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Who says dinner can't satisfy a sweet tooth? Serve this saucy dish with a savory green salad dressed in vinegar or steamed vegetables to balance the sweetness of the pork chop.
Cooking spray
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 (7-ounce) package dried mixed fruit bits (such as SunMaid)
1) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
2) Add shallots to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and fruit; cover and simmer 1 minute. Return pork to pan, and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.
Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1/3 cup sauce = 380 calories 28.5 gm protein, 4.7 g fiber)
Adapted from cooking light.com
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CASHEW CHICKEN (Or choose any protein below)Time savers on preparation: Purchase pre-minced garlic cloves, chopped nuts and microwaveable frozen broccoli florets & one envelope of Uncle Ben's microwaveable brown rice.
Recipe makes 4 servings, 380 calories per serving.
For an even skinnier dish, use only 1 tablespoon of oil in recipe and strike out the rice, 255 calories per serving
Pick your protein: 14 ounces extra firm tofu, 1 lb of skinless chicken breast, 90% lean ground beef, pork, or turkey.
2 Tbs. canola oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup finely chopped cashews
1/2 cup orange juice
3 Tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
6 cups steamed broccoli florets
2 cups cooked brown rice or any other whole grain
1. In a non-stick pan, saute the chicken in 1 Tbs. oil, until cooked through (no longer pink). If using tofu, cut into 12 slabs, blot with paper towel before cooking, and saute 2 minutes per side. Set chicken aside on plate.
2. Add the garlic and remaining 1 Tbs. oil, cashews, and red pepper flakes. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water. Add to the pan and simmer until thickened, about three minutes.
4. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice and broccoli.
Adapted from Nutrition Action Healthletter, September 2012
Step Ahead is thrilled to announce the expansion of its fitness department by providing exercise training classes to Peapack Gladstone Bank employees. Corporate wellness programs are growing in popularity due to the many positive health benefits of consistent exericse. If you're interested in learning more about our corporate wellness programs, please contact our fitness director/certified personal fitness trainer, Noëlle C. Lusardi, at noelle@stepaheadwellnesscenter.com, or call 908-470-2235 and speak with Erica.
One more year is coming to a close, the pads come out and the resolutions begin. January is actually the busiest time in the fitness and gym industry. February and March are probably the quietest with most people having given up on the weight loss and fitness effort…well until the bikini time comes around again. Setting New Year’s weight loss resolutions is no different than setting other goals. Your goals need to S.M.A.R.T, in other words: Simple-Measurable-Achievable-Realistic-Timely, but most importantly you need to have the desire and willpower to work hard towards your targets. In this article we share 7 tips for setting your New Year’s resolutions in such a way so they are achievable and realistic.
1. SET LIFE GOALS
Instead of making a resolution list of the things you want to do make a list of the things you want to have and/or achieve in your life. For example a resolution list of the things you want to do could look like this:
Resolution List 2012
1. Lose weight
2. Join the gym
3. Change my job
Instead think ‘what do I want to have in my life’? For example:
Life Resolution List 2012
1. Look good and feel healthier
2. Be happier in my job
3. Be less stressed
Then think how you can achieve each one of them. Weight loss and exercise can then be a process of achieving to look good and feel healthier but is not the end to all means. In addition, there are other ways to achieve your goal such as eat healthier, or cut down on takeaways and sweets.
If you just concentrate on losing weight you will join the gym and get the next diet regime in the hype of the times. Then you will soon lose sight of why you are torturing and depriving yourself from food. No surprise most gym memberships are sold in January to never be used again by February with maybe small exceptions when preparing for the bikini season.
2. COMPARE YOUR LIST WITH LAST YEARS
What did your resolution list look like last year? Do you automatically list the obvious things which are expected to be in your list? For example I used to be a smoker and for about 10 years in the top of my list was I will cut smoking. Smoking was bad for me and I knew I had to give up so every year I expected myself to try and stop smoking and then feel depressed as I had failed myself.
In addition think why you didn’t follow your last year’s resolutions. Did something affect you? Did something change? Finding the reasons why you didn’t do what you wanted last year it may be a way to help you avoid the same mistakes or help you plan for this year.
3. BE REALISTIC
Christmas and New Year can be emotionally charged times. The end of an era and the beginning of a new one it can make us make decisions based on emotions and not reality. Don’t forget to also ask yourself if you are realistic in what you want. My resolution could well be finding a gold bucket at the end of a rainbow but no matter what I do it may not quite reach fruition.
4. GET OFF THE DIET WAGON.
Another problem with concentrating with dieting is that you are likely to grab the next diet regime, book etc that looks good. Does it work? You may lose some weight in a few weeks but you will have to stop dieting at some point and then what? Have a break until the next diet or is it that you never stopped.
