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Author: Meredith Mitchell

Green Activity Challenge!!!!

Green Activity Challenge!!!!

 

Are you ready for the Green Activity Challenge!?!  Great!!

To enter the challenge you must form teams of 4 – no more, no less.  Everyone has to work together to earn points :).

Points:

–          All 4 participants must do 30min of activity (strength training, cardio, yoga, pilates…) 5 days weekly to receive 1 point for the week.

–          All 4 participants must eat 2 servings of green veggies 6 days weekly to receive 1 point for the week.

–          All 4 participants must drink at least 64oz of water each day to receive 1 point for the week.

The max number of points you can earn for the week is 3.  For example, if one person on the team only completes 4 days of activity and the rest of the team has completed 5, your team DOES NOT earn a point for that category.

Team work, team work and team work!!  Encourage each other, motivate each other and keep each other accountable :).

The Green Activity Challenge will be a 6 week challenge starting on Monday, September 29th and ending on Monday, November 10th.  Please email me with your team name and the names of the 4 participants on your team by Monday, September 29th.  The team with the most points at the end of the 6 weeks will win a $100 gift card to their choice of restaurant or grocery store!

Serving Sizes and Green Veggies:

–          1 serving of cooked or steamed veggies = ½ cup

–          1 serving of raw veggies = 1 cup

A few examples of green veggies:

–          Cucmber, spinach, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, swiss chard, green peppers, spinach, kale, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts, peas, celery, arugula and zucchini.

Email me with any questions 🙂

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

JDRF One Walk 2014

JDRF One Walk 2014

Ok everyone!! Are you ready?!

The JDRF walk is quickly approaching and we have a lot to get excited about!! For those of you who might not know, McKinley is a Presenting Sponsor for the JDRF Ann Arbor ONE Walk this year. We have many, many reasons why we support JDRF – however, our main goal is to raise money and FUND a CURE! Your support allows us to contribute in a big way to fund life-changing T1D research—research that is leading to better treatments, prevention, and one day, a world where TYPE One is TYPE NONE.

This year we are expanding our fundraising efforts companywide with a total of 96 teams – employees and residents are all welcome! The 5k walk will take place on September 28th, 2014 at Hudson Mills Park in Dexter.

Our goal as Team McKinley this year is to raise $15,000!!  Of that goal, I know we as the corporate team can raise $3000, so let’s get started!!

Step 1: Get registered by clicking the link below and follow the steps

http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/mckinleycorporate

Step 2: Set up your personalized link

~ Click “My Page”, select “Page Link” and “Customize Link”.  You can customize your link however you would like.  Once your customized link is created, you can send that link to anyone to sign up on your team and donate money.

Step 3: Start raising $$

~ One of the simplest ways to raise $$ is by posting on Facebook.  Click onto “My Participant Center” and you will see the Facebook, email and twitter icon. Click the icon and follow the steps.

Other ways to raise $$:

The following will be available this week:

  • Monday Jean Day – $20 for the month of September
  • Change buckets
  • JDRF sneakers to be sold or hung up EVERYWHERE to raise awareness.
  • McKinley raffle tickets – 1/$5 or 5/$20.

Prizes include:

  • $100 Amazon gift card
  • $100 Target gift card
  • Kindle Fire
  • 1 week at the corporate suite in Orlando

The raffle tickets are available now at the front desk.

Incentives:

  1. Each resident who raises $500 or more will receive a $50 Target or Visa GC
  2. Each employee who raise $500 or more will receive a $50 Target or Visa GC

I hope many of you will be able to join us this year at the walk because we’re going to have a BLAST!  Get registered today and let me know if you have any questions :).  Thanks in advance for all of your enthusiasm!!

 

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

Fresh Raspberry-Mousse Almond Crumb Cake

Fresh Raspberry-Mousse Almond Crumb Cake

Fresh Raspberry-Mousse Almond Crumb Cake

Fresh Raspberry-Mousse Almond Crumb Cake
Makes: 8  servings
Serving size: 1  piece

Ingredients

  • 1 cup  unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup  sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon  sea salt
  • 5 tablespoons  unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup  low-fat vanilla yogurt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons  pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon  almond extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon  baking soda
  • 4 ounces  light cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup  raspberry jam or preserves (preferably seedless)
  • 3/4 cup  fresh raspberries (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons  sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or potato masher until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup for later use.

2. Add yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts, egg, baking powder, and baking soda to mixture. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until blended. Pour into 8-inch-round nonstick baking pan.

3. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and jam; beat at low speed until blended. Spread evenly over batter. Top with reserved flour mixture, sprinkling of raspberries (optional) and almonds.

4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until edges are browned and center is nearly set. Cool on a rack. Refrigerate 3 hours, or until well chilled. Cut into 8 wedges.

