Healthy Chicken @ 87 Wellington Street, Central

Quick and healthy choices for eating out while I am on the run, this is what I have missed ever since I returned to Hong Kong from New York. New York was full of places where there are salad bars with healthy veggies and sides I could pick from to accompany a main dish of my choice at affordable prices. The best part of these places is that the entire process cost me less than 10 minutes because everything is ready made! It's so hard to find such places in Hong Kong though, places here are either healthy but expensive, or affordable but unhealthy, and preparing our own food does not really go hand in hand with Hong Konger's busy lives.

Just a few days ago, I found a problem solver in the Central area which just had their grand opening last week!

Healthy Chicken, located just by the escalator has brought me back the convenience I used to get in New York, a wide variety of veggies and sides to choose from after choosing a chicken main!

They have  2 types of beans: black and pinto; 3 types of rice: brown, tomato, and spinach; 2 types of cheese: white cheddar and monterey jack; and a ton of veggies including GUACAMOLE! They also have a five types of sauces ranging from different levels of spiciness.

They offer different types of chicken at different portion sizes, I was pleased that they offer chicken legs and chicken wings separately since they usually have to come with the breast. Skinless chicken breast which would be the most healthy choice is also available.

A variety of healthier options of drinks including the less common coconut water!

I got a quarter chicken meal, and intentionally chose the breast when I was offered breast or leg, as the breast is the true test of whether the chicken is made moist or not. Normally we only get to choose one type of rice but as this was the first time I was having a meal there, they were kind enough to let me sample all three of them so I know which one I like next time. Also had all the veggies on the list, and some pinto beans (buried under the salad), but I opt out the cheese as I am not a big fan of it. Chose the yellow sauce which was listed as the most spicy option.

The chicken was actually really moist and I did not even need the sauce to enjoy it! I only took one bite with the skin but it was crispy and completing worth indulging if I did not have a competition in 2 weeks! All 3 types of rice were amazing and I will defintely have a hard time choosing only one on my next visit. The texture of the brown rice was very different from the tomato rice and spinach rice. The brown rice was drier just like how it is in Chinese fried rice, while the spinach and tomato rice were very creamy and sticky, the rice really absorbed the flavours as well. The sauce though, was not as spicy as I expected, I guess that would suit the preference of the locals better. It was a great meal mixing everything together, a great boom of flavour and texture combining the chicken, the salad, the beans, and the rice. I will for sure be a regular customer here before I get fed up with chicken (I don't think this day will ever come lol).

Another great thing about this joint is that they list the calories of their food items on the menu which is rather rare in Hong Kong! I think it is a smart move though given the health awareness in Hong Kong is rising in recent years. The values are also pretty accurate.

Here is an approximate breakdown of the meal I had from my judgement:

Calories: 500kcal (I did not have the skin of the chicken)

Protein: 55g (primarily from the chicken and some from the beans, veggies, and rice)
Fat: 5g (only minimal amount of fat from the 1 bite of chicken skin I had)
Net Carbohydrates: 60g (complex carbs from the beans and rice which were perfect for my post-workout)
*net carbs does not include fiber as fiber cannot be digested by human bodies and thus provides no calories for us
Fiber: 10g (from the beans and veggies, beans actually have a ton of fiber in them if you did not know!)

Another thing worth noting is that although this joint seem to mainly cater to take-aways, they do have a few seats available and they even have 3 stations with chargers for different electronic devices, awesome for today's ridiculously short battery lives! Sometimes I do miss my indestructible Nokia 3310.

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Green Curry Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Sweet Potato Noodles)

Japchae is a classic Korean dish. It is made of Korean sweet potato noodles (a.k.a. starch noodles or Korean vermicelli) stir-fried with a variety of vegetables. The Korean sweet potato noodles is a very healthy alternative to other types of noodles and pastas. It is only made of water and sweet potatoes. This type of noodles also gives us a unique texture to add some variety to our diets! The only downside of the dish is that traditionally it requires the Korean barbecue sauce which contains a substantial amount of brown sugar. Today, I am introducing you a healthy version of japchae with a spicy kick! 

