Ways to trick your self into exercising

I will admit there are times when I don't want to exercise especially since I wake up several hours before the sun rises. Although it is habit now and I feel a little lost if I don't do it there are times when the alarms goes off and I want to roll over and go back to bed instead of go workout.

I have learned how to "trick my self into exercising" over the years. (Thanks Jackie for keying this phrase)

Get dressed-When your alarm goes off or when you are getting ready to go, get dressed all the way down to your shoes. Also don't forget to brush your teeth. I tell myself some mornings that if I still feel like a zombie after that process then I will lay back down and sleep for a few minutes. I never do.

Meet a friend- This has been the heavy hitter for me. I am so blessed  to find people who are reliable workout partners. It is in my personality not to let another others down so if I have a reliable person waiting on me it takes a lot for me not to show. This has been one of the greatest reasons for my success in my own exercise endeavors and why I have successfully trained for so long. I have reliable people by my side with the same desires and goals that I have. How do you find a good workout partner? Who do you see our running at the same time, or working out at the same time at the gym? I would start there. Always get to know someone pretty well before training with them.

Sign up for a class- Although I am not taking or teaching classes right now this was something that used to keep me going. Try to find a class that fulfills a need even deeper than exercise. For example if you like to dance then Zumba may be your thing. Find a social network within the class settings and encourage each other.

Buy a gym membership- This doesn't work for everyone but it will for the frugally minded folks who find it a hard to spend money...like me :)


Put music in your ears- If you workout to a certain type of music then get dressed like stated above and put your music in your ears. It can put you in the mood mentally.


Go to bed early- Even with all the tricks in the book, if you are trying to get up early but go to bed late that is pure sabotage. Find a reason and a way to hit the sack at a decent time. If you are a chronic night owl and know that early mornings are not in your system then plan it later on in the day. Get it in at a time that you have found to be successful in the past.

**Pre-Summer Giveaway**

I am giving away a Alphabet summer kit!

The Alphabet summer kits help kids have a fun, educational summer while making it easy on the parents. 

The authors organized the weeks of summer with recipes, activities, crafts, experiments and creative play and corresponding letters of the alphabet. These are perfect for kids between the ages of 3-12.

How to enter the giveaway drawing:

1- Leave a comment on our facebook page about your summer plans for your personal fitness and you will be entered into the drawing. 

2- The comment with the most likes will be entered in 3 additional times. 

3- Leaving a comment on this very Fitfamilymeals blog entry and that will enter you in one more time. 

So you have the chance to get into the drawing 5 times. Enter before Friday May 25th at 9:00 am. The winner will be announced at the end of the day Friday. 

Here is more about the kit www.alphabetsummerkits.com

Below is the News Release about it this great summer tool!

News Release

 Alphabet Summer Kits, Fun Moms, LLC

Company helps parents keep children learning and entertained all summer long.

With school ending and summer around the corner a Utah company, Alphabet Summer Kits, is launching its website and e-book dedicated to helping parents keep children engaged in creative learning activities throughout the summer.

Alphabet Summer Kits co-owner Merri Hackett says that she and another mom wanted to have a plan this summer for their kids to be engaged in fun hands on learning. They spent a lot of time pairing activities, experiments, crafts and kid friendly recipes with letters of the alphabet and the different weeks of summer. In the process of making the plan the two moms felt like it was something that more moms could benefit from so they turned the program into an inexpensive e-book and put it online.

The kits went viral this past week and have been shared on facebook and mom blogs across the country. Susan Chapman mother of 4, feels relieved after getting her copy. She states “I am so glad that someone has done all this work for me. I wanted to do something similar but didn’t have the creativity or the time to do it and the cost was almost nothing. It’s nice to feel like I can be a fun mom this summer for my kids!”

Alphabet Summer Kits are designed for families with children ages 3-12. The plan is intended to keep children engaged in learning and saves time for busy parents. The program provides outlines, directions and options for coordinated experiments, inventive play, and recipes.

The Alphabet Summer Kit and parent resources are available online at http://www.alphabetsummerkits.com/.  The price for the downloadable e-book is $5.99.  

-End-

Turkey Roll-UP - Dee-licious!

