Recipe Wednesday - BBQ Burger Biscuits

I don't know about you, but the times that I eat the least healthy are the times that I'm pressed for something, be it money, time, ingredients, etc. It's those pressed times that it's just more convenient to swing by a drive-thru somewhere and pick up fast food. It's also those times that I think every home cook should have an arsenal of recipes at their disposal that are quick, easy, cheap and healthier than fast food. This is one of those recipes.

My friend Alison came up with this recipe (or maybe she saw it somewhere) when she was in college, and now that time has passed and we all have our own little families, it's been resurrected. Not only is it easy, cheap and made of basic fridge staples, but it's a favorite with our husbands and kids.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken. I like 90/10 ground beef)
1/2 bottle bbq sauce (any kind, but the lower in sugar, the better)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can of biscuit dough (any kind)
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to whatever temp your biscuit directions require. In a skillet, brown ground beef. When beef is cooked through, drain off any excess grease. Season with a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper. Pour in 1/2 bottle of bbq sauce and stir together. Remove from heat.

Spray a muffin tin (12 ct, not mini muffin), with nonstick spray. Open the can of biscuits and press each biscuit down into the cups of the muffin tin, creating little "biscuit bowls". Spoon hamburger mixture into the biscuit bowls and top with shredded cheese.

Place the muffin tin on top of a baking sheet to catch any bbq sauce that may run off, and bake according to biscuit directions.

That's it. Serve one of your little bbq burger biscuits with a salad or steamed veggie, and you have a quick meal that's healthier and cheaper than a drive-thru burger, and your family will love it. This recipe's also great for bachelors and college kids. Our mom circle has had plenty of requests for the recipe from both!

P.S. - If you want to try another variation, swap out the bbq sauce for taco seasoning and a little water. You can also swap out the beef for any leftover meat that you need to use up - pulled pork, fajita meat, ham or turkey. It's a great recipe for those end-of-the-week days when you just haven't made it to the grocery store yet.

21 Days to Healthier You

Have you heard the old saying, "It takes 21 days to break a habit"? I'm pretty sure I've used it before on this blog, but if you haven't, it's true. Not only does it take 21 days to break a habit, but that's also how long it takes to make a habit. Therefore, in 3 weeks, you could feasibly break your bad habits and start make some good ones.

21 days... that's it. I know a lot of us have a tendency to say, "I'm giving up sweets!" or "I'm giving up caffeine!" Then, a week into it, the idea of forever starts to look really daunting and we just give up. Trust me when I tell you, telling yourself that you'll give something up for 21 days is a LOT easier than telling yourself you'll give it up forever. And the really great thing, is that by the time the 21 days is over, your cravings are gone, your body's gotten used to not having it and you don't want it anymore. It's a glorious thing. And you only have to struggle through 21 days. 

The 21 day plan is what I use any time I need to make a change. I usually get out a piece of posterboard, draw a calendar and tape it to the fridge, where I can cross off every day as it passes, but it can be cumbersome, and if you're like most people, you probably don't have room on your fridge for a poster. That's why I created a 21 day pocket guide. It's a 46-page pocket guide, that you can order in soft cover or hardcover, with daily inspirational quotes and lined pages to write down what you eat, how much exercise you get and whatever else you do to improve yourself. And each day is numbered, so you know where you are in your commitment. Of course, the icing on the cake is a little congratulations letter from me when you finish logging your 21 days. You can get it from blurb.com starting at $15.00 + shipping and handling. 

21 Days to Healthier You by Courtesy of stupiddonuts.blogspot.com | Make Your Own Book

New Years is fast approaching, and what better way to stick to your resolutions that a log of accountability? :)

My "I'm not going out there. It's cold!" Workout

I'm a giant baby when it comes to the cold, and the heat for that matter, and I combat both by just refusing to leave my house. Were I less industrious, that plan would really throw a wrench in my workout routine, but lucky for me, the same determination that keeps me hermitted in my house for the winter helped me develop a workout routine that I can do from my living room.

I've said before that I haven't had a gym membership for years, but that doesn't stop me from exercising. I rage internally when I hear people use the excuse that they can't lose weight and workout because they can't afford or don't have time for a gym. Gyms are great, provided you know what you're doing there, but they are by no means essential. Unless you live in the ghetto, anyone can get out and go for a walk or a run, and if you do live in the ghetto, then the workout I'm about to share can be done inside locked doors.

When the weather's nice, I usually walk a couple miles a day, but while walking burns calories and helps strengthen your heart, it really doesn't do much for muscle tone, and, if you remember my post "Strength Training - the Necessary Evil", you'll remember that muscle burns more calories than fat. So, I still have to find a way to strengthen my muscles. Back in the day, I would go out to the garage and use our power rack to bench press and do barbell squats and lat-pulldowns, but we sold it, so that's no longer an option. Plus, I'm betting most people don't have a power rack in their garage. So, I developed this routine for myself that uses your own body weight and requires nothing but your body and a floor.

Typically, you should focus on one body part per workout when strength training, like your arms, or your legs, or your back, to give each muscle group time to recover before you stress them again, but this routine doesn't put too much strain on them, so it's a full-body workout. I still recommend waiting a day between workouts if you're sore.

The system is easy. It consists of 7 exercises, and for each exercise (except the last one), you do 4 sets of 25 reps. So, basically, you're doing 100 reps of each exercise. The final exercise is holding a pose, so you only do 3 reps. I know it sounds like a lot, but you don't have to do it all together. You can spread it out however you like throughout the day, but the more you do at one time, the more you'll get your heart rate up, and the more beneficial the workout will be. If I do them all together, it takes about 20 minutes.

EXERCISE 1: Kneeling Push-ups (works your arms).  4 sets, 25 reps/set

If you're strong enough to do them correctly, you can do real push-ups, but I stick with kneeling, or girly-style of you prefer. I'm hoping that by the time I'm strong enough to do 200 kneeling push-ups, I'll be strong enough to do 1 real push-up.

To do a kneeling pushing, get on the ground on your hands and knees. With your arms straight, lengthen your body, so that your legs and back form a straight line, and your arms are straight out under your chest, perpendicular to the floor. Lift your toes off the ground and balance your lower body on your knees. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your arms form a 90 degree angle and your chest almost touches the ground. Pause, push yourself back up and re-straighten your arms. That's one rep. Continue to 25 reps to complete your first set.

EXERCISE 2: Crunches (works your core) 4 sets, 25 rep/set

Lie on the ground on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands behind your head. This is your starting position. To perform a crunch, using your abdominal muscles, lift your head and neck until your shoulder blades are off the ground. Pause, then lower back down to the starting position. This is one rep. Continue to 25 reps to complete a set.

EXERCISE 3: Oblique Crunches (works your core and helps tone up your love-handles) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

Lie on the ground in the crunch starting position.Perform a crunch, but as you raise up, bring your left knee and right elbow as close together as you can. Lower back to start and repeat with right knee and left elbow. That's one rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 4: Reverse Crunches (works core, specifically lower abs) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

To perform a reverse crunch, lie on the ground on your back. Place hands behind your head. Rather than putting your feet on the floor, bend your legs at a 90 degree angle, so that your calves are parallel to the floor. This is your start position. To do the crunch, keep your shoulders on the ground and pull your legs into your chest as much as you can. Return to start. This is one rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 5: Body Weight Squats (works thighs and gluts, a must-have exercise if you want a curvy booty) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

To perform a squat, stand straight up with your feet planted firmly below you, shoulder-width apart. Put your hands on your hips. Stick out your butt and arch your back. Keeping your chest straight and staring straight ahead, bend your knees and lower your body until your knees form a 90 degree angle. Be careful not to push your knees out past your toes. Push your hips forward to stand back up. (This puts less strain on your knees.) That's 1 rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 6: Body Weight Close Squats (works your thighs and calves) 4 sets, 25 reps/set

To perform a closed body weight squat, stand straight with your heels together and your toes angled slightly away from each other, like the ballet stance. With your back straight, bend your knees and lower your body until the backs of your thighs almost touch your calves. Use your hips to push forward and stand back up. This is 1 rep. Continue to 25 reps for a set.

