POD's Healthy "Fuel" of the Month

In the interest of fun and nutrition - and showing that yes, you CAN combine the two sometimes - we are going to be featuring one healthy meal a month that can be used to help fuel up before a game or to recharge afterwards. Every once in a while, we'll probably also have a recipe or two for some fabulously tasty treats...because what Derby girl doesn't love treats??

This month, we're going to feature a simple recipe that can be a great way to refuel after a hard practice or a big bout! (Yes, I know the after-party usually features a whole different kind of "fuel," but go with me here...) 

CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Picture from Healthy Today  Healthy Tomorrows

Ingredients:

1 package whole wheat couscous

1 lb. chicken tenders 

1 head of broccoli

1 red pepper

3 scallions 

10 baby carrots 

2 tblspn olive oil 

1 tblspn rice vinegar

2 tblspn red. sodium soy sauce

1 tlbspn Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 

Directions: 

1. Pour olive oil into a large skillet and bring to medium heat. 

2. Turn heat down slightly, bringing skillet to medium low heat. 

3. Chop vegetables and add to pan, starting with the broccoli and carrots (the harder veggies) first as they'll take longer to cook. Stir occasionally to keep from burning.  

4. Prepare the couscous according to package directions. 

5. Cut chicken into small pieces and add to veggie skillet.  Turn heat up a notch and stir frequently to ensure chicken cooks through. 

6. Add vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes to taste.  

7. Place a decent portion of couscous on each plate, then top with chicken and veggies. Serve!

Stir-fry is one of those great meals that you can basically make out of anything. Beef, Sausage, chicken, rice, noodles, couscous, and whatever veggies you happen to have around the house. I've used eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, every type of veggie you can think of!  I chose this recipe to share as it's the one I make most often. Chicken is an excellent source of lean protein and contains important nutrients like niacin and vitamin B. I also like to use the whole wheat couscous because it gives an interesting texture to the stir-fry and increases the dish's protein and fiber content without adding massive calories. No matter what you put in your stir-fry, just go easy on the soy sauce.  Adding all that sodium in after a good workout will only make you feel dehydrated and gross - hello bloat! Buy low sodium and use as little as possible. 

The next time you're looking for a quick and easy dish to throw together, give a chicken stir-fry a shot! Let me know how it goes. 

- Nikki Tesla #134

Holiday Treats to Tempt You: The Second Edition

Now that the Holidays are fully over, we here at POD want to give one last goodies hoorah before going back to thinking healthy. As promised, here are two more of OUR favorite goody recipes! Enjoy.

BROWNED BUTTER BACON RICE KRISPIE TREATS (Submitted by Tesla...originally via Suga)

Photo taken from www.cookeatplayrepeat.com

Ingredients: 

4 slices of bacon

1 stick (4 oz) of unsalted butter

1 (10 oz) bag of marshmallows 

1/4 tsp. seas salt

6 cups of Rice Krispies cereal

Cooking Spray

Directions: 

1. Fry bacon in a small pan to desired crispness. Lay flat on paper towel to drain. Once cool, chop into pieces. *try not to eat any of the deliciousness...*

2. Spray an 8 x 8 pan and set aside. 

3. Melt the stick of butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter starts to melt, stir continuously. Let the butter first froth, then start to darken a little, until it turns brown and smells toasty. KEEP STIRRING so that the butter does not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. 

4. Turn off the heat and stir in the marshmallows. Stir until completely melted. 

5. Take the pan off the cooling burner and stir in the rice krispies, sea salt, and bacon pieces until well combined. 

6. Spoon the mixture into the pan you set aside. Spray the back of your spoon with cooking spray and then press the mixture hard into the pan to make sure it fills out the pan completely. 

7. Once cool, you can cut and serve! 

SWEET POTATO PIE (Submitted by Tesla) 

Ingredients: 

Picture from Tastebook.com

1 premade pie crust 

2 - 3 small sweet potatoes

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup heavy cream (though I've used Half and Half in a pinch) 

3 eggs

3/4 cup honey

Cooking Spray

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray surface of a baking sheet, then cut sweet potatoes lengthwise and place halves cut side down. Bake until the sweet potatoes feel tender. 

2. Put the potatoes off to the side to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn the oven heat up to 400 degrees. 

3. Spray the inside of your pie dish then unroll the crust into the dish and press the sides firmly, creating a good shell. 

4. Remove the potato peels and smush the insides in a large bowl. 

5 Mix in the ginger, cinnamon, and salt.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, beat each into the mixture until it feels combined. 

6.Add the honey and heavy whipping cream, while mixing continuously. 

