Easy and Healthy Slow Cooker Meals

February 8, 2013 by
Healthy, slow-carb food should not be hard and stressful to prepare. It
should be light and easy like these healthy crock-pot meals. Despite the simplicity of these dishes, these meals will not only help you lose fat, but are also flavorful and
delightful to the soul. So don’t hesitate to serve your family any of these dishes
on a regular Sunday evening.
Image Courtesy Of crockpot365.blogspot.ca

I’ve been using my slow cooker a lot lately. I’ve been going on www.pinterest.com, then clipping the recipes to www.ziplist.com, so I have the ingredients handy on my phone when I’m at the grocery store. I’ve also been doing a lot of batch cooking so save time and mess, but I’ll save that for another post.


People seem to think that healthy crackpot meals are boring
and flat. Some also believe that preparing them is time-consuming and
difficult. This kind of thinking is what we are here to change. I want to
share with you healthy crackpot meals that you and your family will surely
love.

First, I want to share with you a healthy chicken
crock-pot meal I call the chicken cacciatore. In Italian, the word cacciatore
refers to a hunter. In a kitchen setting, this word simply describes a meal
prepared “hunter-style” with onions, mushrooms, herbs, tomatoes, bell pepper
and sometime wine. So, in preparing this dish, I need three pounds of skinless
bone-in chicken thighs, 14 ounce of diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning, six
ounce of canned tomato paste, half a cup of chicken both. To add more flavor to
the dish, bring in some sliced onions, three cloves of minced garlic, and
chopped bell peppers. To complete the dish, I need one-fourth cup of dry red
wine. Don’t forget the salt and pepper to season it.


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Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com
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A Healthy Breakfast: Not An Impossible Mission

February 5, 2013 by
It’s a trite but true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For most of us, it’s been about 12 hours since our last meal and our bodies need a good refueling. Yet, statistics show that as
many at 50% of us don’t eat breakfast.
We’re too busy. We don’t like breakfast foods. We’re not hungry. We’re trying to lose weight (which is actually counter active by the way). Sad to say, none of those reasons are valid. There are many
healthy breakfasts that can either be bought or made that are fast and even portable, which leads me to…
 
A Healthy Breakfast: Not An Impossible Mission!

egg-muffin-photograph | www.4hourbodygirl.com

 There’s no law that says you have to eat breakfast foods for breakfast. You legitimately might not feel hungry in the morning, particularly if you aren’t accustomed to eating breakfast. But you should eat something, even if you make a fairly light choice, like fruit and yogurt. Trying to lose weight is the worst excuse of all. Study after study shows that people who skip breakfast end up eating more the rest of the day than people who eat a solid
breakfast every morning.
So how do you get the magical mix of the right nutrients that will give you energy and send you healthfully into your day?
It’s not that hard, really. Spend a little bit of time thinking about what you like and then plan some healthy breakfasts. Here are
some ideas to get you started:
* If you need something portable, the ever-popular smoothieis a good choice. Be careful when you purchase a smoothie at a shop, however, as some can have as many as 600 calories. You can purchase a good blender or smoothie maker to have at home and whip up your own smoothie in less time than
it takes to stop at a smoothie store, and you’ll know exactly what’s in it. I usually add either spinach or kale to get more greens in my diet. I always also add Athletic Greens as a nutritional supplement for the ultimate health insurance!
* Although 4 hour body recommends the slow carb diet options, which are quick and easy, sometimes you can plan ahead for a grab and go option. Something like this would be to make some breakfast burritos and keep them in the freezer. You can use regular or whole-wheat tortillas, scrambled eggs (either whole, all whites, a mix, or an egg product), some veggies like peppers and onions, and turkey bacon or soy sausage. These freeze beautifully. Pull one out, and while you’re pouring your green tea, it can be heating in the microwave. Add a banana or apple for on-the-go dining.
* Cereal is an okay breakfast, as long as it’s not the only thing you eat. Consider adding some banana or blueberries on top, or fixing it with soy or almond milk for a healthy dairy addition. Otherwise, cows milk is  okay, as long as it’s organic and states that it is free of hormones. I also like to add chia seeds, ground flax, coconut and cinnamon for sustainability, more health benefits and to speed up my metabolism.
* If you don’t like breakfast, consider making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole sprouted grain bread. Grab a banana or apple on the way out the door. Have some leftover vegetarian pizza from dinner? That’s better than nothing for breakfast, though you will want to add a glass of milk or some fruit to round it out.
* Trying to lose weight?
Breakfast might be the easiest meal to fill up without using a lot of calories
or fat. Have oatmeal with creamy rice milk, or a high-fiber cold cereal with hazelnut milk. Consider a
homemade version of a fast-food sandwich. You can bake up some eggs in a muffin tin, add a slice of
Canadian bacon and put the two into a toasted, whole grain, English muffin with some sharp, white cheddar and spinach for a 220-calorie, filling breakfast full of nutrients. I make 12 at a time and freeze the rest. They warm up quickly in a microwave or 40 min in the oven while I take my shower and get ready for the day. I use the directions here: Healthy Egg McMuffins. Drink your Athletic Greens before you eat this and you’re guarenteed  to have amazing energy and start your day of right!
 
What do you normally have for breakfast?
Easy & Tasty, High Protein Veggie Nuggets | www.4hourbodygirl.com
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