EXERCISE 7: Planks (works your core) 3 reps, try for 30 seconds/rep

Planks are rough, but they strengthen your core like nothing else. For this exercise, you're holding a position for a designated amount of time, so you're only going to do it 3 times. For each rep, try to hold it for 30 seconds. To perform a plank, lie on the ground on your stomach. Plant your toes into the ground, like you're bracing to do a real push-up, but rather than straightening your arms, you want to brace yourself on your elbows with your hands under your chin. Dig your toes in and lift your body off the ground, so that your back is perfectly flat and all of your weight is balanced between your toes and your elbows, tighten your abs and start counting. Since all of your weight is being held up by your core, your abs should be on fire and your whole body should start shaking as you go on. This is normal! Count to 30, then lower back to the ground. That's one rep. Rest and do this two more times.

So, there it is - my full-body "I'm not leaving the house" workout. I hope you use it and I hope you like it. If you do it a couple times a week, you should notice a difference in your tone pretty quickly. As you get stronger, add more sets or more weight. You can hold dumbbells or a barbell during squats or place a medicine ball on your stomach during crunches.

Taking the Stress Out of the Holidays

I typically hate the holiday season. From Thanksgiving through New Year's, I'm one tied up ball of stress, ready to snap at any moment. Christmas music makes me cringe, because it does nothing but remind me that the season is coming. Rather than enjoy the best parts of the holidays, the time with family, the smells (oh my goodness, do I LOVE holiday smells), the beautiful decorations, etc., I find myself instead  running to the nearest computer to check my bank account and figure out just how fast our hard-earned savings is going to disappear. Between Thanksgiving dinner, my sister's birthday and the mountains of Christmas presents for everyone we know, by the time New Year's rolls around, I'm begging for our tax return. 

Even things that should be enjoyable, like spending time with family are stressful. My husband works a lot during the holiday season, and my in-laws all have crazy schedules, so planning any kind of celebration is always last minute. I'm one of those people who can't function unless I have everything planned out weeks, if not months, in advance, and I typically don't know what we're doing for Thanksgiving until the week of. It drives me insane. Then, if I have to cook at my house, nothing ever seems to go right. The food doesn't come out the way I want it, I spend tons of time on a new dish and no one even tries it, or I go way overboard and end up eating leftovers for the next six months. 

My biggest problem is with holiday shopping. I'm a gift whisperer. I apply so much effort to selecting the perfect gift for everyone on my list that it drives my husband crazy, especially after they open it. If they don't look absolutely ecstatic, I feel like I failed and I'm depressed for days. And, although I know it's not fair, I kind of expect the same effort out of others, even though whenever someone asks what I want, I always say, "nothing." Like most men, my husband doesn't think about things like gifts, so every year, we go through the same argument. He asks what I want, and I tell him I want him to apply some effort and think of something, or else I'll just pick it out myself. I'm sure he'd prefer if I did. Picking out our daughter's gifts isn't any easier. I tell him what we're getting her, he says she won't like it and he'll pick something, which he never gets around to, so I just end up getting what I had originally picked. Gift giving is an awful painful process. 

As you can see, I get a little crazy at holiday time and that much stress is never good, not for your health and not for your soul. Last year, I eased my holiday stress by making homemade gifts for pretty much everyone on my list. I bought tins and baked and baked and baked, then loaded everyone up with enough baked goods to last them all year. Not only did it save lots of money, but it required much less effort on my part. It's a lot easier to bake than scour stores and the internet for the perfect gifts.

This year, I'm tackling a stress-free Thanksgiving. Since my husband works as a retail manager, he has to be at work at 10:30 Thanksgiving night, so I've already put my foot down and decided that I'm not doing a big family Thanksgiving. He's going to sleep until dinner time, then get up, eat and head to work. There really isn't time to go visit family or even visit with them at our house. Since neither he nor I are huge on the tradition of turkey, stuffing, etc., I saved a lot of money by not buying a turkey (he wanted ham anyway). I went to the store and found an individual packaged huge slice of ham that's just enough for the two of us, with no leftovers. Then I'm making green bean casserole, which is the only holiday food I care about, biscuits and for dessert, since we each like different kinds of pie, I picked up a couple individual serving pies from the freezer section, berry for him and pecan for me. Our daughter's three, so she'll just pick at what's available.We still get our "Thanksgiving Dinner", but it'll take me all of about 45 minutes to throw together. Plus, with all the money I saved, I get to have mulled wine AND champagne with cranberries - to unwind just in case any tension does manage to creep in. :) I'm sure the in-laws will be sad, but this will be one pleasant Thanksgiving for me!

Giving Up Sodas

If you've read any "how to lose weight" articles lately, then you know people everywhere are harping on the necessity of breaking with the soda habit. I read somewhere recently that drinking even one soda a day can raise your chances of obesity by up to 65%. I don't know if that're true or not, but what I DO know is that every soda you drink adds 200-300 calories to your daily caloric count. You'd have to run for 30 minutes straight to burn that off.

Diet sodas may not have the calories, but the sweeteners in them confuse your body and trigger it to think that you're hungry when you're not. Plus, just like white sugar, artificial sweeteners just aren't good for you. They weaken your teeth and bones, and it's best just to stay away from them.

I used to be a religious Diet Dr. Pepper drinker. I never really drank a lot of soda, but I had to have my one Diet Dr. Pepper everyday, and I'd probably had that ritual since high school. Then, about six months ago, I decided to kick the soda habit for good. In that endeavor, I realized something. I don't think it's the taste or the caffeine in the sodas that we crave. I think it's the carbonation. Sure, when a craving hit, I could imagine the phantom taste of that magical drink on my tongue, but even when that faded I still craved the soda.

I decided that I needed to replace my sodas with something else that didn't have any of the negative aspects that I was trying to get rid of. That led me to sparkling water. I've NEVER been able to stand the taste of mineral water, but I knew that if I could flavor the water, then it would essentially be a healthy version of soda. So, what do you add to disgusting sparkling water to make it taste good? Juice!

As a rule, I don't drink juice, because it's typically full of sugar and calories and it's healthier just to eat fruit, but a splash of juice wouldn't throw off my whole diet. Just find a juice that you like, but make sure it's 100% juice, not a juice blend or cocktail. I found that I really love the pomegranate-blueberry juice that Minute Maid makes. So I started replacing my daily soda with sparkling water + a splash of juice and I found that not only is it just as tasty and refreshing, but it has no added sugar or caffeine and a fraction of the calories. I even got my husband hooked on them.

We've both been soda-free for six months now. About a month ago, I actually took a sip of a soda and I didn't even like it anymore. It was too sweet for my taste. So, if you decide to kick sodas and need an alternative, take my advice and just try my replacement. It really does work. Now, if only I could get my daughter to drink it... but lucky for me, she's just as happy with plain water as sodas. For now, anyway.

Fitocracy is Where It's At

A few weeks ago, I read an article about how video gamers excel at fitness, because the same skills that are required to be a great gamer, are needed to stick to and reach fitness goals (the example they used was Vin Diesel who was an avid Dungeons and Dragons player). The article introduced two guys, who were gamers-turned-bodybuilders, and a website they had created - Fitocracy.com.

Fitocracy is a points-based "game" of sorts, where you get points for each exercise that you log. The harder the exercise and the more you challenge yourself, the more points you get for it. Your points are accumulated to help you "level up." There are also quests you can do for additional bonus points, like "Do 50 crunches at the end of your workout" and achievements you can unlock for really pushing yourself. For $4.99/month, you can become a Fitocracy Hero, which allows you early access to new content and the ability to earn titles, which you should be familiar with if you've ever played a game like World of Warcraft.

Fitocracy is really geared for people who thrive on competition, as it allows you to not only compete against yourself, by highlighting personal records, but allows you to compete against others in the Fitocracy community. There's even a Leaderboard for bragging rights. Statistically, people are more successful at fitness plans when they have someone to workout with (which is part of why I never stick to one), so when your friends join, you have the feeling of workout buddies, even if you aren't physically together when you exercise. You can still tabs on one another's activities and give encouragement when needed.

