I’m not a huge football fan, but when it’s time for the Superbowl I get in the spirit! For most, this usually means eating lots of traditional football and game day foods including wings, dips, fried foods and other things that will sabotage your diet. So, this year – get your own game plan and try some healthier options so that you don’t end up with a food hangover in the morning. Also, I would recommend that you start the day with a workout and eat healthy all day. Then, about an hour before the game, or party, eat a healthy snack. You can also offer to bring something to the party like veggies with lowfat dip (see below); portobello mushrooms, zucchini or other veggies for the grill or even low-cal popcorn.

Below are a couple of dips (courtesy of CookingLight.com) that are perfect for crowds. Also, FitSugar.com has some great recipes including kale chips, more dips and fruit skewers. Yum!

Spinach Parmesan Dip

At first, the spinach will seem to overflow in the skillet, but keep stirring–as it begins to wilt, it reduces in volume. Serve this creamy dip with crudités or hearty wheat crackers.

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A few weeks ago I found this amazing Kale and Cranberry Salad at Whole Foods (on their salad bar) that was very light and had an great combination of flavors. But, the last few times I’ve been to the store they don’t have it : ( only other variations that don’t seem quite as tasty. So, last night I decided to just buy all the ingredients myself and try to create something similar on my own. I don’t know if these are the exact ingredients – but it turned out very similar. I think the sesame oil and orange juice (you can use lemon) takes the bitter taste out of the kale. Let the oil and citrus mixture sit on the kale while you chop and prepare the other ingredients. I also chilled my salad for about 15 minutes before serving and it helped the flavors combine better. If you aren’t a fan of raw kale or kale salad, try this other cooked kale recipe HERE.

Kale really is a superfood and is the perfect thing to eat this week if you are trying to “detox” from all the holiday junk you’ve been eating. 

1 Bunch Kale (any variety but I used dinosaur)
Olive Oil (approx 1/2 tsp)
Sesame Oil (approx 1/2 tsp)
1 Small Avocado
1 TBSP Slivered Almonds
1 TBSP Lemon Juice or Orange Juice
1-2 TBSP Dried Cranberries
Red Onion (as desired)
Salt & Pepper

*Adjust ingredients depending on how many servings. The above amounts will provide 2-3 big servings.

Directions: Wash, dry and tear kale and place into a large bowl. Whisk together the oils and lemon (or orange) juice and pour over kale to marinade. Then, add chopped onion, almonds, cranberries and salt/pepper. Toss lightly and then chill for 10-15minutes (optional). Before serving add sliced avocado.

Try this salad and let me know what you think!

Looking for a cookie that you take to your holiday parties and events that won’t wreck your diet? Try Gingerbread! Every year one of my friends invites me to her holiday “cookie exchange” party. It’s always a blast, but I struggle with what to make! I ask myself “Would I let my clients eat this?” and usually my answer is “Hell no”. So, I always end up making a “cookie” that’s overly healthy that nobody likes : ( So, this year, despite my urge to make protein powder meringues again (yes, I know) – I decided to go with gingerbread cookies and they turned out great!

Gingerbread is actually one of the best options if you are trying to watch calories and also want to stick to a “clean” diet. To save time, I used a pre-made gingerbread mix by Betty Crocker, despite the fact that it’s not the “cleanest” and is pre-packaged. However, after I got home and read the ingredients and nutrition label more closely – I was surprised that it’s not that bad! You can probably get an organic version at Whole Foods or other store that has less chemicals (this one does have hydrogenated oils), if you want to make it even healthier. After the added egg and butter – two small cookies (1 serving) is 150 calories, 5 grams of fat (approximately), 1g protein and 10g sugar. You also get in a few vitamins, including 4g of iron.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

• 1 Bag Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cookie Mix (or similar)
• approximately 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or sem-sweet)
• 1 Stick Butter, water and 1 egg (as directed on cookie mix instructions)

Directions

Mix cookies as directed on the bag. Sprinkle them with sugar or stevia/truvia (for less sugar and calories!) and then bake as directed. When you take them out of the oven, place 1-2 dark chocolate chips in the center of the cookie (press down firmly so that there is an indentation). If you want more of a melted look (like above) – place them back into the oven for about 1min.

*The dark chocolate adds only about 205 calories each.

