A Recipe for Success

I went to a training seminar recently and the speaker was talking about getting the best results, if your goal is fat loss. He gave us his version of what to do, in order of importance:

1. Proper nutrition
2. See No. 1
3. Strength training
4. Interval training
5. Steady state cardio

I agree with him. Also, as you can see, what you are eating will make an enormous difference in getting the results you want.

I gave some suggestions for getting started with proper nutrition. I promised this week I would give you some of my favorite healthy recipes. The first is for homemade granola. I love this recipe because there is so much you can do with granola. It can be breakfast, a snack, lunch or a post-workout meal. This recipe is for the granola “base.” You decide what you want to add to it, if anything. Get creative!

Granola

Mix:
4 cups slow-cooking oats
½ cup ground flax seed

On the stove, combine the following ingredients and heat on medium until smooth:
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
½-2/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves

Mix this with your dry ingredients. Spread evenly in a 9-by-13 or larger baking dish. Put in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. MAKE SURE YOU STIR EVERY 10 MINUTES so that the granola cooks evenly. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely. I usually wait about 30-45 minutes before putting it in an airtight container. You can add nuts, raisins, cranberries, coconut, dried fruit or anything else you like.

This next recipe is incredibly simple. I have served it for lunch or dinner and it is a favorite with my husband, who is usually not a huge fan of salads!

Spinach Salad with Raspberry Chipotle Chicken

Place two chicken breasts in a baking dish. Pour half of a 15-ounce bottle of raspberry chipotle sauce on top and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. After removing chicken from the oven, slice and put it over a bed of spinach. Top with a few slices of avocado and sprinkle with slivered almonds. The extra sauce in the baking dish makes a great dressing.

Finally, this last recipe makes a great salad that can be a side dish or a main course. Don’t be scared of the number of ingredients, it’s really quite simple.

Quinoa Salad with Orange and Avocado

Quinoa (prepared according to package directions)
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced Serrano pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup minced cilantro
1 shallot, minced
Pinch of salt and pepper
4 cups salad greens (I use arugula)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
1 orange, peeled, sectioned and sliced

To make the dressing, combine cranberries, lime juice, olive oil, honey garlic, Serrano pepper, mint, cilantro and shallot. Stir into your cooled quinoa and add salt and pepper to taste.
Place your salad greens on a plate and top with a scoop of the quinoa mixture, oranges and avocado. Suggestion: soften the shallot, garlic and Serrano together in a skillet over medium high heat before putting them in the dressing. Otherwise the raw shallot and garlic can be a little intense.

These recipes are all so delicious and full of protein, which is the key nutrient for building muscle. Quinoa is a gluten-free whole grain that is considered a complete protein because it has all of the essential amino acids. If you are trying to cut back on the amount of meat you consume or if you are vegetarian, quinoa is a great addition to your diet.

I would love to hear from you if you try these recipes. Enjoy!