30 Day Shred: Day 3

I was still very sore today so I decided to do my level one workout this evening, hoping some of the soreness would go away. The soreness did not go away, but I still did my workout. Besides the lunges, this seems to br getting easier. Let's see how tomorrow goes. Are you guys getting your workouts in?

30 Day Shred: Day 2(after workout)

So, I did Level 1 again today. Honestly, it was harder today because I am soooooo sore! Yes, the lunges I did yesterday were so much harder because I was in so much pain doing them today! I'm hoping I will be less sore for tomorrows workout. The way I see it right now, I'll be doing level one for ten days, level two for ten and level three for ten days. I realized these postings may mean nothing if I am not telling you about any changes in my body that I notice. So, I took my measurements today and here they are in inches. Waist 30.5 Upper thigh 22.5 Hip 37 Let's see how this changes in 30 days!

30 Day Shred: Day 2(before workout)

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to do a quick post on the first day after the 30 Day Shred. So, I woke up this morning and every part/crevice in my body was sore. Now, this is good because I know in twenty minutes I got an all body workout! My abs and arms are especially sore. I'll post again after my workout today!

30 Day Shred: Day 1

Today was my first day of the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. I started off with level one. The only doubt that I had with this workout was wondering if I could get an effective workout in only 20 minutes. Half an hour after this workout my legs are still shaking. There are absolutely no breaks between each circuit and there is A LOT of strength training involved. I used five pounds weights for level one and I felt challenged throughout the whole workout. The workout consisted of two minutes of warm up three six minutes of circuits which consisted of strength, cardio and abs. All this is closed with a two minute cool down. For a 20 minute workout I did feel very challenged. I will probably stay on level one for a few more days and I'm sure I will be very sore tomorrow!

Morning breakfast....

This morning I started my day off with a bowl of Multigrain Cheerios, sliced banana, half a cup of almond milk and sprinkled cinnamon. When eating cereal it's really important to watch your portion intake. If not, you can be taking in a lot of calories and a lot of sugar! When buying cereal, look for at least 3 grams of fiber per serving and no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving. What did you have for breakfast?

What's Happening Here?!?!?

Hungry...this is what I've felt for the most part of the day. Why? There are many reasons. This my friends is me STARTING to fall off the wagon. I say STARTING because even as I type this I know what needs to be done to prevent this.

As I walked to my nearest Starbucks and bought a bagel and cream cheese, not toasted, as this would waste time and I just wanted to hurry up and eat it, I was thinking, should I really eat this? Am I really hungry? I let myself have a a big dinner last night, I should not do this, especially if I'm not that hungry. Is this the beginning of the end? Am I going to see my 10 pounds creep back on? First one pound, then two, sure I can lose those, but will I let it get out of hand? Why am I doing this when I know everything that needs to be done to keep the weight off?!?!? How am I going to end this viscous cycle?! How did this even happen? Sure, you may think, it's just one bagel and cream cheese, but last night it was just one heavy Indian meal, yesterday's lunch was just one big bowl of pasta etc. If it were just ONE thing, I would not be writing this post.

No, I am writing this post to let you guys know what starts the process of falling off the wagon. I've realized it all comes down to poor planning. I have not worked out since last week. Why? I've had an eye infection and don't like working out with my glasses on. This is the first of losing my good habits. What will I do to fix this? Suck it up for thirty minutes and get back on the stair master.

Why have I been hungry? Poor planning on my part again. I should have brought more healthy snacks at work to get through til my next meal. My fruit bowl is empty when it should be full. Instead, what's happened is, I get really hungry and will go for the first unhealthy snack I find at work, then I won't stop. The psycho in me comes out and I will just eat all I can. As I write all this, I've eaten half of the bagel and cream cheese.

That's it. That's all that needs to be done. Suck it up and get my thirty minutes of cardio in. Continue to bring my healthy snacks and lunches in. Remember that being healthy is more important than weight loss. Eating right and exercising automatically bring in the weight loss.

I "accidentally" dropped the other half of my bagel and cream cheese...and I feel just fine.

Am I falling off the wagon? No, it was a bit shaky, but I'm still on.

Liberte Goat Fresh Cheese

I decided to try a new yogurt today for my snack. As with most yogurts on the new Weight Watchers plan, this was 4 points. Today I tried Liberte Goat Fresh Cheese. Actually, no where on the container does it say 'yogurt,' but the consistency of this is that of yogurt, so I like to call it yogurt. Instead of being made from cow's milk, this yogurt is made from goat's milk, which leads every bite to taste a bit like goat cheese. To be more precise, this tastes like half goat cheese and half yogurt mixed together, a bit cheesy and a bit tart. This yogurt definitely did taste much different that your cow's milk yogurt, but I don't think I would buy this again, only because I am not use to the taste. The taste of half goat cheese and half plain yogurt made it taste plasticy to me...I know..ewww. So, in conclusion, for 150 calories and 4 points...I think I would rather stick to my favorite Greek Yogurts... image: thenibble.com

Jillian Michaels: 30 Day Shred

As the weather gets colder outside, I like to keep a few workout DVD's at home in case I'm too lazy to walk to the gym :-p I'm thinking about buying 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. Has anyone tried it?

Ina Garten book signing....

I am so EXCITED to go to Ina Garten's book signing at Borders Columbus Circle at noon today!!! I LOVE the recipes in the Barefoot Contessa's new book: How Easy Is That? A few of my favorite healthy recipes are:

• Roasted Eggplant Caponata
• Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
• French String Bean Salad
• Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad Buy a copy of this book!!!!

What's for breakfast?...

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you all had a great weekend and ate healthy for the most part! Monday morning has arrived and I made myself a healthy yet hearty breakfast. This morning's breakfast was an Ezekiel's english muffin, toasted with a tablespoon of creamy peanut butter, cinnamon sprinkled on top with sliced bananas! Yum..definitely the breakfast of champions. This hearty breakfast ranks in at 330 calories and will keep me full until lunch time. What did you guys have for breakfast?

And It's Monday Again....

Good Morning All, How was your weekend? My weekend was pretty good. I was able to eat healthy with the exception of Friday night, but that's OK. I've learned to limit my bad eating days to one day of the week, for a meal. Friday it was Indian food night! Sure, there are healthy Indian foods to choose from, but I chose to indulge since it was just one night out of the whole week. This also did not put a dent in my weight loss efforts. Saturday I got right back on track and kept it lean, light and low cal since I was feeling a bit under the weather. Sunday I ate healthy all day. Had plenty of fruit! I've been eating a lot more fruit since Weight Watchers now has all fruits as 0 points. Sometimes I wonder if this is good. Fruits do contain lots of sugars! I think I should also increase my veggie consumption as well. I did get to the grocery store and bought lots of fruits and veggies. My top fruits for this week are golden delicious apples, anjou pears and kiwi. My veggies for the week are arugula, asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers and cauliflower. I also managed to make a couple of healthy dishes as my lunches and dinners for the week. I made a Tex-Mex Mac N Cheese dish. This was a recipe that I tweaked from Weight Watchers. I'll post this up later on. I also made a Cantonese Chicken dish, which turned out excellent! This morning I weighed myself and lost .2 pounds from last week. Not too much weight loss, but not weight gain either :-) One thing I did not do was get a work out in. I'll have to make sure I work out a little harder this week to make up. How was your weekend? I hope you ate healthy for the most part!

