RECIPE: HASH BROWN CHICKEN TOSTADAS

Source: Better Home and Garden’s Special Interest PublicationsL Ultimate Chicken Magazine (2010)

Ingredients:

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or chicken breast tenders

1 ½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups refrigerated or frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed, if frozen

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped red sweet pepper

2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro

¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese (1 ounce). (I prefer Trader Joe’s “Lite Shredded 3-Cheese Blend”)

Toppers: Lime wedges, sour cream, salsa, sliced green onion, chopped tomato, shredded cheddar cheese, and/or cilantro leaves

Method:

Cut chicken breasts into 2-to 3-inch strips (or use chicken breast tenders). In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, cumin and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Add chicken; toss to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet.; Keep warm.

In a medium bowl, combine hash browns, egg, jalapeno pepper, sweet pepper, snipped cilantro, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt; stir to combine.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Divide potato mixture into four mounds in skillet. Press with a spatula make ½-inch-thick patties. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Divide chicken and cheese among patties. Cover; cook for 2 minutes more or until cheese melts. Serve with lime wedges and toppers.

Makes 4 Servings

Per Serving (for original recipe): 370 CaL, 16 G Fat (4 G Sat. Fat), 110 MG CHOL, 600 MG SODIUM, 31 G Carbo, 3 G Fiber, 27 G Protein.

RECIPE: CHICKEN TACOS

Source: Better Home and Garden’s Special Interest Publications: Ultimate Chicken Magazine (2010)

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 Clove garlic, minced (I prefer 2-3)
2 Cups chopped cooked chicken
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 4-oz can diced green chile peppers, drained (I substituted 2 fresh jalepeno peppers, finely chopped, with seeds)
½ tsp chile powder
¼ tsp ground cumin
twelve taco shells or twelve 6-to 8-inch corn, flour, or brown rice tortillas, warmed
2 Cups shredded lettuce
½ Cup chopped seeded tomato
½ Cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces). (I crumbled Cotija, which is lower in fat and makes for a more-authentic flavor)

Method:

• Coat large skillet with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in chicken, tomato sauce, chile peppers, chile powder, and cumin. Cook and stir until heated through.
• Divide chicken mixture among taco shells. Top with lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

Makes 6 servings

Per Serving (for original recipe): 279 Cal., 13 G Fat, (4 G Sat. fat), 50 MG Chol, 417 MG Sodium, 23 G Carbo., 3 G Fiber, 19 G Pro.

Lauren Kern on Channel 7 News

Lauren Kern on Channel 7 News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu5mQxWF86c

RECIPE: HARVEST SAUSAGE & CORN BREAD UNSTUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

Source: Better Home’s and Garden’s Special Interest Publications: Ultimate Chicken Magazine (2010)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 4 Bone-In, skin-on chicken breast halves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 cups coarsely chopped, peeled butternut squash or sweet potato
• 1 cup sliced celery (4 stalks)
• ½ cup chopped onion (1 medium)
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 5 cups coarsely crumbled corn bread\2 tablespoons snipped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded orange peel
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

Method:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to break into small pieces. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, skin side down; cook about 5 minutes or until brown, turning to brown evenly. Remove from pan.
• Add mustard seeds to skillet; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Add squash, celery, and onion; cook about 6 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Carefully add wine and broth; bring to boiling. Pour mixture over sausage in dish. Add corn bread, sage, and orange peel; carefully stir.
• Place chicken on top of corn bread mixture, skin side up. In a small bowl, combine orange juice and mustard; spoon over chicken. Cover with foil. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 30 minutes or until no longer pink (‘170 degrees F). Remove foil during last 10 minutes of baking.

Makes 4 servings.

Per Serving: 617 Cal, 26G Fat (7G Sat. Fat), 158 MG Chol, 1,363 MG Sodium, 39 G Carbo, 49 G Pro

Lauren +50lbs dips

Exercise Bike TubeTraining™ - Fat Loss Exercise Spinner Workout

How To Burn Fat Using a Spin Bike

Treadmill Interval Training: 5 Step Fat Loss Workout (Intense)

Global Fitness Web Infomercial

NPC Border States Championships: 1ST PLACE (Unlimited Figure, Class B)

Train Like A Man, Even If You Aren’t One

During my athletic years and throughout the history of my experience as a Personal Trainer, I have continuously heard females associate their disinterest of weight-lifting with a fear of “getting big.” Today, I want to discredit this myth by explaining just how difficult it truly is for women to put on quantity muscle mass.

1) Women do not produce enough testosterone.