Infusing Korean and Thai food, the green curry japchae takes sugar out of the equation and is a perfect dish for some complex carbohydrates after workouts!

gluten free, low fat, low GI, vegan option, paleo

Serves 3 - 4

200g dried Korean sweet potato noodles
200g lean pork (optional)                    *this recipe can be made vegan without the pork
1 small purple onion (approximately 150 - 200g)
1 red bell pepper (approximately 100 - 150g)
1 yellow bell pepper (approximately 100 - 150g)
1 small batch of enoki mushrooms (approximately 100 - 150g)
2 tbsp green curry paste (can be increased to your liking, this is quite a mild dose)
150 mL water
few cloves of garlic
some ginger
salt to taste (1tsp recommended)

1. boil a pot of water for the noodles, add the noodles into boiling water, cook for 6 minutes
2. chop the onion, slice the pork and bell peppers, mince the garlic and ginger, as well as cutting off the root part of the enoki mushrooms as shown in the picture below
3. drain the cooked noodles, flush them immediately with cold water for 1 minute and put it in a pot of cold water, heat up a non-stick wok at high heat at the same time
4. toss in the ginger, garlic, and half of the onion until slightly browned
5. toss in the sliced pork and cook until half cooked
6. pour in the water, add the green curry paste and salt to taste
7. drain the noodles and add the bell peppers, enoki mushrooms, and the other half of the onion
8. stir all the ingredients together until they are mixed evenly
9. serve and enjoy when the liquid is mostly absorbed and evaporated!

Tips:

*The process of flushing the noodles with cold water immediately after draining them from the hot water is vital, this increases the chewy texture of the noodles, and putting them in cold water afterwards before further using them keeps them from sticking together

Nutritional Breakdown:

Calories: 1150kcal
Protein: 50g
Fat: 5g
Net Carbohydrates: 225g
*net carbs does not include fiber as fiber cannot be digested by human bodies and thus provides no calories for us
Fiber: 10g

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The Ultimate Chest Builder - Dips

"Hey buddy, how much do you bench?" If you have been in the gym regularly even just for a few weeks, I am sure you wouldn't be unfamiliar with this saying. The bench press has such an importance in the gym goers' minds that there is a National Bench Press Day created for it. The bench press is no doubt a great upper body strength indicator and everyone would agree that it is a chest exercise, but is it really THE BEST chest builder out there?

Most guys bust out sets after sets of bench presses for bigger pecs, is that really the right thing to do? Today I am going to introduce you a the dips as the ultimate chest builder, include it in your training routine, and get better pecs, period.

Do not get me wrong, I love the bench press, I even participate in bench press competitions, but it is simply not the best exercise out there if your main focus is to get thicker and wider pecs.

Anterior Deltoid Stimulation = Pectoralis Majors Stimulation

In the bench press, your anterior deltoids (front shoulder) actually receive the same stimulation as your pectoralis majors (chest) do. In other words, the bench press is as much of a front shoulder movement as a chest movement. And unless you have a very special anatomy, your pectoralis majors are going to be far bigger (and stronger) than your anterior deltoids, which means your anterior deltoids are going to give up on you before your pectoralis majors do. Thus, we cannot train our pectoralis majors to their full potential in the bench press as our anterior deltoids would limit us doing so.

Rotator Cuff Health

Another thing about the bench press is that is it not exactly the best exercise for our shoulder health as it actually decreases shoulder flexibility. Excessive bench pressing work without sufficient overhead pressing work to balance it out would ultimately lead to shoulder injuries in the long run. Shoulder injuries is a pain in the ass as all compound movements for the upper body require shoulders to participate. Having injuries means that you would have to take a step back in your training and thus sacrifice continuous progressions.

And how does the dips do a better job in building our chest? Read on!

Anterior Deltoid < Pectoralis Majors Stimulation

Unlike the bench press, the downward pushing motion of the dips takes a big part of our shoulders out of the equation. In the dips, we can really target our chest and work them to the max. I don't usually feel my chest especially tired comparing to other muscle groups after multiple sets of heavy bench presses, but the fatigue in my chest would stick with me after only a couple sets of heavy weighted dips.

Load

An important factor of stimulating muscle growth is the load we are using. Most people can potentially lift more weight in the dips than in the bench press. The dips actually has a very similar movement pattern as the decline bench press, and most people can lift more weight in the decline bench press than the flat bench press. My 1RM flat bench press right now would be somewhere around 115kg (255lbs) but I can do 3 sets of 5 weighted dips with 75kg (165lbs) on a belt which results in 310lbs total weight given my bodyweight is 145lbs at the moment! A larger load means more stimulation for the muscles, and thus more muscle growth!

