Raiding Laila Ali’s Kitchen!

Laila Ali, undefeated Super Middleweight Champion of the World is warm, witty, wonderful, and definitely the champion of her kitchen. She makes a valiant effort to keep things healthy with quite a few family obstacles: her teenage son only likes mac and cheese; her husband won’t give up his gazillion calorie frozen “slice and bake” cookies; her younger son is finicky when it comes to vegetables; and her daughter looooves chocolate. BUT even with all of these challenges, she prevails in a big way! She’s a first-class planner and the ultimate “super-sneaky” chef.

Laila uses "light versions of whatever she can to cut calories.
Think light cream cheese, light butter spread, light mayo, etc.

Laila and her husband each give themselves a weekly "cheat meal."
They look forward to it and it helps keep them on track during the rest of the week. 

Hahaha...Laila and I taking a dance break in the kitchen!
I love my job :-) 

Here's how she sneaks veggies into her kids' meals: she blends roasted,
pureed veggies into turkey burgers (see recipe below), and mixes carrot
juice and kale juice into her daughter's milk bottle. She even freezes
leftover pureed vegetables so they're ready to incorporate at a moments
notice. Well done, Laila! 

Laila's Sneaky Veggie Turkey Patties!

Laila’s Sneaky Veggie Turkey Patties 

• 1-1/2 lbs of ground turkey

• 2 slices of Ezekiel Bread (toasted) 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 green pepper
• 
2 celery stalks

• 1/2 yellow onion

• 4 garlic gloves (peeled)
• 
1 tomato

• 1 zucchini (peeled)

• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 
1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

• 1 tsp onion powder (optional)

• 1 tsp paprika

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
• Parsley (optional)
• Rosemary (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare all veggies by cleaning them and cutting into quarters.
Cover a flat oven pan in foil. Lay veggies (and optional herbs) flat on the pan. Season to taste with a little sea salt and pepper. Put in the oven uncovered and roast for about 20 minutes.

Put toasted bread in a blender or food processor and mix until you end up with fine bread crumbs. Put turkey meat and bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl. Add all of the seasonings. Set aside.

Once veggies are cooked, remove from the oven. Let them cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to blender/ processor used for bread crumbs. Mix on high until you end up with a smooth creamy soup-like texture. Add 1 cup of the veggie mixture to the mixing bowl with other ingredients. (You can freeze what’s left and use at a later date.) Mix together well.
Use your hands to make rounded meat patties.

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add patties and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Flip on opposite side an continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until done to your liking.

Health Tip: Oilive oil can be subsitued with coconut oil for a sweet and healthy touch!

For more behind-the-scenes pictures, check out my Laila Ali Pinterest Board!

New Study Touts Health Benefits of Mediterranean Diet

A landmark study featured in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that embracing a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts may help to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease by a whopping 30 percent. Although it’s important to note that the Mediterranean Sea borders 16 different countries – all with their own traditions and variations on food selection and preparation -- the same basic principles apply: focus on eating plenty of fresh, unprocessed foods including vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, olive oil, and fish while reducing processed meats and sweets. And here’s a bonus, wine is included in moderate amounts.

Here are four simple, no-fuss ways you can reap these impressive health benefits:

1. Snack smarter. Go for foods that are 100% good for you. Enjoy ½ of an avocado drizzled with lime juice and topped with a dash of kosher salt. Mix one handful of nuts with one handful light popcorn. Dip veggie sticks into hummus.  And check out my Kale Chips, Apple PB 'Wiches, and Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas.

Kale Chips

2. Get creative with NUTS. While naked nuts are quite fabulous, there are also plenty of ways you can jazz them up. Try toasting them in the oven at 375 for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally (so they don't burn)– experiment with all sorts of seasonings from cocoa to cayenne pepper. You can also toss together this make-it-yourself Tasty Trail Mix. 

Tasty Trail Mix

3. Eat fish at least three meals each week. If you need some ideas, try my Steamed Fish with Bok Choy and Red Pepper, Pesto Salmon with Roasted Artichoke Hearts, and Veggie Tuna Salad.  