7. Pour the filling mixture from the bowl into the pie shell, then bake at 400 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. 

8. Cool, then enjoy! 

...And that ends our special Holiday goodies posts for this year. Keep an eye out for our next Healthy "Fuel" of the Month post, where we'll be getting back to business!

Holiday Treats to Tempt You: The First Edition

So, it's the Holidays and though we here at POD have been trying to think healthy (at least once a month!), even we can fully admit that there is no better time to embrace the goodies than now.  As promised, here are some of OUR favorite goody recipes! Enjoy.


PANCAKES A LA REF (Submitted by Brian)

*Makes One*

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/4 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp melted fat (butter, lard, bacon drippings)

Directions: 

1. Meanwhile, heat a skillet or sauté pan to medium (butter will sizzle but not brown)

2. Beat egg and milk together thoroughly
3. Gently whisk in flour
4. Stir in fat
5. Pour batter into pan after the butter stops sizzling
6. Flip when top of pancake becomes dry
7. Cook another few minutes on the other side

Serve with maple syrup, marmalade, lingonberries, or powdered sugar

Image and Recipe from The Gunny Sack

HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIE CUPS (Submitted by Sass)

Ingredients:

1 package Pillsbury Sugar Cookie Dough
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup white chocolate chips
12 mini pretzels
1 cup Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Put 1 tablespoon of the sugar cookie dough into each of 24 greased mini muffin tins.
3. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before gently removing them.
4. Make the chocolate ganache by bringing the whipping cream to a boil in a pan on top of the stove and then stirring in the hot cocoa mix.
5. Put the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a large bowl then pour the hot cream over them and let it sit for 3 minutes. Then, stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the ganache is smooth.
6. Break off the loops on some mini pretzels to use as handles.
7. Melt the white chocolate in a small pan on the stove and use it to attach the pretzel handles to the cookie cups.
8. Spoon the chocolate ganache into the cookie cups and top with mini marshmallows.
*For best results, store the hot chocolate cookie cups in the refrigerator until ready to serve* 

Rather than overload you with too many tempting recipes all at once, we're going to help you savor the sugary goodness by promising more recipes later.... stay tuned for Holiday Treats to Tempt You: The Second Edition, coming soon. 

POD's Healthy "Fuel" of the Month

In the interest of fun and nutrition - and showing that yes, you CAN combine the two sometimes - we are going to be featuring one healthy meal a month that can be used to help fuel up before a game or to recharge afterwards. Later this month, we'll also have a post with some fabulously tasty treats...because it's the Holidays and a Derby girl needs her treats!

This month, we're going to feature a simple recipe that you can really eat over an over...it's quick and easy to make. You can also cook a larger quantity of this recipe so that you have easy, healthy leftovers to reheat later. When it starts to feel too repetitive, you can season differently or switch vegetables and still enjoy the same basic meal several times a week. 

BAKED CHICKEN WITH VEGGIES 

Ingredients:

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts 

(proper portion size is 3 oz. per breast)

Olive Oil 

Pepper

Green Beans 

Water

parchment paper

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Lightly coat bottom of pan (you can use a baking sheet or a glass/ceramic baking dish) with olive oil to prevent chicken from sticking.

3. Place the chicken breasts into the pan, making sure to leave space between them, and season however you would like. I usually just add a little bit of pepper to the chicken. 

4. Take a piece of parchment paper, lightly coat one side with olive oil and place the paper (olive oil side down) over the chicken breasts. This acts as almost like the skin would on the chicken, sealing in the moisture as it cooks and preventing the chicken from drying out. 

5. Place in oven on center rack and bake for about 35 minutes. Chicken should look opaque when cooked, and if using a meat thermometer to check, the temperature should reach about 165 degrees F in the center of the chicken. 

6. As the chicken is cooking, bring a 1/2 inch salted water to boil in a large frying pan or saute pan.
7. Add green beans, cover, and cook until green beans are tender to the bite and water has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.

This meal is actually super healthy and fuels you for exercise with a lot of lean protein.  Women, especially are supposed to eat about 5 1/2 oz. of protein rich foods a day (USDA recommendations) and this healthy chicken is an easy way to do so throughout the week.  You can switch things up and eat different veggies, like carrots, sweet potato, broccoli, or any mix you like! 

Don't forget to check in with us later this month for some fun, not-quite-so-healthy recipes! 

- Nikki Tesla #134

POD's Healthy "Fuel" of the Month

In the interest of fun and nutrition - and showing that yes, you CAN combine the two sometimes - we are going to be featuring one healthy meal a month that can be used to help fuel up before a game or to recharge afterwards. Every once in a while, we'll probably also have a recipe or two for some fabulously tasty treats...because what Derby girl doesn't love treats??

