Recipe for Fitness

By Tracy Orzechowski
 

• Begin by setting your eating pattern to include 5-7 small meals evenly spread out 2 1/2 to 3 hours apart.
• Never Skip Breakfast.
• Include a protein, carbohydrate and healthy fat source with every meal.
• Examples of good protein sources are:  Chicken Breasts, Tuna, Whey or Soy Protein Powder, Eggs, small amounts of lean red meat, Turkey, Cottage Cheese and Protein Bars.
• Healthy Fats:  natural peanut butter, flaxseed oil, olive oil, hempseed oil, or any oil rich in omega 6 & 3 and monounsaturated fats.
• Switch from Starchy Carbs to Fibourous Carbs after lunch. For Example:
Fibrous Carbs:  Cauliflower, Cucumber, Celery, Salad, Tomatoes, Broccoli, Carrots, Peppers, and Mushrooms
Starchy Carbs:  Rice, Potatoes, Bread, Pasta, Buns, Cereal
Good Complex Carbs:  Oatmeal, Yams, Sweet Potatoes
• Lower Calorie Fruit Choices:  Apple, Pears, Nectarine, Strawberries, Raspberries.
• If you have a craving for breads or pastas opt for brown instead of white breads or pastas or try 12 grain bread.
• Limit pop intake, but if you must have a cola choose diet instead of regular
• Try Crystal Light for a low-calorie flavored drink – you can even make Popsicles!
• Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated and it helps keep you feeling full.
• Allow yourself one cheat meal a week to have whatever you have been craving.  This is the problem with crash diets they fail to acknowledge that people have cravings and can’t stick with a program if they aren’t allowed to splurge once in a while.  Plan this meal around special outings, parties or other occasions.
• Switch to low calorie dressings or sauces
• Try some fat free products such as fat free cheese or ice-cream
• Try having sugar free jello for dessert instead of cakes, chocolate or pie.
• Try sweet n’ low or nutra-sweet instead of regular sugar
• Limit salt intake
• Use a variety of spices to make your food less bland

Breakfast - 6:30 am  - 4 eggs whites (1 yolk) scrambled with mushrooms & peppers, Oatmeal (30 gm)

Snack – 9:30 am – 1 scoop of whey protein mixed with water and 5 ml of flaxseed oil, Apple

Lunch – 12:30 – Tuna Wrap – 1 can of tuna, fat free mayo, salad, small whole-wheat tortilla, 1 cup of strawberries, and 1 tsp of peanut butter

Snack – 2:30 – Cottage Cheese (5gm of fat), Yogurt

Dinner – 5:30 – Chicken StirFry (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrot mix) A little bit of salsa sauce & tomato paste, 5 ml of olive oil

Snack – 8:30 -  4 hard-boiled egg whites, Raw veggies (carrot sticks, celery, cucumbers)

Tips for Eating Out:

• Ask for dressing on the side.
• Order Salad instead of french fries.
• Order grilled not deep fried.
• Choose poultry over high fat red meats (like burgers).
• Make sure to ask what the meal comes with (ex. Mayonnaise, gravy or other high fat condiments).
• Limit alcoholic beverages.
• Ask for a Nutrition Guide.

• Subway  - chicken or turkey sub, mustard instead of mayonnaise, no cheese
• McDonalds – Whole-wheat Chicken McGrill
• Wendy’s – Mandarin Chicken Salad
• Harvey’s – Grilled Chicken
• Burger King – Grilled Chicken Jr.
• Swiss Chalet – Soup & Salad or Salad & ½ Chicken

Cooking Tips:

• A great way to spice up your oatmeal is to add vanilla whey, a teaspoon of peanut butter or a dash of cinnamon!
• Add Mrs. Dash to grilled Chicken for some added flavour
• Eggs taste great with a shake of low fat parmesan cheese and some salsa sauce
• Try adding Tabasco sauce and lemon juice to tuna or fat free mayo and diced green onion
• A teaspoon of Atkins or Keto baking mix turns egg whites into a nice fluffy pancake

Photo by Neil White

Chocolate protein cookies

6 egg whites
7 scoops oatmeal (1 3/4 cups)
2 tsp brown "Sugar Twin" (brown Sweet 'n' Low)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup un-sweetened apple sauce
4 scoops chocolate (or vanilla) whey powder
2 dashes cinnamon
1 tsp virgin olive oil
1 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 325, bake for 20 minutes
Makes 1 dozen cookies...each cookie has 14g of protein

Take a few of these with you to school along with a cup of low fat yogurt. Add a couple scoops of whey to some skim milk and wash it down. It's a pretty easy (and tasty) way to get 50-60g of protein in a quick fix.

