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…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Bell Pepper Nacho Bites…

Bell Pepper nacho bites_2

Who does NOT love nachos?

OK… if you do not love nachos there is no way we can be friends. The savoy mixture of seasoned meat with cheese and fresh veggies…It is making my mouth water to just think about it!

I decided to create a simple, healthy, and cost effective alternative to one of my favorite dishes.

This would be a great dish to have as a finger food when you have people coming over OR it can be a great snack/meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package ground lean meat (turkey, chick, lean beef)
  • Assortment of Bell Peppers (red, orange or green and I made 4-6 “bites” per bell pepper)
  • 1 cup low fat Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Salsa
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
Directions:

1. Cook meat thoroughly, add desired seasoning if desired

2. Drain meat and mix salsa/tomato paste to coat meat for flavor

3. Scoop out seeds from peppers and cut into boats (each pepper = 4-6 pepper boats/bites)

4. Scoop meat into pepper boats and sprinkle cheese on top of the meat

5. Either heat up in microwave for 2-3 minutes or stick bell pepper boats onto a non stick baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or until all of the cheese is melted)

6. Remove boats from oven (or microwave) and top with your choice of vegetable (such as minced onions, lettuce, etc.)

You can also top these bits with low fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

By substituting the chips for the bell peppers you are able to cut out a huge overload of carbs without sacrificing the quality or flavor of this dish.

By using lean meat, this will also allow you to cut the amount of fat that is traditionally in this dish.  You can get creative and add diced tomatoes, olives, and other things that you will traditionally find in nachos.  Please be mindful when you add more items.  That can compromise the healthy nutritional value of this meal.

Bon Appétit

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…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Healthy Chili…

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When it is cold outside there are a few items that i MUST have.

These things include:

Tea

Protein Pumpkin Bars

and CHILI!!

When you lead a healthy lifestyle you are always trying to find ways to make some of your favorite recipes healthy and full of nutrients that will satisfy your nutritional needs.

Here is a great recipe that was created by me and my friends that is healthy yet filling and  YUMMY!

What you will need:

  • 1 regular sized can of garbanzo Beans (optional)
  • 1 regular sized can of dark red kidney beans
  • 1 regular sized can of black beans
  • 1 can of petite cut tomatoes
  • 1/2 diced onion
  •  1 can of chili ready tomatoes
  • 1 can of salt free tomato sauce
  • 2 lbs of lean meat (turkey, beef, ground chicken) (in my recipe i used venison)
  • 2 tablespoons of chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons of pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons of garlic
  • 2 tablespoons of garlic powder

Note: You can use any variation of beans for this dish!  I used the above beans because those are the beans I personally enjoy.  Also remember you can add any spices or other veggies to this dish! I know some people add diced bell peppers or chopped celery. Get creative and add your own touch! 

Here is how to cook it:

  1. Cook the meat first so it is ready to go!
  2. Drain the oils/waters out of the meat pan
  3. In a crock pot or big round cooking pot place all of the ingredients together.
  4. Turn the heat on low or medium and let it cook stirring occasionally (it will cook for about 2 hours or longer depending on your own personal preference!)
  5. Once things are warm and mixed let the chili cook and serve!

For this recipe i used a crock pot. I cooked the lean meat and placed everything in my crock pot.  I let it sit on medium heat and stirred it occasionally.  

Here is the nutrient breakdown of this meal:

For each meal i will measure out 230 grams of the chili into my bowl.  I have an electronic food scale that i use to help make my measurements as accurate as possible.

  • 1.5 grams of fats
  • 23 grams of carbs
  • 24 grams of protein
  • 325 calories

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You can garnish your chili however you like!

You can add crackers, cornbread, regular bread, or whatever you would like!
With my meal (the picture above) I added 1 tablespoon of fat-free sour cream and 2 tablespoons of mild salsa.

This is a great meal to make a big batch of and have throughout the week for dinner or lunch.  I will make a big post of this and measure out my serving sizes into Tupperware containers.  I will freeze half of the containers and put the other half in my fridge.  This will allow me to choose when i want to eat it but also not letting any of the chili go to waste.  And when i am ready for some of the chili that is in the freezer i will take it and place it in the fridge the night before OR just pop it in the microwave when i am ready!

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!
You can post it on Instagram and use the Hashtag ” #ILFRecipes

Who knows…maybe those who share their creations will win a prize 😉

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…Meatball Monday: Quick Dinner Idea!…

Time is a great issue with everyone!
Time is what allows us to decide if we will be able to work out today…of if you are able to cook the right kind of food.

The key is to MAKE time to fit in your workouts…

MAKE time to create quick and healthy meal options for you (and possibly your family!)

Today I would like to share another quick meal option with you…

Ground Turkey/beef/chicken/Meat Balls

Time: 15-20 Minutes

Oven Temperature: 400 Degrees

What you will need:

  • The meat of your choice (Ground turkey, beef, or chicken.  All should be available at your local grocery store.  The key is to get the LEAN package of meat.  The HIGHER the number is the leaner the meat it.

Example: 94/6 Beef = 94% lean beef 4% fat.  This is the best lean option for beef.  Your store may not have this lean of meat, so try to find the HIGHEST number you can.

Turkey:  99% lean is the best (and the same goes for chicken as well)

Yes it may be a little more expensive BUT these are the healthiest options.  You can even consider the less lean meats but try not to get the most fatty meat)

  • Chopped up veggies (like onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, etc.  You want to make sure that they are chopped into small cubes and that the pieces will fit nicely in the muffin pan holes.

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Instructions: 

***These instructions are made to follow if you use ONE pound of meat.  If you use two I would just double the recipe****

Set your oven to 400 Degrees

First get your package(s) of meat and put them in a big mixing bowl 

Add whatever seasonings you would like to the meat 

Add your chopped up veggies(I usually put onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms on my meatballs.  I will put 1/2 cup of each veggie in a bowl with 1 pound of meat)

Add 1/2 egg whites OR 2 full eggs(I found that this helps to keep the meat ball together so it does not fall apart)

Add 1/2 cup Quaker plain oats(you can also use bread crumbs or any other kind of bread product.  I use this because it adds to the meatball allowing it to stick together as well as adding to the taste of the meatballs) **You can also skip this step. You do not have to add a bread product if you like***

Make Sure to mix all of the contents in the bowl very well to allow for the best distribution of the veggies, spices, and anything else that you put in the bowl

Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray

use 1/4 or 1/3 measuring cup (depending on how much meat/veggie mix will fit in each muffin tin hole)

Measure your meat into the 1/4 cup or 1/3 measuring cups and fill each muffin tin hole

Once all holes are filled

Place muffin tin in the oven

It will take 15-20 minutes for them to cook.

Just watch them and allow them to somewhat harden and turn brown on the outside.

You can break open one meatball to ensure it is all the way cooked before you completely take them out of the oven.

Allow to cool…serve…and ENJOY!

 

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These are great because you can make a batch and keep them in the fridge and grab them when you are in a hurry! You can eat these with pasta, veggie mix, or with anything else you like!

These also allow you to eat the right portion size!
I usually will have two meatballs, a side of veggies, and something else small (like pasta or rice) with this meatball meal.

Hope that you try these out sometime!

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