Wednesday, April 7, 2010

3 Spices that will help boost your metabolism

Boosting your metabolism through food.

The yo-yo diet is the best way to decrease your metabolism but, by adding spicy ingredients such as mustards, fresh ginger and hot sauce, you can boost or help restart it.

For the best results, incorporate all three into your afternoon meal; this can be easily done by adding mustard and hot sauce to your protein and making a cup of ginger tea after lunch. If you have no control over what you eat, keep both mustard and hot sauce within reach and take a teaspoon of both straight mid-meal (Caution-You might want to keep a glass of water handy).

Ginger, made into a tea, is soothing and can be extremely cleansing to your body. In the beginning you might try drinking it at home so you can be close to a bathroom. It doesn’t affect everyone the same way but you still want to be cautious. After a few days of drinking it, your body should be able to control itself.

Incorporating these spices and this regimen is best done during the day. If too many spicy things are eaten too late in the day or night it may interfere with your sleep. Not only are these spices great to boost your metabolism but they also increase your energy and improve your digestion.

Mustard, ginger and spicy hot sauce.

Roasted Dijon Mustard Chicken Wrap

Ingredients-

2 Lavash

3 tbsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup Olive oil

1 cup Arugula

2 Chicken breasts

½ onion, caramelized*

Salt

Cracked pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Rinse and dry the chicken breasts. Salt, pepper and lightly coat with olive oil.
  3. In a large sauté pan add a tablespoon of olive oil and lay chicken presentation side down.
  4. Sear until brown and then flip.
  5. Finish in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes and then baste with cracked black pepper and mustard (in a bowl combine mustard and cracked pepper), continue cooking for 5 more minutes.
  6. Let cool and save until you’re ready to make your sandwich.
  7. Create the sandwich by slicing the chicken into very thin slices and adding arugula and caramelized onions and wrapping it in the lavash.

Tabasco Chicken Wrap

Ingredients-

2 Lavash

2 tbsp Tabasco sauce

¼ cup Olive oil

2 leaves of butter lettuce

2 Chicken breasts

2 slices provolone

½ onion, caramelized*

Salt

Cracked pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Rinse and dry the chicken breasts. Salt, pepper and lightly coat with olive oil.
  3. On a medium-high grill lay the chicken presentation side down.
  4. Cook for 5 minutes until brown and then flip.
  5. Finish in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes and then baste with Tabasco sauce; continue cooking for 5 more minutes.
  6. Let cool and save until you’re ready to make your sandwich.
  7. Create the sandwich by slicing the chicken into very thin slices and adding butter lettuce, provolone and caramelized onions and wrapping it in the lavash.

Ginger, Snow Pea and Shredded Carrot Salad

Ingredients-

1 tbsp minced Ginger

1 cup Snow peas

½ cup shredded carrots

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp black sesame seeds

Salt and pepper

Directions-

  1. Blanch the snow peas for a few minutes (just until they turn bright green). Place them in cold water (stop the cooking process) and then set aside.
  2. Toss with shredded carrots, sesame seeds, snow peas, olive oil and ginger.
  3. Finish with salt and pepper.
  4. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat it.

Ginger Tea-

Remove the tender brown flesh by gently scraping it away with the edge of a spoon. Once all the skin is removed, thinly slice it and add it to cold water. Simmer the ginger in water for up to 10 minutes. The longer you steep it the more powerful the tea becomes. Try not to boil the water. Enjoy.