Certified Personal Fitness Chef

Last week I passed my test to become a Certified Personal Fitness Chef! I cannot wait to officially add cooking to my nutrition coaching business!!

If you have ANY kind of food allergy or intolerance, I can help you come up with some great menu plans. If you need help in the kitchen, that's what a CPFC is for!

Want to impress your guests at your next dinner party? Hire me to come in and prepare a fabulous and healthy meal!

I'm still working on getting the Dandy Life website updated with the "cooking" aspect. But you can contact me there (or through this blog) if you need any information!

Creating healthier lives, one meal at a time!

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry

I took this straight from Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat This". I love stirfry, and since I will never ever be able to make it taste as good as my dad's, I rely on recipes from the experts. It's nice to see this low-sodium version!


Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-fry


Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut on the diagonal, 1 in pieces
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup Rockin' Asian Stir Fry Sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil.

1. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the sesame oil. Add the onion and asparagus, and stir-fry until the vegetables are almost tender, about 6 minutes.

2.Season the shrimp with salt and pepper to taste, and add them to the pan. Cook for a

about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the stirfry sauce. When the shrimp are cooked through and he sauce is hot (about 2 minutes), stir in the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and serve.

Personal note: I added a cup of chopped broccoli and served it over rice! Yum! Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Rockin' Asian Stir Fry Sauce

I am a chinese food junkie. At some point in my life, I ate it so often that I decided to give it up for Lent! Since then, I have recovered from the addiction, and now just really love it. I am always looking for good recipes, but they all are high in fat or sodium. I recently bought "Now Eat This" by Rocco Dispirito and found this sauce recipe. I just made it, and it's so fantastic I had to share! It's about half the fat, calories and sodium of anything in my fridge! The only things I had to change in this recipe was using "low salt" instead of low sugar ketchup... it's what I had in the house! I also used low sodium chicken stock (not broth), since again, it's what I normally cook with.

Makes 1 3/4 cups (28~ 1 Tablepoon servings)

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bunch scallions (whites and greens) chopped fine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 c low fat, low sodium chicken broth
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup reduced-sugar ketchup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the seame oil. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallions, and sautee, stirring often, until very fragrant, about 2 minutes

2. Meanwhile, place the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add the soy sauce, chicken broth, rice vinegar, and ketchup, and whisk to blend [side note: I personally recommend doing this step first-in order to keep an eye on the onions so they don't burn]

3. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the saute pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired. [I added about 1/4 tsp of pepper, no salt]

4. Store the sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. [or package up 1/4c servings and pass them to your neighbors like I intend to do!]

 Personal note: If you are confused about the serving size, remember this sauce is made to FLAVOR your stirfry, not cook in it. Add it once your meat the veggies are cooked!

Vegetable Beef Soup

A good healthy vegetable beef soup can be made with your pantry staples (if you consider hamburger a pantry staple!). It's an easy, go to soup for me.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 can of petite diced tomatoes

1 can of cannelini beans (drained and rinsed)*

1 box of low sodium beef stock

2 cups of chopped fresh or frozen veggies**

1 cup chopped fresh Spinach

Heat 1 Tbls of Olive Oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and onion and cook until meat is browned. If you are using very lean ground beef, the extra fat will just be absorbed into the meat and onions. Add remaining ingredients (except Spinach) and bring to a simmer. Simmer until veggies are tender. Add Spinach, stirring into soup until it wilts. Serve!

* Draining and Rinsing canned beans eliminates nearly 40% of the sodium content. This can be done with any canned veggies you may use in your cooking as well.

**Use any combination of veggies you like; carrots, corn, peas, mushrooms, green beans, zucchini. Even small potato or sweet potato could be used.

The Coke Roast

I love using my crockpot, but it's a cool weather treat for me. So when the weather finally turned cooler a couple weeks ago, I couldn't wait to make the infamous Coke Roast. It's not the healthiest thing on the planet, but everything in moderation right? And, if you pair it with some healthy vegetables on the side- it's not too bad! Typically I serve it with mashed potatoes and a green veggie (pictured here with green beans).

Coke Roast with Garlic Mashed Reds and Green Beans

Ingredients:
1 3lb beef roast trimmed of fat
1 12oz can of Coke (I've never used Pepsi, but I suppose any cola would do)
1 packed of dry Lipton Onion Soup mix (or French Onion)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (if you want gravy, if not- leave this out)

Place all ingredients in the crockpot (no need to pre mix anything) and cook on low for 8 hours. Here's the thing with beef, as it cooks, it gets tender, then solid, then falls apart. That's when it's done. If it doesn't shred easily when you pick it up, it needs a little longer.

