1 lb ground turkey
1 cup chopped onions
1 can diced green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tabelspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons chili powder (to your taste)
salt & pepper
hot sauce if desired

Brown ground turkey in olive oil until brown, add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic, salt, pepper and chilie powder, mix well, add chopped chilies, diced tomatoes and simmer for about an hour on low. Serve with sour cream and grated cheese. Add hot sauce if desired. Recipe found at cooks.com

Curtis Stone a healthy cooking chef that works with the biggest loser also has a great however complex turkey chili recipe. If you have the time I am sure it would be wonderful! Check it out here and other biggest loser recipes.

Do you think a low-carb diet is healthy?

I think low-carb diets can be either healthy or unhealthy depending on the foods you choose. A low-carb diet that consists mostly of fish, poultry, low-fat dairy, lots of greens and vegetables, nuts and seeds plus plenty of water is very healthy.  A diet like this would provide the vitamins and minerals you need, plenty of protein and not a lot of added chemicals and food additives that may not be good for you.

A low-carb diet full of processed meats, too much cheese, unhealthy fats, and low-carb snacks sweetened with alcohol sugars is not a healthy diet.

Most processed meats such as sausage, bacon, hot dogs and some sliced meat have nitrites that may combine with other substances to form N-Nitroso compounds in the body. These compounds may be part of the reason why eating processed meats has been associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer.

Tips for a Healthy Low-Carb Diet

• eat lots of green vegetables daily like asparagus, broccoli and green beans
• try several varieties of delicious greens and lettuce with low-carb dressings
• choose fish over red meat which is high in saturated fat
• drink plenty of water
• berries make a terrific low-carb dessert
• consider taking a daily multivitamin and calcium supplement
• avoid processed meats that contain nitrites and saturated fats

Remember that to lose weight you still have to monitor the number of calories you consume. Low-carb snacks sweetened with alcohol sugars and high-fat meat and cheese may still contain a lot of calories. Calorie-Count Plus has the tools to help you track your calories so that you don’t overdo it.

_Source:

_{Ward MH, Cross AJ, Divan H, Kulldorff M, Nowell-Kadlubar S, Kadlubar FF, Sinha R. “Processed meat intake, CYP2A6 activity and risk of colorectal adenoma.” Carcinogenesis. 2007 Jun;28(6):1210-6. Epub 2007 Feb 2.}

Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
• 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
• Olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.  Recipe taken from food network.

Ingredients

• 4 slices whole-wheat bread (1-ounce each)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 jar good-quality marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons (1/2-ounce) shredded Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed, about 25 to 30 seconds. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until golden. (You will wind up with about 1 1/3 cups toasted crumbs.)

In a medium bowl, toss the crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded breasts in a glass baking dish and spray on each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked though and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

• Per Serving

(Serving size, 1 piece chicken with sauce and cheese)

Calories 410; Total Fat 11 g; (Sat Fat 4.5 g, Mono Fat 2.7 g, Poly Fat 1.2 g) ; Protein 50 g; Carb 31 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 110 mg; Sodium 1200 mg

Excellent source of: Protein, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus, Selenium

Good source of: Thiamin, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iodine, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Zinc

There is also of video of Elle making Chicken Parmesan you can find it in my video section or here

Now that the Preparing for the Holiday season is in full bloom I am reminded how easy it is to gain weight over the Holiday season. It always happens to me! Some years are worse than others.  This year I am certain that it is not going to happen to me!  Diet Review had some great suggestions!

Suggestions for staying on track this holiday season include:

Plan Your Workouts: You know how busy you’ll be between Thanksgiving and New Years so start off on the right foot by committing now to a regular exercise routine. To make sure you don’t go askew; mark off on your calendar each day that you will be going to the gym between now and January 1, 2009.  If you know you have a party coming up, make certain to schedule gym time the day before and after the party. By having your schedule set in advance you are less likely to over-commit yourself to the point where you will miss those all important workouts.

