Cilantro Turkey Burgers

Growing up, I used to pick cilantro out of everything I ate; I could not stand the taste of it. Funny how times have changed. Now, I absolutely love the flavor of cilantro in everything. There's a distinct taste of cilantro that makes a dish more flavorful. Not many people know, but cilantro is good for lowering blood sugar, lowering bad cholesterol (LDL), anti-inflammatory, source of iron, magnesium, and fiber. Cilantro is also a great blood detoxifier, who ever knew?

Cilantro also has a mild peppery taste; maybe that's why I enjoy the flavor so much! In this recipe, I used cilantro combined with jalapeños to create a nice mild spicy turkey burger. I recommend using 93/7 lean ground over extra lean 99% to prevent the burgers from drying out. The zucchini adds moisture, you can also add ¼ cup breadcrumbs or quick oats, but calories will be higher.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey (93/7 lean) 
• 1 cup minced cilantro (I mince mine in a food processor)
• 1 medium zucchini grated (leave skin on for extra nutrients)
• 1-2 clove garlic
• ½ onion minced in food processor
• ½ jalapeno minced
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cumin

Directions

• Mix all ingredients together and ensure they are well combined
• Create 4 equal size patties
• Add burgers to grill (I use a George Forman), and grill until no longer pink inside. 

I usually enjoy my turkey burgers as a salad bowl. I combine some fresh romaine or green mixed, with baby grape tomatoes halved, chopped red onion, roasted red peppers, sautéed mushrooms, chopped green onions, and finally topped with your turkey burger and favorite dressing. Check out my recipe for sundried tomato vinaigrette for a great low calorie, flavorful dressing (coming soon).

Healthy Changes...

Trip to the Nutritionist...

Ever since my trip to the Nutritionist on Monday, I've been striving to make a real life change. I've made changes in the past, but I've always given up and never followed through...This time I'm making it a point to make sure I stay on track...

After meeting with the Nutritionist, she looked at the blood test/food panel I had done over a year ago...Her exact words..."You've got a lot going on here..." What did she mean? Well my food panel showed high inflammatory responses from Wheat, Eggs, Soy, Corn, Milk, and Gluten...She concluded that I probably have "Leaky Gut Syndrome," given these allergic reactions. What happens is the lining of my gut becomes "perforated" due to over inflammation causing food to pretty much leak out into my bloodstream. When these food protein are in the bloodstream, my own body attacks it thinking its a toxin, causing my body to exert all its energy here, making me feel lethargic and tired 24-7....So her first point of advice was to eliminate foods containing those allergens. To be honest, I was horrified....What did this leave me to eat...Plenty in fact, I would have to eat more protein and fruits and vegetables.

She then advised me I was eating way to many "packaged things." I looked at her and then looked back at my food diary, and thought, I guess I do. I didn't realize it but there were so many little packaged things I WAS eating...For example, pasta, bread, cheese singles, chips, etc. I thought I was doing pretty good, staying under or close to my calorie goals, etc. None the less, I took her advise and started making wiser food choices.

Ever since my little meeting with her, I've been doing exactly what she said and I've never felt better. I could actually feel my body healing...I don't feel "inflamed" nor do I feel constantly hungry. In fact I've been having trouble meeting my caloric goals since eating whole foods, I don't have to eat a lot of it and I'm satisfied after every meal. Whereas before, I'd eat a wrap/pasta, and still feel hungry an hour later. So if you guys are up for a challenge, I recommend eliminating some of those packaged foods for a week and see how it changes how you feel :)

Here's a sample of last night's dinner/today's lunch (1 serving; double for 2)

Ginger & Garlic Chicken Stir-fry

Ingredients:

·       Olive Oil (To coat pan)
·       ¼ cup onion sliced
·       ½ tsp garlic
·       ½ tsp ginger
·       1 stalk of green onion chopped
·       2 stalks of celery chopped
·       ½ tsp jalapeño (if you want heat)
·       ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
·       1 tsp soy sauce (I used Braggs Amino since I have to avoid soy)
·       2 cups of baby spinach
·       2 medium mushrooms quartered or sliced
·       1 cup of broccoli (pre-boiled)
·       1 chicken breast (diced)

Directions:

Chicken:

1. Spray pan with olive oil. 
2. Add diced chicken breasts. 
3. Add a little soy sauce to add flavor. 
4. Cook until no longer pink inside. Be careful not to overcook or dry it out. I suggest cooking over low heat & covered. Once done, set aside.

Veggies:

1. In a separate pan, add olive oil.
2. Add ¼ cup sliced onions, garlic, ginger, green onion, celery, jalapeno, and crushed red pepper.
3. Sauté until onions are golden or translucent.
4. Add soy sauce, mushrooms, broccoli and spinach, stir and cover on low heat. 
5. Once the spinach has wilted a little I removed from heat and added the chicken and mixed together.

Very simple! Took me less than 20 mins, and it was delicious…

Fitness Friday {Strength Training}

It's such a beautiful day outside, something I haven't seen in a while. Chicago's weather varies so much, you don't know if you'll need a umbrella one day or snow boots the next. Even though its so beautiful outside, you shouldn't ditch your work out routine. Here's a great workout you can take outdoors, gets some sweat pouring, while enjoying the warmth of the sun. There's no reason you need to be locked indoors to get a great workout!

This workout will definitely get your heart pumping. I recommend beginners use 3-5lb weights, while the more advanced can use 12-15lb weights. In this circuit, you will alternate between 7 different exercises, taking little to none breaks in between. Rest 1-2 mins after each round. You can finish your circuit with some core exercises which bring your heart rate down slowly.

I recommend warming up about 3-5 minutes to get your muscles loose. Start by doing a quick jog, or follow this quick warmup.

Warmup:

1 minute jumping jacks
1 minute butt kicks
1 minute jumping jacks
1 minute butt kicks

Circuit:

(12) Pushups with alternating Knee to Shoulder
(12) Split Lunge with Lateral Dumbbell Raise
(12) Tricep Dips (Advanced - one leg raise alternating)
(12) Squat Jump
(12) Dumbbell Punches (Squat Stance)
(12) Front Lunge with Bicep Curl
(12) Bent over Row

Repeat Circuit 3-x for a full workout

For a quick ab workout end with the following core exercises:

15 Standard Crunch
30 Alternating Oblique Crunch
15 Hip Raises
15 Reverse Crunch
30 Side Crunch (15 each side)
15 V-up Sit ups

Advanced method - Add 5 lb weighted ankle weights while performing core exercises.

Remember to end your workout with stretching to avoid injury. Stretching helps muscles relax and get the most from your workout.