Health, Fitness, & Nutrition

Day 13: Breakfast Really IS the Most Important Meal

matthew's meal

So, this morning I got a bit lazy and didn’t eat breakfast before our cycle class. BIG MISTAKE! I totally ran out of energy about halfway through the class and really had to back off the intensity for the remainder of the hour. What a bummer! And I know better! It just reinforces the importance of fueling my body before exercise, a lesson that we sometimes need to reinforce with our junior tennis players as well. I won’t be making that mistake again any time soon, I can promise you!

Matthew is up in Tennessee for a conference and on his own in terms of meals. He’s been texting us photos of his food choices and seems to be doing really well so far. The photo above is from last night’s dinner – it actually looks pretty tasty! Lunch today looks aMPS lunch little less exciting (see photo, right). But, I’m so proud of him for making the extra effort to stick to the Challenge while he’s away. Y’all know how tough it can be to find healthy food options when you’re on the road, whether for work or a junior tournament.

And, now, drumroll please . . . the latest episode of Queen of the Kitchen is now online and ready for viewing! Be sure to click here and check it out, along with previous episodes of the show.

Day 13 Menu

Pre-Breakfast: 8-12 ounces of water plus 8-12 ounces of Green Juice

Breakfast: Smoothie (for my husband: gluten-free toast spread with fresh almond butter & sliced apple)

Mid-morning snack: Organic blackberries

Pre-Lunch: 4-6 ounces of Green Juice

Lunch: Emma’s Sauteed Chickpeas with Kale & Roasted Cauliflower

Afternoon snack: Apple slices with almond butter

Pre-Dinner: 4-6 ounces of Green Juice

Dinner: Kale Root Veggie Bowl with Grilled Chicken, Organic Medjool Dates for dessert

Recipes

Emma’s Sauteed Chickpeas with Kale & Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 batch of Emma’s sauteed chickpeas
2 big handfuls organic chopped kale
1 cup roasted cauliflower (we used the leftovers from Day 10)
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in large skillet. Add the kale and saute until desired tenderness. Add chickpeas and cauliflower. Heat thoroughly. Place in a bowl then top with avocado slices and enjoy!

Kale Root Veggie Bowl with Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

2 big handfuls of chopped Kale
3 Parsnips
1 Turnip
2 Beets
2 small chicken breasts
1 large ginger root, peeled
1 white onion
Grapeseed oil (or other non-olive oil: sunflower, safflower, etc.)
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder
Pink Salt
Turmeric

Directions:

A few hours (or the night) before you want to eat, brine the chicken breasts: combine 1/4 tsp pink salt, 1 tsp turmeric, and 1/2 water in a ziploc bag. If your chicken breasts are thick, butterfly them; otherwise, place the chicken breasts in the ziploc with the brine, seal the bag, and put it in the fridge.

Preheat an oven to 400. Wash the root veggies. Cut the parsnip into 1/2-inch rounds. Cut the turnip in half, then slice each half into 1/2-inch slices; do the same for the beets. Place the sliced veggies onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with oil (olive or grapeseed is fine here), and sprinkle with pink salt. TIP: If you want the veggies to remain different colors (as opposed to all coming out pink), keep the beets to one side of the cookie sheet or use a separate sheet entirely. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through.

Grill chicken (using a grill or grill pan) – cook about 5-8 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.

Heat a tiny bit of oil in a skillet. Add the chopped kale, and sautee until the edges of the kale start to crisp up, about 6 minutes.

For the sauce: Peel the onion, and cut it into quarters. Place onion, garlic, ginger, and approximately 1 tsp of grapeseed oil into a food processor, and process until pureed. Then add the curry powder and puree for another minute.

To serve: Place the kale onto a plate. Next, add the root veggies, followed by the chicken. Top with a generous portion of the sauce, and enjoy!

Helpful Links
Click here for Chef V’s website
Click here for the Queen of the Kitchen website
Click here for a Google list of Green Juice recipes

Workout of the Day
Pace45 Cycling at Pace23 (Lisa & Emma)
Discover Hip Hop Fit at dance101 (Lisa)

Queen of the Kitchen Show Instagram Feed
[instashow source=”@queenofthekitchenshow”]

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