Plan Your Meals: Pre-plan your meals for the next few weeks.  Rather than attempting to lose weight over the holidays, focus on a maintenance mode.  By pre-planning your meals you know that you will stay close to your allotted calories and even if you cheat with a (small) slice of pumpkin pie, you will still be able to maintain your current weight.

When you know you have a party you’ll be attending, plan to eat a meal roughly an hour before attending the event that consists of quality lean protein, vegetables and a small portion of whole grains. You never want to go to an event on an empty stomach, and by eating beforehand, you are less likely to mindlessly grab calorie laden foods while at the party. Remember, if you fail to plan you plan to fail!

With these suggestions you can still have some tasty treats here and there!

For cute pilates apparel and tips go to pojofitness.com

Don’t set goals you can’t reach

Ultimately, animal products are treats

Don’t worry (too much) about “nutrients”

Don’t confuse energy bars with real food

Eat what you like, but think about proportion

Think plants first

Start shopping and start cooking- I really like this tip. Its so true that until you make going to the store and preparing for healthy meals a priority you will not lose weight or become healthier. It takes some time but I have found that you will really grow to love cooking and making eating healthy a priority!

Buy and make extra- This is a great idea especially if you have a busy schedule. You can eat a quick healthy meal or snack that you prepared ahead of time.

Mark Bittman also has great recipes on the Runners World site that I loved. Stay tuned for some of those coming up.

Here they are-

Packaged Turkey

Multi-grain and wheat breads

Prepared salads

Reduced fat peanut butter

“Energy” bars

Bran Muffins

Smoothies

Foods labeled “Fat-Free”

Restaurant Baked Potatoes

Sports Drinks

The one that I found most heart wrenching was packaged turkey. This is a favorite treat of mine paired with some wheat thins. I thought turkey was a great little snack because of the low-calorie content. Turns out  it has 1/3 of your daily sodium intake! Ouch! Don’t worry though there are some options. What you have to do it just look for the brands with low sodium. Cooking light says a good rule of  thumb is to find a brand with less than 350 milligrams of sodium per 2-oz. serving.  Follow this advice and you can enjoy turkey lunch meat guilt free!

For more info on this go to cookinglight.com

Ingredients

Box of low-fat Graham Crackers (any flavor, I used regular but if chocolate is an option that is a great way to go)

Lite Cool Whip

Berries of your choice

My roommate Ashton showed me this easy treat about a year ago.  Most nights after dinner I find myself craving a little something more. This healthy treat is a great way to get rid of the cravings without getting out of control with calories, sugar, or fat.  All you do is slap some cool whip onto the graham crackers and then make a little sandwich. Then, put them into the freezer. I usually wrap them in some plastic wrap before I put them in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can eat them how they are or top them with some berries! Hope you enjoy and your sweet tooth is satisfied! For more fabulous low fat dessert recipes go to lowfatlifestyle.com.

A cool place to go to figure out how many calories are in these tasty treat is Calorie Counter.com.

Spaghetti Squash can be used in a lot of different recipes, or it can simply be enjoyed cooked with a little butter, and salt and pepper. My new favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is to use it as a substitute for pasta.  My dad made this for me over the summer and I loved it! So I decided to try it the other day for some friends and it was a hit. It is also very quick and easy which makes it even better. Here is how it goes…

First, you need to cook the Spaghetti Squash. There are lots of different methods to do this but the one I prefer is to just put it in the microwave for about 10 to 12 minutes. Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife before you put it in. Then let it stand for about 5 minutes afterward to finish steaming. See video section for more instruction.

Next, make sure you put on your oven mitts, then take it out of the oven and cut it open at the equator. Remove the seeds and pulp then spoon out the spaghetti squash into a bowl.

Add some turkey sausage meatballs and some tomato spaghetti sauce and you have your self a yummy healthy meal. For healthy recipes using Spaghetti Squash go to allrecipes.com.

P.S.-A 4 oz serving of pasta is about 400 calories!

A 4 oz serving of spaghetti squash is only 37 calories, great way to go!