Turkey Roll-UP
 www.fitfamilymeals.blogspot.com

I need to confess something. I have been trying to get a picture of this turkey roll up for some time. The first time I made it I was experimenting and didn't expect it to be so good but it was!!! I didn't get a pic. After I took one bite I devoured it. I have made it three times since and wanted to get picture but I have no self control and I would eat them before I could get my camera out.

I finally took a picture today before eating it.

This is really delicious! I haven't tried it with my kiddos yet but my husband LOVED it!

This recipe is for one person and one roll up. I eat it for both breakfast or lunch. I count it as a protein and usually add a fruit or complex carbohydrate to make it a nice metabolism building meal for the beginning of the day.

Ingredients:
1 half small stalk of green onion
2 egg whites
9 slices of Oscar Meyer smoked shaved turkey breast (or ground turkey breast this will lower sodium)
Mrs Dash Tomato Basil Spice
1 Tbs fat free cream cheese
1 tsp of olive oil

Directions:
Chop green onion and saute with tsp of olive oil in a stick free pan on the stove top. Let cook. Add chopped up sliced turkey or ground turkey to mixture. Combine ingredients. Add Mrs. Dash tomato basil spice to turkey mixture (I do two shakes). Remove from heat and set mixture to the side. In a small no stick  frying pan spray a dusting of canola oil on pan. Add two egg whites carefully so they form a circle (this is best done in a small pan where the eggs fill up the bottom of the pan) Carefully flip eggs to the other side. When done it looks much like a tortilla shell. Turn the heat off but while it is still hot add 1 tbs fat free cream cheese to the egg white tortilla. Let it sit there then spread when hot. Add the other ingredients on top and roll up like a tortilla. Enjoy!

Nutrition: (For turkey roll up only)
Calories 154, Fat 5, Chol 32, Sodium 902, Carbs 3, Fiber .5, Protein 22, Sugars 2

Some people do not consider fat free cream cheese or any dairy clean foods. But the nutrition of it works well with the macro nutrient levels that I like so you can be the judge on this one. Love me anyway no matter what :)

One of my darling little boys! 

Happy Mothers day! 

Being a mom is a beautiful blessing and a sacred responsibility.

I am a builder of secure minds who will be the future of our nation. What kind of company or factory can produce such a product? I look into the eyes of my children and I see greatness. My role is essential to their reaching their full potential! What I do, although very undervalued by some, will impact generations to come!

I am HONORED to be a Mother!

Common "Mom Habits" that Sabotage Weight Loss

Our bodies are much like a house.

When things are running smoothly the occupants can occasionally handle a mess to clean up. But when things get busy and more and more mess is coming into the house, the mess starts to pile up and build. Our bodies can eat junk food once in a while without much disturbance but when it becomes habit our bodies become efficient at storing it instead of using it.

Although these bad habits that I am about to list apply to everyone, Moms are the call out here. To great moms the term "motherhood" means sacrifice and selflessness. Giving up something for the ones we love seems noble but if it is our health that we are sacrificing then lets be very clear, It is not best for them or us...not even in the name of motherhood. Its effect is just the opposite. It takes us from them, either by an early demise or by making it so that we cannot fully participate in their childhood in ways that we could otherwise.


Here are 4 common "Mom Habits" that sabotage weight loss:

Staying up late.
Moms don't get a minute to themselves during the day so they often find a little down time after everyone is bed. If you are like me at times I just get tired of being required. A few minutes to myself brings a little sanity back into my life. But if mom is up too late it can affect her fitness and nutrition goals. Sleep deprived people crave carbs, lose muscle and eat more calories than those that get 71/2 hours of sleep. Analyze what you do at night and decided how important it is. I find that my own productivity goes down. I surf the web, play on facebook and perhaps flip through non important TV shows. Our bodies want rest and we will get a bigger bang out of our next day and eat better by going to bed earlier preferably before 10:00 pm.

Not eating breakfast
Many moms skip breakfast. They get themselves, kids and husbands dressed and lunches packed. They also make breakfast for everyone else but in their rush they neglect eating their own most important meal of the day. A breakfast with a nice punch of protein and fiber will keep mom's tank full for much longer and kick start her metabolism. It is never a good idea to skip a meal and the worst meal to skip is often the hardest one to get in - breakfast.

