Healthy Oven-Baked Coconut Shrimp

You’ve got your sweater on and your heat is cranked up. It’s freezing outside and all you can think about is the warmth of spring that’s couple of months away. The thought of being outside makes you want to crawl in a hole…a very warm hole.

This healthy twist Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe will make you feel like you are on an island somewhere, lying in the warm sun, snuggling your toes in the hot sand. Although these coconut shrimp can be enjoyed as an appetizer, I often turn it into a meal by adding a simple green salad or a fruit salad. Don’t feel too guilty eating these as your main course; they’re baked and a much healthier alternative to the fried version.

Minutes to Prepare: 20                 Minutes to Cook: 20

Number of Servings: 4 (6 shrimps per serving)

Ingredients

·         24 large uncooked shrimp (peeled, deveined and leave tails intact)

·         1/3 cup cornstarch

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (alter to desire)

·         3 large egg whites

·         1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut 

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.       Rinse shrimp under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

3.       In a shallow dish combine cornstarch with salt and red pepper; stir to combine.

4.    Place egg whites in a medium bowl; beat using an electric mixer on high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes).

5.       Place the coconut in a shallow dish.

6.    Working one shrimp at a time dredge the shrimp first in the cornstarch mixture, then dip in egg whites and then in shredded coconut.

7.      Place the shrimp on a foil lined baking sheet that has been generously coated with cooking spray.

8.       Repeat with remaining shrimp (cornstarch, then egg white, and then in coconut).

9.       Lightly spray the shrimp with cooking spray.

10.   Bake 10 minutes. Turn shrimp and bake another 10 minutes or until shrimp are done.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving: 229.8 calories, Total Fat 9.7 g, Cholesterol 63.8 mg, Potassium 170.4 mg, Total Carbohydrate 23.4 g, Protein 12.5 g,

The Real "Value" is Family Dinner Time

Fast food is so pervasive in our society. Many times, it’s more accessible than a grocery store with fresh produce. Family mealtimes are becoming a past thing, due to time-poor duel working parents, and kids involved with extracurricular activities.

Not feeling like going through a drive thru? Burger King is now going to be experimenting with a delivery service in the DC metro area. For an extra $2 you can get your meal delivered to your home (just like a pizza). This is certainly not what something our nation needs. Now we don’t even have to get in our cars to pick it up? Fast food should be LESS accessible in this country, not more. We need to get back to family mealtime, cook with our kids, and care more about the benefits this provides – no matter how busy we are.

This is not about being opposed to ordering delivery or even taking away hamburgers! It is important to keep this in mind for you and your family’s health and wellness, it’s just as fast to make a home-cooked meal, and the result is higher quality food, enjoyed with the people you love. All you need to do is a little planning and make some time in your schedule. The benefits to your health and well-being outweigh the cost of your time and there is research to prove it.

Families Who Eat Together, Stay Healthy Together

Research shows that children and adolescents who share family meals 3 or more times per week are more likely to be in a normal weight range and have healthier eating patterns than those who share fewer than 3 family meals together. In addition, they are less likely to engage in disordered eating (skipping meals, compulsive overeating, restricting etc.). They are also less likely to have problems with substance abuse. Family mealtime creates stronger family bonds, and encourages positive social interactions.

What more could you ask for? When you are the chef, you eat healthier and you live healthier. Get help from the kids. Get help from slow cookers. It’s OK to cook the same meals over and over again.

The value of family meals goes beyond the food–it includes the connection you make with your family and the importance of being together, sharing stories of the day, and being a family. You don’t need a fancy meal; there are so many meals that can be pulled together in less than 15 to 20 minutes and get everyone involved. Wrap a tortilla, pack a pita pocket, stuff a baked potato, create a stir-fry, set up a salad bar–so many ideas for busy families.

Drive- Thru Salads?

Yes the drive-thru salads contain vegetables (mainly iceberg) and protein (seasoned chicken, whether breaded or grilled), but they have nearly a half days salt worth without the dressing and the iceberg doesn’t compare to the nutrition in kale, spinach, arugula, or romaine!

