Spicy Chicken Wraps

I have become obsessed with using lettuce leaves as wraps. Although you can definitely use any meaty filling (and I do), this spicy chicken salad is a great match.

boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp (or more if you are brave) sriracha

Mix shredded chicken with almond butter and sriracha. Wrap in lettuce leaves and enjoy

Roasted Root Vegetables

Any root vegetables would work great in this roast, including sweet potatoes, onions, rutabagas, parsnips and radishes. Radishes have become one of my new favorite vegetables; they are like onions, in that they are super low-carb, but they have a pepper flavor like cabbage.

2-3 sweet potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 cups radishes, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp dried thyme

Heat oven to 400 and mist a large cooking sheet with olive oil spray. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables, then toss with salt, pepper and dried thyme. Cook 45 minutes, tossing frequently.

Colombian Meatball Soup

This recipe is based on a soup we had at Super Perros in Tallahassee, reinvented as a low-carb dish. The sweet potatoes and corn add a complex sweetness to this savory soup.

2 sweet potatoes, diced
2 cups corn
1 onion, chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 tbsp: salt, oregano, pepper
juice of 2 limes

meatballs:
1-2 lbs ground beef or turkey
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 egg
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 tbsp each:
salt, pepper, oregano, paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

To make meatballs, mix all ingredients in a large bowl. This can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Heat a large soup pot to medium-high. Mist with olive oil spray and add onions, corn and sweet potatoes. Cook 3-4 minutes, then pour in broth, water and all seasonings. Cover pot and bring to a simmer. Take meatball mixture and begin shaping small meatballs using a tablespoon to measure. Carefully drop meatballs into the simmering soup and once they are all in, cover pot again and simmer 10-15 minutes. Before serving, add lime juice and season to taste.

Convience Foods: Frozen Sweet Potato Fries

These delicious frozen fries are a great alternative to regular white potato fries and are extremely easy to make. Although they do contain some oils as they were probably flash-fried before packaging, they are great when you are in a hurry. As always, eat them in moderation.

Mediterranean Chicken

This is a very easy and quick way to cook chicken. You could add any seasoning you want to the chicken or throw in fresh olives, peppers, etc.

2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Take a large piece of tin foil and place one chicken breast in the middle. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, then place sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil on top. Seal the packet and place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven 20-25 minutes, then remove and carefully open packet (be careful of the steam). Let the packet sit open 5 minutes, then eat.

Barley

I have just begun cooking with barley, a low-glycemic carbohydrate that is excellent to have on hand. Like oatmeal, barley is an efficient way to get in more starchy carbs without resorting to pasta or rice. Barley is a versatile, low-calorie ingredient that is relatively cheap and very easy to cook.

Mushroom Barley

1/2 onion, chopped fine
salt and pepper
3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
1-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
juice of one lemon
8oz mushrooms

Heat a medium-sized pot and mist with olive oil spray. Add onion and saute 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the barley. Pour in enough stock to cover all the barley, just like cooking rice. Cover with the lid, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer 20-30 minutes.
In a small skillet, cook mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Once the barley is fluffy and the liquid is completely absorbed, add lemon juice and top with mushrooms.

Lemon and Fennel Chicken

This elegant dish is simply and flavorful. The lemon slices add lots of flavor, but you probably don't want to eat them!

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces
2 cups thinly sliced fennel
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
2 lemons, sliced

Heat a large skillet to medium high and mist with olive oil cooking spray. Cook chicken 5-8 minutes, tossing frequently and seasoning with salt and pepper. When chicken is almost totally cooked through, remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same pan, pour in 1 tbsp olive oil and add fennel. Cook 4-5 minutes, season with salt and pepper, then add rest of the olive oil, tomatoes and lemon slices. Cook another two minutes, reduce heat and add chicken.

Grilled Tofu Satay

This is a great dish to serve at a party where there are vegetarians and carnivores alike. Use skewers for easy eating!

2 blocks extra firm tofu

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sriracha

satay:

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 stalks green onions, chopped

Drain excess water from tofu, then cut into quarters lengthwise. Place in a resealable bag and add soy sauce and sriracha. Let marinade 12-24 hours. Heat grill or skillet to medium high and oil surface well. Cook 5-7 minutes per side.

To make satay, heat a very small pot to medium and pour in coconut milk and soy sauce. Once it begins to simmer, add cayenne pepper and slowly whisk in peanut butter. Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer until thick. Sprinkle in green onions.

Mushroom Picatta

Picatta is one of our favorite dishes, but it is typically made with large amounts of butter and breaded chicken. This version curves the lemony-caper sauce craving without the exorbitant amount of fat and carbs.


8oz portabello mushrooms, sliced
2 or 3 medium zucchini
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp capers

Cut zucchini in half and scoop out soft insides. Slice remaining zucchini into thin strips and place in a colander. Sprinkle several teaspoons salt over the zucchini and toss. Let sit at least 30 minutes, then rinse. This will help pull the excess moisture out of the zucchini.
Heat a large skillet to medium high and spray with olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes. Pour in lemon juice, capers and butter. Cook 2 more minutes, then add zucchini. Toss frequently and serve once zucchini is warm.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I saw Ina Garten make this delicious salad on her show and knew I could easily make a low-carb version. The natural sweetness of the butternut squash needs no enhancement from the sugar, molasses or honey that was part of the original dish. Adding chicken provides the necessary protein to make this a balanced meal. Note: Make sure you measure the butternut squash careful; it is a higher glycemic carb and should be eaten in perfect portion.

