New and Approved Shrimp Fettucini Alfredo

Have you heard or even tried the Shirataki noodles?

 

Shirataki noodles are very low carbohydrate, low calorie, thin, translucent, gelatinous traditional Japanese noodles made from yam. Shirataki noodles come in two forms, tofu shirataki and regular shirataki. Both types contain a yam flour base. The difference with tofu shirataki is the addition of a small amount of tofu. Shirataki noodles contain 0 calories per serving because they are almost entirely made of fiber. Tofu shirataki noodles contain 20 calories per serving because of the addition of tofu. Many people prefer tofu shirataki noodles to regular shirataki noodles because the texture is more pasta-like. Regardless of which you choose, both types make great pasta substitutes. You can purchase shirataki noodles in a variety of pasta shapes, including angel hair, spaghetti and fettuccine.

How Do I Prepare It?

Step 1: Empty your noodles into a strainer, and rinse them with water to get rid of the liquid they were packed in.

Step 2: Dry them as thoroughly as possible by blotting with paper towels -- remove as much moisture as possible. This is an important step, try not to skip it.

Step 3: Cut them up a bit; they can be VERY long.

Step 4: Heat your noodles for a minute or two in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. (If microwaving, you may want to blot for liquid one more time before adding sauce.)

The below recipe is a protein-packed and veggie-loaded spin on my famous Fettuccine Alfredo without all the fat. It's super-easy and super-delicious. Check it out...

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 210 calories, 5g fat, 550mg sodium, 13g carbs, 5g fiber, 24.5g protein.

Ingredients:

1 bag Tofu Shirataki Fettuccine Shaped Noodles

1 tsp. reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese

1 cup chopped spinach leaves

1/2 cup frozen broccoli florets, thawed

3 oz. frozen ready-to-eat medium shrimp, thawed

2 tsp. reduced-fat Parmesan-style grated topping

Optional seasonings: salt, black pepper

Directions:

1. Use a strainer to rinse and drain noodles. Thoroughly pat dry. Roughly cut noodles.

2. Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Add noodles, sour cream, garlic, and cheese wedge, breaking the wedge into pieces. Cook and stir until cheese has melted, mixed with sour cream, and coated noodles.

3. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Cook and stir until spinach has wilted and dish is hot, 2 - 3 minutes. Enjoy!

Five Things You Should Know About Eggs

1. Besides the salmonella risk, downing eggs raw won't provide as much fuel. Studies show that the protein in fully cooked eggs is 91% bio available, or ready to be used by the body. Raw eggs are only half as potent.

2. While a yolk carries all of an egg’s five grams of fat and 186 mg of cholesterol, it also packs about half the egg's six grams of protein, as well as its payload of amino acids and vitamins A, B, D, E, and K. 

3. Egg yolks contain choline, an essential nutrient that helps maintain brain-cell structure and neurotransmitters. 

4. The spindly white fiber attached to the yolk is called the chalaza, which protects the yolk by keeping it suspended within the shell.

5. There is absolutely no nutritional difference between brown eggs and white ones. Brown eggs are laid by hens with red earlobes, and white eggs are laid by hens with white earlobes. End of story.

For a fat-burning, low dense, highprotein meal, which is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Give this recipe a try!

Scrambled Eggs With Turkey

Ingredients

1 cup egg whites or egg substitute

1 Tbsp. coarse-grained mustard

6 oz. ground turkey

Salt and pepper (optional)

3⁄4 cup chopped green onions

2 tsp. dried thyme

Butter-flavored cooking spray

Preparation

1.    Whisk egg whites and mustard in a small bowl. Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.

2.      Add ground turkey, breaking into small pieces until browned; drain.

3.      Add salt and pepper, green onions and thyme. Heat for one minute, then transfer to a large bowl.

4.      Recoat skillet with cooking spray. Add egg white mixture and stir over medium heat until softly set (about three minutes).

5.      Add ground turkey mixture and cook, stirring often, until eggs are just set (about two minutes).

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving: 382 calories, 58 g protein, 2 g carbs, 15 g fat.

11 Reasons Why You Should Drink Green Tea

Why I Plank? The Benefits of Planking

When I was first introduced to planks 5 years ago, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and thought how easy this exercise will be!  I’ve kept thinking (like everyone else) planks are a waste of time and the only reason these people are doing them is because they are easy and they can tell people they exercised.  

Let me set the record straight: planks, when done correctly and for the appropriate length of time and number of sets are not easy.  Try holding a plank for 2 minutes, resting for 1 minute and then repeating for a total of 3 to 5 sets.  For me, that’s hard.  For someone else, that may be easy.  The appropriate length of time to hold a plank and the number of repetitions are up to the person doing the plank. (Please make sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program and doing any exercises). If you haven’t exercised for a while or are out of shape, start out slow.  Do 3 planks holding each for 20 seconds and resting 30 seconds between plank holds.  As you build your core muscles then increase the length of your plank holds and the number of repetitions.

