Super Tracker

Short and swimsuit weather is almost here!

Oh the fun of summer.

Adventure and fresh air!

If your like me you've put on some winter weight.
How to get it off?  We all know the answer.  Eat right and exercise.
If we know then why is it hard?  That's easy too.  There are hundreds of different eating lifestyles.  Paleo, vegan, veggitarian, whole foodist, low-carb.


Which works, which is safe?  Your ready for these answers if you already eat "good."  Meaning whole grains, little to no processed foods and you eat up your vegetables on a regular basis.

Most people are not there though.  And that's OK.  We are not seeking perfection just progress so to get you progressing and on your way to eating "good," I give you...

SuperTracker 

This is a tool designed by the government to help you learn to balance your daily food intake and physical activity.

It is a state-of-the-art, free, online resource designed to help individuals who want to make lifestyle changes.

This will give you a personalized plan to meet your food and beverage needs

and guide you to make better choices.

Give it a try and see how your doing on your way to health.

Green Smoothies-Beginner level recipe

Wow, there was such a response from my last Green Smoothies post!  So I'd thought I'd do a follow up post to answer all your questions.

 

Kids even not my own loved the smoothies and popsicles

Green Smoothies are great!  They can naturally lower your weight, give you better skin, and loads more energy.
Why?
Because your giving your body what it needs and wants with no junk.  That's it plain and simple.

There are different "levels" of Green Smoothies.  The first one I tried was an advanced smoothie.  It had celery, spinach, lettuce and more in it.  Celery is a strong and fairly sharp flavor, that along with multiple greens in it make it more of an acquired taste.

If you've eaten clean and healthy for years then by all means jump in and go advanced.  If your new on the health path or if your hesitant then try a beginner recipe.

Here is the recipe I give my clients when they try them for the first time:

1c. water
1 c. frozen blueberries (or fresh)
2 c. Fresh baby spinach (must be fresh and don't pack it down, keep it light and fluffy)
1 TB Honey

-Blend well and sip.

This is a delightful recipe and no one has yet guessed there is spinach in it.

The intermediate level you add in Kale, and or cucumber to various fruits such as  apples, bananas, pineapple, and pears.




Once your pallet is used to that, add in other healthy fun stuff:
flax seeds, or milled fax
chia seeds
protein powder
avocados
almonds
almond milk

Experiment, the world is yours, and you'll be healthier for it.

Grain Mill

Happy New Year's Eve! 
To kick off the new year I have a great workout for you (coming Thursday).  You'll love it.  It's gonna tone your butt, abs, and legs.

For now I wanted to continue about whole grains.  The best and most nutritious way to eat grains is to mill them yourself.  This method is also the cheapest. (yea!)  And don't be alarmed it's not hard to do.  My 4-year-old could do it.

These seem to be the top two on the market right now:

The Wonder Mill

And the Nutrimill.

The Wonder is known for its LG motor, small design, and ease of use
 The Nurtimill brags very fine flours, ultra quiet, and large capacity of 22 cups of flour.

But deepening my research on the two and which one I should get I discovered many things:

1. Both are quiet (for a mill) only 1-2 debacle difference between the two.
2. The small design of the Wonder Mill is only a few inches shorter (2.5") than the Nurtimill, but the Nutrimill has lots more depth due to it's large capacity.
3. Watching the Wonder Mill in action I concluded that it's not that easy to use.  The demonstrators had to put substantial effort into connecting and disconnecting the parts together. Then one lady was knocking her mill over because it was so light weight.
4. The Wonder Mill can only be used in the following order: Turn on, mill completely, then turn off.  If you turn off the mill during the process it will break, and won't be covered under warranty.  I didn't think that would be a bid deal but a lots of people said that if the hose wasn't connected properly then flour would spill every where and they'd panic and turn off the mill thus breaking it.
5. The Wonder Mill is faster on the "fine" grain setting, but the Nutrimill was finer on the "fine" setting.
6. Nurtimill brags a low temperature process, as to not kill as much nutrients as others, but the Wonder Mill kept up with this and actually beat it by a small amount in an at home test.
7. Nirtimill seemed to produced a bit more mess than the Wonder Mill.
8. The Wondermill comes with a lid so you can store your flour in the container it was milled in.*note: fresh flour has to be refrigerated or frozen.  Fresh flour will otherwise go rancid. So only mill what you'll use in a few days or freeze the rest.