For those who lose focus easily, it helps to have the smaller goals of a quest or a new level to target. For those who are just starting out or lack confidence in their workouts, there is a social platform that allows you to make notes on your exercises and recieve feedback from your followers. It's a great way to tap the knowledge of people with more experience than you.

The site is still in beta mode right now, so joining is strictly by invitation only until they get all of the bugs worked out. I was invited by a friend a few days ago, and I'm already hooked. I'm an admitted workout procrastinator, but now I literally wake up every morning ready to knock out some squats or pushups and start accumulating my points for the day. Throughout the day, I find myself looking for quick things I can do to rack up more points. I never would have thought I'd be this motivated to exercise. The game turns working out from a chore to an accomplishment for the day. And even though I'm far from new at the fitness game, I find myself scanning the database of different exercises (which is pretty extensive and contains instructions for how to do each one) looking for new moves that I've never tried. I also love that the Fitocracy community is so diverse. The members range from elite athletes to couch potatoes.

This is the first time I've ever been this excited about fitness, and definitely the first time I've ever really wanted to shout a recommendation from the rooftops. The site is amazing and I'm so glad that it exists. If anyone's interested in checking it out, the URL is http://www.fitocracy.com/ . You can sign up to be notified when the site goes public. I also have a few invitations left, so if you'd like one, just send me an email and I'll shoot you one if they're still available. My email is kim.graydiaz@gmail.com .

I'm BAAAACK!

I know I've been on a long hiatus, and I apologize for that. I just lost focus for a bit, because things were not going as I had hoped. Despite my clean diet and plenty of exercise, I hadn't lost any weight since March and I didn't really feel like I could share any advice that wasn't working for me.

A couple months ago, I started to notice that my temper was getting bad. I'm normally pretty even-keeled, but my fuse seemed to be getting shorter by the day. I was easily irritated and feeling depressed. Then I noticed that my thought process seemed to be slowing down, along with my reflexes. I started looking into seeing a therapist, but when I started GAINING weight, which shouldn't have even been possible, I knew there was something physically wrong with me.

I did some research online, and I came across a forum where a guy listed a ton of symptoms, most of which matched mine, and asked if it could have something to do with his thyroid. I knew that my dad suffered from a thyroid disorder, so I called him to ask what his symptoms were. My dad actually has hyperthyroidism, which means that his thyroid is overactive, which makes his metabolism overactive and he loses weight very quickly. He said he was pretty sure I had hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, which apparently, my grandmother and my uncle both suffer/suffered from.

I made an appointment with a clinic to get my thyroid levels checked, and sure enough, I have hypothyroidism. My body was using twice as much T4 hormone, which the hormone that controls your metabolism, as it should have been and it wasn't creating any of the T3 hormone, which controls things like your mental faculties, mood, sex drive and cell turnover (so my hair and nails were thinning and my skin was looking rough). So, for the last few months I've been on medication and the doctor's been playing guess-and-check with my dosage, until finally, over the last 2 weeks, I've started to feel like my old self again. Now I feel like I'm back to the land of the living and I can continue experimenting and dishing out my awesome know-how! Lucky you. ;)

Family Meal

I know that, at not even 3 years old, my daughter is young and there's a lot that I shouldn't start stressing about until later on, but I already worry about what kind of school she should attend, what her behavior will be like as a teen, and whether sneaking vegetables into her food will cause life-long resentment. I also worry about the fact that we rarely ever have family mealtime. I hear all the time about the importance of family mealtime to a child's well-being. Studies show that teens who eat with the family 3-4x a week are less like to drink, do drugs, develope eating disorders or suffer from depression or suicidal thoughts. They're more likely than their non-familytime peers to maintain good grades, have strong friendships and delay sex. So, I suffer with the guilt of worrying whether letting my daughter eat in the living room is going to turn her into a teenaged boozy, druggy delinquent. It's not that I don't like family mealtimes, my family ate dinner together every night. It's just that with her age and my husband's unpredictable work schedule, it's hard to get everyone together at a decent time. I typically feed her earlier in the evening, then I cook myself something, and my husband eats whenever he feels like it.

Plenty of families have the same predicament. So how do you implement family mealtimes when everyone's schedule is so whack-ado? ... I don't know. That's why I'm asking you. I guess I could feed Alex a little later and eat with her at the table. It's not quite "family time", but it's 2/3 of it. Maybe I could bring the dog in too...

Another problem with family mealtime in our house, is that we all have different diets. I've tried everything to figure this one out. When I was doing my weightloss challenges with my group, the biggest obstacle that a lot of the women had in eating right, was that their husbands weren't onboard with the idea, so they were forced to cook to their husband's preference, rather than their own. I told them that my rule was, "If you don't want to eat what I cook, then you can provide for yourself." Apparently, that doesn't work for everyone. I guess a lot of husbands are scarier than mine. It also only worked in my house for a little while. I still had to make a separate meal for Alex, because even if she could cook for herself, I don't trust her with most cooking utensils, and her meals would consist of fruit snacks and juice boxes. And I quickly found out that Nate can rack up quite the fast food bill. From a monetary standpoint, it wasn't my best policy. Fortunately, he's now trying to eat a little healthier, and even though he's on a pretty strict diet, it's done in a way that I can find a compromise. I cook for him, and then tweak the food a little to suit my lifestyle. For example, last night, he was on a "no carb" day, so he made ribeye steaks. Ribeye is a really fatty cut of meat, so instead of eating a whole steak, I cut a few slices off of one of his (Yes, I just said one of his. He ate two.) and made a ribeye salad for myself. Then, I didn't have to cook two separate dinners.

Since we cooked one dinner together last night, my husband and I were actually able to eat at the same time. Normally, Nate always eats at the dining room table, only by himself. By the time I eat dinner, Alex is usually done with her's and wants me to eat in the living room, while she watches her evening movie. Last night, however, she seemed to be content with what she was doing, so I set the table for the both of us. No sooner had we sat down, then Alex came into the dining room to see what was going on. Instead of whining for me to go join her on the couch, she went back to the living room, came back her plate of peanut butter toast, set it on the table, climbed up into a chair and proceeded to eat dinner with us. I think it was our first family dinner that didn't take place in a restaurant. And it was nice. Maybe instead of worrying about bringing family mealtime to my family, my family will bring mealtime to me.

Recipe Wednesday - Lizzie Symon's Granola

Chef Michael Symon raves about his wife, Lizzie's, granola, and apparently he got a lot of requests for the recipe, so he posted it recently on The Chew's facebook page. I've always liked granola, especially on yogurt, but I've never really loved granola. Typically, granola's very fattening and heavy-handed in the calorie area, so I've avoided eating much of it. Lizzie's recipe does contain a bit of fat, in the form of nuts and olive oil, but it's all very heart-healthy fats, and since breakfast should be a hearty combination of all of the macronutrients (fat, protein and carbs) this recipe is a great way to start your day! Just don't overdo it. It's very filling, so a cup of granola with a little skim milk is surprisingly satisfying. Plus, the flavor is awesome. It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty. I'll give you fair warning though - it's extremely addicting!

Lizzie Symon's Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt

Toss together to coat and bake on sheetray at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely in pan. Add 2 cups of dates and dried cherries & serve or store in airtight container and add dried fruit to order.

NEW - Just announced today, (05/22/12) you can pre-order Michael's new book, "Carnivore" for almost 1/2 off! 

Don't forget to check out my entertaining new ebook, "What Does That Even Mean?!: A Navigational Guide to Understanding the Health Hype" - available at the Kindle Market for just $3.99! 

Purchase it HERE 

The Joy of Shopping

Ok, time for a personal confession. I've always hated shopping for clothes. Take all of the angst we women all feel during that dreaded time of year when we have to go swimsuit shopping, and just imagine feeling it every time you go shopping for clothes in general. Like a lot of people, I held on to clothes for years longer than I should have, just because I didn't want to have to suffer through the depression of buying new ones. Since high school, every time I entered a store, I wondered if anything was going to fit. Then, I just started shopping at stores that offered bigger sizes (but were definitely lower quality) just to avoid the embarassing moment when I found out that they did not. And I wore clothes that were too small, just because I didn't want to go stores like Lane Bryant and have to admit my real size to myself. I never even tried clothes on until I got home, because I'd go to a dressing room, I'd imagine that some security officer was watching their camera and throwing up in their mouth a little. I didn't want to be responsible for the retinal scarring of any innocent store employees.

