A New Twist for that Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

Sauteed Chicken Medallions with Tomato-Basil Jus----yields 2 servings

1/2 t (teaspoon) kosher salt
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t ground black pepper
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t ground celery seed
1/4 c all purpose flour
2, 3-4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 t canola oil
1 recipe of Basil Tomato Jus

Step 1:
Mix spices together and place in a plastic zip lock bag. Place 1/4 c all purpose flour on a separate plate. Shake the chicken in spice bag, then flour and cook in saute pan in 1/2 t canola oil. Allow the chicken to brown, approximately 10 minutes, do not over cook chicken. While chicken is cooking prepare 1 recipe Basil Tomato Jus

Step 2:
Basil Tomato Jus
3 cloves minced garlic
1 T minced shallots
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2/3 c chicken stock
1/2 t canola oil
3 T basil chiffonade (roll each basil leaf and chop)
Saute garlic and shallots in oil, add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes soften. Add chicken stock and basil, cook for 5 minutes on a low boil. Transfer Basil Tomato Jus to chicken pan and cook together over medium heat, until done, approximately 20 minutes.

Nutrient Anaylsis per serving: Calories: 239, total fat: 6.25g, saturated fat: 1.12g, trans fat: 0g, cholesterol: 76.5mg, Sodium: 700mg, Carbohydrate: 16g, Protein: 27g.

A Supplement I support 100%

These are the Gel Bursts our Jr. Pirate Pee Wee team used during their chapionship playoff games.  And if you missed it:  Yes, they WON!!  Many of the players would say "Miss Kim, where did you get those gels??? My legs never ran out of energy.  I am sure you can find them at the local Walmart or Target or online.  And you can be sure, our pantry will be loaded with them when the season begins again :-)

 

Youth Athletes and Supplements????

The American Academy of Pediatrics  advises that the use of performance-enhancing substances should be discouraged in adolescents.  Young athletes need whole foods for growth, muscle and height.

Here is a comparison between an Amino Acid Supplement Package and Whole food


 

Amino Acids	1 Packet Amino Acid Supplement	1 Cup Cheerios + ½ cup Milk
Leucine	500 mg	239 mg+ 409mg = 648mg
Valine	340 mg	154 mg + 280 mg = 434 mg
Isoleucine	400 mg	113 mg + 253 mg = 366 mg
Arginine	570 mg	214 mg + 151 mg = 365 mg
Cost	$1.50 per packet	$0.50 per servings

If you look closely at this list of amino acids you will notice that Leucine, Valine and Isoleucine are included.  These are your BCAA's (branch chain amino acids).  Some studies have shown that the BCAA's, specifically valine and leucine may help to slow muscle breakdown during intense training.

So now you know your child can get this benefit with a bowl of Cherrios and a 1/2 cup of milk.  Choose your milk based on calorie needs.  If you need more calories use whole or 2%, if you need less use 1% or low fat. 

Go have a great workout!!

Why Carbohydrates are not the Bad Guy

Carbohydrates are your body's "go to" source for fuel.  Your brain is designed to ONLY run on glucose, which is supplied from the carbohyrates you eat.  Your muscles depend on carbohydrates to keep you pushing through your practice, game or workout. 

And no, don't head to the cookie, cake or local donut shop....I am not talking about those carbohydrates.

I am talking about the carbohydrates found in your fruits, starchy vegetables, dairy products and grains.

Carbohydrates are long chains of glucose (sugar) molecules strung together.  Your muscles can use the glucose from the broken down carbohydrates 3 times quicker than energy from fat.

That is why you do not want to take your youth hockey player to eat at a quick fast food place inbetween games, or order a pizza at the rink when you have an 1 1/2 hrs between games.  A fatty meal before a game or practice will make your legs feel like lead.

So go load your refrigerator with fresh fruits, dairy and starchy vegetables, and your pantry with whole grains.

My sons usually have pasta with red sauce or some homemade potato soup 2-3 hrs before practice.

Happy skating!!

Be a Sugar Detective

When was the last time you truely read the ingredients on the food label??? Maybe you looked for the fat or sugar grams, or the calories per serving.  That is great!  Now make sure you take time to read the ingredients, you will be suprised what you find.  The first 3 ingredients listed are the most plentiful in the product.  So here you go....become a sugar detective today :-)

Let's look at hidden sugar. Here are some words to look for in the ingredient list that let you know there is hidden sugar in the product:

Dextrose
Brown sugar
High fructose corn syrup
Corn syrup
Molasses
Brown rice syrup
Turbinado sugar
Dextrin
Fruit and date sugar

This is a small list there are more.

Remember, sugar gives your kids a quick burst of energy, however, it is followed be a very quick decrease in energy. This is not what they need on the ice or in the classroom. Let your children help you read labels in the grocery store. Become Sugar Detectives today!!

For a good cereal look for cereals with 10 grams or less of sugar per serving.

Happy "hunting"

Ritz Cracker Pie

I would love to tell you that this is nutritious, so I will try :-)  It contains pecans, a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids.  And it is rich in carbohydrates so the pie, minus the whipped cream (the delicious fat) will help turn on your relaxing chemical, serotonin.

Oh heck, I just LOVE this pie :-)

25 Ritz Crackers, crushed

1 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup chopped pecans

3 egg whites

½ pint heavy cream

2 T sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine crushed crackers, one-half cup sugar, and pecans; set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually adding one-half cup sugar. Fold cracker mixture into egg whites. Pour into greased nine-inch glass pie plate. Bake one hour, Cool.  Whip heavy cream with 2 T sugar and vanilla extract. Spread over top of pie after pie has cooled and chill several hours or over night.

Enjoy!!

Let's Talk About Juice

The other day at work a co-worker mom asked me advice about her 10 yr. old daughter.  She informed me her daughter was about 4'7" and weighed 110 lbs.  She said the doctor didn't say anything during their recent visit.  She asked me if I thought her daugher was overweight.  I said yes, but do not mention the word diet and encourage movement.  Her mom said, ok, we are going to get back to swimming, she loves to swim.  We did a quick review of her daughters daily intake.  She does't drink sodas and her mother has limited the amount of snack foods in the house.  The calorie culprit:  Juice.  Yes, juice calories can add up and add up fast.  She informed me that she had noticed her daughter had gained the extra 20 lbs recently and it coinsided with her regular purchases of juice boxes.  I asked how many she drank in a day and she told me 5 sometimes.  That is an extra 300 calories a day in juice alone.

So look at the math: it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a pound.  If a child consumes this much juice every day, in two weeks the child will have consumed an extra 4200 calories.  Yes, more than enough to gain a pound.

Am I saying don't drink juice, not at all.  I am saying be aware.  We have juice and water in the house and my sons like juice.  But the first thing they see when they open the refridgerator is the giant water container (Brita, the kind that holds about 2 gallons of water) that they use to fill their cups.

Now go take a look in your fridge and see what you see first, chances are your child/children see it too.

For those of you that may be interested here is a link for a children's BMI calculator.  It may be helpful.  BMI stands for body mass index and the number looks at height and weight only, so muscle weight is not factored in. 

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/usefultools/l/bl_bmi_calc.htm