If you push yourself a little, doing planks are not easy and the benefits are outstanding.

Top 5 Benefits of doing Planks

1.   Works your upper abs, your lower abs, your obliques, and your lower back (do standard and side planks to work your entire abs).

2.       Builds the stabilizer muscles.

3.       Builds strength for pushups.

4.       Promotes good posture and helps prevent back injuries.

5.       Teaches your abs to stay contracted in a regular standing position.

How to Do a Plank

1.       Get face down on the floor resting on your forearms and knees.

2.       Push off the floor, raising up off your knees onto your toes and resting mainly on your elbows.

3.       Contract your abs to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up.

4.       Keep your back flat — don't drop it or you'll be defeating the purpose. Picture your body as a long straight board, or plank.

5.       Hold as long as you can. Aim for 20-30 seconds in the beginning and work your way up to one minute, as you get stronger.

6.       Repeat three times.

*For beginners, do this move on your knees and gradually work your way up to balancing on your toes. 

 

Variations on the Standard Plank

There are many ways you can mix up the standard plank to work your muscles in different ways while still getting the benefits of plank exercises.

Advanced planks

• Do planks on your hands. Your body will be in a similar position as a push-up, except your arms are only shoulder-width apart.
• Use an exercise ball or BOSU ball
• Place your feet on the exercise ball or BOSU ball and do your standard plank on your hands. You can also do the reverse, by placing your hands on the BOSU or exercise ball instead.

• Side planks
• After you have raised yourself to an advanced plank position, rotate your body to one side so you are only supporting yourself with one hand. The other hand will be in the air.

I’m a believer in adding planks to my weekly exercise program.  Next time you are working out with a trainer, if you haven’t been doing them, ask him or her about planks.

Insulin--What Is It and How Does It Affect Your Health and Body Weight?

When people hear the word ‘insulin’ they mostly associate it with diabetes and don’t pay much attention to what it means to their own body. Insulin gets a ‘bad rap’ because of its direct association with diabetes, but insulin plays a BIG role in EVERY body!  Insulin is responsible for determining whether you are storing or burning fat, your energy levels, your mental awareness, athletic performance, and even the possibility of chronic disease!  So understanding how insulin works is very important to your health!

What is insulin anyway?  Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreaswhen you eat carbohydrates.  Have you ever eaten a big pasta meal, and wanted to take a nap a few hours later?  Have you ever started eating chips or crackers and you just couldn’t stop?  If you have experienced one or both of these situations, you have EXPERIENCED what an insulin spike can do to you.  

So what does insulin do? In simple terms, when you eat carbohydrates, they are absorbed into the blood stream (as glucose or sugar) which in turn elevates your blood sugar levels. The pancreas secretes insulin to help your body process the increased blood sugar (glucose) and store it as glycogen in your muscles and liver.  If the glycogen stores in your muscles and liver are full, then the ‘excess’ blood sugar is stored as body fat!  If your body is secreting insulin, it is in a ‘storing’ process, and NO body fat will be burned.

Back to our big pasta meal-- when we ate that meal, we had a large flood of carbohydrates which led to a big spike in insulin secretion.  Since insulin’s job is to ‘lower’ blood sugar, it does just that.  But because of the huge insulin spike, it can lower blood sugar a bit too much, and that is when you feel drowsy, tired, and generally like you need a nap!

Along those same lines, when you nibble on crackers, chips, or other carbohydrate rich ‘snack’ food, you get a steady release of insulin.  This steady release of insulin keeps lowering your blood sugar, which in turn tells YOU to keep eating to get it back up!  Now you know WHY you just couldn’t put those ‘fat free’ crackers, chips, and crisps down!

What does fat have to do with insulin? Carbohydrates are directly tied to your insulin levels, but fats have a role in this as well.  If you are eating healthy fats with your meals, these fats will S-L-O-W the digestion of carbohydrates which will slow the rise in blood sugar which will keep those insulin spikes at bay.

What is a healthy fat? A balance between Omega 3 (from fish oil) and Omega 6 fats (found in vegetable oils such as corn, sesame, safflower, peanut etc…). We naturally get enough, often too much Omega 6 fats in our diet.  To have a proper balance, you have to be conscious of and increase your Omega 3 intake which can be found in fish, wild meats, and grass fed beef. An easy way to get these is from fish oil supplements. If you are eating “bad” fats (trans-fats) or you are not eating the proper balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats, your cells won’t be able to convert the blood sugar easily, leading to insulin resistance.

