Training with Taryn

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

It's so tough to find low sugar marinara sauce and then when you do, it tastes so bland! My client Mary helped me by creating a low sugar alternative that's easy to make and definitely delicious. I substitute this sauce for anything that you'd use marinara for... over ground turkey, with sauteed vegetables and anything else Italian! A clean diet can get boring once you cut out the 'extras' like condiments and sauces, so creating this sauce has helped keep me sane during competition prep!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp quality olive oil
• 1 tbsp fennel
• generous tsp of oregano
• dried crushed pepper
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Roast peppers on grill until charred, place in paper or plastic bag to steam for about 15 minutes. Remove from bag and remove peels (they should slide off easily). Remove stems and seeds.

Heat small skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions, garlic and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Carmelize the onions and garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat.

Slice peppers into small enough pieces to allow for easy pureeing and add to blender along with the onion/garlic mixture. Blend until you have a smooth puree. Add a little bit of olive oil for a richer flavor and texture.

Can be served at room temperature or heat in a saucepan and serve over pasta or as a sauce for fish, chicken, turkey or sausage. Enjoy!

Have You Started Yet?

Hi friends! Almost two weeks into the New Year. Did you pick your resolutions yet? It's not too late! I've actually changed mine a few times until I felt good about them. I'll share one with you now- organize meals for the week to ensure delicious, nutritious and different meals on each weeks menu. This not only keeps me on track, but keeps my husband happy too! I'm off to a great start already. We planned a specific weekly menu based off our own schedules. Here it is:

Monday - We both work late so we do dinner on our own.

Tuesday- Busy day, but I have a break to come home, so I'll prepare a crockpot.

Wednesday- Date night! The perfect night to try out a new recipe, usually something that requires a little extra time.

Thursday- Leftovers (from crockpot and/or date night ).

Friday- Grill (usually chicken or steak so that there are healthy leftovers).

Saturday- Night out (healthy restaurant or with home with friends and family).

Sunday- Whole Foods... We'll pick up prepared food for dinner and some groceries for the week.

This plan has helped take the pressure off of trying to think of different dinners each night and to organize my time. So far it's been great! So sit down and figure out what works best for you. Which nights can you spend extra time to prepare food- either for dinner or leftovers for the week? Which nights do you know that you won't have time to cook, but could throw some stuff in the crockpot before work? Scheduling your meals like you do the rest of your work will pay off in giving you more time, saving you money and taking off those holiday pounds... I guarantee! I'll be sending out more meal ideas soon...

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!

Setting the Stage for 2011

Yep, I always make a New Years Resolution. Some years goals are bigger or crazier than others... But I always make sure to set a resolution with a definitive plan. I use the old S.M.A.R.T. Method... tried and true! It's been around for a while and for good reason.

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant and Realistic
• Time-framed

Every good goal must have the above factors in order to be successful. So start thinking now! What will your New Years Resolution be? I am asking now so that you and your body will be ready to go by 2011! I'll be here to help... from the workouts to the nutrition.

If you're planning on entertaining this holiday and want to start (or stay) eating healthy, here are two easy recipes that can be prepared in advance. I made them both on Xmas eve!

 Turkey Bacon Wrapped Scallops

• 20 large sea scallops
• 20 pieces turkey bacon
• 4 skewers

Wrap bacon around edge of sea scallops. After each price is wrapped, skewer bacon wrapped scallops 5 to a skewer (skewer through outside of bacon and through scallop so scallop lies flat on pan, not on its side). Place on pan or cookie sheet and broil 4-5 minutes on each side or until bacon is crisp.

Grape Jelly Meatballs

• Bag of frozen turkey meatballs
• Two jars sugar free grape jelly
• Two jars of chili sauce

It's an old fashioned recipe that my friend Donielle introduced to me. I just made it a bit healthier by using turkey to cut back on fat and sugar free jelly to cut back on sugar! Pour all ingredients into a crockpot and cook on low for at least 4 hrs prior to serving. Stir every so often and enjoy!