It’s been awhile since I posted any recipes, but I came across these today on Fitsugar. I love sweet potatoes and they are perfect if you are looking for a new recipe with fall flavors. Yes, sweet potatoes (or you can use any variety of yam) are carbs -but good carbs. They are “complex” carbs with more vitamins, protein and fiber than the whiter varieties.

I made this salad last week and loved it! I found the recipe in this month’s Fitness magazine. You can reduce your calories & fat by cutting out the bread w/herbed goat cheese or just do less of it! The recipe makes 4 large servings, so you can reduce it for smaller portions.

Butter Lettuce Salad With Blackberries, White Beans and Goat Cheese Toast

Prep Time: 12min
Cook Time: 3 min
Servings: 4

I’m a little behind on my recipe posts! So, I thought I’d share 2 this month that are perfect for the holiday weekend!

Spicy Grilled Tempeh

(recipe courtesy of Whole Foods)

You guys have been working hard to stay in shape and eat healthy, so don’t let a holiday like Memorial Day get you off track. Memorial Day weekend is the start of the summer and that means bathing suit and bikini season (for my bikini workout click HERE) is right around the corner! Here are a few things I like to eat during summer holidays…

Going to grill? Try veggies, grilled fish and even fruit! I don’t eat meat anymore (except for occasional fish), so I prefer veggie hot dogs. My favorites are the ones made by Yves and you can find them at Whole Foods and many other grocery stores. They taste almost the same when you grill them and they are lower in calories, fat and cholesterol!

Looking for a traditional summer side dish? Well, you can still have that potato salad if you make it light! Try this recipe I posted last year: Potato Salad with Herbs and Squash

Other great side dish options include grilled corn, a bean salad (try garbanzo, pinto or black but make sure they are low sodium), green beans or make a healthy slaw.

Don’t go crazy with desserts! This is not the time to indulge in cupcakes, ice cream or other high-cal foods. I like watermelon or making my own fruit cups:

Red, White and Blue Fruit Cups

Ingredients

• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 pint fresh blackberries
• 2 TBSP Stevia, Truvia or other natural sweetener
• 1/2 pint low-sugar frozen yogurt or Greek Yogurt

*Serves 4. Prep time is about 10 minutes.

Directions

I buy frozen Mahi Mahi packs from Whole Foods almost every week because it’s one of my favorite things too cook. Mahi Mahi is a really light and easy fish to bake, grill, broil or even poach. My favorite way to use it is to make grilled fish tacos. When I don’t want to grill outside, I’ll use my indoor grill or George Foreman Grill to cook the fish. I season it with a little Mrs. Dash, chili powder, ground cayenne pepper, lemon and olive oil. Then, I serve it on one whole wheat tortilla with diced tomato, arugula, mango and avocado. It’s a perfect healthy dinner!

This month, I wanted to share this great recipe I found in Women’s Health Magazine. It’s actually their cover girl, Olivia Wilde’s, recipe for a Bolognese sauce. I made it last week and it turned out great. This is one of Olivia’s favorite vegan recipes. “Eat this with any kind of pasta you love or with fresh arugula leaves,” Olivia says. “You won’t miss the meat!”

Bomb-Diggity “Bolognese”

(Makes 4 servings)

*Cari’s Tip: I used a little less oil to save on calories and I used fresh herbs instead of dried.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 package tempeh, crumbled (I got mine at Whole Foods near the eggs/dairy)
1/4 cup red wine
1 tsp. Earth Balance butter spread
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 eggplant, peeled and diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
12 oz. tomato sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

-In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
-Add mushrooms and tempeh to the skillet.
-Add red wine and butter spread, then add salt and pepper to taste, stir.
-Add zucchini, eggplant, carrot, basil, and parsley; stir well to combine. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until veggies soften.
-Add tomato sauce and stir. Sprinkle in seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes.
-If sauce is too thick, add more wine or water; cover and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Remove from heat and serve over pasta. Garnish with basil and parsley, if desired.

Sauté Legumes from the 2010 NYC Marathon Eve Dinner

This month’s recipe is from the NYC Marathon Eve dinner that I attended last month, the night before I ran the race. The dinner was surprisingly good with a mix of lasagna, vegetables, salad and bread. My favorite was this amazing vegetable dish! So, when I got home, I emailed the NYRR to see if there was any way they could track down the recipe for me and they did! I got the “official” recipe card emailed to me and now I can share it with you guys! Now..keep in mind that this recipe is to feed A LOT of people! So, you are going to have to do the math and scale it back a little, unless you are having a dinner party for 12,000. The dinner was really good (I’m picky) and would recommend it to anyone that runs the race next year.

