Loaded Potatoes

I saw an add for loaded potatoes and my mouth started drooling!
There has got to be a healither way to makes these guys right?

I went to the kitchen to find out.  Succeed I did.  The whole family gave it 5 stars.   Here is my recipe for a better loaded potato:

5 potatos washed
1/2 c. plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 c. Habinaro cheese
4 TB reduced sodium real bacon bits
seasoning of choice to taste (I used Ranch flavored popcorn seasoning, or use Mrs Dash no salt seasonings)

Cut potatoes in half and cook in microwave for 6 minutes.  Let cool enough to scoop out most of the potato from the skin and place in a mixing bowl.  Combine all ingredients and mix well.   Fill potato skins with mixture.  *optional- lightly sprinkle more cheese on top.
Place on lined cookie sheet and put in the oven on Broil untill the tops of the potato goldens.
Cool slightly and enjoy!

By substituting the sour cream for Greek yogurt we've reduced fat, calories and added a complete source of protein.  We've keep our cheese in proportion but still enough to taste.  Which is why I used Habinaro cheese, it gives more flavor so you can get away with using less.  And the reduced sodium bacon bits helps keep our salt in check.  So you can enjoy a little better some comfort food.

p.s. We're still heading to www.efficientbody.com just having some glitches thanks for your patience.

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.

Green Smoothies

I've been playing around with Green Smoothies lately, and I must say I'm liking them quite a bit!
The first recipe I used was not the greatest and it made 3 servings- they forgot to mention that.  So I made the rest into popsicles and ice cubes.

This was is where my world went very very right.
I had the munchies yesterday and I didn't want to eat anything I'd regret so I pulled out a green popsicle and my kids' eyes were bulging with envy!

So I gave them one and figured they would say it's gross and put it down.
Nope, they gobbled up that spinach, celery, lettuce, apple, pear popsicle like it was nothin'
Amazing!
To amaze you further after breakfast the next day they asked for more.  Shocked and awe.  So I made more which I will give them after their naps.

The secret with new food always seems to be presentation.  I had it and didn't offer it to them, they got to "want it" first.  Another thing to try is maybe bust these out on St. Pateriks Day.

We will now made these magic popsicles daily and they can have them morning, noon or night.
Win-win right?

Protein Bread

Remember our talk on protein? The importance of complete proteins in you diet?

Well here is a video recipe for Maple Apple bread.  This recipe used brown rice and garbanzo bean flour (milled by my Nutramill) which together creates a complete source of protein.

You can use other flours too, but to get the complete protein you need to combine flours.
It's easy, take a look...

Healthy-er Pot Pies

So there are recipes that are unhealthy, full of white flour or other refined ingredients and things that are down right bad for you.  Then we get into a class that is what I call healthy-er, things that are a lot better for you but just short of top notch. lastly, we have things that are great for you with nothing added to hold you back from being a lean and mean machine.

Today I want to share with you a recipe that is healthier.  We will remake the famous comfort food, the "Chicken Pot Pie."  Who doesn't love a good pot pie?  Warm, creamy sauces, chunks of meat? Love it!

But have you seen how much sodium, fat, and calories are in these things? And if you buy the pre-made ones, they are so tiny and not filling at all.

To cut out empty calories we will not use a pastry crust, but we will use a modified Bisquick topping.  Instead of making an actual pie we will put in into small ceramic dishes and put the crust just on top.

Then we load it with veggies and low in fat meat like chicken breasts.  Mix it with a cream soup and Viola! We've reduced the calories nearly in half.  Cut out tons of perverseness, and now are left with meal that the whole family can enjoy and is not half bad for you.  Also you can do what I did and use the rest of the Thanksgiving turkey.

I didn't put the dark meat in. Just the white.  I left the dark for my hubby;)

Here's the recipie:

A Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
2 C. of Milk
4 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 Season Salt
1 med. onion, minced
1 C. Peas
2.5 C. Carrots
2.5 C Broccoli
1 can of white corn

Breaded Topping:
2 C. Bisquick
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 C. + 4 TB Milk
1 egg
*beat all ingredients together

Here is one made in a large pie dish. This recipe will make at least two.

