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Healthy Eats: Flounder Piccata

Mmmmm can’t you just taste it? Chicken or fish piccata from your favorite Italian restaurant – that rich lemon, butter and wine flavor with the salty capers and yummy garlic – my mouth waters just thinking about it! Would you believe you can have those tasty flavors and keep your macros in check? It can be done, I’ll show you the way…

For starters, this is just frozen wild caught flounder. After thawing it in the refrigerator, I washed each piece and patted dry with paper towels. Then I placed the fish in a single layer on a tinfoil lined baking sheet. Just a little sprinkle of salt, pepper and garlic powder on each piece and under the broiler it went for about 7-8 minutes.

For the piccata sauce:

  • 1.5-2 TBSP Yogurt Butter (I like Brummel & Brown brand)
  • 3-4 Small cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 TBSP Capers
  • The juice of two lemons

In a medium saucepan, melt the yogurt butter and garlic together over low to medium heat. Let the garlic cook for a few minutes. When you can really smell the garlic and butter is completely melted, add in the capers and lemon juice. Sauce will thicken up slightly as you let it heat together. After a few minutes remove the piccata sauce from the heat.

Place your fish portion on your plate and generously add some of the healthy Piccata sauce.

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

There are so many ways to make healthy food taste great. All of our recipes have been created, tweaked, and taste approved by us! Try them here.

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Healthy Eats: Salmon Caesar Salad

We’ve all heard the news or seen the unbelievable info on a menu that discloses nutrition facts: salads can be worse for us than a burger and fries! How is that possible? A salad, full of lettuce and healthy ingredients, can hold more calories, fat & carbs than a decadent burger and fries!?$!. Well it’s all in the salad accoutrements. Yep, those pecans, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and that amazing balsamic vinegar dressing can add up quickly. The trick is to understand which macronutrient each topping is accounting for in your meal. Having nuts, cheese, and dressing is likely giving your salad 3x the desired fat portion. Adding dried fruit seems harmless but did you know in just 1/4 cup of dried cranberries there’s more than 30 grams of carbs? That’s equivalent to 2 slices of bread! So how can we scale a salad back while still keeping the flavor and filling feeling it gives us? Start with the greens, carefully decide what toppings are going on and which of the macronutrients they account for. Let’s look at reconstructing a delicious and popular salad – the Salmon Caesar Salad.

As I mentioned, let’s start with the greens. Here we’re featuring 60% chopped kale and 40% chopped romaine. These percentages are ballpark of course and truly the lettuce you choose doesn’t really matter. All lettuce is healthy for you and has almost no calories so fill that bowl with the green stuff! Then in this particular salad for additional vegetables, I’ve added sliced red onion & halved cherry tomatoes. You could add bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, or any other “approved” vegetables. Here comes the yummiest part…have you tried the “Parmesan Crisps” that carb-free and have nearly equal parts fat and protein? They are beyond tasty and texture is fantastic. In this reconstructed Salmon Caesar Salad, the Parmesan Crisps are serving as the cheese and the crouton because of the awesome crispy, crunchy texture that even holds up to dressing. So let’s talk about the dressing…Caesar dressing is not known for it’s low-cal/low-fat nature. We can fix that. Across this whole bowl of salad, I used just a single serving of the dressing (2 TBSP) then I squeezed in the juice of 1 big juicy lemon. This thins out the dressing and stretches a small amount of dressing through a huge bowl of salad. Without further ado, add your grilled salmon (portion appropriate to your meal plan macro needs), and voila, the most incredible reconstructed, healthy Salmon Caesar Salad! Buon Appetito!

Ingredients & Prep:

  • 4-6 cups leafy greens – featured here is kale and romaine
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1-2 lbs of wild salmon (salt, pepper, rosemary)
  • 24 Parmesan crisps
  • 2 Tbsp Caesar Dressing
  • 1 lemon (juiced)

Wash and dry all greens. Place in a large bowl. Season salmon and prepare on the grill or in the oven. *Don’t add any additional fat such as olive oil* Place tomatoes and onions on the lettuce. Add the Parmesan Crisps, dressing and lemon juice. Toss to coat evenly. Portion 2-3 cups per plate and add salmon portion.

