Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons dark chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (29-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 (15.5 oz) cans red kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained
12 ounces butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
1 cup vegetable stock

Directions

NOTE: Sauteing the vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker creates a layer of flavor. Do not skip this step.
–
Heat the oil in a saute pan, then add the onions, carrots and celery. Saute for four minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the garlic and bell pepper, stir and saute another 2 minutes.
Add the spices and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat.

Add the vegetables and the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for six hours.

Serving Size: Makes 8 one-cup servings.

Print: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe_details.asp?nutrition_id=58110943

Recipe from Chef Meg on Spark People

These are easy to make and are so YUMMY! A healthy, colorful recipe to bring to a summer cookout or to any type of party!

Cook time 30 minutes, Prep time 15 minutes, Vegetarian

Nutrition information per serving (8 servings): Calories 145.8, Total Fat 10.7g, Saturated Fat 4.9g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6g, Monounsaturated Fat 4.7g, Cholesterol 25.3mg, Sodium 468.2mg, Potassium 251.smg, Total Carbohydrate 8.4g, Dietary Fiber 2.3g, Sugars 0.9g, Protein 5.3g

Ingredients:

• 1 small red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 4 baby zucchini, halved and sliced
• 16 small cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 16 small black olives cut in half
• 8 oz feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon shredded basil
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Olive oil
• 4 red peppers, halved, seeds removed

Directions:

Get a large bowl and mix the onion, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and black olives. Crumble over the feta and add the basil. Drizzle with olive oil and seasons. Stir till all vegetables are well covered with olive oil.

Divide mixture between the pepper halves and wrap each in tin foil. Arrange on a baking tray and cook in a 350 degree oven or on a rack over the barbecue until the vegetables are tender. (Times may vary depending on your heat source. Just keep an eye on them). Took about 30 minutes for me.

Note: You can add garlic cloves just mince and add to bowl with all the other vegetables.

Xoxo -Laurie

veggie stuffed peppers

Dine Smart at Dinner

Continue fat-loss nutrition by eating wisely at dinner. Be mindful of your carbohydrate intake when the day winds down because you won’t burn as much energy.

Tasty Fish Dinner

Nutritional: 331 calories, 32 grams of protein, 26 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fat

Ingredients:

• 4 oz tilapia fish
• 2 slices lemon
• ½ tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups broccoli
• ½ cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup zucchini
• ¼ cup chicken broth

Directions:

1. Brush olive oil on tilapia fish and place in a casserole dish. Top with slices of lemon and other spices you desire. Place in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees about 45 minutes or until fish flakes.
2. Ten minutes before the fish comes out of the oven, place the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium to high heat. Add in broccoli, carrots, zucchini and cook until desired tenderness.
3. Sprinkle any additional spices you enjoy and serve with fish right out of the oven. The chicken broth adds a nice hint of flavor to the vegetables. No butter is necessary during the cooking process.

I started my health regimen by picking 3 days a week, for 1 hour, to designate as my “gym” time.

(I do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). So a total of 3 hours a week dedicated to better health.

Put those days in your scheduler and treat those times (your workout days) as you would an important executive meeting or a hair appointment. You wouldn’t miss one of those would you??

Make workout days have an important meaning. Your health is important, isn’t it?

I actually schedule things around my gym time now.

I would always find an excuse not to go. Scheduling put me in a mind set, that this WAS important!
 
I mean, let’s get real….people would never have time to go to the gym….you must MAKE time.

Ok, onto tip number 2

You should always eat your first meal within 1 hour of waking up.

Example Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1 slice whole grain bread, 1 tablespoon sugar free jelly, 8 oz water
You can also have a cup of coffee or tea with your breakfast.

Tip 3: PLAN PLAN PLAN

If you fail to plan you already plan to fail!  YOU MUST PLAN YOUR FOOD! You can’t out train a poor diet. I can not stress this enough.

Designate a food preparation day. I go grocery shopping ONCE a week ( I loathe grocery shopping!) and I prep my foods for the week.

I separate snacks, make salads, make steamed chicken or tuna, rice – etc.  I have a “snack” basket I keep on the counter with all my snacks for the week.

So the whole week all I do is grab and go.  Everything is already done.  It takes me about 3 hours total to do the groceries, put it all away, cook, prep, and package.
Once that is done it’s done. I don’t have to worry about anything as far as food goes for the week!

