January; the month of New Years resolutions. Almost every client of mine has ideals to eat healthier. Through my years of coaching and training an array of clients, I've found that no amount of education and motivation I provide will create change by itself. Change must happen on your end. You must take the information I provide and implement them to your life consistently. This doesn't mean once, twice, or every other day. This is an active choice you must make daily.
When it comes to nutrition, changes tend to be easier when they require minor lifestyle modifications. Therefore, my nutrition clients get easy to make and delicious recipes that don't feel like they're dieting. Every recipe is protein rich and low in sugar and processed food. Eating meals like this will stabilize blood sugar which leads you feeling full, energized, and ready to tackle the day.
This week I gave a spin on traditional chili that has tons of protein and fiber! Here are some of the changes you will see in this chili recipe versus a traditional chili:
Ground Turkey vs. Ground Beef: using ground turkey isn't necessarily replacing a "bad for you" food. Nope, ground beef is a great source of zinc, iron and magnesium! However, using ground turkey will be lighter in calories. 4 oz. of ground turkey clocks in around 110-140 calories, where ground beef nears 200 calories. So replacing the beef with turkey just lightens the caloric load.
Adding Chick Peas: Many chili recipes use baked beans or red beans. There's also nothing wrong with these varieties, but chick peas tend to be a bean that is more easily digested. In terms of low FODMAP, people tend to not see as intense reactions (bloating, constipation, etc) eating chick peas versus other varieties.
Baby New Potatoes: I love adding potatoes to chili recipes because a) it absorbs the liquid and creates an amazing flavor b) the fiber content on the skin of potatoes fills you up quicker and c) it increases the volume of your meal without heavy calories. In this recipe, I diced baby potatoes and tossed them into the mixture.
And my favorite part of this recipe.. it doesn't require cooking for xxx hours! I simply prepared the ground turkey and potatoes all under 30 minutes, then combined the rest of the ingredients in a pot to cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. It was super easy.
Try this recipe the next time you need a hearty, warm go-to winter staple but want to keep it #healthy
And, if you try this recipe.. tag me in your #phoneeatsfirst picture! @fitandfearlessamanda