Mix soups, milk, season salt and pepper together.  Add vegetables, mixing well.  Pour into 8 individual oven safe containers. (or one large )  Pour a portion of topping onto each one.  Cook on 350 for 30-35 minutes until topping is golden.


Notes: Most of the time I add more veggies than noted above.  Just make it a consistency you will enjoy.








-Enjoy

Cookies

 Last week I participated in a blog cookie swap. Man, did I revive some devilishly good cookies from Caryn at the Mid Life Guru.

Now I am everything health here at The EfficientBody Diary so I could NOT send her ordinary cookies!  I decided to send her 3 kinds of cookies. One had no added sugar, one was a recipe made over "healthy," and the third was just ordinary cookies.  (I had to be true to my style and have some fun with it.)

Oatmeal Crasin

Chocolate Chip and Coconut Cookie Bar

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here are the pics, can you tell which is which?  I also did a taste test with some friends of mine and they could not tell.-yea!  I just wish you guys could taste them.
Okay, did you decide?
Really pick which is which....












The answers:  The oatmeal is normal unhealthy, despite it's misleading title. The Triple Chocolate (my favorite) has no added sugar.  This again is misleading because it's made with pudding and cake mix.  Both of which already have sugar in them. (see how easily those marketers can manipulate things so they appear healthy?)  Lastly, the Chocolate Coconut has been made over.  I took out the shortening, the white sugar and the refined flour.  This one you would never guess (when tasting) that it was made over.  Everyone gobbles them up every time I make them.

But here is the thing.  I'm notorious for not writing down my recipes.  I just make it and usually it turns out.  So I will give you what I remember of the Cookie Bar recipe. So take it with a grain of salt.  And I will work on my flaws.



Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookie Bars:
1/2 C. Margerin
1/2 C. Low Fat Cream Cheese
*blend until smooth
1 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C Honey
2 Eggs
1.5 tsp. Vanila
*blend until smooth
1.5 tsp. Baking Soda
3 C. Oatmeal Flour (you can make this in your blender)
12oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
*Mix by hand

Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle desired amount of coconut on top and bake 350 until done.

Ha!- I remembered it all except the honey I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure that's it.  The baking time though? Traditionally only 9 minutes but these have a lot more moisture so cook them until slightly golden.
Give these a try, you can't go wrong.

Pumpkin Waffles

I've got so much pumpkin mush from my Jack-o-lanterns that I even made baby food with out having a baby to give it to.  I just needed something to do with it all.
Just in case you have as much pumpkin as I do I thought you would enjoy a new recipie.

Pumpkin Waffles
2 c. oat flour
1 Tb. baking powder
3/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice *use 1 Tb. if using fresh pumpkin
1/2 c. Canola oil
3/4 c. pumpkin
1/4 t. salt
3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 c. Valina Almond milk (can be substituted for regular milk)
1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Sir flour, backing powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt together in a large bowl.  In a medium bowl mix well: egg yolks, milk, oil and pumpkin.  Add to dry ingredients.  Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until they form peaks, then fold into batter.  Pour into waffle iron.

Now the secret to this healthy recipe is the Cinnamon Cream Syrup!!!  This will take these average Pumpkin Waffles into AMAZING impress the In-laws food.  But, it is not very healthy so I will be in the kitchen making over the syrup so that it is still delish but yet not so hard on the body.

I will post the New syrup recipe on the EfficientBody Facebook page.  If you want to give this recipe a try then go "like" the page so the recipe can show up in your feed.  I'll also tweet (@efficentbjamie) you when it's done.

-Happy pumpkining!

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

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!