It’s crucial to have a plan for your meals. Decide which macronutrient each part of your meal is fulfilling. Get your portions and macros “in check”. We can help make sure you’re following a plan designed for your optimal results, after-all, abs are made in the kitchen – get in there and cook! 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! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

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Healthy Eats: Mongolian Beef

So actually I used bison in this Mongolian Beef recipe, but of course beef or elk would be great too. We love the grass-fed quality red meat we get from Northstar Bison. In addition, I used “Zero Pasta”. You can find this scientific gift to pasta lovers in the Vegan cold section of your grocery store – where they also keep the tofu for those of you not familiar with this section of the store! The texture on this pasta is awesome and its a great vessel to soak up some yummy sauces. See also my cold peanut noodle salad recipe featuring this awesome pasta nearly free of carbs and calories!!

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages of “Zero Pasta” found in cold vegan section of your grocery store
  • 1 lb grass-fed beef, bison or elk (I like to slice it really thin when its still frozen)
  • 2 TBSP vegetable stock
  • 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 2 tsp fresh minced ginger (or ground ginger if you don’t have fresh)
  • 1/3 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP calorie free sweetener (like Stevia or Truvia)
  • 1 TBSP sugar free maple syrup
  • 2 TBSP Hoisin Sauce
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp of chili garlic sauce (depends how spicy you want it)
  • 4 green onions diced

So while your bison is still frozen, slice it really thin with a sharp knife. It should almost look like beef shavings. Let it rest on the cutting board, defrosting as you prepare the other ingredients.

In a bowl, combine the ginger through chili garlic sauce with a whisk. Drain your “Zero Pasta” in a colander over the sink.

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable stock over high heat with the chopped garlic. When they stock starts to boil, add in the bison (or beef) and cook until nearly done. It will take just a minute or two since it’s sliced so thin. Then add in the prepared sauce and finish cooking the bison. Remove from heat. Use tongs to toss the “Zero Pasta” and diced green onions into the beef.

Based on the amount of ingredients the Mongolian Beef (bison) dish should make 2 portions if divided in half. I’m not usually so lackadaisical about measurements but this is one of those recipes where the sauce is so much better when added to the meat and finished on the stove! So your portion will be a bit eye-balled here but the ingredients are healthy and meal plan approved. You’ll be close!

We have so many healthy recipes to choose from. They are all perfected and taste-tested by us! Try our other 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! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

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Healthy Eats: Roasted Potato & Lentil Kale Salad

Did you know there is protein in vegetables, grains, starches, and beans/legumes? Did you know if you pair enough of the above together you can make a complete protein? There is no need for animals to get involved! Believe me, we still love animal protein, but we’ve cut back drastically. We very very very rarely eat anything from chicken, pork or turkey. We keep our proteins to plant based options, seafood, and grass-fed beef, bison & elk. So naturally, we play around with different combinations of vegetables, starches and beans. This particular recipe features roasted potato & lentils on a kale salad. There’s also tofu (pictured) as this was my husband’s portion and he needed the extra protein to reach his macro-nutrient requirement, however, depending on your protein needs you may be able to leave it out!

Potatoes

So let’s talk about the potatoes first. They are roasted with no oil. Simply wash them, dry them (or let air dry) and slice in half. These are the cute little potatoes but if you had a big potato you’d just cut into small chunks. Evenly spread onto a tinfoil lined baking sheet. Spray the potatoes with non-stick cooking spray and shake/shuffle around on the pan. Next season generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary and/or oregano. These are my favorite seasonings for roasted potatoes. Roast at 350 for 30 minutes, shake around a bit, then continue roasting for another 15-25 minutes depending on color. You want the potatoes to be roasted, browned and crispy!

Lentils

Next, the lentils. I would have never known there are so many varieties of lentils! The ones pictured here are just simple green lentils. I bought a bag and cooked them according to the package. I’ll tell you the first time I cooked them they were a bit underdone. So this time I cooked about 5 minutes longer than the bag had suggested. Trial and error folks! Anyway, they are delicious! Love me some lentils now. You could absolutely swap out for a canned bean that requires no prep besides opening the can and draining the bean. Some good options would be garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or Cannellini beans.