Both seem to be good mills.  I don't think I could go bad either way, it just comes down to preferance and what works for you.

Summery

Wonder Mill:
Pros: quiet, compact, low heat, fine mill. Cons: Complicated design.
Nutrimill:
Pros: quiet, low heat, simple design, very fine mill, large capacity. Cons: bulky, slightly messy.

Next time I'll let you know what mill I chose.
May you have a healthy New Year!

 

How to have your pie and eat it too

Thanksgiving is upon us, yea!  BUT we've been working so hard to get our bodies in shape, be better about our eating and reap the benefits of health.  So what are we to do when the averaged turkey dinner is over 1,000 calories?  That is a normal turkey dinner not a Thanksgiving dinner.  T-day dinner has well let's just leave it at "more."

We all want health but who wants to nibble on salad on the day of feasting? I'm with you, not me.  With 3 easy steps we can enjoy the meal with less guilt. 

Here is the plan:
1. Exercise.  As soon as you get up.  This will get the metabolism going.  Ideally your doing some High Intensity Interval Training, also known as HIIT.  HIIT, is the most efficient way of exercising and will burn tons of calories well after you've completed the routine.

2. Eat.  After exercise keep that metabolism going with food.  Eat a small meal that includes a complete source of protein. Eggs are ideal.  My choice would be one egg cooked with whole wheat toast and a slice of cheese.

3. Snack.  Every two hours eat a small snack.  Or snitch on what your preparing.  Eat apples with skins on, some turkey, veggies, wheat roll.  Try and keep it healthy but keep the snacks coming.  This again aims at the metabolism to stay fired up. Keep snacking, rather than eating meals (every two-three hours) until the feast is to begin.

At feast time get a modest plate full and enjoy.  Talk, laugh, relax.  Then go for more! You have trained your body to handle food every couple of hours.  So feel free to eat seconds and thirds in those intervals.  Just be mindful of what your eating.  Pick a well balanced plateful, so it doesn't back fire on you.

Then to pies.  If your health conscious choose one with less sugar and junk like Pumpkin rather than Lemon Meringue. Stick to one slice though.  If there are leftovers you can have another slice the next day.  More than one is a quick way to pack on the pounds.

But that's it.  Easy 3 steps: Exercise, Eat, Snack.  Hope you enjoy the day!

Jack-o-lantern to Pumpkin Pie

What a crazy week! And what trials are mine with chocolate in the house.  What's a girl to do?  Anyway, here is my method of turning your Jack-o-lantern into pumpkin mush I promised you.

The only thing you need to remember is using fresh pumpkin is more bland than canned pumpkin so you need to double or triple your spices.  Only your spices, no other ingredients.  Just be sure to taste your batter to make sure it's well spiced before baking.

 It's fairly simple: 1. cut  2. cook  3. blend  4. strain  5. freeze.  From one large pumpkin I got enough for: 2 pies, cookies, 3 pumpkin rolls, and waffles.

Operation CatWoman-epilouge

Hey guys here it is my Halloween pics.  Three months of body work, and trying hard (but not always succeeding) to stay away from the junk.

What do you think, successful?  I'm not perfect yet, but I am pleased with the direction I'm going.  Here are some pics of the whole family.

Do you love Batman?  Can I brag and tell you that I made that costume.

And here is my Resses pumpkin and Diego.
We had a blast on Halloween!!! And It was so fun to wear my costume that I had worked hard to wear.  I was in heaven with rewards: my costume - I fit and I got lots of chocolate.

So I thought It would be great to review some of the things I did to get here:
Worked the abs, shaped the glutes, ate more veggies, measured my water intake, took a well made vitamin daily, watched it while eating out, cooked with good fats and limited bad, made sure I sweat everyday, mixed up my routine, ate whole grains -Always, made sure I was always moving,  had some fun with it, and kept my goal in sight.

If you've been following me this whole time these things are not new to you but can be good reminders to keep on the healthy path.
And remember don't throw away your jack-o-lanterns!!! I'm putting a video together today (hopefully it will be up tomorrow) on how to turn it into a pumpkin pie, cookies, cake etc.

