I just tried this recipe the other day as I am trying to incorporate more fish into our menu at home.  I didn’t grow up eating fish or other types of seafood, so many of it is rather foreign to me.  This recipe was very easy, healthy and the best part was….it didn’t make my house smell like fish.  When I prepare it again, I will likely add some more seasonings as I like things with a ‘kick.’  If you give it a try, let me know if you have any positive and healthy changes to suggest!

Makes 2 servings:

For the Fish:
1 – 6 oz orange roughy filets (hallibut, cod, or any other white fish filet will work as well)
1/2 cup cold water
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice from 1 lemon wedge (or just regular lemon juice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place fish in a baking pan.  Combine water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl; pour over fish.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes (note:  I used frozen filets so I needed to bake it for about 5-10 minutes longer).  Bast the fish at least once with the juices.

For the Mango Salsa (my favorite part):
1/2 mango, diced
2 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp diced tomato
1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper (I think I had 2-3 tsp because I like ‘kick’)
1 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine mango salsa ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate while preparing fish.  When ready to serve, top fish with mango salsa.

Serve with (2 servings):
1 cup cooked Quinoa (What is Quinoa?  This was my first time cooking with it).
1/2 cup black beans, cooked or canned (If canned, rinse)

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 404
Protein: 42 grams
Carbs: 35 grams
Fat: 10 grams
Fiber: 6 grams

Here’s a delicious yet sensible dessert recipe that contains the healthy fiber of oats, the antioxidant properties of blueberries, and the crunchy goodness of almonds . . . plus it tastes great!

• 2/3 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup raw blueberries
• 1 Tbsp. slivered almonds
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• Optional: 1 tsp. honey or raw sugar, or a pinch of stevia.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a glass baking dish and mix well. Bake for 20 minutes (or microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes). Makes one generous serving.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Facts (per serving without sweetener):
Calories: 291
Fat: 8 grams (less than 1 gram Saturated)
Carbohydrates: 51 grams (9 grams Fiber)
Protein:  10 grams

Recipe Source:  Beachbody – Jan 6, 2011

A good friend and client recently introduced me to Bell Plantation’s PB2.  What is PB2?  It is what Bell Plantation refers to as the “second generation of peanut butter.”  In the continual quest  to find that “thing” which will helps the “health and fitness focused’  reach their nutritional goals, it is not uncommon to hear about this and that.  I get asked often about different products  ALL the time.  Most of the time, I wrinkle up my nose because the products are typically  extremely artificial with sweeteners, preservatives and all that is NOT natural.

I was interested to learn that PB2 was preservative free and contained no artificial sweeteners.  It is roasted peanuts with the oil squeezed/pressed out of them which results in 85% less fat and calories that regular peanut butter.   The results is a form of powdered peanut butter.  You can choose to use the powder on its own by sprinkling it into shakes, oatmeal, fruit, etc.  Or you can also add 1 tablespoon of water to 2 tablespoons of PB2 to make a smooth butter for sandwiches, dips, etc.

PB2 has two flavors:  regular peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter.   I had the chance to test them both out.   I sprinkled the regular 2 tablespoons of PB2 into my morning shake (Shakeology) and it gave the shake a nice nutty flavor.  It was not as rich as regular peanut butter, but it still had a nice light taste.  I chose to add the PB2 chocolate peanut butter with water and then used it as a dip with a banana.  It was great!  Not as heavy as regular peanut butter, but still very tasty for a snack.

Some of you may be asking, “but I thought the fat in peanut butter was a monounsaturated fat which is supposed to be healthy?”  My answer is: correct.  Both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are considered the “good” fats that help your body, while saturated fats are the negative fats that can clog your arteries if you have them in high doses.  But one thing about fats is their calories per gram.  Compared with carbohydrates and proteins, which are both 4 calories per gram, all types of fats are 9 calories per gram.  For a review on nutrition, click here.   Thus, if you do your math, you can quickly see that fats can add of quickly in your diet (no matter if they are from good sources).  If you are like me and LOVE peanut butter, PB2 might be a great addition to your diet to help balance out the number of overall fats in your diets.  I’m not suggesting that you give up regular peanut butter (it still is awesome).  You may just find that PB2 is great for dips and shakes, while keeping peanut butter for some of your other favorite things.  Mix it up and try something new!  Save those calories for something else.

