Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

Nutrition

3 Tips for Keeping Your Nutrition on Track

While making resolutions can be super easy, it’s keeping them that can get a little bit tricky. Resolving to lose weight is #1 on many people’s list of goals this year; however, by February it can be challenging to keep up with those resolutions if you’re not giving yourself that same initial push. Maybe your exercise routine is still working strong, but nutritional changes have fallen off the wagon again. Here are a few ideas to keep your nutritional habits heading in a positive direction!

1. Education
Googling the newest diet plans may not spark the motivation you are looking for. Do a little research about healthy eating and compare that with your current nutrition. Ideally you want to be making healthy lifestyle changes and it’s important that they are realistic. Here are some questions you may want to start with: What are sources of lean protein? How can I get protein without eating meat? What is a complex carbohydrate v. a simple carbohydrate? How many grams of sugar should I have in a day?

2. Journal Writing

Journaling both your exercise and nutrition is an important part of holding yourself accountable. Writing throughout the day will help you stay on track rather than trying to jot everything from three days ago down in a notebook. If you write as you go along, you may find inspiration from your healthy breakfast to keep that trend going. Knowing that you have to record what you ate may make you think twice about your dessert choices. This method has proven to be successful when trying to lose weight- that’s why the members of our Weight Loss Program keep journals!

3. Check-In With Your Goals

Setting long-term goals is very important, but be sure to have smaller markers along the way. This way you can reassess your progress throughout your journey if needed. Make sure you utilize your nutrition journal and time with your Exercise Physiologist. Write down any questions you have because they are your #1 resource! Talk with friends or family who have set similar resolutions for themselves and help each other our- you’re all in this together. Not only will you hold yourself accountable, but you can help each other along the way!

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser

Recipe of the Week: Three Bean Barley Soup

Prep Time: 30 m
Cook Time: 2 h 15 m

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 large stalk celery, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 9 cups water
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • ½ cup pearl barley
  • ? cup dried black beans
  • ? cup dried great northern beans
  • ? cup dried kidney beans
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

  1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, barley, black beans, great northern beans, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, 1¾ to 2½ hours (adding more water, ½ cup at a time, if necessary or desired).
  1. Slow-Cooker Variation: Use 2 cups water (instead of 9 cups) and combine all ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, about 4 hours on High or 7 to 8 hours on Low.

 

Original recipe can be found here!

 

Recipe of the Week: Zucchini Frittata

Makes: 2 servings
Prep: 35 mins
Start to Finish: 35 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup diced zucchini, (1 small)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup slivered fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese, (2 ounces

Directions

  1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and onion; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, mint, basil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a grinding of pepper; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the moisture has evaporated, 30 to 60 seconds.
  2. Whisk eggs, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and a grinding of pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add the zucchini mixture and cheese; stir to combine.
  3. Preheat the broiler.
  4. Wipe out the pan and brush it with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil; place over medium-low heat. Add the frittata mixture and cook, without stirring, until the bottom is light golden, 2 to 4 minutes. As it cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan so uncooked egg will flow to the edges.
  5. Place the pan under the broiler and broil until the frittata is set and the top is golden, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Loosen the edges and slide onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Nutrition Information

Per Serving: 376 calories, 28g fat, 10g carbohydrates,  21g protein

 

Original recipe can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Egg Muffin Cups

Servings: 12
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup red pepper measured after chopping
  • 1 cup green pepper measured after chopping
  • 1 cup yellow onion measured after chopping
  • 2 cups baby spinach – roughly chopped measured/packed before chopping
  • 1 cup mushrooms measured before chopping
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 4 egg whites
  • Hot sauce (optional for drizzling on top)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard 12-slot muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in oil, red pepper, green pepper, and onion.
  3. Saute 5-7 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Add in spinach and mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes. In the last 30 seconds, add in minced garlic. Season with salt and remove from heat.
  4. Crack eggs/egg whites into a large 4 cup measuring cup and whisk together. Stir in cooked veggies.
  5. Pour the egg/veggie mixture evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch and eggs are cooked. Cool slightly and serve immediately!
  7. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. These may also be frozen. To reheat, pop them in the microwave until warm.

Recipe of the Week: Blueberry Almond Overnight Oats

Total Time: 5 minutes (then let it sit overnight)
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
1/3 cup oats (gluten free or regular)
½ cup almond milk
1 teaspoon chia seeds
½ tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
½ medium banana, sliced
1/3 cup blueberries

Directions:

  1. In an airtight container, mix oats, almond milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  2. Seal the container and place in the fridge overnight.
  3. In the morning, stir oats and top with slivered almonds, sliced banana, and blueberries. Enjoy!

