he can see more muscle definition.  My other client is an MMA fighter, and his needs are on the severe opposite spectrum of the board since he needs to stay bulked and build more muscle.

I get asked where I find my recipes, but in actuality what happens are several things:  I have a wall of cookbooks, magazines, research online, do Pinterest and follow several individuals on Facebook.  What happens most of the time is I come up with an idea for something I want to work on, research and pinpoint about 3-5 different recipes.  I pay attention to the ingredients and start piecing components of each to create that dish; once that is done, I run a nutritional analysis to see how "bad" it is, lol.  Then what I end up doing is substituting ingredients with healthier options, scale down measurements for 2 people, add spice elements from my cupboard and find extra ways to sneak in protein and fiber.  Then I run another nutritional analysis and calculate everything to see how far under I came with things such as sodium, carbs, fat etc., and TADA, I have my recipe!

This recipe just so happens to be one of those gems I am thoroughly thankful and pleased to share with all of you because it tastes AMAZING!!!  The calories are awesome, the fat content is under the recommended per calories, plus the protein is super high, the fiber has been boosted past the recommended levels and the sodium is just under recommendation as well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with anything here.....PLUS HERE'S THE ADDED BONUS:  IT IS SUPER EASY AND FAST TO MAKE!!

Ingredients:

6 oz. Honeysuckle White Extra Lean Ground Turkey, cooked & drained

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp low sodium soy sauce (I use Kikkoman)

1 tsp water

1 tsp Sriracha

1 oz water chestnuts, diced

1 Tbs chopped green onions

1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp chia seeds

8 Romaine Heart Leaves

1 Tbs chopped raw, unsalted cashews

Preparation:

Brown and drain the turkey.  

Mix all of the ingredients (except the cashews) thoroughly until everything is completely incorporated.

I find that doubling the Romaine Hearts holds up better.  I see places that use iceberg lettuce, but there is really zero nutritional value in it so I went for the Romaine.  (I wonder how it would do with kale?!?! lol)  Spoon turkey mix onto leaves and sprinkle with chopped cashews.

Note:  this recipe is a one-serving recipe and easy to calculate double, tripe, etc...

Here's the nutritional skinny:

Calories:       333.0
Total Fat:         8.6 g
Sat Fat:             0.9 g
Cholesterol:    76.0 mg
Sodium:         544.0 mg
Potassium:     181.0 mg
Total Carbs:    11.5 mg
Fiber:                 8.4 g
Sugar:                8.9 g
Protein:             45.2 g

Vit A:      29%
Calcium:  4%
Vit C:       8%
Iron:       40%

Well I hope you enjoy making these and that they are enjoyed thoroughly as well.  

Until next time, Happy Eating!!

Pasta without the pasta!

I am back!  I've been going through some trial and tribulations over the past several months that have been clogging up my mindset and my heart thus leading me to want to do absolutely nothing.  Now that I have somewhat, not completely, overcome the situation and ordeal, I am now back in the kitchen.  I have been fortunate to have met someone who has a serious interest in his health as he is a baseball player and works hard daily in the gym.  He has brought a breath of fresh air into my lungs and has his priorities set and is very kind, affectionate, passionate in what he does and works very hard.  He has asked me to help him stay fit and get even leaner by prepping his daily breakfast and lunch, and I now have meaning again, not only in what he has brought to my life but my love of cooking.

I have been following a blog lately My Whole Food Life and have found a couple of interesting recipe ideas.  I of course run them through my recipe analyzer and tweak them to fit our goals and needs a lot better including dropping the sodium and fat content and increasing the protein, and in some cases, the fiber.  One such recipe idea I loved was the Peanut Noodle Stir Fry and below is my version of her recipe.  (By the way, I seasoned my chicken with a little Chinese Five Spice & garlic powder)

Here is my version:

Ingredients

6 oz. Simple Truth boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked & cut into cubes
4 oz Explore Asian Organic Black Bean Spaghetti
1/2 cup broccoli
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 green onions, cut into strips
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 Tbs PB2 mixed
1/8 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/8 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preparation:

1.  Cook noodles according to package direction (very low simmer for about 7 min) & set aside.
2.  In a small bowl whisk together PB2, orange juice, soy sauce & red pepper flakes & set aside.

