This is our (very healthy yet super flavorful) take on classic French Chicken in Mustard Sauce. Our recipe packs a huge flavor punch with plenty of fresh herbs: garlic, rosemary and fresh flat leaf parsley. We keep the mustard but substitute concentrated chicken stock and a bit of water for the heavy cream and butter. The result: we kick the flavors into high gear, and drop the fat and calories dramatically for a modern approach to this classic bistro dish.

All ingredients are chopped and ready for quick sauté

Pre chop everything when doing a quick sauté.. it makes assembly and cooking quick and fast; Fresh herbs are a must in this recipe; it wont work with dry herbs. Use your favorite Dijon style mustard… ideally a whole grain one. Feel free to add in or substitute different vegetables per your likes and dislikes… All OCTrainer recipes are more technique and base, than literal recipe.. mix in ‘free’ foods like vegetables and fresh herbs to your taste.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

14 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into 1/2” cubes
1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into large dice
2 cups (or more if you like) green beans (frozen or fresh)
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tbl. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbl. spicy brown or dijon mustard
1 package Swanson Chicken Flavor Boost (concentrated chicken stock)
1/4 cup water
3 tbl. chopped flat leaf parsley (much more flavorful than curly parsley)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD:

Weigh and slice boneless, skinless chicken breast into medium chunks, and set aside.

Chop onion, garlic, rosemary and parsley, and set aside.

Place green beans, fresh or frozen, in a large skillet; add 1/4 of water, a dash of salt (to keep the beans bright green), and cover, heat on high until 2/3rd done (test with fork). Drain, and set aside

In same skillet over medium high heat, spray pan with non stick canola oil spray, add onions and chicken. Sauté 5-6 min until cooked through, and the chicken starts to turn golden brown and the onions turn translucent. Add in garlic and rosemary. Sauté another 2 minutes or so (no longer or the garlic will burn). Add in dijon mustard, 1 package Swanson Chicken Flavor Boost, green beans and water. stir as sauce thickens and coats everything for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add chopped parsley.

Serve over rice (we like 3-4 oz of Trader Joes Rice Medley per serving – comes frozen, in the purple box)

A few tips for getting motivated and staying motivated through your workouts. MUSIC! I cannot stress how this can motivate you and keep you into your workouts. Don’t be afraid to spend some real money on a good pair of headphones (I use the Beat Studio Professionals) this really keeps me focused and free of distractions…

Overweight people eat fewer meals than others.

More proof that multiple small meals significantly help in long term weight loss. Take a look.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/overweight-people-eat-fewer-meals-others-202832931.html

OCTrainer.net 2.0 workout and diet plan in effect. Through years of research and training we have devised a way to get more results with less time and effort in the gym. It is a combination of high intensity training with short rests and a healthy, effective diet. So far our best success story is 31lbs lost in 5 weeks, can’t wait to beat that…

Dirty little trainer secret: If your trainer is having you do a lot of cardio and keeping you in the gym for longer than an hour, he/she is not good at what they do. FACT!! Cardio is not good for weight loss, not nearly as effective as your diet. Doing lots of cardio leads to

• Slower metabolic rate
• Decreased testosterone levels
• Decreased insulin sensitivity

Anyone in great shape lifts weights, both men and women. Creating lean muscle mass dramatically raises your metabolic rate. When you diet with less lean body mass, your internal furnace burns slowly, this your metabolism burns slowly resulting in slow, or no, weight loss. A little bit of weightlifting goes a long way, even with women.

We, and our clients, LOVE group training… it keeps training affordable, which allows the consistency needed to achieve a great physique. There is great synergy, energy and motivation in our small (3-6 people) groups… you’ll also make new friends who will become a vital part of your support system and, well, have a LOT more fun.

A lot of people think these ‘modern’ methods of training, bootcamps, agility balls, resistance bands, and the link are not bad… per se… but they will not get you into the kind of shape you probably want to get in… there is a place for everything, but we don’t think they work nearly as well as traditional, time-honed weightlifting and cardio workouts.

People are picking what is popular with their friends, what the latest is (Bootcamp, Pilates, Pole Dancing, P90x)… with few people reaching their fitness goals. Real fitness doesn’t happen by accident, it takes dedication, hard work and intelligent decisions.