Nutrition facts per serving:

Servings Per Recipe 8

  • Amount Per Serving
  • cal.(kcal)250
  • Fat, total(g)12
  • sat. fat(g)7
  • carb.(g)30
  • fiber(g)1
  • pro.(g)5
From FitnessMagazine.com

Ugly Beans – Better Than Fries

Ugly Beans – Better Than Fries

Better Than Fries: Ugly Beans | healthylivinghowto.com

http://healthylivinghowto.com/1/post/2011/08/better-than-fries.html

These were all the rage on a low carb message board I frequent, many moons ago. They were coined “a great but ugly snack”. I’ve perfected my technique in making them and go through periods of time where I eat them everyday! I have no shame in eating a whole pound of beans…..no shame I say!

1. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or a Silpat.

2. Fill pan with 1 lb. frozen whole green beans. I love the Trader Joe’s Organic Whole Green Beans, as each bag is a perfect pound. Costco carries large bags of organic beans as well.

3. Using a Misto Sprayer filled with a high-heat safe oil (I recommend Macadamia Nut Oil or High Oleic Sunflower Oil) spray beans and sprinkle with garlic salt. (you can also use avocado oil http://www.puritan.com/aromappeal-brand-0555/avocado-oil-031397?scid=26593&cmp=gpl-_-Skin%20Care%20Oils-_-031397&CAWELAID=1782913831&gclid=Cj0KEQjwpvufBRCwzp_zyqfkhrcBEiQA8b-SHJ-iUz7w-eDsQwGpl4PnD3b0g7O0-2xUYfOWIIO4PbsaAoy-8P8HAQ )

If you are concerned about the omega-6 or PUFA content of sunflower oil, check this out

Not all sunflower oil is high in omega-6. Standard sunflower oil is indeed high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 fat, but high-oleic sunflower oil is at least 82% oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, lard, and your very own adipose tissue, while being extremely low in PUFAs (I’ve even seen a sunflower oil with just half a gram of omega-6 per tablespoon, comparable to macadamia oil). Monounsaturated fats are far more resistant to oxidation.” Source

4. Stick in oven. Yes, put the beans in a cold oven and turn it on to 450 degrees F. After 30 minutes, toss and turn over the beans and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes.

I eat mine with sugar-free ketchup and pretend I am eating french fries. What they lack in beauty, they make up in taste, these are THAT GOOD!

One pound of green beans, give or take a few = 140 calories, 0g fat, 16 net carbs, 16g protein

A small (2 1/2 oz.) McDonald’s French Fries = 209 cals, 10g fat (the bad kind, TRANS FATS), 26g carbs, 3g protein

Shrimp & Plum Kebabs

Shrimp & Plum Kebabs

Shrimp & Plum Kebabs

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/shrimp_plum_kebabs.html

From EatingWell:  August/September 2006, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (2008)

Toss quick-cooking shrimp, juicy summertime plums and zesty jalapeños with a simple cilantro-lime marinade for a deluxe meal in minutes. If you like, use peaches or nectarines in place of the plums and red or green bell peppers for the jalapeños.

4 servings | Active Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons canola oil, or toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 raw shrimp, (8-12 per pound), peeled and deveined
  • 3 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered lengthwise
  • 2 plums, pitted and cut into sixths

Preparation

  1. Whisk oil, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and salt in a large bowl. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the mixture in a small bowl to use as dressing. Add shrimp, jalapeños and plums to the remaining marinade; toss to coat.
  2. Preheat grill to medium-high.
  3. Make 4 kebabs, alternating shrimp, jalapeños and plums evenly among four 10-inch skewers. (Discard the marinade.) Grill the kebabs, turning once, until the shrimp are cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Drizzle with the reserved dressing.

Nutrition

Per serving : 194 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 221 mg Cholesterol; 5 g Carbohydrates; 24 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 446 mg Sodium; 292 mg Potassium

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 very lean meat, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

  • Make Ahead Tip: Equipment: Four 10-inch skewers
Banana Zucchini Protein Muffins

Banana Zucchini Protein Muffins

Image-1-2

By Clean Simple Foodie, Erika Peterson
Serves 24

What you’ll need:

¼ cup coconut oil
4 extra ripe bananas
4 cups grated zucchini
1-1/3 cup liquid egg whites
1 cup coconut milk
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3-1/2 cups rolled oats
3 servings vanilla protein powder
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

What you’ll do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mash together bananas and coconut oil together. Add zucchini. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together egg whites, coconut milk, syrup and oats. Add the banana mixture to the bowl and mix well. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Grease 24 muffin cups or prepare with liners (I even like to spray the inside of my liners so it pulls of nice and clean). Fill to the top with the muffin batter.
5. Bake 25-27 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to a cooling rack. We like to top ours with raw honey! Yum!

What’s in it:

Each muffin has about 120 calories; 4g fat; 16g carbs; 6g protein.