Who doesn't love pancakes?!

OK, this isn't a post on making pancakes but on the toppings that go with! I ran across this article with healthier alternatives to the transitional maple syrup. I'm dying to try the Greek yogurt one. Enjoy!!

Skip the Maple Syrup: Low-Sugar Pancake Toppings

Goal Setting and Lifestyle Changes!

One of the hardest parts of a lifestyle change is deciding where to start. This can easily become an overwhelming task for nearly anyone. We often become accustomed to our every day routine (or lack there of). While we have the best intentions to (INSERT GOAL HERE e.g lose weight, get organized,etc), it can be tough executing the plan. 

Being that this is a fitness blog, below are a few suggestions on how to implement change to attain your goals.

1. Get some sleep! It's amazing how much better our bodies and minds function when we aren't dragging. Try getting to bed even 1/2 hour earlier. Give your body a chance to rest and recover from all it's hard work each and every day. Personally, I aim for a minimum of 7 hours, but I'm a real happy camper if I get  7.5-8 hours.

2. Eat Breakfast! Starting the day with a balanced meal is one of the best things you can do for weight loss. You are kick starting your metabolism for the day and helping yourself stay focused! You should aim to get a balanced amount of protein, carbs, and FAT! I personally recommend eggs, yes whole eggs, cooked in coconut oil or ghee along with some veggies or sweet potato or one of my Super Greens Smoothie (tastes like a milkshake). To be honest I have been addicted to my Smoothies lately. You can really do so much with them by playing around with the ingredients. The best part is that it's like an ICE CREAM SHAKE for breakfast! Yum!! Don't skimp on the fat at breakfast! You can be sure to get enough by either eating whole eggs, adding avocado, cooking with coconut oil/ghee, etc.

3. Take a quality probiotic! Taking a high quality probiotic daily is like giving your  army (belly) the proper artillery needed to win. I recently started taking Dr. Ohhira's Probiotic. You can order it online at Amazon. However, if you have one that you prefer and it WORKS, then by all means keep taking it. 

4. When it comes to meal planning, be REALISTIC. We've all been told at some point that if you want to lose weight, you should eat "X,Y, and Z" Well what if you hate X, Y, and Z? What do you think your chances of success will be? Probably ZERO! Why not give yourself a fighting chance and do a real reality check. What is a reasonable and attainable goal for YOU? Not your friend, not the person in the magazine article, but YOU. Perhaps you hate cooking and always eat out. Why would you want to start a new diet plan that requires you to cook 5 -7 nights a week? Instead, perhaps you should look at the types of placing you are eating out. Maybe you can substitute dinner at Whole Foods instead of dinner at Popeyes or McDonalds.  To be successful, you have to set goals for yourself that you can attain. Focus on your strengths instead of what you are not good at. Also, even if they are small, goal setting allows you to work towards improvement instead of falling further and further behind.

Good Luck!

Great Read!!!

I have recently finished reading an AMAZING book by Dr. Brene Brown, I Though it Was Just Me, But it Isn't. This is a fascinating book that addresses some of the more uncomfortable talk-about topics of shame and disconnection. Brene Brown does an excellent job of identifying and describing strategies that we can all use in our daily life to help break down barriers and allow our authentic self to shine. I have included the book description below from her website. I highly recommend this book. I was pleasantly surprised with everything I read. It was very eye-opening and thought provoking! I hope you decide to check it out! If you are local, you're more than welcome to borrow my copy :) Otherwise, your local library should have it or Amazon.com :)

http://www.brenebrown.com/books/2010/8/7/i-thought-it-was-just-me-but-it-isnt.html

From the book jacket: The quest for perfection is exhausting and unrelenting. We spend too much precious time and energy managing perception and creating carefully edited versions of ourselves to show to the world.

As hard as we try, we can’t seem to turn off the tapes that fill our heads with messages like, “Never good enough!” and “What will people think?”

Why? What fuels this unattainable need to look like we always have it all together? At first glance we might think it’s because we admire perfection, but that’s not the case. We are actually the most attracted to people we consider to be authentic and down-to-earth. We love people who are “real” – we’re drawn to those who both embrace their imperfections and radiate self-acceptance.

