Tag: Healthy

Healthy Lunch…Coconut Sticky Rice and Cayenne Shrimp

On By Thinks with SpinksIn Fitness, Food3 Comments

One of my favorite things is coconut sticky rice. It is a wonderful dish most of the time a dessert from Thailand. However, today I wanted it for lunch.

I am an adult I can do what I want. Hussshhh! So dessert for lunch is what it was today.

I made this in a quicker easier way, not the traditional way it is made in Thailand, or at your local Thai restaurant. This is a quicker, more loose dish, much more like a rice pudding.

This recipe is gluten free, nut free (coconuts are not nuts, technically its a drupe, or stone fruit), and vegan.

This is my simplified quicker version of this dish. There is a more authentic way to make this but this took me 20 to 30 minutes including rice cooking time.

Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango, Kiwi, and Pineapple

yield: 1 serving

time: 20 -30 minutes including cooking time for rice

Ingredients

  1. 240 g or about 8 oz Cooked sticky rice
  2. 80 g or 1/3 cup coconut milk canned
  3. 16 g or 1 tbs of honey
  4. 1 whole or 171 g mango
  5. 1 whole or 66 g kiwi
  6. 117 g or 1 cup of pineapple
  7. pinch of salt to taste
  8. Desiccated coconut for garnish

Directions

  1. Cook rice to instructions
  2. Dice the mango, kiwi, and pineapple.
  3. Mix the rice with coconut milk and honey. Add diced fruit on top, top with desiccated coconut.

Stats for the recipe as written:

Calories 644, Fat 18.4 g, Fiber 8.7 g, Carbs 117.5 g, Sodium 30.7 mg,
Protein 8.7 g

For the shrimp its really simple. No I mean really simple and really good.

Cayenne Shrimp

Yeild: 1 serving

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

  1. 6 Shrimp with tail on
  2. 1 tsp olive oil or butter
  3. Sprinkle cayenne (to taste)
  4. Salt to taste
  5. Green onion

Directions

  1. Heat up the pan and add fat for
  2. Cook shrimp about 3 minutes total, 1 minute on one side and flip.
  3. Sprinkle with cayenne, and salt
  4. Serve sprinkle on green onion.

Stats for the recipe

Calories 111, Fat 5.5 g, Fiber 0 g, Carbs 1 g, Sodium 535 mg, protein 13 g

That is all… I hope you get a chance to try it. Perhaps be a little crazy like me and have dessert for lunch. Or just have it for dessert. =) Thank you for reading and have a great day!

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Meal Prep Lunches… Spaghetti Squash and Chicken Not Pasta, and Sweet Potatoe Coins

On By Thinks with SpinksIn Fitness, FoodLeave a comment

I often meal prep just for our lunches. I make our breakfasts and Dinners a la minute. This is a fancy schmancy way of saying, prepared to order, or not made in advance. (Gotta use my fancy degree for something. =) ) I just meal prep our lunches. Lunches are the hardest meals to get in, and I will often just not eat if I am to busy. So here is a lunch I prepped for this week, for me and my husband.

This weeks lunch is gluten free, nut free, but has animal protein and dairy.

If you have never had spaghetti squash before you are in for a treat. The flesh is mild in flavor, but pulls apart in strings, much like spaghetti. I am guessing that is where the name comes from. (said tongue in cheek =) )

Everything in this recipe is roasted. Also people season your food! I get a lot of my friends saying oh I don’t like X, or I don’t like Y. Then I get a hold of them, cook for them, and their tune changes. Why you might ask?… 99% of the time people don’t know how to season their food, and don’t know how to prepare their food. Eat well, eat healthy, and make your pallet happy as well as your body.

Enough talking/writing on to the recipe.

Spaghetti Squash and Chicken Not Pasta
(yeild – 6 portions, or 3 meals for two adults)

Ingredients:

  1. 10 lbs or two good sized Spaghetti Squash
  2. 3 large chicken breasts, cut in half width wise
  3. 1 jar of pasta sauce you like, or a can of tomato sauce works as well ( I used pre canned sauce to make my prep a little easier)
  4. Parmesan shredded
  5. 3 large sweet potatoes pealed and cut in to coins for roasting
  6. Olive oil for roasting
  7. Salt and Pepper to taste
  8. Seasoning you like for your chicken ( I used the Mrs. Dash original, salt free seasoning we have here in the states. I like salt free cause I can control the salt in my food better that way.)

