Peak Performance Fitness

Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

running

Recipe of the Week: Broccoli Pasta Salad

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups small broccoli florets
  • 1 cup cut green beans
  • 2 cups uncooked fusilli pasta (try whole wheat or gluten free!)
  • 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced and cut into half moons (or spiralized)
  • 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  • 4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon Tahini dressing: (can be made ahead)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more for squeezing at the end
  • 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons water

 

Instructions:
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, mustard, maple syrup, salt and water. Set aside.
  2. Prepare a large pot of salted boiling water and a large bowl of ice water. Drop the broccoli and green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 1-2 minutes, until tender but still bright green. Remove and immediately immerse in the ice water to stop the cooking processing. Keep in the ice water long enough to cool completely, about 15 seconds. Then, drain and and place on a kitchen towel to dry.
  3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, basil and the pasta. Drizzle with the dressing and toss. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and squeezes of lemon, if desired. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and chill for 15 minutes. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

 

Original recipe from Love & Lemons can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Easy weeknight dinner on the table in less than an hour? Sign me up! This classic recipe for stuffed peppers uses lean turkey and whole grains to create a healthy meal that will feed the family.

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
  • 1 garlic (minced)
  • 1/4 onion (minced)
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 large sweet red bell peppers
  • 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth (divided)
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
  • Olive oil spray
  • 6 tbsp  part skim shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Lightly spray olive oil spray in a medium nonstick skillet and heat on a medium heat.
  3. Add onion, garlic and cilantro and saute about 2 minutes, add ground turkey, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cook meat until it is completely cooked through.
  4. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
  5. Combine cooked rice and meat together.
  6. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Spoon 2/3 cup meat mixture into each pepper half and place in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top each with 1 tbsp cheese.
  7. Pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
  8. Carefully remove the foil and serve right away.

Nutrition:

Serving: 1/2 pepper, Calories: 221 calories
Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 3g
Original recipe from Skinny Taste can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Vegetarian Lasagna

This vegetarian lasagna is loaded with fresh vegetables and each serving is about 200 calories. Perfect to feed the whole family for dinner!

INGREDIENTS:

 

  • 3 cups chopped veggies of your choice (try a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and red peppers)
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 12 uncooked oven-ready whole grain lasagna noodles
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Chop the veggies. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium high heat. Add veggies and saute until tender. Set aside.
  2. Whisk egg into ricotta cheese and stir in fresh spinach.
  3. Pour a little sauce in the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. Top with 4 lasagna noodles,1/2 cup ricotta mixture, 1/2 of the veggies, and 3/4 cup sauce. Repeat; top entire pan with noodles, remaining sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
  4. Cover and bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly.

NOTES: Check the lasagna at 30 minutes and add 1/4 cup vegetable stock if the lasagna looks too dry.

 

NUTRITION:
Serves: 9
Calories Per Serving: 202
Fat 7.2g, Carbohydrate 25.5g, Protein 11.2g
Original recipe from Pinch of Yum 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.

Recipe of the Week: Paleo Slow Cooker Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 minutes                 Cook Time: 4 hours                      Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

  • 1 3/4 lb ground beef 85% lean
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
  • 3/4 tsp fine grain sea salt divided
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
  • generous pinch crushed red pepper adjust for spice preference
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley – optional

For the sauce:

  • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil***
  • 14 oz can diced tomatoes with basil and garlic***
  • 1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • sea salt to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, 1/2 tsp of the sea salt, onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper.
  2. In a large bowl, add the ground beef and sprinkle evenly with the remaining sea salt. Add the egg and almond flour mix (and optional parsley) and gently mix with your hands until the mixture binds and is evenly distributed. It’s important not to work the meat too much or it becomes tough.
  3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your broiler. Form the meat mixture into 20 meatballs and arrange on the baking sheet.
  4. Broil 2-4 minutes just to lightly brown and release a small amount of fat (this avoids an overly greasy sauce) and remove promptly.
  5. Add the meatballs to the slow cooker, leaving behind any rendered fat. Top the meatballs with all sauce ingredients and give a gentle stir (careful not to break the meatballs!)
  6. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until meatballs are cooked through****
  7. Serve when ready to eat with anything you want and garnish with your favorite fresh herbs. Sweet potato noodles, zucchini noodles, or simply your favorite roasted veggies, potatoes, or even eggs. Use the leftovers and sauce for variety in breakfast and lunch the next day!

Notes

***Add extra basil and garlic if you use plain tomatoes.
****Each slow cooker is a bit different. Check at 3.5 hours if you can and adjust cook time from there, if necessary. Cook time should not be longer than 4.5/5 hours or meatballs will be overcooked and dry.

Nutrition:

Calories: 327kcal, Fat: 22g, Carbohydrates: 11g, Sugar: 6g, Protein: 20g

 

Original recipe from Paleo Running Mama can be found here!