The Greens

Featured in this salad is kale and spinach. You could do just one or the other or you could buy a bag of salad. Really, you choose! And by the way, you can really eat as much of the greens as you can stomach. The greens are going to hold the flavor from the light dressing you add but on their own they have next to no calories, carbs, etc. – so go nuts!

With macro-based meal planning, you get plenty of fat and carbs, you just have to account for how much gets added. We just suggest you don’t cook with oil, but dressing your salad is A-OK! So a light sprinkle of salt and pepper over your dish, a drizzling of 1-2 TBSP of olive, avocado, or walnut oil and fresh lemon juice squeezed on your gourmet greens and you will be thrilled with your plant based salad.

Healthy food can taste great too and we know how to do it! 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! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

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Healthy Eats: Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

Guilt-free noodles? Yes please! You’ve got to love science. The makers of “Zero Pasta” have managed to make a cold noodle that has really good texture and when dressed and accessorized properly tastes like a perfect cold peanut noodle salad – could pass for one you’d get at an Asian restaurant – the flavors are on point. I’ve played around with a few versions of the sauce but here’s the one I like the most.

Ingredients:

  • 2 packages of “Zero Pasta” found in the Vegan cold section at the grocery store (see pictures)
  • 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic chopped into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1.5 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP rice vinegar
  • 1/2 TBSP chili garlic sauce
  • 1 TBSP sugar free maple syrup
  • 1 TSP ground ginger
  • Chopped vegetables of your choice – bell peppers, green onion, carrots, broccoli – really anything you like to have in a cold peanut noodle salad
  • 1/4 cup chopped or crushed ground peanuts for garnish
  • 2 TBSP chopped cilantro for garnish
  • *1-3 TBSP room temperature water – you may need to thin the sauce just a bit

It’s pretty simple to put the cold peanut noodle salad together. Start by draining the “Zero Pasta” in a colander. Combine all ingredients, garlic through ground ginger, with a whisk. The sauce will be thick. Depending on consistency you may need to thin out just a bit with room temperature water but in my experience even after the pasta has been drained it still releases water so once you mix the pasta and the chopped vegetables into the sauce a little water will release anyway. Toss the pasta and chopped veggies into the sauce. Serve the cold peanut noodle salad with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro on top (I had neither the day I took the above picture) for presentation purposes – a little extra crunch and elevated flavor! Pairs nicely with grilled shrimp or tofu.

We have so many healthy recipes to choose from. They are all perfected and taste-tested by us! Try our other 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! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

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Healthy Eats: Snack Platter

So as I sit and write this, we are smack dab in the middle of Covid-19 stay at home orders. Even if you are reading this 20 years from now, you’ll likely remember this pandemic and the endless all-day snacking that most people couldn’t refrain from. We have some tricks to make your snacking a little more guilt-free and balanced for your macro needs. Give our snack platter a try – complete with protein, carbs, a bit of fat, and tons of nutrients.

We love fresh veggies dipped in ranch dressing or dip. While you can find low fat/low cal dips they aren’t always wholesome. We do our best to avoid too many “chemical” creations throughout the day. Wholesome is always best for us. So we like to make our own dip.

Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip

  • 1 cup plain, nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1/2-1 whole ranch dressing seasoning package (any brand is fine)

Stir the ingredients vigorously to remove any lumps and clumps from the seasoning packet. Greek yogurt is high in protein, moderate in carbs, and is a good base for many things that use mayonnaise like tuna salad or egg salad. Trick of the trade, replace your mayo with Greek yogurt and a little mustard – very satisfying!

Veggies are largely fair game. Of course there are vegetables with more nutrients than others, less carbs than others, but let’s be REAL, no one gets fat from eating carrots. So wash and slice your favorite veggies – radishes, peppers, grape tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers – these are all really yummy with the ranch dip.

I love chips! The crunch, the salty seasoning, the happiness that spreads through me when I eat them – half kidding half serious! So here comes my find of the century – FLEX chips. They come in 3 different flavors and it is hard to believe they are pretty good for you. Made from plant based protein, they are low in carbs and calories and pack a decent amount of protein in them.