If you used the Mushroom soup, stir the liquids to made a sauce/gravy. Remember, a serving of protein is about the size of a deck of cards.

Freeze leftovers in the juices, reheats nicely in sauce pan.  Leftover roast makes great pulled beef sandwiches!

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

I love potatoes! I've learned to master the art of mashed potatoes through the years. So here's the skinny on creating a healthier mashed potato.  Remember this recipe makes 2 servings. Potatoes (like pasta) are meant to be a side dish, one serving is about 1/2 cup.

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

Scrub and quarter 5 medium size red potatoes (no need to peel if you clean them good- the skins have lots of nutrients), placing in a medium size kettle. Fill kettle with cold water, until water level is about an inch above the potatoes. Salt (or garlic salt) the water with up to 1/2 tsp. Add one peeled clove of garlic. Bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and garlic and return to the hot pot. Mash with fork or potato masher.

This is where you get to be creative. Mix,match and add from the following choices:

1 Tablespoon of fresh chopped Herbs (these are top choices)
Chives
Rosemary
Thyme

Choose 2 Tablespoons of liquid
Chicken Stock
Skim Milk
Buttermilk (made from skim milk)

Choose 1 Tablespoon of fat
Butter
Low fat Sour cream


Mix in with the mashed potatoes, season with a little salt and pepper, and serve!

Green Beans

Lately, I feel like I've been answering a lot of questions about green beans! Strange, I know! But it inspired me to create a little post on how to cook them!

Put simply, the less you cook a vegetable, the more nutrients it retains. Picking a green bean straight from your garden and immediately eating it, is the most nutritious way to go, while straight from the can is probably the least. 

Most likely- you've picked your green beans straight from the bulk bin at the grocery store. A small handful is one serving.

Start by rinsing them, then trim the ends. Easy enough?

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, salt the water (this helps the green beans turn bright green!)- no need to go crazy, you are not doing this for flavor- just for color, a couple of pinches will do. Then, blanche the beans.

2 minutes gives you a crisp raw flavor (most nutrients left intact!)
3 minutes gives you a little bite, while still tasting "cooked" (this is my preference)
4 minutes brings you soft tender beans (least nutritious)

Drain and serve.

(Subtract one minute if you are cooking in the microwave. Place beans in microwave safe dish, with a tablespoon of water, drain and serve)

Green Beans

Savor the flavor of the beans, by dressing them with just a few drops of fresh lemon juice. No salt or butter needed... give it a try!

Quinoa with Peas and Spinach

Quinoa is a power packed whole grain! With 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per serving, it's a meal in itself! However, it's pretty boring when it's plain, definitely cook it in stock (as opposed to water), and go crazy from there! I find I typically make it the same way I would make risotto, packed with veggies.

This is what I'm bringing in my brown bag lunch tomorrow (and what I had for lunch today!)

Ingredients:
1 cup Quinoa (rinsed and drained)
2 cups low/no sodium chicken stock (veggie stock would work here too)
1 large shallot, chopped (or 2 Tbls chopped onion)
1 garlic clove, minced or grated
1 tsp fresh Thyme (or 1/2 tsp if using dried)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups fresh chopped Spinach (one large handful)
2 Tbls Romano or Parmesan cheese *optional*
1 tsp Parsley, dried (or 1 Tbls fresh)

Heat 1 Tbls Olive Oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add shallot, garlic and pepper, sautee for 2 minutes, then add Quinoa and cook until slightly toasted (5 minutes- watch it so it doesn't burn!).

Add stock and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, adding thyme and simmer until liquid is almost gone (about 20 minutes)

Add peas and spinach (and parsley if using dried) and bring back to a simmer (I turn up the heat again). Simmer until liquid is gone, quinoa is cooked, and peas are heated through (about another 10 minutes).

Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese (and parsley, if using fresh).

Makes 4 servings as a side (3 as a lunch- in my opinion).

** I think adding a cup of leftover fully cooked chicken or shrimp, would make a fabulous addition!!

Quinoa with Peas and Spinach

Potato Chips & Avacado Dip

I can see the questioning look in your eyes... is she really going to say we can eat potato chips? Well, these potato chips you certainly can!


