My Food Prep....

Food prep is the new fad. As a fitness professional for over 25 years, I have seen dozens of fads come and go. While this one is not hurtful like so many before, it tends to be extreme and BORING!! I know plenty of my fit friends who do this for convenience, so that they can just grab and go for meals and stay on their eating plan. I often see pics posted of their food, usually grilled meats, roasted veggies, etc. My "meal prep" happens before each meal, thankfully, because I have the time to do so. I don't want the slab o' protein and my pile of veggies, I want a plate that not only looks phenomenal, but is nutritious, and while it does take a bit more time, I feel like it's worth it. I love food, but mostly, I love nutrient rich food, and as I will continue to tell you, I believe in CARBS. I eat 55-65% of my daily intake of carbohydrates, that for the most part are exclusively whole grains, beans, legumes, fruits and vegetables. I have been on a NO DESSERT phase for three months straight now, simply as part of my spartan training game plan, being in control, but also just for the detox from white flour and refined sugars, not that I had that often. On Saturday, August 15, after a four hour plus Spartan Beast race, I will be having my OWN slice of mudd pie, and I can't wait. After that, while I do have a sweet tooth, my desserts which are typically had on the weekends, will mostly include only whole grains and fruits and dairy and nuts, so stay tuned.

After 3 plus hours of exercise today, I was beat tonight. So after bailing on a yoga class, I set to prep dinner before a tub soak and short nap(I was out late night, not my normal MO). I bought whole wheat orzo when I was up in the Bay area a few weeks ago, so I knew I wanted a salad of sorts with it. I always google for my recipes, and look for those with lots of rating and 5 stars. And there was Giada's recipe for Orzo Salad. The only modifications I made, which I always make, was to remove her 1 cup of EVOO and only used 1 T. Huge modification at that!! Oh and I did use a pint of tomatoes. I always up the veggies. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orzo-salad-recipe.html

Next, chicken was on my mind, so found a organic whole chicken on sale at Ralphs and used one of my fav recipes, also from Giada. Only modification came from omitting the EVOO in the recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/garlic-and-citrus-chicken-recipe.html


I must admit I am not a great whole chicken roaster, it seems it is never cooked in the time frame I am prepared to give it, so today, I left mine in for an hour and 25 minutes. It was probably a little longer than needed, but it was cooked and I didn't have to deal with carving the chicken, seeing pink and being forced to throw it back in the oven. As you can see from the pics, it turned out beautifully.


As the chicken rested before carving, I took the pan drippings, hence the reason I didn't need extra oil, and make the sauce. It was bomb. You can throw shredded chicken over the orzo, on a bed of arugula, and add top with a little sauce, or better yet, some steamed then sauted broccolini would have been a great addition as well. Enjoy!!