Former Fat Guy Blog

Real People Real Results - Understanding how food, fitness and mental attitude affect weight loss

Recipe: Orange Vegetable and Lentil Stew

This weeks hearty Orange Vegetable and Lentil winter stew is loaded with all things orange that are good for you! It is another magazine find, and yet again I’ve altered a few things to make it healthier.

Vegetables and fruits that are bright orange get their color from a high concentration of Beta-carotene. Why is that important for your health? Because Beta-carotene helps your body create Vitamin A and is a powerful antioxidant that helps boost your immune system. It also aids in good vision – didn’t your mother always tell you to eat your carrots?

So what comes to mind when I say “eat orange foods”? Carrots and oranges? Well – here’s a LOT more orange things you might not have thought of. Enjoy!

Orange Vegetable and Lentil Stew

[Read more…]

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash with Garlic

We found this roasted squash and garlic recipe in a magazine and altered it to be more healthy – as we do!

All I have to say is “ah garlic!” We love it! We put it in almost everything we cook, in large quantities. We actually thought we used a lot of it until we went to Thailand and took some cooking classes there (yes we’ll share those recipes soon). Our teacher and host put about 12 cloves into one pot of soup. It was great!

Seriously – garlic has long been known for its healing qualities and was at one time thought to ward off not only vampires but the plague too. Cook this roasted squash in the afternoon and your house will smell so great when everyone gets home they won’t be able to keep their hands off it.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Garlic

[Read more…]

Recipe: Mint Pea Lime Soup with Spinach

Greens, greens and more greens! It is not only a very festive Christmassy color, but most things you can eat that are green are super charged with nutrition. Dark leafy greens are on the top of the charge for nutrient density, and the more you can eat of them the better.

Many people think of “rabbit food” when you say “dark leafy green” but you can do so much more with them than just salad. This recipe uses green peas, spinach and fresh mint leaves which makes it not only good for you but really tasty. Anyone that knows Rob and I, know we like to taste our food so we look for recipes that are healthy AND taste great. No one wants to eat flavorless food. Add more lime, or add some chili peppers if you want it to have more zip.

Mint Pea Lime Soup with Spinach

[Read more…]

Recipe: Healthy Christmas Dinner Ideas and Variations

How to stay healthy and not gain any weight during the holidays and at Christmas is the age old question, isn’t it? Well here are some ideas on how to take some of the old favorites and make them with a slightly new twist that takes out the bad (saturated fat, loads of salt, etc) and puts in the good (lots more nutrition, vitamins, fiber, etc). Pick and choose the ones that appeal to you and mix them together for a holiday menu sure to please the hungry masses and leave them not only wanting more, but asking for the recipes.

Healthy Christmas Dinner Ideas

[Read more…]

Recipe: Edamame Beans, Chickpeas, Shiitake Mushrooms and Spinach

High protein Edamame beans and nutrient dense spinach make make up the bulk of this high fiber nutritious hot salad. It’s been FAR too long since we shared a new recipe with everyone and we’re sure you missed us. This is the first of what I hope will be 2 new recipes each month as once a week was too much to keep up with in our busy lives. I’m sure you can all relate.

We love color in our foods and varied textures as well. This one caught my eye in Extra Vegan Za as I was flipping around looking for something new the other day. I fills both those criteria, and tasted great!

Edamame beans are green beans in large pods commonly known as Soy Beans. They are great eaten right out of the pod and you find them quite often as a starter in Japanese restaurants. You can also buy them frozen in the pod or shelled. For snacking I buy IN the pod, for recipes like this I buy the shelled ones. They are loaded with fiber – 1 cup along yield about 8 grams of fiber or almost one third the recommended daily amount. They are also great for folate, manganese, Vitamin C and K, and iron. (Source Nutritional Data)

Adding to that the fact that 1 cup of chickpeas has 12 grams of fiber – and this dish packs a punch most people are lacking these days. Fiber is much needed to help move food through the colon and keep us healthy.

Edamame beans, chickpeas, shiitake mushrooms and spinach

[Read more…]

Inspiration


formerfatguy1

Determination


formerfatguy2

Satisfaction


formerfatguy3