It’s Friday, and this is the day I like to cook. In fact, Friday is the perfect time for me to cook, as the hustle and bustle of the week has come to a close. Plus, Friday’s get me in the mood to cook during the weekend, so I can have food readily prepared for the upcoming week.

If you are like so many others who consume meat, and are trying to eat healthier, you are probably getting bored with chicken. Believe me, I know how you feel. I have had a love-hate relationship with the yard bird for years. Thus, I am always looking for new and creative ways to spice up my chicken.

The following is one of my favorite ways to prepare el pollo loco (the crazy chicken). This recipe is low in fat, calories, and high in nutrients. It also serves 6, which provides more to share, or better yet, provides you with more ready-made meals for the following week.

Ok, crank up the stove, and let’s get our grub on!

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes

Ingredients
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
about 6 ounces each, sliced into strips
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil cooking spray
3 cups broccoli florets
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups snow peas
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/8 teaspoon (or to taste) hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

Cooking Instructions
1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Generously spray vegetable cooking spray on a nonstick wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the cooking spray is hot, add the chicken and cook, tossing with a wooden spoon, until the chicken begins to brown. Turn off the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate.

3. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until the stems just begin to get tender, about 1 or 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

4. Add the sesame oil and garlic cloves to the wok. Turn the heat to medium and cook until the garlic is fragrant and lightly golden. Remove the garlic, add the ginger and cook for another minute.

5. Turn the heat to high, add the carrots and cook, tossing with a wooden spoon, for 2 minutes. Add the peas, red peppers and hot pepper flakes, continue tossing with the spoon and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken, broccoli, vinegar and soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes more. Serve immediately over a bed of brown rice.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size about 2 1/2 cups of chicken and vegetables
Amount Per Serving

Calories 200
Protein 22 g
Total Carbohydrate 13 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugar 4 g
Total Fat 7 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g

What are some of your favorite chicken recipes? I am sure most fo you all are looking for new ways to prepare this little clucker. So, please share your favorite chicken recipes below, in the comments section. I’m running low on ideas, so help your boy out : )

Will you join me, live, for the next couple of days? Will you help me, along with 10 of the top names in the health & fitness industry; help displaced families highly affected by the damages of Hurricane Ike?

Yesterday was one month to the day that Hurricane Ike roared through the Houston-Galveston area, causing millions of dollars in property damage, and an immeasurable amount of emotional, spiritual and mental damage to residents caught in Ike’s path?

While organizations such as the Houston Food Bank and the Awakening’s Movement’s REACH 3 Ward assistance program work diligently to helped displaced storm victim regain “life as normal,” their funds and resources are limited.

Beginning Wednesday, October 15, join me, and an expert panel of health & fitness professionals for a 2 day telefundraiser, as we not only conduct 6 live phone calls broadcasted live over the internet, but we help raise funds for these two organizations, in order to assist them in their efforts to help rebuild the lives of Hurricane Ike victims.

Your generous donation gets you 24/7 VIP access to 6 content-rich calls discussing the best health & fitness tips to help you create the body, and live the healthiest life you desire. If you cannot make the live calls or webinar, your generous donation gives you unlimited access to replays of all 6 calls, their transcripts, as well as give you the option to download each call and save them as an MP3.

I have hand-picked the best in the health & fitness world to give you their top tips on:

1. How Busy Parents Can Fit Exercise in a Crazy Schedule
2. The Top Foods You Should Be Eating To Create The Body You Desire
3. Why Kettlebells Are the Body Sculpting Tool OF Choice For Today’s Top Celebrities, and Why Should Be Using Them Now!
4. How to Create the Proper Support Team For Your Fitness Success
5. How To Create A Success Mindset in Order To Stay Motivated To Reach Your Goals
6. How To Create A Lean, Tone Body You Desire Without Ever Purchasing A Gym Membership

The coaching from these successful fitness professionals would easily cost hundreds of dollars per hour. However, you can listen and receive their highly sought after tips, for your generous donation of $10. That’s right….only $10. For the price of about 2 lattes at Starbucks, or a movie ticket, you can get the tools and tips to help you get on your way to creating the healthiest body and mind of your dreams, while helping victims of Hurricane Ike re-realize theirs.

Simply hop over to http://fitnessprosforikerelief.com right now, to learn more, as well as make your generous donation. You donation is tax-deductable, and most importantly, 100% of your donation is equally split between the Houston Food Bank and the Awakenings Movement’s REACH program.

Just hop over to http://fitnessprosforikerelief.com, now to learn how you can help us help so many in need. I look forward to seeing you on the calls, and thank you in advance for your heartfelt donation to this extremely important cause.

Yours in health,

Sincere Hogan
“The People’s Fit Coach”
http://fitnessprosforikerelief.com

p.s. Please help us share this opportunity of giving by forwarding this email to your friends, family, and email followers. Together, we can all help reshape our bodies, our minds, and most importantly the lives of so many affected by the damages of Hurricane Ike in the Houston-Galveston area.

p.s.s. I truly look forward to seeing you on the calls, as well as posting videos of the day I proudly present both organizations with the funds raised through all of our collective efforts. Thank you.

This week’s email Q&A comes from Ralph, in reference to those pesky sugar cravings.
I’m sure most of us can share Ralph’s frustrations with these cravings, especially
when we are trying to focus on eating healthy. Take a look at Ralph’s questions, and
feel free to share your cravings, and other comments in the comments section below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey Sincere:

I think you can help me with this…. you are strong, knowledgeable, and built as hell…..

How do you handle sugar cravings?????

I especially get them after I have done a full day of working out and going to school.
i eat every 2 hours and I include prot, carbs, and fat in every meal.
I workout from around 8:30 to 11:30 and go to school from 12 to 5.
Ive eaten often so when I leave school I am not hungry. I eat my dinner before I leave.
However, when walking home, dunkin donuts calls me and i always eat
donuts even though i am not hungry.