My entire family is doing this – and I have a husband and three teenage boys! So if I can convert them into doing this, anyone can do it.

Example Snacks: 1/4 cup almonds or 3 celery sticks with 2tbs almond butter or protein shake. Make sure to have 8oz water with your snack!

Example Lunch: 3 oz tuna packed in water. Bed of greens, chopped celery, green onion, and fresh cilantro. Drink 8 oz water!

Example Dinner: 4 to 6 oz of meat (chicken, turkey, lean beef) 1 sweet potato, unlimited veggies, like broccoli, green beans, cabbage and don’t forget your 8 oz water!

Tip 4:

Eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. It’s the key to speeding up your metabolism!

Eating too little forces your body to switch into conservation mode and burn fewer calories, which means you’re more likely to hang onto body fat.

Undereating can cause your body to break down muscle mass for fuel, which also causes a metabolic slow down.

Unless you want to wind up thinner but flabbier, eating enough and at regular times is key.

Tip 5:

Drink plenty of water!

Tip 6:

Take supplements.  I use NOW. They have the GMP seal.

Good Manufacturing Practice…read more about that here… CLICK HERE

Here is what I take and why:

Multivitamin (the NOW brand recommends two gel caps), Omega’s (1500mg per day), ChromeMate (200 mcg 1 per day), R-ALA, (200-400mg per day 1-3 per day depending on body composition) and Silymarin (1 per day)

Multivitamin: provides the body with vitamins and minerals that are missing in most of today’s foods.
Omega 3: helps lower cholesterol, helps cardiovascular system, brain food! Stabilizes mood, and improves fat metabolism.
ChromeMate: helps body metabolize sugar, prevents muscle loss, and increases your body’s metabolism
R-ALA: powerful antioxidant – reduces aging effects and helps metabolize sugars, fat burner!
Silymarin: cleans and detoxes liver, helps overall digestion effectiveness, a healthy liver equals better fat metabolism!

Tip: 7

Get plenty of rest!  Deep REM sleep is when we produce the Human Growth Hormone…also know as our body’s best natural fat burner!

Tip 8:

Last but not least…try to stay consistent!  If you have a day where you slip, don’t beat yourself up! Just start fresh again on your next meal. Just tell yourself you CAN do this and you are worth it!

xoxo
-Laurie

Just made this for lunch! YUM!!!

6 large kale leaves
6 ounces of almond milk or coconut milk (you can use all water if you like)
3 ounces of water
Blend until smooth, then add
1 small banana
1/4 cup strawberries frozen
1 Scoop of NOW Whey Protein
6 ice cubes

Blend again until all nice and blended….

Drink!

Ingredients

7 large baked potatoes
3 T butter, unsalted
1 1/2 c onion, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c celery, diced fine
3 T flour
2 c chicken stock, low sodium
4 c skim or 1% milk
1/4 t white pepper
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 T Scallions, chopped
1 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

Remove skin from the baked potatoes and chop into 1-inch cubes. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium until melted and frothy.

Add onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Add celery and garlic to the saucepan and continue to “sweat” the vegetables for 3 minutes.

Lower the heat slightly so the vegetables do not brown.

Add flour to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon and cook for 2 minutes; make sure to scrape the spoon against the bottom and edges of the saucepan to pick up any of the mixture that might of settled on the bottom of the pan.

Slowly whisk in the stock until all is incorporated.

Add diced potatoes to the mixture. Slowly add the milk.

Once the milk is added do not boil the mixture and stir occasionally.

Cook soup over medium to low heat for about 20 minutes.

While soup is cooking, cook the bacon until crisp in a skillet.

Remove bacon from pan and blot excess fat with a paper towel.

Crumble bacon and set aside for garnish.

If you prefer a smooth soup, puree the mixture using a food processor, blender or immersion blender.

Serve in warm bowls with a garnish of chopped scallion, a pinch of bacon, and 3/4 tablespoon of cheese.

Recipe makes 15 one cup servings

Number of Servings: 15

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHEF_MEG.