Not planning meals
If you don't plan ahead and counter hunger in the moment with good foods then you are much more influenced by the advertising of the multimillion dollar fast/junk food industry that has hoards of scientists, marketers and other experts who dedicate all their time to delivering subconscious messages to you and your family on what you should be eating so that you can make them rich. Sounds like a conspiracy right? It is! They know what shows we watch, they know the colors and faces that they should put on billboards so that we will look at them. They even put toys that compliment the latest box office hits in their kids meals. They spent millions of dollars on real estate locations that are strategically placed so that when you are on your way home from work you will pass right by them and if you don't have a plan you are much more likely to stop even if you hate that you are doing it. Some people think that a "diet" or "meal planning" enslaves them but it is the other way around. It frees us from these other influences that have no interest in us or our children's well being. Only our pocket books. Planning is will power. Find a good program or healthy eating philosophy and stick to it. Plan ahead a week, a day or even a few meals in advance. It will help you eat healthy and save money too.

Skipping post workout meal
Eating a light meal with a lean protein and a fast absorbing carbohydrate right after a workout is not only good for the bodies repair process but is also good to counter hunger throughout the day. Many women think that they should skip the post workout meal because of the calories they consume in the post workout (which I like to keep under 250 calories). Also they may not feel hungry after vigorous or moderate exercise. Those who eat a post workout meal, however, tend to eat less calories in the following meals because they are not as hungry or caloricly deprived and therefore have positive decision making skills still intact when it comes to food choices and portion control.

Creamy Strawberry Protein Oatmeal

Creamy Strawberry Protein Oatmeal

 Ingredients:

 33 grams (1/3 cup) of old fashioned oats

1/2 cup water

3 Tbs Greek Yogurt

4 medium sized strawberries

1/2 scoop vanilla protein whey

1 Packet Truvia Sweetner

Directions:

Cut strawberries into small pieces. Mix all ingredients but one cut strawberry in a large bowl. Put in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes. Watch closely so that it doesn't boil over. Stir again before serving and garnish the top with the remaining cut strawberries. An additional truvia packet can be added to the top of the oatmeal.

Nutrition:

Calories 179

Fat 1.8

Chol 30

Sodium 50

Carbs 26

Fiber 3

Protein 19

Sugars 11

Finding Balance and Sticking to it

Balance is hard to find. 

It is harder to keep but as we strengthen our core (values) we can always find it and come back to it even when we lose it for a time.

Here is a pic with me and my third child. It says it all. I am so in love with my little family. Clean eating is proving to be one of the best things for them as well as for me.

I keep this blog not because eating is my strength but because it is my weakness.

Fit Philly Steak Sandwich: Healthy and Flavorful!

One of my favorite meals is the Philly Steak Sandwich. But the real sandwich tops 1000 calories!  I have tried multiple low calorie versions of this and each time it came out tasting..less than desirable. But today I made it! It was delicious! The kids loved it! The husband loved it and it was BELOW 300 calories (287 to be exact!) I can't even tell you how awesome that is! The only problem is that it was so good that even though I was full I wanted more! But I resisted! There it always tomorrow and I can eat the left overs then! I made it using my mom's leftover Sunday roast which is an art in itself but I will do my best to explain.

Seared Lemon Chicken

I had the most incredible chicken this week! It is a simple recipe but the way it is cooked is delicious! The recipe is for 1 person.

These pictures were taken at different times.

You can choose which one looks best in your mind but I know which one feels best and it is definitely the weight training.

It takes a lot less time and has a greater visual result but was not as euphoric as the running. While running I could never get full but with lifting and eating clean I was full all of the time.

Right now I am trying to once again mix the two. I will let you know how that one goes : )

10 Ways to Eat Vegetables for Breakfast

I do not like green [things for breakfast], Sam I am.

"If it's your job to eat a frog it is best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest [ugliest] one first." - Mark Twain

It is a good thing that the "green things" that we are talking about in this post aren't eggs, ham or frogs. They are vegetables and they are not always green.

For some reason most of us view vegetables as non- breakfast foods. Our American diets declare that syrup smothered waffles (basically sugar with sugar on top) are acceptable breakfast foods instead.

Kids Run Club

Since this is a Fit "Family" website I thought it might be helpful to some of you ultra determined parents out there to share some of my ideas that I have had doing a kids running club.

