Banana, Coconut, Bluberry,Walnut Bread

I absolutely love bread, all kinds. I always say "the more stuff in it, the better."
I basically look in my cupboard and start adding whatever I can see, raisins,oatmeal,peaches,apples,coconut,nuts,cereal,pears,cranberries,carrots,etc.... I found this delicious recipe but changed it a bit to make it healthier. I enjoy breads that are very dense and less sweet so adjust it to fit your tastes.


1/4 cup softened butter or 1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup sugar (tried it with 1/4 cup instead for a less sweet bread)
1 cup flour (Can use wheat or white)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 large very ripe bananas
5 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla yogurt (I used non fat)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray. Cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer. Add the egg mixing thoroughly. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and the baking soda. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the yogurt - make sure to start with flour and end with flour.

Place the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook for a 3-4 minutes, tossing frequently. Set aside and cool. Mash the bananas very well with a fork. Gently add the smashed bananas, vanilla, toasted nuts and coconut into the batter then carefully stir until combined. Fold in blueberries, reserving a few for the top of the loaf. Pour the batter into the bread pan then sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tester comes out of the center of the loaf clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a rack. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy.

Lifting weights before or after aerobic workouts?

I don't really enjoy lifting weights, in fact I would rather run my legs off then lift weights but we all know that more muscle burns more fat so it must be incorporated. I typically do it last of the workout routine because I enjoy the cardio more. I was reading about lifting weights and came across this question and answer.

Is it better to lift weights before or after an aerobic workout?
Answer

If you want to include both weightlifting and aerobic exercise in the same workout, it's generally best to lift weights first. You'll have more energy at the beginning of your workout, which may result in a more productive weightlifting session. If you save the weightlifting until after your aerobic workout, you may be too fatigued to lift weights with proper form. This could lead to injury. Better yet, lifting weights first can boost your fat-burning power during the aerobic part of your workout. The principle is simple. Weightlifting can deplete your "quick burst" energy (glycogen) stores. When you do your aerobic workout after lifting weights, you'll likely burn less glycogen and more stored fat.

I'm not so sure I will switch but maybe give it a try if you hate lifting weights like I do.

Peanut Butter Overload

I get on these "kicks" if you will, where I rediscover something that I love. This week it has been Peanut Butter. I have always liked peanut butter but this week it has become a LOVE. I hate to admit it but I overdosed on it the last two days until I was sick. I have had to recommit myself to only eating small amounts and remembering that when we "mess" up on eating healthy there is always tomorrow to try again. I am working on not being angry at myself when these days occur but only to reevaluate why it happened and what I'm going to do to prevent it again. These are keys in changing our eating habits. There will be times when we can't eat healthy or don't make the choice but there is always tommorrow. So I got on the internet to read about Peanut Butter. Is it good for us or not? I found many articles but this summed it up:

Peanut butter is definitely a 'fitness-friendly' food. Despite its high fat content most of which is the 'healthy' kind - recent studies show that both peanuts and peanut butter are good for your heart. And, when used probably as part of a healthy eating plan, they're also very effective weight loss tools.


Over 80% of the fat in peanuts is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, both of which lower blood cholesterol levels. A Purdue University study showed that people who ate 500 calories worth of peanuts per day (about half a cup) for 8 weeks experienced a significant drop in triglyceride levels (a heart disease risk factor) while blood levels of folate, magnesium, and soluble fiber - all important for heart health - significantly increased!

Be careful of amount consummed. 2 TBSP is a serving and is enough for one day. It does have high calorie and fat intake so a little bit goes a long ways. Anything in moderation is good for you. Strive to buy the natural kind of Peanut Butter such as Adams, typically it is pure peanuts without the preservatives and added oil.

Here are some of my favorit snacks with Peanut Butter:
Celery Sticks------Filled with Peanut Butter and topped with a few almonds
Skim milk----1 TBSP Peanut Buttter----1/2 Bannana with ice cubes in the blender
Whole Wheat Toast-----Peanut Butter melted (Peanut Butter melted spreads further)
Peanut Butter-------Rice krispies added----topped with a few chocolate chips

5 Hidden dangers for kids and food

These were things that I already knew but were a good reminder. Why I am trying to eat healthy, I sometimes don't always fix the healthiest things for my kids.

