Recipe Find: General Tso Tofu

Do you love General Tso chicken, but wish there was a healthier version? I’ve been searching for a healthier alternative to the entree that we all know and love. Mostly they’re all OK, but not crispy enough. This recipe by Vegetarian Times hit the spot!

Now I'm not vegan, but I am trying to eat more plant based this month with the FASTer Way VIP community as part of a challenge. It's good for my cholesterol and the planet :) Seriously though, this tofu dish is very, very tasty!

Pic from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

Crispy Tofu

1 16-oz. pkg. firm tofu, drained

2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. mirin (rice wine)

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbs. cornstarch

Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

2 Tbs. sugar

1 1/2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce

4 tsp. mirin (rice wine)

2 tsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. tomato paste

1/2 tsp. sambal oelek chile paste, optional

2 tsp. vegetable oil

4 green onions, green parts chopped (1/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Preparation

To make Crispy Tofu: 

Cut tofu block into two broad slabs. Wrap tofu slabs in paper towels, and place between two cutting boards. Weight top cutting board with soup cans, and press 30 minutes. Unwrap tofu, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, oil, garlic, and ginger in resealable container. Add tofu, and toss to coat. Marinate 30 minutes, or overnight. (Tofu should absorb all liquid.)

Preheat oven to 350°F, and coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Sift cornstarch over tofu, and turn to coat evenly. Spread tofu on baking sheet. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until firm and crispy, turning several times to brown all sides.

To make Sauce: Whisk together broth, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, tomato paste, and sambal oelek (if using) in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry 1 minute. Add broth mixture, and cook 1 minute, or until thickened. Stir in Tofu. Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

I served mine with quinoa and it was a really good combo.

Let me know if you try it!

Would you follow this road map? How to make sure you're fueling your body properly

What if there was a nutrition road map that you could follow that showed you exactly how to get healthy, lose weight and fight disease. Everything you need to know is on the map. All you have to do is follow it.

Would you follow the map?

That's what I did.

FASTer Way gave me the wheel to drive myself to health.

I have been a certified coach for over a year now and I help my clients use the FASTer Way map to reach their health and wellness goals: lose weight, change body composition, get stronger, have more energy.

In the following video, I share one big tip that will help you if you are working toward getting healthy, losing weight and fighting disease.





You can learn more about the FASTer Way program and my next round on this page.
I look forward to working with you!

How to Beat Common Exercise Struggles

Last week, I shared a poll on Instagram asking, what is your biggest struggle when it comes to weight loss? and the majority answered exercise.

When it comes to exercise struggles, it really comes down to three things: time, knowing what to do, and it’s really not about exercise, its nutrition.

So today I want to share how I can help you address those struggles through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss if you find yourself facing one of them.

Many people think they don’t have time to exercise and I get that. Sometimes life is just overwhelmingly busy. The great thing about the FASTer Way is that the workouts only take 30 minutes or less. The even greater thing is that if you don’t have a 30 minute block of time, you can totally do 10 or 15 minutes exercise and still get the benefits.

If exercise is a struggle for you because you don’t know what to do, the FASTer Way workouts are written by certified personal trainers so that you get the biggest bang for your buck in 30 minutes. They know that your time is valuable. FASTer Way strategically uses exercise so that you can work out less, but get GREATER results.

Finally, a lot of people are exercising but not getting results and blame it on the exercise when the truth is it might just be how and what you are eating. You can spend hours exercising at the gym or running miles and miles, but if you are not fueling yourself properly, you are not going to get maximum results. 

My clients are learning how to fuel their bodies and how to pair what they eat to their workouts. They are getting amazing results. They are losing fat, building muscle, and are stronger and more energized than ever. And quite frankly, they love the FASTer Way workouts because they have time to do them and they know exactly what to do.

Do you want to exercise less but get results? Do you want a work out plan that Is laid out for you so you know exactly what to do? I can help you with these struggles plus show you how to fuel your body properly through the FASTer Way program. When you go through the FASTer Way with me I will teach you how to fuel your body properly so that you get the results you want from your workouts. You will eat more and exercise less.

Click here for more information about my next round.

Let me know if you have any questions and have an awesome day!

Fruit and Nut Smoothie Bowl

This recipe is inspired by a meal from the FASTer Way meal plan. For more information about the FASTer Way program, go here ---> FASTer Way with AmyC

This recipe is all about the CARBS! In this recipe, I have made a delicious smoothie using frozen berries, almond milk, spinach, Greek yogurt and protein powder. Then topped with more berries, banana, nuts, seeds, honey and granola.

I am a big fan of DIY smoothie bowls (and acai bowls). These bowls are so versatile and are my favorite way to break my fast the day after low carb day. Seriously, in the FASTer Way, we are not shy about our carbs!

Carbohydrates are one of the body's main sources of energy and plays an important role in protecting our metabolism. So, if you are looking for a way to boost your carbs today, look no further than this amazing recipe.

Adding nuts and seeds to your smoothie, either when you blend or as toppings, is a great way to boost your fiber and healthy fats. Fiber helps control our insulin response to glucose. Healthy fats are the body's other main source of energy.

You really can't find a healthier way to enjoy a smoothie!

Smoothie

1 cup frozen berries 

1 scoop protein 

1 tbsp Greek yogurt 

1 cup baby spinach

3/4 cup almond milk

Toppings

1 tsp chia seeds

Hemp seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Walnuts

Almonds

1 tbsp granola

1/2 banana (sliced)

1/8 cup each raspberries, blueberries, blackberries 

1 tbsp honey

Nutrition info: 71g carbs, 10g fat, 20g protein, 18g fiber

Obviously, you can switch up the toppings to suit your own tastes, sensitivities and season. If you try it or use it as inspiration for your own, let me know in the comments!

Recipe Find: Baked Salmon with Garlic Butter Sauce

Low carb days in the FASTer Way mean lots of protein and healthy fats. I like to plan salmon dishes on my low carb days to help hit my goals for the day. To be honest, I rarely make my salmon any other way since finding this super yummy recipe on Delish (dot) com.

The recipe calls for you to bake the salmon on a bed of lemon slices, but I skip this step most weeks because it's fine without it and I'm all about keeping things simple. I usually serve the salmon with steamed broccoli and mashed cauliflower to stay within my low carb day goals, but it would be delicious with rice or quinoa, too.

INGREDIENTS

2 lemons, thinly sliced

1 large salmon fillet (about 3 lb.)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

6 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. chopped thyme leaves

1 tsp. dried oregano

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease with cooking spray. To the center of the foil, lay lemon slices in an even layer.
• Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper and place on top of lemon slices.
• In a small bowl, whisk together butter, honey, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Pour over salmon then fold up foil around the salmon. Bake until the salmon is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Switch the oven to broil, and broil for 2 minutes, or until the butter mixture has thickened.
• Garnish with parsley before serving.

The other thing I love about this recipe is that everything is baked in foil, so clean up is a breeze! That leaves me more time for my FASTer Way low carb day workouts!!

Let me know if you give it a go!

You can learn more about the FASTer Way program and when my next amazing group starts -> here.