Steamed Fish with Bok Choy and Red Pepper

4. Go vegetarian at least one day each week. This tactic is not only good for your body, it’s also good for your wallet and the environment too. Here are a few filling plant-based entrees to help get you started - Quinoa with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms, Hearty Vegetable Bean Soup, and Lentil Sloppy Joes. 

Quinoa with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms

                                     

Red Dress Awards!

Wanted to share some fun pictures from the Woman's Day "Red Dress Awards" on February 12th at Lincoln Center in NYC. It was a magical, star-studded evening filled with musical performances and delicious food. It's like the Academy Awards for health... and I was SO incredibly touched and honored to receive the Campbell's Healthy Heart Award. My mom and dad came too, which made it even more special! 

Here are a few memorable shots from the night: 

My red carpet closeup! Hahaha...

Career highlight! Leah Dunmore, the VP of Campbell's,
presented me with the Healthy Heart Award! Feel so honored!

Pretty darn cool...adding my signature next to Colbie Caillat,
Chris Daughtry, Meredith Vieira, and S. Epatha Merkerson
(Law & Order Lieutenant - OMG...next best thing to being on
an episode!) to the HEART board. 

American Idol Chris Daughtry unplugged! 

Colbie Caillat gave an amazing performance.
HELLO...my husband and I had front row seats!

Want even more pictures from this fabulous night? Check out my Red Dress Awards board on Pinterest! 

Slimming Super Bowl Munchies!

Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day after Thanksgiving – and the calorie load may even top your Turkey Day feast. Typical pigskin party fare – pizza, wings, chips, and beer – is about as heavy as it gets, but there’s absolutely no reason you can’t enjoy game day favorites without having to unbutton your pants. These slimming substitutions are fat on flavor, but light on calories!

Skip the fatty, fried wings and instead enjoy a lean, mean bowl of my Buffalo Chicken Chili . It’s made with ground chicken breast, so you can enjoy the rich, spicy flavors of this Super Bowl party staple without all the calories and artery-clogging fat.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Or, get your fiery wing fix from low-cal, crunchy popcorn. Drizzle air-popped popcorn or any bagged light popcorn (such as Skinny Pop or Fit Popcorn) with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. (Don’t have an air-popper? You can pop plain kernels right in your microwave using this trick!) To really put this snack over the top, serve your popcorn with a slim-style blue cheese dressing. Mix 1 (6 oz) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese and black pepper to taste. Be sure to mash the blue cheese well with a fork to distribute it evenly throughout the dressing.

Buffalo Popcorn and Blue Cheese Dip

While we’re on the topic of dips, check out some of the other delicious, healthy creations in my Recipe Center. Your crowd will cheer for my Edamame Hummus, Southwestern Black Bean Dip, or lightened-up Spinach Artichoke Dip. Be sure to offer plenty of crunchy veggies for dunking along with the chips!

Edamame Hummus

If you’re serving up pizza, you can slash the calories in half by ordering your pies with thin crust, light cheese, and veggie toppings instead of sausage or pepperoni. Add in one or two of these pizzas along with your usual order and you and your health conscious guests can get your cheesy fix without feeling weighed down.

Enjoy these tasty snacks while watching the big game. I know they all score a touchdown in my house! 

A Peek Inside Tori Spelling's Fridge!

Of course we all know that Tori’s television debut was in Beverly Hills, 90210… I never missed an episode! Since then her career has exploded.

Dean is also an accomplished actor… and has recently been gaining momentum for his culinary expertise—really wow’ing people with his delicious creative concoctions.  By the way...100% scrumptious but NOT always diet-friendly.

I rated their fridge “well rounded” since there were a lot of good-for-you foods… like fresh fruit, veggies, eggs, yogurt…and some not-so-good for you foods, like the juice packs, soda—and super-scary duck and bacon FAT. 

Check out these fun pictures we took behind the scenes! 

The house is so warm and inviting...
you forget how HUGE it is!

Check out this enormous playhouse for the kids...
man, wish I had one of these when I was little!

Their 5-year-old son, Liam, on the spot suggested
"Watermelon-sicles" inserting a popsicle stick into
watermelon chunks and freezing. Health chef in training! 

Coco Chanel, Tori and Dean's stunning powder-puff chicken,
loves to roam around the house (she thinks she's a dog!)

