Torgarashi Chicken Lettuce Cups with Orange & Radishes

 

Time: 35-45 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 540 per serving

Ingredients

10 ounces Ground Chicken

4 ounces Cremini Mushrooms

2 cloves Garlic

1 head Butter Lettuce

3 ounces Radish

1 Red Onion

1 Lime

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Togarashi Seasoning (sweet paprika, hot paprika, dried orange peel, poppy seeds, white sesame seeds, & black sesame seeds)

1 Orange

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Using a peeler, remove the green rind of the lime, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter the lime. Peel the carrots; grate on the large side of a box grater. Cut off and discard the ends of the radishes; halve lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Cut off and discard the root end of the lettuce; separate the leaves. Peel and medium dice the orange.

Cook the vegetables. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced mushrooms in an even layer and cook, without stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the sliced onion and chopped garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the juice of 1 lime wedge; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Rinse and wipe out the pan.

Cook the chicken. In the same pan, heat the sesame oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ground chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook, frequently breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the togarashi seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly coated. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the water has cooked off and the chicken is cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Make the filling. To the bowl of cooked vegetables, add the cooked chicken, lime zest, grated carrots, sliced radishes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the juice of the remaining lime wedges. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to thoroughly combine; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add Some Color to Your Morning

Mornings are tough enough, add some color to your breakfast and make it something you look forward to!

Ingredients:

Egg whites, honey roasted turkey, spinach, cherry tomatoes, red/yellow/orange bell peppers, cilantro, salsa, salt and pepper to taste.

Start with turkey, bell peppers, (and minced garlic if desired) to pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown turkey and bell peppers 3-5 minutes. Add egg whites and cook. Add spinach and tomato, cook 1-2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Add salt, pepper and salsa to taste.

Cheers to starting your day and metabolism off right, bright and early!

Juice Cleanse + Elimination Diet

If you’re into health and fitness you are probably familiar with ‘juicing’. I recently finished a 3-day Pressed Juicery cleanse followed by an elimination diet and received a lot of questions so I would like to provide some feedback.

Why Do A Cleanse?

There are a number of reasons why someone might choose to start a juice cleanse. There are also varied durations for how long you would like to do a cleanse. My reasoning? I was feeling boated every day, though I was eating the same healthy foods (fish, white meat, fruit, vegetables, etc.). I felt like I was retaining water, though my hydration and salt consumption levels stayed the same. My energy levels were low and I did not feel good on the inside. I felt uncomfortable in my skin and like my midsection was going to burst.

Note: Feeling bloated is not the same thing and feeling full or gaining weight. It is an abnormal swelling or increase in diameter of the abdominal area.

I decided I would like to do a combination of an elimination diet and a juice cleanse. The elimination diet is a short-term eating plan that eliminates certain foods that might be causing allergies or other digestive reactions – then reintroduces the foods one at a time in order to determine which foods are, and are not, well-tolerated.

Step One: The Cleanse

I began with a 3-day Pressed Juicery cleanse. I ate an apple on the first day (to help eliminate wastes that were backed up), I ate an avocado on day two (since I did not take any days off work during my cleanse and needed energy), and ate two hard-boiled eggs on day three (to test my body’s reaction to eggs with nothing else in my system).

The beauty of doing juice cleanse is you can make it what you want! Based on the outcome I was trying to achieve – regular elimination of wastes, decrease bloating, and discover foods I have developed an intolerance to – this is how I wanted to carry out my cleanse. I am happy to report I achieved the outcome I was hoping for. I noticed a significant decrease in bloating immediately, affirmed hard-boiled eggs were not the issue for me bloating wise, and had SO much more energy.

Step Two: The Elimination Diet

After I complete my 3-day cleanse I began a modified elimination diet. I am lactose intolerant so I was able to skip Phase 1 since I already know what comes of consuming dairy – NOTHING GOOD.

I moved through Phases 2-4 and took notes of what caused and did not cause bloating.

If you deal with boating on a regular basis you might consider taking an enzyme to help with digestion. I take Enzymedica Digest Gold. It is best taken WITH food vs. taking it before or after you eat. I would highly recommend it.

Step Three: Look And Feel Better

After completing my juice cleanse and modified elimination diet I can definitely say I feel like I am back to my normal self. Energy restored, feeling good in my skin and flat in my abdomen.

If you have questions about stubborn bloating, juicing, the elimination diet or anything else please do not hesitate to ask! Email: BodiesByKate@gmail.com

To Macro, Or Not To Macro?

For some of us, calculating macronutrients comes naturally. For others, it’s rocket science. If you’re on the fence, here are both sides of the case!

I get a lot of nutrition questions from clients; Do I carb cycle? Do I count my macros? How often do I eat? What do I eat?

