make a big difference in your family’s health.”
This is a woman who knows busy. Ali’s
own daily routine typically begins with a
workout at the gym, followed by playtime
with her infant son, Curtis Muhammad. Then
her day might be filled with any of the responsibilities that come from serving as a member
of the California Governor’s Council on
Physical Fitness and Health, on the Board of
Trustees with the Billie Jean King Women’s
Sports Foundation, and as the official spokesperson for Feeding America. Ali recently
filmed a series of commercials for Subway and
the National Heart and Lung Institute’s We
Can! campaign (
wecan.org), a program that
offers families free step-by-step tips on how to
make smart food choices and stay physically
active. The 31-year-old boxing champion has
also appeared in numerous ad campaigns
(Got Milk?, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter) and on
television shows (American Gladiators, The
Early Show, Dancing With the Stars).
Despite her love for cooking, Ali admits
that making dinner is often the last thing she
4 boneless, skinless
chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup white wine
6 whole fresh
1½ cups low-sodium
Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat.
Add the oil to the pan. Lay the chicken in
the pan and sauté over medium-high heat
for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the breasts over
and cook for another 6 to 9 minutes, or
until fully cooked. Remove chicken from
the pan and set aside. Add the white
wine to the pan and, using a wooden
spoon, scrape up the browned bits that
have collected on the pan. Over high
heat, cook the wine until it thickens,
about 4 minutes. Add sage leaves and
chicken broth, and continue cooking until
sauce is reduced. Remove from heat,
whisk in mustard and butter, and sauce
will thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and
serve. Serves 4.
wants to do after a busy day. To ensure that
her family eats nutritious meals, she cooks
seven dinner entrées once per week and then
refrigerates them in Tupperware containers.
“On Sundays, I make a bunch of simple,
healthy meals so that my husband [retired
NFL wide receiver Curtis Conway] and I don’t
have to worry about what we’re having for
dinner every night,” Ali says. “If we don’t plan
meals in advance, it’s more tempting to order
takeout or grab fast food.”
As a Costco member, Ali likes to buy
items, including frozen chicken breasts, turkey sausage and ground turkey, in bulk. By
having these staples on hand, she can use
them to cook a variety of healthy meals.
“I add ground turkey to all kinds of recipes, such as tacos and pasta dishes,” she says.
“I even like to serve it over brown rice.”
Ali introduced her son to solid foods at the
age of four months, and strives to ensure that
he eats a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods.
“He likes carrots and chicken and rice,
but he has very strong opinions about peas,”
she says with a laugh. “He’s also a very active
little guy. At seven months he’s already standing and trying to walk.”
Sounds like another champion in the
Linda Childers is a California-based freelance
writer and Costco member.