Recipe Alert: Coffee Oatmeal

Looking for a new way to get your caffeine fix? Instead of drinking your coffee, why not try eating it! This morning I brewed my french vanilla coffee and was delighted by the sweet smell. So I thought, why not add coffee to my oatmeal instead of water? I do add milk, so this could be quite tasty. I know this sounds a bit odd, but it's a totally different way to have your oatmeal and you just may like it! I LOVED it!! I know the picture does not look to appetizing, but trust me, this does taste good and you should try it.

The deets:

1/2 cup of dry oats

1 cup of brewed coffee of your choice (I used French Vanilla)

1/4cup of whole milk

Add the coffee to the oats and nuke for 30-45 seconds depending on your microwave. Once warm and bubbly, add the milk and stir. Nuke again for 10-15 seconds. Allow oatmeal to sit for a few minutes, so the oats absorb most of the liquid.

Enjoy!!

Calories: 170

Recipe Alert: Easy Whole Wheat Chili Mac

Hello All, Check out my recipe on The Ajnabee for an Easy Whole Wheat Chili Mac. Healthy and delicious! http://theajnabee.com/?p=6000

My Fruit Basket....

My fruit basket at work....yes, I know the banana's are lookin a little sorry, but guess what?!?!? Those are probably the most sweetest ripe banana's you would ever taste:-)

Avoiding Food Temptations At Work...

Everyone one at work has probably faced food temptations. It could be the food in the kitchen or that one office that you know has all the great snacks and chocolate. Sure, we all give in from time to time, but how do you really resist the temptation to go in everyday and not spoil your day of eating healthy? Here are a few tips to help avoid this common pitfall.

1. If there is an office with communal snacks, offer to bring something healthy such as pretzels, almonds or dried fruit.
2. Before eating that extra slice of cake or piece of chocolate, ask yourself if it's really worth it! Think about how far you've come along and you do not want to ruin your efforts by indulging too much.
3. If the kitchen is a weakness for you then avoid it totally.
4. Keep your healthy goals in mind.
5. Know when to stop. Go ahead and have a small piece of chocolate but the WALK AWAY!
6. Start your own communal fruit bowl.
7. If you are hungry, don't walk past the kitchen or any sweets in the office.
8. Keep healthy granola bars at your desk. When you crave something sweet, go for a Kashi bar instead of a Snickers bar.

Do you guys have any tips for staying healthy at work?

Dr. Oz Just 10 Challenge Air Date

The Dr. Oz Just 10 Challenge episode will air Friday, December 10th at 3pm and then re-airs Monday at 11am. Be sure to watch, you just may catch a glimpse of me on stage :-)

Recipe Alert: Spicy Red Bean Chili

When the weather gets colder, we tend to crave hot comfort food. One of my favorite comfort foods is chili. Yes, a bowl of warm, spicy chili and some nice bread and I'm good to go! Enjoy my recipe below for a HEALTHY, antioxidant and fiber filled Spicy Red Bean Chili!

Ingredients: 2 tsp olive oil 1 large onion, diced 3 stalks of celery, chopped 3TB. minced garlic 28 oz canned diced tomatoes 2 15.5oz cans of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 bag of frozen spinach 1/2 pound frozen pepper strips and onions 2TB. canned chipotle sauce

2TB. of worcheshire sauce 4TB. taco seasoning, or chili seasoning mix

1c. of water

Preparation:

Add the oil to a large pot and place on medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the onion, celery and minced garlic. Saute this for 10 minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Allow this to simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of shredded cheese on top!

Servings: 4

Dinner Tonight: Lahori Fish and Seared Veggies

Sooooo delicious!

How did your day go?

Today was another great day of eating right and exercising. I started my day off with a hearty bowl of oatmeal which I make with 1% milk and sprinkle cinnamon in. Lunch was a side of roasted brussel sprouts and grilled cheese sandwhich, which I made out of two slices of Ezekiel bread and two slices of light provolone cheese. I also add sliced tomatoes to this. This lunch seriously keeps me full for a few hours. My snacks were an apple and a low fat plain yogurt with cinnamon stirred in. I also got my 30 minutes of cardio in today. Yay for me!! How did your day go

Are You Ready To Resume Your Healthy Lifestyle....

Good Morning All, It's the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend. I'm sure we all ate a lot of good food, spent a lot of time with family, and many of us, like myself probably did not get much exercise in. Well, you're all in luck. Today is Monday, a new day and a new week to start eating healthy and exercising again. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I managed to put on 3.4 pounds. This was the result of eating many sweet things and going to TWO Thanksgiving dinners. I don't feel bad or regret this at all. I spent great time with friends and ate great food. I do know that now that this is done and over with, it's time to get back on track. Yesterday, I resumed my healthy eating habits and exercise. As a result, I did lose my bloat and am down 1.4 pounds. I also know in no time, I'll be back to my regular weight and back in the race to lose the additional 5 pounds that I'd like to lose. Today, I started my morning off right. I had a bowl of oatmeal with 1% milk. I also plan on hitting the gym today and getting in at least 30 minutes of cardio in. Are you guys ready to resume your healthy lifestyle?

Recipe Alert: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Muffins

Hello All,

I wanted to share my recipe for a very BASIC Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal muffin. When I mean basic, I mean BASIC! There are only three ingredients in this recipe (not including spice/baking powder) and none of them are sugar! I love this recipe as is or just splitting the muffin open and drizzling honey inside it. This muffin would be great with other additions added as well, such as diced apple, or banana puree and walnuts. I'll keep you guys posted with any variations I make. For now, here is my basic Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Muffins!

Ingredients:

1 15oz. can of pumpkin puree

1 egg

1.5c. of oatmeal

1TB. of pumpkin spice powder

1/2TB. of baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. Line a muffin tin pan with paper liners or spray with non stick cooking spray. Evenly, spoon muffin batter into six muffin cups. Bake for 20 -25 minutes, or until muffins feel a bit firm. Allow to cool, then enjoy!!

Servings: 6

Calories: 93

Recipe Alert: Cauliflower Mash...

You say potato, I say....cauliflower! I was thinking of a way to make a healthier version of mashed potatoes, without really using potatoes. So, I came up with the next best vegetable...cauliflower. Oh yes, with a little tweaking I was able to make a creamy substitute for the most loved mashed potatoes, without all the carbs! Here's my recipe for some awesome, low fat, low cal cauliflower mash! Ingredients: One bag of frozen cauliflower florets 1/2c of light sour cream 1/4c of part skim shredded mozzarella cheese 1tsp. of salt 1TB. of freshly cracked black pepper Small handful of chives, chopped Preparation: Place the frozen cauliflower in a bowl and microwave for ten minutes. Once the cauliflower is steamed, add the salt, pepper, sour cream and cheese and mash with masher or blend with a hand blender (this is what I did). Once the cauliflower is mashed, fold in the chives. That's it, your done! Enjoy this wonderful side as an alternative to mashed potatoes. Servings: 4 Calories: 96

Fall Fruits...

Fall is in full swing and there is no better time to take advantage of the wonderful fall fruits then now! We all know that most fruits are low in calories, filling and fiber packed. Luckily, fruit is also very convenient to take along in your bag. Here's a guide to some of the best fall fruits that you need to enjoy now!

