A little bit of sunshine....

Here's a great way to get your water in for the day and still feel like you are getting a treat!  

I found this recipe in Bethenny Frankel's page in Health Magazine.  I just adapted it to what I had in the house.  She used lemonade and I just had lemons.  

Summer Faux Lemonade

Juice from 2 lemons

1 TBS agave nectar

1 C water

mix this up and freeze in ice cube trays.  Pour club soda over the cubes for a touch of summer in all this grey!  

Ch Ch Ch Chia!

No… not the pet chia.  Well not really.  Chia is the cousin of the chia plant (pets).  I first heard about chia seeds from reading Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet book.  While that was sometime ago, I just recently picked up a bag at PCC.  I'm addicted!  Chia seeds are packed with fiber and omega-3's.  They are tiny gray-black seeds -that I often find stuck in my teeth hours later - that you can eat on their own right out of the bag or throw them in smoothies or cereal or yogurt.  I think they have a bit of a nutty taste, but very mild.  Almost like you are eating sesame seeds.  One serving of chia seeds contain 4.2 grams of dietary fiber, mostly insoluble which is great for stabilizing blood sugar levels.  No more ups and downs!  It keeps you feeling full because it absorbs so much of it's weight in water.  I guess you can use it as an egg substitute too!  For now though I'll just stick to dipping my spoon in :)  

Try it out and let me know what you think! 

Jen

What I've Been Eating the Last 3 Days....

Since it's been days upon days of cold weather around here (complete with snow!) I've been relying on this fabulous recipe from the January issue of Clean Eating Magazine.  If you aren't familiar with the magazine, it focuses on recipes and articles based on the principle of Clean Eating.  Basically it is a lifestyle approach to eating food in it's most natural state.  If you like this recipe you will love the magazine.  

This is a new twist on the classic chili - Thai Chili.  Don't be alarmed by the use of bulgur - tell your husband it's ground turkey and he'll never know the difference!  Of course, if you just can't handle a meat free dish, it does taste great with ground turkey too.  Try it out and let me know what you think! 

Thai Chili 

Source: Clean Eating Magazine - January 2011

At The Grocery Store:

1 1/2 tsp red curry paste

1 tsp ground cumin

4 C low sodium vegetable (or chicken - I've used both!) broth, divided

1/2 C uncooked bulgur

1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 C)

1 large green bell pepper, chopped (2C)

3 C cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 C light coconut milk

2 C jarred tomato puree/paste (I used 1 can of paste and 1 can of chopped tomatoes whizzed in the blender)

2 scallions, chopped

Fresh ground pepper to taste 

Get It Done in Less Than 30:

In a 4 qt pot, add curry paste, cumin and a bit of broth.  Mash mixture and stir until paste is no longer in lumps.  Add remaining broth, bulgur, potato and bell pepper.  Set over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.  Cover tightly, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes. 

Add beans, coconut milk and tomato paste to pot and stir.  Cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes, until the bulgur is tender and chili is thick.  Stir in scallions and black pepper and serve.  

Serving Size: 2 1/2 C

Calories: 341

Total Fat: 5 g

Sat. Fat: 6 g

Carbs: 68 g

Fiber: 17 g

Sugars: 13 g

Protein: 17 g

Sodium: 412 mg

20 Minute No Excuses Workout!

Hey all!
We are starting out this blog with a workout you can do anywhere - no excuses!  This workout is great if you are short on time or just not "feeling" like working out.  It will get your heart pumping and your muscles pumped.  All you need is a timer and your tennis.

20 Minute Do Anywhere Workout

Warm up with some running in place, jumping jacks or stairs.  Then perform each of the following exercises for 1 minute each.   (See below for a description of a couple exercise if you might be unfamiliar with).

Burpees
Body Weight Squat
Forearm Plank
Reverse Lunges - alternating legs
Pushups - knees or toes
Tricep Dips
Jumping Jacks
Mountain Climbers

Keep a running rep count (all exercises combined)  throughout the
8 minute workout. Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat, trying to beat your
rep count "score" the second time. You will be amazed at how just
that little extra challenge (to beat your score) increases your effort in
the second round.

Exercise Descriptions:
Burpee - Begin by standing. Drop into a squat position with your hands on the ground.  Jump your feet back while lowering yourself into a pushup position (without the pushup).  Return your feet to the squat position and leap up high from the squat position with your arms overhead.
Mountain Climbers - Begin in a pushup position on your hands and toes.  Bring the right knee towards the chest, then quickly switch legs and bring the left knee to the chest, much like you were running.  Keep your back and butt down.

Let me know what you think!  

And the winner is...

I think we have a winner... Announcement will be in the next couple of days, just running the new name through legal! Thank you for all the wonderful entries!