Back... on a MISSION!

HI THERE AND HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!

 

It's been too long since I've posted and it's time to get real!  The next 24 days are going to be challenging and I will definitely need an outlet to express my thoughts and possibly frustrations.  What better place than here? 

This Friday, after Thanksgiving, myself and two others will be starting Advocare's 24 Day Challenge!  My boyfriend, Mike, recently became an Advocare distributor and swears by their products.  Being a personal trainer, he understands peoples goals of leading an active and healthy lifestyle.  While exercise is a crucial component in the equation, what you put in your body and do outside of the gym is even more important. 

My weight has fluctuated between 115 and 135 since college. I am guilty of extreme dieting and sometimes exercising in excess.  While I haven't gone to any extremes lately, I must say that I have not been treating my body as well as I should be.  I still workout 3-4x a week, but I have been indulging in less healthy foods and probably a little too much beer and wine.  What can I say?  We are all guilty of overindulging at some point in our lives. 

With that being said, what's a better time to start to get back on track than after Thanksgiving--the holiday built on FOOD!  Andddddddd it'll be over right before Christmas :)  The 24 Day Challenge isn't a "drastic", "unhealthy" or "extreme" program.  The program focuses on vitamins, supplements, meal replacements and an herbal cleanse.  While I have never actually followed a specific program, I am excited to start and have a regime.  I really believe this will get me back in a "rhythm" of being more conscious of what I put in my body and give me a better overall feeling of health and wellness. 

On the program, we will need to eliminate alcohol, dairy (THIS IS GOING TO BE HELL-I LIVE OFF OF CHEESE!!!!), fried fatty foods, refined carbs and sugars amongst other items.  It's not going to be easy, but I've already set a meal plan for the first 10 days (the cleanse phase) so that I don't get off track.  I'll update you on our status every few days.  We're going to be taking before and after photos for accountability also (yikes!). 

While I would like to shed close to 10 pounds, I am not going to get hung up with the number on the scale.  If I see improvement in my before/after photos, feel tighter and more energized after the 24 days, I will consider it a success and keep on working towards my health and fitness goals.  

Sooooo... with all this starting in just 2 days, I'm going out tonight (the biggest drinking night of the year) to celebrate life, love and happiness.. and hopefully not a hangover tomorrow.  I'll have my last few drinks and last huge meal before really buckling down!  It's only 24 days but right now it seems like an eternity!

Comment/Email me if you're interested in seeing what my 10 day meal plan looks like!

Also, if you're looking for advice related to any Advocare products including the 24 Day Challenge, feel free to contact Mike Brizzolara, who's an extremely knowledgeable Distributor and personal trainer who can work with you to achieve your goals.

Contact Mike (Select I already know a distributor, select name and state, type Michael Brizzolara, NJ)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! 

Happy Friday! (& Happy Birthday Mommy!)

Good Afternoon Fellow Bloggers/Followers! Are you as happy as I am that today is Friday!?  I just wanted to share a quick afternoon snack that I am currently having at work which is a sliced banana drizzled with Natural Roasted Creamy Almond Butter and sprinkled with cinnamon. 

This snack is great because not only is it super tasty, the components are packed with vitamins, nutrients and overall health benefits.  Bananas are filled with dietary fiber (which aids digestion and curbs overeating), Vitamin B6 (which acts as an anti-inflammatory decreasing chances of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and obesity) and potassium (which aids in bone health and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels).  As you can see, there are many benefits to eating bananas.  

The Almond Butter has many of the same benefits as bananas plus more! It's good for your heart, can help lower blood pressure, contains antioxidants, and can help you maintain a healthy weight because of its high protein content which makes you feel full longer.  

Last but not least, you can't forget about the cinnamon!  Many people are surprised to find that incorporating a little cinnamon into your diet daily can add some great benefits.  A few of the benefits of cinnamon include it's ability to regulate blood sugar, reduce LDL cholesterol levels,  reduce pain linked to arthritis, lessen menstrual pain, increase fertility, and studies have also shown it may reduce chronic inflammation linked with various neurological disorders.

So why wouldn't you want to eat this delicious snack? I mean, if you're like my good friend Pete who's allergic to both bananas AND tree nuts (eh hem, ALMONDS)...well then you just suck!  Don't worry, I'll feature a great snack idea for any of you who are like my friend in the near future.

Anyways, I hope you all have a good weekend and Mother's Day, the weather looks very promising!  I will be off to happy hour in less than two hours which I am very excited about :)

Remember to make healthy choices this weekend! I'll be back towards the end of the weekend with some more yummy recipes and/or health tips.  Adios for now! 

"Being weak is a choice, so is being strong!" -Apply this to any goals you set, mentally or physically.  Whether it's running an extra mile or turning down that chocolate chip cookie, remember it's your choice, challenge your will power and you will appreciate the results.

 

Sources:

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-beneits-of-bananas.html

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-phenomenal-health-benefits-of-almond-butter/

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html?page=1

Tuesday's Workout & Breakfast for Dinner Recipe!

