Stephanie Check – Page 7 – Cape Coral-Fort Myers Personal Training & Nutrition Coaching

October 5, 2016October 10, 2016

Healthy Eats: Blueberry Overnight Oats

There is nothing better than waking up and not having to rush through your morning. Make ahead breakfasts can really help with de-stressing the morning routine. The night before, assemble these Blueberry Overnight Oats then open up those baby blues (or green, or brown) and enjoy your delicious, nutritious breakfast!

Here’s how to put the Blueberry Overnight Oats together:

In a mason jar, place one scoop of vanilla protein powder. A whey isolate is preferable for this recipe.
Add 1/2 cup of blueberries.
Sprinkle in 1 TBSP of Super Seed Beyond Fiber
Add 1/4 cup of uncooked old fashioned oats (gluten free or quick oats should work just fine too)
Pour in approximately 1/4 cup of Unsweetened Almond or Cashew Milk. Exact measurement will depend on how thick it is when you stir.
Stir this mixture until smooth and a little runny as it will thicken up as it sits.
Place cap on mason jar and put in refrigerator overnight.
Top with 1/4 cup crushed toasted walnuts or almonds and enjoy!

All of the Check Total Health “Healthy Eats” are created and tested by us! Try our other recipes here.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

October 5, 2016October 5, 2016

Healthy Eats: Orange Rosemary Chicken

One of the easiest ways to prepare chicken is to roast a whole one! Sounds like something you only have time for on the weekends, but trust me you can whip this up and have it on your plate in only 2-2.5 hours! Our Orange Rosemary Chicken is juicy and full of flavor. A great benefit is that whole chickens are typically less money per pound than breasts! Here are the steps to bring this incredible protein to your dinner table tonight. orange_rosemary_chicken

Wash and pat dry whole chicken (s). I buy the organic chickens from Sam’s club and they come two to a pack so I just make both of them at once.
Place on a rack inside a roasting pan that has been covered with tinfoil. This tip is strictly for clean-up convenience and has no impact on the actual cooking of the chickens!
Lift the skin on the breast slightly to slide in a few fresh rosemary sprigs.
Stuff the cavity with a few more rosemary sprigs and two orange halves.
Spray chicken with non-stick cooking spray so spices adhere and season with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.
Roast in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Then turn the heat to 350 for the last half hour to brown the bird!
Let rest for a few minutes to seal in juices then enjoy!

Orange Rosemary Chicken is so easy to prepare and will really “WOW” your friends and family; healthy food that tastes great can be on your table tonight!

*Side note: dark meat does have more fat than white meat so if you follow a Check Total Health meal plan and would typically add fats to that meal, just skip the addition of a fat!

We have many other tasty healthy EATS here.

September 20, 2016September 20, 2016

Healthy Eats: Sweet Onion Salad

sweet-onion-salad There is nothing quite like the taste of roasted onions. What’s more? You can roast onions without adding oil to them and they will still taste incredible. It’s so easy, why not add some cauliflower to the pan too. Then finish with some grilled chicken, greens, chopped tomatoes and bell pepper and you’ve got a tasty Sweet Onion Salad!

Here’s how to make this scrumptious salad:

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and nonstick spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Slice a sweet onion to quarter inch thickness and arrange rings on the baking sheet
Place chopped cauliflower on the same baking sheet (try to allow cauliflower and onion to be in single layer)
Lightly season with salt, pepper and dried rosemary
Roast for 15-20 minutes shaking the pan every 5 minutes
Toss the juice of 1/2 – 1 lemon, a little salt and pepper with chopped greens, tomatoes and yellow bell pepper
Add grilled chicken or other protein of your choice

This Sweet Onion Salad will taste like you spent both time and effort to create; tops it will take you 30 minutes to put it all together (including baking time)!

Healthy food can taste great too and we know how to do it! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

September 15, 2016September 15, 2016

Healthy Eats: Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

pumpkin-pie-overnight-oats When you need an easy breakfast for those busy mornings, try Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats. You’ll do the work the night before and enjoy this mason jar filled with goodness. Set your morning off on the right foot with the appropriate balance of carbs, fats, and protein!

To assemble:

Place 1/c cup of pumpkin puree in a mason jar
Add 1/3 cup dry old fashioned oats (although quick oats, gluten free or steel cut should work too)
Add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
Add 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Finish with a few splashes of unsweetened cashew milk
Stir all of these ingredients until well combined in the mason jar
Put the lid on tight and leave in the refrigerator overnight

When you wake up, top the pudding with 1/4 cup of crushed walnuts then enjoy! The Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats taste like Thanksgiving. An instant healthy Fall classic that you will want to eat all year round!

