Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

Sports

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!!

Avoiding Overtraining with Athletes

Exercise is an important part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Creating the habit of a regular exercise routine provides numerous health benefits including an increase fat free mass, lower blood pressure, and help stimulate cognitive function. It’s important to note that developing a safe and effective exercise regimen is key at any age from younger athletes to senior citizens. Poor exercise selection can result in injury, over reaching and over training. So how can you select the right program to avoid over training?

First, let’s define overtraining. Overtraining is the excessive frequency, volume or intensity of training that results in extreme fatigue, illness or injury (which is often due to lack of sufficient rest, recovery, and perhaps nutrient intake). There are two types of overtraining, aerobic and resistance. Aerobic endurance overtraining results predominantly from an excessive volume overload, this relates to cardiorespiratory training (i.e. running, cycling). Training within the appropriate heart rate zone is important for avoiding overreaching or overtraining. Equipment such as a heart rate monitors are great for those exercising at high intensity workloads to assess target heart rate zones and track progress over time.

The second type of overtraining is resistance overtraining. Resistance overtraining primarily results from excessive high-intensity overload; more specifically too many repetitions using heavy weights or too rapid a rate of progression. For prevention of overtraining, an important component would be a properly planned periodization program developed by an exercise physiologist. This type of programming allows the body to adapt to the stress (exercise) that it is being placed under at a safe rate of progression and volume of the workload.

Different types of overtraining (aerobic, resistance) have been reported to have different signs and symptoms, although performance decrements are commonly a key aspect of both. Signs and symptoms of over training are under or impaired performance, fatigue or exhaustion, mood disturbances, apathy, disturbed sleep, loss of appetite and irritability. There is a high degree of variability between individuals with regard to developing overtraining. Training practices that cause some individuals to thrive may lead to overtraining in others. It is critical to have sufficient rest between training days to facilitate the recovery process. The amount of rest, however, depends on the duration and intensity of the training program and should be individualized for each person. Periods of high-volume or high-intensity training (especially in high level athletes) require sufficient recovery.

 

Brandon Ayala, CSCS

What is that Soreness After a Workout?

When you exercise, you are challenging your muscles to perform work by lifting weights or moving your own body weight. By overcoming new exercises or workloads, you create microscopic tears in the muscles. The body’s healing process repairs those tiny muscle tears and rebuilds them stronger so that the next time you perform the same strenuous activities, you are more capable and likely will not experience the same soreness.

That sore muscle feeling that comes after a workout is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and occurs during the time the body is healing itself. DOMS often sets in about 24-48 hours after performing strenuous activity. DOMS is completely normal to experience after workout; it may be more noticeable when first starting an exercise routine, not working out for a long time, or when varying or incorporating exercises into a regimen. DOMS directly affects the muscles used during the workout period (i.e. after performing squats or lunges, the leg muscles may be sore after).

DOMS is how the body adapts to change, and while it cannot be avoided DOMS, there are things that can be done to help recovery. Although there is no scientific evidence to support speeding up the recovery of DOMS, there are basic things that muscles need to repair:

  • Hydration
  • Protein
  • Carbohydrates

As a general rule of thumb, on a daily basis hydrating with half your body weight in ounces. Then when exercising, increasing that consumption by a glass of water or two. Depending on the intensity of your workout, this may help the recovery time. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs you should drink about 75oz of water per day (which is about 9-10 glasses). Having a 200 calorie snack after your workout that is a mixture of protein and carbs is also ideal for recovery from DOMS. There is no escaping DOMS, so embrace the sore feeling and think of it as a marker that you have put in the work to see changes in yourself.

 

– Corynne Duprey, MS, CSCS

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!

Recipe of the Week: one skillet, greek sun-dried tomato chicken and farro

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 366 kcal

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or small thighs
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked farro or quinoa
  • 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the chicken, balsamic vinegar, dill, oregano, paprika, garlic, and a large pinch of both salt and pepper. Toss well to evenly coat the chicken.
  3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, set over medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
  4. To the same skillet, add the farro. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir. Slide in the chicken and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the farro becomes soft.
  5. Serve the chicken topped with feta, dill, and pine nuts.

 

Original recipe from Half Baked Harvest can be found here!

Recipe of the Week: Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 3-inch piece of ginger, grated (about 2 tbsp)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups sliced)
  • 2 large sprigs of thyme
  • 1 bay leaf (optional)
  • 1 qt vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 eggs (1 whole egg + 1 yolk)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 cups tightly packed chopped kale

Instructions:

  1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, ginger and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the wild rice, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf, if using. Stir to mix everything together.
  3. Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 30-45 minutes, or until the wild rice has burst open but is still slightly chewy. Remove from heat and stir in the kale.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together one whole egg, one egg yolk and lemon juice until smooth. Remove one cup of the broth from the soup and slowly pour and whisk it into the egg mixture. Gently stir the mixture back into the soup and watch it thicken and become creamier. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Serve warm garnished with olive oil, flaky sea salt and black pepper.

 

Original recipe from Run Fast, Eat Slow can be found here!

 

Recipe of the Week: Quinoa Peanut Brittle

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 12
Calories: 123 kcal

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
  • 3/4 cup raw peanuts, chopped
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. sea salt
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
  • 2/3 cup pure maple syrup

 Instructions:

  1. Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees F and lining a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine the uncooked quinoa, chopped raw peanuts, rolled oats, coconut sugar, chia seeds, and sea salt and then stir to combine.
  3. Add melted coconut oil, pure vanilla extract, and pure maple syrup, and then stir again until everything is fully mixed.
  4. Transfer the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
  5. Place in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, watching it carefully near the end to avoid burning.
  6. You’ll know the brittle is ready when the color becomes evenly golden brown and the edges begin to darken, get bubbly, and spread out across the pan.
  7. Let cool completely before breaking into bite-size pieces with your hands.

 

Original recipe from A Sweet Pea Chef can be found here!