Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Yummy Monday- Veggie Pizza Squares


Ingredients:
One (8 ounce) package refrigerated reduced fat crescent rolls
One (8 ounce) package fat free cream cheese, softened
One (1 ounce) package Ranch-style dressing mix
Two carrots, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375-degrees.

Roll out crescent rolls onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Stretch and flatten to form a single rectangular shape on the baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Place cream cheese in a medium bowl. Mix cream cheese with 1/2 of the ranch dressing mix. Adjust the amount of dressing mix to taste. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange carrots, red bell pepper, broccoli and green onions on top. Chill in the refrigerator approximately one hour. Cut into bite-size squares to serve.

Recipe makes 24 bite-size squares.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 75
Fat: 5g
Cholesterol: 15mg
Sodium: 162mg

Thursday, October 26, 2006

MY TEACHING SCHEDULE (week-to-week)

· MONDAY: Turbo Jam @ 6:00am-7:00am Golds Gym…Dove Canyon, CA

· TUESDAY: Kickin Core @ 6:00am-7:00am Golds Gym…Dove Canyon, CA

Piyo @ 8:15am-9:15am 24Hour Fitness…Rancho Santa Maragarita, CA

Turbo Kickboxing @ 4:30pm-5:30pm 24Hour Fitness…Aliso Viejo, CA


· WEDNESDAY: Turbo Sculpt @ 6:00am-7:00am Golds Gym…Dove Canyon, CA

· THURSDAY: Turbo Kickboxing @ 9:00am-10:00am 24Hour Fitness…Irvine Spectrum (the “alley”), CA

· FRIDAY: Turbo Jam @ 5:45am-7:15am Golds Gym…Dove Canyon, CA

· SUNDAY: Turbo Jam @ 9:00am-10:00am Golds Gym…Dove Canyon, CA

Monday, October 23, 2006

YUMMY MONDAY- Easy & Light Breakfast Sandwich



2 slices reduced calorie whole wheat bread
2 slices Canadian bacon
2 hard boiled egg whites, sliced
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup shredded reduced fat cheese (cheddar, Swiss, etc.)

Place Canadian bacon, sliced egg white, jalapeno and tomato on each slice of bread. Top with cheese and toast or broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 2 servings
Serving size: 1 open face sandwich


Nutrients per serving:
Calories: 174
Total fat: 5 grams (26% of calories)
Saturated fat: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 22 mg
Sodium: 657 mg
Carbohydrate: 17 grams (38% of calories)
Protein: 16 grams (36% of calories)
Dietary fiber: 4 grams

Monday, October 16, 2006

Yummy Monday - Chocolate Protein Pudding



This one's super simple... I can hardly call it a recipe. In fact, it's really just more of a yummy concoction designed for those who prefer chocolate over chicken.







1 Jell-O brand Sugar Free Pudding
3 large Strawberries – sliced
1 scoop Beachbody Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
1 tbsp Cool Whip

Can you say deeeee-lish? I often have this little treat when my sweet tooth is kickin’ in to over-drive, but I really need a little protein and not really in the mood for tuna, chicken, lean meat, etc. It’s actually pretty filing and makes a nice light lunch or a great snack. Calorie content is about 200, but it’s super low in carb and packed full of protein. You'll notice when you add the protein powder the pudding becomes a little bit thinner in consistency. Not to worry. The taste is fabulous!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Use the scale


Dieting Facts:
about 1 in 3 American adults are on a diet.
majority will regain some or all of the weight lost
people who used a scale were more successful at hitting ideal weight
regular weigh in but not daily weigh ins are key
66.3% American adults who are overweight or obese (National Institutes of Health)
71 million: Americans who go on a diet in a typical year (Calorie Control Council National Consumer Survey, 2004)
$101 billion: American spending on "low-calorie" food and beverages in 2007(BBC Research Inc)



Losing excess weight is often easier than keeping it off. New research says stepping on a scale every day, while all along making changes in eating and exercise habits accordingly, can go a long way in helping dieters maintain weight loss and keep it off. Research is showing that daily weighing in is critical and has great benefits. To notice a drop in weight does not mean to go and binge. Some may point out that weighing in every day may be inaccurate due to facts all ranging from water retention to salt intake.

