Biggest Loser Review, and Dinner #1!

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a great week.

Here are some updates since last time:

- I got a call on Tuesday, randomly, and was asked to do a segment for NBC4 on healthy snacking, and making realistic nutrition goals in the new year. I will hopefully be able to post the clip soon.

- I realized that you are very interested in meals and snacks that center around exercise. Therefore I will be doing another "Nutrition Tidbit" on pre-workout meals/snacks sometime soon.

- I updated my "About Me" page. You may have seen it posted yesterday (and thank you for the sweet comments, they meant so much to me). If not, you can look at it now, or whenever you want, I just thought I'd let you know!

NEW DINNER
Last Friday I made my first dinner for my 2010 cookbook! As I explained in my post (see link to the left) I will be creating two new dinners each week. They will be simple, healthy dinners for busy parents, or just busy people! As I make these dinners I will be compiling a list of about 30-4o ingredients to keep in your house at all times, which can be used to make these meals. I hope to have a stock-pile of over 100 simple and healthy dinners that you can create using 30-40 ingredients (obviously not each ingredient per recipe).

Recipe #1: Curried Chicken Cheesy Mac

Ingredients
Pasta of any kind, or a boxed Mac and Cheese


I used Annie's 25% reduced sodium Mac and Cheese. 430 mg sodium per cup is not low, but it is low compared to other brands.

Ingredients, continued...
3 ounces cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup broccoli and green beans
4 slices avocado
1 t curry powder
1 t ground pepper

Instructions
After you cook the pasta, or the mac and cheese, put the chicken, vegetables, and avocado on a plate. Heat for about 2 minutes (or until desired hotness). Then add the mac and cheese on top (if you just do pasta, add the pasta, and sprinkle your favorite cheese on top). Top with curry and ground pepper, or any other spices you desire.

Nick's rating: 8 out of 10

Nutrition

• About 700 calories (if using 2 cups of the mac and cheese)

• Almost 950 mg sodium (yikes) ** probably less if you just use pasta and cheese **

• About 12 grams fat (including some healthy monounsaturated fat from the avocado)

• 1 serving of vegetable
  

Possible Modifications

• Use any spices you would like
• If you prefer beef, or even tuna, those would be fine too
• Use whole wheat pasta if you'd like
• Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, if available
• Add more, or different vegetables
  

Other Uses
The leftover mac and cheese (about 1 cup for Nick) can be used the next day for a packed lunch or lunch at home. You can add any vegetable you would like, to make it healthier.

Biggest Loser Review


Likes
The initial weigh in was in their hometowns, in front of everyone in their city (or at least a lot of people). I think this made them feel guilty and ashamed. I truly believe that it helped give the contestants motivation. And I hope it inspired some viewers at home to become motivated as well. It's sort of harsh, but I think whatever will help someone survive is necessary.


I loved the first challenge. I wish they would have explained the fact that riding a bike, especially a stationary bike, is much different than a 26 mile marathon. Overall, it was a heck of a workout, and a great way to jump start the season. Some of them were going faster than I would go!


I liked to see doctors on the scene. I know I've only been watching for one season, but until last night, I'd never seen a Biggest Loser doctor (or dietitian for that matter).

I like that Jillian and Bob provide "key pieces of advice" throughout the season. Even though the had to mention "Brita" and "Walmart", it was still a good tip and good information about water and staying hydrated.

Dislikes
Of course I have to say, I hate the commercials for the stupid Biggest Loser products.

They act like the reason the contestants are getting "bigger each year" is because of the obesity epidemic. That's not 100% true though, in my opinion. The show picks the contestants, obviously, and they are picking larger contestants each year simply to make it more dramatic and interesting.

Is it realistic to sit at a computer and input all of your calories consumed, each day? Maybe for some, but not for others. I mean, it gets old, really fast. In the real world it's just not as easy as the show makes it out to be. The BL contestants get nice new computers, breaks in the middle of the day, and not to mention a fairly limited amount of food to input! Yeah, that's easy. Try doing it in the real world, in the middle of your everyday hectic life, it'll be a little different...


The weigh-ins take forever. It's incredibly annoying. Thank goodness for Tivo.


Why is it such a feat for the "heaviest guy in BL history" to have had "the biggest first week weight loss in BL history"? Shouldn't that cancel out the feat of being the heaviest player? I mean, there is nothing to celebrate here. I would hope the largest player looses the most weight!

Giveaway Update

Emily of The Health Nut

Coming Up
Tonight Nick is off from work, yeah! We're planning a nice and relaxing evening. Stay tuned for my next post, which will feature information on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and a new dinner for the 2010 cookbook! Thanks for reading, and have a great day.