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Mango Thai Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

mango thai chicken salad

 

I used to be a plain salad, same salad kind of girl. I would get your standard mixed green or Ceasar Salad.  Then I began eating more protein and produce and before I found all that variety had to offer I got stuck in the same salad rut.  Funny enough my husband who is a same meal kind of guy. Like when I met him he would only eat “American” food defined by him as Hamburgers, Spaghetti (Technically not American) and Fried Chicken.  Anyways, he introduced me to adding fruit into my salad. He used to put strawberries, grapes, blackberries, apples and I thought “Eew, how gross” well you know the adage-Don’t knock it till you try it. Well I was pleasantly surprised. Now I am livening my salads up with different types of nuts, cheese, fruits, and dressings. I especially love homemade dressings I feel they have more flavor and can be fun and inspiring to make.  So, usually I make my own dressings.

Peanut Dressing

This weekend I was inspired by a salad I had picked up from Wawa. (Wawa is a NJ/East Coast convenient store chain that offers some made to order meals and express salads, etc.) We were busy, busy and the snacks I had brought were gone. We were still running errands and was starving.  I had my husband stop at Wawa and chose a not-great-for-you but better-than-a-fast-food-meal, salad.  It was pretty good but I knew I could do better and I did.  Got home, did some digging on Pinterest and found a good base for my Spicy Peanut Dressing. As with most recipes I find I reinvented it and made a much healthier option.  I wanted a dressing that was Sugar Free (of course) and I used Coconut Oil because it’s a healthier fat then most of the other dressing recipes I found.  I also kind of made up the salad as I went along because honestly anyone can throw a salad together. Grilled some chicken with my amazing 5-Spice Season and Ta-Da! This was one of those meals you kind of hum as you took each bite. Yes, that good! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did since I am a little bias.

Do you like fruit in your salad? What’s your favorite salad topping?

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Meal Time Monday

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Faith & Self Care

Freeing Yourself from a Dieters Mentality

My Full Disclosure Policy

I am an affiliate for Nutrient Based Eating program. I receive a commission for anyone who purchase the program through my link.  That in no way effects my opinion.

I am so excited to have my FaithFit friend Amanda Wright on the blog today! Amanda is a faithful women like myself who also is driven to show others how to honor her temple. I am so honored to have her on the blog today!

Crazy Prayers!

What’s the craziest prayer you’ve ever prayed?  I don’t mean crazy in the sense that you were praying with bold faith for Kingdom values we know our Father has prepared for us.

I was thinking more along the lines of pretty self-serving, incredibly shallow, and well…crazy!

Mine is a prayer I prayed quite often for the decades of life that I was living under the burden of being a “dieter” and pretty obsessive about my food, eating, and body.

My crazy prayer would always be, “Lord, can you help me not gain weight from this excessive amount of (fill in the blank) that I’m about to eat (or, let’s face it, was already in the middle of eating.)”

Note, it was NOT a prayer asking for His strength to help me stop eating, nor was it a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving for such a treat or meal.  Oh no, it was always out of FEAR that my compulsive eating or drinking would make be fat.

Funny, but I can’t remember one time that my loving Father answered this prayer.  Every time I over-indulged, my body wore that decision.

Guilty Indulgence

Then I would feel guilty and condemned for letting my eating get to so out of control.  So then I would over-compensate for that guilt by overhauling my eating on some diet or clean eating regimen for as long as my willpower held out.

But sure enough, my cravings would come back with a vengeance, and I would set my sights on some new over-indulgence and the cycle would start all over again.

Jesus Girl Dilemma’s

This is a dieters dilemma for the faith-based girl.

So, allow me to officially introduce myself.  I’m Amanda Wright, founder of my business A. Wright Fit.  I am a certified nutritionist and certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and I teach women the tools to grow STRONGher in her body, WISEher in her mindset all by living more SURRENDhered to Jesus!

So, I am a fit-faith friend of our girl De, and have been passionately following her amazing transformation journey and am in AWE of her discipline and motivating presence in this world.

De and I have been chatting about nutrition and the struggle that we ourselves have experienced along with the struggle we see so many of our friends and clients face with regards to our eating and our relationship with food.

