Category Archives: PFOODIE

FOOD – DIET TIPS – RECIPES – NUTRITION
Learn how simple diet tips and key nutritional information can help you reach your goals. Get ideas for healthy snacks and meals, as well as learn how to fuel your body – and not just FEED it!

Scariest Candy: Tricks to the Treats

Oct 28

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Some food just go straight to my BUTT! (Sorry, I know this picture is hideous and you will probably not be able to get this image out of your mind for a bit. But, like Larry the Cable guy says, Loooord, I apologiiiize) :)

Why can candy go straight to your backside? Because, unlike most food that actually has some nutrients in it, candy is nothing but useless empty calories that would love to hitch a ride on your favorite trouble spot – like your butt!

We are about to enter one Holiday after the other, and if you aren’t careful, you WILL pack on the pounds with the extra fluff calories “just because it’s a Holiday”. Halloween candy starts the vicious cycle of an endless flow of crap entering our homes – from candy to pumpkin pie. And we have 9 weeks of these crazy calorie-filled celebrations, ending with New Year’s Day, which is when we all seem to finally realize just how bad we blew it!

Be In Control

How bad is Halloween Candy? I mean, they are all just little bite size pieces so what’s a few pieces, right? WRONG!! There are 40-100 whopping calories in almost every bite size Halloween treat from Snicker Bar to Sweet Tarts – that’s an average of 70 calories a treat.

Tricks to Treats for Adults

RULES! We MUST have rules. If you are watching your weight, whether you like it or not, every calorie counts. If you really want chocolate, are you willing to shave the calories off your meal or drinks to “afford it”?  How many treats can you have without blowing your diet and allowing it to change your physique? The key is realizing you can’t just eat more if you want your body to remain the same. You have to make a trade off, and you must hold yourself accountable. Just because you don’t look up the calories doesn’t mean they aren’t there. They are there – and they will cost you a price (and I’m here to tell you what that cost is).

The average Jack-O-Lantern bucket holds about 250 pieces of candy, totaling approximately 9,000 calories and three pounds of sugar. (California Milk Processors Board)

Tricks to Treats for Kids

What are your Halloween candy rules for your kids? Do you just let them dive into the candy bowl anytime they want? Even if they are skin and bones – what is this teaching them? It’s saying there are no limitations – and that will change as they grow up. Teach them NOW how to make good choices. By limiting how many treats they can have, they learn to not just eat whatever they grab, but they learn to pick their favorites and make each bite count. This is a very practical lesson we all learn with life – money, food, purchases, etc. It is important they learn the same discipline with eating than you would teach at the toy store.

Just 5 bite size pieces of candy could be more calories than a 6-inch sub or a baked potato, chili and salad at Wendys! 

I know we don’t think of a few pieces of candy that way – but that’s the truth. Here are 5 tips for your family, and caloric information for popular Halloween treats.

5 Tips to for your Trick-or-Treater

halloween candy tips1.) Keep their tank full. Make sure your child aren’t hungry BEFORE it’s candy time. You both need REAL food, not JUNK food! It is super important to keep your family’s tank full of real fuel while you have sweet temptations in the house.

2.) Make treats TREATS. Each bite should be special. Let your kids know they can have a treat after dinner or after the complete a task. Tell them how many pieces they can have and let them choose which pieces they get to eat.

3.) Take the time to teach. Use the information below to reference calories and show them how many calories are in candy versus whole food. For example, 30 grapes are 60 calories, an entire small green apple is 77 calories, a banana is 90 calories, 6 cups of popcorn is 100 calories or an entire cucumber with vinegar, salt and pepper is 45 calories. Give your child options like “you can have 150 calories in treats. Which would you prefer: 4 pieces of candy or 1 piece of candy and a bag of 100 calorie popcorn. This is super helpful for the tweens to help them prepare for the real world and making healthy choices.

Family fitness4.) Talk about the price of food. We talk about how much items cost when shopping, it is just as important to teach your kids the cost of food. Let your children know how much work it takes to burn off what you eat. For example, it takes approximately 1 mile to walk off 100 calories. Although they may not need to worry about this right now, it’s great to show them that you have to worry about it, and that is is reality for many people trying to manage their weight. It takes 3,500 calories to gain 1LB of fat – that’s 1 1/2 pieces of candy each day for 30 days or 50 pieces of candy for the month. That’s equal to 35 miles  to erase, which would be an average of just under 9 extra miles a week.