What's on the menu

Like I said yesterday, eating is so so vital to weight loss and maintenance.   So I will be posting a lot about food.  Here is today's menu:
Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg, 1/3 cup of homemade oatmeal.
Lunch:  Herbal Chicken Stir fry

-  I can't have any carbs, fruit, most veggies and sodium right now. (we'll discuss why another day)  So I was racking my brain on what to eat (that tastes good and how to cook it) and so I came up with this recipe which I fell in love with.  It's easy, easy, and so so healthy:

• two chicken breasts thawed
• two green peppers
• one large sweet onion
• 1/8-1/4 cup whipping cream 
• fresh oregano and rosemarry
• poultry seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil

Take your chicken and cube it. Put it in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil and 3 stalks of rosemary and 3 stalks of oregano (pick off the leaves and toss the stem/stalk) Cook until chicken is mostly done then add julianne onions and largely cut green peppers, add one more stalk of oregano and rosemary.  It's done when chicken is done and onions become soft, your peppers still need to have a slight crunch to them.  Pour whipping cream over top sprinkle with poultry seasoning (1/2-1 TB). Stir and serve. 
If you'd like you can serve in a tortilla or over long grain rice.  I just ate it plain and loved it.

Now dinner will be:
6oz. stake, asparagus, and a sweet potato



This meal plan is ultra delicious and ultra healthy.   Eating like this is enjoyable and will also keep us on track to loose some.
Eat up!

 

Low Carb Breakfast Burritos

There seems to be two prevailing diets out there in the health world right now, one being Low Carb and the other vegetarian.   I disagree with long term use of with both of these diets but eating with these ideals from time to time or a couple nights a week have large benefits.

So today I have for you Low Carb Breakfast Burritos.  This recipe makes about 7 burritos.  We ate them for dinner and then I froze the rest.  I like to have a stock of healthy food on hand so when I'm super hungry or running behind schedule I can still eat right. (and yes they still tasted good after a week in the arctic;)

Brown 16oz. of ground chuck with 1.5 TB of Basil, 1.5 TB of Crushed Red Peppers. You can use whatever ground meat you'd like, chuck is one of the more healthier options so that is what I used. 

So these spices are going to flavor our meat like sausage.  I like spicy food so I also added some sprinkles of Mrs. Dash Extra spicy.  Don't be afraid of this, it wasn't too spicy.   It was still mild enough for my kids to have.  But if your nervous about the spice you can omit that.

Next scramble an egg for each burrito you plan on.  Dice some tomatoes and cilantro. Cilantro is one of the miracles of this recipe I would highly recommend not skipping it!

Now time to fill. Get your tortillas, you can use wheat or regular.  Fill with a large 1/4 cup of meat, then 1/7th of the eggs. Pile on top the tomatoes and cilantro.  And finish off with 2 TB of Mexican cheese blend. 

Now roll 'em top with salsa and eat 'em.  Or If you really want these to "pop" after you roll them grill them on med-high heat in your frying pan until golden brown on each side.  This really makes them taste amazing.

I never told my taste testing crew that it was not sausage in the burritos, and they never questioned!  Reduced so much sodium, and artery clogging gunk by doing that.  Enjoy!

P.S. Some exciting news  "Advendtures of FitMom" is getting a makeover!  We are going to be making some changes around here.  Were going to do what I tell my clients, do it better, and harder.  So were going to try to do just that.  Were planning some great stuff I hope you enjoy.  So don't be alarmed when things start to look different around here.  Our last day to have the changes done is by August so stay tuned!

Picky Eaters and PediaSure Alternative

Last night for dinner I sauteed chicken and broccoli over brown rice and topped it with an orange and ginger sauce. My picky two-year-old would have nothing to do with it!  He refused to even try it.  Our menu options are "take it" or "leave it."  And leave it he did.  We also say that you have to eat it at the next meal if it's not all finished.  So that meant that this morning, i came in from my workout to see my heartbroken boy in tears because he's so hungry and mean old Dad will only give him his last nights dinner.  My husband swore he'd win this battle, and went off to work leaving me in quite a situation.  After eating my own breakfast, and having my boy beg me for "Wheats" which by interpretation is Mini Wheats, I decided to meet him half way.
I took him to the stove where we made an omelet together, and what did we put in that omelet? Yep, his dinner (well half of it).  I let him put his dinner in it so he could very clearly see that he still had to eat it.  And he did, no more fussing, no more battling, we found a good common ground.
Then snack time came and he agreed to eat some more of his dinner (only two bites).  Now lunch, this time both of my boys are crying! My four-year-old hates leftovers.  What to do, what to do?!

