Category: Miscellaneous cooking tips

Weekly Meals

As part of our Lighten Up Weight Loss challenge, my husband and I promised to post what we eat daily.   Most of the people in the challenge are going with the Advanced Plan so that is what we are following so everything listed is approved fare.  Hopefully this will help people get additional meal ideas and to see how easy it is to apply to a busy life.    (F=Fred and K=Kim)

Wednesday Day 1 of the Weight Loss Challenge

Breakfast

F- 3 egg whites

K- Onions/spinach w/ fried eggs (I sauté the veggies and crack the eggs right in the pan with them.  I usually break the yolk but you can leave them sunny side up.

Lunch

F- Chicken over spinach salad with olives

K- Salmon with pesto cauliflower (I put it right in my vitamix and it comes out the consistency of risotto then add pesto sauce and salt)

Dinner

F&K- Grilled chicken with asparagus

Snacks

F-AM -Coconut Flakes, PM- Almonds

K-PM- Celery w/ Almond Butter

Thursday

Breakfast

F & K- Chocolate & Blueberry smoothie made with frozen blueberries, cocoa powder, chocolate NaturePro (available at the office soon or order from http://www.maximizedlivingdrroberto.com/), and coconut milk

Lunch

F & K – bowl of coconut soup and plate of stir fried vegetables w/ tamari

Dinner

F&K Grass fed steak with sautéed zucchini and green salad w/ olive & vinegar

Snacks

F- 2 hard boiled eggs

K- handful of almonds & walnuts

Friday

Breakfast

F&K- Blueberry chocolate smoothie

Lunch

F&K – grass fed steak fajitas w/ avocado – grassfed flank steak (purchased from http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/).  Marinated in apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, spike seasoning overnight.  Cooked on cast iron grill pan.  Sauteed sliced red bell pepper, onion, and celery in butter in a cast iron pan, added spinach at the last minute.

Dinner

F&K- Grilled Chicken Salad – organic chicken put between parchment and pounded to about ½” thickness.  Seasoned with organic seasoning mix, salt, and black pepper.  Grilled on cast iron grill pan.  Salad- red leaf lettuce, black olives, ½ tomato (tomatoes in moderation), cucumber, celery, onion, hearts of palm, slivered almonds with oil & vinegar.

Snacks

F – Almond Power Bar (recipe in boos), Coconut Flakes

K- green tea

Saturday

Breakfast

F&K – Berry smoothie

Lunch

F&K – at a wrestling tournament all day- packed leftover grilled chicken salad and almond power bars

Dinner

You CAN still eat out during your 30 day challenge,  you just have to be very careful what you order- here is what we did…

F- La Parrilla Mexican Restaurant – Monterrey Chicken Salad with no bacon, no cheese, no tortillas, salsa for dressing.  Chicken soup with no rice.  Unsweetened iced tea with stevia

K- Monterrey Chicken Salad, no bacon, no cheese, no tortillas, added extra avocado, salsa for dressing.  Unsweet tea

Snacks

F- handful almonds & cashews

K- almond power bar

Sunday

Breakfast

F- 3 scrambled eggs

K- Scrambled eggs with onions and mushrooms

Lunch

F- spinach/romaine salad w/ cucumbers, zucchini, black olives, oil&vinegar and 2 cups of chicken soup

K- romaine with cucumbers, zucchini, red onion, black olives, broccoli, celery, oil&vinegar and bowl of vegetable soup.

Dinner

F & K- taco salad- grass fed ground beef (from Publix) + taco seasoning recipe from the book with shredded raw cheddar cheese (from Nature’s Corner Market), whole avocado, black olives, cucumbers, salsa for  dressing.

Snacks

F&K- chocolate bark (recipe in the book), almonds

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Healthy Eating Out Option

Everyone loves to eat out.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find healthy options on the menu.  Whenever I eat out, it is reminiscent of the When Harry Met Sally scene where she is interrogating the waiter as she is ordering.  Although you don’t have to go quite that far, you are a paying customer and should be able to get what you want.  As soon as I sit down, I start scanning the menu for healthy items.  If certain things appear on the menu somewhere, you should be able to substitute them into your order.  For instance, I always try to add avocado to whatever I am ordering.  Also, if they have vegetables on the menu- you can ask if any of them are uncooked and add them raw to your order and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  It is fairly easy to get raw broccoli, carrots, squash, zucchini, etc.