Ingredients

12 oz (4 servings) Chef Meg’s Beef Roast
2 c sweet potatoes, baked or steamed (about 2 large sweet potatoes)
2 c broccolini, washed and trimmed (1 bunch)
4 t almonds, slivered
1/2 lemon, juiced
8 T (4 servings) Chef Meg’s Caramelized Onions
pinch black pepper

Directions

Microwave or bake the sweet potatoes until tender.

Steam or simmer broccolini in water until just tender. immediately place the broccolini in a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking. Slice the warmed meat. Heat a non-stick saute pan to medium high heat. Add drained broccolini to the warmed pan. Saute for two minutes. Add almonds and continue to cook for one minute. Remove the pan from heat; add lemon juice and season with pinch of black pepper.

To serve: Place 3 oz meat (about the size of the palm of your hand) on a plate. Top with 2 T caramelized onions. Serve with 1/2 c broccolini and 1/2 c sweet potatoes.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe found at Sparkpeople.com 

I found this great article on the “great carbohydrate conundrum”.  The author did a great job explaining it and wanted to share this with all of you.

The Truth About Carbohydrates

Not all Carbs are Created Equal
  — By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

It’s true. A carbohydrate-rich diet can inflate appetite and girth. Low-carb diets do promote short-term weight loss, but are accompanied by some severe dangers. So what should you do? The truth is, you can have your carbs and eat them too—you just have to know how to choose them.

The Truth about Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are the body’s ideal fuel for most functions. They supply the body with the energy needed for the muscles, brain and central nervous system. In fact, the human brain depends exclusively on carbohydrates for its energy.
• Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy products, foods made from grain products, and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.
• The body converts digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrates into glucose, which our cells use as fuel. Some carbs (simple) break down quickly into glucose while others (complex) are slowly broken down and enter the bloodstream more gradually.
• During digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down into glucose before they can enter the bloodstream where insulin helps the glucose enter the body’s cells. Some glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles for future use, like fueling a workout. If there is extra glucose, the body will store it as fat.

All carbohydrates are not created equal. 
There are basically three types of carbohydrates:

1. Simple carbohydrates are composed of 1 or 2 sugar units that are broken down and digested quickly.

   Recent research has shown that certain simple carbohydrate foods can cause extreme surges in blood sugar levels, which also increases insulin release. This can elevate appetite and the risk of excess fat storage.

2. Complex carbohydrates (also referred to as starch) are made up of many sugar units and are found in both natural (brown rice) and refined (white bread) form. They are structurally more complex and take longer to be broken down and digested.

   Complex carbohydrate foods have been shown to enter the blood stream gradually and trigger only a moderate rise in insulin levels, which stabilizes appetite and results in fewer carbohydrates that are stored as fat. Unrefined or ‘whole grain’ carbohydrates found in products like brown rice, whole wheat pasta and bran cereals are digested slowly. They contain vitamins, minerals and fiber which promote health. Fiber and nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits and beans which are carbohydrates also have many important functions for the body and are important for good health.

3. Indigestible carbohydrates are also called fiber. The body is unable to breakdown fiber into small enough units for absorption. It is therefore not an energy source for the body but does promote health in many other ways.

Simple carbs, complex carbs, and fiber are found in many foods. Some provide important nutrients that promote health while others simply provide calories that promote girth.

• Sugar, syrup, candy, honey, jams, jelly, molasses, and soft drinks contain simple carbohydrates and little if any nutrients.
• Fruits contain primarily simple carbohydrate but also valuable vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.
• Vegetables contain varying amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.
• Legumes such as beans, peas, lentils and soybeans contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
• Milk products contain simple carbohydrates along with protein, calcium and other nutrients.
• Grain products contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. The amounts vary depending on the type of grain used and the amount of processing. Selecting whole grain options whenever possible is recommended.

What You Should Know About Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Following an extremely low-carbohydrate diet is disastrous, dangerous, and above all—boring! Carbohydrates are NOT the enemy. Including the appropriate amounts and types of carbohydrate-rich foods in your diet is essential for long-term health and weight loss/maintenance.