5.) Make the candy go the distance. If you decide to keep the candy in the house, only keep a little candy actually out and keep the rest in the freezer so your family can have an occasional treat for weeks, instead of gorging yourselves for a few days. If your family has a weight issue, it’s just best to keep a few pieces and give the rest away.

Fun-Size Facts

The average kid can easily consume 10 – 20 bite sized pieces of candy. Let’s cut that down to only 5 pieces for this demonstration. Since all the calories below are for bite size pieces, we don’t realize how fast it adds up until you actually bring out the calculator.

5 FUN SIZE TREATS:
1 Reese Peanut Butter Pumpkin Halloween Treat
1 Mini pack of Peanut M&Ms
1 Bite Size Snickers
1 Mini bag of Skittles
1 Mini Pack of Candy Corn
503 KING SIZE CALORIES!

Bite-Size Chocolate Treats:

Top Candy Sales: Reese’s took the number one spot with sales of just under $510 million in the past year. M&M’s trailed behind as the runner up with sales of $500.82 million, and Snickers came in at number three with past year sales of $456.91 million. (24/7 Wall St.’s list of America’s top 10 chocolate treats.)

  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins (34 g) – 180 calories
  • Butterfinger Crisp Bar, Snack size (20 g) – 100 calories
  • M&Ms, peanut – 93 calories
  • Mr. Goodbar Snack size (17 g) – 90 calories
  • M&Ms, plain, Fun size (18 g) – 88 calories
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (snack size (17 g) – 88 calories
  • Baby Ruth Bar, Fun size (18 g each) – 85 calories
  • Butterfinger Bar, Fun size (18 g each) – 85 calories
  • Snickers, Fun Size (18g) – 80 calories
  • Almond Joy Snack size (15 g) – 80 calories
  • Heath Bar, Snack size (13 g) – 74 calories
  • Kit Kat, Fun size (14 g) – 73 calories
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars – Fun size (14 g) – 67 calories
  • Tootsie Roll – 50 calories
  • Raisenetts – 53 calories
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (miniature) – 44 calories
  • Hershey’s Miniature Bars (mixed) – average of 42 calories
  • Hershey Kisses – 26 calories
  • Mini Musketeers – 25 calories

Hard, Sweet, Tart, Chewy or Fruity Bites:

  • Skittles - Fun size (20 g) – 80 calories
  • Candy Corn – 70 calories
  • Mini Dots – 70 calories
  • Jolly Rancher Lolly Pops – 60 calories
  • Jucyfruits – 9 pieces – 60 calories and 16 g carb
  • Tootsie Pops – 60 calories
  • Lifesavers Gummies (2 rolls per ounce) – 52 calories
  • Blow Pop, Junior – 50 calories
  • Wonka Nerds – small box (13 g) – 50 calories
  • Chewy Sweat Tarts – 50 calories
  • Hot Tamales – 50 calories
  • Starburst, Fun size (2 pieces per stick) – 40 calories
  • Laffy Taffy, Chocolate, small bars (8 g each) – 32 calories
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Posted in Diet & Nutrition Tips, PFOODIE

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Dieters Scream on Halloween: 10 Diet Tricks for Treats

Oct 27

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HalloweenCandyBowlIt’s that time of year again (and let all dieters scream)!

If you weren’t a grumpy dieter before Halloween, being around that much candy can turn any dieter into a wicked witch in a hurry. If you aren’t grouchy from being around it, you are grouchy from guilt of giving into it. Either way, with a rise in diet and fitness awareness, it is very likely there will be a lot of witches working front door this Halloween.

If you struggle with your weight here are 10 tips to keep the candy off your thighs and grouchiness out of your heart! <3

  1. photoBuy candy you personally don’t like.
  2. Don’t over buy, to avoid leftovers.
  3. Eat a healthy big meal the night of halloween.
  4. Walk with your kids (don’t drive them),
  5. Look up the calories for every bite you eat.
  6. Have healthy snack alternatives nearby.
  7. Cut up a Designer Whey bar into bite size pieces for your own treats (pictured right).
  8. Chew gum, not candy.
  9. Do an extra cardio, and plan an active day following Halloween.
  10. Set candy rules for everyone in the house, including you.