There is a constant barrage of social expectations that teach us that being imperfect is synonymous with being inadequate. Everywhere we turn, there are messages that tell us who, what and how we’re supposed to be. So, we learn to hide our struggles and protect ourselves from shame, judgment, criticism and blame by seeking safety in pretending and perfection.

Based on seven years of ground-breaking research, I THOUGHT WAS JUST ME shines a long-overdue light on an important truth: Our imperfections are what connect us to each other and to our humanity. Our vulnerabilities are not weaknesses; they are powerful reminders to keep our hearts and minds open to the reality that we’re all in this together.

Dr. Brown writes, “We need our lives back. It’s time to reclaim the gifts of imperfection – the courage to be real, the compassion we need to love ourselves and others, and the connection that gives true purpose and meaning to life. These are the gifts that bring love, laughter, gratitude, empathy and joy into our lives.”

Kobucha & Greens Smoothie

I should have probably named this something more interesting, but the creative juices don't start to flow until after 8am :) Anyhow, I was having a bit of a hectic evening last night. Ran errands, went to Yoga, house stuff, and then Dutch class. Somewhere between all that I needed to prepare and eat dinner. YEAH RIGHT!

In an effort to ease the stress, I opt'd to make a smoothie for dinner. I used my breakfast smoothie as a base, removed the avocado, and added some kobucha... and VIOLA ! a masterpiece. I know it sounds a little funky, but it's pretty damn good. I will be making this AGAIN. The kobucha squash adds a nice sweetness and it super filling. I had my shake around 6:30 and didn't get out of class until 10 and I was STILL full. Best part, it's low calorie and packed with nutrients!

Kobucha & Greens Smoothie

1 cup Almond Milk

1 scoop MRM Chocolate Protein Powder
1 scoop of Green Superfood Antioxidant Berry Drink pwdr

1 cup cooked kobucha squash

1/2 c crushed ice

Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. ENJOY!

Nutritional Analysis:

Calories 270; Protein 22g, Carbs 36 g, fat 4g.

Weekly Meal Plan February 19th

Another week has flown by. Last weeks meals got a little hectic, and we ended up skipping the short ribs and having protein shakes instead. So, needless to say, they are back on the menu for this week :)  here it goes....

Sunday: Korean short ribs

Monday: Spaghetti squash with meat and veggie sauce

Tuesday: White bean chili with chicken

Wednesday: leftovers or urban plates (class night for both of us)

Thursday: Salmon crusted with potato chips; sauteed kale and onions
* recipe at end of post

Friday: chicken street tacos with beans and fire roasted corn

Saturday: sweet potato, broccoli, and black bean mash.

Salmon with potato chip crust

Ingredients:
2 pieces of wild salmon
1 cup of sea salt and vinegar potato chips
Dijon mustard

Directions:
Place salmon on a broiling pan skin side down and broil for approximately 6 to 7 mins or to your desired "doneness".

While salmon is broiling, crush about 1 cup of the potato chips as finely as you can.  I usually just pit the chips in a bowl, cover with a napkin, and smash away.

When salmon is done, pull out of oven. Smear enough Dijon mustard on top of fish to cover. This will act as a glue to hold the chip crumbs

Next, layer the chip crumbs on the fish over the mustard. Pat down to make sure they stick. You can add as much or as little as you'd like. I like the salty flavor so I put a nice thick layer.

Put the fish back under the broiler for 2-3 mins or until the crust is golden brown.
*** Be sure to keep the fish far enough away from the broiler so that the oil from the chips does not catch fire. I have done this! I usually adjust the oven racks to allow for plenty of clearance between the fish and the flame :)

Once the desired brown ring is reached, remove from the oven and serve  :)

Powerhouse Foods - Coconuts

I should start by saying I have an addiction to coconuts. :) D and I drink coconut water during exercise; cook with coconut oil and coconut milk; top meats and fruits with coconut butter; and add shredded coconut to shakes. Yum! A coconut is loaded with many different health promoting properties and is definitely worth adding into your diet. Below is a summary of the health benefits of coconuts that I collected from several articles by Dr. Mercola.