Thanks for working with me on your goals.  If any of you have pictures I'd love to see them.  Tweet them to me.

p.s. I'd love for you to follow me on twitter too.  @efficentbjamie

Pumpkin Stew

Here are my prize pumpkins!   No, they have not entered any contests but they've won the prize of my heart.  I nurtured them from a young seedling, watched them sprout and grow.  They are beautiful! And will remain that way until Monday, when I come at them with a carving knife.
It's been a family tradition to carve jack-o-laterns.  Growing up we've tried to carve to most difficult images possible just to see the awe of the trick-or-treaters and parents as they climb our porch steps.
Last year as I started cleaning up the mess from carving, and not wanting to toss the little pieces of fresh pumpkin.  I started thinking, "There must be something healthy yet tasteful I can do with them." And thus came..."Pumpkin Stew."

It was a hit, everyone loved it!!!  This is now in the vault of my secret recipes.  But it's nearing that time of year when we're all reminded to be a little more gracious and to serve our neighbors better.  So I am sharing my sacred delight with you!
Remember this recipes only uses the scraps of pumpkin, whatever pieces you have left from carving is sufficient.  Then after Halloween don't toss your jack-o-lantern either.  I will show you how to make that into your thanksgiving pie.

Pumpkin Stew:

2 lb. stew meat cut into 1" cubes
3 T. Canola oil, divided
3 large potatos cubed
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 large green pepper, cut into 1.2" slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, jullianned
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper, divided
1. c. water
2 T. beef bouillon granules
2 c. pumpkin carving scraps finely chopped
8 oz. condensed tomato soup + 2 Tb. water
3 tsp. basil

Brown meat in a skillet with 2 T. of oil.  Brush 1 T. of oil inside a large crock pot coating well the bottom and sides. Add potatoes, carrots, green peppers, garlic, onion, 1/2 tsp. pepper, water and bullion. Then place the meat on top.  Cook on low 2 hours. Place pumpkin pieces in crock pot. Pour tomato soup over top and sprinkle basil and remaining pepper on.  Cook until pumpkin and veggies are tender. (aprox 2 more hours.)  Stir and serve.

Happy Whole Grains

This weekend I did something kinda crazy.  I bought a guitar. (Happy Birthday to me)   I've wanted one for a while now and on Saturday I went out for my morning jog when right there at the end of the side walk, just waiting for me was my guitar. A girl down the street was selling it at a garage sale because she never learned to play like she had planed. 
I've owned it for 3 days and already my fingers have blisters from playing, so I'm not typing very well today.  I need to build up some calluses.

Also this weekend my kids and I made "paint sandwiches," that's what they call them.   This technique is the perfect way to introduce whole grains to your kids if you have not already done so.  We all know whole grains are good for you, there's no question in that.  The question lies in how to get the family to eat them.
I have for you, the secret:
Get 100% whole wheat bread (not multi-grain), choose one that is soft as opposed to one that looks like it's been made with bricks and sawdust.

Then take small bowls and pour 1/2 TB of milk in each of them.  Also add 3 drops of food coloring to each bowl.  If you have young children hand them a clean paint brush and let them paint their healthy bread with the milk mixture.  Don't let it get sopping wet, but it will be damp and UN-eatable at this point. 

Then you plop it into the toaster where the magic begins.  The toaster firms up the bread and brings out the color.  Now it is ready to eat or be made into a sandwich.  Your child will be so excited about his art work he won't notice the new bread.  He'll gobble it up, go as big as the Green Giant and the world will be at peace! 

We can only hope right? But really kids love doing this, and it is a great disguise for the wheat bread until they get used to it.
If you have school age children (or a husband) you can do this yourself.  You can surprise them in their lunch box with a happy face or an embarrassing message that they don't want their friends to see, so they'll hurry and eat it as fast as they can.

If you have teenagers then I would start out with a blend.  One that says "made with whole wheat," or a 50-50 white to wheat ratio.  Although teens will be less impressed with a smile face.  You might want to try the Mona Lisa ;)

Go for whole grains!

 

A few of my favorite things...

I love this time of year!  The cool crisp air, the holidays.  My favorite drink comes out in the fall.  Apple Cider, love love love this stuff.  The real stuff, that is.  We do want to stay away from the sugary powdered drink mix. -No good.  What we want to go for is the fresh jug.  Apple Cider is 100% squished apples, no filters, minimally processed and unpasteurized.  Good for you and the taste buds.

