Quick Tuna and Garbanzo Salad

So, I was looking for some new recipes to try out this past week, and thought I'd look at some recipes on +ZoneDiet. One of the recipes I found was this Quick Tuna and Garbanzo Salad. I love tune salad, and thought this was a twist on something I already eat. The only drawback I initially had about the recipe was using extra virgin olive oil instead of the mayo, but thought I'd give it a try. After making this recipe, I'm not sure I will go back to making regular tuna salad. I say this in part, because with this recipe I noticed that I was full for several hours after eating, which is a good thing when you pair the right foods together. I tried the lemon juice with this recipe and thought it was pretty good, don't know about the balsamic vinegar. So, if you happen to try this recipe with the vinegar, let me know what you think. 

Ingredients:

• 6 oz chunk light tuna in water - rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup garbanzo beans canned - rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup celery - finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onion - finely chopped
• 3 tbsps sweet pickle relish
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 3 1/2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsps fresh squeezed lemon juice - or balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 6 leaves lettuce
• 4 tomatoes - diced or sliced

Instructions:

In a bowl, stir to combine all ingredients except lettuce and tomato. Plate the lettuce leaves and tomatoes.

Fresh Salad

This is an easy salad to prepare and serve along side any meal, or even just by itself. This would be one of those good summertime salads since all the fruits are in season.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lettuce - torn
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ red bell pepper - chopped
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup carrots - sliced
• ¼ cup celery - chopped
• ¼ cup red onions - sliced
• ½ cucumber - sliced
• ¼ cup grapes
• ¼ cup avocado - chopped into small pieces
• ½ cup cooked skinless chicken
• 3 tbsps Fat-Free Piquant Dressing*

Directions:

1. Mix everything together and drizzle dressing over salad.

*Piquant Dressing: 

1/4 cup Rice vinegar

2 tbsps Tomato sauce (no sugar) 
1 tsp Mustard - your favorite kind

1 Garlic clove - pressed or crushed

1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Oregano 
1/8 tsp Cumin  

Whisk everything together.

Fruit N' Nuts

If you are tired of the same old thing for breakfast every day this is an easy and healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 pear chopped
• 1 1/2 cups celery sliced
• 1 cup strawberries sliced
•  1 kiwi peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cups walnuts chopped

Directions:

Add the cottage cheese to a large bowl. Add cut fruit and sprinkle with walnuts.

Homemade Chicken Fajita Recipe-Zone Diet

Not to long ago I wrote a post about the Zone Diet. My physician recommended this diet as a way for me to lose weight. He also told me that this was something recommended for diabetic patients wanting to control their weight as well. Me being pre-diabetic this is a good diet for me to be on, because you eat 3 meals, and have snacks in between. By having the snacks in between meals it reduces your chances of having your blood sugar spike when you eat meals. Essentially it helps maintain your blood sugar levels throughout the day. 

One of the recipes that I had mentioned in my post was a chicken fajita recipe that I thought was really good. Honestly, I don't think this homemade recipe comes anywhere near the $10-$12 you would spend at a restaurant, and you can control the ingredients put into the recipe. If you like this recipe please let me know, and by all means share the recipe. 

Chicken Fajitas

 

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces boneless chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup water or more
• 1/3 green pepper, cut into quarters, seeds and membrane removed
• 1/3 red pepper, cut into quarters, seeds and membrane removed
• 1/3 yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-wide rings, and microwaved on high for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute
• 1 fajita-size (8-inch) tortilla
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 4 tablespoons guacamole

Instructions:

1. Slice chicken breasts crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. Place in a glass dish with salsa, lime juice, salt, and pepper and enough water to cover. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Into a large skillet, over high heat, pour in the liquid from the chicken and cook to reduce by half.
3. Add the chicken strips and using a wide wooden spatula, toss frequently. When chicken turns opaque but is not yet thoroughly cooked, add the peppers and onion. Continue cooking and tossing the mixture.
4. Cook until the liquid has evaporated and it begins to sizzle. Give one more toss and remove from heat. Serve with tortilla and condiments.

Zone Diet

With the holidays coming up and all the food stuffs we will be consuming at work and at home got me thinking that our clothing will probably feel the effects of eating to much. To add to it there will be stress over whether or not we have all the food stuffs for Thanksgiving, starting our Christmas shopping, or other end of year holiday, bills associated with all the shopping, and any other stress that may occur. So I started thinking of ways in which our waistline could be reduced or maintained, and the ideas that I came up with were relaxation, exercise, and a healthy diet.

I'm sure your thinking healthy diet? During this time of season? Oh and you can't forget we are in the age of choosing to up-size our meal at fast food restaurants. I will be the first to admit that I am one of many Americans who is long over due on losing a few extra pounds. So my question is what is the best way to go about losing weight? Do we run to the store and buy that new product we saw on television that says it will not only help you lose weight but make you look good? Does our government need to get involved and restrict our consumption of certain things (like New York tried to do with soda)? Do we go about it on our own and cross our fingers and hope something happens?

Being the skeptic that I am about products I see on television, I opted to go talk to my primary care physician about losing some weight. Knowing that there are many "diets" out there like Atkins, Nutrisystem, and all the rest, the one that my doctor suggested was The Zone Diet. There are books by Barry Sears, PhD that covers this particular diet. So I read the books, even looked this particular diet up on the web, www.zonediet.com, and was even a bit skeptical. I found more information about this diet at http://www.zonedietinfo.com/, so if you have more questions from reading this post, you can check out what is said on these websites.

What I found out through my reading and web research about this particular diet, is that you don't have to give up the foods you love to lose weight. You just have to make sure you are eating the right foods in the right combination and portion. Which in turn boosts your metabolism. The positive effects of this diet is that you experience mental clarity, less fatigue, and enhanced health. With our population becoming more and more overweight, it puts us at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and who knows what else. As an individual who is prediabetic, controlling my blood sugar is a must, and the one way my doctor has suggested is through my diet. To do that I need to eat smaller meals more frequently, and The Zone diet does a good job of portion size, and incorporating snacks in between your main meals.

After several months of trying out this diet I realized that I had lost about 6 pounds the first month, and about 15 pounds overall. Those first 6 pounds I lost was water weight, and as I continued through the next several months several of my co-workers noticed my clothes were getting baggy (and who doesn't like to get noticed for losing weight-confidence booster!). I will say that this isn't an easy diet to be on. You have to work at making sure you have the right ratio of carbs, fat, and protein. If I was ever stuck on what to fix or didn't have any ideas, the one thing I liked about this diet was that you could jump on the website and look for recipes. There are all kinds of recipes for breakfast, snack, lunch, and dinner. One of the recipes that I really enjoy is the Chicken Fajitas. Not only is this recipe wonderful and extremely easy to make, but I don't have to go out to eat and spend $10-$12 for this meal and feel like I have to eat the entire thing.

Please note: Before going on any diet or trying to lose weight through any other method, please consult with your physician. They are one of the greatest assets we have concerning our health as an individual. They will know your health and what would be the best route for you to take concerning weigh loss.