Category: Healthy Meals

One grapefruit at a time

5/14/2015

The road to good health is paved one good choice, at a time. An easy -- and tasty -- choice that can have positive impact on your health is the decision to add grapefruit to your diet.

Recently grapefruit was listed by BodyBuilding.com as one of the 15 best foods for burning fat. Citing a study by the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, the website suggests that eating just one half of a grapefruit a day can lead to a loss of four pounds over three months, even when no other modifications to diet are made. If you prefer to drink your fruits, you can also drink three 8-ounce glasses of grapefruit juice daily for the same effect. The researchers believe that chemical in grapefruit, known as naringin, can reduce insulin levels and prevent fat storage.

Be careful, however, if you take certain medications. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can have negative and severe interactions with certain drugs including blood pressure and cholesterol medications, antihistamines, and psychiatric medications. If you routinely take medicine, check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding grapefruit or grapefruit juice to your daily diet.

Once you have the go-ahead, however, stock your fridge with grapefruit and enjoy the fat-burning boost, one grapefruit at a time!

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Real food, real quick

4/29/2015

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It's one of those days. You know the kind where you feel behind schedule from the get-go, even though you woke up 5 minutes before your alarm went off. Your schedule is booked back-to-back and eating is almost an after-thought...UNTIL...your stomach growls and you realize it's been hours since you've had anything to eat. Maybe you do what millions of American do -- hit the drive-thru.

The drive-thru is "fast food," right? Well, maybe not. In October 2014, a study showed that the average drive-thru wait time was 219.97 seconds. That's nearly 4 minutes and for what? High salt, high fat, low nutrition, processed food, warmed under a lamp until you shout your request for a #3 into the speaker.

What if I told you that in the same amount of time, or maybe just a little bit more, you could have a freshly made meal that not only tastes better than combo meal #3, but is better for you?

Greatist.com has a list of 52 healthy meals you can whip up in 12 minutes or less. Most of these meals require more assembly than actual cooking ability.

Here is a sample day's menu with the approximate time it would take you to make each meal. (Recipes shared from the Greatist.com link above.)

Breakfast - PB&H Waffle (2 minutes)
Toast 1 whole-grain waffle and smear with 1 tbsp. natural peanut butter. Drizzle with 1 tsp. honey and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sesame seeds.

Lunch - Taco Salad (6 minutes)
For the dressing, combine 2 tbsp. salsa, 1 tbsp. low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 tsp. olive oil, and 1 tsp. chili powder. Serve dressing over a salad with: 2 cups baby spinach, ½ thinly sliced celery stalk, 1 chopped scallion, 1 tbsp. chopped black olives, 2 tbsp. corn, and ¼ cup drained and rinsed black beans. Optional: Add ½ lightly toasted tortilla cut into strips to each salad.

Dinner - Couscous with Chicken Sausage Ragu (12 minutes)
Cook 1 serving couscous according to microwave instructions, about 7 to 10 minutes. While couscous is cooking, heat ½ tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Slice open 1 uncooked chicken sausage to remove the casing, and add meat to the pan. Add ¼ cup onion (chopped) and sauté, crumbling the meat with a wooden spoon. When the meat is no longer pink (about 4 to 5 minutes), add 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, 1 garlic clove (minced), 1/8 cup basil leaves (chopped), and salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 2 minutes to warm through and toss with couscous.

In 20 minutes, you can have three tasty, nutritious meals that require only basic cooking skills. That's what I call time well-spent.

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JULIE VORIS FITNESS

One grapefruit at a time

Real food, real quick

Julie Voris

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JULIE VORIS FITNESS

One grapefruit at a time

Real food, real quick﻿

Julie Voris

Categories

Archives

Real food, real quick