Food is fuel. But it’s much more enjoyable when it’s tasty fuel. Plain chicken breast and broccoli will definitely get the job done, but we all enjoy some flavor.
So let me know your favorite healthy recipe in the comments below. I’ll pick my 3 favorite recipes, make each of them next weekend, and then declare one “winner” next Monday (June 21st). The winner will receive a rare and oh-so-sexy “Treadmills Are For Gerbils” GymJunkies T-shirt so give me your recipe today!
Here are the rules:
1. You must put your recipe in the comments of this post. Don’t email it to me. Don’t put it in the comments of another post. And to all of you stalkers out there, don’t mail it to my home address. List your recipe in the comments of THIS POST.
2. You can only submit ONE recipe. Anyone submitting multiple entries will be disqualified.
3. You must submit your recipe no later than 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on Friday, June 18th. Late entries will not be considered.
You know you have a favorite dish that is healthy and tastes great. Let me know about it in the comments below!
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Vic Magary is a personal trainer, a US ARMY veteran and karate/taekwondo black belt. You can get a proven fat loss plan by picking up my 31 Day Workout Manual or by signing up for my Free Newsletter |
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Everyone loves grilled food, and I have a fresh spin that doesn’t even involve meat. I am a hardcore meat eater, but I love this recipe, and it is something fun and different to do on the grill. I didn’t make it up, got it from a friend, but it needs to be shared
Black Bean Quesadilla’s
1-2 Red Peppers
Cilantro (to taste, but I usually do about a 1/2 cup)
Black beans
1 Large tomato
1/2-whole Jalapeno Pepper (depending on taste)
2-3 tbl spoons green onions
crumbled feta cheese, (to help hold together and give flavour) You may substitute with other healthier cheeses, but this makes it awesome and a little aint gonna hurt.
Whole Wheat tortialla’s
Pre heat grill on a medium temp. I usually have mine set at around 350′ or so. Brush grill lightly with oil to prevent sticking.
Roast the red peppers on the grill, then peel of the skin. Chop up tomatoes, and other ingredients. Mix in a bowl. Then add mixture to tortilla’s. used a bit of Feta on the top and bottom to help make everything stick together. Place on grill and just cook until the tortilla’s brown up and the cheese melts.
Slice and eat with your favorite Salsa. (Maybe someone has a killer Salsa Recipe)
Mine is simple and good.
Ingredients: Tilapia, capers, black olives, olive oil, garlic powder, paprika & green veggie of choice.
Sprinkle garlic powder & paprika lightly on tilapia – set aside..heat pan with olive oil & saute capers & black olives, add tilapia, cook one side, then easy turn on other – remove from pan, take green veggie and cook in pan..add to plate.Nice looking dinner, not a lot of fuss.
Creamed Cauliflower or “Mashed Faux-tatoes”
Depending on how much you want at one time, adjust accordingly.
2 cups raw cauliflower
2 large garlic cloves
2 tbsp organic, unsalted butter
1 tbsp organic heavy cream
salt/pepper/parsley
Steam cauliflower & garlic until soft. Put all ingredients together and blend until smooth (I use a hand blender).
May have to tweak it a little to suit your taste, but if you do it just right it’ll taste like just mashed potatoes.
Eggplant in The Oven
Serves 4
I love eating this vegetable dish even though I am a meat lover. You don`t have to have meat or fish at every single meal, especially if you choose protein rich veggies. There is a Mediterranean style to this dish, so Mediterranean cooks should make this correctly on their first attempt.
1 large onion
2 red bell peppers
3 egg plants
olive oil
béchamel sauce (about a pint or 500 ml) – buy low fat version or make your own with skim milk and low fat cream.
optional: grated mozzarella cheese, (200 to 300 grams) – get the low fat version.
Halve the onions, then slice them. They should come apart in short strips. Lay the onion strips on a large roasting tray and douse them with olive oil. Cut one of the peppers in strips and layer them on top of the onion strips. (Don`t try and “carpet” the tray with peppers, just sparsely populate the tray). Slice the egg plants into circles about the thickness of your pinkie finger. Layer half the egg plant slices on top of the peppers. Now you have one pepper left and half the egg plant left – do one more layer of pepper, then a top layer of egg plant slices.
