Get The Most Out Of Your Body Building Workout

I was reading over some materials today and found something that I had almost forgotten about. It's call conjugated linoleic acid or CLA. Cla is an omega-6 fatty acid that can help make your workout more effective. Some studies show that CLA can help burn more fat as well. Check out the link and read more about CLA. Now time for a recipe.


http://www.naturalnews.com/001124.html
Easy Chicken Recipe



1 whole chicken

1 onion

1 carrot

2 stalks celery

olive oil

salt and pepper



1. Cut the ends off of the carrot and onion and peel them both. Slice the onion into 5 slices. (you should get nice thick rings of onion) Lay the onion in the bottom of an oven safe pan big enough for the chicken.

2. Rub the chicken with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the chicken on top of the onion rings.

3. cut the celery and carrot into 2" pieces and put them inside the chicken.

4. Roast the chicken in a 375F oven for about an hour and a half or until juices run clear when you make a cut between the leg and thigh.

Steam some edamame and rice and you've got yourself a nice healthy dinner.



Enjoy and have a happy healthy day!

Chef Matt

Stressed??

I don't know about you, but stress is my biggest hurdle to overcome as far as getting back into shape. Stress causes the body to create cortisol. It is a hormone that causes us to collect fat around our thighs and mid section. So in order to get that six-pack or loose the saddle bags we need to eliminate stress, right? In a perfect world, yes, but in the mean time there are some tricks to fighting cortisol.
The first is yogurt. Three 6oz servings a day to be precise. The active cultures and bacteria in yogurt help fight cortisol. Now if you are a busy person like me you don't have time to choke down three yogurts a day. I have found a solution it's called Bio Salud. It is a yogurt beverage and comes in 2oz shots that contain the same active cultures and bacteria. You can find it in the dairy section around the yogurt.
The second is more omega-3 fatty acids. Great sources of omega-3s is salmon, tuna, walnuts, flaxseed and almonds. So here is a great salmon dish to boost your omega-3 intake.

Salmon Recipe

salmon steaks
honey
almonds (sliverd or sliced not whole)
salt and pepper

First, toast almonds in the oven at 400F on a sheet pan until slightly brown. Next salt and pepper your salmon and grill until it is done the way you like it. I would suggest not cooking past medium. Then drizzle the honey over your salmon and spinkle with the almonds. Pair this with some sauted fresh spinach and a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Enjoy and have a happy health day!!
Chef Matt

Tuna! Tuna! Tuna!

Ahhh tuna. This has got to be one of my favorite foods. It not only tastes good but is good for you and oh so versatile. So let's take a minute and talk tuna.
Tuna fish is a very nutrient-dense food, it is a great source of high quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Tuna is also low in calories and fat.
When cooked from fresh tuna provides 1.5g of omega-3 per 100g, canned in water how ever only provides 0.272g of ogema-3. So do yourself the favor and get fresh (or frozen) tuna as much as possible and save the canned stuff for snacks.
Now a quick note about about omega-3 fatty acid. It is beneficial for cardiovascular health by helping to prevent erratic heart rythms, making blood less likely to clot inside the arteries and improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to potentially harmful (LDL) cholesterol.
There is always a catch to everything wonderful. Tuna can contain mecury so it is advised that pregnant women limit thier intake of tuna to about 8oz a week.

Tuna Recipe

1 8oz tuna steak
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbs olive oil

in a small bowl mix dry seasoning. In a saute pan heat olive oil over medium high heat. Dust steak liberally with your seasoning. Sear tuna for about 45 seconds on each side or until done to your liking.
I think tuna is best when cooked rare to medium rare. Serve with soba noodles and some fresh vegetables for and excellent meal.

Enjoy your tuna and try substituting tuna steaks for your beef steaks next time you grill out. Have a healthy and happy day!!
Chef Matt

Sore Muscles?

