May 14th...Salad dressings!

So I'm thinking we have skipped spring and gone straight to summer!  Fine by me, time to get my garden growing with veggies and herbs.  I thought it might be a good idea now that you will probably be eating more salads, to find some low calorie recipes, that are big on taste. I love Cilantro, mixed with lime, equals big taste and easy on your waist line.  Here's one of my fav's...
Lime-Cilantro Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

If you can't handle the heat of the Cayenne pepper, see alternative recipe below.

Ingredients

1 cup packed cilantro
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of minced garlic

Directions

Puree all of the ingredients in a food processor. Chill until ready to serve.

Asian inspired...Asian-inspired ingredients lend a lot of flavor, without adding calories.  This simple salad dressing
 has only 5 calories per tablespoon.

• One bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp bottled, minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp chile paste
• 4 lime wedges

May 9th...The wonders of Cauliflower!

Well I have been playing around with Califlower for a bit now, adding it to soups, subbing it here and there instead of rice or potatoes and I even tried to use it, as a pizza crust.  Tonight I was going to make a curry stir fry and use the sherred Califlower instead of rice.  I happened to cruise across one of my favorite Blogs, Snack-Girl.com and guess what she had a similar thought...If you're not familiar with Snack-Girl.com, get on it!  Lots of great low-cal recieps, that are yummy and if you do Weight Watchers, the points are usually listed.  Here's a picture of today's Blog, enjoy!

Healthy Snack RecipesHealthy Packaged SnacksWorst Snacks

Love Rice But Want To Cut Calories? Try This

20  | Posted on May 9, 2012

 

Snack Girl did something different the other day to her favorite "rice and bean" bowl. 

She substituted a vegetable in the bowl above.

Which one you ask? Well, that is a photo of my rice bowl with cauliflower now renamed:

 "Cauliflower and Bean Bowl".

Continue reading Love Rice But Want To Cut Calories? Try This

May 8th...this vs. that...pancakes, that is!

So I thought it would be a cool idea to do, "this vs. that", take a favorite food and find the healthier version of it.  So I thought I'd start with a weekend favorite, pancakes.  At our house there ends up being chocolate chips in them and lots of syrup.  I stand and drool over them, but I have come up with a Protein Power Pancakes that are just as tasty but healthier.  So you can have this...
  

Ingredients

6 egg whites, beaten until fluffy
1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup oatmeal, uncooked
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Place all ingredients except egg whites in a food processor and pulse or blend until mixture is uniform.

Pour blended ingredients into a bowl and fold in the egg whites

Prepare a griddle with cooking spray. Ladle pancake mixture onto griddle and cook until both sides are browned.

Number of Servings: 3Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 3
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 303.1

• Total Fat: 12.1 g
• Cholesterol: 13.2 mg
• Sodium: 424.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 22.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7.3 g
• Protein: 30.2 g

Or you can have that...

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• cooking spray
• 230 calories / 8.2g fat

OK so I know the pancakes above look really yummy with all that syrup and if you compare a serving of 3 pancakes the stats are close.  My point is that there are 300 calories of nutrition in the healthier version and 300 empty calories in the syrup covered ones.  So pick your food choices wisely, not all calories are created equal.  Your body will store the "crap" calories, and yes you guessed it, right on you butt, belly and thighs!  The nutritional calories, will give you energy and be burned as fuel.  So, next time you grab that pre-packaged snack, think about whats in it and where it's going to land on your body! 

May 5th...Smiles and Tires!

When I see this picture, all your quotes from your t-shirts come to mind..."Greatness lies within me!", "Rock'n my work out", " Sexy is the NEW strong".  I hope you all realize just how far you have come in the past few months.  You are all getting stronger, not only on the outside, but more importantly, on the inside!  I have seen your self confidence grow in each and everyone of you.  In every class you do, I see you push a little harder, move a little faster, and complain a lot less!  So proud to be your Trainer!

Just another Saturday morning, well spent with friends, getting our butts kicked!

May 4...

OK, usually when I do my blog, I like to be inspired by something happening through out the day in a work out, talking to a client or just in life.  But I saw this, this morning and well, all I have to say is that the quote below is putting allot nicer than I would!

Trust me people when I say I have heard it all, do you really think I believe you when you throw-out some lame excuse why you "can't fit in" your work out...that's funny because I know many people who are busy, Mom's or Dad's, working full time, going to school, have a family and still get in there work out! So next time your not organized, or just not feeling "up to it", OWN IT, and don't lie to me or yourself...You know what, some days you just have to dig a little deeper, stop thinking and just get your trainers on and start moving.  Were all in the same boat, you have to find something each day to motivate you, challenge you and want you, to aspire to be just a bit better each day...when you find it, you'll know because at that point " YOU WILL BE STRONGER THAN YOUR EXCUSES"...go find your shoes and get moving!

May 2...Spare Tire!

OK, OK, enough with the tires already!  I just can't help myself, there are so many fun things one can do with with tires...look below!

 Sam looking fabulous, even while working out!

 Look at the determination on Berenice and Danielle's faces...love it!

 My 2 "newbies" Racheal and Tina on the home stretch...I'm pretty sure their thinking " what the frick did I sign up for...this chick is nuts".

Angela, always a smile on her face...even with 20lbs. over her head!

Tina and Christine rock'n their "spare tires!"  Awesome job today, your arms will be looking "hot" for the summer!

April 30th...Fight Gone Bad!

Whooo Weee, what a day, even in the rain that blew side ways into your eyes and ears, wind blowing equipment around and the freezing cold, we ROCKED the Crossfit WOD, Fight Gone Bad.  You know your hardcore when you don't let the elements stop you!  Lots going on in the AM class, I was too busy yelling, so I only got pictures from the PM class.  Both classes did amazing and I think a couple of people surprised themselves at how much strength and endurance they have gained over the last couple of months.  Here it is...

Fight Gone Bad: Wall Balls, Sumo Deadlift High-Pull, Box Jump, Over-head Press, Sprint Run (instead of a row).  You do each exercise for 1 minute, as fast as you can, to get as many reps as you can.  Once you've done all 5 in a row, you get a 1 minute break.  You must do this for 3 ROUNDS!  Your partner records your reps, totals reps at end for your score. 

 You start with Wall Balls, how bad can this really be...

and you are out of breath very quickly...

Then you go to SDHP...feels like a bit of a break at first but then your arms want to fall off...

 You stare at the Box Jump...thinking "really" my legs are fried, if I miss how much will this hurt...

but you suck it up and go for it, CLOCK IS RUNNING!!!!...

 Then into Over-Head Press...you are breathing hard, feeling dizzy and at this point, some of you thought chunks might start to fly..."good thing were outside!" I said...

 It's almost over, you have no feeling in your legs and arms at this point and you have to finish with sprints!  You run hard knowing a 1 minute rest awaits you!

Just when you catch your breath enough to take a drink, 1 minute is over and you still have 2 ROUNDS LEFT! That's when you realize you're in for a serious butt kicking, and that's why they call it " Fight Gone Bad".