You know, it also wouldn’t kill you to just give the candy away. One of the biggest problems wives have is feeling like they need to keep treats in the house for their husband or kids. If you are dieting and don’t want to “punish” your family, remember, candy is just not healthy. Even if the rest of your family is not overweight, that still doesn’t mean having candy in the house is good for them. Know your limits, and do what is right for your family too. Some families aren’t tempted to abuse candy in the house, while others…well, not so much.

 

Posted in Diet & Nutrition Tips, PFOODIE

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Snack SMART: Breakfast, Cereal and Protein Bar Comparison

Oct 16

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Smart BarI recently was introduced to a new kind of protein bar, called the SMART bar. If you have followed me for any length of time, it probably didn’t take long to see that I like my protein supplements.

When it comes to bars, I’m a bit picky. I want at least 10gms of protein, but I also don’t want that many calories. I also want it to taste good. I’m not going to eat cardboard just because it has protein in it. Sorry, I want to enjoy my food thank you very much. :) Ufortunately, many bars are extremely high in calories. Thank goodness, more bar companies are making smaller versions of the old 30gms-of-protein-and-a million-calories kind of bars. Even if it’s packed with protein, it normally tips the caloric scale for most calorie-conscience people. Then SMART enters the world.

Before I give you the scoop on SMART, I should tell you I have probably 5-6 types of bars in my pantry right now. I like chocolate ones, peanut butter ones, caramel ones, crunchy ones and gooey ones. Some are higher in calories and protein, some are lower in calories and protein. Some make great snacks, and some are more like a meal replacement when I’m in a bind. What I’m saying is, there are different bars for different people and different purposes. The SMART bar, however, is definitely one of my favorites for light snacks and breakfasts.

Taste

I could tell you how healthy it is, that’s gluten free, low in sugar, and all that jazz (and don’t worry, I will in a sec), but first I’m going to just tell you what my taste buds say about the bar – because honestly, if they don’t like it, it ain’t going to make it past them to my belly!

SMART barAs a coffee lover (don’t hate! Everyone has their vise, and mine is coffee – LOVE IT!), I really enjoy having a bar with coffee when I don’t have time for a sit-down breakfast. However, some bars are too sweet for me and they upset my stomach. The SMART bar is an oatmeal bar that is mildly sweet, which makes for a great breakfast bar on the go. Unlike regular cereal bars, the SMART bar is low in sugar (only 4gms!), which is 50-80% less sugar than many of it’s competitors. It has 10gms of protein and 3gms of fiber so it is filling and stays with me. And the best part, is it’s SUPER low in calories – only costing me 130 calories to eat!

Convenience

smart barNot only is this bar low in calories and tastes good, this bar is sure easy to take on the go because it doesn’t melt or crumble like a lot of chocolate covered bars. This makes it a great bar to keep in your car, purse or gym bag in case of emergencies. It also makes it a great bar to grab for the car ride to work (like you see at the top of this blog). I actually took this on the way to work last week when I discovered I nearly forgot about an early morning appointment. Since this bar is a soft bar with a nice moist solid consistency, it makes eating and driving mess-free. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten out of my car only to discover a doo-doo brown chocolate smudge on the back of my pants because a bar crumbled in my lap with each bit! ha! (Please tell me I’m not the only one this happens too???!!!!) :P

Nutrition

After I read the label, I knew it would crush a lot of snack bars. Most low-calorie breakfast and snack bars are much lower in protein, but higher in carbs and sugar. Protein bars that have 10gms of protein or more are normally much higher in calories, carbs, sugar and fat. And, if you are going gluten-free or paleo, a lot of those bars are high in fat and/or carbs but lower in protein than I prefer – and normally way higher in calories. While I will still enjoy all these type bars too, (like I said, there is a place for all of that), I just love having a low-calorie healthy option.

It’s one thing for ME to tell you I like this bar, but it’s another thing for YOU to see how it compares for yourself. So, I did a little research. I picked a few different types of snack-like bars (from cereal bars to paleo bars) that were comparable to the SMART bar to compare nutritional information.

