Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

exercises

Recipe of the Week: BUFFALO CHICKEN CHILI

Yield: 4 SERVINGS

Prep Time: 10 MINS    Cook Time: 20 MINS          Total Time: 30 MINS

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup buffalo wing sauce
  • 2 15-ounce cans cannellini bean, drained and rinsed

Optional toppings

  • Sliced jalapenos
  • Sliced avocados
  • Diced red onion
  • Tortilla chips
  • Shredded Mexican or Blue Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS 

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, chili powder, and ground cumin. Sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
  2. Add the ground chicken and sauté, stirring constantly and breaking the large chunks of the meat, for 5 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink.
  3. Put the fire-roasted tomatoes, chicken stock, buffalo wing sauce, and cannellini beans into the pot and stir. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered, for 15-17 minutes.
  4. When ready to serve, ladle the chili into bowls and add your favorite toppings.

1 serving = ¼ of the recipe

Calories: 207kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 10g

Original recipe from The Endless Meal can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Immune Boosting Lemon Ginger Chicken Soup

Give your immune system the support it needs with this delicious, warming soup! This recipe is packed with ingredients that are good for you, too.

Yields: 16 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, diced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 medium lemon (zest and juice)
  • 1 fist full of fresh ginger (washed, with skin on)
  • 2 quarts of chicken broth
  • 1 can of organic coconut milk (optional)

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown.
  2. Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper to pan and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
  3. Add 2 quarts chicken broth and ginger with skin on and bring to a boil. Note: the longer you boil the ginger, the stronger the flavor will be.
  4. Reduce heat, simmer 35-45 minutes
  5. Remove ginger and discard
  6. Remove the chicken, shred and set aside
  7. Add lemon zest and squeeze lemon to taste. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes then add shredded chicken
  8. Option to add 1 can organic coconut milk (it makes the broth creamier!)

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 130
Total Fat: 8.5 g
Saturated Fat: 5.2 g
Carbohydrates: 4.5 g
Protein: 9.2 g

 

Thank you to Korr.com for sharing this recipe! You can find the original recipe here!

Recipe of the Week: Jackfruit Tacos

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 8 tacos

This jackfruit turns into a plant-based version of “pulled pork” carnitas.

INGREDIENTS

For the jackfruit

  • 2 15-ounce cans green jackfruit in water or brine
  • 1/2 cup minced yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup water

For the tacos

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • Chopped romaine
  • Fresh cilantro
  • fresh salsa
  • Black beans, to serve on the side*

*To keep the meal filling enough (since jackfruit doesn’t have much protein), try to serve with black beans on the side!

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Rinse and drain the jackfruit in a colander, pressing down to extract as much water as possible. Run your hands through the pieces, pulling and separating them into shreds with your fingers.
  2. Mince the onion. Mince the garlic.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until tender and fragrant, but before the garlic browns. Add the jackfruit and remaining ingredients (add 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce for a mild recipe, up to 1 1/2 or 2 tablespoons for a spicier recipe). Cook for about 5 minutes on medium low heat until saucy.
  4. If desired, char the tortillas by placing them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm.
  5. To serve, place the jackfruit, romaine, salsa fresca, and torn cilantro leaves in a warmed tortilla. Serve immediately with refried beans.

 

NUTRITION

Serving Size: 1 Taco

Calories Per Serving: 145

Total Fat 5.4g, Total Carbohydrate 24.5g, Sugars 8.8g, Protein 2.8g

 

Original recipe can be found here!!

Recipe of the Week: Honey Garlic Salmon and Veggies

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
  • 2 lb salmon fillet
  • 2 medium zucchinis sliced
  • 12 cocktail tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lemon cut into slices, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the honey, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and half the salt and pepper. Pour over the salmon and spread on both sides. Place the salmon in the middle of the baking sheet. Place some lemon slices over the salmon, if preferred.
  3. Season the zucchini and tomatoes with the remaining salt and pepper, then drizzle the olive oil over them and place in the sheet pan around the salmon.
  4. Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the broiler on and broil for another 3 to 5 minutes or just until the top browns a bit. Make sure you watch it often as it could burn quickly.
  5. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Use any type of vegetables that you like. For example, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, etc.

