Spring is here! As the weather starts to warm up, the sun shines brighter and the days are longer… we can’t help but get excited that Summer is on its way. We have plenty of warm sunny days ahead! With warmer days on our mind many of us are looking for ways to lose a few pounds, lead healthier lives and/or feel better about ourselves. Now is the time to spring clean bad behaviors and develop new healthy habits to help you feel your best this spring and summer season. I have compiled five ways you can achieve your goals and included three of my favorite protein packed smoothie recipes for you to try.
1. Bottoms up! I always tell all of my clients, “You can not exercise to burn off a poor diet.” It just doesn’t work that way. If you are putting in the effort and time commitment to workout consistently, DO NOT ruin it in the kitchen. And more importantly, drink more water!!! It is that easy… put down the ice tea and coffee, and drink more H2O. Water is vital to all of the bodies systems and to every single cell in our body. If we don’t drink enough water, our body cannot purify our system of toxins. If our body cannot detox from the toxins, we ultimately slow down the operating systems in our body, like our metabolism. Drink more water and I guarantee you will notice healthier looking skin, higher energy levels and shed some weight. 2. Eat Breakfast There is much debate about whether of not eating breakfast is really that important. I will continue to argue that, yes, breakfast is very important and should not be skipped. Here is why… when you eat breakfast, you activate the thermogenesis process thus you stimulate your metabolism. After 6 + hours of no food while you are sleeping at night, your body goes into rest and digest mode and your metabolism will slow down so that other systems can work at recovery. Eating a meal in the morning turns on your bodies’ metabolism. You want to consume a meal that is high in protein with moderate fat and some complex carbohydrate for sustained energy and ideal fat burn. An example of this might be one of my power protein smoothies below or a bowl of organic oatmeal with ½ a banana, some berries, crushed walnuts and shredded coconut. 3. Get Moving! If you want to live well and live longer, you need to exercise! This doesn’t mean you need to run out to your local gym, buy a membership and spend an hour there everyday to achieve wellbeing. While the gym scene may appeal to some… you can get exercise done right in your living room or even outside. Going for a walk around your office building on your lunch break, cranking up your favorite music and dancing in your living room for 15 minutes, go for a hike, ride your bike, hit the gym, or even jump rope. Just get moving. Here is a plyometric workout you could complete in your home in less than 24 minutes. All you need is a space to workout, a clock and your workout shoes! Beginners: 2 rounds, 30 seconds work, 1-minute rest between exercises. Advanced: 3 rounds, 30 seconds work, and 30-second rest between exercises.
(Don’t recognize an exercise? Send me a message and I can send you a demo!) 4. Fix Nutritious Snacks Often times snack foods are considered a bag of pretzels in our pantry or a granola bar we found in our workbag. I challenge you to fix yourself more nutritious snacks. It is a great way to get more vegetables and fruits into your diet and doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of my favorite snacks are carrot sticks and almond butter, avocado toast, yogurt and raspberries with a little shredded coconut and dried fruit (apricots are my fav!) with a handful of almonds. 5. Think Small. Often the biggest deterrent to improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and research. The magazine tabloids and the ads that overwhelm our Internet browser are constantly throwing out new health claims on how to lose 10 pounds in one week or what “super foods” will make you thin. Rather then getting caught up on the overwhelming amount of information out there, try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy, positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead, keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change. It’s easy to build from here by adding more healthy substitutions. Three of my Favorite Power Protein Smoothie Recipes! Chocolate Peanut Butter
Blueberry Banana Power
Strawberry Banana
What gets you motivated this time of year? Do you have a "not so healthy" habit that your looking to change? Share below, I would love to help! xoxo
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Happy Valentines Day!Valentines Day is one of my favorites! I just love an excuse to tell others how much I love them and spread a little chocolate indulgence. A little chocolate never hurt anyone right?! Good news, studies have now indicated that a little chocolate does the mind, body and soul some good. Here is why…