Study: "314 successful dieters who'd lost at least 10 percent of their body weight – averaging nearly 20 percent of their body weight or 42 pounds – within the last two years, into a control group and two intervention groups." Women in the control group received newsletters in the mail four times per year on the importance of eating right and exercising.
Women in the intervention groups were taught – either in face-to-face group meetings or via an online program – techniques known to prevent weight gain.
Advice included eating breakfast every day, getting an hour of physical activity and daily weigh-ins.
Women who remained within 3lbs of starting weight fell into "green zone" and were encouraged to keep it up. Women gaining 3-4lbs fell into the "yellow zone" prompting advice to tweak diet and exercise habits. Gaining 5+lbs, these women were in the "red zone" and were told to restart a new weight loss effort.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

WEEKLY UPDATE

WEEKLY UPDATE- THURSDAY 10.12.06

Life, as always, is extraordinarily busy but, why would I have it any other way? I am so fortunate to have been asked by a dear friend to participate in a Celebrity Golf Tournament this Monday October 16th 2006, all to raise money for the Ryan's Reach Foundation. I am fortunate to have met Ryan and his family and love being a part of their lives and whereever I can love dedicating my time and energy into the cause. Ryan's Reach is a charity that supports severe brain injury patients in helping them get rehabilitated. So this Monday I am going to be participating in this golf tournament. Now I was once an avid golfer but today, well let's just say my swing needs a bit of work. I am hoping to a, practice my swing over the weekend and b, to have my mother, basically pro-golfer, on my team for support. All in all I am so fortunate to be a part of this charity and look forward to it greatly. Will be a stretch from shakin it in the class, but hey its for a wonderful cause!

This week I had the opportunity to go to California State University Long beach to appear as a speaker there at the college. The audience was fabulous, being that it was a group of college kids where all they are interested in is getting fit a fun and easy way! Anyway that I can possibly help shape the lives of young people I am all for it!!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Yummy Monday October 9- Chicken Breast w/ honey mustard sauce

Baked Chicken Breast with Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey mustard sauces go well with many dishes. It is a delicious part of this chicken recipe with the additional nutrition and flavor of the walnuts, apricots and spinach. It is a great way to enjoy the healthy benefits of both chicken and spinach with a rich tasting, yet light sauce that is healthier than other high fat sauces. You can actually substitute any nut in this receipe or make it even lower fat and lower calories by leaving the nuts off (but what fun would that be?)

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 ½ TBS honey
2 TBS Dijon mustard
¼ cup sliced dried apricots
2 TBS coarsely chopped walnuts
1 TBS chopped parsley
4 bunches fresh spinach, stems removed and rinsed thoroughly
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until done.
While chicken is baking, bring salted water to a boil to cook spinach.
While water is coming to a boil, begin sauce. Combine broth, lemon juice, honey, and mustard in a small saucepan. Whisk together and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it comes to a boil, simmer for about 20 minutes. This can be cooking while chicken is baking. You want it to be reduced to a little less than half the volume you start with. This will thicken and intensify the flavor.
Add apricots and cook on high for another 5 minutes. When sauce is done add chopped walnuts, parsley, salt and pepper.
Cook spinach for only 2 minutes at the most. Drain and press dry. Season with a little salt and pepper. Divide spinach between 4 plates. Slice chicken breast and place over bed of spinach. Spoon sauce over chicken and spinach.

Serves 4

My Darling Husband Bret's Cooking Tips (cause ya'll know I'm not exactly a domestic Goddess):

Make sure you cover the chicken when baking so it doesn't dry out. He uses a ceramic baking dish with glass cover. It is also important to not over cook the chicken. Bret claims this is why my chicken is always soooooo dry. He's right. Cut the breast in the thickest part as it nears total cook time. If the meat is white, it's time to pull it out while it's still moist. So, it is best to start checking it after about 18-20 minutes. The center of the breast should read 160 with an instant reading thermometer, and the juices run clear.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Yummy Monday - Almond, Asparagus, Spinach Salad

Bret's Almond, Asparagus, Spinach Salad: Prep Time - 10 minutes

1 Bag pre-washed Spinach salad (remove the stems)
1/2 cup raw almond slivers
1/2 cup dried cranberries
7 Medium stalk asparagus
Low-fat or non-fat Raspberry Vinegrette

Directions:
(You migh want to consider avoiding bag spinach that comes out of California until this E-coli scare is figured out.) Next, remove the stems from your spinach. Over medium heat, skillet toast almonds (no oil needed) turning frequently until all turn a light brown. Now, add Asparagus to boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes until "fork tender", but not mushy! Be careful not to over cook! Drain and dice into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Now mix all ingrediants and coat lightly with dressing. Makes 2 large dinner size salads or 4 smaller servings.

I love this salad. Something about the Asparagus gives this a hearty meal kinda of feel that's often missing from vegetarian salads. I've also found some really yuumy fat-free Raspberry vinegrette dressings. Deeeeeee-lish!!!