Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. After the deluge of food that was consumed from what I hear, it’s time to get back to work! Fish is a great source of protein and alternative to the heavier options popular for the Easter dinners. This is my favorite way to prepare salmon and the glaze can be put on any meat! Spring is the time of fresh starts – lets restart that clean food focus and get back to work in the gym!! Enjoy …

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped fresh or crushed dried rosemary
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil

Salt and pepper both sides of fish. Heat oil in pan. Place salmon in pan and cook about 3 minutes per side depending upon the thickness of the fillets.
While the salmon is cooking, heat vinegar, wine, mustard, rosemary and garlic in sauce pan on stove top on medium heat and reduce to about 1/2 original volume. Sauce will thicken and look somewhat like loose tar. 🙂
When salmon is cooked on both side, serve with sauce poured over fish. Bon apetit!!

This is the recipe that changed my family dinners. NEVER before would my kids touch that toxic vegetable otherwise known as brussel sprouts! How easy it has been to change their view with just one recipe. OK – I will fully admit that this is not the healthiest recipe I have posted, yes, it does have some cream and the beloved substance called bacon! But let’s keep things in perspective – I now have 2 children that voluntarily eat brussel sprouts and go back for seconds! Give this recipe a try – you won’t regret it – great one for Easter not that far off!!

2 pounds brussel sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
1/2 – 1 pound bacon – thick cut, cooked and cut in small pieces
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs butter cut into small pieces
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly grease a baking dish.
Boil a large pot of water – cook sprouts in water for approximately 8 minutes, drain and then immediately rinse with cold water. Cut them in half or quarters depending upon sprout size.
Put sprouts in greased pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour cream over sprouts, then sprinkle with bacon, then cheese, then bread crumbs, then broken pats of butter.
Bake 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!!

Valentine’s Day is just a day away! Gotta love that sacred day of chocolate! So how do we indulge without the recovery workout the next day – You know what I’m referring to – that workout that you think will replace all the bad that you did the day before!! No magic bullet, but go in with a plan! You plan your workouts and plan for meals for the week, so why not plan the indulgence as well!
In walks coconut bars – coconut gets a lot of press for being the “good” kind of fat, but has a lot more to stand on than that! Raise that HDL and add so many minerals that we have trouble getting elsewhere including magnesium. The anti-aging properties can’t be beat! That’s a discussion for another blog.
So combine that with a little dark chocolate and you have a couple bites of no guilt.
So indulge this Valentine’s Day or make a treat for the special healthy someone!

Coconut Bars:
2 cups unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
2 Tbs honey
Melt coconut oil with honey in microwave. Add coconut flakes. Place in square 8×8 pan. Press to form a solid mass.
Place in refrigerator until cool. Top with melted dark chocolate.

Yep, its just that easy! YUM!!

Life is full of choices. We are each given 24 hours and the ability to use them as we wish. Yeah, yeah, I know – there are a ton of things we don’t control, BUT in the end if you really think about it – we always make time for the things that are most important to us. For me exercise and my family are on the top of my list.

So we started this business and I have become faced with the challenge of getting healthy dinner options on the table without being home to cook them. Enter that dusty crock-pot that has been taking up room in my pantry!! I have made the commitment to cook more with that wondrous invention! After a long day I have forgotten I put the ingredients in the pot early in the am and come home to this amazing dinner that feels like someone else has cooked it.

This week I tackled a turkey breast. So incredibly good and such a small amount of work! Give it a go!
If you have favorite crock-pot recipes, please share them with me! I would love the support on this new commitment! Post here or email to nancy@inspirfitness.com. in the mean time – get out the bird!!

Crock-Pot Marinated Turkey Breast Recipe

1-7 pound turkey breast (without bones is easier, but I couldn’t find one – 7 pounds is what fit in my crock-pot)
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tbs. oregano
1 Tbs minced garlic
salt and pepper
Spray crock-pot with Pam or olive oil. Please turkey in pot skin side down.Pour wine and lemon juice over turkey. Sprinkle oregano and garlic over turkey. Cook on low for approximately 8 hours. Enjoy!! So good!!

The news mentioned we would need to buy 25 BILLION avocados from Mexico in order to build the wall. Or if you sit on the other side of the “wall” you could buy only American from California. However you choose to procure those emerald beauties, use this recipe to enjoy all the goodness they have to offer. Thank you Colleen for this great recipe!
Beyond how great this lunch tastes, avocados are a super healthy choice! A great source of the good fat and have more potassium than bananas. These little beauties are also a great source of vitamin K, C, B6 and E.
Thank you to “The Stay at Home Chef” blog for creating this recipe. Rachael has a Thai version as well as the Mexican recipe. Is it lunch time yet? I’m in!!!

Healthy Tuna Stuffed Avocado

Prep time
10 mins
Time to Make It
10 mins

Author: Rachel Farnsworth
Yield: 1 to 2 servings

Ingredients
• 1 avocado, halved and pitted
• 1 (4.5 oz) cans tuna, drained
• ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoons minced jalapeno
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Scoop out some of the avocado from the pitted area to widen the “bowl” area. Place the scooped avocado into a medium-size mixing bowl. Mash it with a fork.
Add the tuna, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro to the mixing bowl. Pour lime juice over. Stir it all together until everything is well mixed.
Scoop the tuna into the avocado bowls. Season with salt and pepper.

Got that craving for Chinese? Don’t tell the family its cauliflower and make this super healthy version of fried rice. I’m usually not a fan of these “healthy switch ups” on classic foods – I usually can’t get my brain to accept the fact it’s not the real thing, but this one is different!! My college daughter made this first for our family dinner and I’m willing to eat anything someone ELSE makes for dinner. I was shocked that this has now become a fav in my household – forget the take out and get out the food processor! By the time the car could make it to local restaurant and home you can have a super healthy fabulous dinner! Cauliflower is super high in vitamin C and a great antioxidant, so chow down. My go to protein is usually chicken, but feel free to sub in whatever you have in house. Just make sure there is some in there to rebuild/refuel after that awesome workout I know you had today at Spire! 🙂

Cauliflower Fried Rice
– 1 head cauliflower grated (use a food processor, can use a grater, but gets a little messy)
– 1/2 bag frozen peas and carrots
– 3-4 garlic cloves, minced (yes, when I’m in a hurry the jar kind or powders works, but it is better with fresh)
– 1/2 cup onion, diced small
– 1/2 TBSP olive oil
– 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites) scrambled
– 3 TBSP soy sauce (or a little more for flavor)
1. In a large pan, sauté garlic and onions in olive oil on a medium/high heat, until onions become soft and transparent. (about 2-3 minutes)
2. Next add in peas and carrots, cook until heated through, about 3-4 minutes
3. Next stir in scrambled eggs, cauliflower and soy sauce. Cook stirring frequently for about 5-7 more minutes.
Enjoy adding in your favorite chopped cooked protein. Be creative and add in: baby corn, broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, water chestnuts, chicken, tofu, shrimp, or …!

Since I’ve been asked by a few people now for the recipe for the White Chicken Chili I made from our Grand Opening, I thought I would just post it! Takes a little time to shred the chicken and chop the peppers, but the fresh flavor was worth it! Enjoy!!

White Chicken Chili

1 can white kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
2 medium poblano peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 limes, juiced
2 chicken breasts, skin removed and meat shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Tortilla chips, coarsely crushed, for topping

Drain and rinse the canned white beans. In a medium bowl, mash half of the beans with a potato masher until chunky. Reserve the beans until needed.
Add the canola oil, peppers, onions, and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt, and pepper. Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder and continue to saute for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Add the beans and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and cilantro and simmer until heated.