Thursday, December 30, 2010

Low cal margarita is a good way to start those fitness resolutions

The good PR folks at Casa Noble sent out a press release touting this Skinny Margarita as a  low calorie option for the new year.  Makes sense to me.

According to Casa Noble, a margarita made with a mix (or one of those pre-bottled drinks) comes in around 327 calories.  This one has less than 190 calories.  So if you are preparing for a New Years Day marathon at your house, consider offering this mixology as an alternative:






Skinny Margarita
2 oz Casa Noble Crystal
1 oz fresh lime juice (or the juice of 1 whole lime)
¾ oz La Sierra agave nectar (or other organic agave nectar)

Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake, strain and serve up or on the rocks. Garnish with a lime wheel.
 

For more information on Casa Noble, visit www.casanobletequila.com

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Healthy eating: Open Face Wild Albacore Lemony Tuna Melt

Fitness eating, or perhaps better said "eating for fitness", is tough. At least for me, it's easy to stay reasonably active. But eating healthy? I've got years (make that decades) of habits to break when it comes to what I eat.

One of my fitness goals for 2010 was to begin to think of my diet as part of my overall fitness plan.  As we head into 2011, I'm looking for real foods that I can cook in a way that are satisfying meals.  My friend Steffi turned me on to a recipe for beans and sweet potato stew a few months back and it's a diet staple.  I'm on the hunt for more.

Over at San Jose Fitness Examiner, I did a review of Wild Planet tuna (New tests raise alerts about mercury in tuna; Wild Planet foods offer solutions).  The northern California company sells an albacore tuna with half the mercury, six times the Omega 3 and is  a Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch "Best Choice."  

I asked the team at Wild Planet for some ideas on dishes I could make with the tuna - and they suggested the following tuna melt served on whole grain bread.  Sounds pretty good to me, though I haven't tried it yet.  See what you think:


Makes 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 can (5oz) Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna, undrained
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 tsp chopped parsley
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 slices Monterey Jack or provolone cheese
4 slices vine ripened tomato
2 thick slices ciabatta or other hearty bread, lightly toasted

Instructions

Preheat broiler. Place Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna and juices from the can into a medium bowl. Flake with a fork. Add lemon juice, mayonnaise, red onion, parsley, red pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well combined. Mound tuna mixture onto two slices of ciabatta bread, top each with two slices of cheese. Place on a sheet pan and broil about four inches from heat until cheese melts, taking care to prevent cheese from burning. Top with tomatoes and serve.