To start, it's probably worth differentiating the many ways you can find coconut:

1. Coconut Oil - this is the oil that is extracted from the meat (white part) of the coconut. It is solid at room temperature but clear under heat.
2. Coconut Milk - the ground up 'meat' with plain water added to form a liquid mixture.
3. Coconut Water - this is the clear liquid that is found in young coconuts
4. Coconut butter - this is the ground up 'meat'
5. Shredded Coconut - shredded 'meat' 

Now, a little information on the health benefits of coconuts:
 
Coconut Oil/Butter:
A healthy saturated fat that can be attributed to:

• Promoting your heart health³
• Promoting weight loss, when needed⁴
• Supporting your immune system health⁵
• Supporting a healthy metabolism⁶
• Providing you with an immediate energy source⁷
• Keeping your skin healthy and youthful looking
• Supporting the proper functioning of your thyroid gland⁸

The lauric acid in coconut oil is converted to monolaurin, which has anti viral properties. Lauric acid is a powerful virus and gram-negative bacteria destroyer, and coconut oil contains the most lauric acid of any substance on earth!

Coconut oil is comprised of 2/3 medium-chained fatty acids which contribute to the following:

• MCFAs are smaller. They permeate cell membranes easily, and do not require special enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body.
• MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain on your digestive system.
• MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat.
• MCFAs actually help stimulate your body's metabolism, leading to weight loss. 

Coconut Oil in You Kitchen

Use for low to med temp cooking. Coconut oil is more stable than other oils like Olive, canola, soy, or vegetable which oxidize when used with heat. 

The problem with Olive oil for cooking...

Olive oil is primarily a monounsaturated fat. This means that it has one double bond in its fatty acid structure. The problem with olive oil is its overabundance of oleic acid, which creates an imbalance on the cellular level that can inhibit prostaglandin production, which can increase the risk of breast cancer and heart disease.




Coconut water is:

• Rich in natural vitamins (especially the B vitamins), minerals, and trace elements (including zinc, selenium, iodine, sulfur, and manganese). Vitamins are necessary for the enzymatic reactions your cells need in order to function.
• Full of amino acids, organic acids, enzymes, antioxidants, and phytonutrients.
• Rich source of electrolytes and natural salts, especially potassium and magnesium.
• Light, low calorie and nearly fat-free, as well as low in sugar but pleasantly sweet—contains about a fifth of the sugar of other fruit juices, like apple or grape juice, as well as containing a little fiber to moderate absorption.
• Rich in cytokinins, or plant hormones, which have anti-aging, anti-cancer, and anti-thrombolytic effects in humans.

Coconut water also has an alkalizing effect on your body, which can help correct the cumulative effects of acidifying foods that make up most diets today. For a complete nutritional profile, refer to the tables at the Coconut Research Center site. The list of health benefits of coconut water is impressive, and growing by leaps and bounds with each new scientific study.

Coconut Water's Abundance of Health Benefits

Addressing every one of these areas is beyond the scope of one article, but I would like to touch on a few of the most impressive areas where coconut water may give your health a boost. According to Bruce Fife, author of Coconut Water for Health and Healing and one of the leading coconut experts, scientific research and clinical observation have shown coconut water to have the following broad-spanning health benefits:

Rehydration (water and electrolytes)	Increased exercise performance	Cardioprotective (rich in potassium and magnesium); helps regulate blood pressure, improve circulation, reduces plaque formation
Anti-inflammatory; reduces swelling in hands and feet	Prevents abnormal blood clotting	Aids in kidney function (preventing and dissolving kidney stones, UTI remedy)
Helps balance blood glucose and insulin levels	Digestive tonic (rich in enzymes); feeds friendly gut flora	Remedy for constipation and diarrhea
Anti-aging properties	Enhances skin health (elasticity, age spots, wrinkles), improves wound healing	Enhances eye health (cataracts, glaucoma)
Supports good immune function; antimicrobial (contains monolaurin)	Helps prevent osteoporosis	Anti-cancer properties

References:

Articles found on mercola.com

Help Your Heart: 71% of Those Who Drank This Lowered Their Blood Pressure; 2011

This Cooking Oil is a Powerful Virus-Destroyer and Antibiotic…2010

Olive Oil: good for health, not for cooking. ..2003

 

The Big 12 Chemicals to Avoid

I wanted to share a list of the top 12 major toxic ingredients to avoid that I came across online. They are commonly found in many of our everyday products and can have detrimental long term effects. It might be worthwhile to print a copy of this list and take it shopping with you. You will likely be surprised at how prevalent these ingredients are.

