Today's Tip: Does your pantry need a Clearout?

What are your food downfalls?
THROW THEM AWAY!

Take out menu's?
THROW THEM AWAY!

Too many prepackaged foods full of WAY too many ingredients?
THROW THEM AWAY!

Cereals with the first ingredient of SUGAR?
THROW THEM AWAY!

Some people are better at this than others...if clearing out your pantry is too hard for you to do by yourself, call and ask about Jen's "Kitchen Klean-Up".  I'll come to your house and help you clean it out, talk about what you need to add, and guide you into a better stocked pantry.

By the way, YES there are cereals out there that you can buy with confidence...and that your kids WILL LIKE!  Try these...

One VERY IMPORTANT point you need to make note of when it comes to cereal...SERVING SIZE!! Some cereals have a serving size of 3/4 cup, some are 1 1/4 cups.  Read it, measure it and enjoy it :).

Today's Tip: Try this for Breakfast!

One of the questions I often get is "what are some new ideas for breakfast?"  Well, new idea or old, DON'T SKIP BREAKFAST!

Now that we have that out of the way, let me share with you two breakfast ideas that will either add to your breakfast recipe file or motivate you to start one!

#1 
Bacon & Veggie Frittata

 

Ingredients for 2 servings:

4 bacon strips, coarsely chopped

1 cup chopped broccoli

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

6 eggs

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

 

Directions:

 

In an 8-inch ovenproof skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain, reserving approximately 2 tablespoons drippings in the skillet. Remove bacon to towel and set aside.

 

In the same skillet add broccoli, green pepper, onion, and rosemary; cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

 

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, water, salt, and pepper; pour the eggs over veggie mixture. Top with bacon and paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes or until eggs are firm. Cut into 3 servings. To make 4 servings, just add 2 more eggs, another 1/2 cup of veggies, and another sprinkle of the seasonings; bake for an extra 2-5 minutes.

 

And try this time-saving tip: cook up an entire package of bacon at one time in the oven - yes the oven!  Line a cookie sheet with sides with a large piece of foil and lay each piece of bacon on it.  Cook at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until it is at your desired doneness.  Drain on paper towels and put in a ziploc in the fridge and use it as you need it.

 

#2

Quick On The Go Greek Yogurt 

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• Handful of chopped nuts (I do walnuts)
• 1/4 cup fruit of choice (berries are my favorite)
• 1 pinch of Stevia or 1 tsp raw honey

 

This is a great choice for mornings with limited time.  This is my go-to breakfast on Sunday mornings when I am heading out the door to worship team rehearsal before church.  I can prepare it the night before and then I just pull it out and enjoy it while pouring a to-go cup of coffee and filling a bottle of water.  Now I am not a nut fan, so I leave the nuts out of my bowl :). If you aren't a plain yogurt fan, try the Chobani brand and look for the flavors with low sugar or the 100 calorie flavors.  There's no artificial "junk" in those!  I also like this for an evening snack.

 

Enjoy these this week!

Surviving Labor Day Cookouts!

Hello everyone - I'm back!  Yes, the blog took a break in July and August, but now it's back and I'm kicking off the fall fitness posts with a Labor Day Survival Guide :).

Here are a few tips to stay on track even on a holiday weekend that is notorious for it's BBQ cookouts!  Worry not...it's completely possible to enjoy this end-of-summer holiday party!

1. Drink water. You knew I'd say that, didn't you??  Seriously though, it's often easy to mistake thirst for hunger, and when you're dehydrated, you're more likely to make not-so-smart food decisions. So stay hydrated with the H2O, and also be mindful of how much alcohol you consume.  If you are of the legal age and plan on drinking, stick with light beer (around 100 calories for a 12-oz. bottle) or wine (around 120 calories per 5-oz. glass) and be sure to drink a lot of water between each alcoholic drink. Have trouble drinking plain water?  Well, a favorite flavor mixer around here is the True Lemon brand - they don't use any artificial "junk" in their packets, and in addition to lemonade, the Cherry Limeade flavor is great.  Also add some lemon juice and Truvia to make your own lemonade.  But if it's hot out, just try drinking plain water! And don't start the water drinking at 3 in the afternoon - start your day out right with a full glass of water with your workout before you hit the road for the lake :). 

2. Don't skip a meal! Many people "save" their calories for the party, but did you know you are actually you are setting yourself up to overeat? When you arrive hungry, no matter how many calories you think you have "saved", you will likely overeat because you are starving.  Also, when you skip a meal or two, you have halted your metabolism - it will shut down for awhile because it doesn't have any food to burn.  And we need our bodies burning all day!!

