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We’ve all been there.  Whether you’re just getting in the door from the gym or exercised before work that morning, cooking is the last thing you want to do when you get home. If you’re not prepared with leftovers, maybe you reach for the frozen pizza to throw in the oven while you shower. When going for the easy frozen choice, you’re probably lacking nutrients on the day of exercise. If this sounds like you, It’s time for a change that doesn’t take much of your time. Here are two nutrient packed recipes that will keep you well nourished, uninjured and in your workout routine

1) Lettuce Wraps for the Un-Lame (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
- ½ pound ground meat or ½ pack of diced tofu (for the protein and other micronutrients).
- 2 tbls olive oil (for the good fats and flavour).
- ½ head of cauliflower, diced (for the vitamin C).
- ½ large white or yellow onion, diced (for the fibre and flavour).
- 1-4 large cloves of garlic, diced (for the calcium, iron and vitamin C).
- 1 head of butter lettuce (for the vitamin A).
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (optional).
- Black pepper (to taste).
- Salt to taste (if not using soy sauce).

Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add meat and cook for 5 minutes (10min if using tofu).
2. Add diced cauliflower, onion and garlic. Pour soy sauce on top and let cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until vegetables are supple. Stir intermittently.
3. Add black pepper/salt to taste before serving, using the butter lettuce leaves as a wrap.

Serving Suggestion:
- Top each wrap with freshly shredded carrots (for the fresh taste and vitamin A).

2) BreakFAST Burritos (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
- 3 Eggs (For good fats, calcium, iron and protein)
- 2 tbls olive oil
- 1-2 diced Roma tomatoes (For iron, vitamin A and C)
- 4 green onions, diced (For some vitamin A and C)
- 1 glove of garlic, diced (For the calcium, iron and vitamin C)
- 4 flour tortillas (For the carbohydrates)

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium. Add garlic and green onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes, uncovered.
2. Mix eggs in a separate bowl. Pour into the pan over the garlic and green onions. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, while stirring, or until the eggs are firm. Once the eggs are cooked, empty the contents of the pan onto a separate plate.
3. Place one flour tortilla in the empty pan on medium heat. Top with a small portion of the cooked eggs from step 2. Let cook for 1 minute. Fold the sides of the tortilla together to form a burrito and flip it over in the pan with a spatula. Let cook for 1-2 more minutes or until the burrito is sealed.
4. Repeat the previous step with the rest of the tortillas.

Serving Suggestion:
- Put diced tomatoes on the side to top the burritos as you eat. Add chopped cilantro if desired.

Even these short recipes can seem like a lot after a long day mixed with exercise, but they are worth every minute. Think of it this way; how many workouts would you miss if you were injured? And don’t stop here.  These recipes lack many essential vitamins and minerals we get from fruits. So grab a banana with that protein bar in the morning and remember; eat well on your days of exercise and stay injury free.

About the Author:
Peter Griggs is a business development associate at FindTheBest Health, which helps users compare everything from dialysis centers to best diets.

Turkey has become the most popular Christmas meat with over 10 million turkeys being consumed in the UK each year over the festive period.  But just how do you cook the perfect Christmas turkey?  Follow the instructions below and you won’t go wrong.

INGREDIENTS:
- A 14 pound (lb)/6.5 kilogram (kg) turkey (this will feed about 12 people).
- 175 grams (g) of butter (this will need to be adjusted if you have a different sized turkey).
- 3.5 litres (ltr) of stuffing (this will need to be adjusted if you have a different sized turkey).
- 4 cups of water or turkey stock.
- Salt.
- Ground pepper.
- 5 chopped carrots.
- 500g of frozen, mixed vegetables.
- 500g of chopped mushrooms.
- 3 large, chopped onions.
- 3 large, chopped bell peppers.

COOKING INSTRUMENTS:
- An oven pre-heated to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C).
- A roasting tin.
- An oven proof bowl.
- A turkey baster.
- A meat thermometer.

RECIPE:
1) Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C).
2) Remove the giblets from the middle of the turkey.
3) Add your favourite stuffing.  You should put two thirds in the neck end between the neck and skin and then tuck the neck flap against the back of the bird, securing it with a skewer.  After this you will need to flip the turkey over and tuck in the wings.  Then you can put the remaining third of stuffing in the body cavity.  When stuffing the turkey make sure you do not pack it in too tightly to ensure that it heats properly.  Once the turkey is fully stuffed you will need to tie the legs together using some heavy duty kitchen twine.
4) Place the turkey in a roasting tin.
5) Place any remaining stuffing in an oven proof bowl and cover this with foil.
6) Spread 175g of softened butter over the turkey’s skin.
7) Add the carrot, mushroom, onion and pepper to the roasting tin.
8) Sprinkle salt and pepper over the buttered turkey and vegetables.
9) Pour two cups of water or turkey stock into the roasting tin.
10) Place the turkey in the pre-heated oven for 40 minutes.
11) Remove the turkey and baste it with the juices at the bottom of the roasting tin.
12) Reduce the oven temperature to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C) and place the turkey back in the oven to cook for a further 3½ hours.
13) Every 30 minutes remove the turkey from the oven and baste it with the juices at the bottom of the roasting tin.
14) Increase the temperature of the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) and cook the turkey and stuffing for a further 30 minutes.
15) Remove the turkey and pierce the thigh to see if the juices run clear.  If they do not then put the turkey back in the oven and keep testing for readiness every 10 minutes.  Once the juices do run clear insert your meat thermometer into the turkey along the breast bone and check that the temperature is between 160°F (71°C) and 165°F (74°C).  Then insert your meat thermometer into the turkey leg and check that the temperature is 180°F (82°C).  Once the turkey is ready cover it and the vegetables in foil and leave them to stand for 45 minutes.
16) Place the bowl of remaining stuffing into the oven and cook for 20 minutes at gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C) and then 20 minutes at gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).  Then remove the stuffing and check that the top is golden brown.  If not put the bowl of stuffing back in the oven and keep testing for readiness every 5 minutes.  Once ready take the stuffing out of the oven, remove the foil and add the stuffing from inside the turkey to the bowl.
17) Carve the turkey and serve with a portion of vegetables from the roasting tin, some gravy and some stuffing.