Be safe and have fun this New Years Eve! XO

Fabulous Fall Recipes (and a few tips too)

 

I hope this gorgeous season is treating everyone well! The change of weather can sometimes be an excuse to change the diet... are you making good changes or reaching for the warm comfort food? Here are a few easy (as always) recipes that can help you get a handle on fall foods without having to pack up the skinny jeans with the rest of your summer wardrobe.

 

Turkey Chili- I'll make this on a Sunday morning and have it simmer in the crockpot for my family and I to eat while watching football! It's delish with sourdough bread (sourdough is a healthier alternative to white and wheat bread; it has a mild effect on blood sugar). 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 packets low sodium McCormick chili mix
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with jalapenos
• 1 can white kidney beans
• 1 can dark kidney beans
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped green pepper

Brown the turkey and place in crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours then keep on warm as long as you need. The leftovers are great too... This recipe makes enough for around 8 servings.

Pumpkin Seeds:  They're perfect to snack on or to add as salad toppings!

Scoop pumpkin, clean the seeds. Toss with 1 tbsp of olive oil, couple dashes of sea salt, few packets of Truvia (my new favorite sweetener), 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp cinnamon and place on Pam'd pan (btw, I LOVE my Silat Slipads that were a gift from my mother-in-law, Lindy. They make cleaning up so much easier. You just place them on the pan instead of spraying or greasing and then toss it into the dishwasher after use.)  Bake at 275 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn.

Spaghetti Squash: I could eat this dish three times a week if it weren't so tough for me to hack through the thing. It's a great substitute for pasta!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 spaghetti squash
• 1 can of Italian pasta sauce
• sliced mushrooms
• sliced onion

Cut spaghetti squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds (like you would with a pumpkin). Bake in a glass pan with rind side up at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. While it's baking:

Brown turkey.

Saute mushrooms and onions in separate pan.

Combine turkey, mushrooms, onions and sauce and let simmer.

Once squash is done baking, take a fork to the inside and 'brush' through lengthwise to get the 'spaghetti strands'. Usually one squash will serve at least two people... put serving of squash (roughly 1 cup) on dish and top with 1/4 of the turkey mixture. Enjoy!!

 
 

Breakfast Ideas

Nice work to everyone who came to my UltraFlex class this morning and kicked butt! I know it's tough to wake up early (especially on a holiday) to work out. It always helps to get up knowing that you can enjoy a good breakfast!

Tired of egg whites yet? Here are a few morning recipes that I've had the past few days. Both of these recipes can be prepared the day before so they're ready to go.

 

Pumpkin Pie for Breakfast!

Well, close. Most of you that know me, know that I LOVE anything with pumpkin. Here's an idea to include the health benefits and taste of pumpkin for breakfast!

• 1/2 cup dry instant oatmeal
• 3/4-1 cup water
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (Libby's)
• 4 pkts splenda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Put dry oatmeal and water into a bowl (that has plenty of room for the oatmeal to expand with the water). Use more or less water depending on how thick you like your oatmeal (use less if you want it thicker, use more if you like it thinner). Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir in splenda, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla and enjoy warm!

Homemade Protein Bars

No cooking necessary! I saw this recipe a while back in Oxygen.. it's quick to make, delicious to eat and easy to transport. Try doubling or even tripling the recipe to make a bunch for the week.

•  2 cups rolled oats or quick oats (uncooked)
• 2 heaping scoops Chocolate protein powder
• 2 tbsp Flax Seed Meal (ground flax)
• 1/4 cup nut butter, 1/4 cup
•  1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cranberries (optional)
• 1/2 cup water
• Splenda or Stevia to taste

Spray an 8 inch square pan with non-stick spray. In bowl, mix together nut butter, water and vanilla. Add remaining ingredients. Spread into pan and freeze for an hour or refrigerate overnight, until squares can be cut. Wrap individually.
Makes 9.

