Curried Chicken and Cauliflower Soup

This recipe is from the January issue of Clean Eating magazine. I enjoyed it quite a bit! 

I added more curry than the recipe called for, I seem to like things spicier than the average person.

I am a sucker for coconut milk and will make just about any recipe with that as an ingredient. I have never purchased the full fat version, there is no need to, the lite is just fine. 

Even then, it does have a large number of calories but this uses just a small amount. Not wanting to open a can and then throw everything but a couple tablespoons away, I decided to get an ice cube tray and fill it up with coconut milk! Each cube is 1 tablespoon. I froze them then popped them out and filled up a zip lock bag. I was actually quite surprised at how much flavor just a small amount adds to a dish. I will try this trick with other soups, especially since I have a bag full of frozen coconut cubes!

This serves 6 (makes 8 cups)

Total time is 25 minutes, a real quick dish.

Ingredients

• 1/6 cup Coconut Milk, Light
• 12 oz Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
• 4 cups Cauliflower,raw
• 1 cup Red Bell Peppers
• 9 oz Potato
• 4 cups Chicken Broth-fat Free, Low Sodium
• 4 tsp Spicy Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• Plain fat free Greek yogurt

Directions

In a 4 qt pot heat coconut milk over medium heat, do not let it boil. Add cubed chicken breast and curry powder. Cook for about 6 minutes until lightly golden. Add cauliflower, bell pepper, potato and broth, cook on medium high until it boils. Cover pot and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.

When cauliflower and potatoes are tender, uncover & simmer for 1-3 minutes to thicken slightly. Season with black pepper,

Spoon into soup bowls, top with green onion and cilantro cilantro. Finish with 1/4 c nonfat plain Greek yogurt.

One serving is 1 1/2 cups soup and 1/4 cup yogurt

Calories: 186
Total Fat 4 grams
Saturated Fat 2 grams
Carbs 15 grams
Fiber 3.5 grams
Sugars 3 grams
Protein 24 grams
Sodium 131 mg
Cholesterol 33 mg

Fats and Cholesterol

David cut this picture out of his New Yorker magazine for me and said I needed to use it in my blog, I bet he was even munching on a piece of bacon as he did it too.

We all hear about "fats". Avoid fats so you don't get fat, but eat "good fats' to be healthy...well what is the deal and what is a good fat, what is a bad fat and what is the difference?

I hear people tell me all the time that they cannot eat certain foods (such as shrimp or eggs) because they are high in cholesterol, but does dietary cholesterol raise your own cholesterol?

I have compiled this from a few different sources, but I think it sums it all up in a fairly easy to understand manner.

Value of Fat
Fats are required by the body for creating hormones, for the feeling of fullness after eating and for long-lasting energy. Unsaturated fats, which are found in foods like olive oil, fish, seeds and nuts, can lower the risk of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Saturated Fat
Saturated fat is the unhealthy type of fat which is found in foods that come from animals--milk, cheese and butter, beef and pork, for example.

Vegetarians and vegans consume no saturated fat in their diet, since plants do not contain saturated fats. The Mayo Clinic states that saturated fat can clog the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack. Many low carb diets, such as Atkins, have suggested in the past that dieters consume saturated fats, but most now insist that dieters consume more "good fats."

Saturated fats increase bad cholesterol (LDL), which can cause heart disease and certain types of cancer. It is important in order to keep your heart healthy to limit your intake of saturated fats.

Hydrogenated Fats (trans-fats).
Hydrogenated fats are man-made, but they take on many of the traits of saturated fats. They are specifically re-engineered to stay hard at room temperature.

You can find hydrogenated fats in sweets and cookies, which you should not be eating on your diet; however, you can also find it in any margarine products, so it is important to check the ingredient labels on food products before you purchase them.

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy compound that is naturally made by the human body to help build and protect cell membranes. Cholesterol acts as a precursor for hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Since cholesterol is made by the body, humans don't need to eat foods with cholesterol. Yet foods like eggs, cheese, butter and meats all contain cholesterol.

Serum Cholesterol
There are two different types of cholesterol levels in the blood. HDL cholesterol, which stands for high density lipoprotein, is a healthy type of cholesterol which transports unhealthy cholesterol away from the heart. The American Heart Association states that LDL cholesterol, or low density lipoprotein, causes fatty deposits on the arteries and can lead to heart attacks. Many people try to limit their serum cholesterol, or cholesterol in the blood. While it is often thought eating foods with cholesterol raises cholesterol in the blood, the Mayo Clinic states that foods with saturated fat raise cholesterol the most.

Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
The Mayo Clinic states that while cholesterol is not a form of fat, it is a compound found in foods high in saturated fat. So dietary fat and dietary cholesterol are found in many of the same foods, and foods with fats can raise cholesterol in the blood.

Monounsaturated fats.
Monounsaturated fats are natural fats that lower "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and prevent "good" cholesterol (HDL) from getting lower. You will encounter a lot of monounsaturated fats in the form of canola oil, olive oil, peanut oil, and nuts.

Not only are these sources carb-free or low carb, but most of them are also high in protein, promote good heart health, and may reduce the risk of some cancers.

Polyunsaturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fats are also natural fats. They come in two major groupings: Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. You can find Omega-3 in most types of fatty fish, such as salmon and trout; Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in most seed oils.

Omega fatty acids help to reduce bad cholesterol, promote brain health, and reduce incidence of sudden death from heart attacks.

To sum this all up, eat fish, seeds, nuts, canola oil, peanut butter, olive oil.

Just remember that because they are fats, they are higher in calories, so you have to limit them to keep your daily caloric intake at the correct level. So when eating a fatty fish, you may eat a smaller portion, use some oil but use canola or olive. Eat some avocado in your salad, have a spoon of peanut butter.

Eat the good fats. They taste good and are good for you!

Galeo's Miso Caesar Salad Dressing

A friend of mine just posted this on Facebook and I had to share it with you.

Lab Tests: Galeos Caesar Dressing Not What it Claims to Be
Mitch LipkaMitch Lipka RSS Feed
Nov 18th 2010 at 7:30AM


Editor's note: This is the first in a periodic series of stories in which Consumer Ally will commission laboratory tests to verify food label claims. If there's a food you think is too good to be true, let us know at ConsumerAlly@WalletPop.com.

Galeos Miso Caesar Dressing, a supposedly low-calorie and low-fat product hyped on NBC's reality show "The Biggest Loser" and endorsed by trainer Jillian Michaels, among others, is neither low-cal nor low-fat, lab tests commissioned by Consumer Ally found. Testing showed the actual calories per serving is almost 10 times what the label claims.

The dressing, sold at Whole Foods stores and other health-conscious grocers nationwide, is comparable in fat and calories to such non-diet brands as Marie's Caesar, and has more fat and calories than Kraft's Creamy Caesar.

The Galeos label claims 14 calories and 1 gram of fat per tablespoon serving. That's where the problems start. The serving size required by federal law on dressing labels is 2 tablespoons, creating the illusion - even if those numbers were accurate - that the dressing outdoes other diet dressings.

The laboratory showed the label should properly read: 120 calories, 11 grams of fat and 390 mg of sodium. The actual label claims 56 grams of sodium. Federal food labeling laws give companies a 20% margin of error.

Labels are frequently in error, but typically within that margin. A Consumer Ally reader suggested we test Galeos dressing.

Company owner Andrei Leontieff acknowledged to Consumer Ally the serving size could be an issue, but added the one tablespoon serving would be OK if it was considered a marinade. It isn't.

He didn't dismiss the lab findings nor express surprise. Upon further questioning, Leontieff explained tests he has commissioned backed up his label's claims.

"What I have is totally different," he said.

He declined to further discuss the results obtained by Consumer Ally, which paid for testing done at Specialized Technology Resources' food laboratories. Consumer Ally purchased Galeos dressing at a Whole Foods Market and shipped an unopened bottle for testing.

On the Galeos' website, Leontieff takes full responsibility for how the dressing is made.

"Under the watchful eye of Chef Andrei, Galeos Miso Dressings are prepared and bottled on site, insuring quality control from start to finish, every drop, homemade in America."

Quietly, among those promoting low-fat, low-calorie foods, there has been a buzz that this was a product that was too good to be true. Galeos has enjoyed strong support from healthy living devotees, including Michaels, based on what is written on the label.

Here is what she said in an interview earlier this year:

"But a salad dressing that I'm obsessed with ... - this is our one product that we joke has been around and stayed around since Season 1 of the Biggest Loser -- is a salad dressing called Galeo's and it's G-A-L-E-O apostrophe S, 17 calories a tablespoon, all natural and it tastes amazing and it comes in, you know, five or six different flavors."

Lisa Lillien, better known as "Hungry Girl" to the million followers of her observations on eating, told Consumer Ally this is good example of what health-conscious eaters should be wary of.

"If something tastes too good to be true it often is," she said. "So, be careful. I've seen this many times and am not surprised."

UPDATE (Nov.22): Here are the actual laboratory results before being broken down by serving size for Galeo's World's Best Miso Caesar:

    * Carbohydrates, g/100g – 7.8013
    * Fat, g/100g – 38.32
    * Moisture, g/100g – 46.39
    * Protein, g/100g – 4.1387
    * Saturated Fat, g/100g – 6.0
    * Calories, g/100 g – 392.64
    * Total Sugars, g/100g – 7.35
    * Sodium, mg/100g – 1306

10 Commandments of Getting Cut Part 2 of 3

Part II from The 10 Commandments of Getting Cut

Losing Fat, Not Just Weight by Chris  McClinch

Eating the Right Foods

5. Thou shalt eat the right foods.
To burn fat, you've got to know what makes you fat. The first thing that makes you fat is eating more calories than your body can use. Rather than eliminating the excess calories, your body stores them as body fat. We've taken care of that problem with the caloric deficit, but it's also important to understand that certain types of food are more likely to make you fat.

Some of the foods that make you fat are obvious: candy, soda, beer, chips, pizza, and fast food have no place in a healthy diet, period. When you're not dieting, they're okay as occasional cheat foods, but even then, pay careful attention to the words "occasional" and "cheat." As in, you're not going to be eating these foods on any kind of a regular basis, and you're fully aware of the fact that they represent a step back from your physique goals. An occasional step back is healthy, but 90% of what you eat should be quality bodybuilding foods.
 
The next group of foods is less obvious, especially since so many foods in this group are traditionally considered "diet" foods. This group includes pasta, bread, pretzels, crackers, white rice, rice cakes, breakfast cereals, and fruit juices. What do these have in common? They're all highly processed carbohydrates--high on the glycemic index, low in fiber, low in nutrients, and not terribly filling. They massively spike insulin release in the body, don't provide much other than calories, and leave you feeling hungry again shortly after you eat them. You don't need to go aggressively low-carb to lose fat, but you do want to severely limit your intake of processed carbs. You're much better off with fruits, vegetables, brown rice, yams, and old-fashioned oatmeal (the stuff that comes in the canister, not the packets) as your primary sources of carbohydrates.

Healthy sources of protein are hugely important for getting cut. Remember, you're not just trying to lose fat; you're trying to preserve as much muscle as possible, and one gram of protein per pound of body weight should be your goal here. Good sources of protein include lean cuts of beef, 90% or leaner ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, chicken breast, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, fish, eggs and egg whites, cottage cheese, and egg-, whey-, and casein-based protein powders. I can't recommend soy to anyone other than vegetarians or vegans because of the high concentrations of phytoestrogens present in soy protein. Other protein sources to avoid? Bacon, pork chops, sausages, hot dogs, prime rib, fatty cuts of beef, and the other high-saturated fat usual suspects.


Finally, you need good fats in your diet. The big message moving forward should be that you need to eat the right fats if you want to burn fat. Let's start with what the wrong fats are: saturated fats and trans fatty acids. Saturated fats you're familiar with--they're the fats in butter, red meat, and hard cheeses. Any fat that's solid at room temperature is a saturated fat and to be eaten only in moderation. Try and keep them at less than half of your daily fat intake. Trans fatty acids are chemically manipulated vegetable fats such as you find in margarine or Crisco. Essentially, they're polyunsaturated fatty acids with hydrogen atoms added to them to turn them into pseudo-saturated fats. If the words "partially hydrogenated" appear anywhere on the label, it's best avoided entirely.

Good Fats The good fats are the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, particularly those high in Omega-3 fatty acids. These fats can help boost testosterone levels and lower blood cholesterol. They also blunt insulin release and aid in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. The majority of your fats should come from sources such as flax oil, olive oil, fish oil, natural peanut butter (if it has ingredients other than peanuts and salt, it's not natural), macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, olives, and ground flax seeds.

Diets, Carbs and Cutting

The traditional high-carb, low-protein, low-fat eating plan is out.It's a nutritional and hormonal disaster, prompting massive insulin releases, obesity, adult-onset diabetes, and higher hunger levels. Uncontrolled insulin levels are the primary culprit here, so you want a plan that controls insulin while creating the caloric deficit you need to lose weight. There are several plans that have proven highly effective, but some are far more restrictive than others. Your ideal plan is the least restrictive one that gives you the results you want.
"Zone Diets"

The least restrictive of the plans I can recommend is the Zone--Barry Sears's diet. The basic premise is that every time you eat, 40% of the calories should come from carbohydrates, 30% should come from protein, and 30% should come from fats. Basically, the easiest way to plan a Zone meal is to get 1 1/3 grams of carbohydrate and half a gram of fat for every gram of protein. My only real caveat is that the calorie figures are too low for most athletes and that the advice on exercise (walk 30 minutes every day) is insufficient.

Not everyone does well on The Zone. Research has shown that while combining fat with carbohydrates blunts insulin release, the combination actually increases insulin resistance in some people. These people--the rare individuals who find themselves gaining body fat on a Zone diet--are better off with an eating plan that stresses separating fats from carbohydrates. This is John Berardi's Massive Eating protocol, which calls for eating your meals as either protein and fat or protein and carbs. Essentially, protein and carbs would be eaten immediately post-workout and for breakfast, with protein and fat constituting the rest of your meals. This one's a little more restrictive than the Zone, but if you find that your body doesn't handle the combination of fat and carbs well, this one's probably for you.

Low Carb Diets

Next on the list come the diets in which carbohydrates don't make up a significant portion of your daily calories at all. I wouldn't recommend these unless you're dieting for a competition or are obese and looking to lose the weight quickly, because they're not much fun. Most people feel drained, cranky, and dumb without carbohydrates, and there's a 1-2 week period of gastrointestinal adjustment that isn't pleasant. The least restrictive version of the low-carb diets is the cyclical ketogenic diet. There are two ways to do this. The most common way is to eat less than 70 grams of carbohydrates a day from Monday through Friday (under 30 on days that you don't lift), then eat whatever you want on the weekend. Obviously, the better your weekend choices, the better your results, but I can tell you from personal experience that it works even if your weekend choices run along the lines of pizza, Doritos, Coke, beer, candy, and Hot Pockets.

The less-common, more restrictive version of the cyclical ketogenic diet is to eat low-carb every day, with 2-3 carb-up meals a week. Typical carb-up foods here run along the lines of a sweet potato with butter, a banana, and two cups of brown rice or oatmeal. Not much fun, but it replenishes the muscle glycogen and temporarily boosts insulin enough to keep you training.


Next, there is the targeted ketogenic diet. On this plan, you eat just enough carbs to fuel your workouts, with no carbohydrates the rest of the day. This is the only one of the diet plans I've mentioned here that I've never followed, but I've had personal training clients do it with excellent results. The easiest way to do it is to carry a bottle of Powerade to the gym and sip from it between sets.


Finally, there is the strict ketogenic diet--the Atkins diet. All low-carb, all the time. Frankly, I don't recommend this one for people who work out because I don't think it provides an optimal hormonal environment for recovery or conservation of lean mass. Use this one only if none of the less restrictive diet plans work for you.

Chris McClinch is an Arlington, VA-based bodybuilder and personal trainer. He won the middleweight title at the 2001 International Natural Bodybuilding Federation's collegiate national championships. As a trainer, he specializes in physique transformation and sport-specific strength training preparation, and is an active member of the IronOnline bulletin board.

Slow Cooker Turkey Lasagna

I love lasagna. I rarely eat it though as it is not unusual for a serving to contain well over 1000 calories, not to mention all the saturated fat.

I saw a recipe on Facebook from Recipes for Gals in Figure and Bodybuilding, Jen posts all sorts of recipes that are simple and usually really low calorie. I decided to give this a try and I was really pleasantly surprised!

I will make a few changes and adjust a few things next time. First, I am not a slow cooker kinda gal! I actually got a beautiful, huge one for Christmas in 2009, and I just opened it today. So that means I have had it for 10 months and never even opened the box.  I need to use it a few more times to get used to it I think.

Some of the edges of my lasagna were extremely dark and crispy, I guess you might say "burned" but as long as I chucked out those pieces, the rest was fine. The recipe said to cook 4 to 5 hours on high, I set it for 4 1/2 and I guess 4 was sufficient! I would suggest that you just check it periodically.

Also, I think I might saute my onions and garlic first, then add the turkey. This way the onions can get a caramelized, sweet flavor. I also realize as I type this that I forgot the nutmeg...and as far as "cooking wine"- never cook with anything that you wouldn't drink!

I must caution you, this isn't going to satisfy anyone who loves lasagna.It does not have the silky, tender pasta or rich, meaty sauce with the melting cheese running throughout.  But, I love a lean body, and the thought of eating all those calories just puts me off, it would undo everytihng I work so hard for.

So, given my goals, and the fact that I need to make a choice and also like some variety in my life, I enjoyed this.

What did the family think? My husband David didn't say much, (his mother taught him that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all), and he didn't finish it .

My son Cooper said it was OK, but then said "this is turkey isn't it?! Lasagna  needs beef!" and he ate almost all of it, but only because he was hungry.

Maybe the fact that I slightly burned it had something to do with this, I have never prided myself on "slow cooker cooking" because I don't consider that cooking at all, so maybe it was my lack of technique.  I mean I can whip up a souffle, a cassoulet, a tart, but this dumb as a doornail slow cooker recipe seemed to get the better of me.

I will make it again (for myself) though!

Here is the recipe as she gave it:

Makes 10 servings (10 average servings or 8 large ones)

Ingredients:
 
6 oz whole wheat lasagna noodles (basically enough for 2 layers)

12 oz 99% fat-free ground turkey (precooked on the stove top)

1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (could sub for fat-free, but I didn't have any one hand)

8 oz low-fat ricotta cheese

6 oz low-fat part skim mozzarella cheese

6 oz can tomato paste

29 oz tomato sauce

1 cup chopped white onion

2 minced garlic cloves

2 tbs dried parsley (divided)

Mrs. Dash to taste

1/4 cup red cooking wine

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

Saute turkey, onion, and garlic til browned and tender. Add tomato paste, sauce, 1 tbs parsley, and Mrs. Dash to meat mixture. Simmer for a few minutes on low. Remove from heat. Stir in cooking wine and set aside.

In another bowl mix all cheeses along with 1 tbs parsley and nutmeg.
Spoon one layer of turkey mixture into bottom of slow cooker. Add one layer of dry lasagna noodles (you'll have to break them to make them fit). Add layer of cheese and then turkey mixture. Repeat again with noodles, cheese, turkey. Top lasagna with a pinch of parsley, cheese (optional) and 1-2 more tbs of cooking wine.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for around 4-5.

Nutrition:
Calories: 266
Total Fat 7.4g
Cholesterol 36.7mg
Sodium 868.8mg
Total Carbohydrate 25.85g
Dietary Fiber 3.38g
Sugars 10.51g
Protein 23g

Oats and Fruit

I am looking forward to changing my diet now that I am not preparing for a competition.  It's funny when I talk to people and tell them I am trying to add muscle, most believe that means you can "eat whatever you want, and as much of it as you want".

It really couldn't be further from the truth.

To gain lean muscle mass, and avoid gaining a great deal of fat, you still need to eat a clean diet of the same foods you eat during a competition prep, but just not as strict and a few more calories, but not much.

Above is the change I will make to my breakfast now. It is the same serving of steel cut oats and flax seed. I have added one thing though , on the left is cut up figs (still a few on my tree!) and on the right is currents.

Yup, that's it, I added some fruit. Fruit is typically removed from a competition diet as it is sugar, plain and simple. When you are trying to lose weight there are a few things you do, reduce caloric intake, and reduce saturated fats and sugars. 

One of the first things I ate after my competition was a banana and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I have also been hankering for some fruit on my oatmeal and now I get that too. 

I will strive to stay close to a very clean diet for the next few months, but will enjoy some meals out and meals with my family that I haven't been able to enjoy for the last couple months.