We see that there are problems with the “diet mentality” for women of Faith.

There is a beautiful quote by Elisabeth Elliot that said, “We cannot give our hearts to God and keep our bodies for ourselves.”  So much truth to that!

Surrender is not to be selective.

And in my crazy prayer I shared with you above, I was certainly being selective in what I gave God reign over and I see a lot of my faithful friends still doing that as well

So, I wanted to share 3 problems that I see with this diet-driven society, and also give you a chance to embark on a new journey with me (and De) to transform your nutrition with my Nutrient Based Eating lifestyle based program for women.
Problem #1:  We are commanded by Jesus to “not worry about out eating or our drinking.”

““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? “ Matt 6:25

When we “worry” over anything, even something as good as getting good nutrition, we are, as Rick Warren says,  “acting like practical atheists.” You take on God’s role when you think that by worrying about something, you actually have power of it.  We think that when we “worry” about something that we are proving that we care.  But that is not true.  Worry is based out of fear, and fear opposes love and all that God is.

Your Solution:  There is a way to CARE about your eating without worrying and that is to step into the love of what you’re after.  Instead of “worrying” about every detail of your food, you will simply take on an attitude of doing your best to build good habits and then surrender the rest.

Let’s be clear, we do need to care, so don’t mistake this advice as though you need to shut off all consideration for what you’re eating.  We must care because our body is a gift from God that we are called to steward well.   We must simply draw the line on the emotional power we allow our food choices to have over us.

 

Problem #2:  We follow “her” instead of Him.

“Do not follow the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2

Often we get caught following our girlfriends more than we follow God’s call on our lives.  This is not necessarily bad, especially when God sends good women to help teach us, but we have to be able to discern what is a pattern of the world that belongs to the world versus a pattern of the Kingdom that is worthy of our practice.

Just because your girlfriend claims that she saw such fast results taking her supplement program or going vegan does not mean that that program is right for you or your body type.

In my coaching, I have come to realize that I cannot be a hero for my clients.  I cannot give them the “magic fix” by telling them exactly what to eat.  I have to teach her how to take personal responsibility for her own body and investigate what foods work best for her own metabolism, tastes, and body systems.

We are all uniquely made! God will guide you in the process of self-discovery.  Own it!

Problem #3:   Practices that use only our “willpower” limit our “Godpower.”

So many women think the only option to change her eating is to take an “all-or-nothing” approach to her eating and completely overhaul everything at once.

Anytime you try to make several changes at once, you are by default relying on your willpower to sustain your efforts.  Habits are very challenging to make stick in our busy brains (Dr. Caroline Leaf shows it takes about 63-days for just ONE habit), so multitasking all these changes at once creates overload and eventually breaks down.

Ultimately this is a fleshy response, trying to use our own will to transform us.  And we know that anytime we are acting in the flesh we are opposing the Spirit within us. (Galatians 5:17)

Your Solution:  Instead of overhauling your eating, consider making just ONE habit in the right direction and allow God to show you what this may look like…which may just include a little guidance from yours truly.
If you are in need of some faith-based wisdom on what nutritional habits to follow in order to improve your lifestyle based approach to healthy eating, I would love to welcome you to the Nutrient Based Eating habit-based program for lean lifestyles and thriving energy!

The NBE is a eBook and video eCourse that guides you step-by-step through 3 important areas in your nutrition.

Section I:  Education— In the book I teach you the incredible power of having a “nutrient” focus on your eating instead of a “calorie” focus.  I teach you what holistic eating is and why it is the single best decision you can make for your eating!  You have a full guide on the essential vitamins and minerals and where to find them in your food.

Section II:  Application— Here I take you through the 5 PHASES of Nutrient Based Eating progression.  Using plate graphics and hand-measuring tools I guide you through the building of 17+ solid nutritional habits that will keep you progressing!

I give you printable tools like my “NBE Habit Formula Tracker” to help you hold yourself accountable and the “Assessment Protocol” to help you determine what is working for you and what needs to be tweaked.

Section III:  Maintenance— where other programs might leave you hanging here, I help you prepare for this phase once you reach your goal by teaching you the “mindset of maintenance” along with the reverse-habit protocol you can take to ensure the lifelong maintenance.

