Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating

As an athlete I know the value of eating healthy. Playing basketball and baseball I have come across many different coaches and nutritionist that have made me change the way I eat. Whether it’s to make me gain weight or make me lose weight but in both instances they said this is the healthy way to lose or gain weight. Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides nutrients to your body. These nutrients give you energy and keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working. Nutrients also help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes, such as blood pressure.

Eating certain foods can get boring and redundant. There was a time that I had to gain weight and I had to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with meals. The process worked I gained the weight that I needed to, but just knowing that everyday I would have to eat that food its boring. In my mind, I’m thinking ugh, I have to eat this again. That’s why I think that you must be happy as well. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems with eating healthy is it cost more and it doesn’t make you happy all the time. Usually you have to stop eating the good stuff like ice cream and fried foods and fast foods. Although those foods make you feel good they are bad for your body.  I would recommend a mixture of both with healthy exercising. Think about this Good nutrition can lower your risk of developing a range of chronic diseases, For example, eating more fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and may lower your risk of certain types of cancer. Here is a list of healthy foods to eat:

1.     Kale

2.     Sardines

3.     Pomegranate

4.     Oatmeal

I also want to list a few different categories of foods to get for you home:

1)    Refrigerated Items

i)      Eggs


ii)    Feta cheese,

iii)   Low fat
 milk,

iv)   Skim or low-fat soy


v)    Orange or grapefruit juice (100%) with pulp


vi)   Part-skim mozzarella cheese


vii) Yogurt with active cultures

viii)         Low fat sour cream

2)    Poultry/Fish


i)      Chicken breast halves,

ii)    Skinless and boneless
Chicken thighs,

iii)   Skinless
Deli meat,

iv)   Sliced and skinless (not processed cold cuts)
Salmon fillets, Skinless
Whole fish or fillets: trout, tilapia, snapper, or sea bass

3)    Frozen Food


i)      Blueberries and raspberries,

ii)    Frozen and unsweetened
Fruit

iii)   Sorbet
Vanilla frozen yogurt

4)    Health Foods 


i)      Chia seed


ii)    Flaxseed
Soy

iii)   Protein Powder

5)    Blue/Purple:


i)      Blueberries,

ii)    Blackberries,

iii)   Plums,

iv)   Eggplant

6)    Orange/Yellow:


i)      Carrots,

ii)    Sweet potatoes,

iii)   Squash,

iv)   Mangoes,

v)    Pineapple

7)    Red:


i)      Tomatoes,

ii)    Cherries,

iii)   Cranberries,

iv)   Red peppers,

v)    Red apples

8)    Yellow/Green:


i)      Avocados,

ii)    broccoli,

iii)   spinach,

iv)   kiwifruit,

v)    lemons,

vi)   limes

9)    White/Green:


i)      Garlic,

ii)    onions,

iii)   bananas,

iv)   mushrooms

The Decision

The Decision is known right now for the LeBron James decision that toke him to Miami to play basketball. Now we have to make our own decision that might not have been as big as the LeBron Decision, but to us it was a big one. A few friends and I have to decide on what we are going to eat while we are watching the NBA playoff games. This year we have a tough decision because typically wings and pizza is the only thing on the menu. This year we want to change it up, but don’t really know what to make.  We are brainstorming over a few sidecar that has given me some ideas. I came up with catfish nuggets, salad and some mixed drinks. They are arguing for shrimp wrapped in bacon, broccoli and rice casserole. This is the first time we are going to watch a game without wings and pizza. It’s funny to think that as many basketball games that we have watched we’ve always ate the same thing. The Decision was finally made all of the above we are going to cook.  I was in charge of making the Catfish Nuggets. They were very easy to make, I simply seasoned them (Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, lite salt and pepper) and placed them in beaten eggs, then placed them in cornmeal. I put the Catfish in the frying pan and let it cook until it was brown. While the catfish is cooking I will use the salad from a bag and put some dressing on it. The food taste so good. The shrimp wrapped in bacon my friend made it, but it came out really good. The Broccoli and rice casserole wasn’t my idea but it was ok. I would prefer finger food.       

Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes

This dish that I am about to talk about is Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes. The dish is one of my uncle's favorite things to eat.  This dish needs the basics salt, pepper, butter, oil, and onions (if you want that), Russet Potatoes, frozen chopped broccoli and ranch salad dressing. This is a very simple but delicious dish to make. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Bake for about 15min then slice the tops off the potatoes, scoop out the pulp, but keep the skin intact. Get a medium size bowl and mash the pulp in the bowl. Add broccoli and butter and a bit of salad dressing just to give it a little flavor. I usually brush the outside of the potatoes with oil. Then place the mash in the potatoes, place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for about 15min. Take the potatoes out add a little salt and pepper and then taste.  This dish goes well with steak or lobster. 

Do Pro Athletes Cook?

I wanted to know if other athletes have the same feelings about cooking as I do. So I choose to conduct an interview. I wanted to keep the interview short and sweet, so I chose broad but simple questions that would give me a since or feel for what Pro Athletes like to cook. The person I choose to interview was Jahri Evans. He is a very cool guy that plays for the New Orleans Saints Football Team. He is a veteran in the League (NFL) and has made 4 straight Pro Bowl Games. He is a good friend that enjoys cooking from time to time like me.

Why do you cook?

I cook because I can make my food to my liking.

Do you have a Favorite dish to make?

Favorite dish is any thing that I can season and throw on grill.

In a cook-off what dish would you present?

In a cook-off I would present BBQ.

Do you have a secret dish/sauce, if so what is it?

I have a secret BBQ sauce.

How often do you cook meals at  home?

I cook a few times a month.

What type of stove do you have in your kitchen?

I have an electric stove top and a Primo grill/smoker.

Where do you get most of your recipes?

I just use spices that I like on certain foods.

Do you own an outdoor grill?

I own a ceramic grill and use natural wood/charcoal.

What's your favorite food to eat?
My favorite food to eat, I would have to say Lasagna.

After conducting the interview I realize that Jahri loves to grill better than cook on the stove. Now the only thing left is to challenge him to a grill off and see who makes the best tasting food. Jahri also has his own website that you can visit and find out some of the more entertaining things he does. The website is  http://www.jahrievans.com/ 

How to make Angel Hair Pasta

My little cousins came to visit me and I wanted to cook something easy and quick for them. They said that I couldn’t cook lol, so I had to show them a little something different. I made Angel Hair Pasta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capellini ) with chicken and veggies. The dish takes about 25 min. to cook and for my first time making it I loved it and they did as well. To make this dish you should have: chicken breast, chicken broth, frozen broccoli, carrots, and angel hair pasta, olive oil and garlic will be the only seasoning that’s needed. First, heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the cut up chicken breast. Stir and let simmer for about 5min. take the chicken out and place it on a paper towel. Begin heating the water for the pasta. In the pan add the carrots and let them cook for 4 min. Then add the broccoli and garlic and let cook for about two more min. let the pasta boil and add the chicken broth and add a little Parmesan cheese. Now add the chicken to the pan and let it simmer for abut 4min. Drain the noodles and the dish is ready. I like mine mixed together but some people like the veggies and chicken placed on the top.

Wiki 2

The wiki post that I changed was the word recipe. The word recipe before meant "to make" I changed the meaning of the word to mean "to make good". It's not a big deal but it just shows that the simple meaning of a word can make a big impact. I was talking to a friend and I baited him into a disagreement. We were talking about different recipes and ways to make them and I said the definition of the word recipe. Now I know the definition because I changed it lol. He said Bet it means something different so of course I bet him and I won. He felt so bad and I just laughed. We bet 100 dollars on what the word recipe meant lol. How crazy is that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recipe

Fajita Casserole

Chillin in the crib I was thinking about tacos. I was hungry because the day was crazy. I didn’t want to make traditional tacos. So I made a fajita casserole. I made the casserole so I didn’t have to eat it like a taco. I used the basics for making fajitas.  Pulled chicken, green peppers, flower tortias, chicken soup, chicken stock, taco seasoning mix, seasoning salt and black pepper. I started early at about 5 o’clock and I put the pulled chicken in the slow cooker. Then I later that night I made the rest of the food. It was fairly easy. The fajita bread I just cut up into little squares and placed in a baking pan then I put the chicken in a pan with the green peppers and chicken broth and chicken stock. I let that cook for a couple min. then I got the chicken peppers and broth into the baking pan over top the fajita bread and I sprinkled cheese all over the food and I let it bake for about 20 min and out came a fajita casserole. 