Directions:

  1. Pre heat oven to 425 degrees F, or 218.33 degrees C
  2. Cut the squash in half, scoop out seeds, drizzle cut side with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, and place them cut side down on a pan prepared with parchment paper. Be sure to oil the skin of the squash so it does not burn in the oven. No need to salt the skin of the squash.
  3. Cut each breast in half, drizzle oil on breasts, add salt and pepper, sprinkle with other seasonings, and place in a oven proof pan.
  4. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into coins, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cinnamon.
  5. Place each of these in the oven, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
  6. For the chicken I cut one open to see if it is cooked. For the squash I poke it with a fork and see if it is soft and done cooking. For the sweet potatoes I poke with a fork and see if they are soft to the touch.
  7. Portion out and save for the week days and enjoy.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great weekend. Let me know if you tried this and how you liked it.

Healthy Snack or Dessert…Chocolate Chia Pudding

On By Thinks with SpinksIn Fitness, Fitness Links, Food3 Comments

Looking for a healthy snack or dessert, or if you are me you will eat it for lunch, instead of lunch, cause it is easy and you can just grab it and go. Looking for that chocolate fix. That time when you just want something a little chocolaty, but full of vitamins, fiber and protein. Try this out. Also this is vegetarian, gluten free, and can be vegan if you leave the honey out and replace it with another sweetener.

Chia seeds are amazing…

If you have never had chia seeds before they are an ancient seed, used by the Aztecs and the Mayans. They a jam packed with nutrients, and are simply amazing despite their diminutive size.

“A one-ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains :

  • Fiber: 11 grams.
  • Protein: 4 grams.
  • Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are omega-3s).
  • Calcium: 18% of the RDI.
  • Manganese: 30% of the RDI.
  • Magnesium: 30% of the RDI.
  • Phosphorus: 27% of the RDI.
  • They also contain a decent amount of zinc, vitamin B3 (niacin), potassium, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2.”

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-health-benefits-of-chia-seeds#section1

If you want to read up more about them see the link above. There is a lot to love about these tiny power packed seeds. They are high in fiber, contain omega 3 fatty acids (so if you don’t or won’t eat fish, they are a great alternative source), and plant based protein. I will leave you to read about them if you want. On to the recipe.

Chocolate Chia Pudding
yield: two servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 and 1/2 cup or 6 oz of Almond milk (you can use, soy, coconut, or even dairy if you want)
  • 2 tbs or 1.4 oz of Honey (or to taste, also if vegan, you can use stevia to taste)
  • 2 tsp or 2 cap full of vanilla ( you can use any extract you like, I often change it up, sometimes adding Kirsh just for a cherry flavor, or Calvados)
  • 4 tbs or 2 oz of chia seeds
  • 2 tbs or 0.66 oz of unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder (note: I use a heaping tbs, cause I like chocolate)
  • Pinch of salt to taste
  • Fruit that you like. (e.g. Berries, apples, oranges, etc.)
  • Mini dark chocolate chips for garnish

Recipe:

  1. Mix all the wet ingredients first
  2. Add the dry and stir till all of cocoa powder is incorporated.
  3. Let set for 15 minutes, then stir again.
  4. Cover with lid and let refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is great to do overnight.
  5. After set, serve with garnish and fruit.

Calories/Stats

Calories 274, Fat 13.1 g, Fiber 14.5 g, Carbs 40.3 g, Sodium 141.9 mg,
Protein 6.8 g

I also make a version that is a Chai Chia pudding. Try saying that five times.

You have to add the Chai spices to the mix.

1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1/4 tsp of ground cardamom
1/8 tsp of ground cloves

Let me know if you are interested in any of my other versions. Thanks for reading.

Healthy Lunch…Breezy Caprese Salad

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This my take on a fast Caprese salad. I used tomatoes, cucumbers, dried basil because I forgot to get fresh basil at the store, and mozzarella pearls. For the dressing I used balsamic vinegar and a garlic olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.

This is quick, easy, healthy, and most importantly delicious.

