Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Archives for December 2009

Snacks4Her

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Mid-Morning Snack–10:00a.m.
It’s important to get the right balance of nutrients in your five meals per day. Your mid-morning snack and afternoon snack are just as important as your regular meals.   Healthy snacks of protein and complex carbohydrates will stop you from eating the wrong foods and keep you full and satisfied until your next meal. {+}

Munch on these Mid-Morning Snacks:

Monday: 1 medium size apple with a handful of almonds or one teaspoon of almond butter.

Tuesday: Mix ½ cup low-fat, plain yogurt with your favorite fresh fruit. Top with 1 teaspoon of low fat granola with nuts and raisins.

Wednesday: 2 hard boiled eggs mixed with one teaspoon of hummus on a piece of whole wheat bread, toasted if you like.

Thursday: 1 cup of your favorite oatmeal with weight control maple brown sugar and one whole egg.

Friday: 1 banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter, sprinkled with your favorite crunchy healthy cereal.

Saturday: 1 medium sized pear with a handful of walnuts.

Sunday: 1 small bran muffin, sugar-free, ½ cup of yogurt with a handful of berries.

Afternoon Snack–4:00p.m.
I love snack time and the afternoon snack is no exception. I like to get creative. Food should always be fresh, colorful, healthful and yummy. Through the years I have found that perfect balance in some of my favorite foods. Healthy eating is good for your entire family. My three boys eat just like me. Not by preaching but by example. I’d like healthy eating to be your way of life too. Your diet, your life.

Enjoy these Afternoon delights:

Monday: 1 cup water packed tuna with mixed greens, drizzled with lemon for taste. When you are “On the Go” have tuna and a medium apple.

Tuesday: Grilled chicken or turkey breast on a whole-wheat wrap with any veggie like carrots, cucumber or tomatoes.

Wednesday: ½ whole-wheat pita with one good scoop of low fat hummus, and 1 cup raw vegetable for dipping.

Thursday: 1 small sweet potato with 4 oz. lean protein like left over fish, chicken breast or tofu.

Friday: Protein drink, if you are on the go, choose one with a good balance of nutrients and not too high in sugar or calories. At home make your own smoothie with fresh fruit. Example: 1 small banana mixed with 1 scoop of whey protein powder and 1 cup of low fat soy-milk.

Saturday: Spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter on a slice of whole-wheat bread, you can toast it, if you like.

Sunday: 1 cup of whole bran cereal with a ½ cup of low-fat, fat-free or soy milk.

If you work in an office and go out for lunch every day, you can watch your portion size and have a different afternoon snack every day. Instead of eating a whole giant sandwich or a super-size salad at lunch; section off about a quarter of the meal and save it for your afternoon snack. Not only do you have a ready-made snack for the afternoon, you save yourself the overwhelming need to eat all the food on your plate. This helps to answer the argument in your head about not wanting to waste food after you have paid for it.

Everyone is interested in getting value for their dollar. Most people are looking for ways to save on food costs. Women hate to spend money on food, then end up having to throw it out because it spoiled.

Lots of people neglect buying fresh produce because they say it spoils before they have a chance to eat it. But when they want a snack, the only thing to eat is a bag of chips or some other processed food. These types of food have a long shelf life and therefore are readily available. To keep you from reaching for junk food when you are hungry, purchase small quantities of fruits and veggies. Limit the amount you buy to no more than 3 days worth.

There are proper ways to store fruits and vegetables to get the optimum shelf life from them. Another great way of cutting costs on these fresh foods is to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season. When fruits and veggies are in season locally, there is a surplus of them as they come in from the farms. Grocers need to sell these foods as quickly as possible before they turn brown or spoil.

If you plan on serving some fresh produce (you should, every day) look for packages that are on sale. The food needs to be prepared the same day that you buy it, but you can get a much better price than you would normally.

Get to know your produce carrier and butcher, they can let you know when to expect certain foods in season, tell you about any sales and many times will split packages for you , if you need it.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost to cost you a fortune. It may be slightly more expensive than processed foods but in the long run, it will save you money on health costs that you might encounter due to an unhealthy lifestyle.

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Ricky’s Pumpkin Muffins

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A great alternative to sugar-filled cupcakes. Mouth-watering muffins that are sure to please, just ask my son, Ricky–they’re his favorite! Extra bonus: your house will smell like an autumn breeze, while these are cakes are cooking.

2 cups of whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 cup skim milk
Pinch of salt (optional)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and pinch of salt.
3. Whisk together pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, egg, apple sauce, oil until smooth.
4. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. (It’s okay if it’s a little lumpy.) Stir in seeds
5. Use a nonstick 12-cup muffin tin. Spray lightly with Pam. Divide batter evenly. Cups should be about 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Test with a toothpick–stick it in the center of one of the muffins, if it comes out dry, then they are done.
7. Let cool before removing from tin.

Health Benefits
High in fiber, protein, beta carotene, omega 3 fatty acids. Pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon are full of antioxidants. For a healthy heart and a prettier complexion.

Do you like this recipe?  Tell us why in the comment space below:

Fried Green Tomatoes

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A low-fat version of the southern staple; fried green tomatoes are one of my favorite foods. Best with homegrown tomatoes that are fresh picked from the garden, you can find nice firm varieties at your local fruit market or grocer’s stand.

