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Slow-Cooker Stuffed Taco Peppers

May 15th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

  • 6 small red bell peppers
  • 1 cup cauliflower rice
  • 1 pound organic ground turkey
  • 1 cup organic shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup water

Directions

1. Cut off the stems from the peppers.
2. Scoop out the seeds on the inside, leaving a hollow shell.
3. In a bowl, mix the ground turkey and spices.
4. Stir in the cauliflower and coconut oil in the bowl.
5. Mix in the Monterey jack cheese in the bowl.
6. Scoop up some of the turkey mixture and pack it into each pepper shell.
7. Place each stuffed pepper into a Crock-Pot and pour a cup of water into the bottom.
8. Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. Top with a little extra cheese 10 minutes before they are done.

Serves 6

Sweet and Sour Slow Cooked Chicken

May 15th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Chicken Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 1½ tbsp olive oil

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 whole orange juice, fresh squeezed
  • ½ tbsp orange zest
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, pureed
  • ¼ cup liquid aminos
  • 3 tbsp RAW honey (may be adjusted down)
  • 2 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp sesame seed oil
  • ¼ cup of water
  • 1½ tbsp arrowroot starch

Directions

  1. Add ingredients for chicken in a large bowl. Mix everything together, ensuring the chicken pieces are coated, then set aside.
  2. Mix all ingredients for sauce together except the water and arrowroot powder, and set aside.
  3. Set a large nonstick skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook until the outsides are seared golden brown, about 6 minutes. The chicken does NOT have to be cooked all the way through at this point since it will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
  4. Add the chicken pieces to the slow cooker and pour in the sauce. Add the 1/4 cup of water if needed to cover chicken. You can also add additional orange juice or liquid aminos.
  5. Cook on high for no more than 2 hours, or on low for 2-3 hours.
  6. About 30 minutes before the end of the cooking cycle, remove the lid and stir the ingredients.
  7. Add arrowroot powder for thickener and additional liquid if needed. Stir everything together again and replace the lid, allowing the sauce to thicken as chicken finishes cooking.
  8. Serve the chicken on riced cauliflower. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion and enjoy!

277 Calories, 13 g Carbs, 36 g Protein, 9 g Fat

 

Tzatziki Sauce

May 1st, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Tzatziki Sauce Is A Traditional Greek Sauce That Is Good On Just About Everything. This Easy Refreshing Cucumber Sauce Only Takes 10 Minutes To Make And Is Very Versatile. This Classic Recipe Is Always A Hit!

Ingredients
2 cups plain Greek yogurt*
1 cup minced, seedless cucumber
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, and dill. Stir until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If you have time, chill before serving. Will keep in the refrigerator 2-3 days. Stir before serving.

*Protein count will depend on your choice of yogurt, look for high protein, single ingredient options.

This sauce/dip is best alongside fish or meat, stirred into drained, canned tuna or as the STAR of your fresh vegetable tray.

Skipping Breakfast Tied To Heart Disease

April 25th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Whether you eat breakfast might be linked with your risk of dying early from cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

Skipping breakfast was significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular-related death, especially stroke-related death, in the study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology this April.

Best bet: eggs and veggies microwaved in a cup.

After a person’s age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, diet, lifestyle, body mass index and disease status were taken into account, the study found that those who never had breakfast had an 87% higher risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with people who had breakfast every day.

Breakfast is traditionally believed as the most or at least one of the most important meals of the day, and this paper is among the ones that provide evidence to support long-term benefits. “There are a few cardiovascular risk factors — for example diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorders,” Dr. Wei Bao said. “Our findings are in line with and supported by previous studies that consistently showed that skipping breakfast is related to those strong risk factors for cardiovascular death.”

Skipping breakfast and cardiovascular death
The study involved data from 1988 to 1994 on 6,550 US adults, aged 40 to 75, who reported how often they ate breakfast. The survey data generally let respondents define what meal would be considered breakfast.

Separate data was analyzed to determine the adults’ health status through 2011. All told, 2,318 deaths occurred during an average follow-up period of 18.8 years, including 619 from cardiovascular disease.

The researchers took a close look at how often each person consumed breakfast and at mortality, specifically whether a death was related to cardiovascular health.  Of those adults, 5.1% reported never consuming breakfast; 10.9% rarely ate breakfast; 25% had breakfast on some days; 59% had breakfast every day.

Compared with those who consumed breakfast every day, adults who never did so had a higher risk of heart disease-related death and stroke-related death, according to the study. Those associations were found to be significant and independent of socioeconomic status, body mass index and cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers noted.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective analysis of skipping breakfast and risk of cardiovascular mortality,” they wrote.

The complexities of skipping breakfast
In general, the study noted that skipping breakfast has been associated with increased risk of obesity, elevated cholesterol or fats in the blood, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease.