I pulled out a mixing bowl, whipping cream, and strawberry syrup.
 I told my boys over their crying that whoever takes a bit first can put in the first ingredient. Automatic science. My four-year-old shoved food into his mouth immediately, he was not about to miss whatever this was.  My other boy, just turned two last week so i don't think he fully understood what was going on.  I then let my older boy dump in whipping cream.  By now my little one got the picture, I helped him take a bite and he got to put in the syrup.
Magic!!!!
No retaliation, this was working!
As these are the only two ingredients in the recipe I made they next got out beaters and the electric mixer in-between bites.
After that they got to mix it for about 30 seconds each time they took another bite.  They were happily eating and happily shearing.  To help savor this moment I kept the electric beaters on low, that way they had enough time to eat all of their food.

It's done when it gets stiff. Now that we had a happy lunch, time to enjoy the creation.

I dabbed some onto a graham cracker and topped with a chocolate mint leaf.  Gourmet desert at its finest for my tots.
Not only did we have a great mommy-son experience instead of battles and tantrums, but we got a healthy desert to go with it.  Oh the joy that was felt.  Now let's talk Pediasure and this dessert after you enjoy these pics of my boy.

Many of you may already know what that product is, a supplement for children to help them gain weight.  Both if my boys were recommended to take this regularly.  They have VERY high metabolisms.  My youngest, they wanted him to be medicated so his metabolism would slow down and allow him to gain weight.  (I feed the kid, i promise! 2 eggs, yogurt, and 2 bowls of cereal was a typical breakfast for him)  But surrender i did not, i was not about to medicate him when he was only 18 months.

this is from Boost another meal supplement

Along with medication they wanted the PediaSure, this is what i want to talk about. The problem with PediaSure and other products like it is, sugar and artificial sweeteners and corn syrup and and and...!!
And it tastes like a milkshake, which means if kids are supposed to get it often it becomes a "have to have it," it's all they want.  They don't want anything else, who wants peas, and broccoli if they get a sweet shake.  This then leads to poor eating habits and deficiency in minerals and vitamins.  PediaSure, Boots and other brands fortify it so it does have 4 or so vitamins in it, which is not nearly enough for growing kids or anyone.
I bring this to your attention so you don't have to experience this if your kids are ever told they need weight, or if your there right now what you can do about it.  Every kid I know on this stuff has these issues.
So the healthy things to do about this are:
 1. Dilute the supplement shake-that way they still get the stuff but it's not at sweet, this will also stretch the shake out which will help your budget, they are expensive.
2. Make your own stuff- Use the whipping cream recipe I just used for my kids. This is what I do to get my kids some weight on. It really works, and with out the cost, preservatives and junk that comes with the shakes. (We do put in the unhealthy syrup but its a small dose, so it's nothing to worry about)  Use the same method, if they eat their real food then they get some, and/or use it as a snack.  Even give them a bowl of it.  This is a healthy all natural fat. Yes, there is some saturated fat in cream but because it's in balance with the good fat in cream it in a sense neutralizes, or councils out.

When I told the Doctors what I had done, they thought it was brilliant.  And can i quote "That's something I've never thought of before."  Why? Because Dr's are not nutritionists, they are trained to diagnose and provide a medication.  I'm not knocking Dr's, it's just what they are trained in.  We as parents are in charge of our kids nutritional needs.
Sorry this post was a bit long but hopefully this can be helpful to you or someone you know.