Up until today, I was still wearing oversized clothes and workout gear because I was afraid that if I went shopping, I'd discover that I still couldn't shop at the stores I wanted to. But, I'd been feeling kind of down on myself lately, feeling kind of frumpy and ugly, so I decided to brave it. I needed a pick-me-up and the mall usually does it. So, I did, and I have an announcement to make. I can officially shop in any store I want! Even my boobs, which I was convinced would never fit into normal shirts, have gotten small enough to wear a Large. It's a glorious day! I even bought my first pair of skinny jeans. They're cropped, but I have freaky short legs, so they sit just above high-water length, and I have to roll them up a little extra.

Today feels good. I'm glad I made my shopping trip. It was just the morale boost that I needed. I'm back to feeling like my usual pretty, confident self. Thanks for that, new clothes! :)

The Paleolithic Diet

I'll take a break from vitamin month, because I've had a special request for a blog entry. My husband has started a diet that he's wanted to do for ages, but never bitten the bullet, the Paleolithic Diet (AKA Paleo Diet, Hunter-gatherer Diet or Caveman Diet). He asked me to do a little write-up on it. The basic premise is that your diet should consist of the same foods that the cavemen ate, fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat and eggs. You don't eat anything that was introduced during the neolithic age, like grains, dairy, salt or legumes, or the industrial era, which added things like oils and processed sugars to our diets. The main arguement for the paleo diet is that our bodies have not evolved to process anything other than completely natural foods, and that all of the diseases we experience come from the changes in our diets. By eliminating these changes, we eliminate the negative effects. Of course, as some experts point out, cavemen lived to be... what, like 30? Hardcore paleo dieters think that cooking your food is a cop-out, and that the body isn't designed to eat food cooked. They believe that all foods should be consumed raw, which is typically called "raw dieting" and I call "disgusting." People opposed to the paleo-style of dieting say that it's impossible to know for sure what the paleolithic man actually ate, and the best means that we have to determine that is by watching chimpanzees in the wild. While the paleo diet encourages eating plenty of meat, chimps only eat meat (and vegetables) when they are readily available, as our cavemen ancestors would have. Their normal diet would have actually consisted of about 95% fruit.

Nate isn't doing the diet to eliminate disease, since I'm almost certain he doesn't have any, but to lose some unwanted "getting older and lazier" fat. Plus, I think he likes the idea of being a caveman. The diet he's following is kind of a mix between the paleo diet and a diet designed more for fat loss, the Green-Faces Diet. The green-faces diet allows you to eat as much as you want as long as you follow a few simple rules. If it's green, you can eat. If it has a face, or theoretically would have had a face, like eggs, (I say theoretically, because as much as some people seem to think otherwise, eggs from the store are unfertilized. A chicken could sit on one until his butt went numb, and that egg will never be a baby chicken.), you can eat it. If it's not green and didn't have a face, you can't have it. Since green vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, you can consume as much as you want with relatively low calorie consumption, and although certain meats are high in fat and calories, the protein payoff is worth it for someone who is physically active, and you'll end up losing fat, while building muscle, which is his ultimate goal. Advocates of this style of dieting say that 70% of the calories we consume come from forbidden items dairy, cereals, processed oil and processed sugars. The green-faces diet is used not only for shedding pudge, but many use it as an "elimination diet." By removing all common food allergies, things like gluten, dairy or peanuts, from your diet, you assess how you feel and determine if you have any allergies. You may not even realize that you have a food allergy until you eliminate it and then notice that you feel better. When the diet's over, you can reintroduce foods, one-at-a-time to find out what you were allergic to.

My husband's diet consist of fruits, veggies, nuts, meat and eggs, and he eats as much as he wants, which, if you know Nate, the dude can pack it away. He can only drink water and he can't have anything alcoholic, dairy-based, high carb-y or starchy. If you ask me, he's giving it a pretty weak effort, since he had me make meatballs yesterday (with breadcrumbs) and I'm pretty sure the cavemen didn't have ketchup. I mean, if you're going to do a "diet", you should man-up and go balls to the wall, right? At least that's my opinion. ;)

One last thing, if it sounds like I'm taking a firm anti-caveman diet stance, I am. Most of it sounds fine, but I object to any diet that calls for the voluntary elimination of carbs. If you tell me you don't eat carbs, you might as well just be telling me that your favorite pasttime is kicking puppies. That's how much it breaks my heart. But, best of luck to Nate on his diet, and I'll let everyone know how it works out for him!

Recipe Wednesday - Chicken Paillard

The other day I was flipping through my cookbooks, looking for something new to make, and I came across a recipe for chicken paillard in Tyler Florence's "Family Meal". I like it because it's very simple to make, is absolutely delicious and if you throw some gravy or marinera and cheese on it, you've got chicken fried chicken or chicken parm.

Now you're probably thinking, "I thought these recipes were supposed to be healthy. Fried chicken's not healthy!" You're right, but when you're craving fried chicken, baked just doesn't do it, and fried chicken can be healthier. Frankly, as long you eat right normally, you can enjoy a little fried food without throwing everything off. The good thing about paillard, is that you pound the meat thin before you pan-fry it, so it cooks faster and spends less time in the oil. And the lemon juice on top adds a ton of flavor, without any fat. My husband prefers it with marinera, so I just heat up a little sauce for him and pour it on his before I serve it. He says, and I quote, "This is the best chicken parmesan I've ever had. I feel like I could eat this every day." He likes it because it doesn't come out greasy and he doesn't feel like he's just eaten a heavy fatty meal. If I serve it with salad, he feels like he ate so healthy that he makes himself a batch of cinnamon rolls for dessert. (He's not the healthiest guy.)

Chicken Paillard

4 3oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even 1/2" thickness

1 c whole wheat flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
3 lemons, cut into wedges

Note on pounding chicken - if you cut a slit in the underside of the thickest part of the breast, it will help it to flatten when you pound it. To pound out chicken, place each chicken breast between two large sheets of plastic wrap and hit with a meat mallet (or if you're like me and don't own a meat mallet, use a rolling pin... or wine bottle.)

Set up a breading station:

1 bowl with flour. Add enough salt and pepper so that you can see the pepper in the flour and taste the seasonings.

1 bowl with beaten eggs

1 bowl with panko bread crumbs. Again, add enough salt and pepper to see and taste it in the crumbs.

Take each pounded chicken breast and first coat in flour, shaking off the excess, then in egg, and lastly in bread crumbs. Place on a plate. Repeat with remaining breasts. Refrigerate the plate of breaded chicken for ten minutes, so the breading will adhere better when fried.

While chicken is chilling, fill a large skillet with 1 1/2" oil. Heat on med-high until oil pops with a drop of water hits it. Fry each chicken breast, one at a time, in the oil for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove fried chicken from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over chicken.

Vitamin Month - Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is only found naturally in a few foods, like the flesh of fatty fish, such as catfish, tuna, salmon and mackerel. Small amounts are also found in beef liver, cheese and egg yolks. Most of the Vitamin D we consume comes from products that have been Vitamin D "fortified", like milk, breakfast cereals, yogurt and margarine. Although Vitamin D fortification in milk is not required in the United States, as it is in Canada, most milk is voluntarily fortified with 100 IU per cup, a process which began in the 1930s to combat rickets, a major health risk for children at the time.

Vitamin D can also be gained through sun exposure. When the UV rays from the sun hit the skin, vitamin D is synthesized.

