Tag Archives: Nutrition

Rustic Chicken Cacciatorie

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Rustic Chicken Cacciatorie

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“Rustic Chicken Cacciatorie” over Italian Trottole pasta
with a side of freshly baked Parmesan Crispini’s
Ingredients
* 1 medium shallot
* 2 large cloves of garlic
* 6 large vine ripened tomatoes or 9-10 Roma tomatoes
* 1 large red bell pepper or 2 medium sized
* 1 (6) inch sprig of fresh Rosemary
* 1 teaspoon of fresh Thyme
* 1 teaspoon of fresh Oregano
* 2 tablespoons of fresh Basil
* 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
* Sea Salt
* Fresh Pepper
* Grape Seed Oil
This rustic dish is a breeze to make since the ingredients are minimal. Let go of perfection and have fun chopping big chunks of tomatoes and peppers being sure to keep those rough chops equal in size to insure even roasting time.  Based on your dietary guidelines you can keep this meal gluten and/or carb free.  Not to mention the entire dish has only has 2 teaspoons of Grape seed oil.  Try serving it over your favorite pasta, steamed spaghetti squash, grilled zucchini ribbons or just as it is with a steamed vegetable side such as broccoli, asparagus or a lovely whole artichoke.  Enjoy.
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large, oven safe, sauté pan add 1/4 teaspoon of oil, the shallot cut into four large chunks, and garlic;  roughly cut into halves.  Sauté on medium low heat just long enough to release flavors, about 2-3 minutes.
Chop the bell pepper into 1-inch squares and add to the pan.  Turn heat up to medium.  Slice your tomatoes into quarters or sixths based on the size of everything else and add them to the pan.  Add 1 teaspoon fresh Thyme, 1 teaspoon fresh Oregano, and 1 tablespoon of fresh basil cut into ribbons. Toss the whole sprig of rosemary in then drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil over the pan.  Sprinkle with  1/4  teaspoon of sea salt and few grinds of fresh pepper then slide the pan into your preheated, 375-degree oven  for 20 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting add 1/4 to 1/2  teaspoon of oil to another large sauté pan (just enough oil to coat the pan without creating a puddle).  Heat oil on medium high heat.  Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt onto both sides of each chicken breast.  Once the oil is “singing,”  add the chicken. Sear on medium-to-medium high heat to seal in the juices and create a rich golden color.
Once browned on both sides remove from heat and set aside.  Remove the sauce  from the oven after 20 minutes and let it cool for about 5 minutes.  Remove the sprig of rosemary and scoop the roasted mixture into a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth and fluffy.  Pour the puree into the pan with the browned chicken breasts; add the rest of the fresh herbs, finely chopped, along with sea salt to your taste (about 1/4 teaspoon).  Simmer on low for 30 minutes (15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered).
While the sauce is simmering begin to make what ever you are serving you “Rustic Chicken Cacciatorie” over and/or with.

 

Crispy Kale Chips

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Crispy Baked Kale Chips

Not only does this snack satisfy cravings for crispy and salty foods, it’s loaded with nutritional value such as Vitamin A, K, Fiber and Folate.  Baked Kale Chips are low in carbohydrates and high in fatty acids.  They are a great movie snack or replacement to potato chips.  Serve them as a side with soup or a sandwich and get your friends talking.

The secret to Crispy Kale Chips is clean leaves and  the removal of the large vein that goes down the center of each leaf. Start with fresh, Organic Kale and wash it well. I suggest getting a large bowl of filtered water, adding 7-10 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract and letting your leaves soak for 5-10 minutes.  Kale is a super hearty Cruciferous Green and can handle the submersion bath, you will be surprised at the amount of sand in the bottom of your bowl.  To avoid coating your clean leaves with the sand again, remove them from the dirty water with your hands or tongs opposed to dumping them into a strainer; place the leaves on a clean cloth and air dry completely.

Using kitchen shears, fold the clean and dry Kale in half length wise and cut the center vein out.  Rip the remaining side leaves into 2-3 inch squares.  The larger the better since these shrink upon baking. If the Kale you are using has small leaves, you many not need to rip them all.  Put your Kale squares into a large bowl and toss them with 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar ; 2 tablespoons of room temperature, liquified,Coconut Oil and a pinch of Sea Salt per bunch of Kale. Place single layers of dressed leaves on an ungreased baking sheet (you will probably need to bake several batches if using two or more bunches of Kale).  Gently turn the leaves over after the first 10 minutes.  Bake for another ten minutes or until all of the leaves are golden brown, light as air and crispy.  Sprinkle with Sea Salt immediately upon removal from the oven and store in a paper bag up to three days.

