Baked Artichoke Chicken

 

I experimented on my family this weekend with this new recipe and they loved it.  I had anticipated crinkled noses and lots of yucks, however what I got was "wow, this is really good and the chicken is so yummy".  From my perspective, this was also really, really easy and I served it with steamed broccoli and some spagetti squash.  The picture shows chicken with the skin on, however I omitted the skin for a healthier version.  Enjoy!!

 

Baked Artichoke Chicken: (adapted from ABC The Chew)

2 lbs. chicken cut into large pieces (I used 1 lb skinless thighs and 1lb skinless breasts)
1 cup artichoke hearts, halved (canned is fine)
1 medium onion, cut into pieces same size as the artichokes
1 pound white button mushrooms (halved or quartered)
2 tablespoons brown mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 370F

Place artichokes, onions and mushrooms on the bottom of a big pan.
Place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.
Mix the mustard with the rest of the ingredients and pour over chicken.
Season w/ kosher salt & pepper.

Bake about 1 hour, basting the pieces once or twice.

Rethinking Your Snack Bars

Do you really want to eat these ingredients?

Most of us have very busy lives between work, school, family and fun.  It is challenging to make the time to prepare balanced healthy foods and we tend to buy granola bars, protein bars or snack food items at Costco or the grocery store.  While this seems like a great idea to get a good snack with protein and good taste (and it certainly is a better choice than not eating), if you really look at the ingredients list, these bars are definitely not close to a whole foods product.  Here is just a sample of the ingredients from one commonly eaten bar:

Roasted Peanuts, Soy Protein Isolate, Chicory Root Extract, Sugar, Vegetable Oils (Palm, Kernel, Palm, Canola, Peanut), Whey Protein Concentrate, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Cocoa, Fructose, Peanut Butter (Peanuts, Salt), Vegetable Glycerin, Rice Starch, Honey, Rice Maltodextrin, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavor. Contains Peanut, Soy And Milk Ingredients.

The ingredients list above is very far from whole foods, has highly processed fats, corn syrup and artificial fructose - Yuck!

I challenge you this week to try out one of these healthy, well balanced snack bar recipes!  Each of these is portable, tastes great and is free from bad fats, fake sugars and processed fillers from corn and soy.  

Emily Granola Bars This is a great granola bar that my daughter loves – hence the name.  These are crunchy bars and would need to be paired with a good protein for a wholesome, balance snack.

2 tbsp - ALMONDS, RAW ( I used sliced raw almonds because it’s easier on my food processor) 0.25 tsp - BAKING SODA 1 tsp - CINNAMON, GROUND 3 tbsp - HONEY 0.08 CUP - MAPLE SYRUP 1.5 cup - OATS, ROLLED, DRY, BOBS REDMILL 3 tbsp - OIL, GRAPESEED (or you can use the vegetable oil of your choice) 2 tbsp - SUGARS,GRANULATED Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In  a food processor, using the metal blade, process almonds until in small bits and pieces.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the oats, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda.  In food processor combine the oil, honey and maple syrup.  Process until well blended, about 30 seconds.  Add the dry ingredients in 2 batches to the food processor, processing each time you add, until well combined.  Transfer mixture to bowl – now you can add any extras – mini chocolate chips, dried fruit etc.  Use a large spoon to spoon 12 cookie size servings onto the cookie sheet.  Bake on middle rack of oven for 25-30 minutes.  When done, remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to cool – this way they set and don’t fall apart.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Number of Servings: 12; Calories Per Serving: 121 Protein Per Serving: 2g; Carbohydrates Per Serving: 17g Fat Per Serving: 5g; Sugar Per Serving: 9g Sodium Per Serving: 26mg; Fiber Per Serving: 2g

Chocolate Yam Protein Bars This is a good combo of protein/carbs/fats, and can be a 'meal in a bar' in a pinch. Feel free to sub out spices, flours, and sweeteners to suit your individual circumstances. Using 2 tsp baking soda per the recipe creates a more cakelike texture, while reducing to 1 - 1.5 tsp creates a denser, more brownie like texture that holds up better for travel.

1/2 cup - ALMOND FLOUR 1.5 CUP – UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE 2 tsp - BAKING SODA 1/4 cup - CAROB POWDER 1 tbsp - CINNAMON 1/4 cup - COCONUT FLOUR 1 whole EGG 6 scoop – CHOCOLATE PROTEIN POWDER* (can substitute plain or vanilla as well) ½ cup - HONEY 1 tbsp - VANILLA EXTRACT 1.3 pound – YAMS, BAKED IN SKIN AND PEELED

Bake, peel, and mash yams. Add remaining ingredients to mashed yams and mix well. Add mixture to a lightly greased 9x11 baking pan, and bake at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Number of Servings: 12; Calories Per Serving: 244 Protein Per Serving: 17g; Carbohydrates Per Serving: 35g; Fat Per Serving: 4g Sugar Per Serving: 17g; Sodium Per Serving: 244mg; Fiber Per Serving: 6g

Oatmeal Protein Bars Home-made protein bars - really great for travel or an alternative breakfast! One bar is huge satisfying. Even your kids will love them. You can add anything to them; dried fruit, cinnamon, nuts or seeds... Any type of milk will work. Could also substitute the applesauce with really ripe bananas(super mushy ripe).