We have so many healthy recipes to choose from. They are all created and tested by us! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

August 30, 2016August 30, 2016

Healthy Eats: Balsamic Thyme Butternut Squash

Nature’s carbohydrate sources are the best you can add to your diet. Just 1 cup of Balsamic Thyme Butternut Squash provides you with 297% of your daily Vitamin A requirements and 48% of Vitamin C, and has only 16 g of carbohydrates which means you can eat quite a bit and stay within your meal plan allotment.

Make your food taste great and it will be easy to eat healthy. Balsamic Thyme Butternut Squash has a quick preparation with a big payoff – delicious flavor!

To make: peel, section and cube butternut squash. Then place cubes in a plastic bag. Pour on 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 TBSP dried thyme, a dash of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake. Place cubes on a tinfoil lined baking sheet and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes shaking every 15 minutes to allow for even roasting.

Enjoy your Balsamic Thyme Butternut Squash as a side dish with roasted chicken and vegetables.

Abs are made in the kitchen – get in there and cook! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

August 24, 2016

Healthy Eats: Grilled Flank Steak

Grilled flank steak is a perfect protein for your Check Total Health meal plan. It is a pretty lean cut of beef and is very easy to prepare. I like to be creative with red meat and marinade in “hard root beer” along with some spicy seasoning. For this preparation, I placed a large flank steak in a plastic bag and covered in half a bottle of alcoholic root beer. You could certainly use non-alcoholic root beer or coke. The sugar in the soda makes for a nice caramelized crust on the grilled flank steak. For the spicy seasoning, I used chili powder, cumin and garlic powder. Marinade for a 1-2 hours at room temperature then heat the grill!

Be careful not to overcook the steak. The grilled flank steak should be a perfect medium after 5-6 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

Thinly slice and pair the grilled flank steak with roasted broccoli and a fresh vegetable salad!

Healthy food can taste great too and we know how to do it! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

August 16, 2016

Healthy Eats: Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Grilled Sweet Potatoes are one of my favorite staples in the Check Total Health Meal Plan. A great way to prepare the sweet potatoes is to slice them 1/2 inch thick, spray them with non-stick cooking spray, and season with Chinese Five Spice. grilled sweet potatoes

Then heat the grill to 500 degrees and place the sweet potatoes over direct heat. After both sides have a nice color to them, move the grilled sweet potatoes to the upper rack to give the center enough time to cook through. Pair your grilled sweet potatoes with steak and vegetables for a complete meal!

Make food taste good so you’ll enjoy eating it! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016

Healthy Eats: Open Face Sandwich

There is no need to only eat broccoli and chicken when you are eating clean. Why not make a gourmet open face sandwich and really impress a lunch guest? My mom was coming over for lunch one afternoon and I wanted to serve something that was within my Check Total Health meal plan but I also wanted it to be pleasing to someone not on a meal plan so I kicked it up a notch and served an open face sandwich.

Easy to make and easy to assemble! Toast Ezekiel bread to desired degree of brown! Mash half an avocado on top of it and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. Layer some thinly sliced onion and allotted chicken portion. Top with halved cherry/grape tomatoes and a bit more lemon juice, salt and pepper and there you have a delicious open faced sandwich for lunch!

Make food taste great so it’s fun to eat! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

August 1, 2016

Healthy Eats: Cilantro Salmon

Fresh herbs can take bland to bold with almost no effort required. Snazz up your fish by adding chopped fresh herbs to it before broiling and voila: Cilantro Salmon is born!

Buy your fresh or frozen salmon and pat dry before placing on a tinfoil lined baking sheet. Season salmon with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on top of salmon before sprinkling with fresh chopped cilantro. Place under the broiler for 12-15 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before plating. Cilantro Salmon pairs nicely with brown rice (topped with coconut oil and curry powder) and roasted asparagus.

We know how to make healthy food taste great so it’s not a chore to eat it! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

July 26, 2016

Healthy Eats: Parmesan Mushrooms

parm mushrooms I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, make your vegetables taste good and it won’t be hard to eat them! Parmesan is very low calorie and fat for a cheese so it won’t ruin your day to have a little and mushrooms provide a ton of health benefits…put them together and you’ll have delicious roasted Parmesan Mushrooms.

First things first, wash your mushrooms. They are often very dirty and need to be wiped off with wet paper towels. Then, remove the stem and place on a lined cookie sheet. I used Portabello mushrooms but you could use white mushrooms too. Lightly season with salt and pepper then roast at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Dab out any excess water that releases from the mushrooms with paper towels so the inside is fairly dry. Then sprinkle with approximately 1 TSP of cheese per Parmesan Mushroom cap. Return to the oven until the cheese melts.

Did you know that mushrooms are really good for you? They are the only fruit or vegetable that contains Vitamin D. Mushrooms boost your immune system, provide antioxidants (the substances that fight free radicals), contain B vitamins which help rev up your metabolism, and are rich in selenium which is shown to help with bladder health.

We’ve got more great recipes! Try our other tasty healthy EATS by clicking here.

*The exact portions will vary per person. Contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!