Eat Right While You Train

Please enjoy the assortment of tasty dishes we've put together for you. What you put into your body while you train has tremendous impact on your results.

Have a suggestion? Send it to: Info@TheTrainingZone.com.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe takes a traditional French dish and gives it a California twist. A good portion of the fat comes from the avocado, which has mostly heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

This recipe serves one, but go ahead and make a few more servings so you'll have leftovers.

23 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1. 4 oz boneless chicken breast
2. pinch salt and pepper
3. 1 T vegetable oil
4. 1 oz extra lean ham
5. 1 slice of avocado
6. 1 slice fresh tomato
7. 1 oz Monerey Jack Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash and pat dry the chicken, remove any visible fat. Place chicken in a zip lock bag. Pound out the chicken to a 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper. Heat saute pan then add oil. Saute chicken until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from the saute pan and place into an oven safe baking dish. Sear ham in the hot pan just until browned. Place ham on top of the chicken. Continue to layer with the tomato, avocado and then cheese. Bake until chicken reaches 165 degrees F and cheese is bubbly. Serve warm.

TIP: Try adding the avocado after the chicken is baked and serve it as a garnish.

Number of Servings: 1

Nutritional Info

1. Servings Per Recipe: 1
2. Amount Per Serving
3. Calories: 355.0
4. Total Fat: 24.1 g
5. Cholesterol: 91.0 mg
6. Sodium: 383.1 mg
7. Total Carbs: 1.2 g
8. Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
9. Protein: 33.3 g

Recipe submitted at recipes.sparkpeople.com

Fruit Kebabs with Coconut Yogurt

Serve these fruit kebabs at your next party.

Try this tip for some extra flavor and crunch: Toast the coconut in the oven until golden brown. Allow coconut to cool, then add to yogurt mixture.

15 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt
2. 1 1/2 T flaked coconut
3. 1 1/2 T reduced-sugar orange marmalade
4. Various fruits: melon, pineapple, apples, pears, blackberries, strawberries, kiwis, etc.
5. NOTE: If using pear or apple, toss the cut fruit with lemon juice to prevent browning!

Directions

Combine the yogurt, coconut and marmalade; cover and chill.
Thread fruits alternately onto 20 (6-inch) wooden skewers.
Serve kebabs with coconut dip on the side.

Serves 20: 1 skewer with 1 tablespoon of yogurt

Number of Servings: 20

Nutritional Info

1. Servings Per Recipe: 20
2. Amount Per Serving
3. Calories: 42.0
4. Total Fat: 0.5 g
5. Cholesterol: 0.8 mg
6. Sodium: 13.2 mg
7. Total Carbs: 9.7 g
8. Dietary Fiber: 1.2 g
9. Protein: 0.9 g

Recipe submitted at recipes.sparkpeople.com

Greek Turkey Burger

You'll forget all about beef burgers once you try these. Serve with half a pita pocket, sliced tomato, and mixed greens for a quick and tasty dinner. Salty and rich feta is mixed with lean ground turkey and Greek herbs for a juicy and delicious burgers.

15 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1. 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
2. 1/4 c bread crumbs, plain
3. 1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled
4. 1 egg white
5. 1 T mint, fresh, chopped
6. 1 t oregano, dried
7. 1/4 t black pepper
8. Cooking spray

Directions

Mix all ingredients until just combined. Overworking the mixture can result in tough burgers. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium low heat. Divide the meat mixture into 4 round balls. Flatten the burgers with your hand and press your thumb in the center of each burger to keep the meat from rising too high as it cooks. Spray skillet. Cook the burgers about 5-6 minutes per side, flipping only once, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

1. Servings Per Recipe: 4
2. Amount Per Serving
3. Calories: 252.1
4. Total Fat: 12.4 g
5. Cholesterol: 90.0 mg
6. Sodium: 538.2 mg
7. Total Carbs: 5.2 g
8. Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g
9. Protein: 30.2 g

Recipe submitted at recipes.sparkpeople.com

Chocolate Fondue

By choosing a darker chocolate and fat-free evaporated milk, Chef Meg was able to cut the calories of this chocolate dip in half! She used bite-size marshmallows to ease the melting process, too. Her three boys love dipping fruit into this tasty and low-cal treat.

12 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1. 2/3 c fat-free evaporated milk
2. 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (labeled 60% cacao or above)*
3. 3 c mini marshmallows
4. *use the darkest, highest quality chocolate bar you can find.

Directions

Break the chocolate into small chunks. Place all the ingredients into a medium size saucepan over low heat. Stir until all the marshmallows melt and the mixture becomes smooth. Pour mixture into a fondue pot and serve with cut fruit.
Recipe makes 12 quarter cup servings

Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info

1. Servings Per Recipe: 12
2. Amount Per Serving
3. Calories: 88.8
4. Total Fat: 3.5 g
5. Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
6. Sodium: 18.5 mg
7. Total Carbs: 14.7 g
8. Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
9. Protein: 1.2 g

Recipe submitted at recipes.sparkpeople.com

Spinach and Tomato Pasta Salad

Most pasta salads are heavy on the pasta and light on everything else. This version, which can be served warm or cold, includes a hefty portion of vegetables--both spinach and tomatoes.

13 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1. 8 oz small pasta, such as ditalini or orzo
2. 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
3. 16 oz grape tomatoes
4. 4 c baby spinach
5. 2 T capers, drained
6. 1/4 t black pepper
7. 2 T Parmesan or Manchego cheese, shredded

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions until it is al dente (firm to bite). While the pasta is cooking, place spinach, feta, and capers in a large bowl. Before draining pasta, add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid to the mixture; toss to combine. Place the tomatoes in the bottom of a colander. Once pasta is cooked, drain it over the tomatoes for a quick blanch. Toss tomatoes and pasta with the spinach mixture. Season with black pepper and garnish with shredded cheese.
Makes six-2 cup servings.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info

1. Servings Per Recipe: 6
2. Amount Per Serving
3. Calories: 267.1
4. Total Fat: 8.9 g
5. Cholesterol: 35.0 mg
6. Sodium: 559.8 mg
7. Total Carbs: 33.0 g
8. Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
9. Protein: 12.0 g

Recipe submitted at recipes.sparkpeople.com

Mini Taco Cups

These bite-size tacos are always a hit in our house! Have some fun with this recipe; try adding chopped chives, avocado, different varieties of beans, or red onions.

22 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1. Special equipment needed:
2. Mini muffin tins
4. 8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
5. 3/4 cup fat-free refried beans
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons Chef Meg's Taco Seasoning
7. 2 tablespoons black beans, drained and rinsed
8. 2 tablespoons sharp cheddar, shredded
9. 2 tablespoons salsa

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a cutting board, and spritz with nonstick spray. Repeat with 7 more sheets of dough, but do not spray the top of the last sheet. Cut the dough into 12 equal squares. Place one square in each cup of a mini muffin tin. After all the pastry is in the cups, spray the top of the sheets with nonstick spray.

Combine the refried beans and taco seasoning. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way full with the seasoned beans. Top with a half teaspoon each of the black beans and cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and top with 1/2 teaspoon salsa.

Makes 12 mini cups. Serve warm.

Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info

1. Servings Per Recipe: 12
2. Amount Per Serving
3. Calories: 59.4
4. Total Fat: 1.2 g
5. Cholesterol: 1.3 mg
6. Sodium: 148.7 mg
7. Total Carbs: 9.7 g
8. Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
9. Protein: 2.2 g

Recipe submitted at recipes.sparkpeople.com