After my long Sunday run, I decided to take Monday off from working out.  I had worked out 6 days last week and was feeling pretty good and my body definitely needed a days rest.  Not to mention, yesterday was Day 1 of studying for my last section of the CPA Exam.  I sit for the last part May 30th, so balancing my career, studies, working out, cooking & eating healthy are no doubt going to be a little more difficult for the next month, but it's a task I am willing to tackle!  Tonight I am working out at my gym, 24 Hour Fitness, which I have been a member at for over 3 years now and I absolutely LOVE IT THERE.  When I'm not on one of the cardio machines you can find me taking a number of their Group X Classes.  These classes range from spin to strength and barbell training classes.  Without these classes and the dedicated instructors, I would not be at the fitness level I am at today.  Working in groups gives me extra motivation and that extra push to make myself a better me inside and out.  Tonight I am taking one of Les Mills classes called "Body Attack" which is a high intensity cardio and old school aerobics class. I have taken it a few times in the past and it definitely kicked my butt, so I am looking forward to the challenge tonight.  After that, I am partaking in a new boot camp-styled class that my gym has been offering over the past month or so titled "Ghost Recon."  This class challenges all muscle groups with numerous strength and cardio training drills.  My first time taking the class was last week and I am excited to be back for more this week!  The class is definitely taxing on your body but after a few weeks of attending I'm almost positive you will love the results and progress you'll see. 

I didn't have much time to food shop or cook an elaborate meal, so I had "breakfast for dinner." Here's my recipe for a heart healthy, veggie pack frittata that brings me back to spending the weekends with my grandparents. (My Nonna would often make frittata as part of dinners which I always loved!) Enjoy!  Add or subtract veggies to your own taste :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Whole Eggs (Yolks and ALL!)
• 4 Egg Whites
• 1 Medium Green Squash Diced
• 1 Bag Baby Spinach Cleaned/Dried
• 1 Bunch Fresh Asparagus Diced
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion Diced
• Few teaspoonfuls of water 
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat skillet with a few teaspoonfuls of the olive oil over medium heat.  Throw in squash, asparagus and onion.  Cook for about 5-10 minutes until veggies are tender and golden brown. 
2. In the mean time, preheat oven to 375* and beat together whole eggs, egg whites, water and salt & pepper (I am not CRAZY about egg whites alone, so I usually incorporate the yolks from half of the eggs as in this case 8 eggs, 4 yolks).
3. Toss spinach with veggies until wilted and pour beaten eggs into skillet over veggie mixture.
4. Cook eggs over medium heat being sure to lift eggs from the sides of the skillet and cooking until eggs are pretty much formed and solid (like an omelet)
5. Place skillet into oven and let the frittata finish cooking - about 10 minutes until top is no longer runny and eggs are fully cooked. (Make sure your skillet is oven safe and if the handle is rubber cover it with some tin foil before placing it in the oven)
6. Take the frittata out of the oven and either slide the entire thing onto a large round plate, or you can simply cut little triangles straight from the pan and enjoy!

This no-brainer frittata is loaded with protein and healthy veggies.  The possibilities are endless for add-ins, I also enjoy frittatas with tomato, mushroom, peppers, cheese, the list goes on.  It's truly a quick, easy and customizable breakfast, lunch or dinner!  

 

Turkey & Veggie Burgers

The first recipe I'm going to share with you is my recipe for turkey burgers.  In the past I enjoyed 100% beef burgers like most kids and adults still do today.  As I got older and began to shy away from consuming large amounts of red meat and other less lean meats, I began to experiment with making ground turkey burgers.  My experimentation eventually evolved into what are now ground turkey, ground chicken breast* and veggie burgers.  These burgers take a decent amount of prep time (about 30 minutes) but are figure friendly and definitely worth all the chopping!  I'm not big on measuring ingredients while I cook, so the measurements I present you with are always a rough estimate.   Feel free to add or subtract ingredients based on your own taste buds and nutritional needs or limitations.  My goal in sharing these recipes with you is not to have you making things exactly as I do, but rather have you explore the many options available to you to cook and create scrumptious, figure-friendly meals!  So here it is, my first post, my first recipe! I hope you find time to make this and please share your comments to help me make this recipe and blog as a whole, the best it can be! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Pkg Ground Turkey (I use 99% Fat Free) *If your making A LOT like I usually do, I use 1 Pkg Ground Turkey and also 1 Pkg Ground Chicken Breast
• 1 Yellow Onion Diced
• 3 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps diced small 
• 1 Medium-Large Green Squash Peeled and grated using a standard cheese grater
• Small amount fresh chopped garlic or garlic powder
• 1 Bag Fresh Baby Spinach cleaned & dried
• 1/4 c. Ground Flax Seeds (This is used in place of bread crumbs)
• 1 Large Egg beaten (Preferably brown/organic)
•  Salt & Pepper
• Few tablespoons olive oil to coat frying pan
• 1/4 c. water/low sodium chicken stock

1. Combine ALL ingredients except olive oil in large bowl.   Mix with hands until well combined and mixture begins sticking together.  (Mixture will be slightly sticky, but we don't want to add too much flax seeds/bread crumbs to keep the already lean meat from becoming too dry after cooking)
2. Wash hands and place oil in large frying pan on medium heat.
3. Once oil is hot, form "burgers" by hand and place them into the pan.  I try not to make mine to big or too think so that they cook rather uniformly.  I put about 4 in a pan at a time.
4. Let the burger cook on one side for about 4-5 minutes until it had a nice brown sear, then flip and repeat for about 4-5 minutes.  
5. After that I like to lower the heat a little and cover them and cook for another 2-3 minutes to ensure the inside is fully cooked.
6.  After this, remove the cover and place the burgers on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any excess oil that may be present.
7. Repeat this until no mixture remains.

I enjoy mine with ketchup and occasionally a piece of light Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese! The picture shown is with a simple salad and a honey Dijon vinaigrette. 

Keep in mind rather than frying, you may bake the burgers on a greased cookie sheet for about 20-25 mins.  You can attempt making them on a standard BBQ grill, but be careful they may easily fall apart on the grill!

ENJOY!