What is insulin resistance?Insulin resistance is when your cells are less affected by insulin and your blood sugar (from carbs you have eaten) can’t move freely into your body’s cells to be either burned or stored. As a reaction your pancreas secretes more insulin and you have both high levels of glucose (blood sugar) and insulin circulating in your body with neither of them going to where they are supposedto be. High levels of insulin trigger the production of stress hormone; cortisol along with blood sugar will be turned into body FAT. Insulin resistance negatively effects body fat (especially belly fat) increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, hormone health, including testosterone.Insulin resistance ultimately will turn into Type 2 Diabetes. However, insulin resistance is NOT a constant and can be improved with nutrition and exercise!

What you can do to improve your insulin health:

·     Improve your diet by eating more protein, less starchy-carbohydrate foods, and healthy fats at each meal.  Protein is VERY important because protein secretes a hormone that is basically the opposite of insulin, and its job is to raise blood glucose levels.  The hormone is glucagon, and it raises glucose levels by RELEASING stored energy.  This releasing of energy into the blood stream is how body fat is burned.  If insulin is being secreted, you are storing energy.  If glucagon is secreted, you are releasing energy.  So, if you want to keep insulin at bay, make sure you are consuming protein and healthy fats at every meal.

·         Eat low glycemic carbohydrates such as:

o   Vegetables such as kale, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, asparagus, cucumbers, spinach, peppers, zucchini

o   Fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, nectarines, avocado, grapefruit, tomatoes

o   Grains such as steel cut oats, whole grain breads

·     Increase physical activity – Make sure you are doing cardio and strength trainingexercises.  On a daily basis, make sure you are lifting weights, doing interval training, speed walking, jogging, running, elliptical, cycling, stair climbing, or whatever gets your heart racing and sweat going!

There you have it – Hopefully you have a better understanding of insulin and the role it plays in your life!  I know things might have gotten a bit complex there, but trust me, it is really easy.  Just make sure you are eating healthy fats and protein with your carbohydrates, and you should FEEL a difference!

If you have any questions, feel free to stop by and see Jessy or contact her at 689-1400.

Presidents' Day Favorite Recipes

Celebrate United States history with some tasty recipes from some of our past Presidents and other political figures. George Washington was known for his eggnog recipe and Mamie Eisenhower for her fudge. But did you know that Thomas Jefferson had a favorite Chicken Fricassee recipe?

Thomas Jefferson's Chicken Fricassee Recipe

Serves/Makes:   6

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds chicken pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups water

1 cup dry wine

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cups fresh small mushrooms

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 cup half and half cream

hot cooked rice

PREPARATION:

1.       Wash and dry the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and paprika.

2.       Cook the chicken over high heat in a Dutch oven; remove the chicken when well browned. Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and cook the flour until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Whisk in water and wine until smooth.

3.       Return the chicken to the Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 50 minutes.

4.       Remove chicken, keeping warm, and reserve broth in large container. Broth may be strained to remove particles.

5.       Melt butter in Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add onion, cook until lightly browned. Add mushrooms, sage and parsley. Add broth, and chicken. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thoroughly heated. Served over rice.

NUTRITION:

495 calories, 34 grams fat, 9 grams carbohydrates, 31 grams protein per serving. T

Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies Recipe

Serves/Makes:   36

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened flake coconut

2 cups chopped pecans

PREPARATION:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.       Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

3.       In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars; beat to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla extract.

4.       Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

5.       For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through.

6.       Remove cookies from rack to cool.

NUTRITION:

337 calories, 19 grams fat, 42 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein per serving.

Lyndon Johnson's Favorite Chili Recipe

Serves/Makes:   10

INGREDIENTS:

4 pounds Chili-ground beef chuck OR venison

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)

2 tablespoons Chili powder (or more, to taste)

1 teaspoon cumin

salt, to taste

6 dashes Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce (if desired)

2 cups hot water

1 1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes, undrained

PREPARATION:

1.       Place the meat, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven.

2.       Cook over medium heat until the lightly browned. Add the oregano, chili powder, cumin, salt and Tabasco.

3.       Pour in the water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour.

4.       Skim fat during the cooking, if desired. Serve hot.

NUTRITION:

496 calories, 38 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 33 grams protein per serving.

Nancy Reagan's Onion Wine Soup Recipe

Serves/Makes:   8

 

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons butter

5 large onions, chopped

5 cups beef broth

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup light cream

1 teaspoon minced parsley

black pepper

PREPARATION:

1.       Melt butter in large saucepan. Add chopped onions and gently saute (about 10 minutes). Add beef broth, celery and potato. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

2.       Puree mixture in a blender. Return to saucepan and add wine, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in cream, parsley and pepper to taste. Heat, being sure NOT to boil, as the cream will curdle.

NUTRITION:

210 calories, 12 grams fat, 14 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams protein per serving.