Cereal: The vast majority of cereals that kids beg for are loaded with added sugars. A bowl of trix has more sugar than most ice cream bars. For us mixing a healthy with a "fun" cereal is a great compromise.

Juice: Most of the individually packaged juices like Capri Suna nd Sunny Delight are merely glorified sugar water. Even 100% juice drinks don't always deliver the best nurtition. The best juices are orange, cranberry or grapefruit, they contain the least sugar.

Lunch Snacks: "Fruit" snacks might as well b called gummy bears, and most granola bars are held togethe by high-fructose corn syrup. Make sure when giving a snack it is low in high-fructose syrup and less tha 10 grams of sugar. Healthy alternatives would be string cheese, peanut butter crackers, or pretzels dabbed in chocolate.

Bread: White bread in supermarkets are loaded with refined white flour and high-fructose syrup. They are both known to spike blood sugar levels and then sending our little ones on a carb crash. Start young with whole wheat grain bread and avoid the sugar high.

Vegetables: If you pass the ranch or cheeze whiz evertime your kid eats a vegetable you are loading them with saturated fat. Start at the beginning giving them vegetables with some butter or spices instead.

I have to add that finding a balance is what it is all about. Kids obviously need to eat these things once in awhile to explore their taste buds. I found it a good reminder for me.

"Egg-cellent" nutrition

I have been eating new recipes and new ideas for breakfast. Eggs being one of them. I use to eat cold cereal almost everyday and not particularly the best kind. Most cereal has a lot of sugar even cereals you wouldn't expect. They recommend eating a cold cereal with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Look on your label, you'll be surprised to see the sugar content, even cereals like Raisin Bran have a lot of sugar. Anyway, my new love has been in Eggs. I really enjoy this breakfast...

2 Egg whites
TBSP of skim milk to fluff them up a bit :)
salt and pepper
Put on an open face piece of wheat bread and top with slices of tomato and homemade salsa. It is delicious and is extremely good for you.
Calories-100
Fat-.5 (from the bread)
Protein-8 grams
Carb-- 0 grams
Lycopene- Daily dose from tomatoes

Eggs in general are very good for you. The egg yolk contains all the cholesterol and fat while the egg white contains the protein and no fat. Eating one egg yolk a day won't hurt you if you don't like egg whites but when losing weight and cutting calories egg whites are a great alternative. Try it if you love eggs such as I or just need some new breakfast ideas.

Walking vs.Running

I enjoy both running and walking when it comes to working out but often wonder the pros and cons of both. I get many opinions and advice about this subject, so as I was reading I came to this conclusion from this article.

For many people it comes down to a decision between walking and jogging. So which of those two will help you lose the most weight? Which is better for your general health? What are the dangers?

Reporter Brooke Hanson puts her best foot forward to find the pros and cons of walking versus jogging.

The test

At the University of Melbourne's department of physiology, Dr Gordon Lynch studies the effect of exercise on our bodies.

"Running and walking are both fantastic exercises and both are going to be great for our health," says Dr Lynch.

But which is better?

Gordon's got a test in mind for Brooke and her student mate Andrew — who admits he's not quite at peak fitness.

"I'm fit for what I do, I suppose, [but] probably not as fit as I should be."

So it's a simple treadmill test. Brooke and Andrew's heart rates will be measured as will their oxygen use and calories burned. Brooke: Just walking, Brooke's heart rate is 79 beats a minute. By the time she's hit a good running pace of about 12km/h, her heart rate has climbed to 159 beats per minute. That's a solid work out.

Andrew: Given Andrew's lower fitness level, he's kept to a solid walk, and his results will be used as a comparison to running. Andrew's walking heart rate is already one hundred and eight — he's struggling.

Andrew: "I'm feeling much more unfit than I did before, after looking at the numbers ... "

Results

So first up, the test has shown that we all need to find our own exercise level, but what else has it told us about running versus walking?