I stand by my comment, that just because it’s called a salad, doesn’t mean that it’s healthy. I believe in choosing foods you love so if there is fast food places with a salad you enjoy then by all means go for it. I just happen to think you can do a better job on your own.

If you are really in a time crunch and can get grocery delivery, do it. Add a leafy green or two, any other veggies you like, and your choice of lean protein, any bean, and you have a hearty, nutritious salad.

Salads can be a more healthful choice but only if you make adjustments to it, that is use less than 1/4 packet, for example instead of a whole packet and get grilled instead of fried chicken. Many fully dressed fast food salads can pack in as many if not more calories than a burger and fries, but if you pay attention to portions of add-ons like dressing, cheese, croutons and opt for grilled instead of fried chicken, it can fit into an otherwise healthful, balanced diet.

15-Minute Vitality Salad

Just in case you are stumped for at-home salad ideas, here is an easy recipe that literally takes 15 minutes to throw together. Add diced grilled chicken breast or seasoned tempeh to make this salad a complete meal.

Serves 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup dried green lentils

3 3/4 cups water, divided

1/2 cup whole wheat couscous

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cups (about 2 ounces) packed baby arugula leaves

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup prepared basil pesto

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

Directions

1.       Put lentils and 3 cups water into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again.

2.       Meanwhile, bring remaining 3/4 cup water to a boil in a small pot then pour over couscous in a large, heatproof bowl, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Uncover, add oil and fluff with a fork. Set aside to let cool, then add cooked lentils, arugula and tomatoes and toss gently to combine.

3.       In a small bowl, whisk together pesto, vinegar, salt and pepper. Just before serving, drizzle pesto mixture over salad and toss to coat.

Nutrition

Per serving: 230 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 480mg sodium, 29g total carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 10g protein

Don’t Waste Your Money on Naked Marketing Schemes

I have had couple of clients and colleagues asking me what my thoughts were regarding Naked Juice. I decided to take the liberty in gathering as much information as I can do before labeling it as a healthy drink or not. This was a project I took the liberty of doing on my own. My interest stemmed out of my personal experience with Naked Pomegranate Acai 15.2oz.  As I was sipping the drink and checking the label on the bottle, I was impressed with the picture showing how many fruits they used to fill the bottle I held in my hand:

1 2/3 Pomegranates

 95 Açaí Berries

 1 1/3 Apples

 1/2 Banana

 

14 Red Grapes

  

14 White Grapes

As what a good nutritionist would do, I looked at the nutrition label curious to see how much fiber, vitamins, sugar, and calories a bottle contained. I was under the impression that this liquid was jam packed with vitamins and minerals:

 

Nutrition Label Pomegranate Acai Naked

-One Serving size: 8oz

-Servings per container: 2

 One 15.2 oz. bottle contains:

-4 Servings of fruit

-320 calories

-62g sugar (AKA 5 tablespoons of sugar)

-0% Vit C

-2% Vit A

-0% Fiber

  

I was fooled by the pictures on the nutrition label, color of the juice, and even the flavor! This bottle was nothing more than a pretty package with what might as well be kool-aid mixed with 5 table spoons of sugar and water.

This nutrition label disappointed me enough to analyze each Naked Juice sold at a local grocery store for approximately $3.67 each:

What I found was that all of their drinks do not have any dietary fiber, some had very poor levels of vitamins and minerals, and others had a much better amount of nutrients. If I am buying something that cost almost $4.00 I expect to pay for the actual benefits from the fruit used to make the juice.

For Pomegranate Acai and all the flavors you will shortly see under the “Do Not Buy list”, the vitamins were eliminated during pasteurization, (the juice is heated to destroy harmful bacteria, vitamins are destroyed at high heat, and Naked never bothered to put synthetic vitamins back into the drink afterwards.)

The good news is that some of their products are not impostors and do provide you with a nutritious beverage. They all cost the same so you can make a better choice of selection from the varieties they offer after reading this.

