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Here’s a recipe that adds fruit to dinner and takes all the guilt out of orange-flavored chicken. There’s no sugar and no fryer involved. Just skinless, boneless chicken breast, marinated in orange juice, pan seared and then baked. Serve it up with orange-spiked green beans for a nutritious, protein-packed meal.

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need:

For the Chicken:

• 2 cups fresh orange juice
• 2 Tablespoons grated orange zest
• 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

For the Green Beans:

• 10 oz fresh, organic, green beans
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• dash of salt and pepper

For the Orange-Brandy Sauce

• 2 Tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 shallots, minced
• 2 Tablespoons brandy
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 navel orange, peeled and each segment cut into 3 pieces
• 1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
• Dash of salt and pepper

Cook the Chicken:

1. Place the orange juice and orange zest in a large ziplock bag. Season each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in the ziplock bag, coating each side with juice. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Grease a 12-inch, oven-proof skillet with the olive oil. Place over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts in a single layer, cooking for 3 minutes. Turn the chicken, season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place the skillet in the oven for 15 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees F in the center of the thickest breast.
4. Remove from oven and cover with foil as you make the sauce and cook the beans.

Cook the Green Beans:

1. Wash the beans, snap off and discard the stems. Place in a large ziplock bag with the orange juice and orange zest. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Grease with the olive oil. Remove beans from refrigerator, discarding the juice. Add to the skillet and cook, covered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover, increase the heat and cook for an additional 3 minutes, until the beans are bright green.

Cooke the Sauce:

1. In a medium skillet heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot, cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the brandy. Return to the heat and cook, scraping the bottom, until the brandy has almost evaporated, about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to high, add the orange juice. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, boil for 3 minutes.
2. Add in the orange segments and the parsley. Turn off heat. Season with salt and pepper.

To Serve:

1. Cut the chicken on the diagonal into thin slices and arrange over a pile of green beans. Drizzle with the orange-brandy sauce.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 302 calories, 13g fat, 161mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 29g protein

Catfish is a wonderful source of low fat protein. Lots of recipes call for frying catfish, but baking turns it into a low calorie, high protein meal. The generous seasoning of the catfish lends to a rich flavor that is complimented perfectly by the light minty salad.

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

For the Catfish:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed and stems trimmed
• 4 catfish fillets
• curry powder
• salt
• sweet paprika
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a glass baking pan, drizzle the olive oil and scatter the cilantro over the bottom of the pan.
3. Generously season both sides of each fillet with curry, salt and sweet paprika. Place the fillets evenly across the bottom of the pan, on top of the cilantro.
4. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and finely minced garlic. Pour over the tops of the fillets.
5. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

For the Salad:

• 1 head green, organic cabbage, shredded
• 1/8 cup crushed, dry mint leaves
• 1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• dash of salt

1. Wash the shredded cabbage and place in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle with the dried mint, mix well.
2. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the cabbage and mix well.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 221 calories, 8g fat, 102mg sodium, 13g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, and 26g protein

Guest Post from James Gaida

Have you ever wondered how Super Heroes do it?  How do they build those amazing bodies?

Take a look at Wonder Woman.  She didn’t always look this great.

There was a time when Wonder Woman wasn’t feeling like a Super Hero.  She wasn’t always comfortable in her revealing crime fighting attire.

So what changed?

Well, for starters, she came across one of Shawna K’s sample workouts on YouTube and got hooked.

Additionally, she made some dietary changes and began focusing on 15 foods that should be included in your daily diet so that you can burn enough fat to fill the Bat Cave (I know, kinda of a gross mental picture), have enough energy to leap a building in a single bound and build resistance to the kryptonite that is disease.

Seriously though, my 15 Super Foods are a must have in your daily diet.  As they appear more frequently in your diet you will notice feeling leaner and healthier than ever.  I promise.

So what is a Super Food?  Quite simply I am referring to foods that provide exceptional qualities and high levels of essential nutrients so that you can maximize your health and vitality.

