Berry Foiled Fish

Okay, okay... I know its been a little while. Sorry. Life is just a full time job you know? You may notice I've lost a bit more weight, almost 90lbs gone now! The food in this blog is what I mostly eat. One rule, go as Organic as you can all EVERYTHING.

Heres a great recipe that I found in a Men's Health Magazine, but made it my own. Feel free to play around yourself and invent new and exciting tastes! This a very easy and fast dish to prepare.

Berry Foiled Fish (for 2)

Preheat oven to 400.

Take 2 pieces of Tilapia or Cod and thaw under cool water. Drain and pat dry.
Place them into separate square pieces of foil (about 12" each)
Snap the ends off of a about a dozen asparagus sticks and split them between the 2 fish
Add a couple of chunks of portabello mushrooms (or your favorite) to each fish
BERRY TIME!* Add a handful of fresh blueberries to each fish. Sounds wild, but tastes amazing!
Drizzle on the Tamari** and Balsamic Vinegar over it all (about 2 tbls each)
Add your favorite spices and herbs. I used Dill and Smoked Paprika

Close up the foil and seal it all around and place on a cookie sheet (the last thing you want is the insides of this leaking all inside your oven)
Bake in the oven at 400 for about 15-18 minutes. If you go to long, the fish will dry out.

Volia! A wonderful, flavourful explosion of infuised flavor in EVERY bite!

Variations? I've done this with purple onion, BBQ sauce, hot pepper relish... etc... Like I say, make your kitchen your playgound, so have some fun with it! You could even try this on the grill for a nice smokey flavor.

* The pics on this blog I did before I redid the recipe with the blueberries, so just close your eyes and imagine them on the fish! :)
** Tamari is a gluten free organic version of Soy Sauce and can be found at most stores.

Love "Snack" Baby!

Hello.
My name is Evan... and I'm a snacker.

Most likely, you are in the same boat as I've been in. I just HAVE to snack. I've tried all the tricks trying to keep from it. I tried just snacking on celery (yuck), I've tried to whole, "I'm not going to eat ANYTHING after 7pm (yeah right), and even tried going to bed early to try and curb the craving. The problem is, I've had 32 years of snacking... I'm not willing to give it ALL up right?!

In the wake of this realization, I've discovered a few gems that I've turned to. One thing you have to remember is my idea of a snack 6 months ago was a king size snickers bar, big bowl (I mean big!) of ice cream, a bag of chips, or whatever happened to be on the roller cookers at the local quick stop (sorry QT). Now that you know this, you'll understand that if I was going to try and create some kind of healthy snack, they were going to good.

These are a list and description of some of my favorites, if you come up with your own, post them!

1. Iced Triple Leaf Detox Tea with Ginger Honey Crystals.

3-4 bags of tea (Akins for about $5, or Nam-Hai for about 3$)
3 cups of bowling water
2 packets of Ginger Honey Crystals (also from Nam-Hai, and Asian Market in T-Town)
3 heaping tbls of Steviea
3-4 cups ice
2 cups crushed ice for you to enjoy

This is a great drink. When I first started to eat better I began a detox and this was one of the things I was suppose to drink every night before I went to bed. I did and it worked its magic, but I got board with it. I added the ginger/honey crystals and stevia to add a kick and THEN did the ice. I now drink about 2 glasses of it a day and REALLY enjoy it. You will too.

2. My next favorite is SO simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it before.

1 small cup of your favorite frozen fruit, (no sugars of preservatives added)
pour a small amount of vanilla coconut milk over it. (Silk makes a great one!)
add a few "Food Should Taste Good" chocolate crisps on the side and presto!

You can find more on these wonderful snack crackers at www.foodshouldtastegood.com, on the site you can print off a dollar off coupon. I LOVE the cheddar ones, but remember... moderation. They have all good ingredient and most have some flax and no gluten.

3. My last one for this post is a good one. Its not so much a special snack, its just making a better choice.

In Tulsa, OK we have a wonderful line of Quick Trip stores that stock tons of coffee, soda, hot dogs, taquitos, burgers, ice scream, taquitos, corn dogs, taquitos, smokes, beer, did I mention that they also carry taquitos? Do you see a pattern here?

Most people would say, "Hey, I don't eat that stuff, I get the slimflast or the energy bars... BIG MISTAKE! The processed foods and "added" fibers and sugars to those "glorified candy bars" will not help you. Yes, they are a better choice, but its like saying your going to give up skydiving for bungee jumping.

My choice I make is:
wonderful crushed ice
a 16oz bottle of crystal light
an apple, or a cup of carrots (dump any "sauce")
and my guilty pleasure, 1 little tootsie roll.

The apple is not organic, but it will do. The Crystal Light has splenda or aspartame (not good), but it will do, the carrots will have been hosed with preservatives, but they will do too. If you want to be perfect, don't follow my blog. Also, remember, this is NOT something to do everyday. This is something I do maybe once every week or two. Like in all things in life, moderation is key.