A kids run club is a pretty cool thing. First of all, whatever sport your youngins are involved in they will benefit from running. It strengthens the lungs and heart and provides a great base for strength and agility. It has a stress relieving effect by releasing endorphin's and it is a great wiggle-getter-outer.

I started a neighborhood running club because there wasn't one available.

Here is a link to some great sites on how to start a kids running clubs:

http://www.kidsrunning.com/krlinks.html

http://www.rrca.org/programs/kids-run-the-nation-program/

http://familyfitness.about.com/od/schoolagekids/ht/kids_running_club.htm

At each club we:

• Review running logs
• Discuss running safety
• Do conditioning
• Discuss a running principle
• Practice a running principle
• Cool down and stretch
• Have a post-workout snack and review a nutrition principle

You may be able to just barley make out the schedule up above. I will try to get a better pic on soon.

Below I have included a few of my object lessons for teaching

New Meal Plan (Meal Plan 10)

Here is a new meal plan but with some recipe repeats from other plans I've shared. I like how I did the dinner recipes in this one. I made them so that you can cut them out into your own recipe cards. Look it over if you want it in PDF form email me the address is on the side bar. I get two or three emails requests a day. I erase your email after I send it so you won't hear from me again. Also please don't feel bad if it takes me a few days to get to you, it is just little old me here by myself and I will get to you eventually :) Remember these are my family meal plans nothing professional use at your own risk. Kindly let me know if you find errors so I can correct them :)

If you don't have a family to feed it might be a good idea to stick to a single dinner meal plan that you like and just repeat that throughout the week. It would be much easier.

I do this type of meal plan so that I can eat a nutrient focused meal plan and still eat dinner with my family. If you have been following my posts you will know that I believe that family meals are a strong stabilizing force to any families success.

Family Meals help families bond and are proven to help children succeed in academics. They are also proven to help protect children from several risky behaviors.

The day meals are considered "clean" ingredients but one of the dinner meals (the chicken pot pie) has bread and condensed soup both of which are "no nos" to clean eaters but I believe it is healthy to have a little balance for my family...not much but a little.

In my opinion, for moms strengthening fitness, families and even faith can be done together not separately.

A fit mom (or at least one who is focusing on making herself more fit) will by default help her family become more fit.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Everything Mom Schedule

I combined some of my schedules together. My exercise schedule along with my cleaning and my "mom" schedule. It is very helpful for me to see it all in one place...now if I could just do all this consistently I would feel complete. I rarely miss my exercise and important family duties but my goal is to do better with cleaning.

With the exercise SS cardio stands for steady state cardio, HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and I am only doing it daily because I have been a slacker with meal planning the last 2 weeks.

Love at Home

Healthy meals and regular meal times together are just one way to show our children how much we love them.

10 Ways to Eat Vegetables for Breakfast

I do not like green [things for breakfast], Sam I am.

"If it's your job to eat a frog it is best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest [ugliest] one first." - Mark Twain

It is a good thing that the "green things" that we are talking about in this post aren't eggs, ham or frogs. They are vegetables and they are not always green.

For some reason most of us view vegetables as non- breakfast foods. Our American diets declare that syrup smothered waffles (basically sugar with sugar on top) are acceptable breakfast foods instead. We even see fruit as acceptable but don't consider the thought of vegetables for breakfast as normal.

But think of how much healthier we could be if we changed our thinking and made nutrient, vitamin, fiber rich vegetables part of our morning every day for the rest of our lives. Vegetables are cancer, diabetes and heart disease fighters. It would give them that much more of an opportunity to work their magic in us.

Just imagine if we were to start out on a journey going the wrong direction we would loose a lot of precious time and focus. Breakfast is the same idea. Every day is a journey in our lives. Do we want to start it walking backwards?

Here is a dare for you...eat vegetables at breakfast for an entire week and see how you feel!

Here are 10 ways to do it:

1- Green smoothies- Vegetable + fruit + ice + liquid. These are becoming very popular and rightfully so. If you have a good blender the family will never know that these yummy tasting shakes are good for them. True green smoothies are supposed to have a higher percentage of vegetables compared to fruit but many people also enjoy them in the opposite proportion. Some brands like Sun Warrior offer rice proteins that can add a natural punch of protein to these smoothies.