Another favorite of mine that I want to share with you, is my favorite abdominal exercise. 


This is so effective for toning the stomach.  It does more than abs of course, which is great.  But give this a try and see how many you can do.

Squeeze your abs in as you lift your buttox into the air, control back to starting position. Repeat

 I did this at a park, but it can also be done on a stability ball, or just using a pillow on a non-carpeted surface.
When doing this exercise in a swing it's more challenging with the swing at the ankles and easier positioned higher on the shins.

Give my favorite things a try and have a happy and healthy day!

Get the scoop on protein

I had some fun in the kitchen yesterday! I made some sugar and shortening free Banana Bread and some more Pico de Gallo and Protein Bars.  Speaking of protein, did you know that your probably not getting enough?

According to a recent publication in Women's Health magazine most women's diet lack sufficient amounts of protein.

All your tissues, bones, and nerves are made up  of mostly proteins.  It's also a building source for muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails, ligaments, tendons, and organs.  Also protein is important for the formation of mother's milk.  So if your lactating you need even more.
Protein can also double up and be used for heat and energy.  But because the body requires so much protein it's not always the best idea to use it for energy sources.  We need to keep it available for growth and maintenance in the body.  This is one of the reasons why its important to have fats and carbs in our diet.
There are 22 amino acids (a simpler unit of protein) required to make and up keep our bodies.  All but 9 can be produced by the body.  Meaning those 9, called essential amino acids, we need to intake to maintain healthy bodily functions.
In the food we eat there are two kinds of protein I want you to be aware of: Complete and Incomplete.
Complete Protein: Has all the essential amino acids
Incomplete Protein: lacks or is very low in any one of the essential amino acids.
For our bodies to use or synthesize protein ALL 9 essential amino acids must be present AT THE SAME TIME. If one is missing or low protein synthesis will be extremely low or fail all together.
Thus the importance of Complete Protein.

This is my favorite! I use vanilla for cooking and chocolate for enjoying! Can be bought here: Bev.protein

Meats and dairy are Complete.  Where as fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and rice are Incomplete.  But by combining different Incomplete Proteins we can create a balance in amino acids.   Such as beans and corn like in the Southwest Salad recipe.  Or PB&J, the nuts from the peanut-butter and the wholegrain wheat combine to crate a Complete Protein.
To complete beans or brown rice here are a few options to combine with: nuts, seeds, wheat, corn.
This is one of the many reasons for eating protein shakes, bars and other fortified options.  It helps make it easy to get it complete and enough while keeping calories low.

This is next on my list to try.  It includes a patented weight-loss ingredient EssentraTrim that has been demonstrated to help with managing the stress hormone cortisol associated with fat storage.  Can be bought here: Trim shake

If you do choose to supplement protein make sure that there is little to no sugar.  We want protein but no junk to come with it.  Check the label for calories as well, try and keep it around 120 calories a serving.
So next time your planning your menu or wondering what to eat, make sure you've got your protein covered.

p.s. I created on awesome workout for you this morning I'll work on getting it on video or a printable for you.

Southwest Salad and Fall celebrations

 We celebrated the rest of the world going back to school today with a hike.  Fall is by far the best time to get some fresh cool air, and dirt on your boots.

Plus my alarm didn't go off today, or I was so exhausted that it did but I turned it off with out remembering. -Which is a good possibility. We have begun all the pre-filming business for our next  workout DVD and it's tough to keep up with it all and a Mother's life.   We all needed a break and some good ol' fresh air and quality time together and hiking was the best answer.












After hiking we can back for a delicious lunch of Rice cakes and South West Salad. I found these sauces on sale and thought I'd give them a try.  The barbeque dressing was just OK, but the fajita chicken sauce was Amazing!








Here is the recipe I created using the sauce:
1 bunch of Kale, washed and broken down to bite size pieces
3/4 head of Iceberg lettuce, washed and broken down
1.5 bunch of Cilantro, washed and leaves snipped of the stem
1 can of White Corn, mostly drained
1 can of Black Beans, washed and drained
optional: sweet and hot jalapenos and diced fresh tomatoes
Toss all ingredients together
Cook 3 chicken breasts in pan until mostly done, then add Fajita sauce and cook until done.
Add to salad and serve

Delicious!