Peak Performance Fitness

Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

Nutrition

Recipe of the Week: Cream of Turkey & Wild Rice Soup

4 servings
Cook Time: 35 min

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms, (about 4 ounces)
  • ¾ cup chopped celery
  • ¾ cup chopped carrots
  • ¼ cup chopped shallots
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup quick-cooking or instant wild rice, (see Ingredient Note)
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, or turkey (12 ounces)
  • ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots and shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.
  2. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in turkey (or chicken), sour cream and parsley and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.

 Ingredient note: Quick-cooking or instant wild rice has been parboiled to reduce the cooking time. Conventional wild rice takes 40 to 50 minutes to cook. Be sure to check the cooking directions when selecting your rice—some brands labeled “quick” take about 30 minutes to cook. If you can’t find the quick-cooking variety, just add cooked conventional wild rice along with the turkey at the end of Step 2.

Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1¾ cups
Per serving: 378 calories; 11 g fat, 29 g carbohydrates, 37 g protein

 

Original recipe can be found here!

 

Recipe of the Week: Creamy Chicken One-Pot Pasta

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cups sliced Brussels sprouts
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons Boursin cheese
  • 1¼ teaspoons dried thyme
  • ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Directions:
Prep: 35 m
Ready In: 40 m

  1. Combine pasta, chicken, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, onion, garlic, Boursin cheese, thyme, rosemary and salt in a large pot. Stir in water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Boil, stirring frequently, until the pasta is cooked and the water has almost evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and let stand, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with chives.

 

Nutrition:
Serving size: about 1½ cups each
Per serving: 353 calories; 10 g fat, 42 g carbohydrates, 27 g protein

 

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: AUTUMN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Total Time: 70 min

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, quartered
  • 1.5 pounds potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (try half sweet potatoes, half Yukon gold)
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cored and diced
  • 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage (or breakfast sausage)
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 handfuls roughly-chopped fresh kale, tough stems discarded
  • 15 eggs, whisked
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning, to taste

 INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.  Line a large baking sheet (or two medium baking sheets) with parchment paper; set aside.  Lightly mist a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. Drizzle evenly with the oil, and season with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper.  Toss the veggies until they are evenly coated with the oil and arranged in an even layer.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Remove baking sheet(s) from the oven, and carefully transfer the veggies into the prepared baking dish; set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, as the veggies are roasting, cook the sausage in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned.  Once the sausage is browned, add in the garlic and kale and sauté for an extra 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Remove pan from heat, and transfer the sausage into the prepared baking dish; set aside.
  4. In a separate large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, Old Bay seasoning, plus an extra 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
  5. Once the veggies and sausage have been cooked and added to the baking dish, use a spoon to give them a brief toss.  Then spread the mixture out in an even layer in the baking dish.  Carefully pour the whisked egg mixture evenly on top of the veggies and sausage.
  6. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out completely clean. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool for 10 minutes.
  7. Serve warm. Then slice, serve, and enjoy!  Or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

 

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Spice Superhero Muffins

“Superhero Muffins” are a staple from the cookbook Run Fast, Eat Slow written by elite runner, Shalane Flanagan, and chef & nutrition coach, Elyse Kopecky. This week, Shalane announced her retirement from professional running; so to celebrate her career, we are sharing this fall ready version of their famous muffins. (Learn more about Shalane here!)

Since it is Turkey Trot Training season here at Peak Performance, this week’s recipe is ready to fuel your body for a long training run on a Saturday morning (or Sunday if that’s your preference).

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup raisins, walnuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the almond meal, oats, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, butter, maple syrup and vanilla.
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until completely combined. If using raisins or chocolate chips, fold them in.
  5. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling them to the top.
  6. Bake for 32-35 minutes, until cooked through in the center and browned on top.

 

 

Recipe adapted from “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.” by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky.

Running & Walking Efficiency

Walking and running both seem simple enough- just put one foot in front of the other. However, in order to walk or run efficiently you must understand how to move your body. Use these simple tips to help you cross that finish line with ease!

Posture

How are you standing or sitting now as you read this? Think of a string running through your center to pull you straight up and maintain that tall posture. This way you are not leaning forward or backward. By paying specific attention to keeping your core tight, this will directly help your posture.

Stride Length

Maintain a short, quick stride when you are walking/running. When we plant our foot in front, the goal is to have the hips knee over the ankle. Rather than trying to reach forward with your foot, focusing on a faster turnover will help plant the foot properly. Not only is this more efficient movement, but it may help you prevent injury.

Stride Rate

This goes along with our stride length. A faster step will help you move more efficiently than trying to take longer steps. Specifically for running, an ideal stride rate is about 180 strides per minute (or 90 per foot). Slower stride rates may indicate more vertical movement, which is less efficient (wasting energy). If you listen to music, try a faster bpm and try to match the cadence – remember this will not change immediately and takes time to learn.

Arm Swing

When running, try keeping keep your elbows bent at about 90*. Your goal to avoid letting your arms creep up too high (think T-Rex arms) or shrugging the shoulders. As you’re moving, be sure to keep your arms at your sides and avoid letting them cross over in front. If you keep pumping those arms at your sides, your legs will follow!

Relax Your Shoulders & Hands

Take the tension out of your shoulders and hands. Relax your shoulders by keeping them down and away from your ears (think back to that long, tall posture). Avoid keeping a tight fist and open your hands to let them naturally swing at your sides.

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser, MS