Healthy Orange Chicken and Green Beans

Here’s a recipe that adds fruit to dinner and takes all the guilt out of orange-flavored chicken. There’s no sugar and no fryer involved. Just skinless, boneless chicken breast, marinated in orange juice, pan seared and then baked. Serve it up with orange-spiked green beans for a nutritious, protein-packed meal. Servings: 4

Here’s what you need:

For the Chicken:

  • 2 cups fresh orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons grated orange zest
  • 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
  • fresh ground pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil


For the Green Beans:

  • 10 oz fresh, organic, green beans
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • dash of salt and pepper

For the Orange-Brandy Sauce

  • 2 Tablespoon coconut oil
  • 3 shallots, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons brandy
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 navel orange, peeled and each segment cut into 3 pieces
  • 1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
  • Dash of salt and pepper

Cook the Chicken:

  1. Place the orange juice and orange zest in a large ziplock bag. Season each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in the ziplock bag, coating each side with juice. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  3. Grease a 12-inch, oven-proof skillet with the olive oil. Place over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts in a single layer, cooking for 3 minutes. Turn the chicken, season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place the skillet in the oven for 15 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees F in the center of the thickest breast.
  4. Remove from oven and cover with foil as you make the sauce and cook the beans.

Cook the Green Beans:

  1. Wash the beans, snap off and discard the stems. Place in a large ziplock bag with the orange juice and orange zest. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Grease with the olive oil. Remove beans from refrigerator, discarding the juice. Add to the skillet and cook, covered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover, increase the heat and cook for an additional 3 minutes, until the beans are bright green.

Cooke the Sauce:

  1. In a medium skillet heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot, cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the brandy. Return to the heat and cook, scraping the bottom, until the brandy has almost evaporated, about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high, add the orange juice. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, boil for 3 minutes.
  2. Add in the orange segments and the parsley. Turn off heat. Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve:

  1. Cut the chicken on the diagonal into thin slices and arrange over a pile of green beans. Drizzle with the orange-brandy sauce.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 302 calories, 13g fat, 161mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 29g protein

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

Benefits of Whole, Raw Fruit

There’s a reason all physicians recommend you eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits. Quite a few reasons, actually. The following are a few things you’ll consume when eating a piece of your favorite type of fruit:

  • Fiber (helps maintain gastrointestinal regularity and reduces the risk of heart disease)
  • Folate (helps reduce a pregnant woman’s risk for giving birth to a child with defects in the brain or spinal cord)
  • Potassium (helps your body maintain a healthy blood pressure)
  • Vitamin A (helps your body fight off infections and maintain healthy eyes and skin)
  • Vitamin C (helps your teeth stay healthy and assists your body in the healing process when you experience a cut or wound)

In order to get plenty of these important nutrients, you’ll need to slide some fruit into your diet every day.

Fortunately, adding fruit to your meals is an easy thing. All you have to do is drown some grapes in yogurt for breakfast, eat a banana as a side item during lunch, and go for a fruit salad at dinner!

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

The Unhealthy Side of Fruit

You know that healthy weight loss comes as a result of regular exercise and a diet filled with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

But is anything with the word “fruit” or that contains one fruit or another a valid way to meet your fruit quota? No. Here’s proof.

Proof One: Fruity, Sweet Cereals
By now, eating bowl after bowl of fruity cereals that leave your milk pink and orange may only be a problem for your kids. But if you’re still addicted to the cereals that claim to have some semblance of fruit but are filled with added sugars and calories, it’s time for a change. Sure, they may taste good, but sugar-laden breakfast cereals are ruining your fitness results—even if they supposedly have real fruit flavors. Wean yourself from the fruity cereals by chopping some real fruit into a bowl of healthy, sugar-free, cereal.

Proof Two: Fruity Desserts
Your stomach may think strawberry ice cream, raspberry cheesecake, and cherry pie are desserts from healthy heaven, but your mind knows otherwise. Though many desserts that lean on fruit for flavor are unhealthy, there are also many healthy fruit-based desserts to enjoy. Fruit parfait and fruit sorbet are good alternatives. And if you just have to have your cake and eat it with berries too, a light angel food will do just fine. Just make sure the slice of cake is thin.

Proof Three: Fruit Smoothies
Now, now. Don’t get all up in arms. All fruit smoothies are not unhealthy. In fact, some of them are quite healthy, giving you a big boost of vitamins and minerals that help you feel energetic and ready to face the day. However, if you dabble too far beyond the healthy fruit smoothie, you can add more sugar than is found in many desserts.

To keep your smoothie nice and healthy, don’t add soft-serve ice cream or frozen yogurt, candy, or other items that are obviously high in sugar and unnecessary calories. Rather, keep your smoothie nothing but fruit, ice, juice, yogurt, and a nice scoop of protein powder to ensure it is high on the health chart.