Nutrition Check

Hi friends! This past week I've launched another UltraFlex mini-bootcamp. It's a 4 week challenge to get everyone back on the right track with nutrition and workouts. They'll work with me for 3 days a week at the studio and then journal their nutrition so I can help keep track of their diet. Because I do have some newbies, I'll be posting some sample  nutrition plans as well as recipes to help them along (and to serve as refreshers for my post-challengers).

Let's start with some basics:

1) Try for 5 small mini meals a day. This will prevent overeating later and keep the metabolism burning.

2) Keep it clean! Stick to foods with very few ingredients. Basic proteins, veggies etc. Read your labels!

3) No carbs for the last meal of the day. Keep the carbs higher in the morning and taper them off because it's later in the day that we taper off our burning of calories.

4) Limit alcohol. Alcohol is not only empty calories, but it actually turns off your ability to burn fat! If fat loss is the goal... lose the booze.

5) Drink a lot of water. A lot. This will flush your system and keep hunger away.

Here's another sample meal plan:

Meal 1: Protein Pancakes (see past recipes on my blog if you need to!)

Meal 2: 1/2 grapefruit and handfull of nuts

Meal 3: Tuna melt (tuna, low fat mozzarella wrapped and heated in small whole wheat tortilla)

Meal 4: Mixed veggies, hard boiled egg

Meal 5: Grilled turkey burger with steamed brussel sprouts

More recipes coming!! Next up will be breakfast ideas! Challengers, start your journals...

For the Love of Grapefruit!

My client Adrienne introduced me to this great new recipe from Foodnetwork.com for grapefruit and roasted beet salad. We were discussing grapefruit and all its awesome qualities! Grapefruit includes health benefits such as:

• Inhibits a special enzyme in the intestines that's responsible for the natural breakdown and absorption of many medications.
• Eating grapefruit daily seems to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory disorders symptoms.
• Extremely rich in vitamin C and potassium. 
• Natural source of soluble dietary fiber.
• Low in calories. Although it's not proven, it's been said that grapefruit can actually serve as a fat burner!

Until now, I've only had a half of a grapefruit in the morning with my eggs (or on the go when I travel). This grapefruit beet salad is the perfect way to mix it up! It's a great, zesty salad recipe that brings something different to your table. Grapefruit is one of the only fruits that I eat when I'm in training season, so this salad was a welcome change. Pairing it up with the anti-oxidant loaded beet is a recipe for a super healthy dish!

Grapefruit and Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients:

• 6 small beets
• 1 medium ruby red grapefruit
• 2 ounces alfalfa sprouts, trimmed
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 3 pinches salt
• 10 grinds black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Thyme leaves from 10 delicate sprigs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil. Roast about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until fork tender. Remove beets from oven, unwrap and let cool 5 minutes before peeling. Slice the beets into eighths.

Remove the peel of the grapefruit with a sharp knife, cutting all the way down to the grapefruit flesh. Then cut the individual grapefruit segments out from their skin. Place the grapefruit segments in a bowl. Take the inner grapefruit remains and squeeze whatever juice you can out of it over the top of the grapefruit segments in the bowl.

Make the dressing by mixing together all the dressing ingredients along with all the juice that you can strain from the bowl of grapefruit.

Make a little heap of alfalfa in the middle of the plate. Scatter the cut beets around the plate. Pinch off pieces of the grapefruit segments and scatter them around the plate. Drizzle generously with dressing, top with a couple more grinds black pepper and serve.

