Peak Performance Fitness

Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

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Recipe of the Week: Ultimate Fall Salad

Get creative with your ingredients, using seasonal fall produce to make a satisfying, healthy meal. Plan ahead and prep for lunch the next day.

Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 small butternut squash (optional buy pre-cubed)
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 bunch chopped kale (about 6 cups)
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked farro
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 2 cups chopped apples (about 2-3 apples)
  • 4 ounces shredded Pecorino-Romano cheese
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoon chopped shallot

Directions:

  1. Peel, scoop out seeds, and cube butternut squash. Toss in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp ground pepper. Spread on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes at 400°F, or until squash is tender and golden brown.
  2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, toast walnuts until golden brown and fragrant.
  3. Combine kale, farro, apples, squash, walnuts, cheese, and cranberries in a bowl.
  4. For the dressing, whisk 1 tbsp olive oil, orange juice, mustard, shallot, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a bowl until fully combined.
  5. Dress salad immediately, or keep dressing on the side and dress your salad as you go.

 

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 394
Fat: 24g
Protein: 11g
Carbohydrates: 44g

 

Original recipe from Cooking Light can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

A healthy twist on a classic lunch recipe- serve it on toast, over a salad, in a wrap or in a lettuce wrap!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb. cooked, shredded chicken breast
  • 1 large green apple, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 2 large celery stalks, finely diced
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place shredded chicken, green apple, red onion, celery, and dried cranberries into a large bowl. Mix and set aside.
  2. Create the sauce by mixing together Greek yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  3. Add sauce to the shredded chicken mixture and mix until combined.

Nutrition:

Serves: 4

Calories per Serving: 194

Fat: 2g Carbs: 16g Protein: 28g

Original recipe from Fit Foodie Finds can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Pecan Apple Chickpea Salad

INGREDIENTS

For the salad:

  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup small diced organic honey crisp apples
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped raw or toasted pecans*
  • 1/3 cup dried tart cherries
  • 1 stalk of celery, diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (or sub cilantro)
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

For the dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Lots of freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons warm water, to thin dressing

For the wraps:

  • 3 large spinach tortillas*
  • 3-4 cups organic spinach
  • ¾ cup shredded carrots

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Add rinsed and drained chickpeas to a large bowl and use a masher or fork to mash most of the chickpeas. Add in diced apples, chopped pecans, tart cherries, celery, parsley and green onions.
  2. In a separate bowl, make the dressing: Add tahini, honey, dijon, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper and warm water. Mix to combine until a creamy dressing forms. Add more water if necessary. I found that somewhere between 2-3 tablespoons was perfect.
  3. Add dressing to the chickpea salad. Stir to combine and coat all the ingredients with dressing. Taste and adjust as necessary. You may want to add more salt and/or pepper.
  4. Lay out spinach wraps and add about 1 cup of spinach, top with ¼ cup shredded carrots. Top with ? of the chickpea salad mixture. Tightly roll up the wrap, tucking in the ends as you go. Secure tightly with a toothpick if necessary. Makes 3 large wraps! You can also eat the salad as is or put in lettuce wraps or Swiss chard. Salad will stay good for 5 days in the fridge.

*If you use smaller 8-inch tortillas, you’ll likely get 4 servings out of this recipe.

NUTRITION (for 1/3 of recipe without the spinach wrap)
Makes: 3
Serving Size: 1
418 Calories, 20.0g Fat, 52.3g Carb, 17.2g Sugar, 12.2g Protein

 

Original recipe from Ambitious Kitchen can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Confetti Kale Slaw

From the Natural Gourmet Institute

Yields: 8 cups
Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 large firm apple, shredded (1 to 2 cups)
  • 1 cup green or red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • ¼ cup scallions, minced
  • 3 cups lacinato kale, chiffonade (I used regular curly kale but it does change texture)

For the dressing:

  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. To make the dressing: whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
  2. Prepare the apple (peeled or no peel) and vegetables and place them in a bowl as you go. Shred the apple on the large hole side of the grater and toss well with the dressing Thinly slice the cabbage and then cut across the slices about every inch. Peel the carrots and shred on the large holed side of a hand grater. Mince the scallions.
  3. To shred kale: rinse the kale and shake off excess water. Strip leaves from large stems and pile on a chopping board. Gather the kale into a compact mass and thinly slice. Then cut down across the slices, chopping the kale into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Add kale to bowl and toss well.
  4. Delicious served right away, but the sweetness intensifies as it sits. Keeps for 2-3 days.

Recipe of the Week: Apple Pie Oat Muffins

Serves: 12 muffins
Serving Size: 1 muffin

Ingredients

  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 medium apple, grated (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Optional Additions:

  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, seasonings and salt.
  2. Add applesauce, grated apple, egg white, maple syrup, vanilla extract, milk and cranberries, plus any optional additions. Stir well to incorporate.
  3. Allow the mixture to set and thicken for about 3-5 minutes before spooning into your muffin pan.
  4. Fill muffin cups almost completely full with batter. The muffins will not rise.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes and until the center of each oatmeal muffin is set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. If you don’t allow these to cool before taking them out of the muffin pan, they will fall apart. I used a knife around the sides to make removal easier. After cooling, they will set well. Store in a covered container in the fridge for about a week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Per serving: Calories: 100

Total Fat: 1g; Sodium: 287mg; Carbohydrate: 20g; Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 9g; Protein: 3g

 

Special shout out to Peak Fitness member, Regina, who shared this recipe and made a batch for the Exercise Physiologists! You can find the original recipe from My Fitness Pal here.