When you join, you will receive 6-eCourse videos that teach you the NBE lifestyle in full.  I will also add you to the private Facebook NBE group and portal to be in community with fellow fit-faith women who are in this journey with you!  You’ll receive daily encouragement, accountability and coaching that will help you stay CONSISTENT!

For more information or to purchase, click here.  But be aware, the opportunity to purchase only lasts until Friday, March 3 at midnight!  So, feel free to reach out to me or De with any questions!

TELL ME MORE ABOUT NUTRIENT BASED EATING

“Amanda Wright is a Jesus-girl, a certified nutritionist and Certified Strength and

Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). She is owner of the fit and faith-based women’s

health coaching practice, called A. Wright Fit, where she teaches women to grow

STRONG’her in body, WISE’her in mindset all by living more SURREND’hered to

Jesus.

She is madly in love with her husband of just 2-years, Howard, and stepmom to

Alyssa and Eden. She and Howard reside in California in the Silicon Valley area. She

loves to exercise (obvi), hike, read and is also incredibly lucky to travel the world

with her husband for his current role in corporate America.

 

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Dessert Gluten Free Recipes

Pecan Chai Date Bars

 

Pecan Date Bar

Today is National Pie Day and I have a great recipe for a yummy, healthier version of pecan pie.  Once you’ve had this you won’t miss that sweet confection. When I went gluten/wheat free a few months ago I felt like I was going to miss out on all the goodness that gluten provides.  I had tried a few store bought cookies and items and was very disappointed with the lack of moisture, weird after taste and all together lack of flavor.  Like everything now I had to go gluten/wheat free and start making things from scratch. If you have read previous “Mealtime Monday’s” you know that I am always experimenting. This time I wanted to use up the last of the Medjool dates that I had.  I recently started baking with Medjool dates and they are a great sweet alternative to refined white sugar.  My family is starting to really become a fan and the baby loves these as a treat now so I have to keep them hidden.

While scrolling through Pinterest I came across a Oat Date bar that of course had whole wheat flour and it was just Oats and Dates which seemed a little boring to me. So, after some adjustments I came up with this really yummy gluten free alternative.  There really moist, just enough sweetness and will have you wanting more.  I added Pecans because I thought it would be a welcomed flavor and came up with these magical bars.  I would say if there is someone with a nut allergy just omit the Pecans and you’re good to go. These bars are a great source for natural energy too and add in some dried fruit, chocolate chips and give yourself even more variety. One tip, store these in a Air Tight Container and keep cool. The coconut oil will make these really soft if left out too long.

I am so glad that there are so many alternative flours you can use now other than whole wheat.  I know going from what you are used to and changing up your diet can be really stressful and hard but here I am a few months later and I am not missing my wheat.  Sometimes it’s hard to eat out but for the most part I find it a pretty easy transition.  If you’re making the switch to gluten free hang in there you will get used to it soon! If you’ve been living this life not as a fad diet but as an actual health issue for many years and just need another tasty to add to your repertoire, well here you go! Either way, I hope you enjoy!

What’ s your favorite pie?

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Fitness Fitness and Health Mealtime Monday

What’s the deal with Macro Counting?

Meal Time Monday [Autosaved]

calculating-macros

I have been counting macro’s for a while now about 6 months and it has made a world of difference in my diet.  I also recently just passed my nutrition class at school so that makes me an authority on macro’s, right? Nope, but I am going to let you in on my notes from my personal research.

Macro’s?

According to my textbook Visualizing Nutrition Everyday Choices, macros are “Carbohydrates, lipids (aka fats. Proteins, and water.” I am not including alcohol although it is a macro it is not a nutrient required to live. It does contain calories which is why it is a macro but let’s try to keep it out of our count.  These are all considered macronutrients and what we need in large amounts. There are also micronutrients which are vitamins and minerals and we only need a little that is why they are micro. 

