Add spice to your chicken! Jae’s low cal spicy chicken with a mint yogurt sauce

Using spices while cooking can save you so many calories. Often times we choose lean proteins and vegetables, but when we add excessive amount of oil, full fat cheese and sauces it makes a healthy meal well…not so health. I wanted to create a recipe where all the flavor came from spice to keep the calories down.

Chicken gets a bad rap! People get easily bored and feel they have to force themselves to eat it because it is such a lean meat. Here is a way to get around that....

In a bowl mix 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons ground mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper and 1 teaspoons kosher salt. Brush eight, 4oz boneless chicken cutlets with olive oil and sprinkle the spice mixture all over. Saute chicken until fully cooked.

Mix 6 oz of non fat greek yogurt with ¼ cup of freshly chopped mint for the yogurt sauce. Add a dollop of sauce on top of the chicken and enjoy this full-of-flavor dish!

Mediterranean Quinoa

There is an orzo dish that my mother and aunt both make that I adore. It is fantastic. Recently, I found out I am gluten sensitive so a lot of my favorite dishes have had to be modified. I switched out the orzo and replaced with quinoa and I have my dish back. The added bonus is quinoa is a whole grain and has more protein than orzo so the dish is good for me too. Here are the details for all to enjoy!

Make 1 ½ cups of quinoa with 3 cups of water. Quinoa is made similar to rice—the way you know it is ready is when you see the germ circles around the grains. Slice fresh spinach, dice bell peppers, chop red onions and add ½ cup of each to the grain. Add ½ cup of sun dried tomatoes and add 1 tablespoon of the oil from the jar.

**Tip—sometimes I add the oil from the sun dried tomato jar as I am cooking the grain. It just adds more flavor. Add ½ cup of feta cheese and toast ¼
cup of pine nuts and add to the mix. If desired add ½ cup of balsamic vinegar. Mix the ingredients and enjoy a family favorite!

Quick and Tasty Lentils

I found these lentils at Trader Joe's and I am obsessed! So easy to make--you can microwave or simply boil for a few minutes and they are good to go! They are steamed and vacuum packed so there are no added fats or sugars.

I added feta cheese, balsamic vinegar and sun dried tomatoes and they are delicious. So easy to take to work, bring as a dish to for a party or add as a simple side when making dinner.

Lentils are full of fiber--great to fill you up and leave you satisfied. Keep the extra toppings not too heavy to prevent you from adding to many calories in all the dishes. Feta cheese is lower in saturated fat that other cheeses and balsamic vinegar is calorie free.

Tasty, easy to make and good for you...I mean really? How much better can it get?

A new twist on the chicken nugget

This Thursday I am going to be on a TV show called Home on ABC. The topic is on "Feeding the Pciky Eater" so I thought I would make some healthy twists on kid's favorites.

Chicken nuggets are a favorite for kiddos. Not only do children love them but they are so easy to make that parents tend to use them as a backup plan. The problem is that most chicken is not made from the chicken breast meat and often they are fried and have additives. This recipe is very easy and extremelty more nutritious than the chick nugget standby.

Simply take boneless, skinless chicken cutlets and using canola oil or an egg wash, cover the cutlet and cover with whole wheat flour or whole wheat bread crumbs. Simply sauté until chicken is cooked and enjoy.

This is a simple recipe that does not require much effort and is substantially healthier than processed chicken nuggets. In addition, making a homemade meal goes a long way with creating healthy feeding behaviors at home.

Dad’s Frittata

My dad is an amazing chef. He is that guy---that guy who throws opens up the fridge door, throws a bunch of goodies in a pan and it just tastes delicious. He has been making frittatas for years-ingredients vary based on what leftovers we have! Here is one he made up this weekend. As usual..delicious!

In a food processor mix 3 eggs, 3 egg whites, 6oz non fat greek yogurt with 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese and blend. In a sautee pan, heat 1 tsp of olive oil and add ½ cup of chopped onion, 1 cup chopped bell peppers with 1 cup of broccoli florets. When vegetables are cooked, add egg mixture and place entire sautee pan in oven. Cook at 500 degrees for 10 mins. Add ½ cup of fresh spinach and ½ cup of goat cheese over eggs and let cook another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is cooked.

Yum!

Salmon stir fry that is good for your skin!

I am going to be on ABC’s View from the Bay to discuss “Nutrition from the Inside Out--Eating well for your Skin”. For the show I came up with this simple stir fry recipe that is jam packed with foods that will make your skin glow!

Salmon is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids that can decrease inflammation, redness and irritation. Carrots have Vitamin A which is good for clearing up breakouts and acts as an antioxidant, bell peppers have Vitamin C, another antioxidant and can assist in collagen production and spinach is a great source of folate which can help repair DNA production allowing cells to renew.

Here you go!

Take two, 4oz wild salmon steaks and sprinkle over 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp lemon pepper, 1 tsp of oregano. Then spray olive oil lightly over the fish and place in broiler. Broil for 6 minutes on each side.

With a sauté pan, heat 1 tsp of olive oil. First add 1 cup of chopped carrots with 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar. When carrots start to soften add 1 cup of bell peppers. When both are cooked to taste add 2 cups of fresh spinach for only a short. Let the steam from the pan cook the spinach and remove pan from the heat quickly to prevent the spinach from wilting.

Cut fish into smaller pieces, add to vegetables and enjoy!

Learn how to lose weight the “write way”…get back OnTrack with your nutrition

One of the largest and longest-running weight loss trials ever conducted proves it: food tracking works. The trial, known as the Weight Loss Maintenance trial, compared different approaches to maintaining weight loss over a period of 30 months, and found that subjects who kept a daily food diary lost twice as much weight as those who didn't.

If you want to reap the benefits of a food diary get back OnTrack and join my new nutrition program. You will be able to add your meals and snacks automatically, and the food tracker will keep track of it all for you. In addition, you will have unlimited access to group meetings where you can learn about how to change your behaviors.

Not computer savvy? Simply buy a small blank book to keep track of what you eat every day and join the group meetings.

After a few weeks of tracking what and when you eat and how you feel when you do so, you will notice patterns emerge. That is why tracking is so important. You increase your awareness, which is the first step toward change.

You may notice that your hunger level is exceedingly high at dinnertime and that you have gone 6-8 hours without eating. During groups I discuss the importance of eating every three to four hours and how to make it work with your lifestyle.

After tracking regularly your records may reveal that you do not eat enough protein, vegetables or fruits. Let me support you to learn how to eat balanced meals regularly so you stay satiated and lower your internal stress levels.

For more information about OnTrack or nutrition programs here at The Club contact Jae at 515-1333 or jaeberman@gmail.com