Ingredients:

Serving Size – 2 bunches of Kale typically produces the equivalence to a standard bag of potato chips.

  • 2 or more Organic bunches of curly leaf Kale
  • 2 tablespoons per bunch “Bragg” organic apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons per bunch “Garden of Life” coconut oil
  • Pinches to taste approx. 2 tablespoons per bunch sea salt

Tropical Ceviche

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After returning from Zihuatanejo Gurrero, Mexico in June, I have more passion than ever for embracing an organic lifestyle.

While taking in the view along Playa la Ropa, it was hard to miss the beautiful local people exuding a glowing love for life.

It was the sunshine, waves, palm trees and environment that offered nothing but the freshest foods on earth that inspired me to create these tropical recipes for you.

“Tropical Ceviche”

1 medium Papaya (2 cups)

2 large Mango’s (2 cups)

1 small pineapple (1 cup)

4-5 Key Limes (1/4 cup fresh squeezed juice)

1/2 cup coconut water

1/3 cup unsweetened shaved coconut

Pour the lime juice and coconut water into a large bowl and whisk them together.  Chop all of the fresh fruit into pieces that are slightly smaller than “bite” size but bigger than “diced”.  Place all of the fruit chunks in your bowl and thoroughly coat them with the lime juice mixture.  Marinate 20-30 minutes, garnish with shaved coconut and serve chilled. For an adult version, replace the coconut water with Vodka and let the mixture marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

“Tropical Ceviche” as a main course

This recipe can also be modified to become a main course.  Simply marinate a couple of  Tilapia  fillets (or other similar white fish) in lime juice and a pinch of sea salt; cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour, no longer than three hours.  The citrus from the lime juice will cook the fish and provide the addition of protein to this tropical dish. After marinating the fish, pull it apart into bite size pieces and fold them into the mixture.  To garnish this dish as a main course, replace the shaved coconut with chunks of avocado and fresh Cilantro.

5 ways to cut cost & calories from your Holiday dinner

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turkey carve

5 ways to cut cost and calories from your holiday dinner

As we all know the holidays are typically a time  of cheer, community and food.  But this year may be a little different due to the economical issues hitting so many households these days.  Please remember, different does not have to imply “bad”.  It is my opinion that a fantastic holiday dinner doesn’t have to cost a fortune.  I know, you’re thinking I am going to suggest cutting corners on quality right? Well, you’re wrong.  Check out these five simple ways to save money and calories on your holiday dinner.
  1. turnipMake “turn-atoes”. Turnips are very inexpensive and add a fantastic peppery flavor to classic mashed potatoes.   Turnips help curb free radicals by  supplying high quantities of Vitamin C, calcium, folic acid and magnesium.  Russet potatoes work best for this “turnatoe” combination;  simply use one  medium turnip for every large Russet potato.  Turnips are high in water content so you can leave out the cream which eliminates even more cost and calories.
  2. Change up the veggies. We usually see the same vegetables at a traditional Thanksgiving dinner;  peas, corn, green beans and some form of sweet potato and marshmallow surprise.  Look at the produce section of your local store and get creative based on the price per pound.  Zucchini is very affordable this time of year, so are green beans, and broccoli and a whole butternut squash can easily replace 3-4 sweet potatoes and eliminate the need to buy marshmallows.  Canned vegetables are usually most affordable but they are tasteless and nutritionally  lifeless so if you do veer away from fresh vegetables the next best choice nutritionally is frozen.
  3. breadSkip the dinner rolls. Rolls can be pricey and are usually made from processed ingredients.  Consider buying a hearty loaf of multi-grain bread from a local bakery.   You can heat up some of the slices for the Thanksgiving bread basket and have plenty left for your  Turkey sandwiches the next day.
  4. apple sauceGo crustless. Making pies may be tradition but the ingredients for a pie crust are expensive.  Plus, 90 percent of pre-made pie crusts available are loaded with saturated fat and hydrogenated oils.  Consider giving tradition a new look.  Make the filling for your favorite apple pie but cook it over a slow simmer to create homemade apple sauce instead.  Serve it warm with vanilla frozen yogurt and no body will miss the crust.  You can do the same thing  with the filling for a chocolate cream, lemon meringue or butterscotch cream pie;  just make the filling and serve it a clear glass bowl with a dollop of homemade whip cream or meringue.
  5. Keep the carcass. After cleaning off all the turkey meat, place the bones in a large pot, cover with water, add salt, pepper, a bay leaf, thyme and the classic Mirepoix of  diced onion, carrot and celery.  After a few hours, strain everything over a large bowl and you have a fantastic, low sodium broth to use as a base for soup or for cooking rice.

Why should you care about pesticides?

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Why should you care about pesticides?

