The Perfect Healthy Turkey Recipe

Directions:

The turkey must be thoroughly thawed before preparing for the oven unless you are using a fresh turkey.

Remove turkey parts from cavities and use as you desire.

Wash cavities well with cold water.

Boil a kettle of hot water (scalding hot.).

Place turkey in a clean sink or a large roasting pan.

Pour hot water over the entire turkey including in the cavities.

The skin will shrink tightly to the turkey.

"This will help hold the natural juices in the turkey while it is cooking. Do not peel skin back to layer herbs under the skin. This will destroy the process for a moist turkey.

"Pat dry both inside and outside of turkey.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Sprinkle cavities with salt and black pepper and granulated garlic powder.

If you are stuffing the bird, then line inside of cavity with cheesecloth, then stuff with your favourite dressing,"stuff loosely",.

Tie legs and wings with a good meat wrapping twine and leave a lifting loop to remove the turkey from the pan when cooked.

Place a wire rack in the bottom of roasting pan.

Place the turkey on the wire rack, breast side up.

Pour 2 cups of water or 2 cups of chicken broth into the pan.

Pour about 1/2 cup or more if required of extra virgin olive oil over the exterior of the turkey.

Cover the turkey with heavy aluminium foil, but do not let the foil touch the turkey as it will stick to the turkey while cooking.

Pinch foil tight to the sides of the pan.

Place turkey on lower rack in oven and cook for 1 hour.

Reduce heat to 325 F and cook for 2 1/2 hours.

Now turn heat up to 350 F and cook for another 1/2 hour.

Remove foil from turkey. At this time test for doneness by inserting an instant read thermometer into the breast to see how the cooking temperature is. We are cooking towards a reading of 175°F.

Baste,the turkey and continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 1 hour at 350 F, basting about every 15 minutes so that the turkey turns a nice brown colour.

When the time for cooking is finished, test for doneness. Insert the instant read thermometer into the thickest portion of the turkey breast, reading should be 175 F and no more. .

Remove from oven, lift turkey out the roasting pan using the string loops.

Cover with foil and let the turkey rest for about 1/2 hour before carving.

Total time for cooking a 16 pound stuffed turkey is 5 hours.

There is no need to baste the turkey until the last 1 hour of cooking, this saves you a lot of time as you do not have to remove the foil tent during the first 4 hours.

For a crispy browner skin, you may wish to consider rubbing butter over the entire bird after pouring olive oil. This works very nicely.

COOKING TIMES: Left Side -Stuffed---- Right Side - Unstuffed.

12-14lbs.

4 - 4 1/2 hours-- 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 hours.

14-16lbs.

4 1/2 - 5 hours-- 3 3/4 - 4 hours.

16-18lbs.

5- 5 1/2 hours-- 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 hours.

18-20lbs.

5 1/2 - 6 hours-- 4 1/4 - 4 1/2 hours.

20-22lbs.

6 - 6 1/4 hours-- 4 1/2 - 5 hours.

22-24lbs.

6 1/4- 6 1/2 hours-- 5 - 5 1/4 hours.

NOTE: Test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, reading should be 175 F and in the thickest part of the leg or thigh, reading should be 180°F.






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Energy Boosting Toast!

