Super Bowl Fun - Salsa

We had a Superbowl pitch-in at work. It's so much fun. My co-workers are pretty good cooks. We put up a table & people bring in way to much food. There's always a variety & it's out there all day long. It's one occasion where I definitely have treats :-) This time I was commissioned by Cindy to bring in something healthy. I still wanted to have fun, and going with the theme, I decided guacamole & salsa.

Salsa is basic & delicious. I didn't used to like it until I tried some made with fresh cilantro. It made me like salsa & cilantro. It's as if two of my mortal enemies have become my friends forever. They are my immortal frenemies! 

Salsa is clean, fresh, & healthy without any modifications. Any regular recipe will do & there are tons of variations. I make mine with the following:

2 gianormous tomatoes, diced  

1/2 a medium onion, diced

1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded & diced

A ton of fresh cilantro (probably about 1/4 cup once it's all chopped)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp lime juice

Mix all the ingredients together & let them sit for awhile (or store in the fridge overnight - that's the best option) so the flavors can marry (or at least form a solid commitment that will lead to that.)  Storing in the fridge overnight is a flavor marriage. 

Letting it sit for a good hour is a solid engagement.  

But throwing it together five minutes before serving is a blind date set up by someone who doesn't like you a lot.

I love the freshness of the cilantro & lime. I also love knowing I can pretty much eat a bucket of this & not gain a pound. The jalopeno gives it a nice kick, and it goes great with blue corn chips. (Just be sure to buy the ones with a short ingredient list.) 

Now if only Peyton could win this Super Bowl, my weekend is set!

Chocolate Creamy Wheat

When I was a little girl my favorite breakfast was by far Cocoa Wheats. If I could've convinced my mother, we would have had it three meals a day, 7 days a week. It's perfect though isn't it - creamy, chocolatey, warm, & filling. Whenever I eat this it takes me back to my childhood, sitting at the kitchen table with my siblings enjoying the best breakfast ever. 

The way I prepare this breakfast now is just a little tweaked, but even more chocolatey. It is also a little cheaper than using brand name cocoa wheats & has a ton of protein.   I use Muscle milk protein powder, because I believe it tastes the best. It's a pretty expensive item, but it lasts a very long time. You should only purchase it once every 2-3 months. I add it to baked goods, hot cereals, smoothies, etc.  Adding extra protein to foods with high amounts of carbohydrate slows the break down of glucose in the blood stream, and prevents sugar from spiking too high after meals. 

1 1/2 tbsp creamy wheat (I use the Aldi brand.)

1/2 scoop of cookies & cream Muscle Milk protein powder (1/6 cup)

1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 cup skim milk

Combine all ingredients except vanilla & follow the instructions on the Creamy Wheat box. Once cooked, add the vanilla. There is no need to add sugar. The sweetness from the protein powder is more than sufficient. 

Plus my favorite thing about this recipe, you can combine the main dry ingredients & heat them up in the microwave at work. 

Weigh-In Week Four

Finally FINALLY I lost another pound!! That makes four pounds so far. 

Woo-hoo! 

Now that nutrition (80% of weight loss is diet -as my friend Jenny says, you can't out exercise a bad diet) is in a good place & I've spent a month building that good habit, I'm turning my attention to exercise. 

I work out at Faith Family Community Center in Lafayette. There are some GREAT fitness classes there. (Circuit training, Insanity, & yoga to name a few.) Unfortunately, with this RIDICULOUSLY COLD WEATHER (I'm not being dramatic.) is completely destroying my ability to get to the gym. 

I could just go & workout when there isn't class. I have access to a lot of equipment & a pool. I am however, a normal human woman, so unless someone (I'm not naming names, Kelly, Danae, Jenny... ;-) is yellin at me, I lack motivation.

That's where the accountability of the cyber world comes in. It never hurts to have a workout partner, even if it's over cyberspace. We all need someone to encourage us to work hard.

So ask yourself:

What healthy exercise habits can you add to your routine? 

And who can partner with you to help you achieve your goals?

A Neglected Weight Loss Tool - DESSERT

If I asked you, what are the most important things to include in a weight loss plan, what would you say? 

Exercise

Fruits & Veggies

Whole grains

High Fiber

Lean proteins

Healthy Fats

These are just a few things that might come to mind.  However, one thing that never makes the list and DEFINITELY should be there –TREATS!!

Yes, you read it right.  Believe it or not, treats are something that shouldn’t be neglected.  I know what you’re thinking – that’s how I ended up needing to lose weight in the first place.  I understand – that’s me, too.  But having no treats at all is a mistake.  Why?  Because deprivation does not work.  Let me repeat that – DEPRIVATION DOES NOT WORK.  It’s a bad idea.  No matter how much willpower you have, no matter how determined you are, no matter how great your motivation is, no one can deprive themselves forever.  Eventually, you will break, and instead of a nice well-proportioned treats, that are fun and harmless in moderation, you open a floodgate for junk food.  Somehow we feel that one small slip-up is a reason to just throw all our healthy habits out the window and succumb to all the poor ones that leave us feeling guilty and bloated. 

