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Month: January 2012

White Bean and Spinach Pizza

White Bean and Spinach Pizza

White Bean and Spinach Pizza
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com

Prep Time:10 min
Start to Finish:30 min
makes:8 servings
1/2 cup sun-dried tomato halves (not oil-packed)
1 can (15 oz) Progresso® cannellini (white kidney) beans or 1 can (15 or 16 oz) great northern beans, drained, rinsed
2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 package (10 oz) prebaked thin Italian pizza crust (12 inch)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 cup firmly packed washed fresh spinach leaves (from 10-oz bag), thinly sliced or torn into small pieces
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend or Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Pour enough boiling water over dried tomatoes to cover; let stand 10 minutes. Drain. Cut into thin strips; set aside.
2. In food processor, place beans and garlic. Cover; process until smooth. Spread beans over pizza crust. Sprinkle with oregano, tomatoes, spinach and cheese. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 190 (Calories from Fat 35); Total Fat 4g (Saturated Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 310mg; Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 6g, Sugars 2g); Protein 10g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 10%; Iron 15% Exchanges: 2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Medium-Fat Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 2

Dining Out the Healthy Way!

Dining Out the Healthy Way!

Dining Out the Healthy Way:

Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner take the following tips with you so you can enjoy dining out without the guilt.

Drinks: Stick to water and try to drink at least half the glass before any of the freebies arrive.  By freebies I am referring to chips and salsa, bread and butter… fat and carbs that will fill you up before you even have a chance to eat your healthy main dish.

Freebies:  Ask your waiter or waitress not to bring the bread and butter or chips and salsa.  If you are with a group of people make the suggestion to not have whatever freebie is offered…don’t be shy, be an example of Healthy Living J  If the group you are with still wants the freebie, no problem, continue sipping your water until your appetizer or entrée comes.

Appetizer and Entree: If you like having a variety of food sharing an appetizer before your meal is a good idea.  Ordering an appetizer and a salad instead of an entrée can be a good option as well.  Consider the following when ordering:

–          If they have a “Healthy Option Menu” try ordering off that first

–          Avoid dishes labeled deep-fried, pan-fried, basted, batter-dipped, breaded, creamy, crispy, scalloped, Alfredo, au gratin, or in cream sauce because they are usually high in calories, unhealthy fats, or sodium.

–          Ask for sauces on the side if they are offered

–          Skip the cheese unless they have a low fat option

–          Choose chicken or fish instead of beef, bacon or pork and ask how they prepare it.  A lot of restaurants use butter to cook their food and while it tastes great, the saturated fat content is ridiculous! Having your food cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a great alternative.

–          Choose rice, steamed veggies or a baked potato instead of fries or mashed potatoes

When ordering a salad avoid the following:

–          Croutons

–          Bacon

–          Cheese

–          White or creamy salad dressing; if you choose a dressing high in fat ask for it on the side and use it sparingly by dipping your fork in the dressing first and then in your salad

Things to try when ordering a salad:

–          Squeeze fresh lemon, lime or orange juice on your salad

–          Ask for oil and vinegar separately on the side, pour a little bit of oil on first and then the vinegar

–          If you’re not too picky chose whatever low fat dressing option they have

When ordering a sandwich choose from the following:

–          Whole grain bread or bun

–          Grilled Chicken, turkey burger, bison burger, ham, turkey

–          Lettuce, tomato, onion, peppers of any kind, carrots, celery

–          Oil and vinegar, mustard, ketchup, low fat mayo

When ordering a sandwich avoid the following:

–          White bread

–          Cheese

–          Mayo

–          Fried onions and mushrooms

Deserts:  If you need something sweet after you eat and you can’t wait for the apple waiting for you back at the office or at home choose from the following options:

–          Fresh fruit

–          Sorbet

–          Frozen Yogurt

–          Angel Food Cake

Please feel free to leave comments about tips you find helpful when you dine out J

What’s the deal with Artificial Sweeteners?

What’s the deal with Artificial Sweeteners?

Well, I have found many different articles expressing the dangers of artificial sweeteners and to stay away from them completely. I have also found just as many expressing the benefits and how harmless they are in small amounts.  If you are interested, below is a small article I’d like you to read from Men’s Fitness.  Before you do, I want to give you my opinion.  I personally use Stevia in my tea and when I make my own protein bars.  Other than that I try to stay away from artificial sweeteners.  If you’re trying to lose weight simply substituting what type of sugar you use isn’t going to cut it.  If you need something sweet try resorting to fruit before you try making something not so healthy, healthy only because you are adding something artificial.