This snack platter has a balanced macronutrient breakdown. You can eat a lot of this and not feel bad! You’ll be having a “meal plan approved” snack. I bet you’ll feel so much better about your eating habits by replacing today’s snacks with the healthier version!

We have tons of recipes and healthy EATS to satisfy your palate!

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

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Healthy Eats: Grilled Tofu & Vegetables

Well I’ll just come right out and say it, I used to be very anti-tofu. I’m not sure why. I guess in my head I determined I had eaten it and disliked it. I’m not sure I had even tried it, and now that it has become a weekly staple in our house. Typically, I use extra firm tofu and slice it into equal portions. I then season it and either grill it or broil it. The result is grilled tofu with a texture mixed between chicken and feta cheese. It tastes great the next day as a protein topper on a cold salad or warm with a plant-based (or regular) pasta dish. I was surprised how much I actually like tofu and I think if you give it a try you might be too!

Again, I think the variety of tofu matters. For us, the extra firm has the right texture, moisture, and macronutrient breakdown (see picture of label below). It’s easy to slice it into 5 equal (as equal as possible) chunks then season with some yummy spices (we like Penzey’s.com) and pop on the grill or under the broiler. We do the same to our vegetables. Season generously and grill or broil.

Since I’m on the topic of seasoning, we get asked a lot about SALT. “I know I shouldn’t have much salt” is something I hear almost daily. The truth is the body needs sodium and as long as you aren’t adding excessive amounts to your food you are probably well within the recommendations for daily intake. If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, then regulating your salt intake is a bit more critical. If you do not have these ailments, then adding a bit of salt or seasoning that has salt to your veggies should be fine. Make the healthy food taste good so you’ll want to eat the healthy food! One thing we do avoid is adding salt to regular grocery store meat (chicken, pork, steak, etc.). These meats are preserved with a sodium solution that already has plenty of salt in it. So just add salt-free seasoning to your meats.

So if you’re looking for the recipe here, sorry there really isn’t one. Just slice the tofu (extra firm) into proportion depending on what the label says, then season and grill or broil. It doesn’t take long…give it a few minutes on each side. You can also squeeze a bit of fresh lemon on it while its cooking – yum! Pair it with your favorite vegetables and if you’re macros allow for it, add a bean pasta to it. We’ve tried many, the spaghetti varieties have the best numbers, lower on carbs, higher on protein. Here is a picture of the black bean box and label. They have several flavors and several different brands make this pasta now.

There’s more where this recipe came from! Click here to check out additional health EATS!

*The exact portions will vary per person. If you’re wondering how much tofu you get and whether you can add pasta to it, contact us for more details on your portions and macronutrient breakdown per meal/per day!

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Healthy Eats: Plant based sausage, egg & rice bake

Part of shifting our eating to “partially plant-based” is redoing some of our favorite meals to utilize less (or no) animal proteins and more plant based proteins. My husband, Justin, has a few favorites that needed to be adjusted. First things first, BREAKFAST, the very most important meal of the day. In our regular egg and rice bake there is 3 whole eggs and 1 1/4 cups of egg whites. There’s also cheesy goodness too. In general there is a lot of animal proteins and fats. A quick redo and our plant-based sausage, egg & rice bake is not only healthier and more sustainable for the environment but it also TASTES better!

Here’s how to put it together. You’ll need the following ingredients:

  • 1 cup of cooked white or brown rice
  • 2 TBSP rice flour (or regular white flour)
  • 2 whole egg
  • 1/3 cup liquid egg whites
  • 2 plant based sausage links (see pictures – Aldi brand) ** These are the best plant-based sausage links! If you can’t find them, try to find an alternative with similar numbers on the nutrition panel! **
  • 1 tsp hot sauce

Stir together cooked rice, rice flour, and 2 whole eggs. Spread into the bottom of a loaf pan. Cut up your frozen sausage (lightly cooked in the microwave first) and place on top of the rice crust. Whisk together egg whites and hot sauce and evenly pour on top of the crust and sausage. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes depending on your oven. There should be no jiggle left when you shake the pan!