The bad news is that all of the beverages had 0% Fiber. That means you will not have the benefit of feeling full longer like you would with the actual fruit in the raw, or have any of the benefit of the soluble fiber.

The following is a very condensed version of the Good versus the Bad:

DO NOT BUY 

The following are very poor in Vitamin A and C and other nutrients:

BUY these:

The following juices have been fortified with Vitamins and added Boosters:

Suggestion:

• Do not treat them as meal replacers
• Eat raw fruit and veggies instead to benefit from all the vitamins and fiber needed
• These should be treated as last choice for people who absolutely cannot eat raw fruits or veggies

Last Thought:

Be a responsible consumer and demand the qualities of products sold are what you want. We vote with our money to dictate what stays and what goes out of business. Hopefully this was helpful and you can apply it to your future purchase. Remember to be a smart shopperand always analyze what it is you are buying because you may get the same quality product for a fraction of the cost.

HIIT Workout: The Best Cardio For Weight Loss

If you are unhappy with how you look or feel, take it out on the treadmill with a HIIT Workout.

There is nothing like high intensity interval training “HIIT” to help you achieve maximum fat burning in limited time. A HIIT workout is the best cardio for weight loss and for metabolic conditioning. In this post, I will talk about the most critical elements of using a HIIT workout for weight loss and increased conditioning. Your conditioning and weight loss can also work hand in hand, as your conditioning improves you will also burn more fat. HIIT involves alternating between intervals of high intensity training and intervals of rest. An example of this would be to cycle as hard as you can for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. 

When it comes to increasing metabolic conditioning, a recent study showed that HIIT increased endurance like steady state cardio. The interesting discovery here is that HIIT only took 10% of the time to achieve the same results.

Another factor that HIIT improves is V02max, the amount of oxygen you can use per minute. This reflects your overall physical fitness. People that have a higher V02max use more energy doing the same activity, this helps them burn more fat.

Here is a quick 20 minutes fat blast HIIT treadmill workout that can be done whether you are at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level.

BEGINNER:

5 minute WARMUP

    2 minutes power walk warm up: 3.0-4.0 speed;  incline 0

    3 minutes power walk up hill: 3.3 speed; incline 3

5 minutes

    5 minute power walk 3.3 speed or faster; incline 5

9 minutes:

    1 minute power walk 4.0 speed or higher; incline 7

    30 seconds off (step to sides of treadmill- straddling)

    REPEAT those two 6 times…

1 minute cool down

    0 incline and walk it out level 3.5

INTERMEDIATE:

5 minute WARMUP

    2 minutes power walk warm up 4.0 speed; 0 incline

    3 minutes power walk up hill 3.3 speed ; incline 10

5 minutes

    5 minute power walk 3.3 speed ;incline 15

9 minutes:

    1 minute jog 4.0 speed on incline 15

    30 seconds off (step to sides of treadmill- straddling)

    REPEAT those two 6 times…

    1 minute cool down

1 minute cool down

    Put treadmill at 0 incline and walk it out level 3.5

ADVANCED

5 minute WARMUP

    2 minutes power walk warm up 4.0 speed, 0 incline

    3 minutes jog incline 2.0

5 minutes

    5 minute power walk 3.5 speed; incline 15

6 minutes

    1.30 minute sprint 5.0 speed;  incline 15

    30 seconds off (step to sides of treadmill- straddling)

    REPEAT those two 3 times…

3 minutes

    Treadmill flat to ground

    30 second jog level 5.0 or less speed; 0 incline

    1 minute SPRINT level 8.0-9.0, 0 incline

    REPEAT

1 minute cool down

    Put treadmill at 0 incline and walk it out

This is ideally done AFTER your weight workout with one of our trainers. I do not recommend this for someone who has bad knees or joints. As always, workouts must be coupled with a cleaneating plan to achieve results. 

For maximum success with your weight loss goals, contact Jessy at 309-689-1400 or click HERE.