Proof Four: (Un)Fruit Juice
Juice can be wonderful. It has great flavor, great color, and great amounts of important vitamins and minerals. At least it does when it is fruit juice. Unfortunately, many drinks claim to be fruit juice, while only containing a very low amount of fruit juice. For these low-fruit fruit juices, sugar and water make up the bulk of the contents, robbing you of the important benefits of all-natural fruit juice.

Keep fruit juice indulgences to a minimum, as even the fruit-only kind is loaded with simple sugars.

Go Natural. To clearly sidestep unhealthy fruit options, go for raw, whole fruits and avoid packaged fruit in any shape or form. These will keep you on track with your fitness and weight loss goal.

Don’t forget that true fitness success comes from a combination of a consistent, challenging exercise routine coupled with clean eating.

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

Baked Catfish and Mint Cabbage Salad

Catfish is a wonderful source of low fat protein. Lots of recipes call for frying catfish, but baking turns it into a low calorie, high protein meal. The generous seasoning of the catfish lends to a rich flavor that is complimented perfectly by the light minty salad. Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

For the Catfish:

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed and stems trimmed
  • 4 catfish fillets
  • curry powder
  • salt
  • sweet paprika
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a glass baking pan, drizzle the olive oil and scatter the cilantro over the bottom of the pan.
  3. Generously season both sides of each fillet with curry, salt and sweet paprika. Place the fillets evenly across the bottom of the pan, on top of the cilantro.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and finely minced garlic. Pour over the tops of the fillets.
  5. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

For the Salad:

  • 1 head green, organic cabbage, shredded
  • 1/8 cup crushed, dry mint leaves
  • 1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • dash of salt
  1. Wash the shredded cabbage and place in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle with the dried mint, mix well.
  2. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the cabbage and mix well.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 221 calories, 8g fat, 102mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, and 26g protein

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

The Power of a Goal

Do you have a goal for each workout?

To get the most out of your exercise time, make each session goal-oriented.

Decide how many miles you’ll run, how many reps you’ll do or how much you’ll increase the intensity before your workout begins. Then achieve it.

Set clear goals, write them down, and keep a record of your workouts. There’s nothing quite like being able to read exactly where you want to be, where you currently are, and where you’ve come from.

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

Get More Out of Exercise Time

How effective is your exercise time?

Do you workout enthusiastically, feeling the burn with a smile, pushing yourself to the limit?

Or would you describe your exercise time more like an even trot? Coasting along, breaking a respectable sweat, doing the same old thing.

Since you take the time to exercise and desire to have your body change into a slimmer, more toned version of yourself, then use the following tips to get more out of your exercise time.

  • Focus your mental energy. It sounds simple, but often isn’t. If you’re lifting weights, focus on that specific muscle group. Researchers saw a significant increase in muscle activity when people focused on what they were doing, compared to thinking about unrelated topics.
  • Have an audience. Researchers saw a significant increase in strength and endurance in people who had an audience, compared to those training on their own.
  • Get a caffeine boost. Caffeine has been shown to help burn fat and increase your endurance. The most effective amount seems to be around 300mg one hour prior to working out. Of course check with your doctor first.
  • Pump up the volume. Listen to upbeat music while you exercise. Researchers found that personal music motivated weightlifters to complete two more repetitions on average than those who were not listening to music.
  • Keep things fresh. Alter your routine often. This will help you to avoid plateaus and will continue to challenge your body. Try new exercises, new intensities and new environments.
  • Stay nourished and hydrated. Pay attention to your food and your hydration levels. You’d be amazed how much being dehydrated can affect your performance even away from the gym.
  • Find your magic time. Work out when your body is at its best. If you’re not a morning person, do not force the issue on your body.
  • Wear clothes that you love. Not only will you be happy to put them on and show them off, but you will be able to focus completely on the task at hand, rather than stressing that your pants will split whenever you squat.
  • Make sure the shoe fits. Can you imagine a tap dancer performing without tap shoes? Your shoes are just as important! With correctly fitted shoes for your workout or sport, you’ll keep your feet, ankles, knees, and back protected and healthy.
  • Use a professional. If you don’t already, have me design your workouts. This will ensure that you’re being challenged and seeing results.


Don’t know where to start when it comes to exercise? That’s where I come in.

It’s my passion to make exercise a regular and enjoyable part of your life. I’d like to see you enjoy all of the healthy rewards of being fit.

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

Chicken Soup with Quinoa & Roasted Red Peppers

By using flavorful ingredients, like roasted red bell peppers and white bean hummus, this soup tastes like you slaved over it all afternoon– but really takes less than 20 minutes to throw together. This recipe is a great way to fit some quinoa into your diet. Quinoa is a protein-packed seed that is considered a “super food”. It’s a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids, and is gluten free. Servings: 5

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup roasted red bell peppers
  • 3/4 cup white bean hummus
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
  • dash salt and pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
  1. Take 1/4 cup of the roasted red peppers, slice into strips and set aside.
  2. Place the remaining red peppers in a blender along with the hummus and chicken stock. Blend until smooth.
  3. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa and chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Bring to a boil.
  5. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the slices of red pepper and chopped parsley

Nutritional Analysis: One Serving equals: 248 calories, 11g fat, 644mg sodium, 14g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, and 20g protein

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

Stick With It

These five lifestyle changes aren’t always easy to make and change won’t happen overnight. Chances are, you’ll have occasional setbacks. But don’t give up!