Recipe:

  • Tomatoes diced
  • cucumber diced
  • pearl mozzarella
  • balsamic
  • garlic infused olive oil you can sub regular olive oil
  • basil fresh preferably or dried
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Chop veggies to bite size
  • Toss veggies and mozzarella
  • in a separate bowl lightly mix oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy

Stats:

Calories 253, Fat 17.7 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Carbs 11.6 g, Sodium 146 mg, Protein 17.1 g

Thanks for reading this far. Let me know what you think if you get to try this.

Healthy Lunch/Breakfast… Vibrant Springtime Asparagus and Eggs

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Today for lunch, I wanted something light. I had a big breakfast and was not super hungry. So I made Garlic Lemon and Cayenne Blanched Asparagus, with two fried eggs. Spring cannot come soon enough. Asparagus is going to start popping up in the stores. So try this light, vibrant dish out.

This was so satisfying and delicious. It was light, but had enough fat and protein to be fulfilling. If you like the idea of Hollandaise sauce this will be right up your alley. This is a less caloric, and has less fat than Hollandaise sauce. The main reason is that lack of butter. This is so very satisfying in the same way. Taking out the Hollandaise sauce you remove for about 4 ounces or 1/2 cup you take out 140 calories, and 14 grams of fat. The sauce is made by adding pats of butter to wisking/cooking egg yolk and lemon juice. Those majority of those calories and fat come from the butter and the extra yolks for the sauce.

My digression and some background:

I also added finishing salt to the meal with Maldon salt.

” The brand was Maldon—Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. It came from a 135-year-old family-owned salt works on the southeast coast of England. My wife had been buying it for years. “

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/history-of-maldon-salt

Maldon salt is a flaky sea salt that is used for finishing your food. When I feel like being super special I will pull out the Maldon. Let me put this into perspective. For the boiling water to blanch the asparagus, I just used regular granulated salt. It will be dissolving in water and does not need to be super special. This salt you put on your food cause you want to taste it. You want to taste the different minerals in it. The minerals in the “fancy” salts are what gives it different flavors.

” Once upon a time, salt was just salt. It was the stuff in shakers and canisters, the gustatory equivalent of the treble dial. You used more, or you used less. Whether it was a little girl with an umbrella, a toss over the left shoulder to ward off bad luck, or a nontaster’s affront to the chef, it was all just salt. “

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/history-of-maldon-salt

Make your food interesting and fun, and delicious and it will be such a satisfying part of your life. I digress though back to the recipe.

Recipe: Garlic Lemon and Cayenne Blanched Asparagus (yields 2 servings)

Ingredients:

  1. 2 bunches of asparagus
  2. 1 lemon zested
  3. 1/2 lemon juiced
  4. 2 cloves of garlic sliced
  5. 1 tsp of olive oil
  6. 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper plus a little more for sprinkling on top of eggs
  7. Maldon salt for finishing
  8. Pepper to taste
  9. Granulated salt for blanching water

Directions:

  1. Take a spear of asparagus and holding both ends bend till it breaks. Where it breaks cut the rest around that area. Because that is where the woody part of it basically ends. Blanch the asparagus in salinated/salted boiling water, for about 2 minutes or till just tender but still has a crunch. Remove from water and dunk in ice bath or bowl with cold water to stop the cooking.
  2. In a pan add oil, cayenne, and garlic, heat till garlic starts to brown around edge. Drain and add asparagus to the pan, toss the asparagus in the oil in pan just to coat. Portion out Asparagus onto two plates. Squeeze a little bit of lemon on them. Add lemon zest to asaparagus.
  3. Fry 4 eggs, in the same pan. Take plats and add egg to the asparagus. Garnish with pepper, Maldon salt, lemon zest, and sprinkle of cayenne.
  4. Serve and enjoy immediately

Calories/stats for 1 serving

Calories 350, Fat 29.2 g, Fiber 4.6 g, Carbs 10.5 g, Sodium 802 mg, Protein 18.5 g

This was kid and husband approved. Thanks for reading this far. Have a fantastic week.

Healthy Dinner… Shrimp Spring Rolls with Ginger Peanut Sauce Yessss

On By Thinks with SpinksIn FoodLeave a comment

You can make these at home, and I did. I made these for my family for dinner. My kids love these and they are super healthy. I made a ginger peanut sauce to go with it.

It may look daunting and the most difficult part is the wrapping of the rolls.

This meal is a bit time consuming but if you have about 45 minutes you can have these ready and tuck in.

This is a recipe that is easily translated to vegan, or vegetarian. This is gluten free, and really very healthy. One roll without the sauce is only 117 calories, and almost no fat.