Testosterone is the primary hormone responsible for muscle mass gains.

From pre-pubescence to full maturation, the testosterone of a male shifts from a range of 20-60 ng/100 ml (pre-pubescence) to 600 ng/100 ml (full maturation). This 10-fold increase in male testosterone production accounts for the noticeable muscle mass increases in males. Increases in muscle mass in males can be seen between ages 18 and 25.

On the other hand, from pre-pubescence to full maturation, the testosterone of a female remains unaltered at 20-60 ng/100 ml. It is only the increase in estrogen production, during puberty, that accounts for increased body fat, breasts development, and hip-widening. Although females also tend to develop muscle during puberty, they will acquire far less than males and will do so at a far slower rate. Peak increases in muscle mass in females can be seen between ages 16-20.

• Conclusion: if a woman and a man trained exactly the same, then their bodies would still appear very different. Both would gain quality muscle, but women would develop far less of it

2) Females have fewer type 2 (fast twitch muscle fibers) than males in their upper bodies.

Type 2 muscle fibers are very much responsible for one’s ability to develop strength, power, and muscle mass.

Since females have fewer of these fibers in their upper bodies, they usually cannot develop equivalent strength and muscle size in their upper bodies, compared on an absolute basis to the ability of males. Think about it: how many women do you see benching or pulling up their body weight? The answer is probably few.

On the other hand, Females and males have similar quantities of type 2 fibers throughout their lower-bodies. Therefore, a female’s legs are much more likely to possess equivalent strength and muscular potential to males. A woman may not have a very difficult time developing the strength to squat or dead-lift her body weight because of this.

• Conclusion: Females and males have an equal potential of developing lower-body strength and muscle mass. Compared to males, females cannot usually develop equal upper body strength and muscle mass.

3) Males have a larger cross-sectional area.

A larger cross-sectional area means that the muscles are thicker.

Thicker muscles have a greater force-generating potential. The ability to generate force is directly associated with the ability to produce muscle mass. The muscles enlargement that results from resistance training is called hypertrophy and is primarily the result of an increase in the cross-sectional area.

• Conclusion: Females are not usually capable of reaching equivalent thickness to the muscles of males. Females have less ability to generate force, and therefore, less ability to gain muscle mass.

4) By nature, females have a higher percentage of body-fat, primarily due to increased amounts of estrogen.

• Conclusion: Additional body fat will make it harder to see any quality muscle gains in females (compared to males).

To every woman who associates their disinterest of weight-lifting with a fear of “getting big:” Get over your misperceptions and get ballsy with your free-weights (no pun intended).

To gain quality definition, you must train with intensity! A minimum of 5 hours of cross-training per week (cardio and weights) along with maintenance of a healthy and calorie-specific diet will allow females to “tone-up” efficiently without looking huge ☺

For Information regarding calorie-specific dieting, visit:

http://laurenkern.com/nutrition.html

For Information regarding calorie-specific meal plans, visit:

http://laurenkern.com/contact.html

WHAT IT TAKES TO LOSE 1 LB OF BODY-FAT/WEEK

• One pound of body-fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories.

How do you burn off a pound?
1) Begin by visiting http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

• This is a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculator. Your BMR is the number of calories that you burn if you were to lay in bed for an entire day.
• Enter your Height, weight, age, & gender. Click on “calculate BMR”

2) Calculate your daily energy expendature

• If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
• If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) :Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
  
• If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
• If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) :Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
• If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

*Example: my BMR is 1,320. 1,320 x 1.55= 2,046 calories/day

3) Create your deficit. The outcome of your equation is the number of calories that you need per day in order to maintain your current weight. If you expect to lose one pound of body-fat per week, then take the outcome of your equation and subtract 500 calories to create your deficit (a deficit of 3,500 calories per week means a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories).

*Example: The outcome of my equation was 2,046. 2,046-500= 1,546 calories per day

4) The outcome of step 3 equals the number of calories you must consume per day (for 7 days in a row) in order to lose 1 pound of body fat at the end of the week.

5) Use a journal to calculate your daily calories. Follow serving sizes so that documented caloric amounts are exact. Weigh & measure your food. If your food is unpackaged (as in the case of fresh produce), then Google the caloric intake of such foods. It may seem tedious at first, but you will begin to see easy-to-remember patterns. Try to eat every 3 hours.

6) I recommend dividing the outcome of your equation by 5. Eat 5 meals per day. Each meal should be structured to meet 1/5th of your daily caloric needs
*Example: My daily caloric need to lose 1 pound of body-fat per week is 1,546. 1,546/5= 309 calories per meal. I will eat 309 calories during each meal, 5 times per day.

