A place for me to express my joy for healthy eating, fitness, and living a healthy lifestyle. I hope you enjoy this blog and feel free to leave comments and question!
I came across a short video on Facebook on what 200 calories of food looks like. It shows healthy foods, like apples and carrots, as well as junk food, like muffins and Big Macs. I thought it was pretty interesting and thought it was in my best interest to share it with everyone. Oh, and I'm sure you can already guess it... healthy food choices, like celery and broccoli, you can eat A LOT more for A LOT less calories! Yay :)
VS.
And the video brings up what a calorie is. A calorie is a unit of energy. Your body needs energy to fuel you--don't be afraid of calories!
As I was skimming through this months issue of Fitness Magazine, I came across several recipes that caught my eye. One of which was a kale caesar salad with grilled chicken, though the word caesar is what really caught my attention! I absolutely love caesar dressing, it's my favorite. Caesar salads are the best thing ever in my world, but I hate how fattening the dressing is. I don't like to buy store bought dressings and vinaigrettes-I prefer to make them myself. So, when I came across this recipe I got very excited. The ingredients are simple and this healthified version still has the rich, creamy and bold, tangy flavors of your favorite caesar dressing. For the full recipe, with the salad included, you can find it in the February issue of fitness magazine or you can click here.
Healthy Caesar Dressing
2 tbsp. of 2% or non-fat plain greek yogurt
1 tsp of red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp of minced garlic
1/4 tsp of Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
--Whisk together all ingredients above and enjoy! This is enough for 1-2 servings, as it does not make very much.
I hope you give this recipe a try if you love caesar salads!
I hope the start of your new year has been awesome so far! Today, I want to share with you a simple and basic granola recipe that I found from tree hugger. I really liked this recipe because it uses apple juice in it, which I had never seen before. What's so great about this recipe, and granola in general, is that you can be very creative with it. Just follow a basic recipe and add in your own nuts, seeds, fruits, and other flavors and textures. Granola is a great healthy snack or a healthy breakfast. It can be eaten by itself, put on top of yogurt or oatmeal, or enjoyed with milk. And not to mention that your house will smell amazing, too!
Granola Recipe
3 cups rolled oats (not quick or instant)
1 1/2 cup of nuts and seeds ( a mixture of your favorites work perfectly; I used almonds and pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup of honey (use maple syrup for vegans)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of dried fruit, optional
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine the oats, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, combine the apple juice, honey, oil, vanilla, and spices over low heat until the honey has softened and all is well combined. Remove from the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir everything until it is well combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread a single layer of your oat mixture on it. Try not to have too much over lapping so it can cook evenly and get crunchy.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until evenly golden brown, stirring every 12 to 15 minutes. When its done, remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
After cooled completely, stir in your dried fruit, if you're using it.
Notes:
Store in an air tight container. It should last up to several weeks.
If you plan on eating fresh fruit with your granola, you may want to skip using dried fruit, as a way to cut down on sugar.
Feel free to play around with the oats, nut/seed, and dried fruit measurements, as these don't need to be exact.
I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it! Stay happy and healthy :)
2013 is coming to end and the beginning of 2014 is upon us! This is the time when everyone is coming up with their new year's resolutions and anticipating for a change that they maybe did or didn't accomplish this past year. Some of the most anticipated new year's resolutions are centered around health and fitness-the gym will be packed the first few weeks of the year as everyone begins their journeys! But how often are these resolutions fulfilled? I remember at the beginning of my second semester of college, the cardio gym was packed up until mid-February and then it was dead. I'm sure this is seen across all gyms-some of you may know what I'm talking about. I've never made a new year's resolution before, but this year I am. My resolutions is to drink more water! Seems simple, but I have a serious problem with not drinking enough water throughout the day-I've gone a whole day with no water...not good. Well, I have a few tips on how to achieve these goals and resolutions, which these tips can be used and applied to other situations, too. I have some of my own thoughts, as well as YouTube video from Cassey Ho's channel, blogilates, where she also talks about new year's resolutions. Her video is what inspired me to write this one, so...here it goes.
1. Make small goals. Make small attainable and achievable goals, not something that is unreasonable. Maybe you have an overall larger goal, but to get there take baby steps. Maybe its giving yourself a weekly or monthly goal instead. Over time, all of these small goals will add up into one large goal. Say you want to lose weight. Go with a reasonable goal of losing maybe a pound a week until you have reached your goal-that is attainable. Or maybe you want healthier eating habits. Start out easy by swapping one bad food item for one good food item. For example, choose fruit instead of chips or crackers. Trick yourself into eating more fruit by keeping it where you can see it.
2. Stay positive. Keep your head up and keep the negative thoughts away. Not to sound mean, but as long as you are negative about yourself, you wont achieve your goals or change. Maybe for a short while, but you will slip and fall back into your old habits. No matter how tough it gets, because change is hard and it will be tough at times, you need to remind yourself that you're strong and can do this. If you believe in yourself, you will achieve your goals. To completely fulfill your fitness and health related goals, you need to do 3 things: change your diet, exercise more, and change your behavior.
3. Remember you're human. You will make mistakes. You will have bad days. You will slip back from time to time. But its not the end of the world. You're human. Life gets in the way sometimes. If you get off track for awhile because of life, know that you can easily start where you left off! All you need to do is stay positive ( #2 above) and possibly reevaluate your goals (maybe).
These 3 things have always been my own thoughts on achieving any goal or resolution. These are what helped me through my fitness journey and has gotten me to where I am today. I think Cassey Ho, from blogilates, also talks about achieving a resolution in a really good way! So you should check out her video (below), if you're interested.
I hope everyone had a great holiday spending time with loved ones and eating delicious foods! And I hope everyone has a great end of 2013 and an amazing start to 2014!