2- Eggs- As long as these are not drenched in cheese and other fats, omelets can be a healthy choice and great host to vegetables. An egg white omelet with spinach and a dust of feta cheese was a nice new food introduced to me at the beginning of my journey. I was surprised at how much I liked it. Also garden vegetables cooked then scrambled with eggs and topped with salsa can add flavor, color and excitement to a drab egg breakfast. I love cooked vegetable in crepes by they way! Delicious!

3- Eat them raw- Raw vegetables are a great way to fill up the tummy in the morning. They feel so fresh and light. A mix of cucumbers, olives and carrots is a delicious treat. It is such a simple combination and yet the black canned olives seem to marinate the cucumbers and carrots. This is also a delicious and surprisingly popular party mix. Try it I bet you will take home an empty dish!

3- Black Beans- Yes I know what you are thinking. "Black Beans are a legume" or you may be in the "Black Beans are a vegetable camp" but if you know French you will recognize that the word legume actually means dried fruit. So did the French get it right? Are they considered a fruit in our language as well? Either way they are plant based, protein packed and are very good for breakfast. Black beans can be part of an omelet, can be eaten on their own or even made into a delicious breakfast hummus.

4- Cooked-Despite popular belief vegetables can be eaten cooked and added to the breakfast meal as a side dish just as they are cooked for other meals throughout the day.

5- Juiced- Some vegetables are made for juicing. Carrots for example can be made into a delicious juice that can add a great flavor to other drinks or a tasty drink on its own. But like fruit juices, although they are vitamin rich, they should be used with caution since they lack the fiber benefits of whole foods.

6- Hide them- I LOVE this one especially for my family. You can hide several vegetables in breakfast foods and your family will only notice that breakfast just got better! For example sweet potato or pumpkin in french toast, cauliflower in eggs (yes believe it or not it is delicious) and zucchini in almost any waffle or pancake. Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Sienfield is an entire book dedicated to sneaking in vegetables to the family's diet without them knowing.

7-Soup- I know sounds a little odd for breakfast but I lived in Spain for a year and a half and these people have mastered the art of a cold soup named Gazpacho. It was strange for me at first but I got to the point where I crave it and love the taste. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Vegetables can also be served as a hot soup for breakfast.

8- Yogurt- Adding cooked and purred vegetables to a low calorie Greek yogurt can also prove to be a filling and nutrient dense meal without the calories. Sweeter vegetables such as purred pumpkin can be mixed in with the yogurt and topped with toasted oatmeal for a pumpkin pie taste. I like an artificial sweetener or a calorie free sugar free pumpkin pie syrup on mine or just cinnamon.

9-Other ideas- Sliced Tomatoes on whole wheat toast or an English muffin with a lean turkey can be a yummy and filling breakfast. Also an egg and potato breakfast casserole with green peppers used to be popular at my house.

10- Breakfast pizza- I am not joking on this one. A healthier version of breakfast pizza can be made. A tomato sauce on top of whole wheat flat bread, dusted with mozzarella cheese and topped with garden veggies can be cooked to tasty perfection. Not to mention the delicious smell that your family will wake up to!

So take the challenge: vegetables at breakfast for one week! Any way you can get them in... (Except for fried. Remember never fried ;)

Good luck!

The Form You Run With- A Healthy Life Lesson

For exercise beginners and those trying to transition to healthier eating here is something to keep in mind.

I once ran with a group of very elite runners. All were major marathon winners but me. It was a valuable time to ask questions and get feedback on running. I asked the age old question "What is the best running form?" I was surprised as they almost answered in unison "The one you run with." They explained that if you are a long distance runner who runs lots of miles a day and longer on the weekends your body will take on the form that is best for it to run with, one in which it expends the least amount of energy with the greatest amount of efficiency. I thought this was interesting. While there are a few different philosphys on running form I found this a very profound lesson on healthy living transition.

Lots of beginners ask questions like "What is best? Working out in the morning or working out in the evening?" While I have my own opinion on which one is optimal the real answer is "The one you run with." Which one can you do and which one do you do? Which makes it easier to exercise or eat healthy and brings you closer to living the healthiest lifestyle possible. If working out in the morning makes you grouchy all day and you gave it a good full hearted try, revert to what is easiest and best for you to maintain. The same goes for eating. If you are following a meal plan and one of the meals makes you gag and you have given it a good try then switch it out for something else with similar nutrient content such as carbs/fats/protein (unless you are training for something then talk to your nutritionist).