Vitamin D is necessary for proper bone growth. Without it, your bones would become brittle, thin and misshapen. Sufficient intake of vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

Recommended Daily Intake -
Age 1-70 = 600 IU/day
70+ = 800 IU/day

Vitamin Month - Vitamin C

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is probably the most preached about vitamin. People take Vitamin C for everything from preventing or beating colds to curing cancer, when in actuality, studies haven't been able to prove that it helps with any of those things. Over 30 clinical trials of more than 10,000 participants have shown that people who take Vitamin C for cold symptoms see little to no improvement. Of course, I still do it. Whenever I get a cold, I immediately down 2 quarts of Dole pineapple-orange-banana juice to try and blast it away. And I always swear that it works, although I'm probably just drunk on juice and forgot about my cold. :)

What they do know is that Vitamin C is necessary to build collagen in your bones, cartilage, muscles and blood vessels, and it aids in the absorption of iron.

Vitamin C deficiency causes the disease, scurvy, which I always thought was a disease that only pirates got. While it's rare nowadays, scurvy was very common hundreds of years ago. Any place that lacked access to fresh fruits and vegetables was susceptible, especially sailors, who would be out to sea for months or years at a time. The first recorded case of scurvy was by the Greek doctor, Hippocrates in 400 BC. Centuries later, people suspected the lack of fresh food to be the cause, however, the first study to determine this wasn't until 1747, by British Royal Navy surgeon, Jonathan Lind. While out at sea, he gave some sailors on the ship two lemons and an orange everyday, in addition to their normal diet and compared them to those who hadn't had the citrus. He noticed a dramatic decrease in scurvy symptoms by those sailors who had consumed the citrus fruits. By 1795, it was common practice for the British Navy to give it's sailors lime juice to prevent the disease.

*Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin

SOURCES: chili peppers, guava, parsley, kiwi, broccoli, brussels sprouts, papaya, strawberries, oranges, lemon, kale, cauliflower, canteloupe, garlic, grapefruit, tangerines, raspberries, spinach, lime, mango, blackberries

The US National Academy of Sciences recommends 60-95 mg/day of Vitamin C

Vitamin Month - Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B isn't actually a single vitamin, but a collection of 8 different vitamins known as the Vitamin B Complex that coexist and are found in the same sources. Alone, they go by one of two names, either their B name (like B6 or B12) or their unique name:

B1 - thiamine

B2 - riboflavin

B3 - niacin

B5 - pantothenic acid

B6 - pyridoxine

B7 - biotin

B9 - folic acid

B12 - cobalamin

All 8 of the B vitamins are water-soluble, so they break down and are absorbed through water in the body.

B Vitamins are necessary to support and speed up the metabolism, maintain healthy skin and muscle tone, enhance immune and nervous system function, promote cell growth and division and reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, although only when consumed in food form, not when taken as a vitamin tablet.

B vitamins are also believed to improve the symptoms of ADHD.

B Vitamins are found in whole, unprocessed, foods, and in their highest concentration in meats, especially turkey and tuna. Other good sources are whole grains, banana, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, beans, molasses and yeast. Since B vitamins are food in brewer's yeast, even beer is a source of B vitamins, however, the ethanol in beer inhibits the absorption of most of the vitamins.

B12 is an important vitamin to note, because it is not found in plant products, so vegans are at risk for B12 deficiency, which can result in a few forms of anemia, memory loss and can even cause symptoms of mania and psychosis. Luckily, most B vitamins are available in injection form or dietary supplements for people at risk of deficiency.

Vitamin B12 is great for extra energy, so you'll find it added to a lot of energy drinks. You can also get B12 shots from a doctor which give you a few weeks worth of added energy. I used to have a friend who go a B12 shot once a month, and I could always tell when she'd just gotten it. She'd come into work looking clammy, hair all crazy and pupils dialated. She looked like a meth addict for a week. Then she'd balance out and just be peppy for a couple more weeks until her next shot. I personally would have just stuck with coffee, but if you need a real pick-me-up, they definitely work.



Vitamin Month - Vitamin A

I thought I'd devote a whole month to talking about different vitamins, so I am hereby dubbing July, VITAMIN MONTH! All month, we'll talk about the different vitamins, what they do and where to find them. Just a little FYI about vitamins, they are absorbed into the body two different ways. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are absorbed by the body, while fat-soluble vitamins are dissolved in fatty acids before being absorbed. If you take vitamin supplements, make sure you read the directions. If your vitamins say "take with food," they are fat-soluble and must be taken in conjunction with fat to be absorbed. If you take them with only a glass of water or a fat-free food, then they'll be wasted because your body won't absorb them and you won't be reaping any benefits.

Ok, the first vitamin of Vitamin Month will be Vitamin A. (Might as well start at the beginning of the alphabet, right?)

VITAMIN A

* Fat-soluble

* Vitamin A is derived from two sources in food. Retinol, which is essential to the functioning the the retina in the eye. Retinol is important for low-light and color vision. As a matter of fact, long-term Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness. Carotenes, like beta-carotene, also provide Vitamin A, because separate enzymes in the body convert the carotenes into retinol.

* The recommended daily intake of Vitamin A for adults is 700mg/day for women and 900mg/day for men.

* Vitamin A plays a role in a variety of functions in the body. Besides vision, it's needed for gene transcription, immune function, embryonic development and reproduction, skin and cellular health, bone metabolism and antioxidant activity.

* Vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed nations, however in developing nations, it's quite prevalent, especially among children. Approximately 1/3 of children under the age of 5 in these nations suffer from a Vitamin A deficiency and it's estimated that it's responsible for the deaths of 670,000 children under 5 each year, with another 250,000-500,000 struck with blindness. Vitamin A deficiency is most prevalent in Southeast Asia and Africa.

* Excessive amounts if Vitamin A can lead to toxicity, and can cause nausea, irritability, anorexia, vomiting, blurry vision, muscle and abdominal pain, headaches and hair loss.

Best sources for Vitamin A:

Liver, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, cantaloupe, cheddar cheese, eggs, apricots, collard greens, papaya, mango, peas and milk.

Recipe Wednesday - Berry Mojito Smoothies

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to making breakfast and lunch. Dinner, I don't mind spending time to cook, but I'm usually too tired first thing in the morning and, well, I don't really have an excuse for not wanting to prepare a decent lunch, but I don't like doing it. That's why I'm a huge fan of smoothies. It takes what, like a minute to throw a bunch of stuff in a blender? My favorite smoothie recipe uses designer whey powder for protein (you can get it at any health-food store, online or in the organic section of most big grocery stores.) It adds 9 grams of protein per smoothie serving and makes it a more balanced meal. It also uses Crystal Lite in place of plain water, which adds a ton of extra flavor, cuts the weird after taste of the whey protein and only adds 5 calories (depending on the type of Crystal Lite you use). In this smoothie, I used their new mojito flavor. Kraft sent me a free sample and it has a great mint limeade flavor that goes really well with summer berries.

Berry Mojito Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups of ice

2 cups frozen mixed berries

1 scoop vanilla designer whey protein

12 oz Mojito Crystal Lite

Blend all ingredients in a blender for 3-5 minutes, until it's frothy and has doubled in volume. Pour into glasses. Makes 24oz or 2 servings. Each serving is about 120 calories.



Portion Control Tips

While I was in Puerto Rico this past March, I had a conversation with my husband's aunt about food here in "The States". One thing I had noticed while we were there was that even though their food is soooo unhealthy (pretty much everything is fried), there weren't nearly as many overweight people as here. She believes the difference is in the portion sizes. They may eat a lot of rich fried foods, but they do it in relatively small proportions, whereas here, we eat food that seems healthier, but we eat way too much of it. She actually said she was "disgusted" with portion sizes here. (I've heard that sentiment from lots of people not from the US) She believes that if restaurants would just start serving correct portion sizes, then obesity would disappear. I think that if restaurants one day just started serving correct portions, people would be outraged, wanting to know where the rest of their food is.

Training yourself to eat less is probably the hardest part about developing a good diet. Even though your stomache eventually shrinks, hunger pains suck for the first couple of weeks. Plus, if you're like me, I eat really fast. I don't know why, but somewhere in my brain, I think there's a belief that someone's going to take my food away if I don't scarf it down. Luckily, I've developed a few tips that have helped.

1) Learn correct portion sizes. Read the box on the foods you eat. Did you know that a portion of meat is 3oz, which is roughly the size of  a deck of playing cards? A 6oz steak is twice the size of a normal portion. A serving of pasta is a 1/2 cup. The average serving of pasta at a restaurant is 2 1/2 cups.