The weight loss industry is a very lucrative business and it does bank on the fact that you are looking for quick solution. I will go back to my first point which says make life goals and not a dieting commitment. Therefore, weight loss would be part of the life changes you want. Undoubtedly not everybody can do it by themselves, however try to pick that weight loss solution which will help you to learn about healthy eating, give you tips for your everyday life and support in what you are trying to achieve.
5. GET SUPPORT
Studies have actually shown that people who have support tend to lose more weight and adhere to diet regimes. Support which comes from your immediate family environment is always the best. However, if for any reason you can’t make that work support could come from friends, weight loss buddies, and even weight loss clubs and online weight loss services.
There are plenty of choices out there so you can find the one that works for you.
6. MOVE EVERYDAY
Physical activity and exercise is a bonus for your health and weight management. Make a pledge to move every day. You don’t have to necessarily pay big monthly subscriptions to a gym. Make a pledge to move a little bit every day.
Go for a walk, or run in the park, go shopping and walk around the shops, have a spring clean, play a game with the kids, have a swim and so on. All you need is commitment and imagination.
7. START LIVING
Once you set your life goals and resolutions all you have to do is start living. This is my new year’s mojo. Stop dieting and start living. I am sure I’m not the only one who says that but I am loving it.
The spicy, smoky sauce also goes great with 1 lb. of skinlless boneless chicken breasts or shrimp.
1 block of extra firm tofu
½ cup orange juice
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced (found in canned mexican food aisle)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup ketchup
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 avocado, chopped
1 can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ red onion, diced
1 Tbs. lime juice
¼ tsp. kosher salt
4 cups salad green
Fat-free cooking spray
Cut the tofu block across its width into 6 slices, then cut each slice diagonally to make 12 triangles. Blot with paper towels.
In a large bowl, make the sauce: mix the juice, chipotle, garlic, ketchup, and sugar. Add the tofu and coat each piece with the sauce. Coat a large non-stick skillet with fat-free cooking spray, simmer the tofu with sauce until the sauce thickens and becomes sticky, about 5 minutes. If using chicken, make sure chicken is cooked through (no longer pink).
In a medium bowl, combine the avocado, beans, onion, and lime juice and season with up to ¼ tsp. of salt. Serve over the salad greens with the tofu.
Serves 4.
PER SERVING (3 pieces of tofu or 4 ounces chicken/shrimp with ½ cup salsa & 1 cup salad greens)
The holidays are a time to indulge in delicious food, but too much snacking and calorie-filled beverages can lead to major weight gain come January. There is a way , however, you can enjoy your favorites without all that fat. iMag went to registered dietitian Sari Greaves, who has tricks to keeping trim throughout the holiday season.
Tip # 1: Practice Damage Control
This is not the time of year to go on a strict diet; it's a time to try to maintain your weight.
Tip # 2: Bring a healthy dish to the holiday party
Here are some easy potluck contributions:
- Hummus platter with vegetable crudite
- Mixed green salad topped with any type of beans and balsamic vinaigrette
- Shrimp cocktail
- Quinoa with vegetables
Tip # 3: Jazz up your grains
It's easy to give your grain dishes more of a nutritional boost. Quinoa, which is an easy pot luck idea mentioned above, is a whole grain that is high in protein (which will help you feel full on fewer calories). By stretching this dish over vegetables you slash half the calories and add nutrients.
Tip # 4: Never go to a party hungry!
You never want to eat something too small or too large before the holiday party. Go for a dish that contains a little bit or protein and carbs and is under 200 calories. Try a small apple with a scoop of peanut butter or Greek yogurt with a sprinkle of nuts.
Tip # 5: Beware of your beverage intake
Limit yourself to 1 - 2 party drinks. One standard drink is a 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or an ounce-and-a-half of 80 proof liquor.
Sari Greaves works as a registered dietitian at Step Ahead Weight Loss Center in Central New Jersey where she provides nutrition counseling to a wide variety of patients seeking weight loss and healthy lifestyle modification. As a national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, she appears regularly on television and has done interviews on ABC News, New York 1, MY9 News, NBC News, Fox News, CW11 News and Bloomberg News. She has been quoted in a variety of print and Internet publications including the Wall Street Journal, Daily News, New York Post, Newsday, Food & Fitness Advisor, Self Magazine, Shape Magazine, MSN News, Men's Health Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, Prevention Magazine, Consumer Reports on Health, Fitness Magazine, Health Magazine among many others. You can email her at sari@stepaheadnj.com.