Ron comes home from a long workout and heads to the kitchen to refuel. It's usually always eggs, avocado and green chile sauce. Sometimes he eats that on whole-wheat toast other times he just chops it all up. Well, I didn't want to miss out so after my next bike ride, I came home and made my own yummy creation (minus the green chile sauce, but I could substitute salsa instead). He's pretty smart... it's filling, it's yummy and good for you too. My recommendation - make your own similar healthy, protein-packed meal for breakfast, post-workout, whenever. Enjoy!
Action Item: Take time to eat a meal if you are hungry. Snacking and grazing will only lead to overeating. If you really only have time to "grab" something, make sure it's appropriate - hydrate well, and pick items such as nuts, cheese, carrot sticks and hummus or a piece of fruit.
We tried another recipe for you! This one looked really good, so I wasn't concerned with a "flop."
The Big Salad article (actually five salad recipes) is also from a recent Runner's World issue. Here's the one I made last night:
Quick Hummus Salad
Easy to assemble and rich in vital nutrients for runners, this deconstructed hummus is perfect for weekday lunches. Chickpeas, the main ingredient in hummus, provide protein, carbs, and plenty of insoluble fiber. "The fiber in chickpeas can improve the health of your GI tract," Katz says. Walnuts (and other nuts) provide crunch and protect against heart disease. Harvard researchers found that people who eat nuts regularly are 29 percent less likely to develop the disease. Nut-eaters are slimmer, too. A synergy of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals is likely behind nuts' potent health benefits.
In a bowl, toss 2 (14-ounce) cans drained and rinsed chickpeas, 2 shredded carrots, 1 diced red bell pepper, 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 1 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup diced red onion, 3/4 cup diced feta, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and 1/2 cup golden raisins. Divide 8 cups mixed salad greens among 4 plates. Top with chickpea mixture and tahini dressing. Serves 4.
Tahini Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
Calories per serving: 618
Carbs: 53 g
Fiber: 15 g
Protein: 18 g
Fat: 39 g
Note: The nutrition data for each salad is calculated with dressing.
The salad and dressing were very tasty, very filling and had a great texture with all the different ingredients. The recipe makes a lot; so we have leftovers which is a good thing with a meal that we enjoyed.
Can you guess? Is it a leafy green? Is it a new super chia seed? Nope, I'm talking about crickets! I haven't lost my mind, I haven't eaten any variation of cricket (yet), but an article in Outside magazine caught our attention. Ron actually introduced me to the article.
Here's an excerpt, "Indeed, insect meal stacks up against other superfoods. It has more protein that a wild caught salmon, with a complete set of amino acids. Cricket flesh has more iron than beef, more calcium than milk, and plenty of B vitamins absent from vegetable-based protein sources like hemp and soy. But the real advantage? Surprisingly, the taste. Bug flour is relatively easy to disguise compared with whey and soy powders, so the bars made from it don't need to contain as much sugar."
As you well know, people around the world regularly eat insects. In our culture, bugs are basically "gross" unless you're a seven-year-old boy who loves gathering, watching and protecting them. Articles like this one cause us to stop and think about why we feel a certain way about things. Is an insect truly gross to eat or is that just what we've been taught to think? I'm not advocating bug eating. That's completely up to you, your adventurous spirit and the particular diet you follow. Insect eating would be a definite yes for the paleo diet, probably a no for vegetarians, and a big no thank you for vegans is my guess, and everyone else probably falls along the spectrum of "sure, give me a bite" to "no way!"
Exo Bar ingredients
The article in Outside magazine focuses mainly on cricket meal or flour and the companies making products with this superfood flour (links are below).
Let me know what you think! Have you eaten cricket meal, a fried insect or a live one for that matter? Would you?
Action Item: Be on the lookout for energy bars or foods that contain cricket meal. You might give it a try! I know I'm curious.
Nooch is the nickname for Nutritional Yeast. Thought "nooch" might garner more initial interest until you learn more and even "nutritional yeast" will sound yummy.
I've heard a lot about nutritional yeast, have friends who talk about using it in meals or sprinkling it on popcorn, but I've never stopped to investigate for myself. Today I did. Now it's on my shopping list for my next trip to the store.
What is Nutritional Yeast? Yellow in color and with a nutty cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast is a great addition to any kitchen. It's loaded with vitamins and minerals and naturally low in fat. Nutritional yeast is a delicious way to infuse flavor in a variety of meals. Soups, salads, casseroles, popcorn and dips are but a few dishes that can benefit from a nutritional yeast makeover. It will improve the flavor when added to a dish, and increase its health benefits.
Nutritional yeast is also the only reliable food source of vitamin B12, so if you're vegan, it's a good idea to add some to your food regularly. (from Livestrong.com and About.com)
Where/How to Buy It: Nutritional Yeast comes packaged in bags, containers or in bulk bins at some stores.
Nutritional Information: Here's what really caught my attention. Though this info varied slightly from label to label that I looked viewed, take a look at this...
For one heaping tablespoon:
60 calories
1g fat
4g fiber
8g protein
5mg sodium
and full of vitamins and minerals!
Action Item: Yes, you guessed it. Add this to your shopping list today. Store it in an airtight container and it lasts a long time!
Medical News Today says that almonds are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, and are associated with a number of health benefits. Just a handful of almonds, approximately one ounce, contains one-eighth of our necessary daily protein.