3/4 cup - ALMOND BUTTER 1 cup – UNSWEETENED ALMOND MILK 1 cup - APPLESAUCE UNSWEETENED 2 – LARGE EGG WHITES 4.5 – PROTEIN POWDER* – FLAVOR IS YOUR CHOICE 3 cup – ROLLED OATS 2.5 tsp - BAKING POWDER

Combine all ingredients; pour into 9X11 or two 9x9 (8x8) pans sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. Really watch the time and don't over-bake as they will get dry. If doing in two smaller pans they only need about 25 minutes in the oven. Once cool, cut, wrap place in fridge.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Number of Servings: 8; Calories Per Serving: 342 Protein Per Serving: 25g; Carbohydrates Per Serving: 29g Fat Per Serving: 14g; Sugar Per Serving: 6g Sodium Per Serving: 224mg; Fiber Per Serving: 7g *When choosing a protein powder, the same principle applies.  The fewer the ingredients the better.  Our new Summit at Home Proshop and Cafe now sells Hammer Protein, which is a very clean protein powder.  They have a whey protein powder (from dairy), or a vegan option (from vegetable protein sources).  Members also receive a discount!

Choosing the right Chocolate for Valentine's Day

Giving and receiving chocolate is a Valentine’s tradition that everyone enjoys. Choosing the right chocolate will not only give pleasure but benefit your loved one’s heart and stress levels and your own as well.

Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Protect the Heart. 

Pure chocolate, made from cocoa beans, is rich in flavanol, an antioxidant that may help protect arteries from damage, maintain healthy blood flow and fend off heart disease.

Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain the highest levels of flavanol. A Swedish study published in 2009 showed that people who ate chocolate regularly over the 12 months before their first heart attack, recovered better than patients who never or seldom ate chocolate.

 “Chocolate consumption was associated with lower cardiac mortality in a dose dependent manner in patients free of diabetes surviving their first AMI (heart attack),” the researchers from the Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, reported.

While the chocolate eaters enjoyed better cardiac health, participants in the study who didn’t eat chocolate but ate other kinds of confectionery, gained no benefit.

The benefits of eating chocolate lasted up to eight years, the researchers noted, and this could be due to the fact that that eating dark chocolate hs been shown to lower blood pressure.

Dark Chocolate is the Key

All the studies looking at the beneficial effects of chocolate have been based on dark chocolate. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain the highest levels of flavanol and other antioxidants, apparently responsible for the heart protective and stress-busting effects.

But these health benefits are reduced considerably when pure chocolate is processed and ingredients such as sugar, milk and butter are added, as is the case in most candies and candy bars.

Not only that, but the extra fat and sugar levels can contribute to unwanted weight gain.

However, there are good brands of organic, fair trade dark chocolate available, including ones containing up to 80% cocoa. Consuming these would not only improve the health of those who receive such gifts, but assist the economic health of the growers and producers of organic dark chocolate and cocoa.  You can find good chocolate at a local health food store or Super 1 Foods.  Good brands to try are Endangered Species, Theo or Dagoba. The larger chocolate manufacturers like Hersheys or Nestles tends to add emulsifiers, soy lecithin, milk fat and artificial flavors to their chocolate, which causes them to do more harm than good. 

Cocoa itself is full of antioxidants, and while it might be rather dull just to drink hot cocoa on Valentine’s Day, hot chocolate made with real dark chocolate is a dreamy, melt-in the mouth sensation that could enhance your healthy Valentine’s celebration.

Have Fun!

Emotional Eating - Part 2

by Karen Dion, One2One Wellness Coach

In our first segment on Emotional Eating, I introduced the topic and described the differences between eating for emotions or eating for hunger.  Part 2 gives you a tool to determine if you are an emotional eater and to what extent.  Fill out this quiz and stay tuned to Part 3 for more information:

For each item, record the scale number that best reflects your current lifestyle.

0 = Never, 1 = Rarely, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often, 4 = Almost Always

1. I feel out of control of my eating.

2. My hunger tends to come on very suddenly.

3. I find myself craving certain types of foods.

4.  I often stand in front of an open fridge, wondering what to eat.

5. I feel like snacking when I get stressed or am upset about something.

6. Food gives me a lift when I’m feeling down.

7. Food helps calm me when I’m feeling tense or wound up.

8. Outside mealtimes, I feel the urge to eat at certain times of the day.

9. Even when I am full, I often do not feel satisfied.

10. Unpleasant feelings like sadness, anger, and frustration are reduced while I am eating.

11. I feel guilty and/or ashamed about what I have just eaten.

12. I often describe food and eating using emotionally charged words.

13. It feels like I seek solace in food.

14. I often eat to the point of physical discomfort.

15. I use food as a source of pleasure or a reward.

16. I eat when I am not physically hungry.

17. I often overeat after denying myself certain foods.

18. I feel ashamed of my eating and myself.

19. I find myself snacking when I am happy.

20. I am preoccupied by thoughts of food.

21. Eating reduces a feeling of emptiness I have inside of me.

22. I am often surprised at how much I have eaten.

23. I try, but fail to lose weight and keep it off.

24. Once I start eating certain foods, I find it difficult to stop.

25. My behavior with respect to food and eating causes me significant distress.

SCORE:______________

 Interpretation:

·        0-25  No or little emotional eating: Your weight management efforts should be relatively uncomplicated by emotional issues.

·        26-50  Mild emotional eating: You may experience difficulty achieving weight management goals due to emotional obstacles.

·        51-75  Moderate emotional eating: You will probably encounter emotional obstacles to healthy weight management and should consider being coached.

·        76-100  Severe emotional eating: Significant obstacles exist to healthy weight management, and coaching is strongly recommended.