David Kirsch’s Turkey Meatball Recipe

April 26, 2013 | By

What’s for dinner? THIS.

Celebrity trainer David Kirsch whips up these turkey meatballs as an entree, usually served with greens like spinach or kale. Missing that side of pasta? David’s compromise is the filling, tasty addition of spaghetti squash.

Here’s how to make this low-fat, protein-packed dish:

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
6 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped Pomi tomatoes (or other preferred type)
2 tablespoons low-sodium tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
1 egg white
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon each chopped fresh parsley and oregano
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
a few dashes of hot pepper sauce to taste

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the entire squash in foil and bake for 1 – 1 1/2 hours on a baking sheet until tender when pierced with a fork. Rotate halfway through time. Set squash aside to cool. Heat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil, and simmer for 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine turkey, egg white, shallots, mustard, parsley, oregano, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Mix and form into 8 meatballs. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium-high with cooking spray, then add meatballs and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and cook another 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Cut spaghetti squash in half, discard seeds, then use a fork to scoop out 3 cups of squash. Arrange on a serving platter, top with the meatballs and sauce, and enjoy!

Nutrition Per Serving:
(Makes two servings.)
483 calories
38 grams protein
18 grams fat
4 grams saturated fat
11 grams fiber
12 grams sugar

Want more? See also: David’s Guiltless Barbecue Burger Recipe
About this expert: David Kirsch is a celebrity trainer, the founder of New York’s award-winning Madison Square Club, the creator of a popular line of nutritional supplements, and the author of five books, including the bestselling The Ultimate New York Diet. Visit DavidKirschWellness.com for more information.

Filed Under: Healthy Cooking, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

David Kirsch’s Guiltless Barbecue Burger

March 29, 2013 | By

David Kirsch is a celebrtity fitness expert and wellness guru who trains Heidi Klum, Anne Hathaway, and most of the Victoria’s Secret models you’ve been using as “weight loss inspiration” before swimsuit season. And while exercise is important to shape your body and burn calories, diet is crucial to losing and maintaining weight.

David shared his Guiltless Barbecue Burger recipe with us so that we can all look forward to lighter cookouts this summer (and lighter numbers on the scale as a result!):

Ingredients:
4 ounces lean ground buffalo meat
4 ounces lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons low-sugar, low-sodium barbecue sauce
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
Nonfat vegetable-based cooking spray

Instructions: Mix all ingredients (except cooking spray) in a large bowl. Form into two patties. Spray a barbecue grill or nonstick skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Place the patties on the grill/skillet and cook about 8 minutes per side (yields medium temperature). Ensure burgers are cooked through before serving.

Nutrition Per Serving:
185 calories
33 grams of protein
8 grams of carbohydrates
3 grams of fat
1 gram of saturated fat
4 grams of sugar

About this expert: David Kirsch is a celebrity trainer,  the founder of New York’s award-winning Madison Square Club, the creator of a popular line of nutritional supplements, and the author of five books, including the bestselling The Ultimate New York Diet. Visit DavidKirschWellness.com for more information.

Filed Under: Healthy Cooking, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , ,

Healthy Recipe Idea: Quinoa Quiche

November 30, 2012 | By

Image courtesy of Whole Foods

We love a good quiche, but all the calories and fat? Not so much.

Luckily, we have friends in healthy places, like The Fresh Diet and Whole Foods, both of whom have recently been offering crust-less quinoa quiches. The verdict: YUM! Here’s a sample recipe from Whole Foods to try at home:

Quinoa Egg Bake with Thyme and Garlic:

  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chopped thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup finely shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

When you mix the ingredients together, the quinoa naturally settles to the bottom during baking — you don’t even need to pre-cook it! Get the full instructions here, and don’t be afraid to try variations on the recipe. We think goat cheese and sundried tomatoes would be amazing! What would you put in yours?

Filed Under: Healthy Cooking, Nutrition Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

5 Candy Snacks That Give Back

October 28, 2011 | By

Halloween is here! The official kick-off to the season of feeling guilty for over-indulging in sugary sweets! Well, what if you could cancel out that guilt by indulging in sweets that are practicing fair trade, and simultaneously helping endangered species or protecting the environment? While you are out shopping for Halloween candy, think about giving back. Make the world a better place one trick-or-treater at a time… and by letting that chocolate melt slowly in your mouth. There are a handful of forward-thinking candy companies not only crafting delicious treats, but helping craft a better planet. Here are 5 charitable options for your sweet tooth:

sweetriot

All natural, antioxidant-rich, no dairy and gluten ingredients, kosher, pure cacao snacks made with fair trade ingredients. This celebrity favorite focuses its social responsibility in 3 key areas: their product, their people and their partnerships.

Angell

Their motto is “eat no evil” and that’s what they do with Fair Trade all organic products. They are members of 1% For the Planet, which means they donate 1% of gross sales (not profits) to local environmental organizations.

Endangered Species Chocolate

With playful names like “Bug Bites” these chocolates sweeten the deal by donating 10% of  their net profits to organizations that support species and habitat conservation efforts.

Fearless Chocolate

FEARLESS is a delicious good-for-you gourmet organic chocolate bar that uses certified organic,  100% Kosher, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free products. They donate 1% of their annual profits to change-making individuals and organizations suggested by their customers.

Surf Sweets

These organically-sweetened gummy candies and jelly beans are free of artificial colors and sweeteners. With a name like Surf Sweets, it makes sense that they’ve focused their efforts on protecting the ocean and are involved with The Ocean Project.

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Good + Happy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spa Foodie: Lavender Lemon Spa Cupcakes

August 18, 2011 | By

Lavender and Lemon, two ingredients often found in luxurious facials and aromatherapy massages are now being incorporated into a yummy, healthy spa-ish cupcake recipe. The dried lavender buds, lemon juice and lemon zest will be like a spa treatment in your mouth!

Ingredients
Serves: 12
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Nutritional Facts: (1 cupcake): 152 calories, 4 g fat, 27 g carbs, 2 g protein

  • 1 cup white whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 t dried lavender buds, roughly chopped
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 3 T unsalted butter, cubed and brought to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 1 T lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
  • Ingredients for the icing on your healthy cupcakes
  • 1 cup loosely packed confectioner’s sugar
  • Fresh lavender buds for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and place cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan.

To make the batter:

  1. Whisk together flour, lavender, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in egg, lemon juice, and zest.
  4. Beat in one-third of the flour mixture until just combined.
  5. Beat in half the buttermilk, followed by another third of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk and flour.
  6. Fill cupcake liners about two-thirds of the way up and bake for 24 to 26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the icing:

  1. Stir together confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
  2. Stir in zest.
  3. Drizzle over cupcakes and garnish with lavender. (Let frosting set for 30 minutes before packing or serving.)
  4. Serve right away or store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Recipe originally featured on Shape.com

Filed Under: Food + Drink, Good + Happy, Spa-ish Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,