OK, give this article a read and let me know if you have any questions 🙂

The Lowdown on Sweeteners

From artificial to natural, MF‘s handy guide will keep you in the know

by Nicole Gull

Sweet tooth or not, we all need a little treat from time to time. The most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest no more than 8 tablespoons of added sugar in a 2000-calorie diet. Lately, those 8 tablespoons are getting complicated as simple table sugar becomes the exception to the rule when doctoring your morning coffee. From the Little Pink Packet to Splenda and now stevia — the options are endless and really, none of them are health foods. But, says Manhattan-based nutritionist Mary Ellen Bingham, used sparingly, sweeteners are fine. Her advice: “Research is still so inconclusive. Pick your poison and limit it.” Here’s the lowdown on what we currently know about the most popular sweeteners on the market:

Sweet n’ Low

Also known as saccharin, this stuff comes in the famous pink packet. About 300 times sweeter than table sugar and calorie-free, it’s the most common form of artificial sweetener. That said, in early 2008 the journal Behavioral Neuroscience published a study by researchers at Purdue University and the National Institutes of Health suggesting that saccharin can actually cause weight gain. The scientists found that rats consuming saccharin eventually lost the connection between the brain and the body that normally results from tasting sweet foods: an increase in body temperature and a digestive response preparing the body to burn additional calories. Because the sweet taste with saccharin wasn’t followed by calories to burn, the rats became conditioned to have a weaker digestive response after eating the zero-calorie sweetener and gained weight.

Bottom line: Not every study (especially studies involving rats) should be taken as gospel, says Keri Gans, New York registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “I wouldn’t draw a conclusion based on one study done on rats. People who eat artificial sweets may crave more of the real thing. I think a lot of what you hear is anecdotal because I haven’t found many more studies to support it. Until there are human studies that conclude this product causes weight gain, it’s fine to have Sweet n’ Low in moderation — just like any other sweetener.”

 

Equal

This is aspartame. There have been endless claims that this particular sweetener can cause cancer and even neurological damage in the human body. A September 2007 panel of medical experts, doctors and academics convened at the University of Maryland to sort out the final word, and the verdict came back that there is no real risk to using aspartame in moderation. That said, any Google search on the stuff will bring up hundreds of pages warning of tumors, autism and cancer and a 2007 study at the Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in Italy questions the long-purported belief that cancer isn’t a likely side-effect.

Bottom line: Gans’ take: “It’s safe in moderation until hard science proves otherwise. I try overall to have my patients to get their sweetness from the real thing — fruits and whole foods. But there is a place for artificial sweeteners in your diet as well if you’re trying to reduce your calories.”

 

Truvia

The latest sweetener to hit your grocery store shelves, Truvia is made from rebiana, the sweetest part of the stevia plant — a relative to the chrysanthemum plant. It’s been used in Japan since 1977, and the likes of Coca Cola, Cargill and Pepsi have jumped on board the all-natural sweetener train to market products using the stevia leaf in lieu of sugar. Just like it’s counterparts, Truvia is several hundred times (about 300) sweeter than sugar, calorie free and . . . (wait for it, wait for it) all-natural. Of course, though, the all-natural billing is debatable given that the FDA has no real definition for the “natural” label.

Bottom line: Rebecca Scritchfield, a Washington D.C.-based dietitian says it really comes down to personal preference with this one. If you like the taste of the stevia extract, go for it. Just don’t over-do it or think Truvia has a health-halo because of its all-natural label.

 

Splenda

Made from sugar, Splenda is another option that allows you to pack your sweet tooth into fewer calories. That said, Splenda is not natural, despite it’s sugar roots, says food chemist Kantha Shelke. Splenda is also called sucralose — a man-made molecule that may have started with sugar but was manipulated with various molecular extensions. It isn’t absorbed in the same way sugar is — the sugar compounds in Splenda (and in all artificial sweeteners) pass through the body and are not stored or used for energy. Since it’s not metabolized in the same way sugar is, says Bingham, you’re not likely to feel satisfied after eating it and may still crave sweet. And of course, the jury is still out on long-term health effects of using Splenda.

Bottom line: A Duke University study released in September 2008 suggests that Splenda may be linked to obesity, just as in the saccharin study at Purdue mentioned above. Still, says Gans, there has been no conclusive evidence to suggest a half a packet in your daily latte is going to cause major weight gain.

 

Sugar

We all know this one. Table sugar is an added sugar and it has the highest caloric count of all options. That said, it’s perfectly fine to use sugar if you prefer the taste to the artificial options.