(sprinkle rock salt on every layer, to taste)
Almost done now.
Pour the béchamel sauce all over the top layer of egg plant. Don´t worry, eventually the sauce will ooze down to all the layers all by itself. Cook in the oven at a medium-high temperature for 30 minutes while you work out. Now remove from oven and sprinkle the grated cheese on top and put back in. When the cheese begins to toast, its ready to serve (about 5 or 10 more minutes, just enough for a shower).
Serve with your favorite rice!
ABET salad (avocado, bacon, eggs, and tomato)
1 avocado pitted and flesh scooped out
2-4 slices of cooked bacon chopped
2 hardboiled eggs chopped coursely
1 tomato chopped
juice from half lemon
tsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
chop up the avocado flesh and mix with the eggs and tomato. It’s ok if it’s a little mushy. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cilantro and the salt and pepper. Add the bacon and voila!
“TO DIE FOR” Chickan Piccata
4 med boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup capers
1 can artichoke hearts (packed in water)
1 pkgl. sliced mushrooms
Coat chicken with flour. In large skillet, cook garlic and oil over moderate heat, until garlic is pale gold. Add chicken and brown -3 min. each side. Add lemon juice, artichokes, capers and mushrooms. Simmer, covered for about 30 min. Turn chicken occasionally.
Serve with brown rice or pasta. Deliciouso and hearty!
Bacon Avocado Omelet (Mexican style)
-2-3 slices of cooked bacon strips chopped
-1 small tomato chopped or bell pepper
-1 avocado pitted and cut into strips
-2-3 eggs whisked in a bowl
-chop some white onion (i use a lot of onion but its to your liking)
-1 piece of pepper jack cheese
Salsa Verde (the green salsa w/ tomatillos and Jalapeno peppers)
I start off by cooking the chopped onion first in 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil, cook them until they are slightly brown (this adds great flavor). Next toss in the chopped tomato and cook for another minute or two. Add the eggs and cook until they set and can be flipped into the form of an omelet. Before you form the omelet add the pre-cooked chopped bacon, pepper jack cheese, and avocado slices. Once the omelet is formed cook to your liking. Add the salsa verde on top and devour! I will sometimes have 1-2 corn tortillas on the side depending on my nutritional needs.
Steak a la Chez Wolf
Well…the title is silly but it’s something a friend coined…
Ingredients:
I usually buy eye of round roast beef, it tends to be lean enough. Any other lean cut of steak will suffice as well.
1 half pint of strawberries
half a bag of spinach
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 shallots, sliced thinly
Get a frying pan medium hot and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the garlic, shallots and strawberries. Push these around for a minute, and then add the balsamic vinegar. Cook until the strawberries start to disintegrate.
Add spinach and cook until wilted. Move this mixture to the sides of the pan until the middle is clear. Drop the steak on and cook to your liking. I like it rare, so I leave it there about a minute per side.
Serves 2.
One of my good friends made this recipe up & it’s one of my favorites.
Buffalo Chicken Chili
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T butter
2 # all white meat ground chicken breast or 1 # each of ground chicken breast & ground turkey breast
1 Large carrot, peeled & finely chopped
1 Large Onion, chopped
3 Ribs celery, finely chopped
5 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 T smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 C chicken stock or 15 oz. can chicken broth
1/4-1/2 C hot sauce (depending on how hot you like it)
15 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz can crushed tomatoes
Place a large pot over med-high heat, add 1 turn of the pan of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 1 T) and the butter.
Once the butter has melted and the pot is hot, add the ground chicken. Brown it using the back of a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces, about 5-6 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf & some salt & pepper. Cook stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, hot sauce, tomato sauce & crushed tomatoes & bring to bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together. Or just after mixing everything, crock pot all day.
Chicken with tomato sauce and onions
Ingredients:
1 Package of chicken breasts
1 onion (usually a large one)
1 can of olives
extra virgin olive oil
tomato sauce
fresh basil
Directions
preheat the oven to 350
get a pyrex glass container, usually one of the larger size ones
cover the bottom with olive oil
cut the chicken into cubes or pieces that are not too thick
cut the onion either into slices or dice it up
put the chicken into the pyrex with the oil
add the onions and the olives
pour tomato sauce over the top. usually I like mine with a lot of sauce on it and depending how much chicken there is I usually use a whole jar.
if possible add some fresh basil on top.
put into the oven for about an hour
The dish goes well with some quinoa on the side or some frozen veggies.