• Apples: Gala, honey crisp, red delicious, macintosh, with such a variety you can't go wrong. Apples are packed with fiber and vitamin C. They also store great in cool, dry places. Calories: 70
• Banana's: Loaded with B6, potassium and fiber. Banana's are great even frozen! Calories: 105
• Clementines: How can you go wrong with such a cute, sweet citrus fruit? Celementine's are loaded with vitamin C and folate. Calories: 35
• Cranberries: A chock full of antioxidants. These make a super tart snack. Calories: 44, one cup serving
• Grapes: Whether you go red, green or black, you can't go wrong with a cup full of of grapes. Grapes are also loaded with vitamin C. Calories: 105, one cup serving
• Persimmons: One of my most favorite fall fruits! If you are going to eat this, make sure you eat it ripe. Strong flavored with tannins that give a unique flavor. Calories: 118
• Pears: Pears are full of flavor and variety. Whether you go Bosc, Bartlett or Sickle, pears are a sweet snack to have and fiber filled! Calories: 96
• Pomegranates: Lovely jewels of red rubies encased in a shell. The only hard thing about pomegranates is prying them open without staining your shirt! It's so worth the effort though. Pomegranates are packed with iron! Calories: 75, half cup of seeds

image: fusioncrosstraining.com

Recipe Alert: My Awesome Tuna Fish Sandwhich

Lately, I've been making myself a tuna fish sandwich for lunch. Tuna is packed with protein and just one 3oz serving packs in 250mg of heart healthy omega-3's! Enjoy my simple recipe below.

Ingredients:

Two slices of Ezekiel bread

One 3oz. can of chunk light tuna, packed in water, drained

2tsp. of onion powder

2tsp. of black pepper

1TB. of light mayo

1 slice of muenster cheese

2 slices of tomato

romaine lettuce leaves

Preparation:

Put the tuna, onion powder, pepper and mayo in a bowl and stir to combine. Place cheese on a slice of bread. Top with tomatoes and lettuce. Spread tuna. Top with second slice of bread. Enjoy!!

Calories: 345

Just 10 Challenge: COMPLETED!!!!!

I'm happy to report that I have successfully completed Dr. Oz's Just 10 Challenge! Yes, it's taken me a month and a half to lose ten pounds! I think this is actually a very realistic time frame to lose ten pounds. So, how did I do this?

• No snacking in between meals
• Cardio, at least 30 minutes 5 days a week
• Workout with weights at least 3 days a week
• Stay away from processed sugars as much as I can
• Watch my portions
• Incorporated more fruits and vegetables in my diet
• Drank a lot of water through out the day

My typical meal plan for a day:

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of oatmeal made with skim milk, coffee Lunch: Two slices of Ezekiel bread, tuna mixed in with one tablespoon of light mayo, onion powder and pepper, slice of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes Dinner: Fish with brown rice and vegetables Dessert: Any piece of fruit Snacks (if needed and carefully portion controlled): fruit, yogurt, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, cucumbers, peanuts, almonds After working so hard it won't be hard to keep this up. In fact, most of this now comes naturally. Of course I have had my slip ups and will probably continue to have them every now and then. The key is to keep it at an every now and then level though! Have you guys joined the Just 10 Challenge?

Countdown to Thanksgiving....

Alright guys, Thanksgiving is just 15 days away. That gives us 15 days to come up with a Thanksgiving menu and start revamping dishes to make them healthy yet just as delicious! Wonderful dishes that leave your family and guests satisfied and wanting more. So, here's the menu:

Turkey (duh) Gratin Pie (pumpkin? sweet potato?) Mashed Potatoes Stuffing Cranberry Sauce Gravy A couple of baked vegetable dishes Salad Dinner rolls I decided to take a menu item each day and revamp it for healthier, delicious version. Let's see how this goes. What is your Thanksgiving menu?

image: examiner.com

Healthy Coffee Pot Foods...Part Two

There's been such a great response to 'Healthy Coffee Pot Foods' that I've decided to make a part two!

• Egg Drop Soup: Pour one cup of low sodium broth or stock into the carafe. Chop up a scallion and toss into the carafe. Crack an egg into the carafe and stir. Turn the coffee pot on and allow to 'cook' until the the stock starts to boil and the egg whites have formed.
• Drain a small can of black beans and add to carafe, add a quarter cup of salsa to the carafe and a quarter cup of part skim shredded cheese. Turn the coffee pot on and leave on until food is warmed through. Stir and eat as is or on top of rice!
• Pasta: Yes, you can cook pasta!!! Use any type of whole wheat pasta, and place in carafe. Add your salt to the carafe. Add water and turn the coffee pot on. Allow the hot water to cover the pasta, then leave the pot on for 10-15 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Enjoy with sauce of your choice!
• Steamed Spinach: Place spinach in filter. Add water to the coffee pot and turn on.

Stay tuned...there just may be a Part 3!

Healthy Cooking Tips and Tricks....

It's always great to know how you can make your guilty pleasure foods a bit more innnocent. I thought I'd share some of my healthy cooking substitutions with you guys:

• Instead of using bread crumbs, I use a whole grain cereal and pulse this in my blender to make 'bread crumbs'. Use this to coat chicken or fish, or in place of where ever you would use bread crumbs
• When baking, instead of oil, I use unsweetened apple sauce. This drastically cuts the calories and fat in recipes
• If a recipe calls for sour cream, I use 1/2 low fat sour cream, mixed with non fat Greek yogurt. It has to be Greek because you want the thick consistency, without too much tartness
• When a recipe calls for flour, I use 3/4 of whole wheat flour and 1/4 all purpose flour
• When a recipe calls for heavy cream -try using 1% evaporated milk instead -you will still get the creaminess of the milk with less calories and fat
• Sneak in pureed veggies wherever you can. Making mac n cheese...add some pureed butternut squash. Seriously, no one will know it's there
• Baking a chocolate brownies from a mix: Instead of using oil and water, use a can black beans only. This will give you fudgey brownies, with protein and fiber and no added fat! (I like the Ghiradelli mixes).
• Use sour cream and onion powder mixed in with 2% of Greek yogurt and you have yourself a thick, creamy, low cal, low fat dip!

These are just a few tips and tricks....do you guys have any?

100 Calorie Snacking...

Why waste your money individually wrapped 100 calorie snack packs when you can do make these on your own. You will save yourself a ton of money and find out it takes no time at all! Just buy a bag of the big stuff and portion it out when you get home. This way you can easily grab and go with a perfectly portioned snack. Here's a guide a to a few favority savory snacks: Almonds: 14 pieces Pistachios: 25 pieces Mini pretzel twists: 20 twists Cheeze-Its: 21 crackers Popcorn: 5 cups of popped corn Quaker mini rice snack cakes: 13 cakes Wheat Thins: 11 crackers Tortilla Chips: 10 chips Dried cranberries: 1/4 cup of cranberries

This is just a short guide but I will post more later on! Don't let portion distortion get the most of you!

image: daybydaynutrition.com

Healthy Coffee Pot Foods

This week I've been staying in an awesome hotel in California. Although I have access to fresh fruits, vegetables and an array of healthy meals, I wondered what one can make in just a coffee pot. Can healthy meals and snacks come out of a hotel room coffee pot? I did some research and found some awesome coffee pot meals that are quite healthy! So, next time your in a hotel room and looking to make something healthy, all you need are a few healthy ingredients to make a nutritious meal! Enjoy this guide below for healthy coffee pot meals! Instant brown rice: add the desired amount of rice into the coffee pot. Add the correct amount of water in the carafe. Start the coffee pot and keep on for an extra 10-15 minutes, until rice has absorbed all the water and is cooked. Bonus: add frozen veggies with the rice! Instant oatmeal: place oatmeal in the coffee pot. Add the appropriate amount of water in the carafe. Start the coffee pot and keep on until all water is absorbed and oatmeal is cooked. Hard boiled egg: place egg in the coffee pot. Add enough water in the pot to cover the egg. Turn the coffee pot on and allow the water to boil. Turn coffee pot off. Leave egg in the hot water for another 10 minutes. Once the water has cooled, take the egg out and peel and enjoy! Steamed vegetables: place veggies in the filter basket of your coffee pot. Add enough water in the coffee pot and turn the coffee pot on. Steam will build in the filter basket. Cook until you achieve desired tenderness. Soup: place soup in the carafe to warm up. If using instant soup, add appropriate water to carafe. Turn coffee pot on to warm or cook. These are just a few suggestions I came up with. Anyone try to cook anything else in a coffee pot?

