PEERtrainer Recipes

Super Easy Watermelon Sorbet (New Magic Freezer Recipe!)

Super easy watermelon sorbet with no sugar added! Easy and very inexpensive to make.

Simply freeze chunks of watermelon overnight then puree with a high powered blender. Add the juice of one lime if you like your sorbet sour. Top with a sprig of mint and raspberries and you have a delicious low-calorie dessert!

 

Watermelon is an interesting fruit. They are relatively low in calories for a fruit, with roughly 40-50 calories per one cup serving.

There are between 75 and 100 calories in the average slice of watermelon.
Watermelons have a fairly good calorie to nutrient ratio. They are rich in Vitamin A and C (like most fruit) and also contain some B vitamins which are thought to be good for energy.

Watermelons also score well on Dr. Fuhrman's system that factors how many nutrients there are per calorie. Watermelons are rich is a substance called Lycopene, which has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant. 

Source: Watermelon Calories and Nutrition Facts

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Black Bean, Bacon and Salsa "Shortcut" Soup

This can be a very easy recipe to make. If you look at any (good) black bean soup recipe, there is usually a long list vegetables and spices. By using salsa and a curry/spice mix like Muchi Curry (or any other high quality curry powder), you can make this recipe very quickly. 

Like any recipe we outline, there are many different directions you can take. We have outlined the "base ingredients" that you need to successfully make the recipe. We also outline a list of "variable ingredients" that you use to customize the soup to match your tastes.

Vegans and vegetarians can easily remove the bacon. If you have a family that includes men who wonder "where the real food is" you can up the bacon and maybe even put some chunks of meat in there and make it more of a stew. This recipe includes plenty of nutrient dense foods so that it will serve the dual purpose of making it seem like "real food" while serving them big doses of "good stuff."

Delivery is everything when introducing new healthy recipes and dinners in the home.

When asked what's for dinner, if you answer black beans, salsa, quinoa, invariably the answer becomes "where's the beef or that's bird food, how am I supposed to feel full?"

Always lead with the traditional ingredient. In this black bean soup, say, we're having bacon (or chicken or steak, whatever you've added). As long as everyone feels they are having the traditional protein, they don't anticipate dinners as this new healthy kick you're on, counting down the days until you revert back to beef bolognese pasta. When you answer, a new beef dish!" or a "special chicken hungry man chili" they start to look forward to what's next.

If you live in a gluten free house, the addition of Quinoa will provide a nice dose of non-wheat carbs. If you are looking to lose weight, increase your energy or are following Dr. Fuhrman's plan you can make sure to add as many blended greens as you can. For those of you following the PEERtrainer Cheat System, this is yet another way to "eat from the left." 

This is also a recipe that you can make a lot of. If you have gotten into our Magic Fridge concept, you'll find this recipe especially easy to make.

Base Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz Container Of Salsa
• Muchi Curry or Curry Powder
• 2 Cups Cooked Black Beans
• 1/2 Serrano or Jalapeno Pepper (Onions are a nice replacement if you like flavor but not too much spice)
• 2-3 Cups Water

Variable Ingredients:

• 2 Slices Bacon
• 1/4-1/2 Cup Uncooked Quinoa (Or a half to a full Cup Cooked if you already have it in your fridge)
• 2 Cups Cooked and Blended Kale (Thanks to Jennifer Stewart for the suggestion on our Facebook Page, who says "you can't even tell the kale is in there."
• Any extra vegetables you want or have on hand
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil or Flaxseed Oil. (Especially if you are an athlete)

Directions:

Chop the peppers (or onions) and add them to the water and the beans. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then add the salsa. From here, this is really a "choose your own adventure" recipe. Add Quinoa if you want to make a thicker soup or stew. Add some well cooked bacon for some added flavor and texture. Add Chicken or Beef if that is a direction you want to head.

Important Note: We strongly encourage you to follow Jennifer's suggestion and add blended kale. Kale and other greens are very high in nutrients that most of us don't get enough of. For example, Kale contains the highest concentration of Vitamin K of any food. Vitamin K is critical for bone health and healthy aging, yet experts say that poor intake of Vitamin K is common.