Functionality

The functionality of the dips is a lot higher than that of the bench press. In the bench press, we are stabilised on the bench which take a lot of the stabilisation work off our core; in the dips though, as our bodies are hanging mid-air, we have to engage our core and stabilise the body throughout the movement. Also, in contrary to the bench press which reduces our shoulder flexibility, the dips can increase our shoulder flexibility if done right, this can benefit our training in the long-term by preventing injuries.

Start Doing The Dips

When first starting to incorporate dips into your training routine, it is a good idea not to rush onto the weighted dips as most people who are not used to doing the dips lack the shoulder flexibility of performing the dips properly. For the purpose to increasing muscle mass and strength, I recommend doing 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 12 reps bodyweight dips to start with, work on increasing your shoulder flexibility by tracking your range of motion and progress to performing full range of motion dips (armpit close to hand). Once you are able to perform full range of motion dips, you can start adding weight to your dips. One thing to note though, is that I recommend only reaching parallel (or just below that) once you start doing weighted dips in order to avoid excess stress on the shoulders in case the weight you are progressing to in the future will be massive. Add weight to your belt slowly for say 2.5lbs to 5lbs a week initially and stay in the low rep range (5-12) for maximal muscle growth!

From now on, instead of asking how much people bench, maybe we should start concerning about how much do they dip!

164lbs weighted dips x 5 @ 145lbs bodyweight

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Shrimp and Zucchine Aglio e Olio senza Olio (Zucchini Pasta with Garlic)

I came across a recipe of shrimp and spaghetti aglio e olio (spaghetti with garlic and olive oil) another day at Food Network and it just reminded me my love for this garlicky pasta dish! Everybody loves spaghetti aglio e olio, simple yet delicious! On the other hand, apart from leaving you a bad breathe, this high carb and high fat combination may refrain people from enjoying it without feeling guilty about it. Today, we are introducing you a healthy version of this Italian classic with a refreshing twist! And we even have a tip for you at the end of the recipe to get rid of that garlicky breathe so you can indulge this dish without second thoughts!

gluten free, low calorie, low fat, low GI, high protein, paleo

Serves 1

1 small zucchini (approximately 200 - 250g)
1 small pumpkin (approximately 400 - 500g)
5 jumbo shrimps with shell
6 cloves of garlic (approximately 2 heaping tsp of mashed garlic, can be adjusted to your liking)
dash of parsley
salt to taste (half a tsp recommended)
a bit of water

*If you really love olive oil, you can add 2 tsp of olive oil into the wok and heat it up before you toss the zucchini pasta and shrimps into the wok in step 4., also you would want to use medium heat instead of high heat. This will give you an additional 80kcal to the recipe with 9g of heart-healthy fat

1. cut the top off the pumpkin as shown in the picture below, scoop out the seeds and steam the entire pumpkin for 20 minutes
2. remove the skin of the zucchini and scrape it into pasta shape as shown in the picture below, mash the garlic, marinate the shrimps with some salt
3. scoop out the 'meat' of the pumpkin and mash the 'meat'
4. heat up a non-stick wok at high heat, toss the shrimps and zucchini pasta into the wok
5. add the mashed pumpkin and garlic, salt as well as parsley after approximately 1 minute and mix together
6. cover the shrimps with the zucchini pasta so that the shrimps are at the bottom of the wok (this will allow the zucchini pasta to absorb the taste of the shrimps while they are being cooked), add a tiny bit of water whenever the pasta is burning or sticking to the wok, a tiny bit at a time would do the trick, excess water will ruin the dish
7. serve the zucchini pasta in the pumpkin when the shrimps have changed their colour completely to orange and enjoy!

How to get rid of the garlicky breathe?

*Apart from chewing gum to mask the smell of garlic after indulging some real garlicky dish, there are actually two other ways that I know of to minimise the social damage of garlic! The first one is built into the recipe! Parsley actually has the effect of neutralising the chemical responsible for the garlic breathe, this is why you often see recipes that include garlic with parsley in them. Another good way to minimise the garlic breathe is to wash your mouth or drink some milk after enjoying a garlicky dish!