 So, when someone is counting macro’s they are measuring their Carbohydrate, Fat, and Protein.

carbohydrates

 Let’s tackle that monster first!  Should I eat them? Shouldn’t I? Please do eat Carbs. The purpose of Carbohydrates are to fuel our bodies with energy.  They are stored in the liver, brain, blood and muscles as glycogen.  You can get carbohydrates from: Starches, sugars and fiber.

 You can get carbohydrates from:

  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Grains
  • Oatmeal
  • Steel Cut Oats
  • Sweet Potatoes/Yams
  • Brown Rice
  • White Rice
  • Whole Wheat Bread
  • Ezekiel bread
  • Cream Of Wheat
  • Cream of Rice

You can also get them from processed foods and drinks but since you’re trying to make healthier choices stick to Whole foods.

 How much is enough?

We all are different, Thank God.  It can range from zero-700 grams per day.  The daily recommendation 130 grams of carb per day. If you are counting macro’s I would go to a macro calculator. When taking into account your macro numbers there is usually activity level, body weight, body fat percentages and goals.

A range that I saw consistently was .5-2 grams per pound of lean body mass.  Lean body mass everything (including organs, blood, bones, muscle and skin) that is not body fat.

 Body-Fat = Lean Body Mass

The Lean Body Mass Formula:

Body Weight- (Body Weight x Body Fat Percentage) = Lean Body Mass

Or you can use an automatic calculator.

Before we go back to Macro’s, Lean Body Mass is a good thing to know.  It will help you to track changes that you have in your Body Fat versus whether the scale decides to behave or not it can give you a more accurate idea of weight loss! It also helps to make sure you are just losing your fat and not muscle too!

Protein assist you in building muscles if consumed correctly it can also prevent muscle loss if you have a calorie deficit.  Protein has also been linked to controlling appetite and helps keep you full longer better than fats and carbohydrates do.  Another thing about protein is that it requires a lot more energy to digest than other macro nutrients.  It has been said that protein is a good example of effective calorie burning gram for gram.  That is why a lot of high-protein diets have been associated with better fat loss.

You can get your protein from both vegetables and/or animal sources:

  • Egg
  • Skinless Chicken Breast or Cutlets
  • Lean Turkey
  • Top Round
  • Steak Filet Mignon
  • Fish
  • Beef
  • Cottage Cheese
  • Pork Tenderloin
  • Wild Sea Bass Wild Swordfish

Vegetable Sources:

  • Chia
  • Hemp Seed
  • Soy
  • Seitan
  • Quinoa

How much is enough?

Again, this is all dependent on YOU! Your weight, body fat percentage and goals need to be accounted.

A consistent range that I found was .5 grams-2 grams per pound of lean body mass.

According to Authority Nutrition, “The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.”

Example:

You weigh 140 lbs. and you are at 25% body fat, your lean body mass will be

140 – (140*25%) = 140-32.50 = 107.5 is your Lean body Mass what is left AFTER the body fat.

108 x .5 g of protein = 54 grams of protein. If you planned on consuming .5 grams of protein per day for your goals. That is why with macro’s-goals matters!

 fats

Fat?

Despite the low-fat nonsense you see in the store. Fat can be good! Say what? Yep, we absolutely need fat to survive it helps us with vitamin absorption, hormones and their regulation, keeps our brain functioning properly among some of the things which are pretty important.

How much is enough?

Always asking this question, huh? Well we all know too much is too much but how much is enough? Good question but guess what that depends on? Yep, you got it your body wright, body fat percentage and your goals.

A consistent range is 15-45% or .35-.7 grams per pound of lean body mass. That can be calculated just like the protein.

Although, a lot of people give that range. According to Health.gov, you should strive for “a total fat intake of no more than 30 percent of calories, as recommended in previous editions of the Guidelines”

You can get good sources of fat and poor just like any other macro nutrient.

My suggestion:

  • Olive Oil
  • Flaxseed Oil
  • Fish Oil
  • Almond Butter/
  • Cashew Butter
  • Almonds
  • Pecans
  • Walnuts
  • Cashews
  • Natural Peanut Butter
  • Avocados

What does all this mean?