1. Propylene, Ethlylene and Butylene Glycol
• Found in Anti-freeze
• Acts as a “surfactant” (wetting agent and solvent)
• Penetrates the skin and weakens protein and cellular structure
• Strong enough to remove barnacles from boats
Found In: Baby wipes, diaper creams, baby lotion, facial cleansing cloths, facial cleansers, body washes, shampoos, toothpastes, etc.
 
 2. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
• Detergents that pose serious health threats
• Used in garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers and in 90% of all personal care products that foam
Found In: Baby body washes, baby shampoos, anti-bacterial hand washes, shaving cream, body lotions,
shampoos, etc.
 
 3. DEA (diethanolamine), MEA (monoethanolamine) & TEA (triethanolamine)
• Hormone-disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates
• Restricted in Europe due to carcinogenic effects, yet are still used in the US
• Americans are exposed to these chemicals multiple times a day
Found In: Body lotions, body washes, cleansers, shampoos, shaving creams, bubble bath etc.
 
 4. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
• Carcinogenic petroleum ingredient that reduces the skin’s natural moisture
• Increases the appearance of aging and leaves you vulnerable to bacteria
• Used in spray-on oven cleaners and cleansers to dissolve oil and grease
Found In: Baby wipes, diaper creams, baby lotions, cleansers, body washes, deodorants, etc.
 
5. Sodium Hydroxide
• The most recent addition to personal care products
• May be fatal or cause permanent damage if swallowed.
• May cause blindness
• This is a poison (caustic lye) found in drain cleaners
Found In: Toothpastes, baby lotions, hand and body lotion, etc.
 
6. Triclosan
• Synthetic “antibacterial” with a chemical structure similar to Agent Orange!
• The EPA registers Triclosan as a pesticide, giving it high scores as a risk to human health and the environment
• It is in a class of chemicals suspected of causing cancer in humans
Found In: Anti-bacterial hand wash, antibacterial toys, etc.

7. DMDM and Urea (Imidazolidinyl)
• Two of many preservatives that often release formaldehyde which causes joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections, chronic fatigue, dizziness, and loss of sleep
Found In: Body lotions, body washes, anti-bacterial hand washes, cleansers, shampoos, etc.
 
8. Parabens
• Studies show that parabens – alkyl hydroxy parabens – alpha hydroxy benzoate (methyl-, ethyl-, propyland butyl-parabens) are weakly estrogenic having the ability to mimic estrogen in the body
• Butyl-paraben is the most potent
Found In: Baby wipes, baby body washes, anti-bacterial hand washes, facial wipes, body lotions,shampoos, etc.
 
9. Alcohol, Isopropyl, SD-40
• Drying, irritating solvent that strips skin’s moisture and immune barrier, making you vulnerable to bacteria and viruses
•Made from the same petroleum derivative used in shellac and antifreeze
• Promotes brown spots and premature aging
Found In: Lotions, creams, deodorants, etc.
 
10. Mineral Oil
• Petroleum by-product that coats the skin similar to plastic wrap, clogging the pores
• Interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders
• Slows down skin function and cell development, resulting in premature aging
Found In: Lotions, creams, etc. Baby oil is 100% mineral oil!
 
11. FD&C Color Pigments
• Synthetic colors from coal tar that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin irritation
• Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death
• Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic
Found In: Shampoos, toothpastes, body washes, cleansers, baby products, wipes, hand washes, deodorants, lotions, creams, etc.
 
12. Fragrances
• Can contain up to four thousand ingredients (including animal urine), many toxic or carcinogenic
• Causes headaches, dizziness, allergic reactions, skin discoloration, violent coughing,
vomiting, and skin irritation
• Fragrances affect the nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to copeand other behavioral changes
Found In: Shampoos, toothpastes, body washes, cleansers, baby products, wipes, hand washes, deodorants, lotions , creams, etc..