Tag: health and nutrition advice

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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: 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!

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Healthy Wife…Happy Life: For Women’s Eyes Only

Hi Ladies! Thanks for laying your eyes on my article series: Healthy Wife…Happy Life. I hope to inspire, educate, entertain, and most of all relate to each of you. I picture an ongoing series of healthful (and helpful) short articles to set you on your way to being the best you. And so you ask, who is this lady and why should I take advice from her? I’m Stephanie Check, a 28 (soon to be 29) year old mother of 5 month old Liv, wife of 28 (soon to be 29) year old Justin, personal trainer, business owner, and above all else a healthy and happy woman.

Justin, Stephanie & Liv Check
Justin, Stephanie & Liv Check

How did I reach health and happiness to such a level that I feel compelled to share it with the world? I’d say it’s simple, fast and easy but it’s not really. It’s taken me many years to achieve the level of health and happiness that I have now and I can tell you its mental, physical, spiritual, and difficult – you thought I was going to list some other “al” ending word but I threw in difficult. Why? Because I think we all deserve the right to remind ourselves that wherever we start, in our minds, it may be challenging, hard, impossible to not just dream of the BEST YOU but to actually realize that dream.

In a brief nutshell (which I plan to stretch into several articles with recipes, tips, workouts, advice, etc) a healthy you is a happy you. Why? When you’re healthy, you feel good (inside and out). You don’t dread looking in the mirror, trying on a bathing suit, having your husband undress you with the lights on…nope, you start looking forward to these things. Not to mention when you feel good about the outside a likely coinciding fact has taken place with making your insides healthier too. Yep, you can chase after the kiddos, join your incredibly fit girlfriend for a jog and ACTUALLY be able to keep up, and your sex life – no need to ask – it will be worth it!

So let’s end this first article with a question and because I like to answer questions, a few answers! Q: What do you think about when you are alone with your thoughts? Just thoughts about you, not the kids and husband… Do you think about losing weight, toning up, loving your co-workers but hating your job, what you should have eaten instead of what you ate for breakfast, lunch, etc? A: These are pretty normal thoughts for us gals and I’d challenge you to find anyone of us who hasn’t had everyone of those thoughts sometime in our lives. They are largely NEGS though – negative thoughts about yourself and when you have NEGS often they start to really impact your happiness.

Start paying attention to your thoughts regarding YOU. If you find the NEGS creeping into the majority of your thoughts, stay tuned and come back often. What would tickle me pink is for every woman in this world to find the strength, confidence and happiness that I have and I’d love the chance to share my “carrie-isms” with you — that’s a Sex and The City reference just in case any men ignored the title of this article and are reading along (I’d put a winky face here if that wasn’t bad blogging form)!

Until next time then…FOCUS and figure out what NEGS are ruling your mind so we can start eliminating those nasty pests one by one.

Can’t get enough? Here are my tips for having the healthy and happy life you deserve:

Healthy Wife…Happy Life: Outside Factors

Healthy Wife…Happy Life: Time Management

Healthy Wife…Happy Life: Financial Priorities

Healthy Wife…Happy Life: A Healthy Kind of Sexy