Tori makes "Princess Hummus" by adding
roasted beets to a standard hummus recipe.
Her daughters, Stella and Hattie, love the bright pink color!

Dean makes incredible purple potato chips using
potatoes from the local farmer's market.
Not exactly healthy, but definitely delicious!

Love these two!

My Life as a "Lunch Lady!"

Every morning -- often before the sun comes up, so I can scoot out for an early morning television segment -- you'll find me sorting snacks and stuffing brown paper bags. I have three kids, and typically pack three completely different meals (of course they won’t all eat the same thing…that would be way too easy!).

To streamline the process, I've created a few simple guidelines. In every lunch complimentary of Chez Bauer you’ll find a protein item, at least one produce item (usually a veggie AND a fruit), and a fun snack (anything goes, as long as it’s portion-controlled at about 150 calories). The kids always get a water bottle, and of course I ice down their lunch bag. (Side note: My kids won’t carry insulated bags – I’ve been told they are not a cool accessory anymore – so my method is to cram the brown paper bag inside a larger plastic ziptop bag along with a few freezer packs. Then, the kids can just remove the brown bag before lunch and happily blend right in when they hit the cafeteria. It works, and keeps the peace.) But beyond these basic guidelines, I like to get a bit creative.

Packing for my teenage daughter Jesse is the trickiest. She’s pretty selective about what she likes and what she’s willing to bring for lunch. She’s mostly vegetarian, so packing protein items can be a challenge, but she’s generally okay with a high-protein nutrition bar or a sandwich with peanut butter. The good news is, she likes most veggies and fruit, so she happily takes one of each in her bag.

Cole, my 15-year-old son, is super flexible – really, anything goes. He typically prefers a hearty entrée, like a chicken/turkey sandwich with lots of spicy mustard...or dinner leftovers in a heated thermos (dad’s world-famous turkey chili is a favorite). Since he has braces, I pack easy-to-eat fruit like a banana or grapes—no apples, pears, or peaches allowed. And he’s a big fan of flavored low-fat Greek yogurt, so I almost always include a container in his lunch.

My younger daughter, Ayden, doesn’t like sandwiches, but she's usually okay with dinner leftovers, like whole-grain penne with chicken and broccoli. If we don’t have anything good in the fridge, I’ll give her a pouch of edamame (in the pod) for protein. Ayden is pickier than my other kids when it comes to produce, especially fruit, but she does like baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, cukes and green beans, so those make frequent appearances in her bag.

Since parents are always asking about how to pack healthy, interesting lunches, I thought it would be fun to snap a few pictures of my own kids’ brown bag creations and share what works for us. Maybe you’ll get a few new ideas for your own gang!

Day 1

Jesse: Nutrition bar (PROTEIN), apple, sugar snap peas, Glenny’s BBQ soy crisps (FUN SNACK with protein--bonus)

Cole: Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with spicy mustard (PROTEIN), Chobani nonfat strawberry Greek yogurt, grapes, Glenny’s Ranch soy crisps (FUN SNACK)

Ayden: Steamed edamame (PROTEIN), baby carrots, Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey granola bar (FUN SNACK)

Day 2

Jesse: Toasted whole-grain English muffin with peanut butter (PROTEIN) and all-fruit jam, apple, baby carrots, 2 small squares Nibmor 72% dark chocolate (FUN SNACK)

Cole: Chicken salad mashed with guacamole (PROTEIN) and Triscuit crackers, baby carrots, That’s It fruit bar (FUN SNACK)

Ayden: Chicken-vegetable stir fry (dinner leftovers—PROTEIN), grapes, Home Free chocolate chip cookies (FUN SNACK)

Day 3

Jesse: Peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat (PROTEIN), apple, Clif Kid ZBar (FUN SNACK)

Cole:  Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with spicy mustard (PROTEIN), banana, Fage Total 0% with Cherry Pomegranate Greek yogurt, pouch of Sunsweet dark chocolate-covered prunes (FUN SNACK)

Ayden: Baked chicken nuggets (PROTEIN), baby carrots, grapes, sour gummy candies (FUN SNACK...huge Mom mistake, forgot about her braces!)