Healthy Foods To Take On A Trip

This afternoon I will be leaving for a trip to LA. As I was packing, I knew eating healthy may be a bit difficult, but then I thought, it does not have to be this way. In fact I can bring along some perfectly healthy things to eat. So, I comprised a list of packing healthy foods for a trip. I hope this helps you for your next trip! Breakfast, I've said it before and I'll say it again, is the most important meal of the day. DO NOT SKIMP OUT ON BREAKFAST!! At the same time, don't go for the all you can eat sausage and eggs buffet either. Pack yourself some packets of plain instant oatmeal. If you must go for something a little sweeter, buy Kashi instant oatmeal. You can easily make this in your hotel room! Always keep healthy, dry snacks in your bag. You may not know when the next time you will eat and instead of waiting until you are starving and eat a whole cow, carry healthy, dry snacks to tame your appetite. I love carrying my own trail mix: 1/4c of mini dark chocolate chips, 1/4c of raw almonds, 1/4c of sunflower seeds. Portion this out into four snack baggies and bring along! Another great snack to bring along is granola bars. Try to pick minimally processed granola bars which are low in sugar and high in fiber. I love Cliff and Kashi bars. Buy a couple of small, individual tuna cans, or tuna pouches that you can easily open. This may sound fishy (haha), but if you are running really late and don't have time for lunch, grab a can and you'll have a filling protein pick me up! When you get to your destination, see if you find a convenience store. If so, buy some whole grain bread, a small jar of peanut butter and all natural fruit jam. PB&J sandwiches are healthy for a breakfast or lunch! Make half a sandwich for a quick snack later on. Better yet, instead of buying plane food, make your self a couple of sandwiches and bring this along! Remember always grab an apple and keep in your bag for a quick snack. When eating out, stay away from simple carbs and get lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein and complex carbs. If you guys have any tips for eating healthy while on the road, please do share :-)

Recipe Alert: Hearty Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

In case you haven't noticed, it's cold outside. When it's cold outside, you tend to want warm, filling comfort food. This is when I crave my hot oatmeal in the morning and I love putting a healthy twist on things. Please, do not go for those instant, sugar filled packets of oatmeal! It's so quick and easy to make the same flavors of the instant packet oatmeal, without all the sugars and processed ingredients. Enjoy my recipe below for a hearty bowl of Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup oats 1/4 cup of 1% milk 1/4 cup of water 1 apple, diced 2 teaspoons of good cinnamon 1 tablespoon of chopped almonds Preparation: Prepare the oats according to directions on the box, using the water and milk. Once oatmeal is cooked add the apple, cinnamon and almonds. Enjoy hot! Calories: 305

Halloween Candy Guide...

It is Halloween and you probably will have candy. The key to surviving this sweet candy is portion control. Realize that a little bit of everything does rank up to a lot of calories! Below is small guide to your trick or treat nosh!

Note: Calorie Counts are based on one piece

• Small tootsie roll 25 calories
• Chocolate miniatures such as Snickers and Milky Way 40-65 calories
• Snack Size and Fun Size 70-100 calories
• One Twizzler 40 calories
• Smarties, a whole role 25 calories
• Jolly Rancher 25 calories
• Charms Blow Pop 60 calories
• Laffy Taffy Mini 30 calories
• Pixy Stix 9 calories
• Tootsie Pop 60 calories
• Hershey’s Kiss 23 calories
• Candy Corn pouch 50 calories
• Dots Mini 75 calories
• Junior Mints Snack Size Box 80 calories
• Nerds Mini Box 50 calories
• Starburst (2 Chews) 40 calories
• Swedish Fish 55 calories
• Sweetarts 50 calories

image: blog.beliefenet.com

Keeping It Healthy For the Halloween Weekend...

Alright guys, the weekend is fast approaching and you can definitely keep up the healthy eating and snacking, even if it is Halloween weekend! You've worked hard all week and you do not want to blow your efforts in one day. Here are a few key points to get you through the weekend!

• Get your exercise on. If you can get a solid half hour of heart pumping cardio activity in, on Saturday AND Sunday,then that's great. If not commit to at least one weekend day of doing half an hour of cardio
• If you are going out, load your bag with healthy snacks such as apples, almonds, string cheese and a healthy granola bar (I like the ones by Kashi)
• If you are going to a party, have a bowl of low sodium vegetable soup. This will help curb your craving and hopefully keep you away from the trick or treat bowl
• If you are craving candy, then go for the small fun size pieces. These usually rank in at about 80 calories per piece
• Drink water and sip on tea through out your days
• Eat healthy throughout the day. The worst thing you can do is save your appetite for when going out. You will just go overboard from hunger and eat way too much! Nosh on fruits, veggies and lean protein throughout the day instead.

What are some of your tips and tricks for treating this year? image from: bambooandtikis.com

The Skinny on Olive Oil...

Olive oil, although high in fat, in moderate quantities this oil is known as liquid gold. The fat in olive oil is not the belly bulging fat like saturated fat. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Olive oil is mainly comprised of monounsaturated fat, which is known to reduce belly fat and increase your good cholesterol levels (HDL) (yes, there are good levels of cholesterol) and decrease the bad cholesterol levels (LDL).

Due to its natural antioxidant powers, known as poly phenols, olive oil can help destruct the cells in your body which cause heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's etc.

So, how much olive oil should you get? One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil has 120 calories and 14 grams of fat! To take advantage of all the benefits of olive oil, experts say two tablespoon a day is all you need. I know this can add up to a lot if you are watching your fat intake, but remember, this is the good fat (monounsaturated), rather than the bad fat (saturated).

Start substituting your butter, margarine or any animal fat for olive oil. Instead of buttering your bread or vegetables, use olive oil to replace. Not only will you be eliminating heart wrenching saturated fats and trans fats, but you will also be doing your body a favor by putting healthy fats in your diet!

I love good quality extra virgin olive oil. Good olive oil is so worth the money. Look for olive oil in dark, tinted bottles. This helps keep the light out and your EVOO tasting fresh! EVOO is great for salads. Use a lighter olive oil for frying or baking.

Don't be afraid of olive oil!

Image from: askdeb.com

Under 200 Calories Healthy Snack Pairings...

Here are a few healthy snack pairings to help you get through the day:

1. Dates stuffed with almonds: three of these pairings ranks in at 90 calories!
2. Small, really ripe banana with 1/4c. of part skim ricotta: mash the banana and fold ricotta in. This is a great banana pudding!: 170 calories
3. Apple with peanut butter: 167 calories
4. Almonds and raisins: 16 almonds and small box of raisins mixed together: 145 calories
5. Small container of non fat Greek yogurt with a 1/4c of any Kashi cereal: 120 calories
6. One slice of whole wheat toast and one tablespoon of peanut butter: 170 calories

Recipe Alert: Chicken Sausage Salad

Here's another quick and simple recipe for a sausage salad. Ingredients: One Fire Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Sausage (I like the ones by Applegate Organics) Half a bag of mixed greens 10-15 grape or cherry tomatoes Light Balsamic Vinegar Preparation: Cut the sausage into 8 pieces, on a diagonal. The sausage should already be cooked, so just warm in the microwave or skillet. Place the mixed greens and tomatoes in a bowl. Top with sausage and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy! This delicious salad is also under 200 calories!