Each egg bake should be 1-2 meals depending on your macronutrient needs. *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 much or how often you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!

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

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Healthy Eats: Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

If there are cookies being made there is not a chance I didn’t try the dough. In fact, given the choice, I’d rather have the dough than the cookies any day! It took me a few batches of my Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars before it dawned on me that the yummy dough could be left raw and divided into equal portions. So now that’s what I do, I make a few batches of the cookie bars for the whole family then a smaller batch of just dough for me and the kids since my husband has no interest in the dough! Guys, the kids go nuts for both the cookies and the dough. It’s a sneaky way to get some healthy proteins from the garbanzo beans and the pea protein instead of hot dogs, chicken fingers, and pepperoni. I know I can’t be the only mom who struggles with getting my kids to eat the healthier things in life!

This dough has the same ingredients as the cookie bars, minus the baking powder, and the same simple process to put it all together. And since there are only pasteurized egg whites and no whole eggs, this is safe to eat uncooked! Here’s how this dough comes together:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cans of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup of pasteurized egg whites (we buy these in the carton)
  • 2 servings of pea protein powder (we buy Naked brand and use 4 total scoops to get the 2 servings)
  • 3 TBSP mini chocolate chips
  • 2 TBSP cup agave nectar

In a large food processor add the drained and rinsed beans, peanut butter, pea protein powder, agave nectar and baking powder. Pulse until starting to combine then drizzle in the egg whites until a nice thick dough forms. If there are some small chunks of the beans left, that’s fine, they end up tasting like peanuts! The dough will be thick so you may have to scoop some into a bowl before you can lift out the blade and empty the mixing bowl completely. Then use your hands or a strong spoon to fold in the chocolate chips.  Divide the dough into 6 portions of approximately 3.75 oz each. Store in small containers and keep refrigerated.

The macros are the same whether it’s dough or cookie bar! This Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough has 300 calories, 20 g of protein, 30 g of carbs, 13 g of fat per serving. Again, you should end up with six servings.

We’ve been making healthy food taste oh so good since 2008. Try our recipes, they will not disappoint even the most discerning palette.

*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!

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Healthy Eats: Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Do you love the classic peanut butter/chocolate chip combination? I know I do and I always have. How about cookies? Could you eat your way through a pan of homemade cookies? I can and I always could! So what if we made the cookies a complete meal with good carbs from chickpeas (garbanzo beans) instead of flour, good sweetness from natural peanut butter and agave nectar instead of white sugar, and healthy protein from egg whites and pea protein powder? We knocked this recipe out of the park. These Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars are sweet, filling and satisfying. Here’s how to whip them up…

Chickpea Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup of natural peanut butter
  • 1 cup of pasteurized egg whites (we buy these in the carton)
  • 4 servings of pea protein powder (we buy Naked brand and use 8 total scoops to get the 4 servings)
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large food processor add the drained and rinsed beans, peanut butter, pea protein powder, agave nectar and baking powder. Pulse until starting to combine then drizzle in the egg whites until a nice thick dough forms. If there are some small chunks of the beans left, that’s fine, they end up tasting like peanuts! The dough will be very thick so you’ll have to scoop some into a bowl before you can lift out the blade and empty the mixing bowl completely. Then use your hands or a very strong spoon to fold in the chocolate chips. Use your hands to press into a 8×11 pan. Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes depending on oven. You do not want to over-bake these, they will be dry. If baked just right they should be a little soft like a perfect cookie bar!

Cut the bars into 12 equal portions. I just eyeball it and try to get as close as possible. I have eaten for breakfast, lunch, post workout, snack, etc. They are great anytime of the day and ooohhh so delicious with a cup of coffee. Here’s the numbers we’re working with for your macros: 300 calories, 20 g of protein, 30 g of carbs, 13 g of fat. I hope you enjoy my Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookie Bars as much as I do. If you’re more a fan of dough than cookies, see my recipe edits to just enjoy the dough!

Healthy food can taste great too and we know how to do it! 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! There is no need to guess at how you should eat – let us help you eat right for your body type and goals!