This dish is a perfect side for any meal, but I like it with eggs and wheat toast for breakfast or snack.

Share your opinion with us and our readers in the comment space below:

4 large tomatoes, cut into ½ inch thick slices
Small amount of extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat grill pan over medium high heat.
2. Add small amount of olive oil to pan or rub tomatoes with oil or cooking spray.
3. Cook 10 minutes on each side.
4. Enjoy

Health Benefits: Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and potassium. Low in fat, green tomatoes also have about the same amount of beta carotene as red tomatoes but with three times the amount of calcium. Low in sodium, tomatoes provide the best benefits when served with a protein like eggs or meat. The high acid content of the tomato aids in digestion.

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Vitamin D—The Dynamo of Daily Living

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Did you know that Vitamin D can keep you trim, uplift your mood, stifle your sniffles and drastically cut down your risk of cancer. We all know about its ability to build strong bones and teeth, that’s why vitamin D is so important to our health and everyday life.

Sadly, nearly a third of all women fail to get enough vitamin D for their bones and even a greater number of women are missing out on the disease fighting abilities of this miracle nutrient.

Drinking a glass of milk is a great way to get your body’s requirement of D but there are other sources of vitamin D as well. Oily fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna are naturally rich in D. Other foods are fortified with vitamin D, such as orange juice, soy milk, butter substitutes and some yogurts and cereals.

A wonderful source of vitamin D that is important not to ignore, is the sun. Aim for 10 to 15 minutes a day of sunshine without using sunscreen. If you have very fair skin, you may need to limit yourself to 5 minutes in the sun. The reason I stress getting in the sun without sunscreen is that for every minute you spend in the sunlight, your body can produce about 1000 IU of vitamin D, you would have to drink about ten 8-oz glasses of milk to achieve that same benefit. Spending time in the sun means not adding all those extra calories to your diet too.

Vitamin D really is a dynamic vitamin, adding health benefits for nearly every phase of our life. Some of these include:

• Lowers your risk of cancer
• Fights off winter weight gain
• Protects your heart
• Lifts your mood
• Provides a natural defense from colds and flu
• Prevents autoimmune disorders
• Builds stronger bones
• Helps protect teeth

Fitness4Her recommends drinking low fat milk and eating foods that are naturally dense in vitamin D. Get outside each day and lift your spirits with plenty of warm sunshine, a natural source of the dynamic D.

Is Vitamin D helping you?  Tell us about it in the comment space below:

Healthy Food Recipes To Keep Your Diet On Track.

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Making the decision to lose weight is not an easy one. Sure most of us know when we need to do something about our weight, but when it comes to having to change the way we eat, it’s a different story altogether—especially if we have to deprive ourselves of our favorite foods. Many times, this is the problem with staying true to a diet. Not being able to eat the foods that we enjoy can cause our motivation to drop.

If you’ve experienced this sort of waning in your motivation to diet then you need to find some healthy food recipes that incorporate your favorite foods. If you like French fries, try sweet potato fries—baked in the oven. If you miss milk shakes, try a low-fat fruit smoothie, instead. There are so many good foods to choose from, there is no reason that you have to do without.

Food is not the problem. Food is the answer to losing weight and staying healthy. That’s why we need to find healthy food recipes to cook for our families and ourselves. Cooking foods that the whole family will enjoy will make it much easier to keep your diet on track and keep your motivation soaring. And motivation plays a large part in a successful diet plan.

It takes inspiration and a desire to begin dieting, but it requires a commitment and motivation to keep you dedicated to a diet. That’s why I offer articles and tips on inspiration, motivation, women’s fitness, exercise, journaling and diet. When you become a member of Fitness4Her.com, you’ll have easy access to healthy food recipes under my Healthy Cooking category.

If you’ve been searching for healthy recipes for yourself or a whole crowd, you’ll find nearly 100 mouth-watering entrees to choose from. Learn to be a sneaky cook by substituting turkey sausage for pork or canned pumpkin in place of oil and egg yolks in cakes and muffins. You’ll find these tips and more at Fitness4Her.com.

For most of us, there doesn’t seem time enough in the day to prepare healthy food, even though we know that what we eat is the secret to losing weight. Listen, I know what it’s like to be pressed for time. A personal trainer, fitness model, wife and mother of three boys, I stay very busy, too. That’s why I rummaged through my secret stash of healthy food recipes that you can prepare in minutes. Many of my recipes take about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Remember, to keep your diet on track you need to eat foods that are healthy and nutritious. But you must watch your portion size as well. In many of the healthy recipes that you’ll find at Fitness4Her.com, I’ve included suggestions on portion size to make it easy for you to add this menu item to your diet. Fitness4Her.com—it is the go-to-place for free healthy food recipes.   Here are just a few.

Aye María! Black Bean Quesadilla
Extreme Oatmeal
Smoked Trout or Salmon with Dill Sauce
Monster Mashed Cauliflower
Easy, but not Greasy, Muscle Building Meatloaf
Sweet and Simple Snapper
Super Food Scrambled Eggs A Favorite From Breakfast at Karens
Smoky Turkey Chili