Lets start with weight loss:

That boils down to who burns more calories. "The food we eat is energy in and how we exercise, how we burn energy, is energy out, so the balance between energy in and energy out is whether we increase or decrease weight," explains Dr Lynch. By running, Brooke was burning energy at twice the rate of Andrew walking — 10 calories a minute to his five.

So in terms of weight loss, running wins hands down. In general, you have to walk nearly an hour, to get a similar weight-loss benefit to a half hour run.

"I started running when I was ten-years-old ... I was a skinny little kid who loved to run, it was only a matter of time before I started running marathons. I really love being able to just put on my shoes of a morning and then just go for a run, however far I want to go," says Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Kerryn McCann.

We know walking delivers similar benefits, but for the sake of the argument, which will give you more?

"Intensity is the key here," says Dr Lynch. "We need to make the exercise a little more intense if we're going to get the benefits for our health." Because running is more intense, the general health benefits are higher. Within reason, more pain is more gain … Brooke's mate Andrew's got some work to do.

There is one last arguement and that is injury. Clearly running is a tough impact on your body but if you build yourself up to it your body will get use to the jarring. For overweight or health problems, walking is better to start with.

So, for now I will continue to run and walk because I enjoy both. On days where the time is limited for me to get a workout it, a short run would be sufficient.

Pasta e Fagoi Soup

Last week we were sick in my family so I wanted to make some good hearty soup. This recipe turned out so great and healthy. The noodles make it fun for the kids.

2 tsp olive oil
1 italian sausage (optional)
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, blended
4 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup of the following: carrots diced, zuccini, and yellow squash
2 15 oz cans of white beans, drained
1 tsp of dried basil
1/2 tsp of dried oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 cup of tubed shaped pasta
1-2 cups of fresh baby spinach
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook the sausage and onion, then add the vegetables until soft. Combine the rest of ingredients except noodles and spinach. Simmer soup for 3 hours. Before serving add the noodles and spinach. Cook for 1-2 more minutes and serve. It is delicious with a little bit of cheese on top.

8 foods you should eat everyday...

In my Eat this...Not that book he suggests the 8 foods we should eat evryday. I found this interesting.


SPINACH: This is a muscle builder rich in Omega-3s and folate. These two things reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. It is packed with lutein which aids in the fight against macular degeneration. Aim for 1 cup of fresh or ½ cup cooked per day.

YOGURT: This contains the good bacteria in your body. It helps boost your immune system and provides protection against cancer. Make sure the label reads “live and active cultures.”

TOMATOES: packed with lycopene, they have been proved to reduce gthe risk of bladder,lung,prostate,skin, and stomach cancers. Aim for 22mg of lycopene a day that is about 8 red cherry tomatoes or 1 glass of tomato juice.

CARROTS: Most red, yellow, or orange vegetables and fruits are spiked with carotenoids. They reduce the risk of a wide spread cancers and improve your skin tone. Aim for ½ cup a day.

BLUEBERRIES: They have more antioxidants than any other North American fruit. They are rich in fiber and Vitamins. Aim for 1 cup fresh or ½ cup frozen. ACAI, which is a sister to the blueberry has even more antioxidants.

BLACK BEANS: Beans are good for your heart but black beans boost your brain power. They’re full of anthocyanins, antioxidant compounds that have been shown to improve brain function. ½ cup serving provides you with 8 grams of protein and 7.5 g of fiber.

WALNUTS: Richer in heart healthy omega 3’s than salmon, loaded with more anti-inflammatory polyphenols than red wine, and packing half as much protein than chicken it is no wonder we should eat these. Aim for 1 ounce or 7 nuts a day. It is a great post-workout snack.

OATS: These are packed with soluble fiber, which lowers your risk of heart disease. Yes, oats are loaded with carbs but the release of those sugars is slowed by the fiber. They hae 10 grams of protein per ½ cup serving so they deliver slow and steady energy. Aim for ½ cup a day.

Exercising when your sick

I have snatched my kids cold and wondered what would happen if I exercised still. I sound much worse than I feel. After reading a few things on the internet this is what I came up with:

Yes, you can continue with mild or moderate activity if you have a cold with no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better — by temporarily relieving nasal congestion.

So how do you determine if you're too sick to exercise? Here's a good rule of thumb: If your symptoms are "above the neck" — such as runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, or sore throat — you can proceed with your workout.