Banana topped w/Chopped Almonds and Cinnamon

Hello everyone, I though I'd share my recipe for my easy and nutritious breakfast!


Ingredients: One ripe banana, sliced One tablespoon of chopped almonds One teaspoon of good cinnamon Preparation: In a bowl mix the bananas and cinnamon. Place on a plate and top with almonds.

One more month left...

So my birthday is a month away and I'm working towards a certain weight goal. So far I've lost seven pounds and I have three more to go. Now, I know what you're thinking...that's only three pounds, you'll take it off in no time. This is not true because as you get closer to your goal weight, the harder it gets too lose the weight. For the most part, I've been eating right and exercising, but this is a slow progress and I have to remind myself to not get discouraged. Let's see if I can accomplish this goal in a month!

Day 18: Just 10 Challenge -My slip up

Day 18 of the Just 10 Challenge was not too great from lunch onwards. First of all, I did something that I had not done since starting the challenge, which was mindless snacking. This was not a little mindless snacking but I had quite a few sweets w hile talking to co workers. That was mistake number one. Mistake number two I ate a lot of Indian food last night, and this was not the healthy type of indian food. Mistake number three: I did not go to the gym. This morning I was very afraid to get on the scale, but I did and the weigh in was an extra pound. Now, not so bad, but when you think that I have not lost any weight in a few days and then I go ahead and gain a pound...that hurts. Of course I know what I did wrong and everyone has their slip ups, but I need to stay focused. The good thing, I'm realizing this now, when I've only gained a pound, instead of realizing it after gaining the five pounds that I lost back and then losing total motivation! Also, on a side note, I realized after eating all that junk food yesterday, I did feel a bit funky... So, we all mess up, but the key is to get right back on track right away rather than wait!

Day 17: Just 10 Challenge

Good morning all, I hope you're all doing well. I know I know, it's been a while since I've last posted! So, I'm still following all of the rules for the Just 10 challenge, but just as I have suspected the last five pounds are seriously taking there sweet time to come off! I weighed myself this morning and there has been no change since last week! Which is still not too bad. It's much better than actually gaining weight. I did gain 1.5 pounds on Sunday, because of eating too much Saturday night. Much of this was probably water and bloat though. I am also working out regularly. One thing that I have noticed is I'm starting to fit into a few things that were a bit tight on me in the past. Which also makes me realize that I probably should have taken measurements also. It's quite possible that I'm losing inches right now. How are you guys doing?

Day 9: Just 10 Challenge

Hello Everyone, Due to technical difficulties I was not able to do a weigh in today. No, I did not break my scale, but it had stopped working. Oh, but don't worry, I know you guys are waiting with anticipation for tomorrow's weigh in :-p Ok, so how was today? Well, I started off with the usual breakfast. Lunch was a little cheese,marinara sauce and veggies. Snacks consisted of Chobani yogurt and carrots. I also had one mini bag of peanut m&m's. These guys were totally mini because two bags have 120 calories and I only had one bag. I also managed to get my workout in! Yay, that's two days of workout done and three more left! Let's see what's in store for dinner. How was your day?

Recipe Alert: Eggplant Pizza

My healthy, delicious lunch...


Ingredients: One medium eggplant, cut into thick slices Extra virgin olive oil Spaghetti sauce Shredded mozzerella or mozzerella slices Turkey or chicken sausage, sliced Salt/pepper/garlic powder to taste Preparation: Coat each eggplant slice with no more than a teaspoon of olive oil per slice. Turn your oven on to 400 degrees and place eggplant in. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the sides of the eggplant and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top each eggplant slice with sauce, cheese, sausage and garlic/salt/black pepper. Place the eggplant pizza's back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is slightly bubbling. Enjoy! Servings: 3 eggplant pizza's per person

Day 8: Just 10 Challenge

I made it through another healthy day today. When I got the munchies between breakfast and lunch, I had some carrots. Lunchtime rolled around and I had three slices of my eggplant pizza, which was very filling. This kept me full for a few hours and then I had a Chobani Vanilla yogurt as a snack. Dinner was a chicken cobb salad from Pret. I don't know how many grams of fat this salad was, but I do know it had 430 calories. I also managed to burn a good 300 calories at the gym today!

Day 8: Just 10 Challenge

This mornings weigh in revealed a gain of .2 pound. Again, this is not a big deal whats so ever!! It's been a week since I've started the Just 10 Challenge, and I'm already down 5 pounds. Another 5 to go, but I have a feeling the weight will start coming off slower. Again, this is probably totally normal because this is a healthy way to lose weight and I'm instilling the values in myself to keep it off! This is not a quick fix people, but a healthy lifestyle! This mornings breakfast was the usual. I'll let you know when i get tired of toast with almond butter, banana and cinnamon. OK, I thought it would be a good idea to go over the rules of the Just 10 Challenge for you all to do this as well. Again, you can finds this on Dr. Oz's website, but these are the rules that have helped me thus far: 1. Get your free Just 10 bracelet by going to the Dr. Oz site 2. Cut out soda and high fructose corn syrup. If I need a bubbly fix, I go for seltzer water 3. Stop eating at least 3 hours before bedtime. This works. 4. Get your activity on. Dr. Oz says 10 minutes a day. I try to do 30. Yeah, I'm teachers pet. 5. Watch out for portion distortion. I'll post a good guide soon. Alright peoples, more to come later....

Just 10 Challenge: Day 7

Hello all, This morning I weighed myself and found out I lost .8 of a pound. Not bad! Breakfast was my usual, toast with almond butter and cinnamon. This time I also added some pumpkin spice powder also. This didn't hurt and actually tasted quite good. I think I will continue adding the pumpkin spice:-) Lunch today was at Cosi. I had the Light Cosi Cobb salad, minus the bacon, with a light vinaigrette.


I am now working on some healthy lunch options for the week. I'll post some Oz friendly recipes soon!

Just 10 Challenge: Day 6 cont....

So, you all know how I did for my weigh in and breakfast. I did manage to get my workout in. I did a 30 minute run outside. I also did a mini ab workout. So, today being the weekend, there was a lot of eating out, but I do think I handled my eating out healthfully. For one, I had Subway for lunch, but they were out of their whole wheat bread. Since I did not want to eat their whit bread, I got a buffalo chicken sandwich loaded with veggies. I then asked them for a bowl and put all of my sandwich innards in there and behold, I had a buffalo chicken salad sandwich. This is a great tip for any sandwich.


Along came dinner and I had Chinese food. So here's my tip. I ordered chicken with garlic sauce and asked for extra broccoli. As Dr. Oz says, broccoli sweeps the colon. I decided to get some cleaning done. None the less, ordering extra veggies is a plus. Anywho, I then added a bit of some of my own frozen veggies (more broccoli) and mixed half of this with my chinese take out. By doing this I was able to eliminate half the fat and sodium.


My goals for the day were accomplished. I was able to get my exercise in and eat right. Tomorrow is another day... Hope your all doing well!

Day 6: Just 10 Challenge

Good morning all, It seems like I made it through a successful day yesterday. This mornings weigh in revealed a loss of 1.2 pounds. I already ate my usual breakfast, but I did not have any bananas so I replaced the banana with a nectarine. Still, almond butter and cinnamon make everything better:-) Ok, the goals for today: Get some exercise in Eat right Move as much as I can

Garlic Balsamic Glazed String Beans

Hello everyone, Here is the super easy recipe for my Garlic Balsamic Glazed String Beans. I hope you make this and enjoy it.