3. Contribute to the food table. This way you can ensure that there's an item or two you can eat without guilt or worry. Of course, this doesn't work if you bring full-fat brownies, so try this recipe:

Guilt-Free Double Chocolate Brownies

12 brownies

Ingredients

·           Nonstick cooking spray

·         4  tablespoons butter

·         2/3  cup granulated sugar

·         1/2  cup cold water

·         1  teaspoon vanilla

·         1  cup all-purpose flour

·         1/4  cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·         1  teaspoon baking powder

·         1/4  cup mini semisweet chocolate pieces

·         2  teaspoon powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat the bottom of a 9-x-9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. In a medium saucepan, melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in sugar, water, and vanilla. Mix in flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder until combined. Add chocolate pieces. Pour batter into pan; bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

4. Hit the grill. Grilling makes practically everything taste great, and it keeps added fat to a minimum. As long as the food isn't drowned in oil beforehand, you're pretty much good to go. My top picks? Skinless chicken breast, lean beef burgers, and veggie skewers!
 
5. Cool off with smart frozen treats. Stick to fruit pops and real fruit bars instead of standard ice cream sandwiches. Read the labels to check the sugar grams!

6. Stay away from mayo-laden side dishes. Even a seemingly reasonable 2/3-cup serving of potato salad has an average of 300 calories and nearly 20g fat. Not worth it!!  Bring your own side dish of potato salad and just modify your recipe to include a mix of nonfat yogurt and lowfat mayo.  If you need help modifying your favorite potato salad recipe, send it to me and I'll help!

7. Serve a Plate. How many times do you stand at the food table grazing?  Yep, I've been guilty of that too.  But can you really determine how much food you have really eaten when you spend an hour chatting with people as you stand - and graze - at the food table?  Serve a plate of food, and use the rule you use with your kids or that your parents used with you...your eyes are probably bigger than your stomach, so serve small portions! 

8. Let's get physical... Is there a volleyball game going on? Frisbee? A really competitive game of tag? Get in on it! You'll have fun and burn off some extra calories. Just make sure you hydrate!  And seriously, you can get up and do a quick 30-minute workout before you head out to the lake or over to that BBQ.

9. Enjoy. That's the point, after all! The more time you spend having fun with family and friends (and not standing directly in front of the food spread!), the less time you'll spend thinking about the food.  Oh, and one more thing...
 
10. Wear sunscreen. No, it won't help you burn more calories, but it's really important if you're spending time outside. Plus, if you end up sunburned, you might be tempted to drown your sorrows in a gallon of ice cream.  One small bowl of ice cream = okay!  A gallon?  Not so much :).

Thanks, HungryGirl.com, for giving me a few of these ideas to expand upon today!

Last week of June "100" Fitness Challenge!

Last week of June - the last 3 "100" challenges!!

Monday & Thursday - 100 one-legged kicks - 50 on each side.
Tuesday & Friday - 100 Hundreds (two options shown below).

Wednesday & Saturday - 100 Plank Punches (each punch is one).

Go for it!!

June Fitness Challenge: Week 2! (out of order - sorry)

Monday & Thursday = 100 squat jumps

Tuesday & Friday = 100 rows (50 per arm if you do them with a weight)

Wednesday & Saturday = 100 seconds of a low plank

Go for it! Remember - you can break it up. If you can't do 100 seconds of a plank, do 20 at a time, or whatever level you can do.

June Fitness Challenge: Week 3!

Week Three of June = 3 new "100" challenges!

Monday & Thursday - 100 seconds of a wall squat. If this isn't challenging enough, try one legged squats as shown below - 50 seconds on each leg.

Tuesday & Friday - 100 plank walks - down and up equals one . A good idea to do 10 leading with the left arm and then 10 with the right arm, etc.

Wednesday & Saturday - 100 butterfly situps.

June Fitness Challenge!

Welcome to June! This month's challenge is a 30-Day Full-Body Fitness Challenge. Each week you will do three different exercises on two days of the week.

Monday & Thursday = 100 push-ups...yes!! BUT you don't have to do them all at once. Break it up and do 4 sets of 25 throughout the day or however you want to do it. Try to do full body push-ups and see how many you can do before going to your knees if needed.

Tuesday & Friday = 100 squats. Again, you can break these up into 4 sets of 25 or two sets of 50. Make sure you keep your knees behind your toes - you should be able to see the toes of your shoes when you squat. Squat don't bend - act like you are about to sit down in a chair.

Wednesday & Saturday = 100 crunches. Hands light behind your head - don't pull on your neck. If your neck gets tired, take a break. Another tip to help keep the pressure off your neck - press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Also, keep your lower back ON THE FLOOR.

Go for it! Next week there will be three different exercises.