We need to allow for treats in our diets.  I believe that you shouldn’t plan a diet for something that you can keep up with for a few weeks.  Instead, make changes you can do for a lifetime.  As we age, our metabolism slows and gets easier and easier to put weight on, but harder and harder to take it off.  Healthy eating can be our “norm”, as long as we aren’t depriving ourselves of treats.  

Here’s one of my favorites.  It’s super easy & better than any popsicle I’ve ever tried.

Chocolate Dipped Bananas

Simply cut a slightly ripe banana into pieces (about 1” – 2”).  Melt 2-3 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips in the microwave.  Insert a toothpick into the banana chunks and dip in the chocolate. 

Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes.  Take out and enjoy! 

Bananas are very sweet already, so they contrast well with the dark chocolate.  & because the chocolate is cold & hardened, it reminds me of eating a chocolate dipped cone from Dairy Queen.  The flavor is better, because it isn’t overly sweet.  Sugar is not meant to be tasted as a separate ingredient all by itself.  In theory it sounds good – but it’s really not.  Ask a dentist.

Eggs - Quick & Flavorful

My nephew spent the night. He's a growing boy, so this morning I made chocolate cream of wheat, scrambled eggs, & toast. Like I said, he's growing like a weed, so I tried to make breakfast tasty & filling. I used protein powder to make the cream of wheat and added just a few things to the scrambled eggs for flavor. I also cooked with skim milk to add protein, calcium, and make it just a little creamier. 

Scrambled Eggs

3 eggs

1 tbsp skim milk

Salt 

Pepper

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Whisk together all ingredients except cheese. Spray a small frying pan with an oil sprayer. Cook the eggs stirring as needed (not too much) till eggs are cooked & fluffy. 

Remove from heat & sprinkle with cheese. Cover till cheese is melted.

I love adding cinnamon to eggs. Cinnamon adds a warm flavor with some sweetness. It makes ordinary, gourmet. Plus eggs that have been whisked in the bowl, not over-stirred in the pan, those are the ones that turn out fluffy & light on the plate. Using a strong flavored cheese has a nice contrast against the eggs & cinnamon. 

I served this with toasted Ezekiel bread & no added sugar fruit spread. 

 

I have a few tricks for making cream of wheat a little more filling & creamier, but I'll save that recipe for another post.

Why Clean Eating Isn't Enough

Have you determined to make 2014 your year to lose weight and take charge of your health? Clean eating is a great start to reaching your goals!  But did you know clean eating isn't enough? A healthy, nutritious diet is a large part of weight loss success, but every weightloss plan should also include exercise.  Exercise will speed up your weight loss goals and provide you with many other health benefits. Studies show that those who were the most successful with their weightloss goals AND kept the weight off long term included exercise as a part of their routine.

How often should you exercise?
-30 minutes 3 times a week is a great start.

The AHA (American Heart Assosiation) reccomend adults get a minimum of 150 minutes, or 30 minutes 5 times a week, of moderate intensity exercise per week.

What kind of exercise should you do?
-Both cardiovascular (cardio) and muscle strengthening exercises.

The AHA recommend adults do a minimum of 30 minutes of strengthening exercises two times a week.

Do you include exercise as part of your weight loss plan? If not, get up and get moving!

*note from Mary Elizabeth - Special thanks to fitness instructor, Jenny Badillo, for guest authoring the above!! Hopefully we'll see many more posts from her. Click here to visit Jenny's site.

Blueberry Frozen Yogurt in Minutes

I am super excited about this one. I made frozen yogurt in my office at work. No ice cream maker. No cooking required. It literally only takes a minute to make! Plus, it's fat free. You can make this at your desk. And only 2-3 ingredients are required. 

1 (6 oz) container nonfat plain Greek yogurt

3/4 - 1 cup blueberries (frozen)

1 tbsp honey

The most important thing is to have nicely frozen blueberries. The cold from the berries in direct contact with the yogurt is what causes the yogurt to freeze & have that nice ice cream-y texture.

Start by folding the honey into the yogurt. Don't stir. Stirring will make it too thin & runny.

Next add your frozen berries direct from the freezer. The berries will begin to clump together. That just means it's working.

Finally cover with plastic wrap & place in the freezer for five minutes (if needed - it will depend on how cold the berries are).

Scoop out & enjoy. :-) This recipe serves 2 at 120 calories a serving approximately.  You may need to adjust the amount of honey depending on personal taste.

This recipe has a strong yogurt flavor that is softened by the sweetness of the honey. The berries have a soft texture that comes from the partially frozen juicy inside. It's not so cold however that it hurts sensitive teeth. It's a very filling dessert (from the protein in the yogurt & fiber in the berries).

This is a great way to enjoy healthy & convenient frozen yogurt. Or just use it to impress your co-workers by making frozen yogurt at your desk. Either way this is a new favorite for me.