The new study “was fairly well done,” said Krista Varady, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago, who was not involved in the research.
“However, the major issue is that the subjects who regularly skipped breakfast also had the most unhealthy lifestyle habits,” she said. “Specifically, these people were former smokers, heavy drinkers, physically inactive, and also had poor diet quality and low family income.”

All of those factors put people at a much higher risk for cardiovascular disease. “I realize that the study attempted to control for these confounders, but I think it’s hard to tease apart breakfast skipping from their unhealthy lifestyle in general,” Varady said.

Some people might skip breakfast as part of an intermittent fasting routine, but the breakfast skipping in the study and breakfast skipping during intermittent fasting are two different concepts and practices, said Valter Longo, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and director of the USC Longevity Institute, who was not involved in the new research. To connect the study’s findings to intermittent fasting, Longo warns “be careful.”

“There are very good ways to do intermittent fasting and potentially very bad ways to do intermittent fasting,” Longo said. “But certainly, that’s an interesting thing to keep in mind, that A: Maybe it’s better to stick with 12 hours or 13 hours of fasting and that’s it,” he said. “Or B: If you need to do 16 hours, try to consider skipping dinner and not breakfast or lunch.”

Read the complete CNN article here

Youth Strength Training: A Parent’s Guide

April 17th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

FOR YEARS NOW, ADULTS have been told by medical and fitness experts that strength training is a crucial part of a stable exercise regimen for overall health. We know that cardiovascular fitness is fantastic, but alone, it isn’t enough to keep our bones healthy and our muscles from degenerating as we age. But when it comes to kids’ fitness, historically the exercise focus has been cardiovascular in nature. Yet research has revealed that even children 12 and under can reap the health and physical fitness rewards of strength training. To be most effective, it must be done properly and safely

First, it’s important to note that strength training isn’t the same thing as weightlifting. While weightlifting can be a feature of a strength-training workout, it isn’t the only way to strength train, nor is it appropriate in every form for children and adolescents.

Heavy weightlifting, often called “powerlifting” or “bodybuilding,” aren’t what we’re going for here. These activities aren’t harmful on the surface; they merely increase injury risk – especially for children. You see, depending on a child’s age, not all of their cartilage has yet turned to the bone – especially in the areas of the body where growth plates are located. So placing too large an emphasis on heavy weightlifting can overly tax young muscles, bones, and cartilage. That risk isn’t what we orthopedic specialists would consider being worth the potential reward. But don’t worry, there’s plenty else that is.

Wondering whether you should even bother trying out strength-training exercises on a kid who isn’t particularly “athletic?” The most straightforward answer is yes. Strength training isn’t just for athletes. After all, we humans are all made of the same material. The benefits of this type of exercise are for everybody. From increasing muscle and bone strength, agility and endurance to helping to protect your kiddo’s joints into adulthood, there are plenty of excellent benefits that go beyond a sports field. Physiological benefits aside, the boost in self-confidence and self-esteem that have been demonstrated to accompany this type of consistent exercise are also worthy of consideration.

In children, strength training is best accomplished and less risky when the resistance is light and the movements are incredibly controlled and have been demonstrated by an adult for proper technique and safety. As an added precaution, it’s best for children to be instructed in strength-training methods by an adult who is trained and experienced in the instruction of such techniques for children. Your favorite personal trainer may provide you with a stellar workout, but he or she may not be the most qualified to instruct and supervise your child.

Before beginning any strength-training activity, a proper warm-up of 5 to 10 minutes of easy aerobic exercise is crucial to prepare the muscles. Once the warm-up is complete, one of the best and safest ways to start out with a kid-focused strength-training regimen (this goes for adults, too) is to focus on simple exercises that utilize the child’s own body weight as the “resistance.” A 10- to 15-repetition circuit of exercises like pushups, sit-ups and squats won’t be too complicated for most children, but they must remember the proper technique in performing each activity. If the adult instructor begins to notice form being sacrificed, he or she will likely adjust the number of reps for the child, which is essential to help avoid injury.

Of course, if you have any concerns, it’s always best to clear a strength-training program with your child’s pediatrician before getting started. Other than that, and like anything else with kids, the key to making strength-training stick is consistency and fun. Getting them involved in planning the workout circuit, or better yet, jumping in and doing it with them can be great ways to show your children that you too place a high value on health, fitness and overall wellness – whether you’re 9, 19 or 49.

by Bert Mandelbaum, M.D.

Strength Training Builds More Than Muscles

April 17th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Most of us know that strength training (with free weights, weight machines, or resistance bands) can help build and maintain muscle mass and strength. What many of us don’t know is that strong muscles lead to strong bones. And strong bones can help minimize the risk of fracture due to osteoporosis.