Chocolate, such a decadent and indulgent treat, contains plant-based chemicals known as flavonoids that produce positive health benefits. Yup, that’s right! I just said chocolate was good for you. In moderation of course… Cacao trees, which thrive in tropical regions, produce cocoa beans that are used to make chocolate. Cocoa beans contain antioxidants, mostly in the form of epicatechin. Epicatechin has actually been linked to improving memory function and learning. So what are those flavonoid things? Well, flavonoids are a group of phytonutrients that occur naturally in fruits and vegetables and have been shown to have various anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits. I am sure you have read a headline on a magazine article or have seen an ad stating, “Eat these 12 Superfoods” or something along those lines in your past. All of those Super foods you often hear mentioned are “super” because of their flavonoid content. Some of the most common foods rich in flavonoids are kale, berries, green tea and onions, and one of the most recently studied flavonoids have been found in the cocoa bean. Here are the Facts on Chocolate
The Take Away Eat a little chocolate, indulge, share with a loved one, but be aware that all chocolate is not created equal. Before you run to the store to grab your favorite candy bar, NOT all chocolate contains high levels of the beneficial flavanols. You want to aim to eat chocolate that is made with 60% or higher of cocoa and low in sugar and fat. The higher the percentage of cocoa, the more benefit! And remember, moderation is key! Obviously consuming large amounts of chocolate will contribute to unwanted weight gain, so use it as a treat. Here is one of my favorite dark chocolate treats, Avacado Chocolate Mousse What are some of your favorite ways to indulge in chocolate? Do you have little traditions that make your valentines day sweet? I would love to hear in a comment below. Have an awesome day and spread some love. xoxoxo Super Bowl Menu
Throwing a Super Bowl party doesn’t have to mean that you sabotage all of your efforts at trying to live a healthier lifestyle this year. I have made a menu of delicious recipes that you can try for your Super Bowl shenanigans that wont have you feeling guilty come Monday morning! Southwestern Layered Bean Dip Ingredients: 1 16-ounce can nonfat refried beans, preferably “spicy” (i.e. try Amy's Kitchen Organic Refried Beans) 1 15-ounce bpa free organic can black beans, rinsed 4 scallions, sliced 1/2 cup prepared salsa 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 cup jalapeño slices, chopped 1 cup shredded organic Monterey Jack, or Cheddar cheese, or vegan cheese 1/2 cup organic sour cream, vegan sour cream 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce 1 medium tomato, chopped 1 medium avocado, chopped 1/4 cup canned sliced black olives, (optional) Directions: 1. Combine refried beans, black beans, scallions, salsa, cumin, chili powder and jalapeños in a medium bowl. Transfer to a shallow 2-quart, oven safe dish, sprinkle with cheese. 2. Cook in oven on 250 degrees until cheese melted and beans are hot, for about 6-8 minutes. 3. Spread sour cream evenly over the hot bean mixture, then scatter with lettuce, tomato, avocado and olives (if using). Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. To serve, continue with Steps 2 & 3. Baked Sweet Potato Chips Ingredients:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. On 2 baking sheets, toss sweet potato slices with olive oil and season with cumin, paprika and sea salt. Arrange in a single layer and bake, halfway through cook time be sure to flip slices over and cook til crisp and golden. 20-25 minutes Notes: The only hard part to making this snack is slicing the main ingredient. To save some time (and make your life a whole lot easier) use a mandoline to slice the sweet potatoes. The snack is full of orange-hued carotenoids, necessary for the body to absorb Vitamin A. Worlds Greatest Guacamole Dip Ingredients:
Directions
Notes: Add the pit of an avocado to the serving dish with the guacamole. This will help prevent the dip from turning brown. You can store this dip in the fridge for 3-5 days, be sure to wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Blue Cheese Ingredients:
Notes: Use a blue cheese sauce of your choice. And of course I have to include some of my favorite mocktails for those of us who are not drinking booze during the Super Bowl… Moscow Mule Mocktail You will need:
If you want a real Moscow Mule, you can replace the club soda with some vodka. The Perfect Bloody Mary Mix (Makes about 4 drinks) You will need:
Directions
There you have it football fans! A guilt free, delicious menu of snacks for you to enjoy during the Super Bowl this year. GO PATRIOTS! Nutrition is without a doubt one of the MOST important things to consider during pregnancy. Everything we put in and on our bodies directly affects the little one growing inside of us. Many of you have asked me about my nutritional habits during pregnancy, so today I wanted to share with you some of the Essential Nutrients During Pregnancy and how you can make sure that you are getting everything that you need for you and your little one! First things first, quality Prenatal Vitamins, a good prenatal vitamin is a great thing for any women to be taking if having kids is something that you see in your future. A good prenatal contains all of the essential vitamins and minerals you need for you and baby! Make sure that your prenatal has DHA (omega-3s) and if it doesn’t you will want to add a DHA supplement too. Calcium. This is so important, especially for me because I don’t tend to eat many dairy products. Adding a calcium supplement to your routine can help to assure that you are not calcium deficient. Believe it or not… 68% or women are already calcium