Nutritional Breakdown:

Calories: 250kcal
Protein: 25g
Fat: 3g
Net Carbohydrates: 30g
*net carbs does not include fiber as fiber cannot be digested by human bodies and thus provides no calories for us
Fiber: 5g

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Mexican Guaca'tuna' (Avocado Tuna Salad)

Tuna salad is a great spread that can be used to make a variety of great snacks and meals. You can use it to top salads up, make sandwiches with it, use it as a dip for crackers, or even have it just by itself! The downside though, for tuna salad is the mayo! Mayo is super high in fat and thus calories, and most mayos in the market are made of low quality oil, providing a lot of empty calories from fat without much micronutrients.

Today we are introducing you a healthy version of tuna salad, the avocado tuna salad! I came up with this recipe during my Central American trip where there were literally too many avocados around! Avocado has a creamy texture which makes it a perfect substitute of mayo! Comparing to 680kcal from the same amount of mayo, there is only 160kcal in 100g of avocado! Also, avocados are rich in a lot of micronutrients such as potassium (they have more potassium than bananas which are commonly known as the potassium bomb!). Avocados gives us a lot of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and can bring down our cholesterol as well as triglycerides levels! Also, although it doesn't feel fibrous, 1 small avocado actually gives us more than one third the daily recommended amount of fiber! And at last, its bright green and yellowish colour gives us a funky kick to our diets!

gluten free, low carbs, low GI, high protein, high fiber, paleo

serves 2

1 small ripe avocado (approximately 150 - 200g with the skin and pit)

1 small can of tuna in water (approximately 75g drained)

1 small red onion (approximately 100g)

1 lemon

few cloves of garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1. mince the garlic and dice the onion

2. heat up a non-stick pan/wok at high heat, toss the garlic and onion into the pan/wok until browned
(step 2. is optional, this step makes the onion gives out a bit of sweetness, and makes both the garlic and onion less spicy)

3. let the garlic and onion cool down while scooping the 'meat' out of the avocado

4. mash the avocado in a mixing bowl, add in the drained tuna, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, squeeze the juice out of the lemon and add it into the mix

5. mix well and use this healthy avocado tuna salad to substitute normal tuna salad in your favourite recipes!

Tips:

*Make sure the avocado is ripe enough or it would be a rather hard task to mash it, a ripe avocado should be in a very dark colour and should feel soft when you squeeze it. Avocados straight from the stores are rarely ripe, so get the avocados in advance. You can speed up the ripening process of an avocado by placing it in a brown paper bag with bananas, apples, or tomatoes since they also produce a similar type of plant hormone that is responsible for the ripening process and the bag traps the hormone

Nutritional Breakdown:

Calories: 300kcal

Protein: 22g

Fat: 16g

Net Carbohydrates: 12g

*net carbs does not include fiber as fiber cannot be digested by human bodies and thus provides no calories for us

Fiber: 10g

I like enjoying this avocado tuna salad with portobello mushrooms to make a healthy snack, simply spread the avocado tuna salad onto a portobello mushroom and bake it at 250°C (480°F) for 20 minutes and enjoy!

Each portobello mushroom gives you 2g of extra protein in only less than 20kcal!

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Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with Shrimp Sauce Ris'oat'to

The stuffed portobello mushroom with shrimp sauce ris'oat'to is a perfect fusion between the western and Eastern cultures. Just like the butternut squash ris'oat'to, substituting risotto rice with oats can attain the creamy texture of ris'oat'to without added fat such as oil and butter. Also, using oats gives you the benefits of higher fiber content, lower GI, reducing LDL (bad cholesterol), and feeling fuller for longer. Surprise your friends with this exotic and original recipe in which I use traditional Chinese (Hong Kong style to be specific) ingredients prepared in a Western way!

gluten free, low fat, low GI, high fiber

Serves 3 - 4 (or one hungry Ray)

For the stuffed portobellos:

2 portobello mushrooms
$5 - $10 of minced mud carp (approximately 100g, this is a type of fish product commonly available at fish stands in wet markets of Hong Kong, show them "鯪魚肉" in case you cannot communicate with them verbally, if this is way out of your comfort zone, you can also stuff the portobellos with minced pork/beef/chicken or any stuffing you prefer)
some scallion 

