The Greatness of Grapefruit and Your Metabolism

Did you know that grapefruit has been proven to increase one’s metabolism? It’s true! Due to the enzymes found in grapefruits, eating grapefruit before a meal can actually help one to burn fat. Grapefruits are only 53 calories and very low on the glycemic index. Studies have shown that those who ate a grapefruit before each meal, or drank 100% grapefruit juice lost .3 more LBs than those who did not (according to medicalnewstoday.com). There has also been a proven link between grapefruits and insulin - a smaller insulin spike occurs creating less fat storage after a meal.  

And the best part? Here in the Midwest - one can get grapefruits for as little as $0.54/fruit even in the winter seasons! Seems a lot cheaper than some of those diet pills on the market, doesn’t it? 

Title Boxing - Another @$$ Kicker

It happened - I got my butt kicked AGAIN. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone through a workout and was staring at the clock, praying that it was almost over…until I went to my first class at Title Boxing in Buffalo Grove, IL. I’ve been looking for a fitness challenge, my newest fix - something that is going to throw me off this plateau that I’ve been on and get me back to “wedding weight” as I so affectionately like to call it. Lately, that “wedding weight” seems to be such an arbitrary number - everyone thinks I’m crazy - that I look just fine, that the number doesn’t matter, that I was too thin for my wedding due to stress. But none of that matters to me, what matters is that I’ve set a goal and I intend to hit it, no matter how long it takes (although I’m hoping sooner rather than later because man, this has been harder than being wedding weight before!). 

That being said, I’ve lost about 3 lbs since I started working with my trainer.  Ok, so three #s seems like nothing, but on a fairly small frame, with body fat in the “athlete” range and someone (despite the recipes you see) to eats relatively healthy, three #s is remarkable, but I need more. Enter Title Boxing. My husband and I have driven past and talked about joining a million times (ok, like twice, but who’s counting anyways?), this past Friday we finally took the plunge.  I’ll admit, I’ve done some intense workouts in my day. My cousin used to own a gym that followed Crossfit principles, I’ve done CrossFit, I’ve deadlifted more than my weight, thrown barbells over my head, run until I was in pain. I went into this place expecting a walk in the park…I wore my leggings instead of shorts, put on the t-shirt I had been wearing all day instead of an actual “gym” shirt - I was ready for a workout, not boot camp.  

I could not have been more wrong. Twenty minutes into the “warm up” Steve and I looked at one another with mere panic in our eyes. “Only 5 more minutes of the warm up guys, c’mon, you can do it, power through” shouted our trainer. FIVE MORE MINUTES? 

It was AWESOME. I dripped sweat the whole time, was so sore and tired I wanted to give up more than anything.  It was by far one of the best workouts I had had in a long time. So challenging, so different, so hard! Needless to say…we signed up for the next few months, and the next day we both could barely move.  Try it - if you can handle the workout, its totally worth it! 

Perogi Stuffed Shells with Sauteed Arugala

I was on Pinterest…of course when I stumbled upon a Mr. Food recipe for Perogi lasagna.  How delicious and how…carb full! I decided that I couldn’t wait to make and eat it - it had cheese and potatoes and pasta, have I caught your attention yet? I decided though, that I did NOT need a meal full of carbs - I still try and keep them to a limit so that had me thinking - why not make them as stuffed shells? 

It was perfect, I had the ingredients at home, I already had my protein picked out, and it would make the perfect side to our sauteed chicken and arugala. This recipe can make anywhere from a serving for two to a serving for a potluck of 15 people or more.  What’s great about it is once you have the ingredients and the taste buds, you can just play around with it as you please! I have included the recipe for a large group - it’s a little easier than measuring for two :).

PEROGI STUFFED SHELLS

1 LB Jumbo Stuffed Shells (cooked, drained and cooled)

1 box (17 servings) of instant mashed potatoes (you can also do homemade mashed potatoes, one small potato per person)

1 Medium onion

8oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1/4 C Sour Cream

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Parsley Flakes

2 tbsp Chives

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook pasta shells according to package, drain and set aside to cool. Prepare mashed potatoes according to package or use your own homemade mashed potatoes recipe. While potatoes are cooking, saute onions in butter until they are golden brown.  Once potatoes are done cooking, add in sour cream, parsley, garlic, chives, salt, pepper and onions with all drippings, combine thoroughly.  Add in 1 C shredded cheddar cheese, stir.  Warm potatoes until all ingredients are blended.  With rounded tablespoon fulls, fill each shell with the potato mixture. Once all shells are filled, melt butter in large fry pan.  Add shells, first noodle side down, then potato side down until browned (this step is just to brown the noodles and potatoes enough to warm, be careful not to overcook). Serve hot with sour cream. 