Broccoli Stuffed Baked Potatoes

This dish that I am about to talk about is Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes.  This dish needs the basic salt, pepper, butter, oil, and onions (if you want that), russet potatoes frozen chopped broccoli and ranch salad dressing. This is a very simple but delicious dish to make. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for about 15min then slice the tops off the potatoes, scoop out the pulp, and keep the skin intact. Get a medium size bowl and mash the pulp in the bowl. Add broccoli and butter and a bit of salad dressing just to give it a little flavor. I usually brush the outside of the potatoes with oil. Then place the mash in the potatoes, place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for about 15min. Take the potatoes out add a little salt and pepper and then taste.  

Coca cola Chicken Wings

There are many ways to eat chicken. There are many ways to cook chicken. I have had many different flavors of chicken. This flavor I have never had but I will try it soon as I get the chance. Its Coca-Cola chicken wings. The way that they are made is crazy but it makes since. I also think that they are really different. Making the chicken wings are going to be fun and I will share pictures and let  you guys know how it tastes. I am thinking that i might make the wings with Dr Pepper soda. I think that the flavor might be a little better. I guess it will depend on what kind of soda you prefer.

What Are You Eating?

I am learning about the different ways to make food. I come across an article that really freaks me out. The article talks about the way chicken nuggets and hotdogs are made. Most people know that Hotdogs are made from trash and left overs. I am sure most people didn't know this. The images you see here are what chicken nuggets are made of. They take the left over eye balls and legs and stomach what ever is waste. They put it in a machine that grinds everything up and it comes out as a pink paste. Then the pink paste is grounded up to become thick and separated. If thats not disgusting enough this gets worse. The paste is filled with bacteria and germs so the company uses pneumonia to clean it. They cant sell it like that so they use artificial flavors to make it taste like chicken nuggets.  The nuggets are still pink though so they use artificial coloring to make the nuggets look like chicken nuggets. This is crazy but people eat them everyday. Im not sure if people will stop after seeing this but I sure hope they do.

Mac and Cheese

Ok today I had to try and make Mac and Cheese. This is a milestone for me because I love Mac and Cheese. I can eat it every day and with any meal. Every body has there own way of making Mac and Cheese. I like mine to be a little crispy around the edges and really cheesy with a hint of sweet taste. Yea I know, it sounds weird the sweet taste but it is good when it has that sweet little flavor. So I got a little instruction from my aunt on how to make it. I will add my own ingredients to make it taste the way I want it to taste. The basic ingredients are macaroni noodles, butter, your preference of milk, your preference of cheese and a baking pan. To start I boil the noodles for about 7 min. I don’t ant them super soft because then the Mac and Cheese tastes over done. I like to use the blocks of Sharp Coby Jack Cheese. It is a mix of white and orange cheese. I use 2 blocks; I shred one and place it in the bottom of the pan. Then I add the noodles and the butter. Most people use a spoon to mix I like to use my hands because it makes the ingredients mix smoother. Then I add the milk and the rest of the cheese and a little more butter. Then once everything is mixed I put a coat of sugar on it. Yes, sugar, it gives the hint of sweet flavor. Try it before you knock it. You should set the oven to about 350 and let the Mac and Cheese bake for about 25 min or until the edges get light brown. Let it cool after and serve.  

Fun Pops

I have this crazy Idea to make a freeze pop. I think the idea is great but my cousin said, it can’t be done. I wanted to make a freeze pop out of candy. So my first thoughts were, “what candy should I use?” I thought long and hard about chocolate favorites like Reese Cups, Snickers, M&M’s. Then I also thought about Skittles, Blow Pops and Sweet Tarts. So now I must see if it is possible to make them into a freeze pop. I get these ice trays from Path-mark (Food Market) their long and they are made for freeze pops.  First I get all the candy and instead of crushing them up I put them into the individual cups in the tray. So the Reese Cups and Snickers are on a freeze pop and the M&M’s and Sweet Tarts are on a freeze pop. The last few were made with the Skittles and Blow Pops. Also the Blow Pops I toke off the stick before putting them into the trays. I pored water on all the candy and I put them into the freezer. I went and worked on some homework and when I returned I had freeze pops but they didn’t look as good as I expected. Of course I tried them anyway and they were so good. The only one I had a problem with was the Blow Pops I forgot they had gum in the middle. So it didn’t turn out to good it takes a long time to finish.