First things first- It’s great to ask questions to be more informed, but you should never copy someone’s diet exactly. We are all built in different shapes, sizes, strengths, etc! There is no one-size-fits-all diet. I REPEAT, there is no one-size-fits-all diet! 

Your diet should be custom-tailored to fit your caloric intake needs, activity level, allergy needs, muscle building needs, fat loss needs, the list goes on. If you have questions about any of these needs or others, please do not hesitate to ask! Email: Kate@FitBodiesByKate.com. But I digress…

To Macro, or Not To Macro? That is the question.

To “macro” means to track the number of grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fats you consume each day. Athletes, avid exercisers, and bodybuilders seem to have no problem with macro tracking. For others, well like I said before, it’s rocket science!

There are both benefits and drawbacks to counting your macros. After reading this you should have a better understanding about macros and whether or not counting them is right for you. You should note that with any nutrition program you need to be consistent. Results do not appear in the first days or sometimes weeks even. It takes time to change your physiology. Patience is key.

To Macro

Situation 1: You’re Lean, But You Want To Be Leaner

If you find yourself in situation 1, you have probably noticed small variations in your nutrition can be the difference between shedding those last few pounds of fat or staying right where you are. (One of my favorite quotes applies here: Tiny tweaks equal big changes!)

If this is you, it’s best to keep a tight reign on those macros and get yourself to that end goal! You can do it!

Situation 2: You Have No Concept Of What “Enough Protein” Means

You can google “How much protein should I consume daily” and you will see this:

“The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.”

Great! After reading this you fully understand where you fall on the spectrum and have no further questions, right?! WRONG. Even I can barely decode this and I majored in Molecular Chemistry and know ALL the conversion factors.

You might be that person that thinks to yourself “peanut butter is full of protein, right?” No. Not enough. Not even close. And sorry to add insult to injury but peanut butter is a fat source.

As a general rule, you should aim to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight. Of course there are variables to this number but I am keeping it simple. If you need more information, please ask!

Situation 3: You Have An Insatiable Appetite When The Clock Strikes Midnight

Did I just describe you, or did I just describe you?! We’ve all been there.

Paying attention to these hunger signals can get you in some serious caloric trouble and almost always leads to unwanted inches around your midsection. It’s unfortunate, but some people may need to conscientiously regulate their food intake by tracking their macronutrients to avoid becoming the midnight food vacuum.

Not To Macro

Situation 1: You Are A Macronutrient Pro

Some people can just look at a piece of chicken and tell you exactly how many grams it is, and give you the macronutrient breakdown on the spot. Good for you, buddy! Live much?

Don’t get me wrong, it takes great dedication to be a macronutrient pro and most often these are the people we are all trying to look like. But the truth is, most just want to be healthy and don’t care to be freaskishly shredded. Both are great! Follow your own path, light your own way. Be a leader, not a follower, and all that jazz.

If you are the macronutrient pro, obviously I wouldn’t spend the time. You’re doing just fine as you are and we’re all really impressed. No, really, I’m a fan!

Situation 2: You’re Neurotic And Getting Nowhere

Too many times I come across someone who asks all the questions, wants all the answers, makes all the changes, but doesn’t ever change. They do a complete 180 with their diet and let it play out for about a week. Then they are on to something else before giving their original diet plan a chance to let any real progress occur. I said it earlier, I’ll say it again. Patience is key! 

Constantly changing your diet to the newest, next best thing wastes a lot of energy and effort, and you will never see results. If this is you, you should abandon the macro counting and take the time to educate yourself on proper nutrition.

Learn what “whole foods” are. Learn how the body uses, stores, metabolizes carbs, fats, and proteins. Build a base layer of education so you can discern between what diets are worth your time and which are total crap.

Situation 3: You’re Just Getting Your Feet Wet In This Whole Fitness Thing

A. You are mostly sedentary and your idea of a healthy dinner is lettuce on your cheeseburger.

B. You do cardio for 3 hours per day, you now have “pancake butt”, you don’t weight train, nothing’s working so you just eat carrots.

C. “Is butter a carb?”

If scenario A, B, or C sounds like you, you’re not ready to make the leap just yet. This is OK! You are still in the contemplation, maybe even preparation phase and you’re making progress- to a point.

You need to focus on the basics. Are you getting enough sleep? Do you have negative stressors under control? Are you drinking water consistently? Are you able to look at two different food items and know the healthier choice?

Until you have the basics under control, there is no need to jump ahead and start counting macros.

I hope I have answered some of those burning “To Macro, Or Not To Macro” questions and you are on your way to achieving that body you have always dreamed of! And just in case you read this whole article wishing and hoping for that lettuce-wrapped burger recipe, I GOT YOU!

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Chicken Burger (3g carb/6g fat/19g protein)
• Iceburg Lettuce Wrap
• Sliced Tomato
• Sauteed Bell Peppers (in 0 calorie coconut oil spray)
• Microgreens
• Broccolini (on the side)