Well It think that about wraps this post up! Let me know your little snacks that you do by sharing them with us all! Got a easy cheat? Do share!

One last note, I do have to give a shout out to Healthsource of Tulsa for being my driving force to losing weight and just getting healthier over all. You can read about my experience there so far by doing a copy and paste of the following:

http://healthsourcetulsa.com/custom_content/c_177357_tulsa_weight_loss.html

If it was not for them, I would not be here. Wonderful group of folks who make your health their priority.


Thanks all! Hope to hear from you soon!

You Can Ring my Bell Peppers and Chicken

First off, the pic. Yes, that is me, your humble blogger. On my journey to loose 100 pounds. So far so good heh? Had a brag (I'm actually down almost 55 pounds as of today, but I'm not one to brag... oh wait...).

Today is a good one, especially if you like red and yellow bell peppers. If you don't, sorry. You might want to skip this one or add squash or zuccini instead. Here we go! I call this one:

You Can Ring My Bell Peppers and Chicken

You will need:

1 red bell pepper (cubed) Keep a few of them long though, just for different textures.
1 yellow bell pepper (cubed)
5 chicken breast tenderloins
3 little sprigs of broccoli (chopped up small)
LOTs of dill
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs butter
3 handfuls (roughly 3 cups) of your fav pasta
a good shake of "Herby" seasoning (or your fav)
handful of fresh spinach

Start with a cold skillet and sprinkle it pretty heavy with the dill
Warm it up over med heat to where you can really start to smell the dill

While the chicken is cooking, start the water and boiling for the noodles.
Dump the bell peppers in and around the pan and let cook with the chicken.
Put some more dill over the whole thing.
Cover and let cook for about 2 minutes.

Flip the chicken to cook the other side, the first side should be nice and brown the dill should be cooked into it real well.
Add the garlic, broccoli.
Cover and cook again for another 2 minutes.

Now, heres the tricky part. You want to pull out just the chicken and putt it on a cutting board and let the pepper mix simmer on low heat in the pan, stir them around to pick up all the leftover bits in the bottom of the pan. Thats where the flavor is.

With the chicken, use a good grabber and cut up the pieces into chunks. Remember it is going to be real hot!

Tossing time!
By now, your pasta should be just about done.
Drain it and put in a bowl with the butter and "Herby" and toss.
Add the pepper mix to the bowl and toss
Add the spinach to the bowl and toss
Add the chicken to the bowl and toss (see a pattern here?)

Volia! Your done! Serve right away. Should feed 4 skinny's or 2 hefty's.

The point of this dish is the peppers. There a great source of vitamin C and other goodies that make you feel good. The spinach is full of iron and fiber, the broccoli is FULL of fun nutrients, and the pasta.. well no pasta is really GOOD for you, thats why there is not a lot in this dish. My wife is allergic to wheat, so we use the brand in the photo. Brown rice noodles! Yum!

You Put What in My Chicken? Salad

Okay, got a new one here that is going to become a favorite in my house. Its pretty simple, keeps well and is total yum in the tum. One little ingredient is a little wild so I call it:

"You Put What in My Chicken? Salad"

Here's what you need: If I haven't mentioned it yet, try to do all organic. Its just better.

4 small chicken breast tenderloins
1 yellow squash (or 1 large apple if you like that in your salad)
1 big head of broccoli
1 big handful of cherry tomatoes

2 cap fulls of apple cider vinegar
2 tbs of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 tbs of Herby seasoning (or your favorite)
2 tbs flax seed
some grassini bread sticks

And the secret and wild ingredient... you ready? drum roll please...... dllllllluuuuuuuum!
1/4 cup Vanilla Almond Milk. (I know, I know, but try it. Its great!)

I started by cooking the chicken in my favorite spices (herby, smoked paprika and some red pepper) and just a little bit of olive oil.

While they are cooking, I chop up the squash and broccoli into small bite sized pieces and add all the spices and liquids to it and let it chill for a moment in the fridge. The combo of the vinegar and the milk really soak into the veggies well. DO NOT ADD THE TOMATOES YET.

After cooked, the chicken gets chopped as well and mixed in with the veggies. THEN, I cut the cherry tomatoes in half and mix them in. They stay fresher this way and don't turn into mush. I sprinkle the flax seed to add a little nutty taste and some awesome Omega 3 and 6's and stick a single bread stick into the bowl.

Presto! Amazing tasting and full of flavor. This will make about 4 small servings or 2 hefty ones. Remember to chew your food up a lot to break down everything so the natural enzymes can really peak and do their job.

Enjoy!

-evan

Mexican Tilapia and Quinoa (and other foods you can't pronounce)

Howdy all again,

Well if you haven't heard of Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa), you are not the first. It is considered an "ancient grain" and is just really starting to make its way into the market again. You can find dry in bags in the dried bean and rice section of your grocery store. It is VERY high in fiber (8gs per serving) so it is great in your mission to get between 30-40 gs. of fiber a day to help keep you regular.

Tilapia is a white fish, hopefully you have heard of that.