Determination today equals satisfaction tonight!

Go through today with DETERMINATION if you want to end today with SATISFACTION. We hear it, but how do we live each day with determination?

Forget the past- Nothing before today or this moment right now can change. You can’t control what has happened, what you did, what you said, what you ate, or what you promised to yourself prior to this moment. You can’t change the past.  Although the past has shaped you and made you who you are today, it can’t be changed.

Decide what you want for yourself. People that are successful with change have a commonality: they all DECIDED to change. Once you decide what you want for your life, you will AMAZE yourself at what you can actually accomplish. Decide to be the success story and the one who over-came tough obstacles. Once you decide, anything is possible!

Be determined to find solutions and not excuses. You will get better at this with practice. When hurdles pop up and excuses pop into your head, make it a challenge to yourself to find solutions. Your boss wants you to work late and you have to miss your workout tonight? Eat your lunch quicker and workout during lunch. You hate your job? Work on your resume today and start to actually look for a new one. You hate your size? No one is force feeding you the food you may or may not eat today. You can’t afford to get help? What is more costly, preventative help now, or the cost of neglect later? Make better choices and decide.

Act as if- If you already were the best you that you want to be, what would you be doing, saying, eating, etc? Who would your friends be and what would your day be like? Start small with this and do what you can. Are you the person who eats lunch quickly and spends the majority of your hour power walking? Stop thinking about this and actually do this. Do you want to be the person who turns chaos into accomplishment? Start acting as if you are. Start to act as if you are already living that life and you will amaze yourself with what will actually become real.

Birds of a feather flock together--Misery loves company. Do your friends help you towards your goals or hinder you? Time to really evaluate this: If you are determined to have a happier, healthier, more active and fulfilling life, you may want to look first at who you associate yourself with.

Are you looking for a jump start? Contact Jessy at 309-689-1400 today!

Overcoming Overeating

Why do we eat? We all know why we should be eating: to supply our bodies with plenty of energy to get through the day; to get nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals which help us to stay healthy and free of disease; and to get useful carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—all of which contribute to running our bodies properly and maintaining good health.

In our food-obsessed culture with out-of-control portions always lurking within our grasps, how can we not overeat? It’s hard to break habits and go against the lessons we have always been taught, like cleaning our plates, not being wasteful, or getting the best deal—which usually means ordering up and getting a lot more food for the money.

There are many ways to stop overeating. From the following list, find a few that work best for you, and try several. 

Skills for Any Setting

Whether you’re cooking your own meals, eating at work, or snacking at a football game, here are the strategies you can take anywhere

• Know your portion sizes. Make your own "portion pack" to take with you or keep the following common items in mind when preparing and eating meals.

o   A golf ball is the size of a serving of nuts (including peanut butter) or cheese.

o   A deck of playing cards is equivalent to 3 ounces of any meat.

o   Use a die to estimate a proper serving of oils and fats.

o   For fruit and veggie servings, use a tennis ball.

o   One serving of cooked grains or potatoes is about the size of a computer mouse.

• Divide your plate. When cooking at home, looking at pictures on menus, or shopping ala carte at the work cafeteria, your plate should look like this:

o   Half (or more) of the plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables.

o   Protein-rich foods (meat or legumes) and starches (grains, potatoes, bread) should take up one quarter of the plate each.

o   Fill your "divided plate" only once. If you’re still hungry, have another half-plate of vegetables. It’s that simple.

• Surround yourself with positive people who motivate you to reach your goals, not those who want to sabotage your efforts. When you feel tempted, emotional, or if you have already gotten off-track, turn to your support group. Call a friend, email a family member, or even get online. Sometimes all you need is a short word of advice from a friendly voice.

