Clean Eating Summer Foods

Everyone loves a good summer treat with the warmer weather, kids out of school, running from one event to another.  Most people need quick and easy recipes and foods to eat on the go.  I advice all my clients to eat clean.  In case you have never heard of that or need a refresher on what clean eating is below are some guidelines to follow.

• Whole grain foods
• Fruits & Vegetables are staples in this way of life 
• Avoid processed foods as much as possible
• Eat 5-6 small meals a day
• Avoid sugar loaded drinks and foods
• Limit alcohol
• Stick to proper portion sizes 

So where can you find healthy clean eating recipes for all your summer eats & treats?  Below are two great websites with tons of fabulous recipes.  I have posted 2 recipes below one from each website.  I encourage you to try them! 

The first recipe is a tried and true breakfast treat.  I have many of my clients say they can eat this as dessert it tastes so sweet and is delicious!  The website you want to check out for this recipe is at www.cleaneatingmag.com 

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 medium bananas
• 2 cups 1% cottage cheese
• 6 tbsp all-fruit strawberry jam
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel and cut each banana in half lengthwise. Place 2 banana halves in a shallow dish or bowl (or a deep traveling container if you’re off to work). Using an ice cream scooper, place 1/2 cup cottage cheese over center of banana and top with 1 1/2 tbsp jam, 1 tbsp peanuts and pinch of salt. Repeat with remaining ingredients to assemble 3 more Breakfast Banana Splits. Serve immediately.

Nutrients per banana split: Calories: 255, Total Fat: 6 g, Sat. Fat: 1.5 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2.5 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5 g, Carbs: 44 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugars: 25 g, Protein: 17 g, Sodium: 460 mg, Cholesterol: 4.5 mg

The second recipe is from another favorite website of mine http://busygirlhealthylife.com/ Lori Harder publishes her personal recipes she creates right on her website they taste great and are clean eats as well! 

Summer Kale Salad 

Ingredients

• 4-6 cups kale leaves, chopped without spine
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup Asiago cheese
• Dash hot pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup strawberries, chopped
• 2 4-6 oz. chicken breasts
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 cup shredded cabbage - purple or yellow
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

1. In a lightly sprayed frying pan, add garlic and salt. Then sauté chicken, pine nuts and green onion until cooked through or lightly browned.
2. In a separate bowl, combine kale, water chestnuts, hot pepper flakes, mint, strawberries, cabbage and carrots.
3. For the dressing, in a blender or Magic Bullet, combine olive oil, lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, Asiago cheese and a dash of pepper and salt. Blend until smooth and pour over kale mixture. Let set at least 5 minutes before serving.
4. Combine all ingredients including chicken, and mix well.
5. Tip: Feel free to do this with shrimp, tofu or just serve plain. It’s delicious!

As always check out www.safiretraining.com  for more fitness and nutrition tips! 

Holiday Parties are here, how to prevent that weight gain!

Now that the holiday parties are about to begin how do you prevent that holiday weight gain?  Well there are many basic tips that one can follow.  I will share some of my top tips below. 

1. Eat before you go to the holiday party- If you go to a party hungry you will consume more food, more drinks than you intended to.  So eat dinner before you go and the food might not look as appetizing as it would if you were starving. 
2. Stick to 1 glass of alcoholic beverages of your choice- After one consumes to many alcoholic drinks you tend to want more to drink and eat.  So sticking to one and sipping on it all night is a better choice. 
3. If you do drink more than 1 drink- If you do go beyond your 1 drink max. make sure you drink water before you have your next drink to stay hydrated. 
4. Have a set time you want to leave the party at- If you and whomever you came with to the party both know what time you plan on leaving stick to that.  That way you know you will be getting a good nights rest.
5. Indulge in smaller treats- Most people have trouble not eating anything at a party, myself included.  Stick to the smaller treats such as a smaller christmas cookie, mini candy cane, and bite sized treats.  Just stick to 1-2 or you may end up getting more calories than you bargained for.
6. Get your workout in the day of and morning after- Make sure you get a good workout in the day of the event and the next morning to keep yourself motivated during this stressful time.
7. Take your workouts outside- Try a free local ice skating park, skiing, or snowboarding for the day. 
8. De-stress a bit and get into yoga- Yoga will help keep you centered and calm your mind and body down.  

Above are great tips to help keep you motivated and help you beat the holiday bulge. If you want more information check out www.safiretraining.com for more information. 

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes

Healthy Thanksgiving recipes where can a person find some?  My favorite website and magazines is called Clean Eating.  If you want a full out guide to what your healthy Thanksgiving meal should look like pick up the latest issue of Clean Eating magazine on news racks now.  That issue has Thanksgiving as well as Christmas meal planning ideas.  Even if you are just looking for a healthy side dish this magazine has it.

Here are some sample recipes you can find in the Nov./Dec. 2012 issue
-Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Porcini Pan Sauce
-Endive Bites
-Butter Leaf Salad
-Pumpkin & Pear Soup
-Spiced Brisket
-Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
-Whole Wheat Dressing
-Maple Glazed Carrots
-Lemon Cranberry Sauce
-Individual Apple & Pecan Crumbles

Check out cleaneatingmag.com for a quick look check out the website for a quick glimpse in the magazine.

The importance of what you eat a life lesson learned

Today I went to get my resting metabolic rate measured expecting it to be great with no issues.  After all I workout and eat better than the average person.  Well boy was I in for a surprise.  My calorie burn was within the average by 20 calories which is rare for someone who works out 5-6 days a week.  We than looked at the percentage of calories I was burning from fat and it was 19% the average person burns 50% and you want to burn around 75% or higher.  So a whopping 19% is not good at all.

So now I am logging all of my foods and changed the percentage of carbs, fats and proteins I am eating.  If you chart your own you should only be getting 100grams of carbohydrates when on websites it will allow for close to 300 which is much more than the body can process I learned today.  So I thought if my body is this out of whack on my metabolism and I am in the average weight and body fat percentage.  This is a major issue that can be affecting millions of americans and we don't even know it.

So my advice for you would be find someone who can measure your metabolic rate at rest so you do know how many calories you should be eating and of what percentage you should be eating of carbs, proteins and fats.  I was under eating and thought I was eating plenty of food throughout the day. So get your nutrition in check to help change that metabolism it can take months but stick with it, it can be done.  I will be doing it myself right along with you!