After doing the research and listing the information, it is clear that SMART bars are a SMART choice if you are looking for a bar low in calories, carbs, fats and sugars with a healthy dose of protein in it. Awesome snack bar! Check it out!

protein bar comparison chart

Smart Bar FAQs

  • Low in Calories
  • Low-fat
  • 50-80% less sugar
  • Certified gluten free
  • 9g of whole grains
  • 3g fiber
  • Certified gluten free, organic rolled oats
  • Real organic or baked fruit
  • 38% organically raised ingredients
  • No hydrogenated oils
  • Cocoa and palm kernel oil is certified by the Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Fairtrade, and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
  • Minimal artificial sweetener (Stevia) because it relies mainly on the sweetness mainly from fruit
  • Not Vegan or Kosher (however they do use a certified porcine free gelatin source.)

See all the FAQ information on their website.

WIN A BOX OF SMART BARS

What flavor would you like to try? Apple or Blueberry? Comment below for a chance to win a box of SMART bars to try out yourself! I’ll pick 3 winners HERE and 2 winners on Facebook when you share this comparison chart from my facebook page!

(Note: Cranberry coming soon)

Detour SMART bars are available online at www.detourbar.com and bodybuilding.com, and in select retailers including GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and Vitamin World, with the bars becoming more widely available over the coming months.

Posted in Diet & Nutrition Tips, Healthy Snacks, PFOODIE, product reviews

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Know Your Body’s Budget

Oct 15

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Can I afford that?If you can balance your bank account, you can balance your body account. Our weight is the result of caloric checks and balances. It takes a little time, discipline and mathematics, but the reward outweighs the work.

In my article at Answers.com today, I share 3 ways to to manage your weight:

1. ) Learn how many calories you burn

2.) Learn how many calories you should eat to reach your goal

3.) Learn how to track food like you track your money

CLICK HERE to get the Answers. (pun intended!)

Have a fitness question?

Comment below and I’ll add your question to my list for upcoming articles for Answers.com.

Posted in Diet & Nutrition Tips, PFOODIE, Weight Loss

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Yummy Healthy Grilled Steak Salad Recipe

Oct 1

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Since yesterday was the first day of boot camp and Steve’s schedule was jam-packed with non-stop training from 5:30am to 6:30pm, I thought I’d make him his favorite meal – a grilled steak salad. I actually had never made one but planned to replicate a salad he once ate at a restaurant and loved. It was absolutely DELISH so I thought I’d share it.

steak saladFilet Mignon
Green Pepper
Sweet Vidalia Onion
Mixed Salad Greens
Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles
Low-Sugar Craisins
Honey Roasted Almond Accents (slivered almonds)

First I cut the vegetables crosswise to make onion and pepper rings. Then I marinated my steak, onions and green pepper in a Honey Teriyaki Marinade and I sprayed olive oil over everything, dusting it all with a season salt. I placed the steaks and veggies straight on the grill. After flipping the steaks and veggies, I took the veggies off as soon as I felt they were nice a charred like we like them, and left the steaks on to finish cooking. As soon as the steaks were ready it was dinner time!

Steak Salad recipe.I threw the mixed greens in a big bowl with a little cheese crumbles, Craisins and almonds and tossed my homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette  in with it. Once all the ingredients were well coated, I put the salad mix on plates and topped them with the sliced steak and grilled vegetables. The end result was quite a yummy treat!! Steve will keep me for at least another year! ha :)

Dressing

I have to admit I don’t use measuring cups, and really have a clue what I put in last night’s dressing, but if I had to guess, it was something like this. Feel free to alter it or play with it :)

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette 
1 cup Balsamic Vineger
1/3 cup water 
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2-3 Heaping Tbsp of Light Hellman’s Mayo 
1-2 tsp Stevia (depending on how sweet you want to make it)
1 tsp honey
A few dashes of Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper

Note: Most dressings call for a lot more oil – sometimes more than twice the amount of oil than vinegar. I add water to cut the vinegar instead of a lot of oil to save more calories. Then I add light mayo to help thicken the dressing. Sometimes I don’t even use honey and just use more stevia.

Blend in a blender until the consistency turns a light tan and thickens slightly. Enjoy!