Basil Lime Chicken Pasta

I’m always looking for something new to make, especially with chicken. I LOVE chicken but sometimes, it feels like one falls in the monotony of the same ol’ same ol’. Fried chicken, lemon buttered chicken, marinated chicken, chicken teriyaki, chicken sandwiches, chicken meatballs, chicken with dumplings, sauteed chicken…do I sound like Bubba from Forest Gump yet? So I came across this recipe on Pinterest and like most recipes, I found myself drooling. My stomach was singing (not to be mistaken for growling) with the thought of such a fantastic taste combination. Basil - so refreshing, dijon - so bold, LIME - so sour! 

Since I’m a carb-lover (but mostly avoider) - tossing all this with pasta instantly caught my attention.  The olive oil and the chunks of basil all tossed with the crunch of grilled chicken in an el dente angel hair pasta…are you salivating yet? I made no changes to the recipe except I added a little more dijon, basil and lime - those three flavors together just make my tastebuds soar and I don’t think there is such thing as too much of it! I tossed with pasta and served with a little fresh parmesan on top - enjoy! 

Comfort Food - Tempura Battered Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

I like to eat healthy as often as I can, but some days comfort food just finds its way into my kitchen and I can't say no to it.  I could have gone all out - I wanted to go all out and make mac and cheese or potato pancakes with my chicken, but since Thursday's are my personal training days, I couldn't be COMPLETELY counterproductive by having a meal full of gluttony. 

I'm half Japanese so naturally, I love my Asian food.  When I go for Japanese food its always a struggle of whether I should get the tempura battered shrimp and veggies or go the sushi route. If I'm starving and need some substance, its tempura all the way. Last night, I was starving and needed substance, and what better way to get it than to batter up some tempura and chow down! 

The batter is perfect, exactly what one would be looking for to create a crisp, flaky breading. I served it with some sauteed spaghetti squash and battered up some carrots for the hubby (I was going to introduce him to artichokes which are a little scary for him and decided I needed a backup veggie).

Tempura Batter
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic
3 TBS White Vinegar
1 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 lb chicken breast tenders (thin sliced)

In a large bowl combine flour, salt and garlic. Add water and mix. In a separate bowl, combine vinegar and baking soda. This will cause a fizzing reaction, add to large bowl and mix thoroughly but be careful not to over mix or the batter will lose its fluffiness! In a deep fry pan or wok, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil until approximately 350 degrees. Dip the chicken in the batter and shake off excess.  Drop into oil and cook until browned on each side. Drain on paper towel and add a little salt to taste. 


Sauteed Spaghetti Squash
Roasted Spaghetti Squash, fork peeled
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Dried Minced Onion
1 1/2 teaspoon Garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese
1/2 lemon squeezed

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each end of the squash off and then split down the middle.  Drizzle olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place flesh down in a Pyrex dish and bake for 30-40 minutes.  Squash is ready when the skin is easily poked with a knife and the "noodles" shred out easily with a fork.  Once cooled, use fork to shred the flesh into "noodles". Heat olive oil in a saute pan, add squash, onions, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.  Saute until squash is "el dente". Add lemon and parmesan - saute several more minutes and serve. 

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps (AshSnack Wraps)

These are a new favorite in the Zuniga household. They're great for those days when you want a yummy meal but don't have a ton of time, those "easy" days (not like those really exist in the grand scheme of things). 

This recipe is adapted from: Semi Homemade Mom

I took this puppy for a spin - and of course, since I'm a savory, spicy kind of girl, added a few kicks and changes of my own. 

1 lb ground beef

2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon McCormick's GrillMates

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

pepper and salt to taste

5 LaTortilla Factory Low Carb Whole Wheat Tortilla Wraps

1/2 C + 5 TBS shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sliced dill Pickles

"Mac" Sauce (see recipe below)

yellow mustard

Brown and drain ground beef.  Add worchestershire sauce, garlic, grillmates seasoning, salt and pepper to taste and minced onion.  Simmer until all the seasonings soak in. Once warmed through, remove from heat and add 1/2 c of sharp shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly. Place three generous tablespoons of ground beef into tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese and add pickle slices.  Roll like a burrito. Grill on panini press or George Foreman grill until tortilla is browned and crisp. Remove from heat and add mustard and "mac" sauce to taste. 