Each day is a new beginning, and it starts out with no mistakes in it. Begin each morning with the resolve to not only stick with your healthy eating habits, but your lifestyle changes as well.

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

5 Lifestyle Changes for Healthy Weight Loss

Have you ever wondered…
Why do so many diets end in failure?
Why is it so easy to gain lost weight back?
And why can’t you maintain your ideal weight at all times?

If you’ve tried every quick-fix fad diet under the sun, you realize they can help you lose weight instantly. Unfortunately, keeping the pounds off usually doesn’t happen with these diets.

Real weight loss comes with lasting, healthy lifestyle changes.

So stop starving yourself, counting calories, or eliminating your favorite food group.

Simply make the following lifestyle changes.

1. TV Time: Many people are in the habit of sitting in front of the TV for hours on end after a stressful day at work. Yes, you may be worn out and need a break, but sitting on the couch, zoned out, watching TV is not the way to lose weight.

If you must watch the evening news or see your favorite show, use the time to burn a few calories. Keep some hand weights next to the couch and work your biceps and triceps. Stand up and do some squats or lunges to work your legs and buttocks. Get on the floor and do some sit-ups to tone your abs or push-ups to tone your arms. Make a change!

2. Sleep: Most adults need an average of eight hours of sleep each night. Is that a lot more than what you’re currently getting? Then you may be interested to know that if you’re not getting adequate amounts of rest, you’re more likely to be hungry, overeat, and gain weight.

How does this work? Something like this.

If you’re tired, you won’t feel like cooking a healthy meal, and you’ll opt for fast (fattening) food instead. This very same lack of energy will also likely cause you to skip the gym. On top of that, sleep deprivation causes your metabolism to slow down, and if you’ve not heard, that is not something you want when trying to shed a few pounds.

3. Drink Choices: Lasting weight loss is about changes. Unfortunately, some of the changes one must make are difficult. If you’re one of the millions hooked on soda, alcohol, or other sweetened beverages, your weight goals may remain out of reach until you replace these drinks with water. You should also know that your brain often confuses thirst with hunger.

So at the first sign of hunger, don’t grab a snack or calorie-filled drinks. Instead, grab a glass of water.

4. Breakfast: Want to know a secret to successful weight loss? Eat breakfast! Try cutting calories by skipping breakfast, and you’ll be excessively hungry by mid-morning. As a result, the healthy calories you would have eaten at breakfast are replaced with calorie-filled snacks and an over-sized lunch.

Once again, fitting breakfast into your busy schedule may mean dramatic lifestyle changes. But research shows that the habit of eating a healthy breakfast is key to losing weight and keeping pounds off. Get to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and set your alarm 10 minutes earlier to give yourself time to eat breakfast

5. Physical Activity: Weight loss is about burning more calories than you consume. Therefore, it should make sense to you that dieting and exercise must go hand in hand. If you want to speed up weight loss and keep the weight away, add or increase the amount and intensity of physical activity in your daily life.

For many people, this is the most difficult lifestyle change of all, but the benefits are well worth it. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes of intense exercise on most days of the week. When exercise is a normal part of your everyday routine, it’s more likely to stick, and your body will become slimmer and more toned.

The quickest and most permanent weight loss comes as a result of a combination of healthy eating and consistent, challenging workouts.

I’m here to help you meet your fitness and weight loss goals.

Call or email today to get started on a fitness program that will get you on the fast track to your best body ever.

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.

Herb Chicken, Arugula and Mango Salad

This recipe takes the concept of chicken salad to a whole new level. There is so much going on in the flavor department like sweet mango, savory chicken, tender asparagus, tangy arugula, and creamy goat cheese. Servings: 4

Here’s what you need….

For the Herb marinade:

  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin


For the Salad:

  • 1 lb skinless, boneless, thin chicken breasts
  • 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 8 cups organic arugula
  • 2 small organic mangoes, peeled and sliced
  • 6 oz crumbled goat cheese
  1. Combine the herb marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place 1 Tablespoon of the marinade in a large Ziploc bag with the asparagus pieces, and the rest in another large Ziploc bag with the chicken breasts. Make sure the chicken and asparagus are fully coated with the marinade, and then place in the refrigerator for an hour.
  2. Heat a grill pan and another medium pan. Place the chicken breasts on the grill pan, and cook 4 minutes each side, until there is no longer any pink in the middle. Sauté the asparagus in the medium pan, stirring often while the chicken cooks. Remove both pans from heat.
  3. Once the chicken has cooled, slice each breast into even strips.
  4. In a large bowl combine the arugula, mango slices and crumbled goat cheese. Add the cooked asparagus and the chicken. Mix and serve.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 332 calories, 13g fat, 740mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 34g protein

For more insightful health and nutrition articles, please subscribe to our newsletter. While you are there please refer a few friends.