Had a fun time at WJFW (Channel 12) last evening!

We had a fun time helping out the YMCA during the "Y-watch segment during the 5 O'cock news!  When we get the video we'll post it up!

Chris

Turkey Chili

Looking for a healthy chili recipe?  Here it is!  

1 Lb. Ground turkey (93/7 lean)

3 – 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes (no salt added preferable)

1 yellow sweet pepper (diced)

1 sweet onion 3 in diameter (diced)

1/8^th cup chili powder - or to taste

¼ cup oregano – or to taste

¼ cup Basil – or to taste

1clove garlic or to taste

Brown the ground turkey in a pan.  In a blender, put the 3 cans of the diced tomatoes in and hit the pulse or ice chop button to just chop them a little more.  I don’t fully “puree” them.  Put tomatoes into pan with turkey.  Add sweet pepper, onion, oregano, basil, Chili powder, and garlic.  Cook with top on for about 15 minutes.  Take top off and cook down for another 5 to 10 minutes or until chili looks like it’s the right consistency. 

Top with a low fat type cheese like mozzarella, or parmesan.

Makes approx 6 cups of chili (about 4 servings)

Nutrition Per serving:

Calories:  350

Total Fat: 9.2gr    (Sat Fat: 2.5gr)

Protein: 27.4gr

Carbs: 35.4gr   (Dietary Fiber 3.4gr)

Macronutrients?

What are "Macronutrients" and how do they play a role in our daily diet?  Well, simply put, macronutrients are the nutrients that provide our calories and energy.  The three primary macronutrients we all know and consume daily are proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  Now, how much of each are a good or bad thing?  That depends?  What are your goals?  Do you need to lose weight?  Do you need to build muscle?  Are you training for a marathon and so on.  After determining how many calories you need to consume in a day based on your activity level (see "Calculate the calories you need per day" link to the right under links ) you need the then decide what your goals are and adjust your macronutrients accordingly.

As an example, We try to always keep out fat to below 20% of our daily intake throughout the year.  The fat we consume is what many consider "good fats" like what you get from flaxseed, almonds lean chicken, fish and turkey.  In the summer, when we are doing triathlons and running events, we tend to "up" our carbohydrates a little, especially the week prior to an event.  The Carbohydrates we eat are of the "complex type" like whole wheat pasta, wild rice, and whole oats in addition to the large quantities of vegetables and fruit we eat.  In the cooler months when we are in the gym more we tend to up our protein intake to help muscle building and recovery.  Greek yogurt, chicken, tuna, fat free cottage cheese and protein whey hakes are some of the better sources of protein that we consume a lot of.

Here's a sample of what I eat on a daily basis.

Meal one - 1/2 oats with flaxseed and 7 egg whites

Meal two - 1 cup fat free yogurt and 1/4 cup almonds

Meal three - 1/2 cup oats with 1 scoop of egg protein powder mixed in (equals about 6 to 7 egg whites)

Meal four - 1 can of tuna with 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese, 1/2 cup wild rice and 1 cup broccoli

Apple or banana during workout

Post workout Protein whey shake

Meal five - 5 oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup wild rice, spinach salad or 1 cup broccoli

Meal 6 - 1 cup yogurt with some blueberries

1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese right before bed

Now, not saying you should do what I do, but this is what is working for us (Ann is consuming similar food except just a little less of it to keep her calories lower ).  Play around and have fun with your meals and be sure to enter what you eat into fitfday.com or a similar type site to keep track of how much fat, carbs and protein you are consuming each day!

Chris