You have the tools to make the changes that you desire. Now use them to get the results!

RECIPE: GINGER CHICKEN & WARM APPLE SLAW-Serves 4

Source:Better Home’s and Garden’s Special Interest Publications: Ultimate Chicken Magazine (2010)

Ingredients:

• 4 Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves ( 1 1/4- 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoom olive oil
• 1 Red Onion, cut into thin wedges
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 red and/or green cooking apples, cored and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 3 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrot (coleslaw mix)
• I use 1 bag shredded cabbage & 1/2 bag shredded carrots from Trader Joe's
• Orange Wedges, for squeezing on top

Method:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Turn chicken and add onion and ginger. Cook 4-5 minutes more, stirring onions, until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm
• Add broth and vinegar to skillet. Bring to boiling; biol gently, uncovered for 5 minutes or until reduced by about half. Add apples amd coleslaw mix. Cook and stir gently 5 minutes or until apples are tender. Return chicken and accumulated juices to skillet. Serve with orange wedges.

Per Serving: 270 Cal., 5 G Fat (1 G Sat Fat), 83 MG Chol., 518 MG Sodium, 20 G Carbo.,4 G Fiber, 34 G Pro).

Benefits of Kettle Bell Training

Biceps workout

RECIPE: WARM CHICKEN, BLACK BEAN, & RICE SALAD WITH MANGO DRESSING-Serves 6

Source:Better Home’s and Garden’s Special Interest Publications: Ultimate Chicken Magazine (2010)

Ingredients:

• 1 mango, seeded, peeled
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 3 t ablespoons lime juice
• 2 c loves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup cashews
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¾ cup finely chopped red sweet pepper (1 medium)
• 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 8.8-ounce pouches cooked basmati rice or 3 cups leftover cooked basmati rice (I prefer 1 cup brown basmati rice)
• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups coarsely shredded deli-roasted chicken (see my recommendation below)
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• ½ cup sliced green onions

Method:

• For dressing, in a blender, combine mango, oil, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Cover; blend until smooth.
• In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until bubbly (olive oil can be used instead). Add cashews and cumin; cook and stir about 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Add sweet pepper and jalapeno peppers: cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Add rice, black beans, chicken, and broth; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until heated through.
• Stir in the ½ cup cilantro, green onion, and 2/3 cup of the mango dressing. Transfer the mixture to a serving platter. Serve with remaining dressing.

Preferred Modifications

To cook the chicken yourself, use 1.5-2.5lb chicken breast meat. Cover the bottom of a stew pan with fresh cilantro. Place chicken breasts on top of cilantro. Cut 2 lemons and squeeze over chicken, leaving lemons on top. Cover chicken in 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low heat for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken from water and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cooled, shred chicken into fine pieces with hands.

Great Biceps Workout

Source: Muscle & Fitness Magazine. May, 2010.

RECIPE: STUFFED CHICKEN CACCIATORE-Serves 4

Source: Better Homes and Garderns Special Interest Publications: Ultimate Chicken Magazine (2010)

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoon snipped oil-packed dried tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 red sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup quartered small white mushrooms
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup (when dry) hot cooked brown or wild rice

Method:

• Place each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound chicken lightly into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Remove plastic wrap.
• Divide basil leaves, dried tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese evenly among chicken pieces. Fold in the side edges; roll up from bottom edge. Secure with wooden toothpick.
• In a large ovenproof skillet, cook chicken rolls in hot oil over medium0high heat about 5 minutes or until lightly brown, turning once. Remove from skillet; set aside.
• Add onion, sweet pepper, mushrooms, and crushed red pepper to skillet; cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano: cook 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return chicken to skillet. Spoon some sauce over chicken; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon cheese.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven about 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). Remove toothpicks. Serve chicken and sauce with rice.

Per Serving: Approximately 400 cal, 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat) 86 mg cholesterol, 698 8mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrates, 41 g protein.

RECIPE: CRAB, MANGO, & AVACADO SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING.

Source:

Bon Appétit | July 2007Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crab-Mango-and-Avocado-Salad-with-Citrus-Dressing-238776#ixzz0lJztFlXw

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
• 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, separated into chunks
• 1 large (15- to 16-ounce) mango, peeled, pitted, sliced
• 1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced
• 12 large Boston lettuce leaves

Method:

• Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Mix in onion; let marinate 15 minutes.
• Combine crabmeat, mango, and avocado in large bowl. Gently mix in dressing. Overlap ends of 3 lettuce leaves in center of each plate, forming bowl. Mound salad in lettuce bowls and serve.