Here is an example of how you can make the best out of eating out.  I has a business lunch this week at Macaroni Grill.  As I scanned the menu, I noticed that they had an appetizer of roasted vegetables.  Then, in looking at the salads, I spotted a Warm Spinach Salad that came with prosciutto and a goat cheese medallion served with olive oil and lemon.  I simply substituted the roasted vegetables for the prosciutto and the salad was delicious!  Although the ingredients were not all organic, it was a great eating out option.  The staff was happy to accomodate me, especially since I was raving about how good it was.  (Chefs love it when the wait staff come back with compliments!)

Though sometimes it is not easy, don’t just take the menu at a restaurant at face value.  Be creative!

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Better than Take-Out: Chinese Make-In

Kung WOW Chicken and Egg Drop Soup

I always say that cooking at home is faster than takeout, which I still hold as true, but the main reason to do it is so that you control the ingredients.  Chinese food has been notorious for MSG in the past and many chinese joints now claim “MSG free” but guess what, when MSG comes out, other stuff goes in.  Namely added table salt and other miscellaneous flavorings.  Then of course, is the quality of the meat they use.  Do you think they are sourcing free range chickens?  Are they even sourcing quality meats at all?  What about the oils they are using.  Typically restaurants use vegetable oil or peanut oil- both of which are damaging to the human body.  In the recipe below, we start out with healthy coconut oil instead.

Tonight my 9 year old daughter was my sous chef, helping me gather ingredients, chop, and stir.  Don’t be afraid to get your kids in the kitchen with you.  It only took us 30 minutes to make everything.  Takeout isn’t even that speedy.  If you are too tired or busy during the week- make a couple of dinners on Sunday so that they are ready to go.  Always make a little extra to use for lunches the next day.

Here is what we threw together for dinner tonight.  Don’t let the list of ingredients scare you.  Most of them are staple items that you should have on hand- no special trips to the grocery store.  And the cool thing- no premade bottled sauces.  This is from scratch!

Kung-WOW Chicken

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 lbs organic chicken – cut into 1″ cubes

1 organic red pepper (peppers are notoriously pesticide laden-go organic), chopped

1-2 teaspoons chili paste (check ingredients).  Spice it up to your liking.

5 large mushrooms (optional- I chop them into a fine dice to get them past my kids)

1 small can water chestnuts, cut in fourths

Fresh ginger, grated w/ a microplane (about 1″ of a piece of ginger that has been peeled) NOTE:  keep your hunk of ginger in the freezer in a ziploc bag.  It is easy to peel and grate and it will last almost forever!

2-3 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or finely diced

1/2 – 1 cup organic chicken broth

1/2 cup tamari

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup organic peanut butter

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet (no teflon :)).  When hot add the chicken and the red peppers in the pan and DO NOT TOUCH.  Let it sit until it browns then stir.  Cook until chicken is cooked through and remove from the pan.

Add the chicken broth, chili paste, tamari, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil and stir to combine over low heat.

Add in the mushrooms and water chestnuts and stir to combine.

Egg-Drop Soup

2 cloves whole garlic

4 slices fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns

sliver of onion

5 1/2 cups (approx. 46 ounces) free-range chicken broth

1/3 cup brown rice vinegar + 1 teaspoon, divided

1 large free range egg

1 large free range egg white

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Ground white pepper and sea salt to taste

Smash the garlic cloves and ginger to release flavor with the side of a large knife.  Crush white peppercorns with a heavy pan on a cutting board.  Tuck the garlic, ginger, onion slice, and peppercorns into a tea infuser or cheesecloth bag and place it in a saucepan with the chicken broth and 1/3 cup brown rice vinegar.  Boil for about 15-20 minutes.

Whisk the egg, egg white and 1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar together in a small bowl.  Pour in a steady stream of the rice mixture into simmering soup while stirring.

Remove from heat and add in the sesame oil and ground pepper and salt.

I hope you enjoy this easy dinner that will rival any takeout!