After hitting the gym rather hard the other day, my muscles are extremely sore now. This gives me a great opportunity to share with everyone how to fix that. The secret is BEEF. Why? you may ask, because of Carnitine. It is nutrient found mostly in red meat. Recent studies have shown that carnitine can help relieve exercise-induced muscle soreness by about 45%. One ounce of beef contains 15 to 35 mg of carnitine. So this is a great time to make Fajitas!

Fajita beef
1 1/2 to 2 lbs flank steak
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2c orange juice
1 tbs chopped garlic
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp dries oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion (yellow or red it doesn't really matter)

in a large mixing bowl, mix together lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Marinated flank steak in this for at least an hour but over night is better.
Remove beef from marinate and slap on to a hot grill or a skillet. cook 4-6 minutes on each side for medium rare. (longer if you want medium or shoe leather well done)
While your steak is cooking julienne(cut into thin strips) your peppers and onion. Saute quickly. Be careful not to over cook your vegetables. 1 minute is plenty to cook the vegetables.
when your beef is done pull off of heat and on to a cutting board. Cut thin strips across the grain of the meat.
Divide the meat and vegetables evenly on to plates and serve with your favorite tortillas.
This recipe serves about 4.

The meat per serving is as follows, 300 calories, 35g protein, 3g carbs, 15g fat, 70mg sodium, 90mg carnitine.

Be careful not to over do it on the carnitine. There are supplements available but if you take in too much carnitine it can do you a lot more harm than good. At 3000mg a day you risk sever complications including nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and a "fishy" body odor. So don't over do it, moderation is the key. Stick with great Fajitas and a glass of red wine and you'll be great.

Enjoy and have a happy healthy day!!
Chef Matt

Easter

Happy Easter!!



In the spirit of Easter and Passover, I decided to share a recipe for a nice lamb dinner.



First the lamb. I prefer to use New Zealand lamb as opposed to Colorado lamb because it tends to have a less gamy taste. This is especially helpful if you have someone who has never had lamb before.


Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
4 lamb shanks
2c flour
2tbs kosher salt
1tbs fresh cracked pepper
1tbs granulated garlic
1/4 c olive oil
1 large carrot (rough chop)
3 stalks celery (rough chop)
1 large yellow onion (rough chop)
2c red wine
2c beef stock
4 large sprig of fresh Rosemary. (or 3 tbs dried)

1 Place a metal baking dish (preferably a braising pan) on the stove and turn on to med high heat. Add olive oil. In a mixing bowl, mix together your flour, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2. Coat lamb shanks in flour and carefully place them in the hot oil. turn them when they start to brown. Make sure you brown them on all four sides as best you can.
3. when completely brown on all sides remove from pan and place on a plate. In the same pan add you carrot, celery and onion and saute until slightly brown. Degalze with the red wine. Add beef stock and rosemary. remove from heat. Place lamb shanks on top of the vegetables and cover tightly with foil. Place in oven for 3 and a half hours. DO NOT uncover until time is up.
4. Pull from pan and let rest for 15 minutes. While lamb is resting place the pan back on the stove on high heat and reduce the liquid by about half. This will give you a great sauce to go on top of your shanks.

While the lamb is cooking you can prepare a simple starch and veg.
Starch.
2c wild rice blend(1/4 wild rice & 3/4 brown rice. i don't like using only wild rice for a starch)
4c water
juice and zest from 1 orange
1/4 c dried cranberries(craisins)
1/4 c toasted almonds

In a pot, add water, zest and juice. Bring to a boil and add rice. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and absorbed all of the water. The mix in craisins and almonds.

For the Veg.

Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Blanche in hot water for 45 seconds and drain.
right before you dish up dinner. place the broccoli and cauliflower in a pan, drizzle with olive oil and Parmesan cheese and bake at 350F until cheese is melted and a little brown.

If you have any questions as to how to prepare any of this, post me a comment and I will be happy to help.