A combination of age-related changes, inactivity, and inadequate nutrition conspire to gradually steal bone mass, at the rate of 1% per year after age 40. As bones grow more fragile and susceptible to fracture, they are more likely to break after even a minor fall or a far less obvious stress, such as bending over to tie a shoelace.

Strength Training builds bones and confidence

Osteoporosis should be a concern for all of us. An estimated eight million women and two million men in the United States have osteoporosis. It is now responsible for more than two million fractures each year, and experts expect that number will rise. Hip fractures are usually the most serious. Six out of 10 people who break a hip never fully regain their former level of independence. Even walking across a room without help may become impossible.

Numerous studies have shown that strength training can play a role in slowing bone loss, and several show it can even build bone. This is tremendously useful to help offset age-related declines in bone mass. Activities that put stress on bones can nudge bone-forming cells into action. That stress comes from the tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength training (as well as weight-bearing aerobic exercises like walking or running). The result is stronger, denser bones.

And strength training, in particular, has bone benefits beyond those offered by aerobic weight-bearing exercise. It targets bones of the hips, spine, and wrists, which are the sites most likely to fracture. What’s more, resistance workouts — particularly those that include moves emphasizing power and balance — enhance strength and stability. That can boost confidence, encourage you to stay active, and reduce fractures another way — by cutting down on falls.

by Harvard Medical School

Chicken Cacciatore

March 27th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 4 organic chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
  • 4 organic chicken legs
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 6 large cloves garlic, grated
  • 8 oz white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 (28 oz) can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Directions
1. Heat a large skillet over high heat and add the canola oil.

2. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet, and season them with salt and red pepper flakes. Turn the pieces over and season on the other side.

3. When the oil begins to smoke lightly, reduce the heat to medium. Use a pair of metal tongs to carefully add the chicken, skin side down, to the skillet. Do not overcrowd the pan.

4. Sautée, resisting the temptation to move or turn the pieces until they have browned on the first side, 5 to 8 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and brown on that side, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

5. To make the sauce add the onions and a pinch of salt to the skillet you browned the chicken in, and cook until the onions become translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook over medium heat, until the vegetables turn light brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

6. Add the white wine, season with salt, and simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone, 5 to 8 minutes (Cooking the wine out first is important so that there won’t be any raw alcohol flavor in the sauce.) Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring to a simmer. Add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

7. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer in the pan and pour any accumulated juices into the sauce as well. Simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 40 to 50 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up some of the tomatoes.

8. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rosemary. Allow the chicken to rest on the stove, off the heat, for about 10 minutes and then remove and discard the rosemary sprig, thyme sprig, and bay leaves. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Zucchini Grilled Cheese

March 27th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

  • 2 c. grated zucchini
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 c. cornstarch or Arrowroot
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Vegetable oil, for cooking
  • 2 c. shredded organic Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Squeeze excess moisture out of zucchini with a clean kitchen towel. In a medium bowl, combine zucchini with egg, Parmesan cheese, green onions, and cornstarch or Arrowroot. Season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet, pour enough vegetable oil to layer the bottom of the pan. Scoop about 1/4 cup of the zucchini mixture onto one side of the pan and shape into a small square. Repeat to form another patty on the other side.

3. Cook until lightly golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat to drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining zucchini mixture. Wipe skillet clean.

4. Place two zucchini patties in the same skillet over medium heat. Top both with shredded cheese, then place two more zucchini patties on top to form two sandwiches. Cook until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side.

5. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Hash Recipe

March 27th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 2 Tablespoons paprika
  • 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 6 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • Himalayan salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cut sweet potatoes into cubes.

2. Add your cubed sweet potatoes into a pot with boiling salted water and cook until tender.

3. Once cooked, make sure to remove excess moisture from the potato so it will crisp later on.

4. Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan and add the finely chopped red onions, garlic and bell peppers. Season these veggies with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

5. Sauté this mixture until golden brown, which will take approximately five to seven minutes, remove them and place aside.

6. In the same pan, add the rest of the olive oil, and add your drained and dried sweet potatoes to the pan. Season it with salt, pepper, and paprika.

7. Cook until potatoes have a golden brown crust on all sides. This will take another five to eight minutes.

8. Once that is achieved, add the onion and pepper mixture with the potato in the pan and sauté together for another minute or two.

9. Garnish with the cilantro.

Spinach Kale Egg Bake

March 27th, 2019 by Debbie Martilotta

Ingredients

  • 8 large eggs
  • 4 cups spinach and kale blend
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Layer spinach and kale along the bottom of baking dish, spreading evenly. Sprinkle feta, cheddar, and scallions over top.

3. Beat together eggs, garlic powder, milk, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Pour over top leafy greens and cheeses.

4. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until center is set and the top is slightly browned.

Cool for about 5 minutes, then cut into squares to serve.