Here’s a similar recipe I found online (from someone who actually measures! Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

4 Salad Tips for Dieters 

Stella Gorgonzola1.) Avoid big clumps of gorgonzola, or blue cheese, crumbles. You can get more taste in each bike with smaller crumbles. I like Stella Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles.

Craisins2.) Don’t go overboard with the Craisins. I use Low-Sugar Craisins to reduce calories, but they can add a lot of calories if you aren’t careful. I only use about a tablespoon on each salad. 

almond accents honey roasted3.) Don’t go nuts for nuts. I love Almond Accents because they are super thin. Regular whole, or chopped, nuts don’t go as far, which means you will eat more to get a similar taste. More nuts, means more calories. 

4.) Toss, don’t pour. I use SO much less dressing if I toss it in my salad instead of pour it on top. Tossing your salad in dressing allows the dressing to coat every leaf so every bite has flavor.

For more tips and salad recipe ideas, check out my latest article for DetourBar, “Tips for Salad Lovers“

Posted in PFOODIE, Recipes & Brands

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3 Type of Dieters Who Fail: Beware of These Common Mistakes

Sep 18

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Ladies share their diet struggles with me all the time. They tell me how they’ve tried every diet on the planet but never got results or how they used to workout but that didn’t work either. Most of the time they just didn’t stick with it long enough or their regime was just too unrealistic to maintain long-term.

My favorite complaint is the one where they tell me how they’re doing all the right things and still can’t lose weight. They say how hard they work out and how healthy they eat – but, honestly, they just can’t work out that hard, eat right and NOT lose weight. It’s just science. If you are taking in fewer calories than you’re burning – you WILL lose weight.

So what’s their problem? Well, it seems there are a few common scenarios.

The Weekday Dieter

eating healthyThere is the person that really does eat very well…..MOST of the time – and that’s their problem. This person eats very few calories during the week but completely blows it on the weekends.

This eating pattern is more for someone in the maintenance stage of their diet. If they want to lose weight, they need to eat right seven days a week until they lose a significant amount of weight. It may take a few weeks, but it is crucial for weight loss. After they lose their first chunk of weight they can celebrate and cheat a little but they have to get right back on their diet until they reach their goal.

The Clueless Dieter  

eating blindfoldedAnother type of dieter is the person that just has no clue what they are eating. They really believe they are eating well, but are just relying on guess work.

For example, I had a woman tell me that she was on a “No-Carb” Diet (which is a whole other topic to be discussed), but she couldn’t understand why she wasn’t losing weight. I asked her to give me an example of what she was eating and the first three things she listed were all high-carb/high-calorie items. She simply didn’t know any better. She thought carbs were basically only bread, pasta and french fries. Her knowledge was limited. In this situation it is imperative dieters get the knowledge they need to make the right choices.

The Healthy Dieter

frustrated-woman-cookingMany dieters eat healthy, but still eat too many calories. They avoid all the obvious high-calorie foods like ice cream, french fries and cream sauces, but still gets too many calories from other foods or overeating. They might not even count fruits and vegetables, or other items that sound healthy, even thought they still are calories.

The healthy dieter may fix healthy meals, but forget all the extra items like alcohol, sauces, dressings, etc. If they’d keep better track of what they are eating, they would find the lost calories.  To make things worse, this type of dieter typically works out a lot and feels they can “afford” more calories.

Keeping a diet journal and tracking calories with a calorie counter app like http://www.LoseIt.com is normally a big eye-opener. It not only helps people learn more about calories in food, but it also teaches them how many calories are really burned in exercise, so they can understand how to balance the two – calories in vs. calories out.

The Answer

The bottom line is calories are calories, no matter where it comes and whether you know you are eating them or not. When it comes to losing weight, it doesn’t matter if the calories are coming from unhealthy foods or healthy foods. Of course healthier calories are always better, but you will likely just end up a healthier, but still overweight, dieter.

Whether you try a fad diet or make up your own, success boils down to eating fewer calories than you are burning. It’s just that simple.

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If Your Body Was a House Plant, Would you DIE or THRIVE?

Sep 17

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wilted houseplantWe’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat” but do you really believe it? I suppose we just don’t make the connection as clearly as we do other things in life.