2) Eat on small dishes. I learned this trick from my grandmother. Eat off of salad plates instead of dinner plates. Look for small ice cream bowls at the store and use those for things like cereal. When you fill a whole plate, even a small one, you won't feel like you got ripped off.

3) If you eat out at a restaurant, have the server pack up 1/2 of your meal in a to-go box BEFORE he/she even brings your meal to the table. Then you won't be tempted to overeat.

4) A 3oz piece of steak and a roll isn't going to fill anyone up. Load up on veggies and eat those first. They're almost always low in fat and calories and high in nutrition. You'll feel full by the end of the meal and will have stayed in a healthy calorie range.

5) This one is a little weird, but it works. If you eat really fast, train yourself to eat slower by eating with chopsticks. It's almost impossible to eat fast with two little sticks, unless you're holding them together to act as a shovel while you stuff your face. Use them correctly and eat one piece of food at a time. I also use baby spoons for things like yogurt and ice cream. Smaller bites = longer time to eat. It takes 20 minutes for your body to register that it's full, so forcing yourself to slow down is a good thing.

6) Eat foods that are high in fiber. Fiber fills you up and takes a long time to digest, so you stay fuller longer. Plus, your body typically doesn't absorb the calories from fiber!

History of the Marathon

I was going to do a 5K training progress report today, but there hasn't been much progress, so instead, I thought I would give the history of the marathon. I know I'm not running a marathon, but the history of the 5k probably isn't nearly as interesting.

The marathon originated to commemorate the run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, who ran from the town of Marathon to Athens to deliver the message "Niki!" ("Victory") over the Persian forces in 490 BC. According to legend, Pheidippides ran 24.85 miles, delivered his message then collapsed and died.

The run from Marathon to Athens is now known as the Athens Marathon and was used as the marathon course during the 2004 Olympic Games. The marathon was changed from 24.85 miles to it's current 26.2 miles at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, in order to cover the distance from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, adding the extra 2.2 miles so that the race could finish in front of the Royal Family's viewing box.

The first modern marathon was won by Spiridon Louis, a Greek postal worker who finished with a time of 2 hrs, 58 minutes and 50 seconds, an average of 7:11 minutes per mile.

If you've ever watched the New York Marathon, (or just some pre-marathon footage, because seriously, who wants to sit and watch people run for hours? That's as torturous as watching golf.) then you know that they always like to ask the runners which celebrity times they're trying to beat. Most people say Oprah, but some other celebs have posted some pretty impressive times. Honestly, just the fact that they can run 26.2 miles is impressive enough, but their finishing times are even moreso.

#1 Lance Armstrong (not surprising. He's basically the bionic man) New York City Marathon 2006 - 2:59:36 (2 hours, 59 minutes, 36 seconds) and 2007 - 2:46:43

#2  Natalie Morales New York City Marathon 2006 - 3:31:02

#3 George W. Bush Houston Marathon 1993 - 3:44:52

#4 Edward Norton New York City Marathon 2009 - 3:48:01

#5 Anthony Edwards Chicago Marathon 2003 - 3:55:40 New York City Marathon 2009 - 4:08:20

#6 Will Ferrell Boston Marathon 2003 - 3:56:12

#7 Sarah Palin Humpy's Marathon 2005 - 3:59:36

#8 Sean Diddy Combs New York City Marathon 2003 - 4:14:54

#9 Alanis Morissette New York City Marathon 2009 - 4:28:45

#10 Oprah Winfrey Marine Corps Marathon 1994 - 4:29:15

For a Little Inspiration

To combat a possible case of the Mondays, I thought I'd pass on a little inspiration, in the form of one of my favorite quotes. It's by an author named Marianne Williamson, from her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles." I first heard it in the movie Akeelah and the Bee and since then, I've actually painted it on a canvas for my daughter's room.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."  - Marianne Williamson

Carbs Make You Happy

I've always believed that carbohydrates were the wrongly villainized evil-doers of the nutrient world. People are so quick to blame them for their problems, and toss them out without a thought. Poor carbs... Personally, I can't imagine life without them. I've tried to give them up, but I only made it about 24 hours. It's an addiction. What can I say?

So, what is a carbohydrate? Basically, a carb is anything made up of, or containing sugar or starch molecules. When most people think of carbs, they think of bread and pasta, but the carb family consists of much more. The carb family ranges everywhere from candy and sodas to fruits and veggies. Even dairy products contain carbs.

Carbs are broken down into two types, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are those that contain only one or two types of sugar molecules (monosaccharides and disaccharides, saccharide being the scientific name for sugar), while complex carbohydrates are those that contain three or more types of sugar molecules (polysaccharides). In the 70's, the definition was different. Then, complex carbs were any carbs that took longer to digest and were high in fiber, vitamins or minerals, whereas simple carbohydrates were any that were lacking in nutritional value and were quickly digested in the body. This definition catagorized fruits, veggies, whole grains and milk products as complex, but by today's definition, fruits, veggies and milk products are considered simple carbohydrates. Any starchy carb, like bread or potatoes is considered a complex carbohydrate. To really get the benefits of carbs, you should have a diet that includes both simple and complex carbs.

Now you know what a carb is, so what do carbs do? The short answer - carbs give you energy. That's why marathon runners and other athletes "carb load" prior to an event. Here's the how and why, the long answer. Stick with me, it's kind of complicated. The unit measure of energy for food is the calorie. A gram of carbohydrates contains 3.75 calories. It doesn't matter what kind of carb it is, the measure is always the same, 3.75 calories. A gram of protein contains 4 calories and a gram of fat has 9 calories. Like carbs, the type doesn't matter. 1g protein = 4 calories, 1g fat = 9 calories. So why do we turn to carbs for energy when fat and protein have more energy to give? Because the body burns what's easiest first. A lot of the calories in protein can't be broken down, and fat has to be converted to a burnable form first. The easiest energy source for the body to consume is glucose, a sugar and thus a carb. In the absence of glucose, the body will convert fatty deposits into glycogen and burn that (this is the basis behind no-carb diets), but the process takes awhile, so there is no immediate energy to use. If you want energy right away, go with carbs.

Maybe the instant energy boost is why I believe that carbs make you happy. There's no other scientfic basis to my theory, but if you've ever tried to give them up, you probably know what I'm talking about. I tried carb cycling once (varying the time and amount that you eat carbs) for a week and I would never recommend it. It was probably the most miserable week of my life. By the end, I was a very angry little person. And I didn't lose any more weight that I would have on my normal diet with a little more exercise. I'd be willing to bet that if you did a diet poll of serial killers, that at least half are on a low-carb, no-carb diet. Not that I think it's an excuse, but I can see how that would drive someone to murder.

Recipe Wednesday - Salmon Burgers

Since Father's Day is this Sunday, I thought today's recipe should be a good one for dads. This recipe for salmon burgers, from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, is a great, healthy alternative to the standard beef burger. Salmon is high in Omega-3, an essential fatty acid, believed to aid in everything from cardiovascular health to the immune system. One important thing to know when purchasing salmon in that wild salmon is much healthier than farm-raised salmon. Not only are farm-raised salmon higher in fat content than wild, but the food given to farm-raised salmon is full of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), a compound made up of up to 209 different chemicals. Studies have shown that farm-raised salmon contain anywhere from 10-16x the amount of PCBs as wild salmon.

SALMON BURGERS

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless salmon filets

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

4 tsp prepared horseradish

1/2 tsp Old Bay 30% Less Sodium seasoning

4 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise

4 whole grain or whole wheat hamburger buns

4 small green leaf lettuce leaves

4 large slices of tomato

Cut salmon into cubes and place in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pulse until the salmon is about the consistency of ground beef. Transfer into a mixing bowl and stir in the onion, parsley, 2 tsp of horseradish and the Old Bay.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and shape into patties, about 4" in diameter.