Mac Sauce

1/4 C Hellman's Mayo

1/4 C Miracle Whip

1/2 C Ketchup

1 tsp Mustard

4 TBSP Sweet Relish

1/2 tsp Garlic Salt

Combine all ingredients. Sauce should be a salmon color and should have equal parts sweet relish to sauce.  

Border Grill at Home - Plantain Empanadas

Plantain Empanadas had our taste buds DANCING this weekend.  My hubby and I had had them for the first time in Vegas at a restaurant called Border Grill. It was one of those last minute, spur of the moment, impulse orders by me (of course). If I had let Steve see what I was ordering, due to the “unusual” nature of them, I know it would have been greeted with disdain - so I ordered them anyways.  They came out plated fancily (is that even a word?) with a cream and salsa drizzled on top - one bite and instant foodgasm. I haven’t had something so unique and delicious since we were at humuhumunukunukuapua’a in Hawaii. YUM. 

So cravings happen, right? I mean for me it’s daily. I was making Mexican food and with the thought of Mexican came the empanadas (even though I know those are more Spanish, so sue me) and with the thought of empanadas came my expert google search skills and BAM - I found a recipe that was adapted from Border Grill itself. Oh the glory! My excitement sang - I just upped my position as world’s best wife to #1 FOREVER with this recipe. 

The process was…long, to say the least. This is definitely not a, wake up at 7am, go to work and decide mid-day to make it, kind of recipe. This is a weekend saver, or a day off saver - or maybe breaking it down for two days. 

I made a few changes to the recipe based on what I remembered from the restaurant menu. I did cotija cheese instead of the anajo and I added a little sugar to my dough to increase the sweetness.  The dough would have probably been just as sweet had the plantains I selected been a little more ripe! 

Get the recipe HERE:

Enjoy!

Rosie - AKA "The Beast"

My goldendoodle, Rosie, after the esteemed Derrick Rose. She's a monster but she keeps me laughing! 

Just a Bite

I’ve never thought myself to be creative, not in the least bit. Funny, yes. I think I’m hilarious even if I am the only one laughing at my jokes or comments. Sometimes my creative juices hit me like a car fleeing a burglary - and this is one of those times.  I was in a sales meeting a few weeks back and our assignment was to come up with a creative role play to present our value propositions (sounds thrilling doesn’t it?). The ideas were coming at me like college kids at an open bar. “I’m envisioning an old school Batman episode, BOOM - this is why we’re better, BAM - you like me Mr. Manager, POW - buy our product…” my team all replied “Ash, when you’re young, you’re creative and you want to win, when you’re old like us, you just want to get by. Let’s just do a basic role play”. WHAT? My creative juices were SMASHED with a bat of an eye. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t a great idea. I can accept that. 

This got me thinking, I want to always have that "go get 'em" and "winning" attitude. How does one achieve that? I guess it's to do things that pull them from the depths of boredom, the mundane grind of every day office life.  I've always dreamed of being famous - maybe I'd be a top 40 singer (except that I can't hold a tune), or maybe I'd be an Oscar winning actress (except that I have a terrible short term memory and would never remember a script), or maybe I can score a spot on Emmy winning TV show "Glee" as Santana's younger sister- SNAP into reality I realized the only shot I have at being famous is for food.  I LOVE food. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Rachel Ray and I know that - but my passion for scrumptious meals will never sell me short.

So here I am, taking a shot at creativity once again. Just a Bite takes one through the musings of my life and my love for food and fitness.  ”I just want a bite” is something I find myself saying all the time, a snippit, a taste, a little bit - it drives almost every one around me nuts. My husband now knows better (it took  him almost five years to figure out) than to expect me to bring him something without a bite missing. I now have learned to try and hide the bite, just to mask my addiction.My boss now knows that if he brings in donuts, he should bring up knives too because I am that person who is taking out a quarter of the donut just to taste. I’m here to provide you with that, just a bite of things everyone can relate to and if not, food that yumaholics will all enjoy! 

Enjoy!