The Body’s Immediate Reaction to Very Low Carbohydrate Diets 
When there is a severe deficit of carbohydrates, the body has several immediate reactions:

• With no glucose available for energy, the body starts using protein from food for energy. Therefore this protein is no longer available for more important functions, such as making new cells, tissues, enzymes, hormones, and antibodies and the regulation of fluid balance.
• When carbohydrates are lacking, the body cannot burn fat in the correct way. Normally carbs combine with fat fragments to be used as energy. When carbs are not available, there is an incomplete breakdown of fat that produces a by-product called ketones. These ketones accumulate in the blood and in the urine causing ketosis, which is an abnormal state. Ketosis does cause a decrease in appetite because it’s one of the body’s protection mechanisms. It’s an advantage to someone in a famine (which the body thinks it’s experiencing) to lack an appetite because the search for food would be a waste of time and additional energy.
• Due to the lack of energy and the accumulation of ketones, low-carb diets are often accompanied by nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, bad breath, and dehydration.
• Because of dehydration and a lack of fiber, constipation can result.
• Exercise and fitness performance is reduced on a low-carb diet. Do not be surprised if your energy level is so low that you cannot make it through your normal workout routine.

The Long-Term Effects of Low Carbohydrate Diets 
When you severely restrict carbohydrates, your consumption of protein and fat increases, which has several long-term effects:

• The risk of many cancers increases when fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and beans are eliminated from the diet.
• Protein foods are also high in purines, which are broken down into uric acid. Elevated levels of uric acid in the blood may lead to needle-like uric acid crystals in joints, causing gout.
• Kidney stones are more likely to form on high protein, ketosis-producing diets.
• Over time, high protein diets can cause a loss of calcium and lead to osteoporosis.
• The risk of heart disease is greatly increased on a low-carb diet that is high in protein, cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat. A temporary reduction in cholesterol levels may be experienced, but this is common with any weight loss.

The Million Dollar Question
How do you include carbohydrates in you diet in a safe, effective, and controlled way? The “Please KISS Me” (Please Keep It So Simple for Me) plan for carbohydrate control is a wonderful tool that only contains 3 simple rules:

RULE 1: Include the following in your diet:

• Fruits: 2-4 servings daily
• Vegetables: 3-5 servings daily
• Whole grain breads, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal, and brown rice: 6-11 servings daily
• Legumes, beans and peas: 1-2 servings daily
• Low-fat and non-fat dairy products: 3 servings daily

RULE 2: Limit the following to less than 2 servings daily:

• Fruit Juice
• Refined and processed white flour products (bread, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal)
• White rice
• French fries
• Fried vegetables

RULE 3: Eliminate the following from your diet or eat only on occasion:

• Sugary desserts, cookies, cakes, pies, candies
• Doughnuts and pastries
• Chips, cola and carbonated beverages
• Sugar, honey, syrup, jam, jelly, molasses

That’s it! A simple, effective carbohydrate-controlling plan that, when combined with your SparkDiet, allows you to reap the countless benefits of complex carbohydrates and fiber while enhancing your health and maintaining a healthy weight. The long term result will be a healthy you!

Ingredients

10 c wheat bread, (a dense bakery bread), cubed
2 strips turkey bacon, diced
1 1/4 c low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 T butter, unsalted
2 yellow onions, diced
5 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced
2 c fennel, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
pinch salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t oregano
6 dried apricots, chopped
1/2 c egg substitute
2 T flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast bread cubes until light golden in color, about 12-15 minutes; set aside and cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Place turkey bacon in a heavy saucepan. On top of stove cook over moderate heat just until the fat is melted and the meat starts to brown. Remove from pan; chop into a small dice and reserve. Drain off any excess fat and discard. Melt butter in the saucepan. Add onions and saute until golden in color. To the onions, add the diced bacon, apples, fennel and celery. Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes. Spray with pan spay a 13 X 9 baking dish. Combine toasted bread, vegetable mixture, and stock to a large bowl. Mix in herbs, seasonings, fruit, and beaten eggs. Transfer to baking dish. Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pan spray. Cook 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned; about 20 minutes.

Number of Servings: 18 (1/2 cup per serving)

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHEF_MEG.

Ingredients

4 small tart apples, such as Granny Smith, washed and cored

Filling:
1 tablespoon Smart Balance butter blend, softened
1 tablespoon pecans, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the apples in a baking dish.

Combine raisins in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of warm water and allow to rest for 10 minutes. (This is an important step! If you skip this step, the raisins will burn in the oven.)

Combine all ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Divide the filling evenly among the apples.

Pour 1/2 cup water into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before eating.

Makes 4 servings

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHEF_MEG.