Food Fun

I haven't posted any recipes in a while, so here are a couple I'm sure you'll like.

Cod with Spicy Orange & Black Cherry Sauce & Couscous
Clean Eating Web Site
INGREDIENTS:

10 oz couscous
Olive oil cooking spray
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely minced, divided
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
4 green onions, diced, divided
1 tsp dried cilantro
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 large navel oranges
4 tbsp no-sugar-added all-fruit black cherry jam
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
4 4-oz cod fillets or other whitefish of your choice (1 lb)
1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
INSTRUCTIONS:

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and set aside.
Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Mist with cooking spray, add half of yellow onion and 2 cloves garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add carrots and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add all but 2 tbsp green onions and sauté for another minute. Add couscous, sauté for 1 minute more, then remove from heat. Season with cilantro, salt and black pepper.
In a small bowl, zest 1 orange, then squeeze juice from orange over zest. Slice remaining orange in half, then cut orange slices in half, leaving the peel intact. Set orange slices aside.
Heat a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Mist with cooking spray, add remaining onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add juice-zest mixture and jam, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in cinnamon and cayenne. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until sauce is thickened just enough so it will coat the back of a spoon.
Preheat broiler on high. Line a cookie sheet or shallow baking pan with aluminum foil and arrange fillets on top of foil. Sprinkle paprika over fillets, then top each with 1 orange piece. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes or until fillets are cooked through and flaky.
To serve, place 1 cup couscous-veggie mixture on a plate with 1 fillet, still topped with orange piece. Pour 2 tbsp sauce overtop of each fillet, followed by 2 tsp green onions and 2 to 3 additional orange pieces. (You will have 1 cup couscous and about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sauce left over.)

Nutrients per serving (1 cup couscous-veggie mixture, 4 oz fillet, 2 tbsp sauce): Calories: 440, Total Fat: 2.5 g, Sat. Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 76 g, Fiber: 13 g, Sugars: 9 g, Protein: 33 g, Sodium: 150 mg, Cholesterol: 50 mg

Okay, so these may not be the healthiest desserts, but who can resist a yummy cupcake once in a while?

Basic (Vegan) Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

Posted on CHOW, From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Variation:
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes: Mix into cupcake batter 1 cup (about 10 cookies; chop first, then measure) of coarsely chopped vegan chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies, like Newman-O’s. Bake as directed.

Enjoy!!

Signs of Overtraining

Getting yourself or others to exercise can be a challenge and the thought of overtraining may seem impossible, but once you start working out and find things you like you may actually find yourself in this situation. The following are some signs that you may be overdoing it:

1. Loss of muscle strength and coordination

2. Decreased appetite and body weight loss

3. Muscle tenderness

4. Increased number of minor injuries, such as muscle strains

5. Occasional nausea

6. Sleep disturbances

7. Elevated resting heart rate

8. Elevated blood pressure

9. Constant fatigue

If you have any of these while training, you should probably take a break and rest the body. Understand that your body needs time to recover in order to prevent injuries and get the most out of your workouts.

Take care of yourself by knowing your limits, your body will thank you!

Levels of Exercise

To follow up to last post Where to Start, I thought I would introduce you to levels of exercise.

First according to Aerobics and Fitness Association of America there are five questions to ask when deciding which exercises are appropriate for which clients. This is for personal trainers and fitness instructors, but can also be applied for those who are training.

1. What is the purpose of the exercise?

2. Are you doing it effectively?

3. Does the exercise create any safety concerns?

4. Can you maintain proper alignment and form for the duration of the exercise?

5. For whom is the exercise appropriate or inappropriate?

Now on to exercise levels. This will help you to decide what level you should be performing an exercise if you are not working with a trainer.

Level 1

Isolate and educate. This level is usually performed with contact of the floor or bench and no resistance. Very safe and minimal risk of injury.

Level 2

Isolate and educate. This level the body is still stabilized as in sitting, but now there is addition of resistance using a machine, weights, resistance bands.

Level 3

Addition of functional training positions. This means going from sitting to standing.

Level 4

Here you combine resistance with increased functionality.

Level 5

At this level demands are placed on balance, muscular fitness, coordination and stability. This is achieved by incorporating multiple muscle groups and joint actions.

Level 6

This is the hardest most challenging level of exercise. Here you would add elements of speed, resistance, balance and functionality.

Now if this didn't make any sense to you, below is an example of an exercise that works the same muscle in different levels.

Working the front and side of your shoulders:

Level 1: Frontal arm raises done while seated

Level 2: Frontal arm raises done while seated with weights

Level 3: Frontal arm raises done standing with weights

Level 4: Frontal arm raises done standing on a BOSU

Level 5: Frontal arm raises while doing squats

Level 6: Frontal arm raises while doing squats on a BOSU

Just remember that when you are starting out you can still get a great workout even without adding weights or balance. It's important to keep proper form than to load weights and become injured. So if you are not able to do pushups, for example on your toes, start on your knees, or in table top position. You can even do them standing along a wall. It's not about what everyone else is doing, they are all at different levels, it's about doing what is best for you and challenging yourself safely.

Happy exercising!