We are focusing on this because a) the average American eats very few greens and b) greens contain the highest concentration of Vitamin K. Other excellent sources of Vitamin K include Spinach, Swiss Chard and Collard Greens. 

Greens obviously have a ton of health benefits, but we are bringing focus to Vitamin K, because it is a relatively new area of focus among researchers and health experts.

Calorie and Nutrition Information:

150 Calories in a 16 Ounce Container Of Salsa. (Fresh salsa usually contains tomatoes, green chiles, onions, salt, cilantro, garlic)

200 Calories Per Cup Of Cooked Black Beans (Black beans are roughly 100 calories per cooked half cup)

2 Slices Cooked Bacon have 40-50 calories per slice. Thicker bacon can have 100 or more calories per slice.

2 cups of cooked kale has only 35 calories and an amazing array of nutrients. As we mentioned, Kale has the most Vitamin K of any food. It also contains megadoses of Vitamin A and C and antioxidants, as well as meaningful amounts of a wide array of other vitamins and minerals. There is a good reason it is the #1 most nutrient dense food on Dr. Fuhrman's ANDI food scoring system.

Overall this recipe will provide you an array of important vitamins, minerals and nutrients. It also contains plenty of protein and calcium. 

 

 

Mediterranean Gourmet "Power Bowl" Recipe

Mediterranean cuisine is one of my favorites.  It feels so fresh and clean and tastes like spring.  I created this after spotting a great advertisement by Udi's for their sundried tomato artichoke pizza. 

If you're looking to increase the vegetables in way that tastes great, reduce the wheat, have a "perfect protein", and leave feeling clean and full of energy, this is for you!

One thing we are working hard on doing is identifying foods that can be used in small amounts to deliver a big taste. Goat cheese is one of those foods. It is also a food that is a staple of "gourmet" cuisine. Of course we are here to help give you recipes to lose weight and get more energy.

But if we also teach you some great "gourmet" skills, that will be an added benefit!

Luckily my mother in law is one of the world's best cooks, and she has taught me over the years how to make healthy food dishes that not only taste great, but that impress your friends. Who among us does not want to make something for friends or guests and have them say "what is this, I HAVE to get this recipe."

That is a pretty tall order, but that is our new goal with our recipes! Seems like fun at least.

• 1 can of fresh artichoke hearts
• 15 sun dried tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 Quart of cooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves chopped garlic (if you'd like to get fancy and have an extra 25 minutes, 8 cloves of roasted garlic, slice off the top and roast at 400 for 25 min. Or buy pre roasted))
• 1/2 cup of basil leaves
• Few shakes of crushed red pepper
• Salt to taste
• Optional: 1 ounce of crumbled goat cheese
• Optional: Finely chop spinach, Kale, Bok Choy in the Cuisinart, and add it to help reach your 1/2 pound green goal for the day. Maybe you don't want to do this for company or friends. But it fits in very easily.

Prepare quinoa according to pkg. It's usually 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water. I highly recommend preparing in the rice cooker.

If you don't have a rice cooker just bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15-17 minutes until it is fluffy.

While quinoa is cooking, place artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, chopped spinach/kale, olive oil, garlic, few shakes of red pepper flakes in mixing bowl. When quinoa is finished, add to bowl. Then add a pinch of salt and goat cheese!  It is DELICIOUS!

Important Note: Quinoa Is EASY To Buy and EASY To Make:

All Whole Foods have it. Safeway has it. You can get it at Wal Mart. 

This link takes you to a page on the WalMart website where you can enter in your zip, and they will show you the nearest store where it is in stock.

You can also order it via Amazon. Very easy to buy, easy to make, and is a power food.

If you're following the PEERtrainer Cheat System, it's about 2 Cheats
for the entire recipe!

Click here to learn about the health benefits of Quinoa

Asian Fusion Chicken Salad: Tasty and Packed With Hunger Fighting Nutrients!