Overall, I give PB2 a double thumbs up for developing a great natural product that can be an accent to a healthy nutritional program.  To purchase PB2, click here to locate a store closest to you.  If you are not close to a store, you can also order online.

Nutrition Fats for PB2 and Chocolate PB2 are below:

PB2: Powdered Peanut Butter
Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar and salt.
Serving size: 2 Tablespoons (12 grams)
Servings per container: 15
Amount per 2 Tablespoon serving (when mixed with water):
Calories: 45
Calories from fat: 13

Value and % Daily Value*

Total fat 1.5 g  3%
Saturated fat 0 g  0%
Trans fat < 0.01 g
Cholesterol < 0.01 mg  0%
Sodium 94 mg  4%
Total carbohydrate 5 g  2%
Dietary fiber 2 g  8%
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g
Vitamin A < 1%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium <1%
Iron 0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Chocolate PB2
Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
Serving size: 2 Tablespoons (12 grams)
Servings per container: 15
Amount per 2 Tablespoon serving (when mixed with water):
Calories: 45
Calories from fat: 10

Value and % Daily Value*

Total fat 1 g  1.5%
Saturated fat 0 g  0%
Trans fat <0.01 g
Cholesterol <0.01 mg  0%
Sodium 70 mg  3%
Total carbohydrate 6 g  2%
Dietary fiber 1 g  4%
Sugars 3 g
Protein 4 g
Vitamin A <1%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium <1%
Iron 2%

This is one of our favorite healthier treats at the Byrd’s.   I can best compare it to a homemade cliff bar.  It is much more of a snack bar than a cookie, but with the added dark chocolate…..YUM….it is delicious!

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking rolled outs
3/4 cup of organic cane sugar (you can use regular sugar as well)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips

Other Ingredients:

1 large egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.  Whisk together (or put in a mixer) the first 9 dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, applesauce, and peanut butter.  Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. 

Roll dough into 16-20  balls, pressing down to flatten the shape of the cookie.  Place dough on cookie sheets one inch apart.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.

Nutrition Facts per cookie (for about 18 cookies):

Calories: 140
Protein: 5g
Fiber: 3.5g

I know how easy it is to get into a rut with foods when you are trying to eat healthy.  You find those few breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinners that are healthy and enjoyable, but boredom is inevitable.  Here are a few snack ideas that may spark some interest.   Please feel free to add some as well!

• Almonds
• Low-fat cheese & fruit (dried or fresh)
• Whole grain waffle topped with honey or fruit
• Whole grain cereal (You can mix a few different varieties)
• Cucumber slices & Laughing Cow spreadable cheese
• Energy bar (with at LEAST 4 grams of protein)
• Melba toast with light cream cheese and dried fruit
• Apple slices with peanut butter or almond butter
• Slices of turkey and grapes
• Low-fat cottage cheese (you can add chives & pepper) with veggies for dipping
• Almonds or walnuts mixed with craisins, blueberries, or cherries (dried or fresh)
• Plain oatmeal with peanut butter or berries, & a little milk
• Hummus with veggies for dipping
• Shelled edamane
• Multi-grain cracker with part-skim ricotta & honey
• Low-fat cheese, small piece of fruit, & one piece of dark chocolate
• Whole grain english muffin with peanut butter
• Hard boiled egg sprinkled with pepper
• Low-fat greek yogurt with walnuts or granola and honey

Do you have any ideas you would like to share that have a nice balance of proteins, healthy fats and carbs?