If you look at plant life, there are several factors that greatly determine a plant’s health including nutrients from water, soil and sunlight. There are clear symptoms when a plant lacks nutrients, but sometimes our symptoms aren’t quite as obvious to us.

Water

watering plantIf only we wilted and turned brown when we needed water, maybe we’d drink more. Instead, our symptoms for dehydration can be a slightly wilted spirit, headaches, sleepiness, dizziness, dry skin, or just being a little thirsty. The problem is, many of these symptoms we chalk up to a hard day at work, stress, age or health issues.

If a plant can go from completely wilted to standing up strong and proud just after getting a little water, think of what it can do for humans. Just because we don’t wilt to the ground doesn’t mean we aren’t in severe need of water.

The more coffee, alcohol and sodas become staple beverages, the less room there is for water. At least bottle water give us a way to take water on the go fashionably. However, many people still have a hard time spending money on the clear tasteless liquid.

Food

Miracle GrowThen there is the issue of food. Although I’ve never seen an obese plant, certain nutrient deficiencies cause plants to change in appearance. In a similar way, our appearance is a reflection of how we are fed.

Like a sick plant, we too can become sick from the foods we eat. Sometimes our body rejects the food, but most often the symptoms are small enough we actually get used to them. Over extended lengths of time of constant abuse, feeling poorly becomes common.

I will never forget my sister’s experience after a couple weeks of eating healthy. She never knew just how awful she felt until she discovered how great eating healthy felt. She simply didn’t know what she was missing.

Even when gaining weight, it’s easy to get used to our new size. Then when we’re finally sick of it, we want results overnight. It would be unfair to expect a few drops of miracle grow to fix a dying plant in a short time so we shouldn’t expect to drizzle a few healthy ingredients in our life and get an instant miracle either.

Environment

Peach treeLastly, there is the importance of the right environment. Where I’m from, peach trees were everywhere. However, I know good and well I can’t plant a peach tree in my back hard and expect great things here in South Florida. Honestly, even if I planted an orange tree, I’m not sure how successful I’d be with the soil I have in my yard.

The fact is, just like plants, we can all thrive in the right environment. If we truly want to blossom, we need to plant ourselves in the right gym, and around the right people. Just like a plant needs strong roots, we need strong roots into our fitness community so we can take a hit when a storm comes.

LadyInFlowersBelieve me, I’ve had experience trying to revive a dying plant too many times to count. Once the damage is done, sometimes it can take weeks or months to get the plant healthy again. After years of abuse and neglect we must expect it will take time to reverse the damage.

Like a dying plant, as long as there is a little life in you left, it’s not too late to start taking care of yourself.

Isn’t your time to blossom!

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Low-Fat Tuna Pasta Salad

Sep 15

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I had some extra tuna in the pantry so I decided to make a cold tuna salad to make easy go-to snacks. As you probably know, it’s hard to eat on the go. You don’t always have a microwave handy, so it’s great to have a cold meal that’s travels easily.  While protein bars are always nice to have on hand, sometimes you just want to eat real food. This is a great solution for dieters on the go.

Low-Fat Tuna Pasta Salad

Tuna Pasta SaladIngredients:
3 5oz Cans of  Tuna (I used 3 3oz cans & a 4.5 packet of lemon pepper tuna)
1 Box of Ronzoni Garden Delight Trio Pasta
2 Full Cups of Baby Spinach
1 Chopped Green Pepper
1 Chopped Small Sweet Red Onion
1/2 Box of Frozen Peas
2 Stalks of Celery
1/2 Cup Hellman’s Low Fat Mayo
1 TBS Lemon Juice
1 TBS White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Stevia
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
Freshly Ground Pepper

Cook the pasta for 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and run cold water over the pasta in the strainer. Throw the pasta in the bowl, add all the ingredients* and chill for serving.

* NOTE: You can leave out the spinach and mix it together when serving or eating, to keep it super fresh if you plan on eating it as left overs.

Nutrition:

Makes 8 1-Cup Servings for meals or 16 1/2 Cup Servings for snacks. Serve over a bed of greens with balsamic vinegar to turn this into a wonderful salad and to make it even more filling. If you are watching calories, divide the salad into the desired serving sizes to help you manage calories easily.