Roasted Romano Beans
Fresh Romano Beans
Olive oil
Fresh Garlic and herbs such as oregano or rosemary
Pinch of Salt
Fresh grated Parmesan
Optional, roast some sliced onions and peppers at the same time
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
wash and clean as many Romanos as you want to eat. Cut into bite sized pieces if you prefer. The two of us can eat a pound between us easily. Dinner with another couple had us nearly finishing 2 pounds between the 4 of us.
Let drain while you mince the garlic and herbs, add to a few tablespoons of olive oil and let flavors blend for a few minutes while the oven heats. When the oven is hot, toss the beans in the olive oil and spread over a baking sheet in one layer so they roast more than steam. Sprinkle with a bit of salt.
Roast for about 8 minutes and turn them over, roast for another 7-8 minutes until starting to brown and are to your desired degree of firm or tender. Grate some fresh Parmesan on and toss while it is hot.
If you do choose to roast peppers or onions with it, I suggest using either 2 pans or keep the vegetables separate on the pan as they may turning at different times.
This recipe is very basic. With good fresh ingredients however it is a true delight. By varying the herbs and other vegetables that you grill, summer squash and tomatoes are also great with this, we can eat and savor it twice a week during fresh bean season.
No Guilt Oatmeal Pancakes
I use this for either a breakfast(rarely), desert(sometimes), or carb load before a big next day lift or event (often).
What you need:
3 Tablespoons Whole Flax Seed (better texture)
Palm full of unsalted roasted almonds
1/2 Banana
3 Fresh Strawberries (sliced) or Palm full of Fresh Blueberries
4 WHOLE free range eggs
1/4 cup milk
Cinnamon
2 Packs of McCann’s Sugar Free Instant Irish Oatmeal (Maple & Brown Sugar) or whatever you can get your hands on that you THINK is healthy (lol).
1. Grind up Flax seeds in blender at high speed. Lower the speed and add in the almonds.
2. Add in oats, 4 eggs, milk (Blend it, but DON’T Liquify!)
3. Pour 1/2 the batter into the hot pan and put in sliced bananas and fruit. Sprinkle the cinnamon on (if you like it). DON’T add the cinnamon during the blending it’s better if used as a light coating.
You shouldn’t need syrup. If you FEEL you do, add a good Maple one. This will taste good and the next day (when it metabolizes and the glycogen gets in the muscles) you will feel like taking on the world.
Cheers,
Jesus
Bacon Spinach Tomato
3-5 Slices of Bacon
4 cups fresh spinach
Cherry Tomato – cut in half
Cut bacon into bite size pieces and brown in a large pan. Drain bacon fat and wilt spinach in with the bacon, add tomato. Enjoy as a side dish for dinner and in an omelet for breakfast.
LAMB CHILI
1x can organic chicken broth
3x cans northern white beans
1x container of hot salsa (I like to use Garden Fresh Gourmet Screamin Hot)
1x pound pepper jack cheese cubed
3x lamb shanks left on bone
2x broccoli crowns chopped up
2x large red bell peppers chopped up
Dump all the ingredients into a crock pot for 4-6 hours on high. Pull out lamb bones prior to serving, meat will fall off the bone. Enjoy!
Easy and DELICIOUS: Salty Sea-bass
Ingredients: 1 sea bass, cooking salt, 1 lemon
1. Pre-heat the oven (max power, 15-20 minutes)
2. Put the sea bass (without removing bones or skin) on an ovenproff dish
3. Cut two slices of lemon and place them into the fish’s gills (to prevent salt to penetrate)
4. Cover it COMPELTELY with cooking salt and place it into the oven
5. Once the salty cover gets hard, remove the plate from the oven
6. Remove carefully the salty cover. You will be able to easily remove skin and bones now
7. Bon apetit!!
Enjoy your meals!
Vicente
bacon/jalapenos: go to your garden and pick a fresh jalapeno. Cut it lengthwise almost in half. De-vein and de-seed. Put in some cheese of your liking into the pepper, wrap in bacon, and then slide a water soaked toothpick perpendicular through the bacon/jalapeno/cheese. Grill hot and they are done when the bacon is done.
