I first got the itch to make today’s healthy recipe of lettuce wraps a couple of years ago after I got a taste for the chicken lettuce wraps at PF Chang’s. But when I was asked to write this blog for today, at first, I was hesitant because I am not a writer. But who can go wrong when talking about food? Am I right or, am I right? And so far, I have had no complaints about these yummy and healthy concoctions. So at least I know I can do those with confidence! How These Wraps Got StartedA year went by after I got my first taste of the ones from PF Chang’s. And when I still couldn’t get how great they were out of my head, I decided to search for a copycat recipe of the ones from the popular restaurant and, boom, there one was on Chungah Rhee’s awesome food website which you can find by clicking the button below! She has so many amazing recipes, but this was one I just needed to try! When I finished her recipe and tasted them, my mouth was in heaven! So, I continued to make them occasionally until a couple of my previous co-workers started asking me to make the lettuce wraps for them. From there, it was kind of a secret tradition for a while. Fast forward to June 2021 and here we are – finally getting the chance to share this recipe! So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. About the Lettuce Wraps
The ingredients for these wraps are budget friendly. So, if you are worried about burning a hole in your pocket, I’m here to assure you, all of the ingredients that I used were found at your local Neighborhood Kroger, or whichever grocery store is your preference. No joke, if you consider yourself a pro in the kitchen, then you can knock these out in less than 20 minutes. You can eat these at your social-distanced event as an appetizer, or just use these as a full-on meal! Either way, they are delicious, healthy, and truly easy for everyone to make. Keep on reading to for the recipe! Copycat Lettuce Wraps RecipePlease keep in mind that while I primarily based my recipe on Chungah Rhee’s, I've been making these for so long that I've made tweaks here and there. Mainly due to the fact that so many of my family and friends prefer when I use ground turkey. Chicken and turkey...two very different birds! Yield: 4 servings Prep time: 10-15minutes Cool time: 10-15minutes Total time: 30 minutes or less (depending on your level of cooking) Ingredients: 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon of Sriracha seasoning or sauce (optional) 1 can (8 ounce) of water chestnuts, drained and diced 2 green onions, thinly sliced Salt & pepper for tasting 1 head of butter lettuce (make sure to rinse) *iceberg lettuce works just as well* Directions: 1. Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add ground turkey or chicken until browned (if using turkey be cautious, as it can dry out quickly) for about 3-5 minutes making sure you crumble the turkey as it cooks; drain the excess fat. 2. Stir in garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, onion, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and siracha until onions become translucent. 3. Stir in water chestnuts and green onions until tender. Throw in some salt and pepper to taste. 4. To serve, place your wrap filling on simmer heat. Then, spoon about 2-3 tablespoons of the turkey or chicken filling in the center of the buttered lettuce, taco style. Nutrition Facts — Why These are Oh, So Healthy
Tammara RosalesTotal fun-loving, believer, creative designer, amateur chef, dog mom, and explorer! Check out my website for all of my design creations, here: rosalescreative.com.
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![]() Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash It's officially the start of "it's way too hot outside for me to do anything" season in Texas. Unfortunately, this includes getting in a killer full-body workout that a jog or a run provides. Plus, heat exhaustion isn't fun for anyone. There are so many exercises we can do in the air-conditioned safety of our living rooms. But none accomplish the full impact of working out every important muscle group we have quite like running. Enter the jump rope! Including jump roping into our regular exercise routine boosts impressive advantages to our health. Keep reading on to find out four reasons why we should fall in love with this seemingly unassuming piece of exercise equipment! The Power of the Jump RopeJump roping allows us to get in that full-body workout without being outside or in a gym class. So, you're still getting a 1. wonderful cardio session to get your heart pumping! As your heart rate rises, it becomes easier (and safer) to reach the fat-burning zone.
Your legs get the most use out of all of our other body parts. Therefore, it's very important to strengthen muscles and bones so you won't be prone to injuries in that particular area. Jump roping does this by introducing your body to more stress than it's used to, especially in the ankle and calve area! 4. Incorporating a jump rope routine is a crazy effective way to burn calories! The full body workout of this exercise — arms to swing the rope, legs to make you jump, core to keep you balanced — burns an average 200 to 300 calories per 15 minutes. Jumping that long is tough even for the seasoned veteran, but the idea is to realize this exercise is pure goodness. Jumping rope in a stationary position actually burns more calories than jogging for 30 minutes. Your body needs to burn more fuel to create what is known as thermogenic energy. The fuel that is burned when you jump rope? Calories! Tricks of the Jump rope TradeIf you're starting off as a beginner, a light weight, plastic jump is a great way to go! So many are wonderfully priced, too. Once you build up your stamina, up the ante and graduate to a weighted jump rope. These can be found at any sporting good stores or even Five Below or Amazon if you're feeling budget-conscious. Just make sure to do some research on a quality rope for a proper and more effective workout! There are so many types of jump rope workouts with two most popular being the running in place, and rope jump ladder. These are the ones you see the majority of people doing. Do a Google search of types of jump rope exercises and you'll find so many options from beginner level to expert. To jump rope like a pro, always remember these tips for the most effective and safe workout:
With all of this fun information about what was once thought of as a kid's outdoor pastime, go forth and put it to good, healthy use. You and your wellness goals won't regret it! Skip to my lou...