Nutritional Value

Tuna Pasta Salad

Meal Size - Serving Size: 1 Cup
238 Calories
37.2g Carbohydrates
16.6g Protein
3.2g Fat

Snack Size - Serving Size: 1/2 Cup
119 Calories
18.9 Carbohydrates
8.3 Protein
1.6g Fat

DIET TIP: I hope seeing the nutritional value makes you realize how a tuna salad, which we could easily think is a “high-protein” meal, is not really that high in protein. This is a great snack or meal, but it’s more of a balanced meal – but it’s not truly a high protein meal. If you want to make this salad even lower in calories and higher in protein, use less pasta and more spinach and tuna. :)

Posted in PFOODIE, Recipes & Brands

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10 Healthy Veggie Grillers

Sep 2

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10 great veggie grillersThere’s just something fun about grilling out on a holiday. The aroma blankets the neighborhood and gives a home a festive atmosphere with each whiff – but grilling out isn’t always healthy. While most people are grilling high-calorie hot dogs and hamburgers, and serving it with potato chips, baked beans and potato salad, you could be grilling up healthier options.

First, there’s the meat. Trade regular beef burgers for homemade turkey burgers. If you buy pre-made burgers, look at the fat content. Most of the time it’s crazy high. I prefer buying lean ground turkey meat and making my own turkey burgers. They not only have less fat, but I can make mine more flavorful. (Try my Spicy Turkey Burger & Mexican Slaw recipe!)

Even if you have kids coming over, watch out for high-cal hot dogs. Either skip the wieners altogether, or look for healthier options with just meat and spices without all the crap (and fat), like Applegate Farms Uncured Beef Hot Dog. (Click here for more dog options). Or, stick to whole meat like grilled chicken, pork or fish instead of doing burgers and hot dogs since they require bread – which is just more unnecessary calories.

grilled veggiesAs for the sides, leave the potato chips and dip at the grocery story and forget the traditional BBQ sides like cole slaw, baked beans and potato salad, which are loaded with fat and sugar. Instead, go for grilled veggies for tons of flavor without the guilt. They are tasty hot or cold – and a heck of a lot better for you!

10 Healthy Veggie Grillers

1. Grilled Asparagus: Toss asparagus in Olive Oil, Garlic and Sea Salt and place directly on the grill or on a sheet of tin foil.

grilled cabbage2. Lemon Cabbage: Slice cabbage into 8 large wedges (using the core to keep the wedges together). Put the wedges in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain the water and brush equal parts lemon juice and olive oil on wedges of cabbage. Sprinkle with seas salt, a dust of garlic powder and wrap in tin foil. Cook until they are soft and golden grown on the sides.

3. Cilantro Corn: Mix corn, diced onion, red pepper, cilantro, lime juice, sea salt and a little olive oil. Wrap in tin foil or grill loose on a non-stick griddle pan, until kernels are slightly charred.

4. Teriyaki Mushrooms: Wrap mushrooms in a tin foil, keeping the top open, but ready to close. Add teriyaki marinade and a little olive oil. Close the tin foil and cook until they are tender.

brussels spouts5. Curried Brussels Sprouts: Boil brussels sprouts for 2-3 minutes. Drain, and lightly coat the brussels spouts in olive oil. Dust with curry powder and sea salt. Wrap tightly in tin foil. Cook until tender to the core.

6.  Grilled Eggplant: Slice eggplant in large slices and coat with lemon juice and olive oil. Grill straight on the grill, or on tin foil.

7. Potato Wedges: If whole potatoes take too long to cook for your liking, cut your potatoes in large wedges and grill in light olive oil and sea salt. Spice them up by adding a sprinkle of parmesan and garlic powder over potato wedges toward the end of grilling. For sweet potato wedges, serve with a light sprinkle of powdered sugar and a drizzle of light maple syrup.

tin foil packet8. Teriyaki Veggies: Cut onions, red pepper, green pepper, pineapple, tomato and mushrooms into large pieces. Toss in teriyaki marinade and grill in a tin foil packet for tons of flavor.

9. Green Beans: Toss green beans in soy sauce, olive oil & fresh minced garlic and let sit for a couple of minutes while you prepare the grill. Lay beans in a tin foil packet (for more flavor) or place on an a grilling pan or grate.

10. Zucchini, Squash & Eggplant: Slice vegetables long-ways and coat in the marinade mixture in the video (below) and grill straight on the grill.