Half pint full fat organic milk (omega fats), 3 organic eggs (more omega fats), a scoop of chocolate flavoured whey protein, small handful of almonds & walnuts, splash of chia seeds (more omega fats!) and blended all together. Possibly not a foody recipe, but delicious and powerful!
Crock-Pot Asian Pepper Steak
Ingredients:
2 lbs. steak (sirloin is preferable, but any other good cut will do)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup wheat-free tamari (similar to soy sauce)
1 16 oz can bean sprouts, drained (optional)
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large green pepper, sliced in thin strips
1 small onion, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
On a chopping board, cut the steak on an angle to make strips about a ½ inch thick. In a large frying pan, add the oil and heat. Saute the steak until it lightly browns. Drain excess fat, liberally coat the meat with ground pepper and put the meat in the crock pot. Add garlic and tamari, and mix so that the steak is thoroughly coated. Cook in a crock pot on low for 6 hours. One hour before serving, add sprouts, tomatoes, green peppers and onions and turn crock pot to high. Cook for one hour and then serve piping hot.
*Notes*
The slow cooking process creates some seriously tender steak, and the extra time spent in the pot allows all the flavors to mix together to create a delicious dish.
And the best part? With a little forethought you can throw this together in the amount of time it would take to place a take-out order.
I want the shirt Thai Shrimp Salad with Mango Dressing
Salad:
1 lb shelled and deveined med shrimp or prawns
1 red bell pepper quartered, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 med cucumber peeled, cut in half and seeded and cut into thin slices
8 oz spinach leaves stemmed and washed
2 Tbls pine nuts
2 med green onions thinly sliced
2 Tbls minced cilantro
Dressing
1 med ripe mango
4-5 Tbls lime juice
2 Tbls light brown sugar
2 Tbls fish sauce
1 teas Chinese chili sauce or 1/2 teas. hot chili oil
1 Tbls grated fresh ginger
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add prawns and time for 2 minutes, until pink, curled and cooked through. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Transfer to a paper towel lined bowl and refrigerate.
Prepare the spinach, cucumber and bell pepper and refrigerate
For dressing, peel the mango, cut in food processor (or blender) Add the lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, chili sauce or oil and ginger. Process until smooth and refrigerate.
When ready to serve. Cut the spinach leaves into shreds with scissors. Combine with the shrimp, bell pepper, cucumber, pine nuts, green onions and cilantro.
I like to lay this out on a platter with some whole spinach leaves on the bottom. A row of thin sliced cucumbers circling the plate with a few slices of lime tucked in this circle. Then mound the Shrimp mixture in the middle. This is definitely a feast for the eyes as well. It’s a fresh, clean taste and good enough to serve company. It always gets rave reviews at our house.
Per Serving Stats
Calories 201
Protein 20g
Fat 4g
Carbs 24g
Sodium 690 mg
Saturated fat 1g
Monosaturated fat 1g
Polyunsaturated fat 2g
Cholesterol 148mg
Oh and by the way, I want the shirt
super simple but fast, yummy and filling-
2-3 cups frozen watermelon
1 cup almond milk
optional- egg whites for protein
blend and enjoy!
Pound a round steak (veal or beef)
Cut into pieces large enough to roll up
Spread some l/f cream cheese
Lay a jumbo shrimp (butterflied) on top
1/4 jalapeno, cut lengthwise
Roll up; wrap with strips of Canadian bacon (ori. called for reg bacon)
Stick with toothpick
Bake in oven for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees
Great apps
Ella Bella’s Healthy Summer Squash Bread
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs min
Serves: 16, 2 loaves
A very sweet, moist loaf. A great alternative for dessert. This recipe evolved from a zucchini bread recipe. This isn’t the healthiest recipe ever, but is a little better than the run of the mill zucchini bread.
Ingredients
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups summer squash, shredded
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 325*.
Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans, spray olive oil is a healthy choice.
Beat eggs until foamy.
Stir in wet ingredients: sugar, summer squash, oil, applesauce and vanilla.
Sift together dry ingredients: flour, wheat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Gradually add to wet ingredients.
Fold in raisins and optional nuts.
Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 60 – 80 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes on cooling rack, then remove from pans.
Cool completely on rack before slicing.