1/2 lb chicken breasts (you can use a rotisserie chicken or any leftover, cooked chicken)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 bag of prewashed argula or baby spinach
1/8 cup walnuts or pecans

Heat the oven to 400 and toss squash, olive oil and salt and pepper in a roasting dish. Cook 30-45 minutes, tossing often. Toast pecans at the same time for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare salad dressing*
To assemble salad, fill a large bowl with spinach or argula, top with chicken and butternut squash (each according to your protein and carb blocks), then pour over salad dressing.

Salad dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 shallot, chopped fine
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a small skillet to medium and add shallots and vinegar. Cook until reduced by half, then remove from heat and whisk in olive oil, salt and pepper.

Pre Race Nutrition

Optimize race performance by eating well the day before and the morning of your competition. Training time is over. Technical workouts are done. Relax, double-check your gear, trust your training, and concentrate on the event. One area you can focus on preparing is your food and water intake.

As the event approaches you need to taper the intake of unnecessary race nutrients such as fat, protein, and fiber. These are dead weight and not ready sources of fuel on race day. You need fuel from carbohydrates stored properly in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. This can be done by replacing protein and fat blocks with low-glycemic index carbs the day before event. See below for suggested intake based on a Saturday event.

Thursday –

• Start drinking more water in order to hydrate at a cellular level (sip throughout the day, not large volumes at once)
• Small increase of salt intake with meals
• Substitute one protein block with a carb at each meal

Example: chicken breast (lean), sweet potato, tomatoes, little olive oil/butter


Friday –

• Keep hydrating as described before
• Limit your fat blocks to about half normal
• Substitute an additional protein block with a low fiber carb

Example: chicken breast (lean), sweet potato, tomatoes, very little olive oil/butter


Friday night –

• Maintain slow, steady hydration
• Maintain small additional salt
• Almost all carbs (mixture low/high glycemic index)
• Very little fat, protein, fiber (limit to one block of each, NO TVP)

Example: 1 block lean chicken, white pasta (not whole grain), small amount of spinach, sweet potatoes

Saturday morning –

• All carbs at this meal, no fiber or fat, and very little protein (use powder)
  
• Slow fluid intake. Stop hydrating two hours before the race, then consume 6-8 ounces just before the horn sounds (this minimizes the need for mid-event bio breaks)
  

Example: oatmeal, banana, white bagel, Boost, Ensure (not all of these, just a couple)
***Consume this meal two to four hours before your event in order to properly digest. The closer to event, the smaller the meal should be. Do not overload or get too hungry.

Additional suggestions:

• Bring a small item with you in case of hunger before event start such as banana or Ensure
• Nothing new on race day!!! If you have never eaten TVP, do not start the night before
• Try to complete bodily functions before leaving your house (another reason to get up early)
• If you are accustomed to it, use a small amount of coffee as an intestinal motivator… not for energy
• Relax and enjoy those pre-race feelings!

Curried Tofu with Coconut Sweet Potatoes

1 block extra firm tofu
2 large sweet potatoes, diced
2 tbsp curry powder, divided
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup coconut milk

Squeeze the extra water out of the tofu by compressing it under a weighted cutting board 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium, spray with olive oil spray and saute sweet potatoes. Season with salt and 1 tbsp curry powder. Add vegetable broth, bring to boil, and let simmer 15-20 minutes. Reduce heat, then stir in coconut milk and season with more salt if necessary.
Dice tofu into 1 inch cubes. Heat a flat, non-stick skillet to high and spray with olive oil spray. Add the tofu, 1 tbsp curry powder, cayenne and salt and and toss consistently for 5 minutes or until the tofu is golden brown and crispy.

Chole

Chole is an Indian dish made of spicy chickpeas and sweet curry broth. Chickpeas are a great source of carbs and this recipe is easy enough to make in a hurry (I made this before rushing to work one morning)

15oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp each: salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, papricka

Heat a large skillet to medium high and mist with olive oil spray. Add onions and chickpeas and saute 5 minutes. Pour in broth, tomatoes and stir in spices, bring to a boil, then reduce. Cook another 5-10 minutes.

1/3 cup chole is approximately 1 carb block

Peanut Crusted Chicken Breasts

1 lb chicken breasts, pounded flat
1/2 cup oatmeal flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh ground peanut butter
1-2 tbsp soy sauce

Mix together oatmeal flour, salt and cayenne pepper and coat each chicken breast with a fine layer of flour mix. Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter and soy sauce in a small bowl, then coat the chicken with a layer of the peanut mix.
Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high and coat with cooking spray. Cook each chicken breast 4-5 minutes per side. The chicken will remain moist and tender and the crust will be crispy.

Chicken Eggplant Parmesan

This is a great way to use leftover vegetables and/or chicken breast.

8-12 oz chopped cooked chicken
2-3 cups roasted eggplant, onions and peppers*
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 tbsp fresh basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix chicken, eggplant, onions and peppers. Pour in tomatoes, then stir with olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan and bake 20-25 minutes.

* Dice eggplant, onions and peppers and bake in the oven 30-45 minutes.