Sauté Legumes (official recipe!)

*The amounts below are for 1 PAN that serves 30 people, so make sure you adjust. I thought you’d like to see the totals they used for the night (400 Pans!), so those amounts are in the parentheses. Pretty impressive! Check out the 50lbs of butter! Yikes! Read the rest of this entry »

I wanted to share this recipe that I’m making this week for Thanksgiving. I saw Giada make it on her show last week it’s so colorful and has a great fall twist with pumpkin seeds.

Bibb and Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened frozen raspberries, thawed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large head of butter or Bibb lettuce, torn into 1-inch pieces, to yield 4 cups
• 4 cups arugula
• 3/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted (see Cook’s Note)

Directions

I know this is a little last minute, but if you are looking for a new way to do your turkey this week…here is one of my favorites. It’s a great way to add flavor with extra herbs and spices instead of fat and calories. Plus, it takes less time to prepare and cook!
*For turkey alternatives and other Thanksgiving tips and recipes, check out my Thanksgiving Blog Post!

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

(courtesy of Rachael Ray)

Ingredients

• 1 small (golf-ball sized) onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 lemon, scrubbed clean
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1/2 cup, from 12 stems)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pan *Cari’s Tip: you can reduce the amount of oil you use and/or use cooking spray for the pan.
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
• 6 fresh bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons butter *Cari’s Tip: you can reduce the amount of butter for less calories/fat.
  
• 2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup apple or regular brandy (recommended: Calvados)
• 2 to 3 cups apple cider
• Salt and pepper

Directions Read the rest of this entry »

I found this in Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine and made it over the weekend. I used Quorn Meatless Grounds (one of Carrie Underwood’s favorites!) and it turned out great. You can also use ground turkey (that the recipe calls for), lean beef, etc.

Chile Rellenos

(serves 4 but you can make just 1 or 2)

1 lb. Ground Turkey (or Quorn, lean beef, etc.) browned. If you use Quorn, microwave according to the directions.
1 Tbsp. chopped chipotle in adobo sauce (comes in a small can)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup light sour cream
4 poblano chiles (I cut the stems off and then took out the inner parts and seeds and then made an opening in the top for meat)
2 oz. tortialla chips, crumbled (I left out this part for less calories)
3 oz. queso fresco (I substitued a few tablespoons of grated cheddar)
1 lemon
Small bunch of cilantro leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl combine meat, chopped pepper, cumin, onion and sour cream. Stuff mxture in chiles and place open side up on baking sheet.
2. Bake 30minutes or until center of chiles are cooked through. *If you use Quorn or other pre-cooked meat, you can reduce the time to about 20minutes. Garnish with tortilla chips, cheese, lemon wedges and cilantro.

Nutrition Info (per serving):
379 calories*, 29g protein, 28g carbs, 18g fat, 4g fiber, 9g sugar, 258mg sodium
*You can reduce fat and calories by using Quorn and/or eliminating the tortilla chips and cheese!

Grilled Baby Eggplant With Raisins, Pine Nuts and Rosemary

This recipe is perfect for summer! You could use regular eggplant and cut into smaller pieces. But, you should be able to find “baby” or “mini” eggplants at your local grocery store or even farmers market.

Cari’s Suggestions: My only problem with the recipe is that is kinda high in calories and fat. So, I reduced the amount of olive oil to about 1 TBSP (vs. 1/2 cup) and then used olive oil cooking spray (like PAM) to coat the eggplants for grilling. However, even though this recipe is 333 calories per serving, each serving is 2 eggplant halves with the cheese and it’s going to fill you up due to all the fiber from the eggplant. So, you could treat this dish as your main course and just serve it with a salad or just reduce your serving size to one piece and then pair with grilled fish or chicken.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so you’ve waited until the last minute to decide what you are doing this weekend. Fireworks? Swimming? Grilling? Well, you can still get out and enjoy all the traditional activities without having to spend hours in the kitchen making something healthy to take with you. Here are a few things that are easy to pack for the Fourth or any summer picnic….

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Oven-Fried Okra!

