Showing posts with label chopped tomato. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chopped tomato. Show all posts

If you’ve been thinking Beyonce looks even more gorgeous than usual lately, it’s thanks to her new wellness place. As well as stepping up her cardio, the Single Ladies singer has started to take care of her wellbeing with a new meat-free diet. That’s right, B has gone veggie and she’s never looked better. However, the important thing to remember is that you can just give up meat while working out; this could be dangerous to your health. Rather, you need a vegetarian meal plan that still contains everything you need to fuel your exercise routine. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing:


 


Monday: For breakfast, have three Weetabix with 120ml skimmed milk and 1tbsp dried fruit. Snack on two plums and, for lunch, spread low-fat soft cheese on a toasted wholemeal bagel. You can also have a large salad with vinegar dressing, followed by 200ml low-fat rice pudding. Snack on two figs. For dinner, choose a 300g kidney bean casserole, served with 180g cooked brown rice. Finish with 100g quark cheese with 1tbsp honey and fresh blackberries.


 


Tuesday: Eat two slices of rye bread with low-fat spread and peanut butter for breakfast, and a banana for a snack. 300g vegetable moussaka is your lunch today, followed by a snack of 150g low-fat yoghurt with 150g seasonal berries and 1tbsp porridge oats. For dinner, cook 45g dry macaroni in 200ml skimmed milk, drain and mix with 1tsp rapeseed oil, 30g low-fat cheese and parmesan. Serve with steamed vegetables.


 


Wednesday: For breakfast, eat 6tbsp porridge oats in low-fat yoghurt with 1tbsp seeds and 1tbsp dried fruit. Grab a 150-calorie cereal bar for a snack. For lunch, mix the juice of a lemon, six chopped cherry tomatoes and 100g quark cheese. Spread this on 110g wholemeal baguette with herbs and black pepper. Snack on 50g nuts and raisins and, for dinner, cook 140g couscous in vegetable stock with 50g dried apricots. Serve with 80g feta cheese, chopped tomato, celery and grilled aubergine in 1tsp sesame seed oil.


 


Thursday: Have baked beans (reduced sugar and salt) on waffles for breakfast with 50g orange juice. For a snack, have 250ml fruit smoothie, followed by 300ml lentil soup and one wholemeal roll with low-fat spread and low-fat cream cheese for lunch. For your afternoon snack, have a cup of black tea with two fig rolls. For dinner, mash 160g new potatoes with melted low-fat spread and fried onion, and serve with steamed vegetables, vegetable gravy and two Quorn sausages.


 


Friday: Start your day with 37g oat bran flakes with 120ml skimmed milk, and snack on two rice cakes with peanut butter and 200ml skimmed milk. For lunch, have 180g bean salad, raw tomato and 200g vine leaves stuffed with rice, and snack on a large pear in the afternoon. For dinner, make vegetable tikka with 160g rice, 4tbsp chickpea dhal and raita.


 


Saturday: For breakfast, make a burrito with one egg, 50ml skimmed milk, cumin, ½ a chopped red pepper, ½ a can of black beans, 50g quark, chopped coriander and salsa. Serve with one slice of wheat germ bread. Have an apple for a snack and then a Greek salad in one wholemeal pitta with low-fat hummus for lunch. Snack on 35g plain popcorn in the afternoon and finish with 120g Quorn and 200g mixed veg stir-fried in 10g rapeseed oil, with sweet chilli sauce to taste. Serve with 120g boiled egg noodles.


 


Sunday: Spread almond butter on two slices of wholemeal toast for breakfast, and have a 200g fruit salad for a snack. For lunch, have 100g falafel in one wholemeal tortilla wrap with reduced-calorie mayonnaise and chopped tomato, and treat yourself to two chocolate-covered marshmallows in the afternoon. For dinner, mix 300g vegetable risotto with 100g cooked soya beans. Finish with 150g low-fat yoghurt and 200g fresh fruit salad.





Being a nutritional powerhouse packed with more nutrients than your typical green leafy vegetables, KALE has definitely grown much in popularity with health enthusiasts these days. Kale comes from the cabbage family and is also called black kale, cavolo nero or Tuscan black cabbage. This frilly vegetable even surpasses vitamin and mineral content of the once popular spinach. Rich in nutrients very much needed for healthy bones, skin and eyes, it promotes good digestion and immune function. It is packed with Omega-3, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus and Potassium. It even has 3x more Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Beta Carotene and 10x more Vitamin C than spinach. Although we can almost consider kale as the perfect vegetable, it however contains naturally occurring substances called Oxylates that can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Hence, do not plan your calcium-rich food intake together with kale in your meals.


When picking out Kale, avoid ones that are yellowing, dry and wilted. Choose the ones that are a healthy dark green to purple to a deep red in color and have a lot of spring to them.


Upon storage keep them unwashed until it is time to use them, as moisture speeds up wilting and decay. Put them in the coldest part of the refrigerator, usually at the back, and keep away from other stored foods that have a strong smell, especially meats. Use within 3 days of purchase.


Because Kale is slightly bitter in flavor, pairing it with other fruits and juices plus a thorough washing will considerably tone down its tart taste. Below are 5 awesomely delicious ways to enjoy Kale in a nutritious snack, appetizer or drink!


 


1. KALE TACOS


To make 2 “tacos” you will need:


  • 2 kale leaves

  • 1 chopped tomato

  • a handful of chopped cilantro

To assemble:


  • Fold kale leaf

  • Spoon chopped tomatoes and cilantro, then carefully place in folded leaf

  • Serve with blue cheese or cheddar cheese dip

 


2. FRUITY KALE SALAD


To make 2 servings you will need:


  • 1 large bunch kale leaves, shredded thinly

  • a squeeze of lemon

  • ¼  tsp olive oil

  • a pinch of sea salt

  • a dash of black pepper

  • 2 handfuls chopped onions

  • 1 chopped tomato

  • ½  an apple, sliced thinly

  • ½ an orange, peeled and separated into sections

  • a handful chopped mint



To prepare:


  • After shredding the kale, massage a good squeeze of lemon, a little olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper

  • Toss and sprinkle with more fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

  • Serve with your favorite vinaigrette or dressing

 


3. KALE WRAP


To make 2 wraps you will need:


  • 2 kale leaves

  • 1 sliced tomato

  • ½ small cucumber, grated

  • ½ small carrot, grated

  • ¼ small avocado, sliced vertically

To assemble:


  • Lay out kale leaves, set tomato, cucumber, carrots and avocado on top

  • Wrap carefully and serve with your favorite dip!

 


4. KALE JUICE


To make 2 servings you will need:


  • 3 kale leaves, cut into 2 inch strips

  • 1 cucumber, unpeeled and cut into strips

  • 3 stalks of celery cut into 2 inch lengths

  • 1 apple chopped

  • 1/3 cup parsley sprigs

  • ½ lemon, peeled

 


Feed kale, cucumber, celery, apple, parsley and lemon into a juicer. Discard the leftover solids, pour into glasses and serve!


 


5. KALE SMOOTHIE


To make 2 servings you will need:


  • 2 cups chopped kale

  • ½ cup coconut milk

  • ½ cup water

  • 1-1/2 cup strawberries

  • 1 ripe banana

To prepare:


  • Combine the coconut milk, water, the kale, strawberries and banana in a blender

  • Puree until smooth, about 1 minute

  • Add more water to smoothen consistency

 


Samantha Samonte is a writer for Culinary One, a website about culinary careers, cuisines and food. Helping aspiring chefs to find the best cooking schools. She spends the rest of her time living life to the fullest in the company of her laptop and creative writing prowess.