You maybe asking yourself how does this relate to workout food? Glad you asked. Lamb is an excellent source of protein with all 8 essential amino acids in the proper ratio. Lamb is a good source of Zinc which is essential for healthy immune function. Zinc also helps stabilize blood sugar levels and the body's metabolic rate. Lamb is a good source of vitamin B12 which supports the formation of new red blood cells and is necessary for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Lamb is a good source of vitamin B3 which helps with healthy skin and the gastro-intestinal track. Lamb contains very little marbling (fat throughout the meat) compared to other meats. Finally, lamb contains less saturated fat than other meat products. Only about 36% of lamb fat is saturated. The rest is mono or polyunsaturated. If you have never had lamb you may have found you new favorite meat. Based on health benefits alone how could you not like it.


So with that all said, have a very Happy and Healthy Easter!!!

Chef Matt

Time for another recipe.

This recipe is a good post workout dinner it is high in protein and low in fat.



8oz sliced mushrooms

1 cup red wine

2 8oz beef tenderloin fillets (or any other lean cut of beef)

1 cup green onion

1/2 bunch chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

4 cloves garlic minced (approx 1 1/2 tsp if you have a jar of chopped garlic)

2 cups beef stock

3 Roma tomatoes chopped



1. combine mushrooms and red wine in a glass bowl, add beef and marinate for at least half an hour.



2. Heat a saute pan with about 1 tbs olive oil. remove beef from marinate and save marinate liquid. Salt and pepper beef and pan sear to desired temperature. Remove from pan.



3. Using the same pan add garlic and tomatoes, then the marinate liquid. Bring to a boil and add the balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and beef stock. Let this reduce by about half and add parsley and green onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until reduced to about 2 cups.



4. Slice beef across the grain and place on a plate. Spoon the mushroom rosemary sauce over the beef.



Goes great with steamed broccoli. A couple of hints. DO NOT USE COOKING WINE!!! Cooking wines are loaded with salt and other preservatives. Use your favorite cheap red wine. The boxed wines work great for cooking. Also if you are going to by your beef stock as opposed to making it yourself, be sure you read the label. Be sure it is low is sodium and fat.
Now, depending on what kind of beef and beef stock you have used this is your approximate nutritional facts.

Calories 229 (22% from fat)
Fat 6 grams (sat. 1.9g , mono. 2.1g , poly 0.9g)
Protein 30g
Carb 12.4g
fiber 1.7g
Chol. 69mg
Iron 5.1mg
Sodium 300mg(depending on wine and stock choices)
Calc 55mg

Again, more to come and all you runners stay posted. Have a great and healthy day!

Chef Matt

ok. Time for the first recipe. This is a light snack that is quick to throw together and goes great with many dishes.

Asian Slaw.

The Bulk

1 head Nappa cabbage (fine julienne)
2 red bell peppers (fine julienne)
1 red onion (fine julienne)
2 carrots peeled (fine julienne)
1/2 bunch cilantro (chopped)
1 tbs fresh grated ginger

The Dressing

1 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 c cooking sake
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs orange juice
1/4 c sesame oil
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds (white or black)
to make the dressing, mix together the vinegar, sake, soy sauce, and orange juice. Then, with a whisk, slowly and the sesame oil while whisking. Then add the sesame seeds and stir.

Now. The best way to put this together is to keep the bulk and the dressing separate untill ready to serve. Then take some of the bulk and add just enough dresssing to coat every thing. You may have more dressing than bulk or more bulk than dressing depending on how heavy you dress it. But that's ok. This is one case when over dressing is acceptable. You can always make more if need be.

This slaw is a wonderful power food in the fact that it has a lot of sesame oil and the cleasing power of cabbage. Sesame oil is known in some places as the "Queen of Oils". It is naturaly antibacterial for common skin pathogens and has been linked in some studies to helping control high blood preasure due to its polyunsatuated fats. Plus the best thing about it is the taste. It may be strong for some but it will grow on you if you give it a chance.

another great little snack idea is simply cooked soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) lightly coated in sesame oil.


Try these out and let me know what you think. There is plenty more to come. Have a great and healthy day!!

Chef Matt