Preferred Modifications (Bernd & Lori Stephan)

• Add more lime juice.
• Use minced shallots (1-2 Tbs) in place of the onions.
• Dice both the mango and avocado instead of slice.
• Add diced bell pepper. Add chili sauce (or tabasco) for heat.
• Add chopped cilantro.
• Use Belgium endive leaves instead of Boston lettuce.
• You can also replace the bell pepper with diced jicama.

RECIPE: LEMON AND CURRY MARINATED CHICKEN-Serves 8-10 (4oz Servings)

Ingredients:

• 2-2.5 lb boneless & skinless chicken breasts
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 medium-sized lemon
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/3-1/4 of a medium-sized shallot
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon red chile pepper

Method:

• Use a food processor or blender to puree olive oil, lemon, garlic, shallot, curry powder, cumin, and and black pepper. Pour Ingredients over chicken in a zip-lock freezer bag and leave in refrigerator for 1 hour to marinade.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour contents of freezer bag into a large glass Pyrex baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes (or until cooked thoroughly).

RECIPE: GARLIC & BASIL-MARINATED CHICKEN-Serves 8-10 (4 Oz Servings)

Ingredients:

• 2-2.5lb boneless & skinless chicken breast
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 orange
• 4 oz fresh basil leaves (no stems)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/3-1/4 of a medium-sized shallot
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

• Use a food processor or blender to puree olive oil, orange, basil, garlic, shallot, and black pepper. Pour Ingredients over chicken in a zip-lock freezer bag and leave in refrigerator for 24 hours to marinade.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour contents of freezer bag into a large glass Pyrex baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes (or until cooked thoroughly).

Rebok Commercial

How to Gain Lean Muscle Mass

• In order to gain weight in the form of muscle mass, two factors are of most importance: diet and resistance exercise. Additional calories are needed in order to accomplish this goal during resistance exercise. If all additional calories consumed are used for muscle growth, then approximately 2,500 of extra kilocalories are required for one pound of desired increase in lean muscle growth per week. Therefore 350-700 additional kcal calories more than daily requirements would support this mass gain and the necessary energy requirements for training.
• This increase in calories can be accomplished by increasing meal sizes, eating more frequently, or by choosing higher-calorie foods. Ideally, one should be eating at least 5 times per day. Meal replacement drinks are a great way to achieve results for those who find it difficult to consume this many meals per day.
• Muscle gains require increased amounts of protein. These needs are estimated to be 1.5-2g/kg of body weight per day.

Recipe: MUESLI-Serves 8 (1 Cup) Servings

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup uncooked quick cooking oats
• 2/3 cup 1% milk
• 2/3 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2/3 cup chopped almonds
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 cups thinly sliced peaches, nectarines, mangoes, apples, or apricots
• 1 cup strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine oats, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften oats.
• In a small bowl, combine orange juice, chopped nuts, and honey. Slice fruit and add to orange juice mixture. Add berries. Stir into yogurt mixture and mix well. Serve chilled.

Beware of "Sugar-Free" Labels

Aspartame's new name and the little known new
nanotech product that drugs your tongue, unlabeled!

Never drink diet soda. The new product unlabled
is Senomyx which will only be labeled as an
artificial flavor or flavor enhancer is created
by drug technologies and nano technologies. It
has been given the label of GRAS (generally
recognized as safe), so it won't be labeled like
Aspartame (AminoSweet) . By receiving the GRAS
status given to them by their very own trade
association, Flavor and Extract Manufacturers
Association (FEMA) they are not required to
submit to any rigorous FDA testing on this drug
that "fools" the tongue so that you perceive that
you are eating sugar, but you are not.

Senomyx is made of such small scale materials
that it can fit under the 5% organic standards rule.
Kraft foods who owns organic companies saw to it
a few years ago that Congress would change a
court ruling that supported only natural
ingredients in the organic certified processed products.

Now because of Kraft lobbyist "synthetic"
ingredients are allowed in certified organic
processed foods under the 5% rule. Kraft is
krafty..I bet they plan on a line of dietetic
organic food and drinks that will not have to be
labeled because it is under 5%.

For everyone who wants to keep up on how they
slip aspartame into our foods, drugs, vaccines
(yes, vaccines), OTC meds (especially child
products), aspartame has a new name of
AminoSweet. Since aspartame has gotten such a
bad name (as it should), Ajinomoto has renamed
this toxic chemical sweetener. Start double checking your labels.