If you read my blog, Who is Dave and Why the Blog?, you may remember me saying that I would not compromise the integrity of my blog by promoting products that I have never used or products I wouldn’t endorse.  In keeping with that, I would like to announce that Dave’s Press has become an At Large Nutrition affiliate!

I’m truly excited about this partnership since I can attest to the quality of their products and the accessibility of their expert staff.  When I first started getting into fitness and nutrition, I was a frequent visitor to the Men’s Health weight training forum.  In fact, I was a regular there (GADave) for a long time and still visit occasionally.  More on Men’s Health in later blogs.

Anyway, there was someone from At Large Nutrition, Chris Mason, that posted on that forum.  Chris was a great help to the members there giving advice and talking about the At Large products.  It was because of him that I first tried Nitrean and LOVED it.  I know you have no reason to take my word for it so give it a try the next time you need protein.  I guarantee you won’t be dissappointed. 

For more on At Large Nutrition, you can read about them here.

For those that are new to the weight training world, there has been a raging debate for quite some time and it doesn’t look like it will be going away any time soon.  For those that aren’t new to the fitness world, you may already know what I’m referring to. 

The Great Workout Debate:  Total Body vs. Body Part Split

So, let’s examine what the routines are, the arguments for, and the arguments against, shall we? 

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

Asparagus is a great low cal side dish and this recipe adds some great flavor.  It is both quick and easy.  (Recipe courtesy of CookingLight.com)

Yield:
8 servings (serving size: 5 spears)

Ingredients:
40  asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
2  tablespoons  butter
2  teaspoons  low-sodium soy sauce
1  teaspoon  balsamic vinegar
Cracked black pepper (optional)
Grated lemon rind (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over asparagus, tossing well to coat. Garnish with cracked pepper and rind, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories:45 (60% from fat)
Fat:3g (sat 1.8g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.2g)
Protein:1.9g
Carbohydrate:3.9g
Fiber:1.7g
Cholesterol:8mg
Iron:0.7mg
Sodium:134mg
Calcium:18mg

Supreme Squash Casserole

A great summer time low cal side! Courtesy of SparkRecipes.

Ingredients

2 summer squash
2 zucchini
1 cup fat free ricotta cheese
1 cup 2% kraft shredded colby jack cheese
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves
1/2 large yellow onion
2 cups mushrooms
2 tbsp light Daisy sour cream
cooking spray
Add: salt, pepper, & cumin for taste

Directions

Coat pan with cooking spray – add diced mushrooms, garlic cloves, and onion. Saute until tender

Cut both zucchini and squash into thin slices. Add to a pot w/ one tsp water and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Then remove from the stove and add onion/ mushroom mixture to the pot.

Mix two eggs with 2 tbsp sour cream

Coat baking dish w/ cooking spray. Evenly distribute squash mixture to bottom of pan. Add half of ricotta cheese, half of egg mixture, and half of shredded cheese. Layer the other half of the squash mixture on top and use the rest of the ricotta and egg mixture.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove foil and add the rest of the shredded cheese. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Lastly, turn oven to broil and let broil for 2-3 min so cheese topping become crusty.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes and enjoy. Makes 9 servings
Number of Servings: 9

Nutritional Info
Fat: 3.8g
Carbohydrates: 5.8g
Calories: 87.9
Protein: 8.1g