Ingredients: One pound string beans 1 tablespoon of garlic powder 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar Salt to taste Preparation: Place the string beans in a sauté pan. Place the pan on medium heat and add the vinegar, garlic powder and salt. Cook the string beans for five minutes, constantly tossing them. Turn heat off, and plate string beans. Drizzle with remaining liquid in pan. Enjoy!

Day 5: Just 10 Challenge ....dinner

Well I said I would keep dinner light due to the fat in the cheese slices from lunch and keep it light is what I did. First off, I was not even that hungry, this made my keeping it light easy. I decided to warm up a bowl of Garden Broccoli soup by V8 and make some garlic balsamic glazed string beans. I made the string beans with no oil. This my friends, was my wonderfully light dinner.


Now, the only thing that I did not do today was go for my workout. This is ok, as long as I at least go for a run tomorrow and Sunday.

Day 5: Just 10 Challenge cont....

Mmm...I did eat my usual breakfast of toast with almond butter, banana and cinnamon. Today's snack was not a yogurt though, instead I munched on some crunchy baby carrots.


For lunch I had two slices of vegetable pizza. Now, before you go saying this is a carbo load lunch, what I did was only eat the vegetable and cheese from each slice. I admit, this may have been a bit much with the cheese and all, but I plan on keeping it light and simple for dinner. Also, I had lunch at 1pm and have not had the urge to snack in between. Hope your day is going well! More to come for dinner...

Day 5: Just 10 Challenge

Last night I did eat dinner at 8:30pm. I had a very small portion of smoked salmon and greens. This morning I woke up and weighed myself. I was up .8 of a pound from yesterday. Honestly, this does not discourage me. First off its not even a whole pound. Secondly, this could have been from excess sodium. Thirdly, remember,you are not going to lose a pound of day. This is not a fad diet, but a healthy lifestyle! Right now I am on the train CRAVING my morning breakfast of toast, almond butter, banana and cinnamon. I also have to think about how I will be strong this weekend. I need to get at least one exercise day in and of course eat right. Its always hard to make healthy food choices when you are in a social environment and out with friends. After I get done with this weekend I will post some tips on this. More to come later...I hope you all have a great day!

Just 10 Challenge: Day 4 cont.....

I did buy my almond butter and had my usual breakfast of ezekiel's bread, almond butter,banana and cinnamon. This breakfast usually holds me over for about three hours, then I need something to refuel. Lately, I've been having a yoplait Splitz yogurt. Odd, such a decadent flavor can be made with regular sugar, but if you look at the ingredients for a regular Yoplait yogurt flavor, you'll see its made with high fructose corn syrup! Anywho, my yogurt held me over until lunch time. Lunch was a wonderful 'Rainbow Salad' with a light sun dried tomato vinaigrette. This was sooo delicious! I call it my 'Rainbow Salad' because I had most of the colors of the rainbow in. Red cherry tomatoes, orange and yellow peppers, green spinach and some chickpeas and broccoli for fiber.


The salad held me over until 5:30. Then I reached for a hearty Kashi bar. I call it hearty because it was certainly bigger than a granola bar. The Kashi bar ranked in at 230 calories -a bit high for a snack, but I also knew I would be working out later and did not want to be famished. Needless to say, the Kashi bar was delicious! Its 8pm and I even worked out, but I'm still not hungry!


Like I said, I did do my workout today. I did 30 minutes of cardio on the stair master and then I did my sit ups/ crunches. For cardio, I burned 300 calories -atleast that's what the machine said. Even though I'm not too hungry, I still need to eat a healthy dinner...let's see what I come up with :-)

Just 10 Challenge: Day 4

Well guys, as promised I hopped on the scale this morning hoping my eating out from yesterday did not throw me off track. I must have made some pretty smart choices because I lost .8 of a pound! Not bad at all. Looks like my breakfasts are working out also. I ran out of almond butter yesterday so I'll be getting some more before I get into work. I also didn't bring my lunch today, but that's ok, I know I will get a salad. Today is also my gym day, which will be cardio and abs. Not bad, just gotta keep it up...after all its only 10 pounds!

Just 10 Challenge: Made it through dinner....

Dinner tonight was Afghani food, which actually resembled indian food a lot. I think I did pretty well with dinner. I ordered the eggplant and lamb with salad and rice, but I asked for no rice and extra salad. I ate all of my salad and some of the lamb and eggplant. I don't know how many calories this was but I did not have any non complex carbs. I also went to Pinkberry for dessert. I ordered a mini twist of original and chocolate with about a tablespoon of toasted almonds. The Pinkberry mini's rank in at 90-100 calories. This is not bad at all for a dessert and certainly better than ice cream. All in all, I feel today was a very decent day and considering I ate outside for lunch and dinner, I think I did pretty well. I will weigh myself tomorrow morning to see if any damage has been done! Have you guys joined the Just 10 challenge

Just 10 lunch

So far my day has been going well! This mornings breakfast was the usual: two slices of ezekiel's toast with almond butter and a sliced banana. I also had my usual snack of a 90 calorie Yoplait Spitz yogurt. These are so delicious! I had the strawberry sundae flavor. Not only are they 90 calories, but they are also all natural. A great snack to hold me over til lunch! So, I knew I would be going out for lunch today, just didn't know where. I thought, ok wherever we go, I'm sure I'll be able to at least get a salad. We wound up going to a diner and I decided to get a Greek Omelet made with egg whites, tomatoes, peppers, onions and feta. My omelet came with plain rye toast and fries. I had one piece of toast and one fry. I feel like this was a fairly healthy lunch. I even asked that they make the omelet with little oil. Now, to get through dinner!

Just 10 Challenge: Day 3

I am now beginning day 3 of the Just 10 challenge. So far I have lost 3 pounds. I'm sure much of this is water weight, especially with all the junk food and sodium I ingested over the weekend. To my credit though, I have been eating right and exercising. Lately for breakfast I've been having two slices of toasted Ezekiel's bread with almond butter, cinnamon and sliced bananas. A pretty


filling breakfast. Lunch the past couple of days has been a mozzarella and tomato salad with a balsamic vinegar. I'll also have a small tomato soup on the side. Dinner has been something light such as a bowl of roasted veggies drizzled with a little olive oil. When I snack I always have fruit or veggies. The other day I bought a bag of baby carrots and I've been having them when I crave something crunchy. I will also keep a Kashi granola bar in my purse, for those unexpected hunger pangs. Today will be a bit tricky. I will be going out for lunch and dinner, so I need to be careful with my food choices. More to come later....

Losing the last ten pounds...

Yesterday morning I got on the scale and saw I did not lose any weight. In fact, I had gained a pound. I was not shocked,no...I totally expected this. In fact, I was surprised I only gained one pound. After all, my weekend consisted of zeppoles, two types of crepes, chocolate mouse and an all you can eat Indian Chinese buffet. After all that, the one pound weight gain didn't really shock me. Oh, I also managed to get no exercise what's so ever. So, the weekend has come and gone. Monday I made smart food choices through out the day. Today I plan on doing the same. While I was at the gym yesterday I watched The Dr. Oz Show. I love Dr. Oz, he's my hero. Anyway, Dr. Oz was explaining the benefits of losing just 10 pounds. By just losing 10 pounds you decrease your chances of heart disease, cancers and cholesterol. By losing just 10 pounds you gain more energy and confidence. Also, losing 10 pounds is an extremely reasonable goal! So, I decided to take Dr. Oz's advice and just focus on losing 10 pounds. With this commitment, to make a conscience decision to eat healthy and exercise, you gain a new sense of motivation. Next time I eat at a buffet, I'll think to go easy, after all I just need to lose 10 pounds. This can definitely be done and you can do it too! Setting small, realistic goals will help you get back on track! Dr. Oz even has a free bracelet you can order and wear, just to remind yourself to stay on track. To get started, I suggest you all visit Dr. Oz's website (www.doctoroz.com) and take the Just 10 Challenge. You can also sign up to receive a free Just 10 bracelet, which will serve as a constant reminder to stay on track. How about we take the Dr. Oz challenge and commit. ourselves to eat right and exercise and to lose just 10 pounds!