How would you handle these cravings????

Ralph

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey Ralph:

How are you, brotha? I understand how it is to have those sugar
cravings.  My weakness is chocolate.  Ohhh, what a devil chocolate is!!!
I think the best way to handle
those sugar cravings, is to truly understand the effects of sugar on
our bodies, emotions, and our minds.

There is a great ebook by Diana Walker, explaining these cravings, and how to handle
them at http://www.cravingsecretsbook.com/.
Diana is an expert on the
topic of sugar cravings, as well as, the negative effects of artificial
sweetners. I highly recommend this ebook.

In the meantime, I suggest, whenever you get these cravings, to eat
fibrous fruits such as apples, pears,
kiwi, and my personal sweet-tooth
remedy….frozen berries.
I especially love frozen blueberries. They
are filling, and they are sweet and delicious.
However, they are not
filled with process sugar and fat,
as you would find in those dough
nuts that keep calling you to the dark side : )

Also, I recommend  drinking plenty of water and organic tea throughout
the day.  All of the things I just mentioned, when combined, keep you
feeling satisfied,  keep your blood sugar under control, and will help
curb those sugar cravings.

I wish you the best, my man. Stay strong, and keep eating and training like a warrior.

Regards,

Sincere~

p.s. Do you have relentless sugar cravings? If so, be sure to check of the
http://www.cravingsecretsbook.com/. What is your top “sweet”  weakness? How do you handle
your cravings? Share your comments below.

Tags: theeffects of sugar, conquering sugar cravings, fibrous fruits, organic tea, drinking water to curb appetite, the Cravings Secrets Book, Diana Walker, The Cravings Coach, Dunkin Doughnuts

I must admit, since getting AT&T’s Uverse, I’ve rediscovered some channels I have not watched in years. Usually, I am too busy to watch TV (which is a good thing, for the most part). However, once my Uverse system was set up late last week, I started flipping through channels, and came across MTV2 (note: the only thing that sucks about switching your cable/satellite TV provider, is re-learning where your favorite channels are…..btw, do we really need 900 channels, when we only watch the same 5 or 6  everyday? Geez!).

Rev Run

Tags: Rev.Run, Run DMC, Run’s House, MTV2, MTV, AT&T, Uverse, Run’s House marathon, taking risks

I missed the first couple 2 episodes of the UFC
reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” which airs Wednesday
nights ar 10 PM EDT on Spike TV. However, thankfully there was
an Ultimate Fighter marathon on this fine Saturday afternoon, while I
am writing this post.

Now in case you are new to my blog, and you’re not familiar with me,
I am an avid mixed martial arts fan. I love to watch it, as well as practice it. I practice
Muay Thai (thai boxing), boxing, as well as Copeira Angola.

No, I am not a pro fighter, nor do I aspire to be one. I simply love how mixed martial arts keeps you in incredible shape, helps develop great mental clarity, as well as helps develop knowledge of self-defense, during these crazy times. If you are looking to mix your fitness program up a bit, as
I always suggest you should, then you should definitely add some form of mixed martial art
to your program.

As I watched the 32 man tournament on the first episode of this season’s Ultimate
Fighter, it reminded me of NCAA basketball players, as well as what I’ve noticed from various clients
over the years. In fact, you may know someone who fits the following description, as well, including yourself at times.

As far as the 32 man tournament, UFC president Dana White, pairs 32 would-be contestants fight and compete to, not only get a shot to be on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, but also to get a shot at a 6 figure contract with the Ultimate Fighter Championship.

For those who seek to fight and make a living in mixed martial arts professionally, getting on the show is an opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity in which many will never have a chance. It’s an opportunity to fight in the fastest growing professional sport in the world, possibly get numerous endorsements, as well as possibly securing a financially secure future for the fighter and/or his family.

The reason, I really love the show, is the stories. These young fighters are hungry, due mainly to one
of the opportunities I just mentioned, and go all out to get on the show. It reminds me of how the athletes in NCAA basketball, go out each game, run and gun up and down the court, playing the game as if it is their last. Well, for some, it may be their last, if they are not drafted into the NBA, or other professional leagues.

Thus, they play balls-to-the-wall, to get that once-in-a-lifetime shot to possibly create a better lifestyle than what they were used to. Sound familiar? Sounds like the life of someone who has been overweight for a long time, or have been plagued with unhealthy conditions, but chooses to take control of their life, and begin a proper health and fitness program.

The only thing that bothers me, is what usually happens once these young warriors make it in the UFC, NBA, or begin to lose the weight and become stronger and healthier……they get complacent, satisfied, lazy, or no longer compete or train with the heart they had before the door of opportunity opened and welcomed them in. It seems that once they decide they “made it” they tend to lose that sense of urgency.

The fighter stop training as hard as they did before signing that UFC contract. The basketball player stops working on his free throws, hangs with the wrong crowd and gets caught up in violent situations in their personal life, or worse, let’s the fame of being in the league give him a false sense of being “holier-than-thou.”

Do you know someone like this? Is it you? Have you lost that hunger to get better, stronger, leaner, or healthier? Have you or someone lost that sense of urgency and hunger? One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Thomas Alva Edison which states:

“Show me a satisfied man, and I will show you a failure.”

How do you abstain from failure? What are you doing, daily, in order to avoid being satisfied, complacent in life, business, relationships, your diet and training program, or whatever is important to you? What is it in your life, that keeps you hungry as an ultimate fighter, or running and gunning like an NCAA basketball player?

Share your comments below. You never know, your desire may be infectious, and inspire another reader of this post to be as hungry and focused as you are.