deficient and when your body isn’t getting enough calcium from your diet, your baby’s calcium needs will be met by taking calcium from your bones. This can lead to serious complications for mama later on with causing bone health risks, think osteoporosis. Most prenatal vitamins supply 30-40% of our daily calcium need, so that’s why it is important to either supplement or make sure you are getting enough in your diet. Have a dairy intolerance? Don’t worry, there are actually a lot of non-dairy foods you can consume that contain calcium. Edamame, broccoli rabe, sautéed greens like kale or mustard greens, white beans, butternut squash and almonds all contain good levels of calcium. Protein. I am pretty good about getting protein at every meal, but I pay close attention now that I am pregnant. Protein is really important for developing baby! Maybe you don’t eat meat?? That’s okay, try a protein shake! I had a serious aversion to grilled chicken in my first trimester, and I would supplement with homemade protein shakes to help me make sure I was getting my daily recommended amount, without eating meat. Iron. This one is HUGE. Iron plays a crucial role in your baby’s brain development. Getting an adequate amount is so important. You can be sure to get enough iron through your diet by including things like red meat in limited quantities, eggs, beans, spinach and lentils. Folate. Okay… this is another big one! Having enough folate in your diet is crucial to avoiding neural tube defects in your baby. Be sure that your prenatal vitamin has folate in it so that you can ensure you are getting enough. Foods that contain folate are asparagus, dark leafy greens, broccoli, citrus fruits, avocado, beans, lentils and brussel sprouts. Probiotic. Many of you know that I experienced some G.I. issues about a year ago that required me to do some serious cleansing and healing of my gut. That being said, I think taking a quality probiotic is a great idea for anyone to help regulate things in your microbiome and keep your system running smoothly… literally. A few things I would recommend when choosing a probiotic are to use one that needs to be refrigerated, this ensures that the bacteria are alive. Also use a probiotic that has several different strains of bacteria. One brand that I really life and find very effective is Metagenics. Whenever you are thinking of changing anything or introducing a new supplement into your daily routine, be sure to reach out to your doctor and discuss. Your OBGYN and/or midwife will be able to guide you in the right direction and instruct you on all the nutrients you need for your pregnancy. Mamas are different and every experience is different, so be sure to consult with them before implementing any changes.
I send so much love and wish you a very happy and healthy pregnancy! xoxo I have to say… simmering a pot of chili for hours on a cold winter Sunday while we curl up on the couch and watch football is on my list of favorite things to do. I am sure many of you have heard of this new kitchen toy that seems to be all the rage- The Instant Pot. What is the Instant Pot? Essentially it is an electric, programmable, pressure cooker with a lot of extra functions like sauté, steam, pressure cook and it can even make yogurt. Basically you can cook anything you can imagine in this one pot. I have to admit that at first I was totally skeptical. Would the fast cooking time rob my dishes of their deep flavors that my family and I love?? The Answer: Nope! We were first attracted to the Instant Pot because it could replace our slow cooker, and it has even proven to provide better results in far less time. Its multifunctional use is also super convenient in our cozy kitchen where storage space for all sort of kitchen toys is limited. The Instant Pot is also a huge time saver. I can cook a slow cooker recipe that would usually take 6-8 hours, and in under an hour I can have the same meal ready and on the table. This is tremendously helpful on long, busy workdays and I can see it becoming even more critical once the baby arrives! I was also really impressed with how easy the Instant Pot was to clean. Not only did I make this chili all in the pot without needing any additional dishes, but when it was time to clean the pot, the stainless-steel pot was very easy to clean by hand. However, it can also be placed in the dishwasher if you wish. I would say my only reservation so far is that it can be a little bit intimidating. I didn’t have any prior experience to cooking with a pressure cooker, and while the Instant Pot seems to be much easier to use than many pressure-cookers, it is a new style of cooking that definitely has a learning curve. Okay, so let me share with you my Turkey Chili Recipe that I made using the Instant Pot in under an hour. You can also try this recipe in your slow cooker or crockpot, just cook on low for 6-8 hours. Ingredients
Toppings for serving: shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, diced avocado, sour cream
I decided to top mine with a dollop of greek yogurt and shredded cheese. Obviously, we don't do chili night in this house without some home made corn bread too.... Do you have an Instant Pot? Share your favortie reciepe below. If you give my Turkey Chili a try please be sure to let me know what you think too! xo |
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