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

My Menu for the Week

People always ask me what our meals look like so I thought I would share my menu for this past week.  I stuck to the Advanced Plan (from my Maximized Living Nutrition Plans book #mce_temp_url# ) which eliminates all grains, sugars, and anything that turns to sugar (i.e most fruit except berries, granny smith apples, lemon/lime/grapefruit)  This is the nutrition plan we recommend for people who need to lose weight or are battling some sort of health issue like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.  As you can see, all of it was easy to make and kept me full and satisfied throughout the day.  So here it is:

Monday:

Breakfast–  Blueberry Smoothie- frozen blueberries, coconut milk, NaturePro whey protein- chocolate  #mce_temp_url#

Lunch– Mexican Grilled Chicken Salad -Grilled Spiced Chicken, avocado, shredded red cabbage, salsa for dressing

Snack – Almond Power Bars (recipe page 107 of the book)

Dinner– Chicken Franchese (chicken dipped in egg only) with sauce of lemon juice, white wine, and butter, baked asparagus, and steamed broccoli

Tuesday:

Breakfast- Fried Eggs w/ avocado with gomasio (sesame seeds, sea salt, kelp) sprinkled on top

Lunch-Mexican Chicken Soup

Snack-Hummus w/ cabbage leaves for dipping

Dinner– Grilled Chicken, Broccoli Rabe, sauteed cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar

Wednesday:

Breakfast-Strawberry Smoothie made with Frozen Berries, Nature Pro Whey protein #mce_temp_url#

Lunch– Ted’s Montana Grill- Bison Burger with lettuce, tomato, ancho chili, and avocado, grilled asparagus, pickles

Snack- herbal tea

Dinner: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps (pg 131 of the book)

Thursday:

Breakfast– Grapefruit

Lunch– Raw Ahi Tuna with tamari, Ginger Kombucha (fermented Chinese tea)

Dinner– Roasted turkey breast, Boosted Broccoli (p 142 of the book)  – broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and anchovies melted together- YUMMY!

Snack– smashed avocado mixed with salsa and red pepper slices

Friday:

Breakfast– Blueberry Smoothie

Lunch– Homemade chicken soup, Brownie (p.157)

Snack– Almond cookie (p. 159)

 Dinner– ready to make it now:  Snapper with lemon and herbs, mashed no-tatoes (mashed cauliflower), spinach

Nothing too crazy or “out there” or exotic.  It is not that hard to eat this way.


Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Buying healthy food without breaking the bank…

go to www.foodnews.org for printable version
go to http://www.foodnews.org for printable version

 When I talk to people about healthy foods and nutrition, I often get an “I just can’t afford it” response. This is a common notion because the price tags on organic products are indeed higher. However, it is important to point out that a) there are longer term consequences and hard costs that result from eating the “regular” products, and b) by eliminating the unhealthy foods from the shopping cart and reducing the amount of eating out, there is money freed up to by the good stuff and c) there are practical ways to manage higher quality foods and to fit them into your budget.

One very helpful resource is the Environmental Working Group’s Pesticide Guide. This shows you exactly where your money is best spent on organic fruits and vegetables and where buying conventional is OK. Carry this handy guide in your purse or wallet until you have it memorized. They even update it every year with the latest data. You can visit their website at www.foodnews.org to get the full list.

Back to the health consequences of our diets, eating foods high in herbicides and pesticides is linked with toxicities, migraines, allergies, ADD/ADHD, neurological conditions, hormone dysfunction, immune suppression, etc. In a 2005 study measuring the levels of two organophosphate pesticides that have been linked to harmful neurological effects, a dramatic decrease was shown immediately after introducing organic food items. This is encouraging in that changes have immediate benefits. Non-organic produce is also less nutritious in terms of the vitamin and mineral content. This EWG guide is a practical way to start making changes- a roadmap if you will.

One irreducible minimum when it comes to food is meats. It is absolutely imperative to change the meats that you eat. Everyone should be eating free-range chicken and grass fed organic beef. Conventional meats are raised under inhumane conditions, injected almost continuously with antibiotics and hormones, and fed pesticide loaded grains. Did you know that it takes 100 pounds of pesticide sprayed grain to produce 1 pound of ground beef? Frightening, isn’t it? Here’s another scary fact- the latest news is that beef will be irradiated and/or cloned and, guess what, no labeling required. We won’t even have the option of knowing what we are eating! I will go into more detail about meats in an upcoming newsletter but just know that this is an area that just should not be compromised. Even if you don’t buy one organic fruit or vegetable, buy your meat organic (grass fed beef, free range chicken)! You will get the greatest bang for your buck by doing so.

