recipe of the WEEK!

Crustless Mini Quiche

Ingredients

- ¼ cup Grounded Turkey Meat

- 1 ½ cups Eggbeaters

- 10 oz Spinach

- ½ cup mushrooms

- 1 chopped onion

- ¼ cup fat free shredded cheese

- 6 oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt

- Salt and Pepper (optional)

Directions

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees

- Generously coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking stray

- Cook ground turkey meat till fully brown

- Whisk eggbeaters and greek yogurt (salt and pepper) till smooth

- Dice all veggies and cook stove top with a few tablespoons of water till just slightly softened.

- Place diced veggies in muffin tins

- Sprinkle with fat-free shredded cheese

- Top off muffin tins to top with egg mixture

- Place in oven for 35-45 minutes or till golden brown.

... So, I am really bummed. Why? Well, because I wrote this REALLY neat (or at least I think so!) St. Patty's day blog post, and then I forgot to actually post it! UGH! Oh well... there's always next year, right?... unless the Mayans were right, and then, unfortunately, there isn't next year...

ENJOY!

Bethany

scrambled, please!

Whether you like them scrambled, hard-boiled, poached, sunny side up, over easy, deviled, or shirred… there is a debate going on about one of our most beloved breakfast staples. Didn’t you know? Eggs are a huge source of choline AND controversy.  

There are such mixed feelings out in the Nutrition World these days about eggs. Some say stay away from them completely, while others vehemently defend their nutritional benefits. So, who is right? And… maybe an even more important question… WHY are they right? Let’s dig a little deeper…

Eggs are usually thought of, and analyzed as having two parts: the egg yolk, and the egg white. In the egg yolk, we find that it stores an immense amount of key, sometimes hard to come by, nutrients. One of these key nutrients is choline. Generally, choline is grouped together with the B vitamin clan, although it is not officially part of the group. This special nutrient brings various positive components to the table; choline is thought to aid the prevention of memory loss, protect the liver against damage, lower cholesterol and possibly even fight off some cancers. In addition, most recognize this nutrient as containing antioxidants that could assist in the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration (blurry vision).

With that said, the yolk of the egg is also significantly high in calories, and the general public usually far exceeds the recommended servings by an exorbitant amount. Most people should really only be consuming one yolk a day, and those considered to have any risk of heart attack and/or stroke should limit their yolk intake to two a week. Choline consumed at a too-high rate can cause unpleasant symptoms such as low blood pressure, diarrhea and a fishy body odor.

In conclusion- eggs are GOOD for you in MODERATION!! They have amazing nutrients that aid in the prevention of a slew of health problems. On the other hand, eggs can be eaten way too often, in a much-to-high quantity. Limit yourself to one a day, and prepare it in a way that isn’t going to take away from its benefits. (Don’t slather your scrambled eggs with butter or ketchup!) To still get a hearty amount of food, try making your omelet or scrambled eggs with one yolk and two egg whites; surprisingly enough, they still taste great, and are much more satisfying than just one measly egg.

How do you prefer to eat your eggs? Personally, I’d take them scrambled or hard-boiled ANY day over fried.

Have an EGGcellent, EGGstrodinary, EGGciting day, everyone! J (I couldn't resist!)

Bethany

Recipe of the WEEK!!

Mustard-Garlic Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tbsp apple juice
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:


1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk together the canola oil, mustard, apple juice, garlic powder and salt in a dish. Add the asparagus, and toss together until the asparagus is coated. Lay the asparagus in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the asparagus is fork-tender.


ENJOY! :)
Bethany

MYTH BUSTER!

Ok, all you little dieters! It's time to bust a LEGENDARY diet rule myth! Ready? This will knock your socks off.

RULE:
Don't EVER eat late at night.

or... for the more specific, controlling, hard-nosed version of that RULE:
Don't eat after 7:00p.m.

Guess what, folks? THIS IS JUST NOT TRUE! It is a MYTH! Want to know why? Ok... I'll tell you. :)

Unsurprisngly, a calorie is a calorie no matter WHEN it is consumed. If you eat a banana at 9:00a.m. instead of 9:00p.m.- the banana still has the exact same amount of calories and nutrients. Furthermore, your body recognizes those calories and nutrients in the exact same way no matter the time of day. Your metabolism maintains the same rate throughout the day, and so the theory that your body has a harder time metabolizing food at night is an extreme falacy.

Now, with that said, those who promote this theory DO have a few good, noteworthy points when it comes to consuming calories late in the evening. First of all, people are more likely to over-indulge at night and/or dinner due to not having eaten a full meal since lunch. To combat this problem, it is a really great idea to eat a late-afternoon snack; this way, your body isn't in starvation mode once dinner rolls around. Also, because people usually feel like the major meals have been checked off the list previously in the day, "snacking" seems to be the most popular method of choice for those who are wanting a little more after dinner. Unfortunately, snacking has a pretty negative association with foods such as ice cream, chips, cookies, cake, and any and every high calorie "food" you can think of! A good "snacking" alternative to the common snack food would be a handful (or about 1/4th cup) or almonds. The source of "good fats" in nuts should satisfy your craving for food while aiding in you feeling full for the evening!

Now... don't go crazy at night with the food! Just be aware of the numerous misconceptions about your diet and nutrition. I hope this was insightful!

Have a GREAT Tuesday, everyone!
Bethany