Lite Chef's Salad

Ingredients Half a head of romaine lettuce, chopped One quarter pint of cherry/grape tomatoes, halved Two slices of provolone, thinly sliced Two slices of turkey bologna, thinly sliced Two slices of smoked or honey turkey, thinly sliced One quarter of red onion, thinly sliced One cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced Freshly cracked black pepper Dressing: Two tablespoons of Greek yogurt Two tablespoons of light mayo One teaspoon of garlic powder One teaspoon of Dijon mustard Two teaspoons of vinegar Salt/pepper Preparation Whisk all of the dressing ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients and toss with dressing. Enjoy! Servings: 2

Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage

Last nights dinner was super quick, easy and delicious. Oh yes, we are taking about rigatoni with broccoli and spicy Italian chicken sausage all coated in marinara sauce! I totally forgot, this dish is also packed with fiber from whole wheat rigatoni and broccoli. The chicken sausage adds LEAN protein and the marinara sauce is packed with antioxidants.


Here are the deets: Ingredients Two ounces of whole wheat rigatoni One cup of frozen broccoli florets One all natural chicken sausage, sliced Half cup of marinara sauce Salt/pepper, as needed Preparation Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Reserve a little bit of the pasta water. Once cooked, in the same pot add the reserved pasta water, broccoli, sausage, marinara sauce and salt/pepper. Add the pasta after three minutes and toss. Make sure broccoli and sausage are fully cooked. Enjoy with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese! Total calories: 370

My Simple Dinner: Tomato and Mozzarella Salad w/Steamed Veggies

Sometimes it's the simplest of dinners which can give you great flavor and satisfaction! The other night I had a bowl of steamed veggies drizzled with good balsamic vinegar with some freshly cracked black pepper and salt. I also had a side of thinly sliced mozzarella and tomatoes, again drizzled in balsamic vinegar with a touch of extra virgin olive oil.





Now, the steam veggies with vinegar were no more than 40 calories. The mozzarella that I bought had 16 servings in it, each serving 80 calories. I cut the mozzarella in fourths. I took one fourth and sliced that up in fourths. I had three of the tomato and mozzarella slices. This very simple, filling meal was about 400 calories. Not bad and very delicious and simple!

My Morning Meal During Ramadan

The holy month of Ramadan is in full swing and I have had a lot of readers ask me what I've been eating at 4am to keep me full all day. So here goes...I have nothing more than a bowl of oatmeal with coffee and a multivitamin. I do love the way I prepare my oatmeal, sometimes even the night before and I just warm it the following morning. Here are the deets on my morning oatmeal: Ingredients: 1/2c. of oven toasted oats 1c. Almond milk (I like the unsweetened kind by Silk) 1tsp. cinnamon 2 dates, sliced 10 almonds, chopped Preparation: Cook the oatmeal according to the directions, using almond milk instead of water. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until cooked. Servings: 1 This recipe is great as the oats contain fiber, the almonds contain healthy fats, the almond milk adds great creaminess and the dates add great sweetness and fiber. So, there you have it...my morning oatmeal is not only healthy but keeps me focused for 15 hours!

So Easy Sorbet...

Even though the weather is getting cooler, there is still time to make your own sorbets for a healthy, antioxidant packed, frozen treat. The other day I made the most flavorful, fresh sorbet in minutes and I'd like to share the oh so easy recipe with you. I used frozen blackberries and mango, but you can use ANY frozen fruit.

Ingredients:

1/2c frozen berries (I used blackberries)

1/2c any other frozen fruit (I used mango)

2TB. of orange juice or almond milk

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend away, scraping sides once, then blending again. Serve.

Servings: 2

Healthy, delicious and an instant cool down!

SimpleGreen Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

Last night for dinner I decided to make something other than my usual salad for my veggie fix. Just coming back from the grocery store, I had fresh green beans, some grape tomatoes and corn. So, I decided to make a simple green bean, corn and tomato salad. The charred green beans and tomatoes added great flavor and warmth to this dish! I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. Ingredients: 1/2TB. of extra virgin olive oil 1lb. of fresh green beans, cleaned and chopped into thirds 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 pint of grape or cherry tomatos 1/2c. of corn, fresh, frozen or from a can 1tsp. of salt 1TB. of freshly ground black pepper In a hot saute pan, add the evoo. Turn the heat up to high and add the green beans. Stir every minute until the green beans have charred a little. Add the garlic. Add the tomatoes. All the tomatos to char, stirring occasionally. Add the corn, salt and pepper. Stir for 30 seconds and plate. Enoy!

My new toy...

Yesterday I was thinking, just like we can now buy portion controlled rice, we should be able to buy portion control pasta. I find it really hard to portion out the right amount of rigatoni! Pasta as it is can be very caloric, so going a little overboard can go a long way. My solution....I went out and bought a very inexpensive, tiny, portable scale. Yes, my Taylor scale was less than six bucks at Target. Now, the most accurate way to get a calorie count is to measure by weight. If you look at the nutritional for any product, next to serving size, you will see the weight for that individual serving size.


The only downfall of this product is I love weighing everything out now! Pasta, chips, grapes....anything! The upside...I now get an accurate calorie count :-) I highly recommend this product to anyone watching their calories and portions.

My Morning Fruit Salad

Ingredients: 1c. blueberries 6 strawberries, each quartered 1 banana, sliced 1TB. chopped almond 1tsp. of honey Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy! Servings: 1 Total calories: 286 Points: 4

Snack time...

Here is a little snack that held me over for a little bit and it was under 100 calories! Here are the 1/4c of part skim shredded cheese 1TB of salsa of your choice Mix together and enjoy! 90 calories 2 points

Breakfast...

Hello Everyone, So today I managed to stay in my senses and had a filling nutritious breakfast worth decent points and calories. Today I had my pb and banana, cereal bowl. Yup, one and a half tablespoons of chunky pb with a small banana, sliced and a half cup of cereal. All for 6 points and 340 calories. I was also full until lunch time :-)

It's a Subway dinner....

Armed with only 4 points left in the day, I needed to think quick for dinner. I decided to get a 6 inch veggie sub a Subway for 4 points. This managed to keep me full! As I always say, when in doubt....go for Subway!

Chop't Mexican Steak Salad

Yesterday after my so not worth it 7 point yogurt breakfast I waited until 1pm to finally have my lunch! I decided to get a salad from Chop't, a highly addictive salad joint in the city. Now, just because it's a salad don't be fooled that it's low in points. In fact it's quite the opposite! I ordered the Mexican steak salad with the spa ranch. This baby was 9points!! However, unlike my morning yogurt which only kept me full a couple of hours, my Chop't salad kept me full straight until dinnertime. So, the Chop't Mexican steak salad was totally worth the points and all 425 calories!

Was it worth it...