However, if your symptoms are "below the neck" — such as chest congestion or tightness, hacking cough, or upset stomach — you should postpone your workout. Also, you shouldn't exercise if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches. Rarely, exercising with a fever has been associated with inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis).

As always, use common sense. If you're not feeling well but still want to exercise, reduce the intensity of your workout and listen to your body. If your symptoms worsen with exercise, stop and rest. Missing a few days of exercise isn't the end of the world.

The 20 worst foods Part 1:

So once again I am intrigued with my book, Eat This--Not That. It is loaded with information. Whether we do it or not it is interesting to know the facts. He lists the 20 worst foods in America. Here are the first 10 in no order:
1. Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonalds w creamy ranch, 5 pieces.
830 calories 55 gfat
2. Jamba Juice Choclate Moo's Power Smoothie
900 calories 10g fat 183 carbs 166 g sugar
This contains as much sugar as 2 pints of Ben and Jerry's Butter Pecan Ice cream.
3.Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie
1.020 calories 64 g fat
4. Ruby TUesday Bella Turkey Burger
1.145 calories 71 g fat skip burgers at Ruby Tuesday, none are that healthy for you.
5. Chipoltle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito
1,107 calories 47 g fat 2,656 sodium
6. Macaroni Grill Double Mac n cheese
1,210 calories 62 g fat 3,450 sodium
7. Quizno's Chicken Carbonara
1,510 calories 82 g fat 3,750 sodium
8. On the Border Grande Taco Salad w/beef
1,450 calories 102 g fat
9. Carl's Jr. Double 6 dollar burger
1,520 calories 111 g fat
10. P.F. Chang's Pork Lo-mein
1,820 calories 127 g fat

Weekend Woe's

Do you ever have a weekend where you thought for sure you gained 10 pounds? It was one of those weekends for me. It was a fun weekend but that included eating out many times, and eating treats. Now, we all know that eating out and indulging once in awhile is a must and no big deal but for me I have to recommit myself for Monday to eat better than the weekend so here are some tips that help me get back to having a healthy Monday:

Get Moving: It seems like its harder to get moving the following day after a "food/sugar" hangover, but this is a must to get the blood flow moving faster. If you don't feel like doing a hard workout start with walking for 20 minutes. Remember something is better than nothing.

Drink Water: You will feel bloated and retain water with the excess sugar and salt you ate so drink water to flush it out.

Eat Light: You may be tempted to say, "I am not going to eat today because I ate to much yesterday" but most likely you'll be more hungry after eating that much so eat low calorie things such as sandwiches, salads, fruit and veggies.

Make a Plan: You may feel discouraged and want to give up but making a plan for the next week of what you want to accomplish will help you get there. Remember that a few days of "eating to much" won't pack on 20 pounds, its only a few days. Make a health plan including exercise and food choices.

Plan for the future: Think of what you would have done different because anyone that battles weight knows that their are ups and downs and the more you recognize them and have a plan you are more likely to overcome them.

Weekends are always hard for me but these tips help me to stay on track of living a healthier life even if I do eat to much chocolate over the weekend. Any tips you have to add I would love to hear.

Eat This------Not That

I was watching Oprah one day and she had an episode on about kids obesity. It was informative to say the least but they did this experiment/test that I completely failed. The test was given by the author of this book: Eat This---NOt THat. I bought the book and have found it so, so, interesting. It gives you all different restaurants, food in the supermarket and holiday eating guides on what to eat instead of the alternative. Now, I didn't buy the book intending on following it exactly but to be educated more and aware was my hope. Here is a little test I thought would be fun for you all to take, the results will surprise you.

