Thanksgiving Day Feast and Fitness

Thanksgiving is just a few days away now and the rest of the holiday season, too! The holidays tend to be a time when people gain a few pounds and store some extra fat on their bodies for the winter season, but there are ways to keep those few stubborn pounds off. You can eat and enjoy the foods you love, while maintaining your weight. The key is to pick the right foods. No, you don't have to eat everything that is laid out for the holiday feast. Pick your favorites, eat a lot of the good, and stay away from the sugar-infested foods!

Cranberry Sauce:

• Just stay away from it. It looks gross anyways. And one serving has 22 grams of sugar! Just no.

Pumpkin Pie vs. Pecan Pie:

• These two desserts tend to be associated with a thanksgiving dinner. So which one do you choose? Go for the pumpkin pie. One slice will have roughly 200 less calories, half of the fat, 11 grams less of sugar, more protein, and fewer carbs.

Rolls, Stuffing, and Potatoes:

• Starch, starch and more starch! All of this starch and carbs will make you bloated. Yes, I know these are all delicious-I love them, too! My suggestion is not have all 3, but one or two. I always go for the stuffing-so flavorful YUM! And I usually have a roll because I can't get enough of my carbs. Just don't over do it on the carbs!

Turkey vs. Ham:

• Okay, I don't really have anything for this section. I've heard of some people having ham on thanksgiving (weird) but its cool. I guess if you had a choice, I'd go for the turkey since its a lean protein. Lots of protein, basically no fat! Ham has some fat, but it has much more sodium! Sodium will also bloat you, so drinks lots of water to flush out the sodium.

Vegetables and Salads:

• Load up on the veggies! I always make sure that half of my plate is covered in veggies. Lots of fiber, no fat, no sugar, and helps make you feel full. If you're also having a salad, put a small amount of salad dressing on-no need for the extra calories and extra sugar.

Even after all of this delicious-ness, you feel stuffed, bloated, and a little gassy (maybe?).  An important component to keep those holiday pounds off (and pounds in general) is exercise. I have the perfect post-meal workout. A food baby workout! You will feel much better afterwards. Do this video 4 times for the best results!

 

Alright, that's all I have. Enjoy your thanksgiving with friends, family and other loved ones! Remember to make wise choices with foods (but still enjoying them!) and continue to workout. Have a happy and healthy holiday season! :)

 

*The above are my personal opinions and random facts that I have read about in the past and have remembered. There are no sources for this post. Remember, most of these are MY opinions, not necessarily true facts.

 



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Vegan Banana and Peanut Butter Cookie Bites

I was scrambling around my kitchen this afternoon trying to figure out what I could make using my overly ripened bananas.  I didn't want to make anything too complicated since I absolutely fail at baking anything! This was the point when I remembered that my fav fitness blogger, Cassey Ho, had a super simple recipe for cookies-just bananas and oats! Well, I definitely had those two ingredients in my kitchen, so I decided to give it a try.  I jazzed it up though with some peanut butter and chocolate chips-yum! These cookies are completely vegan, for those of you who are vegan, and they have no flour, butter, oil, added sugar, eggs, milk...
....and yes, they were absolutely delicious!

 

Banana & PB Cookie Bites

Ingredients!

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of quick or old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup or less of chocolate chips
• 1 heaping spoonful of natural peanut butter (my fav is "better n peanut butter" from  trader joes)

1. Mix all ingredients together until combined. I used a hand mixer, but feel free to use your (clean) hands!  Though this was my first time making them, consistency of batter may vary depending on how much peanut butter is used and how much its mixed.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Finished Product!

Enjoy this super simple recipe and stay happy and healthy!

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Flat Belly Foods- Avocado Salad

After the snow that fell yesterday, I was really missing summer. I was craving a summertime salad and I was craving avocados, so I made an avocado salad! It put me right in the mood for summer, even though I'm sitting here in yoga pants, a sweater, and a fluffy scarf. This salad was amazing and super simple. Avocados and tomatoes (which are also in it) are great you and your body. These two foods are termed flat belly foods which you can read about in my blog post on flat belly foods. This salad is also great because you can do a lot with it. You can choose what herbs and spices you want it in it or other foods-its really up to you! So here is the super simple recipe that will remind of summer:

Avocado, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad

• 2 ripe avocados (pitted, and cubed)
• 2-3 tomatoes, cubed (I used roma because they're my fav!)
• Could also use cherry or grape tomatoes and cute them in half.
• Fresh mozzarella, cubed
• use as much as you want :)
• 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil (also a flat belly food!)
• 2 tsp of basil (I used dry, but feel free to use fresh)
• salt and pepper to taste!

1. Cube up your avocado, tomato, and mozzarella and put in a bowl.
2. Drizzle your EVOO, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine.
3. Enjoy!

Best to eat right away and at room temperature.

 

YUM!

I hope you enjoy this simple, delicious, and healthy recipe. It's great as a side dish or on its own. I ate the whole thing-it was that satisfying!

 

This is probably one of my favorite things to have the avocado salad with-a fried egg and quinoa! I like to keep the egg runny because when you cut it open, its creates a kind of sauce for the quinoa, which is delicious. This meal is great post-workout because it has an adequate amount of protein, carbs, and fat. 

Stay happy and healthy :)

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Truffle Shuffle

Hi Everyone!

I realize it has been a very long time since I last wrote a blog post, but life has gotten in the way of things. School, work, my sister's wedding.. just to name a few. I thought I would quickly write (since I have to get back to homework ugh!) and give you all a new treadmill workout in honor of Halloween and one of my favorite movies, The Goonies.

Truffle Shuffle!!

This movie is too funny! I love it.  Ok so the workout in honor of this movie...

 

 

 

 

You can find this workout here. Click to enlarge and print it off. This is actually really fun :) 

 

 

I hope everyone has been staying happy and healthy..it can be hard sometimes! Trust me, I know too. 

 

Have a happy Halloween everyone :)

 

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