So, let's play a game of 'Was It Worth It'. This morning for breakfast I had Honey and Strawberry Greek Yogurt, by Greek Gods. Of course I did not have the non fat or even 2% version of this (otherwise this game would not be fun :-p). Instead, I had the full fat version, and the serving size was one cup. The points value for just one cup of this delicious yogurt is 7 points!!! So, I thought, sure I've had 7 point breakfasts before and I've been completely full until lunch time. So, if this will keep me full until lunch time, why not try this?

I had this yogurt at 9:00am, by 11:00am, I was hungry, however I am waiting until lunch time to eat anything.

So, was it worth it....NO! If you do want yogurt for breakfast, get the non fat or 2% and have something else. Seven points is a lot for breakfast and you can definitely have something more filling. Better yet, have half the serving of this yogurt and some granola...that ought to keep you much more fuller for longer!

Fourth of July Weekend...

Hello Everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!! My weekend was very nice and I was able to get tons of activity in with row boating, paddling and volleyball. Definitely a fun calorie burned weekend! This was also a weekend of calorie consuming...oh yes there was definitely a lot of food around. Here's the real deal readers....I did not count calories or points, but I know I sure did eat A LOT in three days!! I'm not going to lie, there were waffles, pancakes, burgers, crab cakes, pizza etc. Lot's and lot's of food, all of which were no good. Now that the weekend is over, the only thing left to do is get back to the grind and start eating my normal regular foods! How was your weekend?

Fiber Filled, Protein Packed Breakfast

Good Morning Everyone, How are you all doing? Since it was a little chilly for me this morning, I decided to have a warm breakfast. I made a healthy fiber filled, protein packed breakfast of oatmeal. Here are the deets: 1/2 cup of oatmeal cooked in one cup of skim milk. 1/4c of fat free ricotta cheese stirred in 1TB. of chunky PB stirred in Cinnamon also stirred in My breakfast was quite high in point (7.5 to be exact), but ranked in at 380 calories., which will probably keep me full until lunch time - I hope. The good thing about this breafast is it's very nutritionally packed with fiber, protein and healthy fats. What did you guys have for breakfast?

Canteloupe anyone...

2.5 hours later and hunger pangs striking. 1/2 a canteloupe anyone? 1WW pt. not bad. Note: the fruit guy on 55th and 8th does not have the ripest canteloupe...I'm going to have to whip out my grapefruit spoon for this one. Will have to stick to my 50th and 8th guy for this :-)

Peanut Butter and Banana....

Good Morning Everyone, So, in an effort to eat more natural foods, I decided to see how full I would be from eating just a banana with 1.5TB of natural peanut butter. So far so good. It's been half an hour and I'm still full...YAY!!! This hopefully filling breakfast ranks in at 5WW points. An interesting thing I noticed yesterday...my top was a bit loose on me!! This calls for another YAY!!! I also randomly went out and bought a bunch of fruits and veggies, all of which I plan on consuming in some shape or form today. Here's what I bought: canteloupe avocado cucumbers tomato lemon blueberries spinach I see a salad brewing for lunch, but as always, I will keep you all posted. Anyone watch Losing It With Jillian last night? How are you all doing?

A morning update...

Hello All, How are you doing on this hot and humid day? Maybe I'm crazy but this is seriously my most favorite weather :-) Ok, so I thought I'd give you an update on my day so far. This morning I had my Kashi cereal with a banana and 1.5TB of chunky PB. Mmm...all for 5pts. I then had a snack of half of a very deliciously ripe canteloupe for 1.5pts. YUM!!! I noticed I'm doing pretty good with getting fruit in my diet. Yesterday I had a whole medium papaya and today canteloupe. It's always great when you can vary up your fruits. Luckily for me, the fruit street vendors in NYC are not only cheap, but most of the time the fruit is very ripe! How are you guys doing today?

Don't Give Up...

Hey Guys, I hope you all are doing well and had a great weekend. So, I managed to eat FAIRLY well this weekend, but that does not mean I did not have my ice cream slip up, which is OK. With the amount of extra points I get every week (35) and my activity points (I usually get 12-15 in per week), I can have my ice cream treat and not beat myself up over this. Another thing I want you guys to realize while on WW is, slow and steady wins the race here. Every week I do weigh myself and one week I will be down, the next week I will be up a pound. Honestly, this is fine because I know with due time the weight in pounds does come off. My biggest indication of losing the weight is how loose my clothes get on me. Sure, some weeks you don't lose the pounds, but you are probably losing in inches. The most important thing to remember is that with WW you can't go wrong. You are learning aobut portion control and are learning to make healthier food choices and are being forced to treat your body well, which is what you should be doing. With that said, this is a new week guys and you can do it! Just be patient and honestly...you have nothing to lose by trying :-p

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie

Good Morning Everyone, On this hot and humid morning I started my day off with a low point, filling Peanut Butter Banana Protein Smoothie. Ingredients: 1/2 banana, chopped 1TB. of peanut butter 1/2c. of almond milk (I love Silk Pure Almond, sweetened) 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (I used Designer Whey) Ice as needed Preparation: Blend all ingredients in a blender or hand mixer. Enjoy! WW points: 6 Tip: When I see my bananas getting really ripe, I slice them up and place them in individual baggies and freeze them. When I make my smoothies I drop them in frozen and they double as ice cubes.

Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches...

I told you guys I would post my review for Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches and here it is. THIS IS SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!!! For only two points you so get your iced cream sandwich fix. What else could you want on a hot summer day. These ice cream sandwiches are perfect for the occasional creamy, frozen treat! Also, these sandwiches are not skimpy. For two points you get a more than decent, filling size ice cream sandwich. These babies do not leave behind a gritty after taste like other low calorie frozen treats do. These come in both chocolate and vanilla flavors. Here are the deets on the ice cream sandwiches: Calories: 140 Fat: 1.5g Fiber: 3g WW pts: 2 Should you try this: YES

Yesterday's Update....

Hey Guys, Sorry I was a bit M.I.A yesterday. I am here know to update you on yesterdays food adventures! I started off my day with my usual PB, cereal and fruit combo. This time I used an apple instead of a banana and I used Kashi Heart to Heart cereal. Using an apple saved me .5pts. So my breakfast turned out to be five points. This really kept me full until lunch time. Lunch was very simple. I wanted to finish up the Yoplait Greek yogurt I bought, so I had a container of that with half cup of Kashi cereal. This lunch was only 4pts. and I was hungry within a few hours. For a snack I had a quarter cup of Kashi(I guess you can say it was a Kashi day) with a tablespoon of PB. This was a 3pt. snack. After I left work I had a two point Kashi granola bar. Dinner was a four point pasta and sauce, but I only ate half...I think the Kashi's of the day were just filling me up! A couple of hours after dinner I had a Skinny Cow Ice Cream sandwich. Now this was the best part of my day :-) :-). I'll post a review on this later. So, my goal for today is too incorporate more fruits and veggies and less Kashi. How did you all do yesterday?

Lunch Time...

Yesterday I made egg salad to bring to lunch today. I decided to make my egg salad a little bit different by adding some spinach. Here are the deets for my egg salad sandwich: 2 hard boiled eggs, shells removed, roughly chopped 1tsp. mustard seeds A handful of baby spinach, finely chopped 1tsp. cayenne powder 1tsp. of garlic powder 1tsp. of adobo powder 1Tb. of light mayo 2 slices of whole wheat bread Preparation: Place all the ingredients except for the bread in a bowl a mix till all is combined. Once combined, place between bread slices. Enjoy! Servings: 1 WW points: 7

My Yummy Cantaloupe and Ricotta Breakfast