1. Sliced Avocado + Crumbled Feta + Pomegranates + Olive Oil

2. Raspberries + Blackberries + Basil + Light Cream Cheese

4. Sliced Banana + Almond Butter + Chia Seeds

5. Thinly Sliced Celery + Raisins + Peanut Butter

6. Refried Beans + Salsa + Cilantro + Fried Egg

7. berries + Shelled Edamame + Balsamic Vinegar + Sea Salt

8. Sliced Pineapple + Cottage Cheese + Chopped Cashews

9. Sauteed Kale + One-Egg Omelet + Grated Cheddar Cheese

10. Sliced Dried Figs + Ricotta Cheese + Sesame Seeds

11. Sliced Mango + Sliced Fresh Mozzarella + Lime Juice & Zest

12. Mashed Avocado + Shelled Edamame + Sprouts + Lemon Juice

13. Sliced Pear + Ricotta Cheese + Honey

14. Hummus + Chopped Walnuts + Pomegranates

15. Mashed Chickpeas + Tomato Slice + Fried Egg

16. Chopped Mejdool Dates + Sliced Feta + Sliced Almonds

17. Sliced Plums + Sunflower Seed Butter + Flaxseed

18. Sliced Apple + Honey + Blue Cheese

19. Marinara Sauce + Poached Egg + Parmesan + Basil

20. Kimchi + Sliced Hard-Boiled Egg + Black Sesame Seeds

21. Smoked Salmon + Ribboned Cucumber + Light Cream Cheese + Scallions

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Healthy Snacks & Eating Tips

It's always good to get someone else's views on a subject that is going to be your new way of living your life. 

This video is packed with tips and recipes on how to prepare tasty easy to make healthy snacks.

Remember, healthy snacks are important as they are going to replace any sugary or fatty snacks you may have eaten in the past. The first thing to do is clear your cupboards of everything that is unhealthy or calorie heavy. If you leave them in there temptation will always be there, clear the decks and replace them with some of the snacks in the video. 

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Weight Loss Spices

The Most Important Meal!

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. 

Not only does it give you energy to start a new day, but breakfast is linked to many health benefits, including weight control and improved performance. 

Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast (as opposed to the kind containing doughnuts) can help give you:

• A more nutritionally complete diet, higher in nutrients, vitamins and minerals
• Improved concentration and performance in the classroom or the boardroom
• More strength and endurance to engage in physical activity
• Lower cholesterol levels

Eating breakfast is important for everyone, but is especially so for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom and on the playground, with better concentration, problem-solving skills, and eye-hand coordination.

Healthy Eating Plan

This is good old fashioned healthy eating made simple. You may be surprised by the amounts of meals, but boosting your metabolism means eating frequently.

3 Tips To Lose Weight Without Dieting

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. 

If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

SIMPLIFY

 Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.

START SLOW

 Make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn't realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different colour vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.

Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you, every healthy food choice you make counts.

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6 Foods That Boost Flavour Without Adding Calories

Many restaurant dishes taste delicious because they’re packed with way more butter, salt, and oil than you would ever add if you were cooking at home. 

Luckily, there are ways to get rich, complex flavour without packing on the calories and sodium. Try these low-fat additions to make your dishes sparkle.

Miso Paste

There are many different tastes and textures in miso paste varieties, but they will all give a rich, salty kick to your dishes. Try it in a marinade, like this miso-glazed salmon recipe.

Chicken Stock

A kitchen isn't fully stocked without stock, which can be used over proteins, grains, veggies, and in sauces and soups. Every recipe becomes a little warmer and more “home made” tasting with stock. You can make it yourself or buy it in a store.

Herbs Like Mint or Basil

If you’re one of those people who just can’t get behind the taste of water, take a cue from the bartender: You can steep herbal leaves in your H20 overnight for a glamorously refreshing (and pretty!) way to rehydrate.

Scallions, Shallots, Leeks, and Ramps

You already know that starting a dish with garlic and onion gives it a rich, delicious base—and makes your kitchen smell amazing. Swap out those aromatics for others in the bulb family, like shallots or leeks. They are just as easy to work with and are also packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants.

Spices

A study has found that low-fat meals flavoured with spices taste just as good as their full-fat alternatives. Experiment with your whole rack—oregano, paprika, dried basil—in pastas, salads, and on protein to feel both satisfied and extra-fancy. Here are some easy DIY blends to try.

Lemon and Lime

Your dish is done? Squeeze a bit of lemon or lime on top of the plate before you dig in. It acts to brighten all the flavours in your recipe, almost like salt, without the added sodium.

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Meal Preperation

When you prepare and cook meals at home, you have better control over the nutritional content and the overall healthfulness of the foods you eat. 