McDonalds: Egg McMuffin or Pancakes with butter syrup
Wendys: CHicken Club Sandwich or Small chili and 5 piece chicen nuggets
In-N-Out Burger : Hamburger(onion,lettuce,ketchup) or Grilled Cheese
Chili's : Old Timer Burger on whole wheat bun or Smoked Turkey Sandwich
Arbys : CHicken Salad Sandwich or Super Roast Beef
Red Lobster : Live Maine Lobster or King Crab Legs
Subway : 6 in double roast beef sand or 6 in Tuna Sub
Ruby Tuesday : 7 oz Top Sirloin or Parmesan Shrimp Penne

If you want to buy this book I just found it on Amazon. He has written a few others also. Because the book is full of so much information I'll be posting more posts about it.
Test results in order: Egg McMuffin, Small Chili w/nuggets,Hamburger, Old Timer Burger, Super Roast Beef, Live Maine Lobster, 6 in double roast beef, Top Sirloin. How did you do? I failed but still fun to take quizes right!:)

Chili Verde

I love to try new recipes, mostly because I get stuck in a rut of making the same thing. Shane and I love Mexican food and especially Cafe Rio's medium chili verde sauce. I came across this recipe and gave it a try. We loved it! It was sweet, spicy, and healthy.

5-6 green tomatillos cut in half so they lay flat on the cookie sheet (found in produce section by all the peppers)
3 cloves of garlic
2- limes
1- jalapeno pepper seeded and cored
1- Pasilla pepper
1 bunch of cilantro cleaned and chopped into pieces
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can omit this if you don't want the sweetness)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the tomatillos, garlic and peppers on a tin foil lined tray and put in oven at 350 for 12 min. Change the oven to Broil on HI and watch until blackened at the top.
Remove and put all of the ingredients in a chopper of blender. Blend until smooth. Flavors will combine more the longer you let it set. Serve over your favorite burrito. We ate it over a burrito with homemade salsa and cilantro sour cream. I will share those recipes later.

Skinny Cow

I love and need snacks. When I am home all day its like snacks are staring me in the face all day. I didn't realize that snacks can have a lot of calories in them. Ice cream is one of my favorite treats/snacks but we all know there is a ton of calories and fat in one serving (1/2 cup) so after researching what is healthy and not full of artificial stuff I tried Skinny Cow Fudge bars. WOW, they are delicious. You would never be able to tell the difference between them and the fatening stuff. They are a good size and only 100 calories per bar. They have other products such as ice cream sandwiches that have 140 calories. I have always thought that healthy and tasting wonderful don't always go together but on this one they are a must try. Enjoy!

How I started

When I started to workout again I knew starting out would be hard and I wanted consistency. SO here is a run down of the videos that I do and the pros and cons of them.
Jane Fonda Complete workout: Total 80's moves and music. The leotards are hilarious but after all the bouncing around and moving around a lot my heart rate gets up there. This was the first video that I started doind because the cardio is only 28 minutes and that was enough considering that I hadn't exercised for awhile. It is a great beginner workout or just do it twice like I do now if I am feeling up to the
80's style.
Leslie Sansone Walk videos: I was skeptical when I put this one in and watched it for a minute but let me tell you that marching in place to fast music actually was a workout. This one is a video that is for people that have a hard time with lots or learing of moves. There are really only 4 basic moves you do. The time flies by with this one because she breaks it into 4 miles so you do how ever many miles you have time for that day. I really like this one but have added a step to increase the cardio now.
Biggest Loser workout DVD's: THis is my most recent purchase. It is divided into a lot of different types of workouts. I like the low/high intensity cardio followed by the strength and sculpt and last boot camp. It is a hard video and don't recommend it until you've been exercising for awhile. It is a lot of squats, weights and jumping up and down. I can only stand to do it every other day. The only thing that really bugs me is basically there is no music to listen to. Music motivates me so I have to put on my headphones and just watch to follow.

These are just a few of my favorites.I'm always looking for new videos since that is what works with kids at home so feel free to let me know your favorites.

Staying Motivated

After never losing the weight from baby number 1, baby number 2 came it I struggled even more to find time and energy to get healthy. I am no different than anyone else out there that struggles. I had every excuse not to exercise and eat better. I realized that if I wanted to live a long life I would need to make some changes and that is the hardest part is taking the first step. I am impatient so when I decide to start I want results the next day, which we all know that doesn't happen. After exercising every day and slowly making food changes I began to lose the baby weight. I now feel great and wanted to start this blog to help myself stay motivated and to help others that struggle such as I. I don't have any "secrets" but hopefully this blog will help me and you live a healthier life.