Give me a plate of rice and chicken slathered in curry any day! The orange-ish colored sauce made from curry powder is a staple in most middle eastern and Caribbean dishes. Despite curry being ever so tasty as a reason to be included regularly into your dietary menu, its base powder has extraordinary benefits! Stimulating INgredientsWhat makes up curry powder? Its main makeup of spices consists of turmeric, curry leaves, cardamom, coriander, cumin, red and black pepper, basil, and clove. And based on various recipes from around the world, other ingredients might include the likes of mustard seeds, fennel seeds, or ginger. These spices and herbs create a distinctive taste that's unique to curry alone. But the savory spices like pepper, turmeric, cumin, and ginger give curry its spicy kick we've to associate with the powder, and in turn, the sauce. Majestic PerksThe reason curry needs to be a key player in our diets is largely due to its principal spices. The beautiful relationship of those spices is what we should be very grateful for.
Want a little bit more help with your weight loss and all-around health journey? Ginger and both red and black pepper are the spices in curry that are your guys!
Praise-worthy VarietiesCurry doesn’t come in a one size fits all. It’s heat index and popularity is about as diverse as each of the countries that call it a delicacy! Here are a few examples of rankings based on my research (not every type of curry is listed below).
If you're a curry newbie, the mildest of all curries is quite possibly Korma. Everyone's taste pallet is different. But, this one seems to be considered the one to start off with. Trying out new cuisines from around the world can help stimulate our minds and bring excitement into new experiences. You'll learn your likes and dislikes. And you could inadvertently improve your diet!
So make a plan to visit a nearby Middle Eastern dine-in restaurant. The adventure will no doubt be worth your while.
So, it's about time we learn how to tap into that. What d'ya say? Fitness in FlexibilityStretching promotes flexibility. And when we do our little dinosaur stretch routine once we wake up, we are inadvertently doing a morning fitness routine. Being flexible is an important part of protecting our bodies during physical movement — whether high impact or low impact — from any potential injuries. It's weird that something we think of as simple as stretching does so much for us health wise. But how do we do it properly so we take full advantage of it?
The Health BenefitsStretching provides many advantages to our health. Benefits such as increasing blood flow, alleviating tension that reduces stress, improving posture, protecting mobility, keeping muscles healthy, and quieting and relaxing the mind. Timing is EverythingAre while gyms and yoga studios are open, stretching is free when done at home! Like previously stated, morning stretching is second nature but very important to increase our blood flow. Do an afternoon stretch break to alleviate the bad posture we exhibit when immersed in work. And stretching before you go to bed loosens up your muscles and helps prevent you from waking up in any sort of pain or soreness. ![]() Photo by Lyyfe Williams on Unsplash When I was a little girl, my mom used to convince me that stretching me would make me grow faster and taller. So while my 4'10" frame proves stretching doesn't solve everything, we can attests to its countless other powers. Take some time morning, noon, and night to stretch out your body for a simple, yet effective fitness routine!
Stop! Let’s think about what happens once you hit that snooze button on your phone.
Other benefits — mental, physical, and even professional — pop up when we skip hitting our snooze buttons. Finish Your Work Earlier in the Day
Knock Out Work without Any DistractionsIt's a "peaceful, easy feeling" when you're up and well into your work flow before all of the chat chimes and the email dings commence. It's difficult to shift back into work after you need to dissect an email. And don't even think about getting back into a steady groove after a meeting! Research shows it takes on average about 45 minutes to regain focus after yet another meeting. You're more alert and efficient in the morning which can translate into making better decisions. Ready To Go To Bed at a REasonable Time
Your body's internal clock is very important! When you develop a healthy sleep routine, it becomes easier to wake up earlier without feeling angry at your alarm clock. Get in that beauty sleep! Weight Loss![]() Photo by Bill Oxford on Unsplash According to research from The Obesity Society, you make better health decisions if you go to bed early and, in turn, wake up early. You tend to have a better diet and waking up early gives you more time to exercise if you so choose. It doesn't have to a hard-core HITT workout. Just a quick one for 30-minute walk, or some jumping jacks, wall sits, hip bridges, or scissor kicks. The urge to continue hitting snooze as a refusal to face the day might be a sign of anxiety or depression which can lead to overeating. All in all, early risers get more done that gets metabolisms going. iPhone users have this wonderful option to opt out of Snooze on their phone when their alarm goes off in the morning! Once you hit that Stop button, you don't get another shot at your alarm going off. Your best bet is to go ahead and get up lest you lose an entire day!
Make it count and have a good one!
But antiperspirants were. And the two are very different. Aluminum in Antiperspirants vs. DeodorantsLong story short, deodorants are meant to soak up our sweat and freshen up any odor produced by the sweat. Antiperspirants plug up the sweat glands underneath our arm pits so we sweat less or not at all. And it does so by including one key ingredient: aluminum salt. So why is aluminum a no-no and no longer found in deodorants? When absorbed after prolonged use, these salts in antiperspirants can seep into your pores and quite possibly lead to breast cancer by collecting in breast tissue and disrupting the receptors of breast cells. Also, high levels of aluminum in the body (with research pointing to aluminum in antiperspirants) can be very harmful to how we as females react to our bodies production of our main hormone: estrogen. Another thing to note is that it isn't healthy for a body not to sweat! Our bodies are built to sweat because sweating regulates our internal temperature and stops us from overheating. Now here's the gotcha. It isn't that clear how much of the aluminum in antiperspirants we actually absorb. And when absorbed, our kidneys do their job and rid our bodies of it. And some doctors even prescribe antiperspirants to those who produce too much sweat!
Alcohol and Parabens
With all of the recent research regarding deodorant, it's pretty easy to find a brand nowadays that ditches all three of these toxic ingredients! Number one on my list is Dove 0% Aluminum and it has no alcohol.
You may have heard of Native deodorant, too. That one is quite possibly the best around! Any other deodorant suggestions that is aluminum-, alcohol-, and paraben-free? Be sure to drop the name in comments below! Bonus points if it's cruelty-free, as well! |