Place a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, spray with a non-stick spray, add patties and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly brown and patties are cooked through. They should be pale pink all the way through.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with remaining 2 tsp horseradish until well combined. Place each bun bottom on a plate and layer with patty, a lettuce leaf and a slice of tomato. Spread 1 tbsp of the mayo mixture on the bun top and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Scary Obesity Statistics

In 2004, the US Center for Disease Control, or CDC, listed obesity as the #1 health threat in the United States. It surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death. Currently, obesity is the contributing factor in roughly 400,000 deaths in the United States a year.

In 2008, the medical costs from obesity and obesity-related illnesses was a jaw-dropping $147 billion!

In 2009, the CDC's surveys found that 34 states had populations in which more than 25% of the citizens were obese. In 2000, ZERO states had populations over 25%. This number continues to rise every year.

Studies show that 17%, or 12.5 million children and adolescents are obese, triple what it was in 1980.

1 in 7 preschool aged children from low-income areas are obese.

Obesity can lead to serious diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome, as well causing infertility in both men and women.

The severly overweight spend more money on healthcare in their lives than smokers.

 

5K Training - Progress report #1

I've never been able to run. I mean ever. Even as a kid, I could never run the whole mile in P.E. It was always a source of embarassment for me, one of the few things I've ever completely failed at. I walk 3-5 miles a day, every day, but the second you add that little jump in the step that separates the walk from the jog, my body immediately thinks, "Oh my god! I'm going to die!" The worst feeling in the world is when you run and run and run until your knees buckle, your heart's beating out of your chest and you lungs are going to explode... then you turn around and you can still see your house.

As part of Operation "Get Awesome", I swore that I would conquer this inability to run. That's how I came up with one of the worst ideas I've ever had in my life (or at least it seems that way at the moment.) I made it a goal to run a 5k this year. So, on September 10th, I will be in Illinois, running the Underground Railroad 5k with my sister. I would say sisters, but I'm pretty sure the other one is boycotting this whole business.

The great thing about having my sister as a running buddy for my first run is that she can't run either, so I'm not so alone in my misery. The other day, the beautiful and athletic Ms. Lauren Rhodes, suggested I check out the 5k training plans on runnersworld.com. The following is a message correspondence between my sister and I regarding the training plans. I thought it was funny, so I figured I'd share.

ME:
"This friend recommended I go to runnersworld.com because they have good training plans for 5k's. So I did and selected '5k for beginners.'

"week 1: day 1: run 2 miles at an easy pace."

Someone doesn't know what 'beginner' means..."

TRICIA:
"Hahahaha... Yeah, I didn't know that "run" came in the form of "easy pace"... I must be doing it wrong! Lol. Do they have 5k for toddlers? That might be more appropriate for me!"

See what I mean? It helps to have a workout buddy to make you feel better! Thanks Trish. :P

Recipe Wednesday - Cauliflower "Mash" Potatoes

I've always loved cauliflower, but I've found throughout the years that other lovers of this humble vegetable are few and far between. I guess it's because, on it's own, cauliflower doesn't have a whole lot of flavor. It's a shame, because cauliflower is loaded with vitamin C and very low in calories. A 1 cup serving of raw cauliflower rings in at only 25 calories and 91% of your daily value of vitamin C.

In the past year, cauliflower has finally been getting some respect in the restaurant world, and one of it's most popular uses is as a low-cal substitute for potatoes, like in this cauliflower mashed potato recipe. I found this recipe a few years ago in a cookbook called "Cook Yourself Thin", and I love it. It substitutes 1/2 of the potatoes with cauliflower, but by using yukon gold potatoes, you still get a ton of flavor. Yukon golds have a light buttery flavor that pairs great with the garlicy taste from the scallions. I cooked this dish for a weightloss pot luck and it was a hit! Best of all, the haters won't even know there's cauliflower in it!

Cauliflower "Mash" Potatoes

Ingredients:

1/2 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets (about 8 cups)

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2" slices

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup lowfat milk

1/4 pepper

1 tbsp butter

2 scallions, chopped

Place cauliflower in a steamer basket and set over boiling water. Cover and steam for 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, add the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of milk and puree until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a saucpan, add cold salted water to cover by about 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, return to saucepan and heat over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes to dry. Mash with a potato masher. Add cauliflower puree, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to blend, heat over med-low heat, adding more milk as needed to get the desired consistency. Stir in butter and scallions, and serve.

Strength Training - the Necessary Evil

I think all women are taught somewhere in their formative years that if you lift weights, you'll grow up to look like a dude. And if we aren't taught that, somehow, the idea gets put in our brains. Maybe it's just one of the irrefutable truths that women just know, like all men are jerks and shopping cures depression.

My husband used to be a really small guy, 5'8" and 135 lbs. He got into weightlifting to gain weight, but he found that he enjoyed it so much that he wanted me to do it with him. I refused, of course, because I was trying to lose weight, not look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. No matter how many times he tried to convince me that I wouldn't bulk up from lifting, I held firm to my convictions. It wasn't until I went to one of his powerlifting meets and saw some of the girls competing that I finally admitted to myself that I might be wrong. Those girls looked better equipped for bucket tosses and front flips on a cheerleading mat than for deadlifts and bench presses in the gym.

The truth is, weightlifting is an essential part of any fitness regimen, and growing muscle to the point of bulk is a lot harder than it sounds. It doesn't just happen. You have to eat an insane amount of calories to build that much muscle. (To get from 150-180, my husband had to consume upwards of 4,000 calories a day!) Strength training, in combination with a healthy relatively low-cal diet, will build lean muscle and that sculpted toned look that we all wish for.

When I talk about strength training, I'm not referring to little 3-10 lb hand weights. Those are better suited to holding during a cardio routine. I'm talking about real weight. The kind where you break a sweat after one set, and your muscles feel like jelly by the end of your workout. FYI - if you're not sore for a few days after a strength workout, you need to step it up. That feeling of soreness comes from your muscles repairing themselves, so if you don't feel it, then your workout wasn't strenuous enough and you didn't reap the benefits.

Vigorous weightlifting burns 8-10 calories per minute, so a 30 minute session burns roughly 240-300 calories. That's slightly less than intense cardio like running, but weightlifting has a much larger afterburn (the calories burned after the workout is over), since your muscles have to repair themselves and the body uses calories to do that. Muscle also requires more calories to maintain than fat does, because muscle is constantly being broken down and rebuilt, even when you aren't working out. Fat just kind of sits there, being fat. So, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. It's actually because of the fact that muscle mass increases your metabolism that body builders and powerlifters have to consume so many calories. They've pretty much burned the food off before it hits their lips. There are guys on my husbands team that are 230 lbs of solid muscle, but have to eat loaded large pizzas drowned in ranch dressing and olive oil in order to keep their weight up.

Those girls at the powerlifting meet who looked like cheerleaders, probably were. Anyone who can toss another human being into the air and then catch them, has to have seen their fair share of barbells. If you ever look into the workout regimens of Victoria's Secret models, you'll find that they involve a LOT of weightlifting. They actually spend their lunch breaks doing lunges down the hall with a squat bar! (Little known fact - supermodels are crazy-strong, like gorillas.)

You can lose weight and be thin without strength training, but you'll never achieve that elusive "toned" look that you're after without some heavy lifting. You'll just walk around being skinny and jiggly, what my husband I refer to as a skinny-fat person. And you'll always have to count calories because your metabolism will be slow as molasses.

MyPlate

On Thursday, the USDA, in partnership with First Lady Michelle Obama, officially said goodbye to the food pyramid, and ushered in the new MyPlate icon.

I, for one, could not be more excited. It's pretty much the coolest thing to happen to food guidelines since... well, ever. I hated the food pyramid. No one past the 5th grade actually used that thing. It was hard to read and even harder to remember. I don't believe I've ever met a single person who told me, "I try and follow the food pyramid guidelines." If you don't remember it, here's a refresher.

Go ahead and say your goodbyes. I'll give you a moment...

Now, say hello to his replacement, MyPlate! *round of applause*

How much better is that?! About 100x, right? A plain and simple visualization of the dietary guidelines. More focus on fruits and veggies than the pyramid, which is a good thing, since they're almost always full of vitamins and minerals and low in fat and calories. I especially love the little circle for dairy. They should combine two initiatives in one and write "Got Milk?" in there.

