Oxygen Magazine Recipes

A few days ago I posted an article about the 3-month meal plan that I wrote for Oxygen Magazine. As part of that particular series I also developed a total of 12 recipes. The first 4 recipes are linked in this post and the next few are provided here - Oxygen Magazine recipes from month 2 of the Best Body Challenge.

Cranberry Breakfast Mug

Tuna Avocado Sandwich

Curried Shrimp Kabobs

The Cranberry Breakfast Mug was my favorite - which one do you like best?

Oxygen Best Body Meal Plan and Recipes

This year Oxygen Magazine asked me to put together their annual Build a Better Body nutrition and meal plan series that included recipes. I was beyond excited for the opportunity to do so. Writing for Oxygen has been a goal of mine since I started reading through the mag 10 years ago! Oxygen has provided the meal plan (including grocery lists) and a handful of the recipes on their website as a PDF download for you for FREE! Yes!

Month 1: Fat Loss Phase. This month you'll focus on dropping fat and discovering new muscles you didn't know you had. The meal plan is based around a high protein, moderate fat and moderate carbohydrate approach that will boost your metabolism and fuel your workouts. Food highlights for Month 1 is Quinoa. This psuedo-grain is a super-seed that's gluten-free and packs a high-protein punch!

Month 2: Muscle Building Phase. This month you'll focus on building lean muscles to create feminine curves that represent strength and confidence. The meal plan is based around a high protein diet required for building muscle - with an average of 150 grams of protein per day. The food highlight for Month 2 is Eggs. You'll love the Cranberry Breakfast Mug recipe - guaranteed!

Month 3: Meal Timing Phase. This month is about timing your meals around your schedule and your workouts. Fueling your body before and after a workout is important for optimal fitness. By this time you're a fitness fanatic and your workouts are as intense as ever. This meal plan is based on a moderate protein, moderate carb and lower fat approach. The recipes in this meal plan are great choices for pre- or post-workout. Try the Avocado Hummus with homemade Pita Chips - it's amazing!

Recipes that I developed for these meal plans are found at Oxygenmag.com. The following are the recipes for Month 1:

One Pot Chicken and Spinach

Salmon and Avocado Quinoa Sushi

Halibut with Sweet Potato and Kale Quinoa

Winter Morning Quinoa

Have you ever tried any of the recipes or meal plans you read in magazines? If so, what was your experience?

Clean Apple Pie with Gluten Free Crust by Oxygen Magazine

One of my favorite fitness magazines of all time is Robert Kennedy Publishing's Oxygen Magazine. It's always loaded with great workouts, useful tips and delicious recipes. When the December 2012 issue showed up in my mailbox, I was excited to see what was inside. This month I found a recipe for Apple Pie developed by Tosca Reno. Since I was planning to make a big dinner for Hanukkah, I thought an apple pie would be the perfect dessert. The last time I made an apple pie from scratch was when I was in college. There was a food prep class I had to take and one of our projects was to make something for the class that was cultural. My partner and I chose apple pie with vanilla ice cream to represent American culture. It was a big hit! However, it was also double or triple the calories of Tosca's apple pie.

It took me about 30 minutes to prep the pie between peeling, coring and slicing all of the apples, making the pie crust and pressing it in to the pan. I ended up doubling the pie crust because it seemed to be not enough dough for my pan and I wanted the crusty edge that was shown in the magazine photo. I also decided to add a crumble to the top of my pie using Cinnamon Oat Clusters with Flaxseeds KIND Granola. For the apples, I used McIntosh apples because that was the best baking apple I could find in the store on that day. Since I used McIntosh apples I decided to cut the apple slices a bit thicker to keep them from turning to mush.

The pie was amazing to say the least. It tasted just like apple pie and the crust, surprisingly tasted just like a pie crust even though it was made with absolutely no grains (only Almond flour). It was warm and satisfying, perfect for a holiday celebration on a cool winter night.

Clean Eating Apple Pie

makes 8 servings - prep time: 30 minutes - cook time: 45 min.

Ingredients:

• Pie Crust
• 2 cups almond four
• 1/2 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1 whole egg
• Zest of 1 lemon
   
• Pie Filling
• 3 lb tart, crisp baking apples
• 3 tablespoons almond flour
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice
• 2 tablespoons light, unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 1/2 cup honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place almond flour and sea salt in a food processor, pulse to combine (can also use a hand mixer or blender), then add wet ingredients and zest, and blend until a ball of dough is formed.
2. Press into a 9" pie plate, cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
3. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
4. Peel, core and slice apples one at a time, and drop them into the lemon water. This will keep them from turning brown.
5. Once apples are soaking, drain water from the bowl and pat dry with a clean cloth.
6. Add remaining ingredients, including remaining tablespoons of lemon juice, to apples and toss well to combine.
7. Pour mixture into pie crust and bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the crust is golden and the mixture is bubbling on top.
8. Remove and let cool for 1 hour before serving.
9. Optional: top with granola 35 to 40 minutes into the baking process.