Using Healthier Methods of Food Preparation

•  Stock up on heart-healthy cookbooks and recipes for cooking ideas.

•  Use “choice” or “select” grades of beef rather than “prime,” and be sure to trim the fat off the edges before cooking.

•  Use cuts of red meat and pork labelled “loin” and “round,” as they usually have the least fat. 

•  With poultry, use the leaner light meat (breasts) instead of the fattier dark meat (legs and thighs), and be sure to remove the skin.

•  Make recipes or egg dishes with egg whites, instead of egg yolks.  Substitute two egg whites for each egg yolk.

•  For recipes that require dairy products, try low-fat or fat-free versions of milk, yoghurt and cheese.

•  Use reduced-fat, low-fat, light or no-fat salad dressings (if you need to limit your calories) on salads, for dips or as marinades.

•  Use and prepare foods that contain little or no salt.

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Deep Poaching

The key here is keeping the cooking liquid (in this case, oil) at a low temperature. It should never rise above boiling (212°F).

Olive Oil-Poached Salmon

4 cups water

1/4 cup kosher salt

4 skinless, center-cut salmon fillets (6 oz each)

1 lemon

1 clove garlic, smashed

3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

1. Whisk water and salt in a large bowl. Add fillets and soak for 4 minutes. Remove and pat dry.

2. Peel lemon into 1-inch strips. Rub a shallow skillet with lemon peel (skin side) and garlic, and leave both in the pan.

3. Fill the skillet with enough oil to cover fillets. Heat on medium until a food thermometer reads about 125°F. Add fillets and cook until their internal temperature reaches 115°F to 145°F, about 10 to 12 minutes. (Adjust heat as needed to keep the oil temperature around 125°F.)

4. Remove fillets to a wire rack to drain. Serve with lemon wedges and greens.

Makes 4 Servings

Per serving: 340 cal, 21 g fat (3.5 sat), 0 g carbs, 490 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 35 g protein

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7 Foods That Are Crucial for a Healthy Gut

There's more to a healthy stomach than a flat belly!

Your gut is like a forest, full of diverse life that, if kept in check, helps your whole natural system flourish. The problem is, food isn’t as simple as it used to be, and modern cuisine—even modern medicine like antibiotics—can do a real number on the biodiversity in your digestive tract and your beneficial bacteria. In fact, too many med's and eating too much sugar and processed foods can actually suppress this protective gastrointestinal army, so it’s important to bring balance and stability back to your gut for optimal health to avoid diarrhoea and diseases.

Kefir

Kind of like a drinkable yoghurt, kefir is a fermented dairy product that contains oligosaccharides—complex carbs that feed beneficial bacteria. Keeping those tiny microorganisms happy and will help supercharge your immune system.

Greek Yoghurt

Like kefir, Greek yoghurt also serves as a potent dairy-based pro-biotic, and also boasts 15 to 20 grams of protein per 6-ounce serving. It also has amino acids that will jump-start your metabolism.

For true Greek yoghurt, check the ingredient list. It should only read: milk and cultures.

Sauerkraut

The benefit: Sauerkraut is really fermented cabbage—a preservation technique that far precedes modern-day refrigeration.

For true probiotic muscle, avoid canned sauerkraut. That type is usually pasteurized, which means the healthy bacteria is mostly killed off. Instead, make your own in a crockpot. 

Kimchi

 A standby for centuries in Korean culture, this spicy fermented cabbage dish acts like a tonic for your gastrointestinal tract. A 2005 Seoul National University study found it’s so beneficial to the immune system that it helped speed recovery in chickens stricken with the virulent avian flu.

Add kimchi to organic mashed potatoes, rice, or salads if the distinctly sour fare isn’t appetizing to you on its own.

Artichokes

Artichokes are potent prebiotics, meaning they contain indigestible nutrients that help feed the beneficial bacteria growth within your digestive system. Think of them like a healthy meal for the helpful bacteria in your gut.