I am willing to pay more for this type of meat because honestly, I can’t afford not to. I consider where I put my money to be a vote. The more votes healthy, organic, unadulterated foods get, the more the food industry will have to listen and the healthier Americans will become!

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment

Surviving Eating Out

I’ve talked about how eating out can really compromise your health so I wanted to give some tips for surviving eating out.  Americans are experts at eating out.  Not only do we eat out for food but for entertainment and fun.  This is a very hard habit for people to break.  We are all so busy and eating out is just too easy.  It is, however, very costly (money and health wise).  If you take all of the money you would save by not eating out, you would have enough to buy the organic produce, the grass-fed beef, the wild caught fish that costs a little bit more than conventional.  Besides the cost factor, you honestly do not know what goes into those yummy dishes.  Restaurants focus on taste because they want you to come back and to have an enjoyable experience.  I can guarantee they do not care if you are making healthy selections or not.  In fact, they thrive on our bad choices.  Obviously what tastes good may not be the best thing for us.  Restaurants will load up their food with hydrogenated oils, additives, rich/creamy sauces, salt, sugar, etc. 

 

We all know that fast food is not good for us.  It is pretty much a given.  Why we eat it in the quantities we do is beyond me.  But don’t fool yourself.  Many of the restaurants we eat at thinking they are healthier are merely dressed up fast food.  Instead of standing in line, you sit at a table.  Many of the places like Your Neighborhood Grill and the place you can get your Baby Backs are no better than the typical fast food. 

 

My hope is that you will drastically reduce the amount of times you eat out and that if you do go out, you will make better choices.  It is important to remember that we vote with our forks.  If more and more people demand healthy dishes the restaurants will respond.  If they see that their Fried Hormone/Antibiotic filled Chicken Tenders with Hydrogenated Oil soaked French Fries are not selling, they will take them off the menu.  (This, by the way, is a recurring dream for me.)

 

Here are some hints to help you if you do go out to eat.

 

·          Scan the menu.  If asparagus appears somewhere on the menu, you should be able to substitute it in with your meal. 

·          Don’t feel like you have to finish everything.  Save ½ for lunch the next day or split with someone else.

·          Skip the bread and butter before your meal. 

·          Start with a salad but be careful.  Restaurant salad dressings are a killer.  They are loaded with bad oils, sugars, salt, etc.  They can make a salad have more bad fat and bad calories than just ordering the hamburger and French fries.  Bring your own dressing (I know, it’s weird but who cares) or ask for olive oil and vinegar or olive oil and lemon slices. 

·          Avoid soups, especially cream based soups.  Soups are notorious for hiding harmful ingredients like MSG (monosodium glutamate), excess table salt, hydrogenated oils, etc.  Most soups come on large bags, premade at some corporate headquarters, shipped for hundreds of miles, and loaded with additives and preservatives to make it last. 

·          Ask for all sauces on the side.  Try not to even use them.  They are other hiding places for stuff you shouldn’t be eating.  If you do have to use them, just drizzle a few drops, don’t slather it on like the restaurants do.

·          Avoid fried foods.  Ask for grilled or broiled

·          Order bottled water or bring your own.  Most other water comes right from the tap.  Besides, most other drinks cost $1-$3!!! 

·          For kids, order off of the adult menu and have them share.  Typically, there is nothing healthy on a kids menu.

·          If you are ordering fish, make sure it is wild-caught and preferably not from the Atlantic (toxicity issues).  If unsure, don’t eat it.

·          Instead of potatoes, rice, etc, substitute another vegetable.

·          Decide what you are going to eat before you get there.  Many restaurants have their menus online where you can print them off.

·          Skip dessert

·          Skip appetizers (salad can be your appetizer)

·          Make your own salad concoction.  If you see any ingredients on the menu that would make a good salad, ask them to make you one.  (i.e. grilled onions/peppers, broccoli, artichokes, black beans, etc.)

·          Squeeze lemon slices over your meal for extra flavor.

 

Just remember that when you eat at home you get these benefits:

 

·          You know what is going in the food

·          You can take pride in a home cooked meal

·          You can spend quality time preparing the meal and eating with your family without the distractions of a busy, noisy restaurant

·          It will save you time and money

·          It will save your health!

 

Go homemade!  Make your own Chinese Takeout:  Chicken w/Tamari, Brown Rice & Steamed Veggies

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment