Shakshuka

Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a popular breakfast in North Africa and the Middle East. It’s a great low-carb, veggie-rich breakfast, or a quick and easy dinner. No zucchini? Use bell peppers or eggplant instead.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large yellow onion halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium zucchini halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 clove garlic thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne to taste(1/8 to 1/4 tsp, to taste)
  • 794 g whole plum tomatoes with their juices coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • about 1 cup feta cheese crumbled ()
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil chopped, for serving
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Add the onions and zucchini, and sauté for 8–10 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then add the cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer until the tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese.
  • Gently crack the eggs into the skillet, spreading them evenly over the tomatoes. Season with a pinch of coarse salt, if desired. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7–8 minutes (they will continue to cook for a couple of minutes after you remove them from the oven). Sprinkle with the fresh herbs and serve immediately.
  • Do Ahead Or Delegate: Halve and slice the onion and zucchini, slice the garlic, combine the dry spices, chop the tomatoes, or fully prepare the recipe without the eggs and refrigerate or freeze it.
  • Flavor Booster: Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. Serve with hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco, sriracha or harissa, if you have it.

Yam and carrot bake.

Yam and Carrot Bake

All the focus is on the veggies with this delicious side, all that's needed is a small protein source!

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large ams
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • dash nutmeg
  • dash cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven 425 F.
  • Peel and cut yams and carrots into 1" chunks.Boil in salted water until soft enough to mash.
  • Drain, place in bowl and mash with potato masher (if you do not have a masher use the bottom of a cup). Mix in spices,1/2 tbsp butter, milk. Spoon into baking dish.
  • Cut remaining butter and scatter on top.
  • Bake until top is lightly crispy. ~ 10 min.

Notes

NUTRITION FACTS
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup
Total Calories 178
Carbohydrate 2.3 g
Total Fat 38 g
Protein 3 g
Fiber 6 g
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30
Tips and Hints:
• You can add boiled and mashed apples to this recipe too or maple
syrup for a flavour boost.
• Serve with a protein such as roasted chicken

Homemade breakfast pizza.

homemade breakfast pizza

This easy, homemade breakfast pizza is made with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, spinach and cheese, made completely from scratch and ready in less than 30 minutes start to finish!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 5 oz all purpose or white whole wheat flour*
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt not regular, drained if there’s any liquid
  • handful baby spinach
  • 2 ounces 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 8 cherry tomatoes sliced
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 strips cooked center cut bacon chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450F. Place a silicone liner on a large baking sheet or spray with oil if using parchment.
  • In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well.
  • Add the yogurt and mix with a fork or spatula until well combined, it will look like small crumbles.
  • Lightly dust flour on a work surface and remove dough from the bowl, knead the dough a few times until dough is tacky, but not sticky, about 20 turns (it should not leave dough on your hand when you pull away).
  • Divide into 4 equal balls about 3-3/8 oz each.
  • Sprinkle a work surface and rolling pin with a little flour roll the dough out into thin ovals 7 to 8 inches in diameter and place on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Top with spinach, mozzarella and tomatoes, leaving the center open for the egg. Gently break an egg the center of each dough and finish with bacon.
  • Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the egg is set. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes

*For gluten free I suggest Cup 4 Cup flour.
Serving: 1pizza, Calories: 271kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 20.5g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 198.5mg, Sodium: 568mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 2.5g

Sheet Pan Lamb Dinner.

Sheet Pan Lamb Dinner

This Sheet Pan Lamb Dinner makes holiday entertaining easy. Lamb is roasted with potatoes, tomatoes, lemons and olives until perfectly cooked and ready to serve.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 pound boneless leg of lamb roast
  • 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt divided
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 petite white potatoes halved
  • 1 red onion cut into wedges
  • 1 pound items from olive bar black & green olives cherry peppers, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, etc.
  • 1 pound campari tomatoes on the vine or grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 lemon thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
  • Arrange potatoes, red onion, olive bar items, tomatoes and sliced lemon on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine.
  • Combine ½ teaspoon salt, with dijon mustard, rosemary, oregano, onion powder and black pepper. Rub this mixture over the lamb roast.
  • Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 125°F to 130°F for medium rare, 60 – 75 minutes, or 130°F to 135°F for medium, 75-90 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Croissant Breakfast Sandwich.

Croissant Breakfast Sandwich

Little details make the difference between a soggy breakfast sandwich from a bodega and this flaky croissant breakfast sandwich with lox and cucumbers

Ingredients
  

  • 2 croissants
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 oz smoked salmon
  • 1 sliced avocado
  • 1 Persian cucumber sliced

Instructions
 

  • Put your croissant in a 350 degree F oven and toast until the outside is crispy (be careful not to burn it!).
  • Make the scrambled eggs how you like them. I usually add a bit of cream, salt and pepper and whisk, then pour it into a well buttered pan over medium low heat. I like big fluffy curds that are still slightly soft, so I’ll let it cook undistrubed until the bottom starts turning opaque, then I give a quick stir, and let the bottom set again before giving a it a final stir and plating. You want the egg a little softer than how you want to eat it as the residual heat will continue cooking the egg after it’s been plated. If you want to add something like cheese, or truffles, add it in between the first and second stir.
  • Slice your toasted croissant in half, then top with the egg. I like serving this with a layer of smoked salmon, avocado, bacon, sausage or ham work well too. I also topped this with some sliced cucumber for a bit of crunch, but you could omit, or use other greens.

Notes

Other things I love adding to this sandwich are tomatoes and/or creamy goat cheese.

DAWGS- 3 tips for BELLY FAT LOSS

This is the time of year everyone has given up on their resolution. As many of you know I am not big believer of this and offer specials etc.  Why? It takes 30 days to form a habit and 80% will fail.  One of main reasons is that people like to be accountable to someone (I will have more on this later)

Tip 1

Can’t eat after 7pm
and not again till noon the next day

Why is this important- 2 reasons:

1. Intermittent fasting (IF) works- I believe we as a
society indulge too much – right or wrong. 
I am not saying that you can’t indulge but I inform my clients that they
can indulge 20% of the time. 

Some of the benefits of IF include:

  • Improves insulin sensitivity.
    • The
      body becomes more sensitive to the effects of insulin… less insulin secretion
      per meal… lower blood glucose and insulin levels!

  • Promotes autophagy.
    • Regular
      bodily process where damaged, old, and dysfunctional proteins are consumed by
      the body.  Think of renovating your
      kitchen, you need to tear away all the old culverts before installing new ones!

  • Elevates Growth Hormone production.
    • GH
      is very important hormone for body composition, because it releases stored fat
      and preserves muscle during fasting.

  • Reduced systemic inflammation
  • Inflammation occurs in the body
    after exposure to a variety of stimuli, including viruses, injury, certain
    foods, and even exercise. Chronic inflammation is a precursor to
    atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and other harmful diseases

A great
method when using IF is too fast for 24 hours once per week- doing this will
melt that body fat!

Tip 2- Increase GH levels

Another
reason I firmly believe that you need to stop eating at 7pm for reason #3-
Increased Growth hormone (GH) production. 
Elevated GH production burns body fat! 
The best methods to increase GH are thru intermittent fasting, sleep and
strength training!  If you are having a
hard time sleeping maybe review your eating habits at night- any sugar
consumption late at night STOPS GH production!

Tip 3- SLEEP!

A long term study (16 Years!) of more than 68,000 women
found those who slept less than 5 hours per night were significantly more
likely to gain weight than those who slept 7 hours or more per night. In fact,
the women who slept less than 5 hours per night gained 30 or more pounds over
the course of the 16-year study period

 Sleep is so important
for increased GH production and decreased cortisol levels.   We have already discussed the importance of
increased GH levels.   Lack of sleep increases
cortisol production as it is a major stressor on your body.   An increased level of Cortisol has a direct correlation
with storage of abdominal fat.  I have
some bads news for Women who already have bigger midsection – they tend to produce
more cortisol. SORRY!!

As we mentioned in the intro – Goals are better achieved with accountability.  Especially, with Nutrition and fitness.


Looking to lose fat?

Personal Training Challenge 

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde

Chipolte Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde

Because TACOS! Seafood, veggies and the good choice of making them into taco form, you will love the flavours and enjoy eating one of my favorite meals!

Ingredients
  

  • Avocado Salsa
  • 1 small onion quartered
  • 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and peeled
  • 1 garlic clove smashed
  • 4 medium tomatillos husked, rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • ½ avocado
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Shrimp
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp chipotle of chilli powder
  • 1 lbs ~20 medium shrimp (~20, peeled and deveined)
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 3 sprigs cilantro for garnish
  • 2 limes cut into wedges squeeze juice on taco

Instructions
 

  • Put onion, garlic, jalapeño in food processor or chop finely. Add tomatillos, avocado, and salt, pulse or chop chunky. Transfer in bowl and stir in cilantro.
  • Heat stovetop or outdoor grill to medium high. Mix olive oil, chipotle or chilli powder, salt in large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Lightly sauté or grill shrimp until cooked thoroughly (pink).
  • Grill or dry fry tortillas until slightly charred and pliable, ~20 sec. per side. Alternatively wrap in paper towel and heat in microwave.
  • Layer salsa, shrimp o tortilla, squeeze fresh lime juice. Fold over and eat.

Notes

NUTRITION FACTS
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 2 tortillas
Total Calories 182
Carbohydrate 14 g
Total Fat 1 g
Protein 9 g
Fiber 8 g
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 40
Tips and Hints:
• Pre-cooked, deveined shrimp to shorten the preparation time.
• If frozen thaw packaged shrimp in cold water in sink.
• Option to add other vegetables such as lettuce or bell peppers.

Chickpea Salad.

Chickpea Salad

On warm spring days, this salad will bring you a little closer to summer. Fresh and won't weigh you down for the rest of your busy day.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 7 oz can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 3 cups cucumber peeled, seeded and diced
  • 2 cups grape tomatoes halved (or cherry tomatoes)
  • ¼ cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
  • ¼ cup red onion diced
  • ½ cup light dill ranch dressing (if you want to make your own dressing recipe follows or us plain
  • light ranch and add fresh dill)
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Dill Ranch Dressing
  • small shallot peeled
  • ¾ cup nonfat cottage cheese
  • ¼ cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp milk powder
  • 2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup nonfat milk
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions
 

  • Making the dressing:
  • With the food processor running, add shallot through the feed tube and process until finely chopped.
  • Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, milk powder and vinegar. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary (~3 min). Pour in milk while the processor is running. Scrape down the sides; add dill, salt and pepper and process until combined.
  • Making it:
  • Place chickpeas and chopped cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, onion, dressing and pepper in a medium bowl.
  • Mix with dressing until coated.

Notes

NUTRITION FACTS
Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 cup
Total Calories 157
Carbohydrate 29 g
Total Fat 2 g
Protein 6 g
Fiber 5 g
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 0
Tips and Hints:
• You can add many other vegetables to chick peas salad. Try
adding carrots, peppers, green or red pepper, broccoli or
cauliflower.
• For a protein boost you can add cooked lean back bacon or
chicken breast.

Skillet chicken parm.

Healthy skillet chicken parm

The title says it all… healthy chicken parm! and if you want to go meatless, eggplant is a wonderful substitution!

Ingredients
  

  • HOMEMADE TOMATO SAUCE OPTIONAL
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/4 cup grated onion
  • Pinch crushed red pepper
  • 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes preferably San Marzano
  • 8 fresh basil leaves chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH
  • 1 spaghetti squash about 2 to 2½ pounds
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • SKILLET CHICKEN PARMESAN
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • cups tomato sauce homemade or your favorite store-bought
  • cups grated part-skim mozzarella
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • For the Homemade Tomato Sauce (optional):
  • In a medium sauce pan over medium low heat, combine olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly so the garlic does not burn. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20 minutes.
  • For the Roasted Spaghetti Squash:
  • Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • With a sharp knife, carefully cut about four 1/2-inch slits in the squash to allow steam to escape while it cooks. Put the squash on the prepared baking sheet and roast for about 1½ hours. Let the squash cool for about 20 minutes on the baking sheet.
  • Cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. With a fork, pull the squash fibers away from the outer peel (use a towel to hold the squash in place if it’s too hot). Season with salt and pepper if desired.
  • For the Skillet Chicken Parmesan:
  • Preheat oven to 400F.
  • Arrange a chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken evenly until it is 1/4-inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap and repeat. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Season each side of each chicken breast with the mixture.
  • Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Place chicken breasts in the skillet and sear for 3 minutes. Use a spatula or tongs to flip the chicken breasts. Top with sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan. Transfer skillet to the oven and bake for about 4 to 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with Roasted Spaghetti Squash.

Chocolate-peanut butter smoothie.

Choco-Peanut Butter Smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth with something a little healthier. They’re a great way to start the day because they are filling, delicious, and often better for you than the high sugared cereals!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp All-natural peanut butter
  • 1 cup 1% chocolate milk
  • ½ cup low fat vanilla yogurt
  • 1 Banana
  • 3 ice cubes
  • water as need to achieve consistency

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender.
  • Blend until smooth.

Notes

NUTRITION FACTS
Servings: 1
Serving Size: 1 smoothie
Total Calories 435
Carbohydrate 66 g
Total Fat 8 g
Protein 16 g
Fiber 4 g
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 0
Tips and Hints:
 Use extra milk instead of water to boost up calories, calcium and
vitamin D.
 Nutritional information may vary slightly depending on yogurt brand
use.