Pesticides

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates in Washington D.C., for policies that protect global and individual health.

Among the many valuable services they provide is a Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides in Produce. It is based on the results of nearly 43,000 pesticide tests performed on produce and collected by federal agencies between 2000 and 2004. Nearly all of the data used took into account how people typically wash and prepare produce – for example, apples were washed and bananas peeled before testing.

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, the list of twelve foods listed below

Choosing Organic is the best choice for your family.

Keep your family healthy and strong, avoid pesticides

do not have to be organic.

Broccoli

Eggplant

Cabbage

Banana

Kiwi

Asparagus

Sweet peas (frozen)

Mango

Pineapple

Sweet corn (frozen)

Avocado

Onion

These had the lowest pesticide load, and consequently are the safest conventionally grown crops to consume from the standpoint of pesticide contamination.

To this list, I would add one caveat: When it comes to pesticide use, there is more to consider than just the residues that are ingested by the consumer. Although peeled foods such as bananas, mangoes, avocadoes and kiwis may spare the consumer from significant pesticide exposure, it is possible that large amounts of pesticides and herbicides are used on the farms from which these originate, contaminating groundwater, promoting erosion and otherwise damaging local ecosystems.

To help promote the health of the planet as well as your own health, it’s best to buy organic whenever possible, including when you are purchasing the foods listed above.

Of the 43 different fruit and vegetable categories tested, those listed below had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy organic versions – or to grow organically yourself:

Keep him healthy and strong, avoid pesticide's

Choosing Organic is the best choice when it comes to Sweet Bell Peppers.

Peaches

Apples

Sweet bell peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Lettuce

Grapes (imported)

Pears

Spinach

Potatoes

A few other notes from the EWG: Nectarines had the highest percentage of samples that tested positive for pesticides (97.3 percent) followed by peaches (96.6 percent) and apples (93.6 percent). Peaches had the highest likelihood for multiple pesticides on a single sample: 86.6 percent had two or more pesticide residues.

Why should you care about pesticides? The EWG points out that there is a growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can have adverse effects on health, especially during vulnerable periods such as fetal development and childhood. Also keep in mind that maintaining your family’s health is not the only reason to choose organic food. Pesticide and herbicide use contaminates groundwater, ruins soil structures and promotes erosion, and me a contributor to “colony collapse disorder” the sudden and mysterious die-off of pollinating honeybees that threatens the American food supply.

Keep the honeybees alive, ban pesticides.

Keep the honeybees alive, ban pesticides.

Buying or growing organic food is good for the health of the planet.

Understanding Cholesterol

Understanding Cholesterol

We often hear about the importance of cholesterol and terms like good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.  However, not many people have a healthy understanding of cholesterol and what it means to their health.

peppers

There are a lot of factors that can cause or contribute to high cholesterol, among them is diet.  Proper dietary choices is just one potential way to reduce the risk the health risks associated with high levels of cholesterol. Whether its cholesterol or other health concerns, a better diet is a great first step.

High blood cholesterol signals a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. That’s why it’s  important to have your cholesterol levels checked regularly and discuss them with your doctor.

A “lipoprotein profile” is a test to find out your blood cholesterol numbers.   It gives information about total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and HDL (“good”) cholesterol, as well as triglycerides (blood fats).

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association have an excellent handout on cholesterol and what healthy levels should be.  Download a free pdf copy of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association brochure.

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Breaking the Cookie Cycle

Do you find yourself in the vicious cookie cycle.   When sugar calls, are you at its mercy?  When you are in the habit of eating cookies or other high Glycemic index foods, you can create physiological reaction that creates cravings for more poor nutritional choices.  Find ways to break the vicious cookie cycle and eat healthier.

cookiecycle

In addition to meal planning, we have several options that may help beat your addiction, so that you can beat the cookie cycle.

How can I get calcium without milk?

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Got_Pus_Milk_Does

Question:

If I cut dairy products out of my diet, how can I make sure that I get enough calcium in my diet?

Answer:

You can rest assured that eliminating dairy products from your diet does not lead to a calcium deficiency.

First of all, the processing that milk and dairy products go through drastically degrades its calcium content. Processing removes the good nutrients but unfortunately in leaves the “pus” behind.  That’s right, pus; the dairy industry knows that there is a problem with pus in milk. Accordingly, it has developed a system known as the “somatic cell count” which measures the amount of pus in milk. The somatic cell count is the standard used to gauge milk quality; the higher the somatic cell count, the more pus in the milk.  According to the dairy industry, any milk with a somatic cell count of higher than 200 million per liter should not enter the human food supply. Therefore, anyone living in a state where the somatic cell count is higher than 200 million shouldn’t be drinking milk. There’s only one problem, every state but Hawaii is producing milk with pus levels so high that it shouldn’t enter the human food supply

seeds
Did you know that sesame seeds contain more calcium pound for pound than any other food on earth?