Almonds may be eaten on their own, raw or toasted. They are also the ingredients of several different dishes. Almonds are available sliced, flaked, slivered, as a flour, oil, butter, or as almond milk.
The health benefits of almonds have been documented for centuries and modern research is backing up many of the claims - there any many goods reasons why you might want to consider including them in your diet.
So here are some ways I recommend to eat almonds:
eat a handful (about 20-25) as a snack, perhaps pair it with an ounce of cheese
mix them with pretzels, chocolate chips and raisins
use sliced almonds on your salad or in your oatmeal
add them to smoothies
eat almond butter on sandwiches
drink almond milk
grind them and use them as a coating on baked fish or chicken
use almond flour when cooking
Be creative, I'm sure you have some great ideas too!
Food Network's Healthy Eats explains that a serving of almonds has 162 calories, 14 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and 6 grams of protein, and when snacking on almonds, portion control is key. One serving of almonds is 23 almonds, which equals 1 ounce, ¼ cup or about 1 handful.
Action Item: If you reach for a snack today, reach for delicious almonds!
No. The Super Bowl and picture (above) did
not inspire this post.
Though the timing is good! Actually hemp seeds and marijuana come from the same species of plant, but different varieties and the similarities stop there. Hemp seeds do not contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active substance in marijuana.
I made pumpkin/oatmeal/dark chocolate chip cookies last week and threw in a handful of Raw Shelled Hemp Seeds. I added them to my oatmeal yesterday morning giving both the recipe and the meal added protein and omega fatty acids, yay! Remember that anything you put into the recipe also adds calories. So add wisely.
(From Men's Health Magazine) Despite the Cannabis classification, these seeds aren't for smoking. But they may provide medicinal benefits.
Why they're healthy: "Hemp seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke," says Cassandra Forsythe, Ph. D., a nutrition researcher at the University of Connecticut. What's more, a 1-ounce serving of the seeds provides 11 grams of protein—but not the kind of incomplete protein found in most plant sources. Hemp seeds provide all the essential amino acids, meaning the protein they contain is comparable to that found in meat, eggs, and dairy.
I got this description from Bob's Red Mill website (accurate it seems, but is hyped a bit for marketing purposes!): Hemp seed may be one of nature's most perfect foods. Considered a complete
protein, hemp seed delivers 5 grams of protein in a 2 Tbsp serving, making them
a great addition to vegan and vegetarian diets. Hemp is truly a super food
providing a perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in each
serving. These fatty acids promote heart health, lower triglycerides, work to
reduce inflammation, promote brain health, and support the immune system. Low in
carbohydrates, hemp seeds are ideal for those following the paleo diet or who
need to be carb conscious for their health. With a pleasant nut-like flavor and creamy texture, our hulled hemp seeds are
a nutritious and delightful addition to hot cereal and smoothies. Their light
flavor allows them to blend easily into desserts, breads, pancakes, granola bars
and other baked goods. Try them sprinkled on salads and blended into pilafs,
you’ll find hemp seeds to be a delightful, nutritious enhancement to almost any
dish.
Action Item: As you cook this week, and before you buy hemp seeds, think about where you could add hemp seeds to meals, dishes, baking, smoothies, etc. Put hemp seeds on your next shopping list if you think it would be a good addition to your eating plan. If you're trying to add more protein to your diet, this is a great option.
People working toward healthier diets often cut back on their meat intake. Many times, the first question by you (or others suddenly concerned about your protein intake) is "how do I get enough protein?" Don't despair... there's healthier protein everywhere! Choose fish/seafood, nuts, beans/peas, low-fat dairy, and check out the links below for vegan high-protein, nutrient-packed foods.
Keep in mind, that "Protein tends to play a starring role at mealtimes, but you might be better off if it moves out of the spotlight and becomes part of a supporting cast of foods on your plate.
Most Americans get more than enough protein each day, and may be getting too much of this nutrient from animal sources, like meat, poultry, and eggs.
Although important in the diet, extra protein will not help you build more muscle or make you stronger. When you're consuming too much of it, you're probably taking in more calories and fat than your body needs.
You need protein because "it has its hands in every critical function of the body," says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. But the truth about protein is that many people don't need as much as they are taking in." Thank you, WebMD.
An easy way to start cutting back on meat is by participating in Meatless Monday, a program started by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This is a great read: Why Meatless?
I'm not recommending that everyone change to a vegetarian lifestyle unless that is your goal! Our family chose to cut meat from our diets for health and environmental reasons. We have worked at it for years, and we probably eat meatless meals 90% of the time. I do recommend cutting back on meat if you haven't already and have fun trying new vegetarian/plant-based recipes. I think you'll notice a difference in your energy level and your overall health! My Mom always told me to "eat my veggies" and I finally started listening. Now I'm healthier for it :)
Depending on your dietary needs and what works best for you, meat can play a healthy and important role in your diet. As always, choose foods that fuel your body and meet your needs.
A word of caution - adding processed veggie products to your diet is a fine way to get started or to supplement a meal on a busy day, but please note that processed or pre-packaged veggie sausage, veggie burgers, etc. may include tons of sodium. So just keep reading those labels!
Action Item:Make your own hummus with this recipe or find one with roasted red peppers, more garlic, etc. Or try protein-rich foods in different ways... last night I added leftover red quinoa into our chili. Easy, simple and added protein, iron and other nutrients!
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