When someone is counting their macro’s they are tracking the Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats they eat in a day versus calories. Now each macro nutrient has caloric value but we’re not going to get into that.

macroscalorievalue

When counting your macros as long as you focus on the grams of macro nutrients and use an amount according to your goals. With the information from a nutrition label instead of counting calories you can create your Macros:

counting-macros-from-a-nutrition-label

For Example:

This is an example of how although you are counting macro’s it still equals your calories. Why? Calories are the amount of energy food gives you. Macronutrients are where the calories come from they are the nutrients that give you energy.

Is there any other things that need to be counted when calculating macro’s? No!

NOT:

·         Saturated Fat

·         Cholesterol

·         Sodium

·         Dietary Fibers

·         Sugars

·         Added Sugars

·         All the Vitamins, Calcium, Iron and Potassium are Micro nutrients so, not these either.

What do I do if it doesn’t have a label?

Google it! My Fitness Pal it, get a really educated idea of the macros in your apple, chicken breast, or baked potato.  Gift of modern day technology. You can track everything on My Fitness Pal if you like.  I just wanted to break it down so you understand what the macro’s look like and are coming from.

countingmacronutrients

Still concerned? Or, Ready to try?

For those who are still concern I will address a few issues I had at first!

This seems complicated why not just track my calories? Macro tracking or counting helps you make sure that the weight that your losing is not the muscle you have worked so hard to gain, you aren’t having hormonal issues because you’re consuming adequate amounts of fat, you performance won’t suffer because although you are reducing calories do you know if you’re getting the adequate amount of carbohydrates to fuel your workout?

You can remain counting calories but if you’re looking to improve your health and maintain your muscle definition and work to your bodies best ability because it is fueled with the adequate macro nutrients for today. It’ s really up to you I say at least give it a try!

 

Do you use macro’s? Have you heard of counting macro’s ?

References
Grosvenor, Mary B. Visualizing Nutrition Everyday Choices. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley Visualizing, 2012. Print.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocument sRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?Rec ordID=10490 http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2004/DietaryReference-Intakes-Water-Potassium-Sodium-Chloride-andSulfate.aspx

 

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Breakfast Mealtime Monday Recipes

Adult Grits and Eggs: Fancy Breakfast

Meal Time Monday [Autosaved]

gritseggs

 

My New Quirky Habit

I have this new quirk, and my husband had to point it out to me. I like eating fancy food. From creating blog and Instagram post I now pretty much style all my meals. Healthy food just tastes better when designed in my opinion, and it’s a part of the food experience. Before I became a health nut, the food experience consisted of a greasy bag, lots of napkins and a stain every single time on my shirt. It was usually eaten in the car, in a hurry, on-the-go and the most memorable thing about the experience are the stains it left on my shirt.

gritsaneggs

Fine Dining Experience

Now that I eat clean food is an experience. It’s not a quick fix, never fully satisfying thing to pass the time away. It’s a production (not my meals or 30 minutes or less but what feels like a production) flavorful, expression of my creativity. I make new recipes regularly, try new vegetables and fruits weekly. Slice, dice, cut and mince and create amazing flavor combinations and aromas. Then I sit down and enjoy a beautiful meal photogenically styled for all of our enjoyment. Well, that does somewhat happen maybe two days a week. All the others I take regular meals and put it on the plate pretty and just my plate because by the time I am finished the Lil Divas are on their seconds. Then, I eat it and enjoy it. It’s portioned just right and beautiful like from a restaurant. Do I waste my dinner time? Yes, but rather than scarfing down a plate and being on my seconds. I am eating my first. Finishing with the family and not sitting there watching them eat their seconds. Ah-ha, you say? Try it! Works for me!

gritsandeggs

Little touches make the magic

Well on one of my particularly creative breakfast I decided to grab almost every herb in my garden. A box of grits and some eggs and make adult grits. I never had adult grits, but I wanted to do something other than butter or sugar (I have never done this, but my cousins do) and cheese, grits require cheese UNLESS you are lactose intolerant like me, so that leaves me with, boo. Exactly, so I came up with this simple as making a not adult grits recipe to get fancy at the table, and you can just do this for your bowl and let the family have their regular meal while you dine at your gourmet restaurant 😉 😉 Enjoy!

How do you like your grits? Have you ever “dressed them up”?

 

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