Tasty Tuesday

I mentioned in my S...M...T...W....TH...F.....S post about it's better to eat home cooked meals. I stand by that and like Nicole Byer says on Girl Code:  “Anyone can learn how to cook. You just need to not improvise when you’re cooking, just read. If you can read, you can cook. If you can’t read, go back to school, and then you can cook." Really it is that simple. I can understand not wanting to cook or not liking it but saying you don't know how? Go to Barnes and Noble pick out a cookbook that is appealing, find a recipe, go grocery shopping and follow directions.

The first time I remember cooking I was about 10yrs old. I used my imagination - meaning it wasn't really edible. Not to mention my mom came home from work she was not pleased to see standing on a step stool and leaning over the stove because my short ass couldn't reach the knobs.

As I got older I learned the importance of reading labels realizing that something may have 250 calories GOOD and then seeing it is actually 6 servings so in actuality it's 1500 calories BAD.

When you make something at home you have control over what goes into your food. There is a Smart Ones frozen dinner Portobello Mushroom Fajita that I like. It is 300 calories, 600 sodium and 53 carbs. That's not too bad for calories but horrible for sodium and eh on carbs (I pay close attention to carbs because my mother is diabetic).

I can make my own at home by dicing peppers, mushrooms, red onion, and black beans. I put them in a wok or frying pan after spraying it with pam or some other cooking spray. I use a low carb high fiber whole wheat tortilla, and fat free sour cream. It literally comes out to half the calories, about a quarter of the sodium and roughly 10 carbs. 

Cooking at home is better. That being said I will post a few healthy recipes below:

Breakfast

I make these burritos just about every weekend and put them in the freezer. It is the same low carb, high fiber whole wheat tortilla I mentioned above, roasted sweet potato, black beans, avocado, enchilada sauce, cheese and eggs.  Personally I omit the eggs, but everything else remains the same. Just grab it and pop in the microwave.

6 low carb whole wheat tortillas (La Tortilla Factory)

3 medium sweet potatoes

1- 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

few dashes of red pepper flakes, if desired

8 large egg whites

1 avocado, diced

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mexican or colby jack cheese

1/3 cup red enchilada sauce

Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until tender. Or put them in the microwave for 10 minutes or until tender.

When they are cooked and cooled, remove the skin and mash. In a separate bowl put the black beans and season them. 

In a separate medium bowl, beat egg whites together. Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-low heat. Add in egg whites and cook. Fold every few minutes to get fluffy eggs. Once cooked, remove from heat.

To assemble burritos, make sure you have warm tortillas; it makes them easier to roll. You can warm them up for 10-20 seconds in the microwave before assembling. Lay out warm tortillas and evenly distribute and spread mashed sweet potato on each. Evenly distribute egg whites, diced avocado, black beans, and shredded cheese on each tortilla. Next drizzle about tablespoon of enchilada sauce in each. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Tuck ends in, then roll up burritos. 

To warm up: Place on baking sheet in oven at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes or simply microwave them for a minute or two. Serve with sour cream, greek yogurt, salsa, or hot sauce. (My personal experience it takes a lot longer to heat up in the oven)

1 burrito Calories: 297 Fat: 9 Carbohydrates: 46.2g Sugar: 5.4g Fiber: 20g Protein: 20g

Sweet Potato Breakfast Burrito

Lunch:

On the next tasty tuesday I will include other options for lunch but today I am posting two sandwiches. I would say to keep in mind that it's not a great idea to eat deli meat every single day because it packs a lot of sodium. So be creative in your lunch meals.  

White Bean & Mozzarella Sandwich (4 servings)        

1 cup  canned canellini beans, drained and rinsed             

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 4 pieces                  

2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar                                      
1 teaspoon  extra virgin olive oil                                        

1 1 pound  loaf ciabatta bread
8 big leaves of arugula
8 basil leaves
5 ounces  part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced

cooking spray
salt
pepper

1. Heat a large pan or grill pan over medium-high heat. 

Spray pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine the next four ingredients in a bowl
and add salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, toss everything
together so that the peppers and beans are evenly coated in the marinade.
Remove just the peppers, reserving the beans and the marinade and
place them on the hot pan. Cook, about 8 minutes a side until they're
tender. Remove from pan to cool.

3. Meanwhile, slice the ciabatta loaf in half horizontally,
and then vertically into 4 equal top/bottom pieces. Hollow
out the bread on the bottom of each of the sections to create
a little divit. Fill the hollowed out areas of each of the bottom
loaf pieces with 1/4 cup of marinated beans. Reserve remaining
vinegar mixture. Finish each sandwich by layering on the basil,
the cooled pepper, the arugula and 1/4 of the sliced mozzarella.
Drizzle the remaining vinegar mixture over each sandwich and
season again with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with top piece of bread.

Turkey-Avocado Sandwich

 2 slices whole grain bread

 layered with 3 ounces deli turkey breast

 1/4 cup sliced avocado
 1 slice low-fat Swiss cheese

Dinner:

Lastly, please remember I am not a nutritionist, I am not a dietitian, I am not a chef. I am just someone that enjoys cooking and trying new things. I have a post last week that talks about the fitness app called My Fitness Pal it is free and that will help you figure out what your body will need.

SIMPLE HOISIN GLAZED SALMON Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS 
½ cup low sodium soy sauce 
½ cup water 
¼ cup hoisin sauce 
2-3 cloves garlic 
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger
2 tablespoons honey 
2 limes 
1 lb. salmon - wild caught if you have access to it
1 tablespoon sesame oil sesame seeds for topping 

INSTRUCTIONS
To make the hoisin glaze, puree the soy sauce, water, hoisin, garlic, ginger, honey, and juice of one lime in a blender or food processor.

Transfer to a skillet over medium high heat. Simmer until the mixture reduces to a syrupy consistency that will stick to the salmon when brushed on.

Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the salmon into four pieces.

Pour the sesame oil in a baking dish (I'd recommend nonstick) and arrange the salmon in the pan.

Brush the salmon with a thin layer of glaze, reserving the rest of the glaze for later.

Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven, brush with glaze again, and bake for another 15 minutes.

When the salmon is done (it will be firm and flake apart easily) remove from oven and brush with the glaze one more time before serving.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you want to be fan-say.

Served with a simple little salad (spinach, carrots, edamame, cilantro, and peanuts) tossed with sesame oil, lime juice, salt, and a touch of honey.