Time for Change Fitness: Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Herbed Goat Cheese

Why Weight Training

Why does Time for Change Fitness promote resistance training?

Many people focus on calories alone. The slash and dash mentality develops destructive patterns, like extreme calorie cuts and/or excessive aerobics. This sets off an alarm-state in the body where the body sheds muscle tissue to lessen energy demands, and stores body fat as a survival response. Once this physiological state is reached, it becomes nearly impossible to lose any more weight no matter how many calories you cut or how much aerobic work you add. What you end up with is a person who is on a starvation level calorie count and performing excessive exercise, yet is still flabby.

The calories burned during an exercise session are relatively small compared to the amount burned during the other 23 hours of the day. Most fat oxidation occurs between training sessions, not during. This means your exercise sessions should primarily be geared towards building muscle and boosting your metabolism.

After a strength training session, the metabolic rate raises (the after-burn effect) for longer periods of time than after aerobic work (up to 48 hours). This is because all of the steps involved in the recovery process from strength training (satellite cell activation, tissue repair, protein synthesis, etc.) require energy (calories).

Friday, September 25, 2009

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Herbed Goat Cheese

This recipie makes for a wonderful dinner, but may be more beneficial as a lunch. If you eat like a diabetic should eat, you will greatly reduce your risks for becoming diabetic. The goal is to achieve the proper balance of macronutrients(fats, proien, and carbohydrate) for your own lifestyle - choosing the right ratios of clean protiens, good fats, and nongluten, non starchy carbohydrates to keep your body and mind functioning at optimum levels of efficiency.

For the average person (serious athletes obviously need more), no matter what his or her constitutional type, this would mean a lunch consisting of approximately 4 to 6 ounces of some kind of protien with some good fat added and about 3 ounces more protien every three hours to mobilize body fat, keep blood sugar levels in balance, and avoid those cravings for brain-calming sweets. The amount and type of carbohydrate will depend on your lifestyle and constitutional type, but in every instance, those carbohydrates that are lowest on the glycemic index will be the ones least likely to spike blood sugar levels and cause sweet cravings.

When it comes to carboyhdrate intake, perhaps the best thing your can do for your health is to eat plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables. Eat fruits and vegetables of every color. Fruitloops do not count!

By sharing this recipie, I am not promoting low, or no-carbohydrate diets. I am sharing this low-carb recipie because most individuals get plenty of carbohydrates in their diets daily.

Makes 4 servings

4 ounces fresh, soft goat cheese (1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon each, minced tarragon, basil, parsley, and chives

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts, with a 3-inch-long pocket cut into the thickest part-you may want to have your butcher do this for you.

In a bowl, thoroughly combine the goat cheese, herbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and half the salt and pepper. Using your fingers, or a small spoon, stuff a quarter of the filling into each breast. Close each pocket with a toothpick. Season the breats with the remaining salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to a day ahead.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 10-inch skillet. place the stuffed chicken breasts skin side down in the pan. Saute 5 to 6 minutes, until golden brown. Usinf a spatula, turn over and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until the chicken is somewhat firm to the touch. Transfer the breasts to a warm platter, remove the toothpicks, and serve.

This recipie is from The Union Square Cafe Cookbook.

Per serving: 323 calories; 22 grams fat; 29 grams protien; 1 gram carbohydrate