Great Veggie Grilling Tips from allrecipes.com

 

 

 

Posted in Healthy Foods, PFOODIE, Recipes & Brands

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Eating Healthy Isn’t Enough

Aug 27

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Healthy-EatingIf I had a nickel for everyone struggling with their weight who responds with “I eat really healthy” when I ask them how many calories they eat. What that means is – they have no clue how many calories they are eating.  But they want me to know how clean they eat and how hard they work in the gym, so they can try to convince me they are the exception to the rule and that they are just unable to lose weight like everyone else. This is when the Red Flag Goes Up.

Listen, I’m not saying everyone has to count calories. I’m also not saying eating healthy is wrong. Gosh no! Eating healthy is AMAZING – and can change your life. BUTTTTTT… what I AM saying is, if you have no idea how many calories you are eating, there is no way you can expect to lose weight. Guessing just doesn’t work. Eating clean alone probably won’t change the scale much. Eating organic can be super healthy, but not affect your waistline. Going on the next fad diet won’t always work either. Working out like a maniac alone won’t cut it either. (again, I’m not saying it NEVER works – some people will luck out and lose weight by just making healthier choices, but most people will not be as lucky)

When it comes to weight loss, most people can’t get results just on making healthier choices alone. The only way weight loss works is when you eat fewer calories than you are burning. You can either just HOPE you are eating less than you are burning, or you can count calories and KNOW you are eating less than you are burning.

Balanced-DietIf you can’t tell me how many calories you are eating every day, don’t tell me how healthy you eat, don’t tell me you never eat fried food or sweets, don’t tell me how much protein you consume, don’t tell me how you don’t eat carbs or how you’ve gone Paleo. While all of those things are great, and I bet your next doctor’s visit will be a good one, they tell me nothing when it comes to whether you should expect to lose weight or not.

How Much Did You Spend?

target-shoppingHere’s an example: Let’s say I just come home from shopping. I bring all my bags in the house and Steve’s eyeballs pop out of his head and he says “How much did you spend?” and my response was, “I shopped at Target. All the items I got were on sale. I didn’t buy anything outrageously expensive. I didn’t get anything frivolous – everything I bought I really needed and was very practical. I made a lot of smart choices.” I can tell you right now, Steve’s response would still be “so, how much did you spend?” 

You see, Steve doesn’t care what I bought, he wants to know how much I bought ($$$$). He doesn’t care how how much stuff was on sale. Our check will bounce whether it was a smart choice or a dumb one. We either have the money or we don’t – whether I needed the items or not. All my bank account cares about is what’s coming in and what’s going out – it doesn’t care what I am spending the money on or how hard I work for the deposits.
checkbook

This is how your body works. While healthy food will help your body look and feel better, your weight is your body’s account balance. You can either afford items, or not. If you can’t afford the extra calories (whether it’s in Snickers bars or grilled chicken and rice), you will gain weight.

So, next time you want to feel sorry for yourself for eating so clean, but not losing weight, it’s time you start managing your body’s account like you manage your checkbook. :)

Are You Up for the Challenge?

Not everyone needs to count calories. Some people are lucky enough to be able to make smart choices (because they really enjoy eating low-calorie foods) and do well managing their weight naturally. Some people are able to make healthier choices simply because they don’t struggle with some of the temptations others struggle with. HOWEVER, if you battle overeating, binging, sweets, carbs, laziness or yo-yo dieting, I believe you should count your calories to help you stay accountable and manage portions, high-calorie items and exercise. Remember, it’s not something you have to do forever – but it will teach you SO much!

If you have tried eating better, eating smaller portions, working out more, etc but you’ve reached a plateau, maybe it’s time you start counting calories. You’ll be AMAZED with the results! Believe me, I’ve seen this time and time again – and I’ve watched people who have worked insanely hard not get results until they started counting calories. Are you ready to start moving that scale?! Commit to counting calories for 30 days. Unsure you can do it? Start with 14 days of calorie counting and then decide if you can do another 14 days then. I bet you surprise yourself!

count calories

Visit www.LoseIt.com today and download their app on your smartphone. I promise, it can change your life forever.

Posted in Diet & Nutrition Tips, PFOODIE

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