Looking for a healthy recipe to try for the Fourth of July this weekend? How about Fried Okra?! Well…oven-fried! If you are from the south like me, this is an all-time favorite! But, normally it’s super greasy and has so much breading you can hardly taste the okra. This version has way less fat, cholesterol and calories and tastes almost as good as the real thing. Try it out and you may even give Luby’s a run for their money : )

I’ve been out to LA quite a bit and one of my favorite spots is Hugo’s on Santa Monica Blvd. It’s known for being a celebrity hangout but also for having fresh, healthy food. Their menu is huge and they have options for vegetarians, vegans, meat eaters and even those with a serious sweet tooth. On my last trip out in January (for my Exercise TV shoot) my friend Nancy and I went there for breakfast and we both had this awesome green smoothie. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with the restaurant’s co-owner, Tom Kaplan, via email and he shared the recipe with me. He said it’s actually from Yogi Bhajan and it’s part of the Kundalini Yoga tradition!

Green Smoothie

Ingredients (I got mine at Whole Foods):

8 oz Orange Juice

1 Medium Banana (he said to scrape inner peel to get all the nutrients)

1 Tbsp Liquid Chlorophyll

2 tsp Rice Bran Syrup

2 tsp Hemp Oil (original Yogi recipe calls for Sesame or Almond Oil)

“It’s a perfect breakfast for women.  A woman can use this drink to take her daily dose of sesame oil or almond oil.  To lose weight, use 2 tbsp protein powder in place of the oil and drink four times per day instead of meals.” from Foods for Health & Healing, Remedies and Recipes” by Yogi Bhajan

**Cari’s Tip: To reduce calories…only use 1 tsp of Hemp oil and 1 tsp rice bran syrup. I also added about 1 8oz cup of ice to mine to make it thicker. If you want to up your antioxidants and vitamins…you can also mix in some kale or spinach.

I just wanted to follow up with my last post about Giada’s book signing here in Houston. Her publicist told me she was too busy to fit in an interview : ( BUT, I was able to ask her about yoga when I went to the book signing yesterday. Of course, I didn’t get to chat for very long, but I told her I’m a trainer here in Houston and was wondering if she still does yoga. She said that she actually does yoga quite a bit and she loves it! I think she even had her yoga instructor do an episode of “Giada at Home” with her one time and I read that she does regular sessions. I had a blast at the signing and it was so cool to chat with her, even just for a second.

By the way…I made her Pea Pesto Crostini (from the book) when I got home and it was amazing!

For the recipe see below…

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m so excited that Giada De Laurentiis will be in Houston tomorrow as part of her book tour. She has a new book out: “Giada at Home” and will be doing a book signing at Sur La Table. I’m planning to attend the event and also try to get a 5-minute interview with her (keep your fingers crossed for me)  to ask her how she incorporates fitness and yoga into her busy schedule and talk about why it’s important to use fresh ingredients and herbs. Sure, she does have some recipes that aren’t low-cal or low-fat, but for the most part…she uses organic, healthy ingredients including tons of fruits and veggies, along with whole wheat pastas and whole grains.

I can’t wait to blog about some of her new recipes in this book! I’ve mentioned her in my blog before and here is a recap of some of her recipes that I’ve tried:

Poached Pears

Summer Chopped Salad

Artichoke and Tomato Panzanella

I got this recipe from last month’s Women’s Health Magazine and it looks great. I bought all the ingredients this weekend and plan to make it tonight.

*To reduce fat…you can use less sesame oil and/or peanut oil (both are mainly for flavor).

Black Sesame Tofu & Vegetable Stir-Fry

1 1/3 cups cooked instant brown rice
1 package (14 oz) extra-firm tofu, drained
1 1/2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp peanut oil, divided
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups packaged shredded carrots (about 6 oz)
1 large yellow or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4 green onions, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch lengths
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp light miso
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp cornstarch

1. Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, blot tofu dry with paper towels and press to remove some of the liquid; cut crosswise into 8 slices. Place sesame seeds in a shallow bowl and dredge tofu through seeds.

2. Heat sesame oil and 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip over and continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes or until nicely browned on other side. Remove tofu to serving dish.

3. Add remaining peanut oil to skillet and heat. Stir in asparagus and shredded carrots; stir-fry for 4 minutes or until crunchy-tender. Stir in bell pepper and onion; cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and return tofu to pan.

4. Combine orange juice, miso, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl; whisk until well blended. Pour juice mixture into skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat vegetables and tofu. Serve over brown rice.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 321 cal, 14 g fat (2.1 g sat), 38 g carbs, 552 mg sodium, 6 g fiber, 13 g protein