This month, we're going to feature a simple recipe that can be modified in a lot of different ways to satisfy different tastes and to mix things up so that you can make it frequently and not get bored! All you really need is a blender...

GREEN SMOOTHIE

Raspberry Kale Smoothie
from Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

10 cashews or plain almonds

1/2 cup frozen baby kale

1 cup fresh baby spinach 

1 medium banana

1 medium bartlett pear

6 frozen strawberries 

1/2 cup water

Directions: 

1. In blender, add ingredients in this order (for easiest blending) - yogurt, nuts, greens (kale and spinach), fruits (frozen first, then fresh), and lastly water

2. Place top on blender and puree ingredients. 

3. If necessary, pause blending and push ingredients to bottom of blender (BEFORE replacing top and restarting) if blender seems to be working too hard to puree. 

4. If consistency seems too thick, add a little more water and reblend. 

5. Pour into a cup and enjoy! 

The green smoothie I had for breakfast
this morning - yogurt, cashews, kale,
spinach, broccoli, blueberries,
strawberries, banana, and pear.

This is the quick recipe that I use for my morning breakfast shakes.  Really, though, you can use any combination of fruits and veggies to make a green smoothie.  What's important is that you start with some kind of liquidy base - you can use yogurt, milk, almond milk, cottage cheese, then add in the fruits and veggies, and some sort of healthy protein option - like peanut butter, nuts, chia or flax seeds. If you remember those three key components, you can use any multitude of options in your smoothies and still have a healthy meal replacement or "recovery" meal after a tough bout. A good smoothie will taste great and not only give you a burst of energy from some protein, but help keep your immune system up and running with all the vitamins and antioxidents you're intaking. 

AND...even though this shake looks green and like it should probably taste like a salad, let me tell you bananas and berries make it taste fruity! They're really delicious, I swear.

Let me know if you try this and what modifications you make...I'm always looking for new options!!

- Nikki Tesla #134

POD's Healthy "Fuel" of the Month

In the interest of fun and nutrition - and showing that yes, you CAN combine the two sometimes - we are going to be featuring one healthy meal a month that can be used to help fuel up before a game or to recharge afterwards. Every once in a while, we'll probably also have a recipe or two for some fabulously tasty treats...because what Derby girl doesn't love treats??

To kick things off, we're going to start with a simple, easy recipe that can be modified in a lot of different ways to satisfy different tastes and to mix things up so that you can make it frequently and not get bored!

EGG WHITE FRITTATA

Egg White Frittata Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 Tblsp Olive Oil
8 egg whites (or I use the 16oz. carton of egg whites you can buy in grocery stores cuz I'm lazy, LOL) 
1 small onion
1 red pepper
3 oz. baby spinach
3 oz. soft goat cheese
Hot sauce or salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Pour olive oil into large skillet on stove top over medium heat.
2. Chop onion and pepper into small pieces then saute in skillet until softened and onion becomes translucent.
3.  Add baby spinach and cook for about 1 minute until spinach is just wilted.
4. Add egg whites to the skillet, making sure to cover the vegetables evenly. Cook on stove top for about 5-8 minutes. The edges of the egg whites should start to look browned and cooked, but the middle will still look slightly watery on top.
5. Remove from stove top.  Turn on oven broiler.
6. Break goat cheese into small pieces and place evenly on top of frittata.
7. Place skillet into oven on top rack, just below broiler for about 2-3 minutes.  The top of the frittata should finish cooking and turn a lovely pale golden brown color.
8. Remove from oven, let sit for one minute, then cut into four wedges to serve.


You can change up the veggies in this frittata super easily.  Just use whatever you have at home,

An (full) egg fritatta with spinach, onion,
and goat cheese that I made. YUM.

making sure to cook the firmest vegetable (like broccoli, peppers, etc) first so they soften before the egg whites get added. You can also use different cheeses or no cheese at all. This particular recipe is a go-to on weekends in my house, because it's simple and pretty quick. (about 20 mins start to finish). We also add a lot of hot sauce because we like things spicy!

This frittata is good for before a practice or game because it's got protein, veggies, and some fat from the cheese, which all help fuel you but it's light enough that you don't have that awful heavy feeling while you skate.  It's also great for refueling after a workout for all the same reasons.Two wedges of the frittata are about 300 calories, so as long as you share the other half with someone you're still eating a healthy meal that won't immediately cancel out that cardio workout for the day.

Let me know if you try this and what modifications you make...I'm always looking for options in cooking!!

- Nikki Tesla #134