We went to the Whole Foods Deli today to pick up a container of Imperial Chicken Salad. This has been a favorite. Sadly they had none, but they were kind enough to print out the ingredients! I didn't match their recipe exactly (and made my own flavor adjustments), but it is an excellent one that I am pretty sure makes it into the next version of The Magic Fridge.

Once you cook the chicken, (or Chicken substitute-- tofu, freshly killed game) you can very quickly bring this to life. The core ingredients can sit chopped in your fridge in bulk, in containers. You would need to whip up a dressing and you are ready to eat in minutes. We are calling our version, "Asian Fusion Chicken Salad."

Why Is This Recipe Is Being Highlighted?

A core ingredient is Bok Choy, which is near the top of Dr. Fuhrman's Points System. The foods with the highest points are the best at fighting hunger. When I picked it up at Whole Foods, the label said that Bok Choy contained 819 ANDI Points. That system goes to 1000 because there are so many foods that contain ANDI points values in the single digits. According to my copy of Eat For Health, one hot dog has 8 ANDI points.

Understanding this system is so powerful, because once you have this knowledge you can start "eyeballing" this stuff in your head. You start thinking "1.5 cups of Bok Choy has 100 times the nutrients as a hot dog." Replace basically any green and any meat at you come up with a way of quantifying your food choices. Which helps to give you a reason to make a better decision.

This is important because most of us know that greens are "good for you." But that is an abstraction- once you put some hard numbers around this, it really cranks up your motivation. That 1.5 cup serving of Bok Choy gets you 20% of your way to your ideal daily nutrient intake. (1.5 cups of cooked spinach gets you another 25% towards your daily goal!)

This is the reason that Whole Foods market has now tagged their entire produce section with Dr. Fuhrman's system!*

Ok, Enough With The Science Class, Here Is The Recipe:

Core Ingredients:

• 1 Pound of skinless, boneless, cooked chicken thighs. (Chopped) ($3.50)
• 1 Head of Bok Choy cabbage ($1.99)
• 1 bunch of Green Onions (.99 cents)
• Some parsley (optional and you can swap with Cilantro)
• Almonds (or Almond Butter)

Dressing:

• Toasted Sesame Oil (I did not have this and ended up adding half an avocado instead)
• Lemon Juice (1 large lemon, even more if you want)
• 1 Tablespoon Honey (this is a MUST for the recipe)
• Sea Salt
• Ginger (this is also a must, and we added a lot in our version because we love ginger)
• Couple shakes Crushed Red Pepper
• Pepper
• Jalapeno (this is my addition to the recipe, and I added it for extra flavor because I did not have Sesame oil or parsley)

Instructions:

1. Cook the chicken in a pan, just throw it in and cook until it is done. Drain the fat, cool and cut up. To really turn up the nutrient density, put half the chicken in a container and put it in the fridge to make a second batch later. For a vegan option you can easily substitute the chicken with tofu or some other plant based food.

2. Chop the Bok Choy and Green Onion as finely as you can, toss into a large bowl with the cooled chicken.

3. Break out the food processor or blender and throw in the dressing ingredients. You can really work the flavor here, and adjust to your own tastes.

4. Mix all the ingredients and eat. If you want a spicier salad, add more spices. If you want a nuttier flavor, add more Sesame Oil or other oil

You can also add some fresh chopped spinach to increase the nutrients further. The Bok Choy is super crunchy and makes an excellent base that can support a variety of flavors. I also did not have almonds and squeezed in a pack of Justin's Almond Nut Butter that I had in the house. This is definitely a recipe that I will be making often.

Nutrient Note:

One head of Bok Choy has around 900 mg of Calcium. As you develop the habit of adding Bok Choy to your salads, you'll find yourself eating a lot of it. And getting a lot of calcium in the process!

PS: Have You Downloaded Your Copy Of The PEERtrainer Cheat System? (This recipe will fit right in!)

What do you think about this recipe idea? 

Comment On This Recipe On The PEERtrainer Facebook Wall!!

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Easy To Make, Easy To Eat Brociflower Soup

PEERtrainer's Magic Fridge Recipe Guide