Here are your Super Foods:

Proteins

All of the Super Proteins are a great source of protein and also healthy fats.  This is the key to fat loss.  Protein will allow you to maintain your metabolism maximizing lean muscle.  Meanwhile the healthy fats will ensure your hormones are properly balanced so that you are burning fat and not falling into fat storage mode.

• Grass Fed Lean Red Meat – Abundant in iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, b-vitamins, creatine and the antioxidant alpha lipoic acid.

• Wild Salmon – High levels of Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA & DHA), vitamin B-12, vitamin B-3, vitamin B-6, and selenium.

• Free Run Whole Eggs – Great source of choline, iron, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, vitamin A, the B vitamins, vitamin E and folic acid.

Veggies

I think you’d agree that a diet high in good quality vegetables is sure to enhance your health and vitality.  These specific Super-Vegetables happen to be among the most nutrient dense and in the case of the cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower & cabbage) the Indole-3-Carbinol in them has been linked to reduced risk of cancer.  Just make sure to NEVER boil cruciferous veggies as that will destroy the potential anti-cancer benefits.

• Spinach – Great source of iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorous, selenium, magnesium, manganese, folate, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-5, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K.  Also contains opioid peptides which play a role in brain function.

• Broccoli – High in fiber, vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein and contains Indole-3-Carbinol with potential anti-cancer benefits.

• Cauliflower – High in fiber, folate, vitamin C and contains Indole-3-Carbinol with potential anti-cancer benefits.

• Cabbage – Good source of vitamin C and glutamine for enhanced gut health.  Also contains Indole-3-Carbinol with potential anti-cancer benefits.

Fruits

The Super-Fruits contain a wide variety of nutrients and phytochemicals that will help to cleanse your body of toxins, speed up fat burning, improve gut health and help to prevent disease.

• Tomatoes – Great source of vitamin C and the powerful antioxidant lycopene which provides protection for you skin and keeps your eyes healthy as you age.  Lycopene also has been linked to preventing plaque deposits in arteries.

• Blueberries – High in fiber, manganese, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, vitamin K and certain antioxidant phytochemicals that have been suggested to have potential anti-cancer properties.

• Mixed Beans – High in fiber, folate and iron.

• Avocado’s – Excellent source of fiber, potassium, vitamin E, the B vitamins, vitamin K and monounsaturated fat.  Monounsaturated fat has been shown in scientific research to assist with weight loss, lower triglycerides and raise good cholesterol levels.

Nuts and Oils

This category contains some of the most potent fat burning and health enhancing foods on this list.  The fats contained in these Super Nuts & Oils have been shown to help you to burn more fat, improve your skin health, enhance brain health, control hunger, reduce harmful disease-causing-inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce cholesterol levels, and lower high blood pressure.

• Mixed Nuts – High in the anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids, arginine, vitamin B-2, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, selenium, copper and potassium.

• Fish Oil – Deserves it’s own category for it’s abundance of the Omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.  Fish oil is a major contributor to reducing harmful inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity so that you can maximize your health and burn more fat to boot.

• Olive Oil – Good source of vitamin E and heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Several research studies have shown that monounsaturated fat enhances the body’s breakdown of stored fat. And this happens without calorie restriction or additional exercise. By simply replacing other fats in their diet with Olive Oil, test subjects are losing weight while also improving cholesterol and decreasing triglyceride levels.

• Coconut Oil – Another fat that could have it’s own category.  Populations that eat an abundance of coconut oil are some of the healthiest on the planet.  Proven benefits of coconut oil include, faster fat loss, more energy, sustained energy, improved cholesterol levels, improved skin health, improved brain health, and reductions in the very dangerous and ugly visceral fat around your mid section.

Add more Super Foods to your diet TODAY!

These 15 foods are among the best of the best.  Eat them frequently and you will be rewarded with health, longevity and a lean, rock hard, super hero worthy body.