Ginger Peanut Sauce – (yield: about 16 tbsp)

Tip: You can change this to vegan or vegetarian by using Bragg’s Aminos instead of soy sauce. This gives a similar taste but does not have any animal products.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup or 4 oz of Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp or 0.5 oz of sriracha sauce
  • 1 whole lime juiced
  • 2 tbsp or 1.0 oz of crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp or 0.5 oz of freshly grated ginger
  • 1.5 tbsp 0.75 oz of honey

Directions:

In a bowl stir together soy sauce, sriracha sauce, lime juice, peanut butter, grated ginger, and honey. You can make this ahead of time and use it when you need it.

Calories for 1 tablespoon: Calories 23.75, Fat 1 g, Fiber 0, Carbs 2.9g, Sodium 431 mg, Protein 1.25 g

Calories for total amount of sauce made: Calories 380, Fat 15.8 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Carbs 47.8 g, Sodium 6908.5 mg, Protein 20.1 g

Shrimp Spring Rolls (Yield: about 15 rolls)

Tip: you can change this to vegetarian or vegan by omitting shrimp, and you can change the veggies used in this wrap to those you like. For instance a thinly sliced bell pepper would be delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs or 32 oz of shrimp
  • I package rice noodles
  • 1 package rice paper wrappers
  • 3 grated carrots
  • 1/2 of cucumber grated
  • lettuce of your choosing, I used a mixed greens
  • 1 Jalapenos sliced thin (if you don’t remove the seeds they will be hotter.)

Directions:

Follow the directions on the package of how to cook he noodles. In my case bring water to boil and then add noodles cook for 3 minutes. I rinsed with cold water to stop the cooking, grate the veggies, cook the shrimp. I just boiled them in water. Soften the rice paper wrappers as the package directs.

Assembly:

  • Soak the rice paper just till it starts to get soft. It will be slightly firm still.
  • Layer veggies, shrimp, noodles and lettuce.
  • Fold up the bottom end of the wrap over the filling
  • Wrap the right side over then while tucking the ingredients, roll over the roll and continue wrapping.
  • Fold down the top of the wrapper and it is complete.

This is the calories measurements for 1 wrap: Calories 117, Fat 1.2 g, Fiber 1.3 g, Carbs 21.3 g, Sodium 292.2 mg, Protein 4.9 g

Enjoy! I hope you like these as much as my family and I love them. Let me know what you think if you get a chance to try this.

Healthy Lunch…Hummole… Guammus…Guac Hummus? I don’t know what to call it…but tasty

On By Thinks with SpinksIn Fitness, Food, OpinionLeave a comment

As I have said before eat the rainbow. It is a great way to get your vitamins and nutrients in.

I thought about whether to show this, as it is not exactly “instagram pretty”. Its a cross between a hummus and a guacamole. You can add any spices you want to it to season to taste. Some of the things I have done with this is, lemon juice, onions, cayenne, garlic, and jalapenos.

Today what I made was canned garbanzo beans, avocado, tomato, pickle juice in absence of lemon, and chopped dill pickles. I stuffed that into a pita and added fresh veggies, and it was oh so good.

Tastey Guammus Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole pita
  • 1/2 avocado smashed
  • 1/2 or euro 4 oz cup of garbanzo beans canned smashed
  • 6 cherry tomatoes sliced
  • 1 1/2 tbs or euro 30 mls of pickle juice or more to taste
  • 8 slices of dill pickles chopped up or sweet and spicy pickles would be good too
  • Veggies of your choice sliced up to stuff in pita ( I did cucumber, and bell pepper, cause that is what I had)
  • seasoning to taste

Directions:

  • cut the pita in half
  • prepare the guammus, in a bowl smash the garbanzo beans and avocado together. I did not have lemon juice so I substituted pickle juice for the acid component.
  • Chop up the pickles, and tomatoes adding them to the guammus mixture.
  • stuff guammus into the pita, and add veggies
  • sit in a sunny area and enjoy your tasty guammus sandwich.

Calories 417, Fat 15.9 g, Fiber 17.9 g, Carbs 60.1 g, Sodium 742 mg, Protein 14.3 g

Just think the colors in your veggies are the sun trapped and transformed to make a nutrient dense lunch for you. =)

Thank you for reading again. I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it. Let me know what you think.