Even if you are able to get your hands on non-homogenized milk the calcium in cow’s milk is much coarser than in human milk, and is tied up with casein milk protein, which prevents it from being absorbed by humans.

veggies
Green Leafy Vegetables are called Cruciferous Vegetables and are a wonderful source of calcium.

Eating 4 to 6  one cup servings of  green leafy vegetables, non-processed soy, raw nuts and/or fresh fruits, especially berries and citrus, on a daily basis,  will provide all of the calcium you require.

One of the leading causes of calcium deficiency is consumption of carbonated beverages such as Soda Pop.  By removing the “Fizzy Fix” from your daily routine and replacing it with flavored, unsweetened water or an Emergen-C™ you will greatly diminish the catalysts of calcium depletion.  Another way to battle calcium deficiency is exercise.  Exercise that offers soft impact on your bones such as dancing or jogging opposed to swimming or walking is a productive way to maintain bone health.

If you are in good health you may choose to consume dairy products purely for the taste or personal enjoyment.  However, people suffering from serious illnesses such as allergies, asthma, or those who have a difficult time losing weight, produce a lot of mucus, or suspect an allergy to dairy products, should definitely remove dairy from their meal plan and monitor yourself to see if allergies and illness decline.  If you are not sure if dairy is the culprit of existing medical, begin slowly introducing different forms of dairy in very small amounts (i.e. milk, cheese, butter and/or ice cream derived from cow’s milk).  Keep a detailed “diet diary” if it reveals negative effects on your body stop consuming dairy.  Review your results with your medical practitioner if pain or discomfort continues once dairy consumption stops.

Tired of the same results?

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Welcome!

welcome2

officeThank you for visiting.  The intention behind my services and this website is to help create the well being you deserve and are capable of obtaining. I strive to aid my clients  in the reversal of chronic pain and disease that is caused by living in this toxic, modernized, environment.

Personalized and nutritionally valuable meal plans, grocery shopping field trips, private chef services and “whole food” cooking classes , are just a few of the beneficial resources  available here.

Massage Therapy is also available.  Beyond stress relief and relaxation, Massage Therapy stimulates the body’s natural immune system by promoting lymph flow.  Massage Therapy also improves joint flexibility, increases range of motion, promotes blood circulation, encourages tissue regeneration and much more.massage room

The services I offered are much different than today’s common medical approach.   My intent is to more clearly identify and overcome the cause of ill health.  Then, we work together to  improve total body function naturally by nourishing, balancing and revitalizing your entire body.  When this formula is  followed diligently, the technique is powerful, effective, and will reward you with improved health and function that is long lasting!

I look forward to helping you gain a better quality of life through nutrition, fitness, stress management through a simple exchange of information.   Learn more about Amanda Powers L.M.T, N.C.

Thank you again for checking out changingbadhabits.com.  Please come back  periodically for healthy recipes,  holistic lifestyle  tips and nutritional news that will help you achieve and maintain the lifestyle you deserve.

Beverages and Nutrition

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Changing from poor nutrition to healthy eating habits often starts with an understanding of your current nutritional intake.  One of the largest, but often overlooked, factors in a person’s daily nutritional intake comes from beverages.  Many of today’s beverages provide empty calories with little or no nutritional benefit.  Check out these:

Helpful Beverage Facts:

Coffee and Tea Facts:

16-oz. white chocolate mocha     510 calories
16-oz. latte with whole milk     260 calories
16-oz. latte with nonfat milk     160 calories
16 ounces black coffee     10 calories
16 ounces black tea     2 calories

Juice Facts:

8 ounces pomegranate juice    160 calories
8 ounces cranberry juice    140 calories
8 ounces fruit punch    120 calories
8 ounces orange juice    110 calories

Milk Facts:

8 ounces low-fat chocolate milk    150 calories
8 ounces whole milk    150 calories
8 ounces 2% milk    130 calories
8 ounces 1% milk    120 calories
8 ounces nonfat milk    90 calories

Alcohol Facts:

12 ounces beer     120-180 calories
12 ounces light beer     70-125 calories
2 ounces daiquiri     112 calories
1 shot (1.5 ounces) 80-proof rum     100 calories
4 ounces red or white wine     80 calories

Water Facts:

16 ounces water     0 calories
16 ounces artificially sweetened flavored water     0 calories
16 ounces vitamin- or nutrient-enhanced water     varies; up to 100

Print a pdf of this table for easy reference – Helpful Beverage Facts.