Low-cal Cocktails

It's true... there is a way to keep your calories down while enjoying a summertime cocktail! I've had dozens of requests to put up my drink recipes that friends have heard me order during the occasional cocktail party. Alcohol calories add up, especially when there are mixers involved. The extra sugar in mixers adds not only to your headache the next day, but the bloat and weight gain from a night out. A frozen margarita can total over 400 calories in one glass! If you must indulge, here are a few of my favorite recipes to beat the heat and the headache:

Lean Mean Margarita:

1 shot Patron Silver

Splash of Triple Sec

4 slices of fresh lime

Pour liquid over ice. Squeeze and then drop in fresh lime. Stir and sip! (if the fresh lime isn't an option, I also like to use Freshies Margarita Lite mix)

Key Lime De-Lite

2 shots Absolute Vanilla Vodka

Diet Tonic

4 slices of fresh lime

Pour vodka over ice. Fill remainder of glass with diet tonic. Squeeze lime and enjoy!

Skinny Sangria

4 oz dry red wine

3 oz Fresca soda

orange slice

Pour wine and Fresca into glass, garnish with orange slice.

Low-cal Lemonade

1-2 shots vodka

1 packet of lemon Crystal Light

Diet tonic

Stir ingredients in tall glass until thoroughly mixed. Add ice.

**These refreshing adult beverages can go down quick, so please enjoy responsibly! Remember that it's tough to burn off calories from alcohol... pick and choose when you indulge in these treats ; )

Tonights Menu... Fresh and Easy!

I'm back from Washington DC! I took in the sites, spent time with my husband and of course... went to a lot of fabulous restaurants. Now that we're home, nothing sounds better now than a light, fresh meal for dinner. A meal that's light in fare, low in sodium and maybe even something that will help push this extra water out of my system (always have water retention when I've been flying a lot... ugh). This is what's on my menu:

Fresh Shrimp Ceviche

• 1 lb small cooked and peeled shrimp
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 diced cucumber
• 1 small diced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 serrano chile (chopped with seeds removed)
• 1 ripe avocado (peeled with seed removed and cut into chunks)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)

Place shrimp in glass bowl and mix in lemon and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 1/2 hr. Mix in chopped red onion, serrano chile, cucumber and avocado. Serve as appetizer using endive lettuce instead of crackers.

 

Simple Scallops:

• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 8 large scallops

Add olive oil, garlic powder and salt to frying pan over medium heat. Saute scallops in pan until done. About 3 minutes on each side or until opaque in color.
(I start with partially frozen scallops and that helps add more moisture to the pan). 8 scallops serves two people.

Steamed Asparagus with Vinaigrette

 

• 1 big bundle of young asparagus with ends chopped off
• Paul Newman's Light Vinaigrette
• Optional** shredded parmesan cheese

Put the asparagus spears into a colander over a large pan of fast-boiling water, place some tinfoil or a lid on top and allow them to steam until tender but still holding their shape. This should take 5 to 6 minutes but will depend on the size of your asparagus. Try them as you go.

Divide the asparagus between two plates, drizzle lightly with vinaigrette and sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.

Serve with the scallops and enjoy!

 

Chips and Chicken Recipe for Spring Dinners

This is the perfect combo for a low carb, low sodium dinner idea for the casual Spring dinner. Of course, I like my recipes quick and easy... this is no exception! Let me know what you think.

Kale chips

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups packed kale cut into 11 two-inch pieces, stems removed
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• sea salt (optional)

Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• Boneless, skinless chicken tenders (2 oz. each)
• Tbsp sesame seeds
• Tbsp shelled roasted sunflower seeds, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp rosemary
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• spicy brown mustard for dipping

Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously coat baking sheet with canola oil cooking spray. Place egg white in shallow bowl. Combine sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, rosemary and pepper in another small bowl. Dip tenders in egg white to coat both sides, then in sesame seed mixture to coat both sides. Transfer to one side of baking sheet. Combine kale, garlic, oil and sesame seeds in small bowl, tossing to coat. Season with freshly ground pepper and a dash of sea salt. Transfer to baking sheet and spread on one side.

Bake at 400°F, 15 to 17 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and kale is crisp and edges are browned. Flip tenders and toss kale halfway through cook time. Serve chicken tenders with the spicy mustard and enjoy!