Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed
8 cups romaine lettuce, torn
1/3 cup low fat Italian salad dressing
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions:

Cook asparagus in boiling water 5-6 minutes or until crisp tender; plunge in ice water to cool and stop cooking. Divide lettuce between 6 plates, arrange asparagus and tomatoes on top and drizzle with Italian dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and chill 1 hour before serving.

Makes: 6 Servings
Serving Size: 12 Servings

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

We’ve all needed a little pick me up at one point,  but turning to those popular energy drinks may not be the answer. As mentioned in my previous blog about sugar, you should try to limit your sugar intake to 15g or less per day. Well if you have one energy drink, you are consuming 40-60 grams of sugar in one sitting. That’s an insane amount of sugar! Here is a short article in the Huffington Post, it’s comparing different energy drinks to their equivalent of different pastry items. Click  HERE

Whether it’s natural or artificial, you can find it in many products in your local grocery store.

I’m not a fan of sugar, so I tend to keep the consumption level low. I started doing this about 7 years ago. And since then weight management has never been an issue.

I’ve made sugar an enemy, but not one that I keep close. Very rarely will I consume more then 15g of sugar a day. And if I do it’s usually fruit sugars from real fruit!

Do I believe sugar is addictive? Yes!
Are most people addicted to sugar? Yes!
Is there something you can do? Yes!

First off, look at everything in your pantry and fridge. If anything has 10g of sugar or more, throw it out!

If anything has high fructose corn syrup or aspartame, throw it out!

If you keep the consumption of sugar to 15g and less a day you will notice a big difference.

Go ahead and try it…I dare you! Give yourself 30 days or more. You won’t be disappointed!

Ingredients:

1.5 oz whole natural almonds (about 36)
2 tbs saffron spice
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 oz whole wheat pita bread – dry
1 each egg white
1.25 lb Tilapia

Instructions:

1. Grind almonds, saffron threads, whole wheat pita, salt, and pepper in grinder. Wisk egg white and brush on fish. Roll fish in almond mixture. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. You may like to brown the fish on both sides lightly and then bake to make it moist.
2. Use any fish you like; tilapia, perch, orange roughy, whitefish, catfish

Note – (salt can be reduced for sodium reduction)

Serves: 3
Serving Size: 6 oz. fish

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories 245
Fat (g) 9
Saturated Fat (g) -
Cholesterol (mg) 38
Sodium (mg) 952
Carbohydrate (g) 8
Fiber (g) 3
Protein (g) 32
Calcium (mg) -

http://blogs.usda.gov/2011/06/02/usda-unveils-new-simple-tips-to-stay-healthy-active-and-fit/

Looks like the Food Pyramid is getting a new look. Instead of a triangle shape, it will now have a circular shape…like a plate. The change is to try to make it easier to understand your daily nutritional needs. The new shape is to come out tomorrow, so we’ll see what it will look like.  Here is an article about it from The New York Times this past Friday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/health/nutrition/28plate.html?_r=2

These high energy muffins are perfect for fitness pros on the go. You can also make a few batches and freeze them for easy access to a healthy snack. Great for breakfast!

Ingredients:

½ cup unsweetened apple sauce (or plain yogurt)
1 ½ cups bran flake cereal
1 cup hot water
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp each ground nutmeg, ginger, and cloves
2 egg whites, beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1½ cups whole wheat flour

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Line muffin tin with paper baking cups or use non-stick muffin pan. Combine the bran cereal, hot water, honey, oil, salt, and egg. Let stand 1-2 minutes. Add apple sauce (or yogurt), then flour with baking soda stirred into it. Mix until just blended. Do not over beat. Fill muffin cups to 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Additions: If wanted, you may add raisins, chopped nuts, and/or ground flaxseed.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

I use to eat fast food everyday, and it really messed me up! Thankfully I was able to change my lifestyle for the better. It’s not really hard if you really put your mind to it. You have to really want it.

On occasion I will have something from the fast food places, but now it just tastes pretty disgusting. But it’s all about moderation, don’t cut out the things you enjoy!

Here is an article I found that talks about how to diet, without really dieting.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/easiest-diet-–-diet-meaning/

Dietitian’s tip: Goat cheese, such as Montrachet, has a soft, creamy texture and a slightly tangy flavor. If you prefer, you can use other cheeses in this recipe, such as Feta or Romano.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 cup chopped asparagus
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with herbs, including juice
1 ounce soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Directions

Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender), 10 to 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly. Set aside.

In a pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the asparagus. Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Spray a large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the chicken and garlic and saute over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including their juice, and simmer 1 minute more.

In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, steamed asparagus, chicken mixture and goat cheese. Toss gently to mix evenly.

To serve, divide the pasta mixture between 2 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

“Food recalled due to …..”

“Food from ……. not real!”

Headlines like these don’t really shock me anymore. Especially after watching the documentry Food, Inc. Which really digs deep into how our food is produced these days. To meet the demands of fast, cheap food. The food industry had to mass produce our meats and produce. Which in turn, takes away from some of the nutritional value, and in some cases adds unwanted substances to what we buy.

Who cares right? As long as there is plenty of food to go around, we’re ok?

If you look at the timeline for the demand of mass produced food and obesity in the population, you would see a direct correlation. People didn’t have to hunt and gather their own food, and all of the sudden there is so much of everything to go around. Throw in a little bit of inactivity and a few decades, and you have the ingredients for the most overweight country in the world.

What got me thinking about this subject again is the recent news about Taco Bell’s beef not being real beef. Read the article on the Wall St. Journal’s Blog here. Taco Bell’s defense is that their beef is 88% beef and 12% Secret Ingredient, and claims it’s 100% USDA Inspected. But how much can we trust that? Especially when our food sources are controlled by only a handful of companies.

Something is not quite right with this picture. We as consumers have a choice in what we buy, and that is how our messages are sent to these food companies. We keep buying crap, they’ll keep supplying crap.

“What do you expect when your taco costs less than a pack of gum.” -Bill Maher

“The lawsuit is a result of  Taco Bell’s new slogan, ‘You might not get diarrhea.’” -Conan