VIDEO:

If you learn better by watching someone else then the video below gives you a slight variation on the above recipe.

COOKING TIMES FOR DIFFERENT SIZED TURKEYS:

The above recipe looks at a 14lb turkey and the video looks at a 13lb turkey.  However, if you use different sized turkeys you should follow the cooking times below:

SUMMARY

The above recipe is both tasty and nutritious and will provide you and your guests with high levels of protein, vitamins and minerals.  So if you want to impress everyone this year with the perfect Christmas turkey just follow the instructions in this article.

Sources:
How to Make a Baked Stuffing (eHow)
How to Roast Turkey (Delia Online)
Turkey Cooking Times (Cooksleys)

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Want an early Christmas present?  Click the banner below to grab a copy of Lose Weight for the Holidays:

My last few posts have discussed diabetes in detail so I thought today I would give you all a relevant freebie which is not quite so information intensive.  Plus, my last post was 8 Ways to Manage Diabetes with a Healthy Diet so I thought that now would be the perfect time to give this freebie away.  The freebie is an ebook that I put together entitled 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes.  The ebook does exactly what it says, providing readers with 500 (well 515 actually) diabetic recipes.  Whatever you want to eat there should be a recipe for you here, whether it be beef, chicken, pasta, rice, cookies or cakes.

Here’s a few sample recipes from 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes:

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1) MEATLOAF

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp. chopped onions
1 c. allspice
1 c. corn flakes
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. garlic

Mix egg, water and corn flakes; let set for 10 minutes.  Mix with meat and remaining ingredients.  Pack into an oiled loaf pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Yields 9 servings.  Exchanges: 1 serving = 3 lean meat and 1 fat.  Calories per serving = 186.  Carbohydrate = 2.6 grams.  Fat = 14.8 grams.  Protein = 21.4 grams.  Sodium = 45 milligrams.  Cholesterol = 86 milligrams.

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2) CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1/4 c. margarine
1 tbsp. granulated fructose
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream together margarine and fructose, beat in egg, water and vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda and salt in sifter.  Sift dry ingredients into creamed mixture, stirring to blend thoroughly.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by teaspoonsful onto lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.  Makes 30 cookies.

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3) CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CARROT AND ZUCCHINI STUFFING

2  small (whole) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 c. carrots, shredded (about 2 sm.)
1 c. zucchini, shredded (about 1 med.)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 envelope chicken-flavored bouillon
1/4 c. water

In medium bowl, combine carrots, zucchini, salt and poultry seasoning.  Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture into each pocket (each breast should open similar to a butterfly); secure with toothpicks.  In place chicken in a Med size skillet, sprinkle with bouillon.

Add water to skillet and cook over medium high heat, heat to boiling.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer about 40 minutes or until chicken is fork tender.  Remove toothpicks.  Makes 4 servings, 180 calories per serving.

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4) MOLTED VEGETABLE SALAD

1 pkg. sugar-free lemon Jello
2 c. boiling water
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 c. cabbage, chopped
2/3 c. green pepper, chopped
2 slices pimiento
Lettuce leaves

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.  Add lemon juice, add chopped vegetables and chill.  Slice when firm and serve on lettuce leaves with low-calorie dressing.  This recipe may be a free food.  It is 20 calories and has large amounts of vitamins A and C.

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5) LO-CAL CHEESE CAKE

12 oz. low fat Ricotta cheese
4 eggs, separated
3/4 c. Fruit Sweet
Grated peel of 1 lemon
3 graham crackers, finely crushed
12 oz. low fat cottage cheese
2/3 c. non-instant milk powder
5 tbsp. lemon juice or to taste
2 tsp. pure vanilla
Butter or oleo for pan

Put cheese in process with egg yolks and Fruit Sweet and blend.  Add milk, powder and process until smooth.  Add vanilla, lemon juice and peel to cheese mixture.  Blend until smooth.  Beat egg whites until frothy, then add to the processor and blend for about 2 seconds, until mixed.  Butter the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides of a 9″ springform pan.

Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the pan and shake until buttered area is coated.  Leave any extra on the bottom.  Pour cheesecake mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees with a pan of water in the oven to prevent drying.    Bake for 45 minutes or until inserted knife emerges clean.  Cool.  May serve with Wax Orchards All-Fruit Fanciful preserve of your choice.  Variations:  All cottage or all ricotta cheese may be used.  For standard cream cheese cake, substitute 24 ounces cream cheese, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup powdered milk and 2/3 cup Fruit Sweet.  Adjust lemon.

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Some tasty stuff I’m sure you’ll agree.  If you want to download all 515 tasty diabetic recipes then click the link below.  Also don’t forget that the ebook comes with full giveaway rights so if you want to pass it on to your friends, family or website visitors please do so.

Click Here to Download 500 Delicious Diabetic Recipes!