Secret Weight loss Weapon: Protein Recipes

Chyna is back with some delicious protein recipes to help us with our Summer Slimdown Challenge!

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to check in and see how your Summer Slim-Down Challenge is going! Who tried out Week 1’s stability ball challenge? Sometimes it’s hard to create a new habit. As they say “Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going”. One of the best ways to stick to a new routine is community and accountability! 

This week I want to encourage you to EAT RIGHT. Staying fit is roughly 80% diet/ 20% exercise. What does that mean for you? It means that pairing these workouts with the right nutrition is crucial to getting into summer-ready shape.  Eating healthy does not mean eating salads, eating no-carbs, or following whatever the latest diet fad is. In fact, the quickest way to fall off track is to crash diet rather than make lifestyle changes.

Majority of women lack in meeting their daily nutritional intake because advertising has warped our mindset to believe low-calorie diets will get you in the best shape. FALSE. The truth is: feeding your body to fuel your body will help it run, digest, and metabolize most efficiently. My first piece of advice when revamping your nutrition would be to increase your protein take!

Why eat more protein? To begin with it is satiating. Unlike that bowl of lettuce, protein will keep you full much longer. Starting your day off with a good protein shake naturally curbs eating. Secondly, when you pair protein with carbs such as rice, veggies, quinoa, it slows digestion to better regulate blood sugar and insulin levels. Finally, it has been shown to increase metabolism and help maintain or build calorie-burning muscle.

In a study published in Nutrition Metabolism, dieters who increased their protein intake to 30 percent of their diet ate nearly 450 fewer calories a day and lost about 11 pounds over the 12-week study without employing any other dietary measures.  Experts advise consuming between 0.5 grams and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of your body weight. That’s 70 grams to 140 grams a day for a 140-pound woman. Skew on the high end if you’re very active and on the low end if you’re trying to lose weight. If both apply, shoot for an amount somewhere in the middle—around 130 grams.

Not all protein is created equal, your best flat-belly bets are skinless white chicken or turkey, seafood, low-fat dairy, pork tenderloin, and lean beef. Below are a few examples of how to incorporate more protein into each meal.

Breakfast: Protein Waffles! (My favorite)

• 1/4 cup raw oats
• 1/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/2 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• Pinch of baking soda to help add some fluff!
• Pinch of cinnamon to taste

Mix up all ingredients in a bowl and add to a lightly greased waffle iron. Cook until the edges turn golden brown. Don’t have a waffle iron? Turn this into a protein pancake instead!

Lunch: Protein Packed Salad!

This one is simple! Make your favorite salad and just add some extra protein (ground beef, salmon, or chicken would be great!) to give it some substance. One word of caution: be careful on the dressing and avoid the croutons! Drizzling a bit of Balsamic Vinaigrette is a great salad dressing choice.

Dinner: Cauliflower Protein Pizza

Nonstick spray

 2 1/2 cups cauliflower, grated (about 1/2 a large head)

 1 large egg, lightly beaten

 1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 1/4 cup tomato sauce

 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

 2 cloves garlic, sliced

 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 Fresh basil leaves, optional

**Your choice of protein to top it off (150g)! Ground beef and Chicken are great options**

Directions:

1.Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 425ºF.

2.Grate the cauliflower using a box grater until you have two cups of cauliflower crumbles. Place in a large bowl and microwave for seven to eight minutes, or until soft. Remove from the microwave and let cool.

3.Mix in the egg, one cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Once combined, pat into a 10-inch round on the prepared pizza pan. Spray lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.

4.Top the pizza with the sauce, 1/4 cup mozzarella, grape tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes and of course your choice of protein! Bake in the oven until melted and bubbly, another 10 minutes. Top with basil before serving.

Join in our Summer Slim-down Challenge and start feeling great! There will be lots of help all along the way 🙂

If you find yourself with unmanageable cravings, you will want to read these 6 steps to better will power and avoid those late night binges.