Spicy Crispy Chicken
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
6 (approximately 1½ lbs.) chicken breast halves, boned, skinned
1 egg, beaten
½ cup (2 oz.) Parmesan Cheese
½ cup cornflake crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper or Italian Seasoning
Vegetable oil spray

Method
Preheat oven to 400°. Dip chicken in egg; coat with combined remaining ingredients. Place in greased shallow baking dish, sprayed with non-stick vegetable oil spray. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Prep time: 5 minutes / Cooking time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Information
1/6 of recipe (1 breast) = 213 calories, 33 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrate, 6.3 grams fat, 276 mg sodium. Exchanges = 4 lean meat, ½ bread/carbohydrate choice

Lemon Cheesecake
8 servings

Ingredients
1 whole graham cracker, crushed, or 2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs
1 pkg. (4-serving size) lemon flavor sugar free gelatin
2/3 cup boiling water
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 container (8 oz.) light process cream cheese product
2 cups thawed light whipped topping
1-cup reduced-calorie cherry pie filling (or use fresh fruit)

Method
Spray 8- or 9-inch pie plate lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle bottom and side with graham cracker crumbs.

Completely dissolve gelatin in boiling water; pour into blender container. Add cottage cheese and cream cheese products; cover. Blend at medium speed, scraping down sides occasionally, about 2 minutes or until mixture is completely smooth.

Pour cheese-gelatin mixture into large bowl. Gently stir in whipped topping. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Chill until set, about 4 hours.

When ready to serve, cut into 8 wedges; top with pie filling.

Nutrition Information (1/8 recipe)
160 calories, fat = 7 g, carbohydrate = 16 g, protein = 8 g, sodium = 330 mg, cholesterol = 15 mg

Tuna Dip
I haven't tried this personally yet, but it's looking mighty good to me right now.

1 6oz can of tuna drained
16 oz fat free cream cheese
1-2 tsp Tabasco sauce
2 tsp horseradish
2 tbsp grated onion (can use green)
1 tsp lemon juice (or lime)
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash herb seasoning

Blend everything together in a blender (or by hand) Put in the fridge for 2 hours and serve with fresh veggies

1 serving (a little over 1/4 cup) 65 calories 10g protein 4 carbs and under 1 g fat

CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BARS
(If you replace the oatmeal with low fat muffin mix, you can make protein muffins.)

2 level scoops of chocolate soy or whey -based protein powder.
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1/4 cup of steel cut oatmeal* (see notes at bottom)
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix egg whites and uncooked oatmeal. Add remaining ingredients.

Spray non-stick cooking spray in a 8x8 baking dish. Spread mixture in an even layer, over the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges starts tp pull away from the sides of the dish.

Let cool for 5 minutes and cut into bars

Makes 9 bars

Caloric Intake-- 251 calories
34 grams protein
7 grams fat
13 grams of carbs

* NOTE: Steel cut oats refers to the basic chopping of oats from their original form. Rolled oats are actually processed and lose nutrients in the transition. Rolled oats are the most common form (think Quaker) found in the grocery store chains. Steel cut oats are available at most health food stores. They are usually sold in bulk and are often called Irish oats. An equal amount of regular rolled oats can be substituted.
 

Competition History:

• 1999 Ontario Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships – 3rd Place
• 1999 Western Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships – 1st Place
• 2000 Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships
• 2001 Festival City Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships – 2nd Place
• 2001 Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships – 3rd Place Tall Class
• 2002 Northern Ontario Fitness Championships – 2nd Place
• 2002 Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships
• 2002 Eastern Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships – 1st Place
• 2002 Western Ontario Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships – 2nd Place

• 2003 Canadian National Fitness & Figure Championships