Homemade Salsa

Salsa is a great healthy condimnt or side that can go with so many things.  Here is a wonderful homemade salsa from AllRecipes.com!

Ingredients:
6 pounds roma (plum) tomatoes
1/4 pound roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 red onion, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/3 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Briefly place 6 pounds tomatoes into water to loosen skins and set color. Drain, peel and crush.
2. Mix chopped tomatoes, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, cayenne pepper and cumin into the saucepan with crushed tomatoes. Whip to desired thickness. Bring to a boil. Mix in red onion, white onion, yellow onion, jalapeno peppers and cilantro. Continue boiling until vegetables are soft and mixture has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat. Refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition Information
Servings Per Recipe: 96
Calories: 10 Amount Per Serving
Total Fat: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 112mg
Total Carbs: 2.2g
    Dietary Fiber: 0.6g
Protein: 0.4g

The other night while I was in the kitchen, my son (5) and my daughter (16) were playing Monopoly at the table in the Dining room.  My son had accumulated quite a few $1 bills and my daughter, being the banker, needed some for the bank.  She offered to give him a $10 bill for ten $1 bills.  My son adamantly refused.  She fell back on option number two: she gives him a $10 bill and he gives her nine $1 bills.  Again he refused.  His counter-offer?  He’d give her one $1 bill for one $10 bill.

He didn’t understand that one $10 bill was the same as ten $1 bills.  He thought that since he had MORE bills, he had MORE money than she was going to give him and was losing out on the deal.  I always find the logic of a 5 year-old interesting.  In fact, so much so that it inspired this post.

The same theory he was using in monopoly is the same theory I see people using in the gym.  In fact, I was guilty of exactly the same thing when I first started.  That theory being that more means better. 

Broccoli with Black Bean-Garlic Sauce

A great low-cal side courtesy of EatingWell.com.
 
Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cup each

Ingredients
 
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
½ cup water, divided
1 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar or white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons black bean-garlic sauce (see Ingredient note)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli florets

Instructions
 
1. Toast sesame seeds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
2. Mix 1/4 cup water, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add black bean sauce and stir until smooth.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or stir-fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and stir to coat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup water; cover and steam just until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Push broccoli to the sides and pour the sauce mixture in the center. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Stir in the broccoli to coat. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

 
Ingredient Note: Black bean-garlic sauce, made from pureed salted and fermented black soybeans, is a widely used condiment in Chinese cooking and can be found with the Asian food in most supermarkets.
Nutrition Information
 
Per serving: 53 calories; 3 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 133 mg sodium.

We’ve all heard, and most of us have used, a lot of excuses to not start a fitness program to drop the extra weight.  Of all of the excuses I’ve heard, I can’t think of a single one that is valid.   My wife tells me regularly that I am harder on others that are overweight since I lost weight.  I tell her it is because I KNOW they can do it, too, once the excuses stop.

Granted, there are some valid reasons why a person cannot start a fitness program such as medical reasons but we all know the invalid excuses when we hear them.  I do believe that in many cases, the person making the excuse actually believes they absolutely can’t workout or lose weight.  There are many reasons why people make excuses but, in my opinion, much of it is due to the abundance of misinformation about fitness and nutrition as well as a society full of enablers.

Here are some of the common excuses I’ve heard, some of I’ve even used, and why I feel they are not valid.

“I just don’t have the time!”

This is probably the most common excuse found in the wild.  If I had to guess, my guess is this would be the most common excuse.  It all started back with the invention of the clock.  It is a little known fact that the first sighting of this excuse was within five minutes of Galileo finishing his first time piece by Galileo himself.  Actually, that’s not really true…at least I don’t think so.

Asparagus, Canadian Bacon, and Cheese Frittata
From Food Network Kitchens

I’m still keeping the low carb theme for the week.  Here is another great recipe from the Food Network.

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 15 min Level: Easy
Serves: 2 servings 

Ingredients
5 large eggs
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces medium asparagus stalks (about 8), woody stems trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 medium slices Canadian bacon (about 2 ounces), coarsely chopped

Directions
Position an oven rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, 3 tablespoons of the cheese, the milk, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to taste together in a bowl.

Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and Canadian bacon, and cook until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low, pour the egg mixture into the skillet, stirring gently to distribute the fillings evenly. Cover, and cook until the bottom sets, but does not get too brown, about 9 minutes. Remove the cover, scatter the remaining 1 tablespoon of cheese over the surface. Run the frittata under the broiler until the top sets and browns slightly, about 1 minute. Set aside for about 5 minutes before unmolding. Slip the frittata out of the pan onto a cutting board, cut into wedges. Serve warm or room temperature.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 372
Fat: 26 grams (8 g saturated)
Carbohydrates: 6 grams
Fiber: 1.5 grams
Nutrient Value: Per Serving