Bottom line: So long as you’re not using sugar to replace whole foods and nutrients, you are totally entitled to it in moderation.

 

Honey

You may think this is a healthy alternative to sugar. That’s a myth. Yes, honey truly is a natural option, but the same approach you might take to any sweetener should be taken here as well — not to mention, Bingham points out, honey has more calories per serving than straight sugar (64 cal per tbsp of honey vs. 48 cal per tbsp of sugar).

Bottom line: If you like the taste of honey and prefer it over your other options, go for it but don’t be fooled that because honey is natural, it’s good for you. It’s basically sugar in a different form, says Gans—and sugar is empty calories.
Tough it out with “300”

Tough it out with “300”

Hey Guys!

This is a workout you can do at home or at the gym.  If you are one who goes to the gym 5 days/weekly you may already split up the body parts.  If you don’t and you want to increase your muscle mass I want to challenge you to try the following program.  The purpose of this program is to build muscular endurance and once you finish a 4-6 week cycle you will notice a strength increase.  To track how successful this program will prove to be for you, write down your 12 rep max for every exercise you choose to do for you 300 workout.  At then end of your 300 workout cycle, go back and record your 12 rep max for the same exercises.  This is not an overly exciting workout but it is challenging and I LOVED IT! The last time I did this workout was a year ago so I will probably start my next 4 week cycle in February. For those interested, I will keep you posted on when I start and finish and the results I had.  Here’s the idea, you do 100 reps of one exercise in no more than 5 sets but you really want to try to get it done in 4.  There’s only 1 rule you have to follow, you can’t reduce your weight you can only increase.  So choose you weight for a 20-25 rep max for the first set.  If your first set was too easy you can increase your weight, but remember your goal is to get 100 reps in 4 sets. You will be working a different body part daily so you will choose 3 exercises for each day; that’s where the “300” comes into play.  The only day you will be doing more than 300 will be on Friday’s because you will do biceps and triceps together so you will have 600reps that day.  The following program will be for those going to the.  This is just an example so feel free to choose different exercises if you’d like. 🙂

Monday: Chest

1. Flat bench press with bar

2. Incline bench press using smith machine or bar

3. Decline cable flye

Tuesday: Back

1. Lat pull down

2. Wide grip seated row

3. Incline back flye

Wednesday: Legs

1. Leg extensions

2. Leg curls or hamstring curls

3. Lunges with bar on shoulder or dumbells in hands

Thursday: Shoulders

1. Seated shoulder press

2. Front raises

3. Rear delt flye

Friday: Biceps and Triceps

Alternate between bi’s and tri’s so you can get through the workout quicker; do 1 set of bi’s and then right away 1 set of tri’s

1. Standing dumbell bicep curls

2. Cable tricep extensions with straight bar

3. Hanging bicep curls (lean body over an incline bench with arms hanging over top of bench)

4. Bent over tricep kickbacks

5. Cable curls with rope

6.  Skull crushers (but don’t crush your skull 😉

 

If you have any questions about any of the exercises please feel free to email me 🙂

Now, for those of you working out at home choose any three of the following exercises and complete 100 reps of each exercise in 4-5 sets.  If you don’t have weights use canned soup, bottled water or a 1 liter bottle with a handle 🙂

1. Push ups

2. Lunges

3. Squats

4. Standing Bicep Curls

5. Tricep Dips

6. Standing Shoulder Press

7. Burpees

8. Jumping Jacks

Going through the workout might not feel AWESOME, HOWEVER, you will feel an amazing sense of accomplishment when you’re done 🙂

 

 

 

Balsamic Green Bean Salad

Balsamic Green Bean Salad

Balsamic Green Bean Salad
– Taste of Home Magazine

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

– Place beans in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 8-10 min or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately place beans in ice water. Drain and pat dry.
– In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, mustard and pepper. Drizzle over beans. Add the onion; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Just before serving stir in tomatoes and cheese.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup = 77 calories, 5g fat (1g saturated), 4mg cholesterol, 112mg sodium, 7g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 3g protein.

Inside-Out Cabbage Rolls

Inside-Out Cabbage Rolls

Inside-Out Cabbage Rolls
-Taste of Home Magazine

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 small head cabbage, chopped
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 cup reduced sodium beef broth
1 can (8 ounces) pizza sauce
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

– In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
– Stir in the cabbage, tomatoes, broth and pizza sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 min or until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionaly.
– Stir in rice, heat through. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups equals 244 calories, 8g fat (4g saturated fat), 45mg cholesterol, 502mg sodium, 23 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 21 g protein.