James Gaida bio:

I am a fat loss expert and certified Precision Nutrition Coach.  I have spent more than 13 years coaching clients in both nutrition and fitness. In that time I have also became certified as a Specialist in Performance Nutrition and a Certified Fitness Trainer. I also own many leather bound books and yeah, I’m kind of a big deal!

My baby, 4 Day Fat Loss (4DFL) is dedicated to teaching simple techniques to rapidly burn fat, increase energy and live a healthier life.  If you want to find out how to burn fat quickly and transform your body check out the 4DFL Method. 

This recipe takes the concept of chicken salad to a whole new level. There is so much going on in the flavor department like sweet mango, savory chicken, tender asparagus, tangy arugula, and creamy goat cheese.

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need….

For the Herb marinade:

•     Juice from 1 lemon
•     1 teaspoon olive oil
•     1 teaspoon salt
•     1 teaspoon dried basil
•     1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
•     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•     1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
•     1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•     1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
•     1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
•     1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
•     1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

For the Salad:

•     1 lb skinless, boneless, thin chicken breasts
•     1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
•     8 cups organic arugula
•     2 small organic mangoes, peeled and sliced
•     6 oz crumbled goat cheese

1.     Combine the herb marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place 1 Tablespoon of the marinade in a large Ziploc bag with the asparagus pieces, and the rest in another large Ziploc bag with the chicken breasts. Make sure the chicken and asparagus are fully coated with the marinade, and then place in the refrigerator for an hour.
2.     Heat a grill pan and another medium pan. Place the chicken breasts on the grill pan, and cook 4 minutes each side, until there is no longer any pink in the middle. Sauté the asparagus in the medium pan, stirring often while the chicken cooks. Remove both pans from heat.
3.     Once the chicken has cooled, slice each breast into even strips.
4.     In a large bowl combine the arugula, mango slices and crumbled goat cheese. Add the cooked asparagus and the chicken. Mix and serve.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 332 calories, 13g fat, 740mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 34g protein

Lean cuts of pork are high in protein and low in fat. Add a side of veggies and you’ve got a clean meal that delivers all the right nutrients without waist-expanding carbs.

Servings: 4

Here’s what you need…

•     2 apples, chopped
•     1 medium yellow onion, chopped
•     2 Tablespoons coconut oil
•     cinnamon
•     sea salt
•     4 lean pork chops
•     1/4 cup white wine
•     1/4 cup sliced almonds

1.     In a large skillet warm 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the apples and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes until the apples are tender.
2.     Remove the apples and onions from the pan.
3.     Add the remaining Tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and leave the heat on medium. Sprinkle cinnamon and salt on both sides of the pork chops then rub in.
4.     Place the pork chops in the pan, sear on each side for 2 minutes.
5.     Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the apples and onions back to the pan, cover and cook for about 6 minutes.
6.     Sprinkle with the almonds and serve the chops with a generous helping of the apples and onions.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 296 calories, 12g fat, 94mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 21g protein

Here’s a recipe for the perfect on-the-go energy food. Ham, broccoli and an egg combine for a tasty snack that’s packed with protein and fiber. Make a dozen and enjoy throughout your week.

Servings: 12

Here’s what you need…

•     1 teaspoon olive oil
•     1 clove garlic, minced
•     1/2 yellow onion, chopped
•     12 slices of nitrate free ham
•     1 cup broccoli, steamed and chopped
•     1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
•     dash of salt and pepper
•     12 eggs

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside
2.     In a medium sized skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions. Cook until tender.
3.     Add the steamed broccoli, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix until fully combined. Remove from heat.
4.     Using kitchen scissors, make a slice to the center of each piece of ham, then fold into a cone shape in each muffin cup. Fill halfway with the broccoli mixture.
5.     Crack an egg into each ham cup. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the edges of the ham are crispy.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 135 calories, 8g fat, 437mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 12g protein.