If artichokes don’t delight your taste buds, try other potent prebiotics like bananas, lentils, and asparagus.

Kombucha

With its naturally fizzy profile, this fermented tea serves as a healthy replacement for carbonated drinks like soda. Mildly tart and effervescent, kombucha is teeming with beneficial bacteria to coat your digestive tract. The fermentation process also creates healthy B vitamins that can activate energy.

This ancient, nourishing tonic has boosted immune systems for centuries; however, if you have certain digestive-tract diseases, kombucha may aggravate symptoms because it’s considered a wild ferment and could contain irritating yeasts for susceptible individuals.

Miso Soup

While there's debate surrounding the health benefits of soy, the truth is fermented soy beans contain an abundance of beneficial bacteria and isoflavones, which can protect against cancer and possibly halt the production of fat cells.

Look for organic miso soup to avoid harmful additives and genetically engineered soy, which has never been tested for long-term impact on human health.

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Your Healthy Eating Plan

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. 

Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, and stabilizing your mood. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. But by using these simple tips, you can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, varied, and healthy diet.

Set yourself up for success:

To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think.

Simplify:

Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious.

Start Slow: 

Make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different colour vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your diet.

Every Change Matters: 

You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Don’t let your missteps derail you—every healthy food choice you make counts.

Think of Water & Exercise:

Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go through life dehydrated—causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.

Find something active that you like to do and add it to your day, just like you would add healthy greens, blueberries, or salmon. The benefits of lifelong exercise are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate you to make healthy food choices a habit.

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What's Good & What's Not

You’d think a food called “refined” would be good for you, right?

But as anyone trying to eat healthy knows, that’s not the case with refined carbohydrates. These are the carbs derived from grains that have been stripped of their nutrients during processing (as opposed to whole grains, which have not been processed).

Sometimes vitamins and minerals are added back in, but generally, the grain becomes a nutritionally empty simple sugar and the basis of starchy carbs such as white bread, cookies, and crackers. What’s tricky is that refined carbs turn up in all sorts of healthy-looking items, and that can wreck your resolve to eat better. 

White Rice in Your Sushi Roll

Sushi is super healthy…except for the white rice, which, like white flour, has been refined of its nutrients, says Brittany Kohn, R.D., nutritionist at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City. When you can, order your salmon roll with brown rice, which is unprocessed and retains all the good stuff stripped out of the white kind, she says.  

                 

Wheat or Multigrain Bread

These terms are designed to trick consumers into thinking the bread is made from unprocessed whole grains when, in reality, "100 percent whole wheat" or "100 percent whole grain" is what you want to go for, says Kohn. Both of those options are made from unprocessed flour.

Instant Oatmeal

Oatmeal is often thought of as the ultimate healthy breakfast—but if you're buying the instant flavored kind, we have some bad news for you: Those added sugars count as refined carbs. “Choose rolled or steel-cut oats instead,” says Kohn. That will allow you to control how much of the sweet stuff you're adding (if any).

Hard Pretzels

Because good-for-you snack staples are often brown, it’s easy to assume pretzels are made with unprocessed whole grains. In fact, pretzels are derived from all-purpose flour or enriched wheat flour, both of which have been refined, says Kohn. A better option when you need a crunchy snack: crackers that are labelled “whole wheat” or “whole grain.”

Croutons

Unless you’re sure that the ones in your salad are made from 100 percent whole-wheat bread, these toasted add-ins are likely derived from nutrient-free, starchy white bread, says Kohn. If you can’t find the unrefined kind, get your good-carb crunch from a sprinkling of sunflower seeds or almonds instead.

Breakfast Cereals and Bars

You know to stay away from the sugar-coated kid-friendly types. “But many healthy-sounding cereals are also made from refined grains,” says Kohn. Look for “whole grain” cereals that keep it under five grams of sugar per serving and pack at least four grams of fibre. Make sure “whole grain” is listed as the first ingredient and that the label lists no more than five ingredients total.