I think it will make it easier, not only for adults, but especially for kids to eat better. You can make it a game, like a puzzle. Laminate a picture of the MyPlate for your kid to use as a placemat and see if they can make their meal match the picture.

I had to laugh when I first heard about this, because literally less than a week ago, I had a conversation with my roommate about serving sizes. He said that he has a hard time figuring out how much a serving size is of certain foods. I told him that he should focus on making every plate 1/2 fruits and veggies, 1/4 meat and 1/4 grain or starch. I love it when I'm right. I'm going to pretend like I willed this into existence. I'm kidding. This "plate concept" has been around forever, but I'd like to personally thank the lovely Michelle Obama for recognizing it on such a grand scale.

Kudos First Lady!

Why Sugar Rots Your Teeth

How many times did your parents tell you that too much sugar rots your teeth? I know I heard it all the time. Of course, I never understood why I couldn't have as much sugar as I wanted, as long as I brushed twice a day. A couple swipes with my trusty old toothbrush and problem solved, right?

The truth is that it isn't the contact with sugar on your teeth that rots them at all. Any food left on the teeth can become a breeding ground for bacteria that eat away at the enamel and cause cavities (which are literally holes in your teeth that can hurt like Hades, for anyone lucky enough to have never had one.)

Sugar rots them in a different way. Let me start by saying that not all sugar is created Equal (haha Equal... get it? Sorry, moving on.) Your body requires specific minerals to digest sugar, specifically magnesium, calcium and potassium. Natural sugars in plants, like raw cane sugar, stevia, agave nectar and the sugars from fruits and vegetables, already contain all of the minerals needed for the body to digest them. However, when the sugars are processed, to make white sugar, brown sugar (which is just white sugar with molasses added) or syrups, they're stripped of their minerals. In order to digest these processed sugars, the body is forced to pull the potassium, magnesium and calcium from other places, like your bones and teeth, weakening them.

Even though artifical sweeteners aren't actually sugar, they have the same effect on your teeth as sugar, because they are digested the same way and require the same minerals. Unlike sugar, which contains nutrients in it's raw form, artificial sweeteners never contained any minerals, so you can't switch to a different kind to defend yourself. It's best just to kick the artificial habit and switch to an all-natural sweetener. Your teeth and bones will thank you for it!

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I'm a self-proclaimed carb junkie. I love anything and everything baked, especially muffins. Unfortunately, muffins have never loved me back, until I discovered a great recipe in one of my new cookbooks, Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat This! Diet". If you aren't familiar with his work, Rocco Dispirito is a chef who focuses on finding ways to cut the fat and calories in traditional "off-limits" foods without sacrificing taste. As an added bonus, he also uses natural ingredients. Oh and did I mention he's gorgeous? His books are full of pictures of him cooking. (Add a couple pictures of him vacuuming and washing dishes and it'd be lady-porn.) Ok ok, enough fantasizing. Back to the muffins. These muffins are great because they're delicious, low in fat and calories, made of all-natural ingredients and they're high in fiber, so they fill you up and keep you satisfied. I have one every morning with 2 egg whites and a cup of coffee and I'm good to go until lunch time. Plus, agave nectar keeps your blood sugar normal, so you don't crave sweets mid morning or suffer a sugar crash. They're practically miracle muffins!

His recipe is for banana-walnut muffins, but since one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations is banana and peanut butter, I tweaked the recipe a little to be able to add peanut butter chips without adding a bunch of calories.

P.S. - The recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour, which is an important distinction. If you use regular wheat flour, your muffins will come out very dense and chewy. Pastry flour will give you the light and fluffy texture you'd get from white flour, but the fiber and nutrients of whole wheat.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray
2 cups + 2 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 packets (4 grams) powdered stevia, such as Truvia or SweetLeaf
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp banana extract
1/2 cup liquid egg white substitute
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
12 walnut halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-ct muffin pan with paper baking cups and spray each cup lightly with non-stick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, stevia and salt. Stir to combine well, and set aside.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine milk, agave nectar, mashed bananas, applesauce, vanilla, banana extract and egg substitute. Whisk until well blended. Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold together to combine. Stir just until well-blended. Add in peanut butter chips and stir.

Spoon batter evenly into each paper cup and top each with a walnut half. Bake 18-22 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Another great thing about muffins is that they can easily be frozen and defrosted as necessary. Just put them in a plastic freezer bag and they'll keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, just place one on a plate and microwave it for 1 minute 30 seconds. Then you're out the door with a hot, yummy and healthy breakfast.

Oh the guilt...

One of the hardest things I've had to learn about losing weight, is not to stress about what I eat or feel guilty for enjoying an occasional treat. Last summer, I got into doing weightloss challenges to keep myself motivated. The challenge that I signed up for was one where everyone pitched $25 into a pot and at the end of the 12-week challenge, the top 3 people with the highest percentage of weightloss split the pot. I'm competitive, so I thought it sounded like a really good way for me to keep losing. The first time I did the challenge, I started out really strong and lost weight quickly, but the as the weeks went by and it got closer to the end, I'd get increasingly focused on winning and increasingly worried that I wasn't losing enough. By the end of the challenge, even though I watched every single calorie that I put in my mouth, I followed all of the healthy guidelines, exercised everyday and drank more than enough water, I was struggling to lose just two lbs a week.

It frustrated me to no end, since I had no idea what was going on. The more frustrated I got, the more I just slid backwards. My coach had no tips for me, my powerlifter husband had no ideas... I was at a complete loss for where to turn. I ended up dropping from 1st place to 3rd and while I still lost 34 lbs in that challenge, my competitive self was crushed. In the second challenge I competed in, the same thing happened. I started out strong and slowed down, despite the fact that nothing in my diet or exercise regimen had changed. I ended up dropping from 1st to 2nd by the end of that one and only lost 14 lbs. After that, I decided to take a break and work on maintaining good habits without the threat of a weekly weigh-in.

A few weeks later, my husband and I went on our honeymoon to Puerto Rico for a week. It was the first time in 6 months that I had relaxed and not worried about every bite I took or every mile I logged. I swam, I snorkeled, I kayaked and hiked the rainforest... and I enjoyed the food. All of it. Stews, pastries, sandwiches, desserts, cocktails - I fully expected to gain 10 pounds by the time I went home. But, to my pleasant surprise, when I stepped on my scale the next morning, I had lost 3 lbs during my week of relaxation! Imagine, months of dieting, working out, counting every calorie, just to try and lose a single pound, and when I finally relaxed - 3 POUNDS! Who says you can't lose weight on vacation?

Finally, the reason for all of that frustration just clicked. Stress was the culprit behind my weight gain. I started doing some research online and discovered that stress causes the same chemical reactions in the body as the hormones from your period or pregnancy. It facilitates the storage of fatty tissue and causes water retention. Learning to relax, while still exercising and not completely pigging out, created a better balance then logging miles and freaking out over every calorie.

A few months ago, I read an article in Shape Magazine. It was an interview with supermodel Brooklyn Decker about how she stays in such good shape. She said something in it that I'll never forget, because it was so incredibly insightful. She was discussing food guilt and how it was something that she had learned to deal with. She said, "It's not the brownie that makes you fat. It's the guilt." It's so true. One pound of fat is 3500 calories. A brownie is what? 200? 300 calories? That's a tiny fraction of a pound. The stress over eating it is what causes you gain weight. Not the brownie itself. (Not that you should go brownie binging, but the ocassional brownie is not going to cause to blow up like a balloon.)

So, that's what I've been working on lately. I've been learning to indulge in some of the things I love without feeling bad about it. If I want ice cream (one of my major downfall foods), I get it. I just make sure that I walk to the ice cream shop and back and that I get one scoop in a cup. It's enough to kick my craving, there's no unnecessary calories from a cone, and I've burned it off by the time I get home. All of that helps me feel fine about the indulgence, and I'm still losing weight.

So next time you want to treat yourself, do it. But do it knowing that you work hard, you live healthy and you deserve a little treat in your life. You earned it, and you should never feel bad about it, because, "It's not the brownie that makes you fat. It's the guilt."