Potato Chips and Avacado Dip

 Ingredients:
4 red potatoes (scrubbed clean)
Paprika
Olive Oil Cooking spray
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice red potatoes thinly with mandoline (preferred) or a sharp knife (patience and safety, please!). Spray cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. Place sliced potatoes on sheet, as evenly as possible with little overlapping. Sprinkle potato slices with a little paprika. Bake for 10-12 minutes until desired crispness, turning once with spatula (some slices will stick- it's bound to happen). Immediately sprinkle with 2 small pinches of salt.

Serve with this amazingly easy avacado dip.

Guacamole is not for me. I dislike raw onions and tomatoes, and well, don't even get me started on cilantro! But I love avacados! Here's an easy low fat recipe!

Ingredients:

1 avacado (pitted with meat scooped out)

2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice

2 Tbls low-fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt (optional)

2 shakes of Red Hot Sauce

Bison Burger with a side of chips and dip

Mash ingredients together with a fork in a small bowl. Season with Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste.

Both recipes make 2-3 servings, more if you use it as a side dish! Pictured here with a bison burger!

Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Spread

We are headed in to week two of the brown bag challenge. Sometimes it isn't that you need to come up with something new for lunch, as much as, you need to figure out a way to kick your favorite sandwich up a notch. This roasted tomato and goat cheese spread is the answer.



I admit, I stole this general concept from my friend Jess, after she served a slightly different version of this as an appetizer at a dinner party (served with crusty bread). Amazing. Check out fun recipes on Jess' blog IcaJell Eats!



Tomatoes and Goat Cheese



  This spread couldn't be simpler with just 3 ingredients.

  1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes (or any small tomato) sliced in half.

  2 oz of garlic and herb goat cheese

  1 tsp of Olive Oil.



Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Spread


  Here's how you do it: Spray a small oven safe pan with cooking spray, and place tomatoes cut side up. Roast in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes (some of the tomatoes will start to char). Remove tomatoes. Place Goat cheese in another small oven safe casserole dish, add roasted tomatoes and olive oil. Return mix to oven and heat for 5 minutes (just so the cheese gets soft). Mix well.

That's it! This makes 4 healthy portions of spread. Seems to spread well warm or cold. It goes great with hamburgers, or on a veggie sammie!



Turkey Roll Up



My favorite way; Spread the roasted tomato mixture on a whole wheat tortilla or flatbread. Top with a few slices of turkey, and a small handful of mixed greens.



Healthy Trail Mix

Trail mix is a great snack! It can also be a great way to curb your sweet tooth, or salt craving. However, store bought Trail mix always leaves me feeling a little guilty. A friend of mine actually shared her trail mix with me last summer, and I've been making it ever since. We took your standard GORP (Good Ole Raisins and Peanuts) and made a healthier (although more expensive) version.  Enjoy!

1 Med bag of Dark M&M's

1 bag of Goldfish Pretzels

6 oz Roasted Almonds (salted or not- your choice)

6 oz Roasted Cashews (salted or not- your choice)

1 pkg of Craisins

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to air tight container. Enjoy!

Pesto Penne Primavera

It's September, and everyone's gardens are in full bloom! This pasta salad recipe is one of my favorites this time of year. It makes a great side dish, or light meal. It works great hot, cold or room temperature, and it is the recipe I'm choosing for my first Brown Bag Lunch Challenge.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of Whole Wheat or Whole Grain Penne (1/2 a standard box)

1 bunch Asparagus, trimmed and cut to similar size as pasta

1/2 lb fresh Green Beans (about one large handful), cut to similar size as pasta

1 med Zucchini, cut into matchsticks, similar size as pasta

1/4 cup prepared Basil Pesto

Salt & Pepper

 

1. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil
2. Add Penne
3. After 1 minute, add Green Beans to pasta
4. After another 2 minutes, add Asparagus to pasta
5. Cook til pasta and veggies are almost to desired tenderness, then add Zucchini and blanche.

While pasta is cooking, scoop pesto into a large mixing bowl, and pull out 1 tablespoon of starchy water from the pasta. Loosen the pesto with the starchy water.

Drain the pasta and veggies and immediately add to pesto. Mix well. Salt & Pepper to taste.

* Low carb this recipe by skipping the pasta, just cook veggies anyway you choose and mix with loosened pesto.

** Veg out this recipe by adding in, halved cherry tomatoes, a handful of chopped spinach, or sliced red pepper when mixing with pesto.

Penne Pesto Primavera

This recipe is simply the method I use, I prefer well cooked green beans, and barely cooked zucchini. You can cook the veggies to whatever tenderness you choose!