 

Find the original recipe here!

3 Weightlifting Myths: Busted!

Are you getting started on building your new body for the New Year, but hesitant to add in a proper strength training routine? Here are three strength training myths that may ease your mind about picking up some “heavy” weights this winter:

  • Lifting heavy weights will make me bulky: Wrong! Lifting heavy weight won’t make you bulky, eating a lot of calories will though. Heavy is a relative term and depends on the individual; a proper strength training routine will help you develop lean muscle and burn more calories while doing nothing. That’s right, nothing… the more lean muscle you have on your body the higher your metabolism will be. The only way to do this is to lift those weights you may have thought were too much for you.
  • “I don’t want to get too big- just tone”: This is one of the most common things said when referring to strength training or weight lifting. “Tone” is a misused term and when talking about your muscles they can only do one of two things; get bigger or get smaller. When you are “toned” it just means that your muscle is more visible but other than that it is impossible to sculpt yourself any other way. So in actuality, your muscles got bigger and you appear more “toned” because they are more visible.
  • “Low weight, High reps!”: A commonly misused phrase, this gives people a misconception of what they need to be doing and may not be appropriate for everyone. Often this will lead to a very light weight being used in hopes that you can do 30 of them and it will be sufficient. For example, when doing a set of 15 repetitions, you want to choose a weight that is challenging from the start and is quite hard towards rep number 14 & 15. If you can easily get to 15 reps with your weight it may be too light- the last four to five reps should be challenging, yet do-able!

 

By Tyler Palmquist

Getting Passed the “Weight Loss Plateau”

The process of healthy weight loss takes a combination of changing your diet (calories in) and increasing exercise (calories burned). It’s common to see a rapid loss of weight in the early stages of the weight loss process due to diet restrictions, increases in exercise, and losses in water weight. However, after this initial weight loss people tend to hit a wall and the rate of weight lost slows down or stops completely. This “weight loss plateau” effect is caused by the body’s ability to adjust to the changes in diet and exercise intensity. Therefore, the same effort it took to lose the weight initially will not continue to have the same effect going forward.

In order continue the process you must continually alter the factors that contribute to weight loss; i.e. diet and exercise. Here are a few tips to help break through the weight loss plateau.

  • Diet – after the initial stages of weight loss, you may have to further decrease your caloric intake OR maintain caloric intake but modify the ratio of carbohydrates and proteins.
    • Increasing protein intake will aid in the growth of muscle tissue which is responsible for maintaining our metabolism
  • Exercise – an increase in exercise frequency (number of workouts per week) or exercise intensity will be necessary to break the plateau. As our bodies get stronger and more fit we need to continue to challenge ourselves in order to progress.
  • Fluid intake – make sure that enough water is being consumed throughout the day. Dehydration can cause cravings for food and sugary drinks.
  • Sleep and rest – recovery time is pivotal for regulating our hormone activity and keeping our bodies healthy during the weight loss process.

 

By David McCalla

Recipe of the Week: Healthier Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
  • Cooking spray

For Creamy Sauce:

  • 10 small white mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not packed)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For Parmesan Topping:

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 small onions, thinly sliced into circles
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat or Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (not packed)
  • 3 tbsp water

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray large baking dish (approximately 8 x 11) with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add beans along with pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes or until al dente. Green beans should be firm and not too soft. Drain and add a few cups of ice to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
  3. Preheat large skillet on medium high and add olive oil. Add onions and cook until golden brown/almost charred, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium bowl. Set aside.
  4. Return skillet to heat, spray with cooking spray and add mushrooms. Cook until golden brown.
  5. Reduce heat to low and add flour. Stir enough to coat the mushrooms. Slowly pour almond milk and whisk while you’re pouring, until no lumps are left. Add water, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and whisk again. Bring to a boil and let simmer to thicken, for about 3-4 minutes.
  6. In the meanwhile, add breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and water to a bowl with onions and mix with your hands until crumbs appear.
  7. Drain green beans, add the sauce and stir to combine.
  8. Transfer green beans to prepared baking dish and sprinkle with topping. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve warm. Casserole tastes best within first couple hours after it has been cooked.

Nutritional Info:
Number of Servings: 6, Serving size = 1 cup
Calories: 196, Total Fat: 7.6 g, Sodium: 458.5 mg, Total Carbs: 20.0 g, Protein: 9.3 g
 

Original recipe can be found here at ifoodreal.com!