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Author: Meredith Mitchell

Spaghetti!!!

Spaghetti!!!

SPAGHETTI!!!

This is a meal I make EVERY Sunday evening and it is so simple!
Take 1lb of lean ground beef, turkey or buffalo meat
Brown the meat and drain the excess fat
Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 1 can of tomato bisque soup and 1 CUP of your favorite tomato sauce
Heat on low until sauce is warm through out
The sauce is very meaty and thick.

When is comes to choosing your noodles try to pick from the following:
Barilla Plus Pasta
Whole Grain pasta
Rice noodles
or even Brown Rice

If you are cooking for 1 and don’t want too many left overs, cut the recipe in half :)

90 Day Challenge- Week 1

90 Day Challenge- Week 1

Congratulations to all of you who joined the weight loss challenge!!!  I know many of you are more than ready so lets get rockin’!!!  Here are your tasks for week 1:

1. Refer back to the “How many calories do YOU need?” post under the “Healthy Living” category and figure out what your daily caloric intake should be.

2. Find 3 days this week (preferably not consecutive) and set aside 30-60min for each day.  For those of you who have not done any exercise in the last 6 months, do at least 30-40min cardio.  For those of you who are currently exercising you can do 60min of cardio.  You can choose to use the treadmill, elliptical, bike, walk outside, attend a class of your choice…whatever you decide to do you should be sweating at the end of your 30-60min.

3. Check out the “Cooking Smart” page to try a new recipe

Good luck everyone!! I will post the total number of people who are participating by the end of the week 🙂

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith

90 Day Weight Loss Challenge $$$$$$$

90 Day Weight Loss Challenge $$$$$$$

Hey McKinley!!

Who wouldn’t like to get PAID for getting fit???  It’s a WIN-WIN proposition at a time when holiday eating and holiday shopping can set us all back both physically and financially.  Don’t be a victim of the calendar, BE A VICTOR and accept this challenge!!!  The 90 Day Transformation Challenge will start on November 1st, 2011 and will end on January 29th, 2012.  To enter the challenge you will need to pay $10.00 and the best way for us to collect the money is to have it withdrawn from your paycheck.  There is a form available on Portal you will be able to print, sign and send in or email back to Sue Pasco. To locate the form go to Human Resources Development/Benefits Guide/Health and Wellness Programs and click on the form “Wellness Contest”.   Next, email me a picture of yourself that was taken within the last 30 days and your current weight in pounds.  Your picture and weight will be held in complete confidentiality.    The first place prize will be 70% of total money collected and the second place prize will be 30% of total money collected.  Taxes will be subtracted from the prize money minus the $10.00 you paid.  If we have 100 people enter the first place prize could be $700!!!!!!!!!

Starting November 1st I will be posting a generalized exercise plan you can choose to follow. You can also follow an exercise video series that would be convenient for you to do in your home.  The series I highly recommend is P90X:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000TG8D6I/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1319115858&sr=8-1&condition=used.  The address you see here is for used versions which will be less expensive for you!

Please email your pictures and weight to me at info@meredithfit.com.  The “Wellness Challenge” form, your picture and weight must all be handed in by November 1st.  Feel free to contact me with any questions 🙂

 

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith Mitchell

Wellness Director

Healthified Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthified Chocolate Chip Cookies

Healthified Chocolate Chip Cookies

21% fewer calories • 42% less sat fat • 14% less fat than the original recipe—see the comparison. Simple better-for-you changes help ease the guilt without losing an ounce of deliciousness! From eatbetteramerica.
Prep Time:50 min
Start to Finish:50 min
makes:3 1/2 dozen cookies
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, oil, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until very light golden brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

Comfort Foods…AKA…Carbohydrates!!!

It’s that time of year again!  Soon we’ll be in hibernation and craving comfort foods…A LOT!  Carbohydrates are necessary for us to function because it is our source of energy.  To be specific it aids in the function of the brain and central nervous system.  Stimulants are great for a quick burst of energy but carbs provide you with longer sustainable energy!  Clearly the downside to carbs is eating too much.  Whatever our bodies do not use as energy will be stored away as FAT!

The two types of carbs we consume are complex carbs and simple carbs.  Complex carbs are more slowly digested and almost always found in more healthful foods like fruits, veggies and whole grains.  Simple carbs, aka simple sugars are quickly converted to glucose in your body .  Simple carbs include naturally occurring sugars and are most usually found in refined, processed foods with fewer nutrients, and tend to be less satisfying and more fattening.

The best time to consume simple carbs is right before a workout.  The best time to eat complex carbs is 45min after your workout with 20-40 grams of protein.  In general, no more than 50% of your meal should be carbs and of those carbs you want to focus on consuming fruits, veggies and whole grains.  Refer to the following lists for examples of complex and simple carbohydrates:

Complex Carbohydrates:

Spinach Whole Barley Grapefruit
Turnip Greens Buckwheat Apples
Lettuce Buckwheat bread Prunes
Water Cress Oat bran bread Apricots, Dried
Zucchini Oatmeal Pears
Asparagus Oat bran cereal Plums
Artichokes Museli Strawberries
Okra Wild rice Oranges
Cabbage Brown rice Yams
Celery Multi-grain bread Carrots
Cucumbers Pinto beans Potatoes
Dill Pickles Yogurt, low fat Soybeans
Radishes Skim milk Lentils
Broccoli Navy beans Garbanzo beans
Brussels Sprouts Cauliflower Kidney beans
Eggplant Soy milk Lentils
Onions Whole meal spelt bread Split peas

Simple Carbohydrates:

Table sugar
Corn syrup
Fruit juice
Candy
Cake
Bread made with white flour
Pasta made with white flour
Soda pop, such as Coke®, Pepsi®, Mountain Dew®, etc.
Candy
All baked goods made with white flour
Most packaged cereals
Attention All You Snackers!!

Attention All You Snackers!!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the pleasure of speaking with some of you by phone.  One of the questions many of you had was “What are the best foods to snack on?”  For some of you snacking is the only way you consume food because of time constraints.  This is not a bad thing.  In fact it can prove to be very beneficial when it comes to weight loss.  Eating 3 balanced meals combined with 2-3 snacks throughout the day will help keep your metabolism working at a fast rate.  Here are some examples of healthy snacks:

  • Fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with little to no fat and only a small number of calories. Fruits and vegetables also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.
  • Whole grains. Whole-grain snacks are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which give you energy with staying power. Look for items such as low-fat whole-grain crackers, whole-grain pretzels and whole-grain crispbreads.
  • Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds provide protein, so you will feel fuller longer. They can be high in fat, but it’s mostly monounsaturated, a healthy kind of fat. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, however, so don’t eat them in large quantities.
  • Low-fat dairy products. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein, plus many other vitamins and minerals. Choose the low-fat versions. Some yogurts have extra added sugar, so look for low-calorie or “light” varieties.

I will get even more specific and help out with a grocery list 🙂  Good luck everyone and please share any other great snack options you come up with.  For those of you who have a Trader Joe’s close by, take advantage of it!! They have a wide variety of healthy snack options 🙂

-carrot sticks

-celery sticks

-cucombers

-peppers

-Reduced fats wheat thins or triscuts

-pita chips

-Rice cakes or crackers

-Dry Cereal

-Oatmeal

-Hummus

-1/3 less fat cream cheese

-low fat string cheese

-low fat salad dressing

-lunch meat (turkey, ham, chicken…great source of protein)

-Greek yogurt

-Almonds, pastachios, peanuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds

-Natural peanut butter

-Apples

-Pears

-Plums

-Grapes

-Hard boiled eggs