3.  Thoroughly spray a large skillet with cooking spray &, saute carrots, mushrooms, celery, broccoli & onions over medium heat for about 5-7 min.

4.  Add the sauce & saute for another 4-5 min; you may need to add about 1/2 cup of water to keep sauce from thickening too much and sticking to your skillet and to keep it creamy.

5.  Add the noodles and chicken & stir well to coat.  Continue to saute until well incorporated.

You may be wondering about the noodles; honestly they do not even taste like beans at all!  They are extremely high in fiber which is good because fat binds to fiber so you can expel it (LOL).

This recipe makes 2 servings, and here are the nutritional comparisons (cutting hers in half):

                                      MINE                    HERS

Calories                        520.0                       466.0
Total Fat                          5.8                         15.4
Saturated Fat                  2.0                           3.1
Cholesterol                    49.0                            ---
Sodium                         682.0                     1059.0
Potassium                     370.0                       561.0
Total Carbs                    46.1                         63.3
Fiber                               27.4                           5.7
Sugar                              14.7                           6.2
Protein                           74.8                          20.2

Vit A                              103%                     103%
Calcium                             8%                       28%
Vit C                                70%                       65%
Iron                                448%                       36%

I hope that this dish is a hit and that you enjoy it as well.  Until next time, Happy Eating!

Have Your Pasta and Eat It Too!!!!!!!!!

Please forgive me for having strayed for a while now; this does not mean that I have not been cooking up a storm, rather I just haven't had time to post anything as life just seems to happen.

So I have found a great recipe from Oxmoor House called Mexican Bow-Tie Pasta with Chicken.  When I ran the numbers through my recipe analyzer, I was floored!  I knew that I could make it way better, or rather healthier, while still preserving the flavor.  So I started manipulating and calculating until I came up with the perfect ingredients, which brings me to tonight's current blog.

Ingredients:

1 lb Barilla Farfalle, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs  Simple Truth - Natural Chicken Breast Boneless Skinless
2 Tbs Land O Lakes Spreadable - Light Butter With Canola Oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Central Market 2% Milk
1 cup Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock
1 cup Red Gold Mild Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
8 oz pkg Philadelphia - Fat Free Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Tbs Chives, chopped

Preparation:

Cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into bite-size pieces. You may be wondering about this Simple Truth Natural Chicken; I found this as Kroger, and it's not super expensive plus the nutritional value is excellent.  

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until chicken is just cooked through. 

Stir in flour; slowly pour in milk and stock, stirring constantly. Add Red Gold Tomatoes & Chilies and cream cheese and stir until sauce is hot and bubbling, and cream cheese is melted and smooth.

Add drained pasta to skillet; stir until pasta is coated with sauce and everything is well combined. 

Top with chives.

Serve immediately.

This recipe is enough for 6 servings.  It was a great hit in our household; it has a really great flavor even without adding any extra salt to it.  It is creamy, rich, has a slight bite and is not bad for you either so you can go ahead and enjoy this pasta dish.

Calories:  482
Fat:  5
Sat. Fat:  1
Cholesterol:  75
Sodium:  565
Carbs:  62
Fiber:  3
Sugar:  6
Protein:  43

I know you're probably looking at the carbs and thinking it is too high, but it is not.  You're allotted 0.15 carbs per calorie; based on the calculation, you are allowed 72.3 carbs per serving so this recipe comes under even on that point!

I will warn you that changing any aspect of this recipe, will change all the numbers.  One important thing to look out for is Sodium.  The chicken stock I use has MUCH less sodium than the intended chicken broth; I'm talking half!  So if you're looking at tweaking it in anyway (to fit what items you have in your household) and want to see how the numbers may change, run it through My Fitness Pal recipe calculator.

Hope this serves as helpful and that you enjoy it as much as we did.  I promise to not stay away for such long periods of time.

Until next time, Happy Eating!!