Personally I'm not a fish fan at all, unless it came deep fried from Long Johns Silvers, but ever since I've began eating healthier, my taste buds have changed. Fish, not so scary to me anymore.

This recipe can be changed to fit your desired local, and like ALL the recipes in this blog, its more of a guide to help get you started and enjoy healthy eating and actually get full while doing it! You could try the same thing a pasta sauce or Asian spices. I LOVE to experiment!

Ok, here we go: What you need:

3-4 Tilapia fillets (unfrozen)
1-2 tbls of your favorite salsa
1 cup Quinoa
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tbls Olive Oil
2 tbls minced garlic
1 cup frozen (or fresh) edamame
2 cups cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
2 tbls taco seasoning
a few dashes of "herby" seasoning to taste. (pick it up at Whole Foods)


Fish:
First get the oven preheated to 425 degrees and get a cookie sheet out.
Drizzle just a little olive oil on the sheet where you will lay 3-4 unfrozen tilapias on.
Spoon on your favorite salsa and place in the over. Set timer for 15min.

Quinoa:
It cooks kinda like rise, 2 parts water to 1 part grains.
In a pot, combine 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup water and 1 cup quinoa.
Bring to a boil and stir often. The quinoa will puff up and absorb all the fuild in about 5 minutes. Turn down to simmer then.

Veggies:
In the skillet with about a tbs of Olive Oil (or EVOO as my TV wife says) add about 2 cups sliced mushrooms and 1 heaping tbls of minced garlic. Saute until the mushrooms shrink and are tender. Add about 1 cup frozen edamame and stir until all are cooked. Around this time, your fish should be getting close to being done.

Add the quinoa to the veggies and mix well and simmer. Sprinkle with you favorite taco seasoning and be pretty generous with Herby (if you like it). Add 3 tbls of chicken broth to dissolved the taco seasoning. The quinoa at this point should be about twice its normal size and have a little "tail" coming out of each piece.

Check the fish, they should be done and be flaky with a fork. Pull them out of the oven. At this point, add your 2 cups of sliced cherry tomatoes to the quinoa/veggie mix and stir well. Pull it off the heat, you do NOT want to get the tomatoes too hot cause they'll taste weird (and loose all their enzyme power)

Scoop out the veggie/quinoa and top with a piece of the fish and POOF! A wonderful filling meal that is has all protein of the edamame, tons of fiber with the quinoa and the omega 3's and 6's from the fish!

Enjoy!

Miracle (stinky) Noodle Butt Kicker

Okay, you might have heard the latest craze with a product called "Miracle Noodles." They are all the rage on HCG diets and theres been a lot of buzz about them.

This brand I got for 1.99 at Whole Foods back in the cold section in the back of the store, I've also heard that they carry them now at Reasors and the actual "Miracle" brand at Atkins.

Heres my butt kicking version.

One note before the recipe, just because something had very little fat, very little calories, very little anything does NOT mean it is healthy. To make it healthy, you MUST add some great things with it, like veggies or chicken. Okay... here we go:

Preparing veggies and sauce: (you notice it is almost the same in the previous spring roll recipe)

.5 zucchini chopped however you like
.5 carrot chopped however you like
.5 yellow squash chopped however you like
1 cup of frozen podded edamame
toss in a splash of organic apple cider vinger
1-2 tbls of Thai peanut sauce
1 tbls of Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tsp of hot chili pepper (if you like it hot!)
Put this all in a tight container and leave over night in the fridge.

To prepare the noodles:

Watch out, these noodles do stink right out of the package, to remove that "tofu odor" dump 1 bag in a strainer and rinse VERY well. Use your hands, feel the "slime" wash away and take wiffs of it every now and then. You will know when the odor is gone.

Next, cover noodles with water and microwave for a solid 2 minutes, drain again then pour out on paper towls or cloth to dry them as much as possible.

Take your prepare veggies, dump the noodles on top and mix well. Nuke them again in the microwave for about another minute once all mixed together to equal it all out.

Enjoy!

Side note: This is a great way to eat pasta, when we all know we should not eat any pasta. The Texture is pretty good, a little slimier than regular noodles, but hey, YOU'RE GETTING TO EAT NOODLES!

Its Easy Being Green Smoothie

Trying to eat healthy can be a challenge, especially in the morning when your faced with bacon, cereals and what I call "Death" fast food... Here's my own twist on a recipe I got from a good health eating buddy. I call it:

Its Easy Being Green Smoothie:

In a blender:
handful of fresh spinach
a few of your fav frozen fruit
a scoop your favorite protein powder (optional)
1 flax pack (or about 3 tbls milled flax seed)
1 cup Almond Milk (try the vanilla light flavor if you can find it)
a few cubes of ice

Blend on high till smoothiefied (is that a word?) Yes, it will look like pureed advacodo's but it will taste great! Promise!

Drink and enjoy!

Not only do you get the morning energy of spinach and your protein powder, but you get the advantages of Omega 3 for your heart from the flax pack. Play around with it and see what you can come up with!

Oh, and yes, that is a "Happiness Hotel" glass!

-evan