As a person is starting out. It is best to find workouts and environments that make you the most comfortable. Ones that you would like to return to. As your muscles begin to build memory (fiber recuruitment) you will be able to take on new challenges.

There are many more questions like this. What is better? Running or Weightlifting? Pilates or Yoga? Although all have answers and depend on goals, the answers differ for beginners. Which one do you run with. Which one are you able to maintain and will keep you on your journey? This should not be used as an excuse but as a tool. Once again as your body adapts and plateaus it is important to find new challenges but for now "run with it!"

Ninja Chicken Pot Pie-264 Calories

This is what I call a Ninja Mom Recipe. Your family eats healthy and they don't even know it. This is a bad picture but it was the only one I could snap before my family devoured it! This isn't considered a clean recipe because it has a low calorie crust and fat free condensed soup but it is under 264 calories and, in my opinion, it is way better than regular pot pie. My kids loved it but even more my mom loved it. She is the one that I have to play ninja with sometimes ;) If she knows I have substituted healthy ingredients she usually won't like it but she loved this...and also liked it better than regular pot pie.

This recipe was taken from Spark People and was adapted from Hungry Girl. I would highly recommend Hungry Girl's recipes and her book. Like I said they are not usually clean (whole foods, lean meats and no whites or unhealthy fats) but her recipes are tasty and are much lower calorie versions of regular meals that we are used to. They are perfect for that transition stage that I had to make (and in many cases am still making) from junk food to clean food.

Here is the link to this recipe. I have left it in it's original format.

Ingredients

1 16oz package of Mixed Veggies
8oz 99% fat free chicken breast
1 10.75oz can of fat free cream of celery soup
4 reduced fat crescent rolls

Directions

-preheat oven to 350
-cut chicken into cubes and then cook (til light brown) in pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
-cook beggies in microwave according to directions on package
-mix chicken, veggies, and soup and pour into a 9" round baking dish (casserole)
-cook in oven for ~30mins (until mixture begins to boil slightly)
-combine crescent rolls and then roll with a rolling pin until very thin (i actually just flatten each roll and stretch as much as i can bc i am without a rolling pin and it works fine!!)
-after mixture boils, place dough on top and bake for another 15-20 minutes (until golden brown)

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 264.3

• Total Fat: 6.6 g
• Cholesterol: 36.0 mg
• Sodium: 674.3 mg
• Total Carbs: 27.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7.5 g
• Protein: 18.2 g

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user LAULLYPOP84.

Cauliflower Pizza

Once inside our digestive system our body treats sugar and white bread the same. My family has always liked pizza but the calories can get pretty hefty so I wanted to see if there was a way to make it without the dough .

I was excited to receive an email from my friend Merri with this idea. Cauliflower pizza where the crust is made out of cauliflower.

First of all we love caulirice! That is when you take a head of cauliflower and chop it up with a food processor or salad shooter to the consistency of rice and cook it in the microwave 8 minutes covered without water. It turns out to be a fluffy and delightful low calorie substitute for white rice.

This recipe uses caulirice as the base. We had a split vertict on this. 3 liked it, 2 did not and 1 was impartial. I was the impartial one. I added way to much cheese and that bothered me a little.

The recipe below is taken straight from recipe girl. I adapted, as you can see in my pictures, but left the original recipe intact.

cauliflower crust hawaiian pizza

Yield: One 9 to 12-inch pizza (feeds 2 to 3 people)

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 18 min

Ingredients:

CRUST:
1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or try another kind!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt

TOPPINGS:
1/2 cup tomato-basil marinara sauce (or pizza sauce)
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
3 slices Canadian bacon, cut into strips
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits

Directions:

1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles. You can use the food processor if you'd like, but you just want crumbles, not puree. You'll need a total of about 2 cups or so of cauliflower crumbles (which is about half a large head of cauliflower. Place the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and microwave them (dry) for 8 minutes (see Tips below if you do not have a microwave). Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.

2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface). In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles (about 1 1/2 cups since they shrink after cooking) with the remaining crust ingredients. Pat the "crust" into a 9 to 12-inch round on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.

