Simple Energy “No Bake” Bars
Find a chocolate protein powder you like with 20g of protein and no more than 6g of carbs per serving. GNC’s Wheybolic is one example. Mix the following ingredients together and flatten out mixture in a large baking pan. Cover with tin foil and place in the fridge for 2 hours before eating 
3 cups of protein powder
2 cups of oats
2 cups of rice crispies
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 – 3/4 cup of water
Here is a great recipe you can prepare on a Sunday and reheat in the morning for breakfast on the go!
Crustless Quiche:
Ingredients:
7 large eggs
1.5 cups of egg whites (in carton)
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1.5 cups freshly chopped spinach
1 cup fresh tomatoes
Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together. Spray 12 serving muffin tin. Pour mixture to the top of each cup and bake for 25-35min. Feel free to add other seasonings for taste ☺
Per Serving
Calories 152
Fat 6g
Protein 19g
Carbohydrates 6g
Hey people!
I hope many of you started an exercise regimen last week and if you didn’t, you can start TODAY! Everyone will have different weight and/or fitness goals. As you set out to execute your wellness plan I feel the first thing you need to figure out is how many calories YOU (not the average person) need to consume on a daily basis. In order to find your “magic” number you need to calculate what your BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate is the number of calories you need if you do absolutely nothing but wake up in the morning.) by using the Harris-Benedict equation:
Next, use your BMR to calculate your AMR (Active Metabolic Rate adds in the calories you need for your daily physical activities) by estimating your current level of activity. If you are:
Here is an example:
35 year old female who is 65inc tall, weighs 140lbs and is moderately active:
BMR = 655 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 65) – (4.7 x 35)
= 655 + 609 + 305.5 – 164.5
= 1734
AMR = 1734 x 1.55
= 2687.7 (round down to 2680)
Now, of the 2680 calories:
40 % = carbohydrates (4 calories per gram = 1072 calories = 268g of carbohydrates)
40 % = protein (4 calories per gram = 1072 calories = 268g of protein)
20 % = fat (9 calories per gram = 536 calories = 59g of fat)
Let’s say this female wanted to lose 10lbs. Instead of doing the calculation with her current weight (140), she would do the calculation based on her goal weight (130). Understand, everyone is different so you will have to experiment a bit with food and exercise to know what your body will respond best to. It’s important for you to make healthy choices you feel you could adopt as your own and make a lifestyle change instead of starting a short term crash diet that may lead you to putting the weight back on and then some.
There are many helpful and simple food tracking applications you can download to your phone or computer. The one I downloaded to my phone is called “Calorie Counter”. I recommend tracking your food intake for at least 2 days so you have an idea of how many calories you are actually consuming.
Please ask any questions you may have so I know how to help 🙂 Look for healthy recipes on the “Cooking Smart” page!
Yours in Health and Wellness,
Meredith
I love tuna so I’m always up for trying something new with my tuna salad. I found this awesome recipe on http://www.eatbetteramerica.com. I love it, but I want to hear how you like it or what you might do differently…
Tuna Salad Bruschetta
Prep Time:20 min
Start to Finish:1 hr 20 min
makes:24 servings
1 can (5 or 6 oz) albacore chunk white tuna in water, well drained
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (4 medium)
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped pitted kalamata olives
3 tablespoons French vinaigrette or olive oil and vinegar dressing
1/2 cup thinly sliced or finely shredded romaine lettuce
24 slices (1/4 inch thick) baguette French bread
1. In medium bowl, gently fold together all ingredients except lettuce and bread. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. (or you could prepare this mixture the night before)
2. Just before serving, stir lettuce into tuna mixture. Serve as topping for bread slices.
Clearly, if you’re only cooking for 1 or 2 you can cut the recipe in half OR…instead of using a baguette, use larger pieces of whole grain bread and you will be able to fit 1/3 of the mixture on one piece of bread.
Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 35 (Calories from Fat 10); Total Fat 1g (Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 105mg; Total Carbohydrate 4g (Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 0g); Protein 2g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 0%; Iron 2% Exchanges: 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Lean Meat Carbohydrate Choices: 0
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
It’s no secret that a large percentage of America is obese and I feel one of the contributing factors is over eating. One of the reasons we over eat is because we eat too fast. Our body’s produce a hormone called “Leptin” which comes from the Greek word “Leptos” meaning thin. Leptin is our bodies natural appetite suppressant and is released into our bloodstream about 20 min after we start eating. I think it’s awesome to have a built in appetite suppressant…don’t you? The problem is we tend to eat our whole meal in about 5-10 min. At this point the Leptin has not yet been released so chances are we still feel hungry and will be more likely to go back for a second helping. Aside from eating our meals too fast, our food portions are generally double the size of what they should be. When you think about it, there are some meals you possibly consume 4x the amount of food you should eat.
Do you feel like you might be an over eater? Start today by following these tips and I think you’ll be able to walk away from the dinner table completely satisfied after eating LESS food!
Drink an 8 oz glass of water BEFORE you sit down to eat
Your protein should be no larger than the size of ONE of YOUR closed fists
Your starch carbohydrate (pasta, potatoes etc) should be no larger than the size of ONE of YOUR closed fists
Your veggies can be the size of your open palm (easy on the butter and salt)
Your bread should be no larger than the size of one of your closed fists
MOST IMPORTANTLY take your time at every meal! Chew each bite of food 10x, taste and enjoy your food so you can take advantage of your body’s natural appetite suppressant Remember, it takes about 20 min before Leptin is released SO if your finished before the 20 min is up, drink some more water before you go for seconds!
Hey there! I would like to give you two simple guidelines to follow as you start down this road to a healthier lifestyle. First, it is EXTREMELY important for you to always eat breakfast. In the past you may have heard “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. Well, I think it’s absolutely true. By eating breakfast you are jump starting your metabolic rate (rate at which you burn calories) so the earlier you eat the earlier you start burning calories. By skipping breakfast your body does not process your next meal as quickly and tries to hold on to those nutrients for as long as possible. This unfortunately can cause you to gain weight even though you may be eating less calories. I will start posting healthy breakfast recipes on the “Cooking Smart” page which you can start looking for next week!
Second, I would like everyone to strive to do 60min of physical activity 3 days a week. You can walk, jog, take a class, play tennis or basketball, ride a bike or chase your kids around the house 🙂 There are many ways to get active and I would encourage you to make a commitment to start with 3 days a week and find a friend who would like to join you. I’m not going to say it’s easier but it’s a lot more fun to work out with a friend! Also, you may be more likely to follow through with your commitment if you have someone to keep you accountable.
Check this website out to see how many calories you burn doing different activities!
http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/calculat.htm
Yours in Health and Wellness,
Meredith