1. mince the scallion as shown in the picture below, preheat your oven to 250°C (480°F)
2. mix the scallion with the minced mud carp
3. heat up a small non-stick pan at high heat while stuffing the portobellos with the minced mud carp
4. place the stuffed portobellos onto the pan with their stuffed sides down
5. when the stuffed sides of the portobellos are browned, transfer the portobellos into the oven with the stuffed sides up and bake for 20 minutes


For the shrimp sauce ris'oat'to:

150g whole rolled oats
600mL water
1 eggplant (approximately 200 - 250g) 
shrimp sauce to taste (for first timers, this is rather salty and thus not too much is needed, 2 heaping tsp recommended)
some scallion

1. mince the scallion, garlic, and dice the eggplant as shown in the picture below
2. heat up a non-stick wok at high heat
3. toss the garlic into the wok
4. when the garlic is browned, toss in the eggplants
5. when the skin of the eggplants start to change from bright purple to a duller colour, add the water and the shrimp sauce, keep stirring to prevent the liquid from bubbling too much, if the bubbles are starting to get out of control, blowing air towards the liquid can reduce bubbling
6. toss in the oats and turn down to low heat, keep stirring
7. when the liquid is half absorbed, toss in the scallion into the wok
8. cook to your desired consistency, serve the ris'oat'to with the portobellos and enjoy!

Remarks:

*minced mud carp is made by blending whole mud carps, some salt and some herbs, this common stuffing from Hong Kong is very low in fat and high in protein, it is commonly used as stuffing in various Hong Kong traditional street snacks 

*shrimp sauce is a very unique condiment that can be rarely found in places apart from Hong Kong, it is most commonly made in Tai O, a small fishing village in Hong Kong, but is now readily available in most supermarkets in Hong Kong. It is made of fermented shrimps and salt, and has a unique taste like nothing else

Nutritional Breakdown:

Calories: 750kcal
Protein: 55g
Fat: 10g
Net Carbohydrates: 110g
*net carbs does not include fiber as fiber cannot be digested by human bodies and thus provides no calories for us
Fiber: 20g

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Butternut Squash Ris'oat'to

The Butternut Squash Ris'oat'to is a healthy version of risotto without sacrificing taste! As oats can be cooked to a creamy consistency naturally, no oil or butter is needed at all in this recipe! Other nutritional benefits of using oats over rice include higher fiber content and lower GI. It also takes less time to cook oats than rice and oats absorbs taste better as well! Give this healthy recipe a shot and give your friends and family a healthy twist of the tasty risotto!

gluten free, low fat, low GI, high fiber, vegan option

Serves 3 - 4

150g whole rolled oats
400mL butternut squash soup
200mL water
200g pumpkin
1 small purple onion (approximately 150 - 200g)
100g lean pork (optional)                    *this recipe can be made vegan without the pork
some ginger
few cloves of garlic
salt to taste (1tsp recommended)

1. chop the pumpkin and onion, mince the ginger and garlic, and slice the pork as shown in the picture below
2. boil the pumpkin in water for 2 minutes, heat up a non-stick wok at high heat at the same time
3. toss in the ginger, garlic and half of the onion into the wok, stir occasionally to ensure even heating, and stir-fry until browned
4. drain the pumpkin and toss them into the wok, pour in the water, and then the soup, add salt to taste (depending on the butternut squash soup you use, sometimes you can even skip the salt)
5. stir to mix the soup evenly, wait until boil and toss in the oats
6. stir and mix evenly, turn down to low heat, stir occasionally to ensure even cooking and prevent sticking
7. when liquid is half absorbed by oats, toss in the sliced pork and the other half of the onion, keep stirring occasionally but make sure the pork is buried in the oats to make sure they are fully cooked
8. cook to your desired consistency and enjoy!

Tips:

*Reason why I add the onion in two batch is to add an extra texture to the dish, the function of the first half is to give taste to the soup, and the function of the second half is to add a crunch to the dish

*Remember to add the water before adding the soup or the heat of the wok may burn the soup

Nutritional Breakdown:

Calories: 900kcal
Protein: 50g
Fat: 15g
Net Carbohydrates: 140g
*net carbs does not include fiber as fiber cannot be digested by human bodies and thus provides no calories for us
Fiber: 20g

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