3. Prepare the pizza: Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top. Add the bacon and pineapple, spreading it out around the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Tips:

From Eat, Drink, Smile (tip from Beth): For those who don’ t have a microwave: You can steam the florets just until they are tender (not mushy) on the stove and then let them cool before grating them. The texture/consistency won’t be the same (It will be more like a puree) but it still works fine once you mix all the ingredients together.

*Other topping ideas:
Marinara or pizza sauce with your favorite toppings
Pesto with thin sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella
Alfredo with sausage, mushrooms, Provolone & Asiago cheese
Barbecue sauce with shredded chicken, green onions and smoked gouda
*This pizza is best served on a plate with a fork.

Nutritional Information per serving FOR THE WHOLE PIZZA- per slice:
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories per serving: 151
Fat per serving: 7.2g
Saturated Fat per serving: 4.1g
Sugar per serving: 3g
Fiber per serving: 2.2g
Protein per serving: 12.6g
Cholesterol per serving: 53mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 9.2g

WW POINTS per serving:
Points Plus Program: 4 Old Points Program: 3

Nutritional info per serving for JUST THE CRUST- per slice (if you want to do your own toppings):
Serving Size: 1 slice (pizza cut into 6 slices)
Calories 84, Fat 4.3g, Sat Fat 2.6g, Cholesterol 40.8mg, Sodium 166mg, Carbohydrates 4.6g, Fiber 1.9g, Sugar 0g, Protein 7.1g
WW Points Plus: 2 Old Points Program: 2

Source: RecipeGirl.com (inspired by and adapted from Eat, Drink Smile)

Burn 1000 calories in 15 minutes in your jammies!!!

Sounds like an infomercial right? Well unlike an infomercial this actually works!

HIIT is one of those things that amazingly fit people keep secret from the rest of us.

The Photo*

To the left you see a marathoner. Endurance training (or extended steady state cardio) tends to put the body in a catabolic state which means your body begins to feed on the energy stored in its own muscles causing a person to be skinny but not defined or muscular.

On the right is a sprinter. Sprinting is a very good form of HIIT training.

The Rotation System of Meal Planning

Numerous studies support the benefits of eating regular, frequent, healthy meals. According to many nutritionists six meals a day is more beneficial than a traditional 3 meal a day plan. It is not only about what you eat but how and when you eat that plays a role in metabolism and hunger and energy levels. Although most of us know to do this already, actually doing it is another issue. This rotational system makes it easy, cheap, and possible. (If you want to skip the history of the plan you can scroll down and see a simple table below of how it works)

I was converted to meal planning early on in my marriage (ironically enough) while living in the jungles of Africa. My husband and I were on a humanitarian aid project for several months in Kenya. We lived with another newly married couple and we had to make one trip to the store together every few weeks. I figured we needed to make a plan if we were going to survive. The other couple (who I love dearly) did not make a plan. We would both go and buy our groceries then make them last as long as possible. They would be out of food after just a few days. I saw how a plan made our food go further, last longer and saved us a difference of what would be equivalent to $100 US dollars a trip.

When I first started trying to eat 6 meals a day I did everything wrong. Since I already was a planner I would sit down and write a plan for well, 6 meals a day. They were 6 different meals each day, throughout the week. If you do the math that adds up to be 42 different meals. I found that we were wasting a lot of food. I got frustrated and overloaded. Those plans were too complicated. In the end I would have around 42 meals to buy, make and eat. I got frustrated with the 6 meals a day and stopped doing it but soon I found that I was still snacking and again wasting money.

I then read some research about how it is beneficial to repeat 6 meals daily for a week. I tried a meal plan that incorporated that principle. While my husband thrived on this plan (he can eat the same meals every day) I found that I often became sick when I thought about eating the same food again. I felt great physically, but I couldn't mentally bring myself to eat the same items over and over again. I needed variety.

That is where the rotation system comes in. It is a meal plan made for a week, and the week can even be repeated (making it a two week plan). You have six meals a day but three of these meals can be rotated with other meal options. Meal options within the same rotation should have approximately the same amount of calories. I originally had 3 meals a day that were repeated daily and did not vary, then incorporated 3 other meals in between that had a rotation. This worked well! Extremely well. I found that I could stick with this and feel great too. I didn't have to figure out calories for 42 different meals I could just do it on a handful of meals.

