Find Your Movement In The Kitchen

At Demco Fitness, we encourage our community to find their movement in whatever they do and wherever they are. We're happy that we can all be back in the gym and continue on our fitness journey. However, this journey isn't made entirely at the gym. What happens in our kitchen is as or even more important than what we do in the gym.

Like many, we've all spent some time in the kitchen since the start of this pandemic. Yet, we get that not everyone is willing to spend around two hours making a meal. Luckily, we're sharing three fast and easy recipes that you could make in less than an hour. If you're vegan or vegetarian, no problem. All substitutes and vegan/vegetarian add-on will be noted.

Look forward to the end where we give you some tips to lower your sugar intake by doing these three simple steps!!

Duk guk/Korean Rice cake soup:

This is a traditional Korean soup that is typically eaten at home on New Year's Day. This soup is generally made with beef stock, although it is not hard to switch to vegetable stock alternatives. This recipe is pretty straightforward. However, keep in mind this isn't the way it would be traditionally made.

Ingredients:

Korean Rice Cakes (oval) 1 bag or 1 lbs.

4 cups of stock (beef or vegetable)

2 cups of water

soy sauce ( to your liking)

pepper ( to your liking)

2 eggs or tofu

dried seaweed sheets

scallions (for garnish)

*optional beef

Directions:

1. Soak your oval Korean rice cakes in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes.

2. Boil the 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water, add soy sauce and pepper (or any other seasoning or sauces you would like)

3. Lower temperature and add rice cakes to the broth. Cook until you find it to be tender, which typically takes ten minutes.

4. Make eggs into an omelet preferably thin. For tofu fry it until brown and crispy.

5. cut your scallions, or any other vegetable you would like in the soup. Add on top of soup.

Lettuce Shrimp Tacos

This recipe is probably my favorite so far. It's delicious and easy to make. If you don't eat fish, no problem, you could go without the shrimp or opt for a plant alternative to beef. My personal is Gardein Beefless Ground .

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp

Red, Yellow and Orange Bell pepper 1/2 of each

1 jalapeno

1 red onion

1 can of black beans

1/2 cup of corn

1 lemon

adobo seasoning

lemon pepper

cumin

caldo de tomate

avocado

romaine lettuce

1 tbsp. coconut oil/or 1/3 cup of veggie broth

Directions:

1. Cut and wash all of your vegetables, cut all in a dice besides the onion. Cut the onion in thin slices and separate the circular rings.

2. Heat up a pan and add either a 1/3 cup of broth or 1 tbsp. of coconut oil.

3. Add onions, jalapeno and bell peppers. Sautee until onions and peppers caramelize. Add the cumin, lemon pepper to your liking.

4. Rinse and add the can of black beans and corn.

5. In a sperate bowl wash and rinse your Shrimp.

6. Add adobo seasoning, and caldo de tomate with lemon to the shrimp. (add garlic & onion powder)

7. Add the Shrimp to the pan and cover for a couple of minutes and mix again.

8. Once shrimp looks fully cooked, wash your lettuce and your ready to serve.

Baked Lentil and Brown rice (Jambalaya inspired)

Creole-inspired flavors in less of the time or effort to make actual Jambalaya. All you need is a deep pan and your oven!! All you have to do is combine all the ingredients in one dish, and boom, you have your dinner.

Ingredients:

1/2 White/Yellow onion

1 green bell pepper or any color bell pepper

4 garlic clove minced

3/4 cups of lentils

3/4 cups brown rice

3 cups of vegetable broths or (any type of meat broth)

1 can of diced or crushed tomatoes or 2 diced fresh tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1tsp. parsley

*Optional vegan cheese, or regular

*Optional to add chicken or other meats just add it to the pan

*Optional is to add Shrimp in half way through the cooking time.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 380

2. Wash and cut all vegetables in a dice. Wash rice and lentils!

3. Add rice and lentils to the pan. Add vegetables, garlic and seasoning. Mix it all together!

4. Cover the deep pan with foil and place in oven for 1 hour (or 1 1/2)

5. Mix between the cooking time

6. If you're adding any vegan cheese or cheese remove and add it before serving and put it back in the oven with no cover to melt.

7. You can add green onions on top or leave it.

If you like any of these recipes, don't hesitate to tag Demco Fitness and the hashtag Find Your Movement In The Kitchen. We would love to see how you all play with these recipes and make them even more delicious.

Now here are some quick tips to lower your sugar intake!

1. DO NOT BUY JUICE! An easy way to substitute for juice is to buy a glass container/bottle that can fit in your refrigerator. Add cold water and some tea bags, don't be afraid to add some cucumbers and fruit to add more flavor. Not only will you help lower your sugar intake, but you're also helping the environment by buying less plastic.

2. KEEP FRUIT ON HAND AT ALL TIME! If you're addicted to sugar like many, a great way to curb the cravings is to eat a surplus of fruit. Bananas, apples, mangos, or berries, the list could go on.

3. DRINK WATER OFTEN! More often than not, you might be dehydrated than chocolate craving. Stay hydrated and drink often.

It's ok to eat those sweets every once in a while. However, try out these tips and find healthier alternative snacks or sweets. If you like Recesses, no problem, there are more nutritious version for that! As well, don't be too hard on yourself. Being healthy isn't a race; take your time and try out different recipes you'll love.