Tips at Home

Cooking at home may be the easiest way to control your portions during a meal, but it also presents us with fully-stocked cupboards and refrigerators that can be tempting:

• Bring home healthy fast food. Try pre-cut, frozen, or microwave-in-the-bag vegetables. Automatic portion control.
• Stop the Taste-Testing Habit. If you’re the cook in the family, you may be eating a lot of calories when you taste your foods as you cook. To stop this natural habit, try chewing gum while you prepare you meals. Each time you are tempted to sneak a bite, you’ll have to take the gum out of your mouth. This will make you more conscious of what you’re doing.
• Make fruit your dessert. It’s a great way to get more produce into your diet, and it satisfies the sweet craving many people have after a meal. Experiment with new and exotic fruits. And, when it comes to fruit, eating a little extra isn’t a bad thing.
• Keep your hands busy. Many people want to eat when bored or just out of habit while watching TV. Keep your hands occupied with something else, and you won’t want to eat. Try knitting, painting your nails, shuffling cards, petting your cat—anything that keeps your hands moving will do the trick. Or, keep your whole body busy by doing crunches, squats, lunges or other body exercises while you watch.
• Make a rule that works for you and your family. No eating in front of the TV, in the car, or at your desk. This will help you avoid mindless eating when you’re not hungry.

Tricks for Dining Out

It’s difficult to control your portions—not to mention ingredients and cooking method—when you are at a restaurant. Despite this, there are several things you can control:

• Inquire about portion sizes. If it sounds huge, and it probably is, ask the server to split your entrée in half. Tell them to box up half ahead of time (and maybe even keep it in the kitchen until you’re ready to leave). Or, split the dish with a friend.
• Order ala carte. When you feel like you can’t win on size, or if even half of an entrée is still way too big, order side items. Most restaurants do offer staples like baked potatoes, steamed fresh veggies, and rice dishes. Or, even if it’s dinnertime, ask for the lunch portion. You may have to pay the dinner price, but you’ll save yourself from eating way too much, and you’ll be much happier about that.
• Decide ahead of time what you’ll order. That way, you won’t be tempted by the less-healthy fare when you look at the menu. If you’re familiar with the menu, don’t even look at it—simply order what you already had in mind.
• Don’t be afraid to make substitutions in ingredients and cooking methods. Many people don’t like to be picky at restaurants, but think of it this way. They’re there to meet your needs and serve you. If they don’t have something you want, ask! Vegetarians and vegans know this scenario all-too-well, because they have to modify almost every dish on the menu to be able to eat it. Waiters and waitresses will want to comply and help out (because it means tips for them), and chefs can easily make modifications. 
• Add something new. Ask for extra veggies in your salad, or to add vegetables to a dish (like pizza or pasta) that doesn’t normally contain them.
• Substitute. Get the plain baked potato instead of the mammoth french fries; Ask for grilled chicken on your salad instead of breaded. 
• Tell your server you don’t want the free bread, chips, etc. when you first arrive. Or, if you do eat it, let them know that you don’t need another round.
• Don’t pick at the food left on your plate. Put your utensils on your plate so the handles get dirty. You won’t want to pick them up again, and you won’t mindlessly eat more while chatting over dinner. Or, try laying your napkin over top of the remaining food. Out of sight, out of mind.

Oranges, Caramelized Red Onions and Baby Spinach in Balsamic Vinaigrette

This salad is easy, different and all of the preparation can be done ahead of time.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 large red onion, cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds (try to keep the rounds intact)

4 navel oranges

7 ounces (about 5 cups) baby spinach

Directions

1. Set oven rack 5-6 inches from top and preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. Make vinaigrette by combining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a small bowl.

3. Dip onions into vinaigrette, being careful to keep rounds intact, and lay in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Broil until soft and caramelized, 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to assemble salad.

4. Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, carefully removing all of the white membrane. Slice into rounds about 1/4-inch thick, remove any seeds, and place in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour vinaigrette over top, making sure oranges are well coated on both sides, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.

5. To assemble the salad, place spinach on large platter or individual plates. Scatter caramelized onions over spinach, and then place marinated oranges on top. Quickly whisk vinaigrette from soaked oranges, then drizzle over top or serve on the side.

Enjoy!