Here is the basic system:
meal 1 same
meal 2 rotate choose 1 meal out of 3 meals options with approximately same calories
meal 3 same
meal 4 rotate choose 1 meal out of 3 meals options with approximately same calories
meal 5 same
meal 6 change up each night eat with the family

click here for a blank meals planning sheet with the rotation system

The benefits
It is easy -Although it looks a little complicated at first glance it is a simple way to do things.
Saves money- compared to a plan that has several different meals a week. You buy items more in bulk and you are able to use them longer. And since the week plan can expand to two weeks you can do a two week shopping trip and stay out of the store which as anyone one knows that saves money!
It helps to boost metabolism- This system stays with the idea that if you eat the same amount of calories at the same time each day your body knows what to anticipate and actually plans for the calories making your metabolism more efficient.
Variety- It also has enough variety to make things interesting but a pattern to keep things less complicated.

I am not selling this system. It really is a work in progress and will continue to be. My hope is that someone reads through this, tries their own version of my ideas and that their family eats a little better because of it. Good luck everyone!

One of my sisters lost 25 pounds! I love what she said about it!

My sister Jackie has recently lost 25 pounds. She is absolutely amazing!

I loved what she wrote to another friend on facebook who was struggling with weight loss so I included it below.

"The other day someone said to me that it was easier for me to lose weight because I liked to exercise.

I was stunned...

not just because I have to force or trick myself into exercise most of the time, but because I realized that is what I have always thought about most fit people...

"It is easy for them because they like to eat healthy or they like to exercise."

Wrapping my head around the idea that fit people are fit because they make healthy choices and sometimes deprive them selves of much wanted treats and not because it is just second nature or they don't like sugar... has been hard for me.

Another thing that has been hard for me to realize is that I can work out all day long, kill myself at the gym and still eat healthy, but if I eat too many calories my body is going to store them... even if all my calories came from apples and wheat bread. After this process I am a firm believer that weight loss happens 80% in the kitchen and 20% in the gym. Maybe even 90% to 10%. Oh and support has been HUGE for me as well! Dont get discouraged! You can do this!!!"

Pre-Meal Munchie Management

When I begin to cook about a half hour to an hour before dinner, my sharks (little boys) begin to swarm around my feet. The aroma of the meal makes them hungry and thy can hardly stand to wait another minute!

My friend Lisa Willey introduced me to this wonderful concept of putting healthy foods on the cupboard or table at eye level and within reach at this pre-meal time. Sure it might spoil a few appetites to have them snacking right before dinner but it makes fresh fruits and veggies available to the family when they are at their hungriest. When we are hungry we will most likely choose foods that are easily within reach and so will our kiddos. I look at it as the pre-meal salad. Here is a picture of our pre-meal munchies this evening. I either take what is left over and put it on the table for dinner or put it in the fridge for other snack times.

Lean "Talk About Taco Salad"-290 calories

Made with protein ranch and microwaved corn chips. It is definitely a yummy, healthy alternative to a once fat filled meal.

I hope this recipe makes sense. This is a favorite family meal that I have modified for myself. I usually make the kids by mixing beans, ranch, turkey and cheese then use normal tortilla chips with theirs. I don't top theirs with salsa and we add in lettuce and mix.

With mine I count the calories and set my portions aside. Here is what I do for mine.

The Fluffy Diet

Here are some new pics of my progress. I know they look a little repetitive and may look like I am going backwards but I am still trying to get back to where I was before I started my holiday free eating in December.

I have been asked a lot about what I am doing since I stopped endurance running and started lifting. I thought I would share. Just remember I am not perfect, just surviving on what I know and how much of that I can do. Please don't use this to judge me. Just love me ;)

The Cut Diet

Since I am sharing other meal plans I might as well share this one. This is an extremely clean meal plan for women. There is a reason that it is called the cut diet because there is not fluff in it at all. It will lean up ANYONE that can follow it. I have another version of this as well but it was shared by a trainer and I am not sure if I can share it on here so until I get permission I will just share this one and it's link. Roy Critchfield pointed me in the direction of this diet.

Basic Nutrient Timed Meal Plan Out-line

I am sharing this sample meal plan outline from Rachael Elizabeth of Cause Fitness. I love her website and she is absolutely darling. If you are more curious about this meal plan click on her link. It refers to a grocery list which she has on her site. I won't include it here.