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Low Carb V Low Fat

What to cut, what to cut?

Well, if you’re trying to lose weight, the answer's carbs. It turns out that reducing your carb intake is more effective at spurring weight loss than reining in the fat, according to new research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. 

For the study, researchers from Tulane University randomly assigned 148 obese men and women without heart disease or diabetes to follow a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet. 

After one year, participants who had been eating low-carb had lost 7.7 pounds more than those who had been eating less fat. Plus, they had greater decreases in fat mass and other cardiovascular risk factors.

But before you start raiding your kitchen looking for carbs to trash, it's important to note that, as far as this study is concerned, low-carb really isn't all that low. In the study, researchers suggested dieters only limit their intake of digestible carbs to 40 grams per day (about as much as in four slices of whole wheat bread) and told them they could eat as many grams of indigestible carbohydrates, or fibre, as they wanted. And in the end, most of the low-carb-eating participants in the study still ate more: They put away 75 to 85 grams of digestible carbs and about 15 grams of indigestible carbs a day.

Not sure how many grams you're getting of each? Look on the nutrition label. Then just subtract the number of grams of fibre from the total carbohydrate count. That's how many grams of digestible carbs the food packs.

Easier than counting carbs, though, is just paying attention to where your carbs are coming from. "Carefully choosing your carbohydrate sources is key," says lead study author, Lydia A. Bazzano, M.D., Ph.D., a professor and nutrition researcher at Tulane University. "If most of your carbohydrates are coming from whole vegetables and whole fruits rather than white rice, potatoes, refined grains, and beverages, then improved cardiovascular health and even weight loss is likely to follow."

And while cutting your numbers of digestible carbs is helpful, this study also shows that fat can actually aid in weight loss, says Bazzano. Not only did the low-fat dieters lose less weight, but low-carb study participants were actually encouraged to replace digestible carbs with healthy fats—primarily from unsaturated sources—and protein, both of which are known to reduce heart disease risk factors like lipid profile and blood pressure.

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Powerhouse Foods You Should Eat!

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When it comes to eating healthy, you know to load up on the foods that are packed with nutrients—the ones that give you the most nutritious bang for their caloric buck.

Researchers from William Paterson University helped you out on this front. They looked into the nutrient content of 47 fruits and vegetables in an effort to find the foods that are true powerhouses… and which so-called superfoods aren’t quite so super. The "powerhouse" criteria: If the food had, on average, 10 percent or more daily value of 17 nutrients (iron, folate, vitamin C, etc.) per 100 calories.

Here’s what they found: Calorie per calorie, the MOST nutritious foods are watercress, Chinese cabbage, chard, and beet greens. And in a devastating blow, they found six foods that don’t actually meet "powerhouse" standards after all: raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onions, and blueberries. We know, we’re slightly devastated also.

But look. That’s not to say that you should cut these fruits and veggies from your diet. Raspberries and blueberries, after all, are especially loaded with nutrients—but since they are also high in fructose, you can get a lot more nutrients for 100 calories if you stick with the greens.

In the end, a healthy diet is all about balance, and blueberries, raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, and onions are ALL better than gobbling up refined and processed foods or anything with added sugar. The biggest takeaway here? Toss some watercress, Chinese cabbage, chard, or beet greens into your shopping cart the next time you hit the grocery store. Your body will thank you.

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Fantastic Fat Loss Foods

Watch this video to learn how to eat healthy and how to combine proteins, fibre, carbohydrates and fruit. It's important to understand how to combine food sources to maximise your fat burning capabilities and achieve your weight loss goals.

A simple method of ensuring you are eating correctly, is to have as much colour as possible on your plate with every meal. Dark green vegetables, combined with peppers, lean meats and brown whole grain rice are a fantastic combination. Use the internet to find variations of recipes to stop your meal times from becoming monotonous. 

We would recommend wearing more clothes when cooking, but perhaps if we all had bodies like the two presenters then we wouldn't! 

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