NUTRITION

Calories: 427kcal

Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 47g, Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 125mg, Sodium: 407mg, Fiber: 2g Sugar: 13g

 

Original recipe can be found here!

How Much Physical Activity is Enough Physical Activity?

Time and time again, the benefits of Physical Activity (PA) have been shown to have many positive effects on our health including: improved balance, improved cardiovascular health, muscular strength, and improved overall quality of life (learn even more here!). Much research has been done into the benefits of PA, but not much can be proven in the way of recovering from bouts of exercise, and here’s why…

The recommended exercise prescription for adults is 150-300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week and at least two resistance training sessions per week. These are set to have the most positive effect on human health based on recent research (Ostojic, 2016). The way that a person recovers from these types of activities varies and is all subjective. Factors such as current fitness level, age, rest levels, diet, and hydration all play a role into how someone recovers from exercise. If a trained person lifts weights three times a week regularly, they will need less time to recover than someone who does not exercise routinely and then starts a similar program.

We can scale recovery the same way we scale exercise, by using the F.I.T.T. principle:

F: Frequency– Bouts of exercise that happen more often (i.e. 1 day/ week v. 3 days/ week) will require more scheduled rest in between

I: Intensity– More Intense bouts of exercise (i.e. higher perceived exertion, greater percentage of maximal heart rate) require larger rest periods than less intense bouts of exercise

T: Time– A longer session of exercise (long runs, big lifting sessions) need longer time before the next bout of exercise to ensure a full recovery

T: Type– The type of recovery you do and type of exercise you do can greatly vary recovery times. Someone who balances nutrition and rest will recover faster. If someone has not rode a bike in a year, they may feel more sore afterwards than someone who cycles regularly.

The key takeaway is that recovery is subjective; two people of the same fitness levels doing the same workout may experience different levels of soreness and fatigue during the post-exercise recovery period. The most important thing that someone can do is listen to their body and scale their workouts and recoveries accordingly.

 

By Matthew Rhodes, MS

 

Sources

Bishop, P.A, Jones E., & Woods A.K. (2008). Recovery from training: a brief review.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research., 22(3):1015-1024.

Ostojic SM. Editorial: post-exercise recovery: fundamental and interventional physiology. Front Physiol. 2016;7:3.

Why the Crunch is Going Out of Style

Low back pain affects up to 80% of adults at some point during their life. Exercise can be used to help alleviate and cure the pain by making improving our core strength, however, not all core exercises were created equal. The crunch is often a common solution people arrive at to gain strength through their midsection. Unfortunately the crunch can be ineffective or even exacerbate your problem.

The core was meant to resist motion, not produce it. That also means the core was meant to be trained resisting motion! This brings us to neutral spine exercises. Flexing and extending the spine under load puts a lot of pressure against your discs and can produce shear forces that compromise your spine’s integrity. These exercises don’t put your back into the difficult ranges of motion that can cause aggravation . If you’ve been feeling back pain or want to prevent it from occurring, try throwing these moves into your core workouts.

Pallof Press

The Pallof Press exercise involves pressing a cable or resistance band away from you while keeping the handle at the center of your chest. The goal of the exercise is to keep your arms in line with the center of your body and resist turning in towards the direction of the weight. This makes the Pallof Press an anti-rotation exercise. As you move the weight further from the mid-line of your body, the exercise becomes increasingly difficult. Holding the exercise when the arms are at full extension will force you to brace your core! Be sure to switch sides to get the same effect on both sides of your core.

The Plank & Plank Variations

The plank is an exercise that works through the front of your core to resist extension. Keeping your body in line is the key to ensuring your back stays in a neutral position while you work to hold yourself up against gravity. There are many variations of this move as well to target different muscles! If you’re working on your plank already, try mixing up your routine with side planks and BOSU planks!
The Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carry is performed simply by holding a kettle bell (or any weight) in one arm while you keep your torso upright. This exercise works each side of your core by having you resist flexing to the side of the weight. This exercise is the ultimate trunk stability workout. As you walk with the weight your midsection is simultaneously bracing and coordinating to stay stabilized. Find an appropriate weight that challenges your posture and get walking!

 

By Dave Albaranes