Traveling!

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I am in Virginia right now interviewing, job hunting, and testing to help prepare for our potential move. It has been difficult to maintain the healthy lifestyle on my trip because there are so many things I only get when I'm here. However, my mom helps to keep me in check with meals around the house. Today we had oatmeal pancakes for breakfast with Light V8 Fusion juice, for lunch I had Chik-fil-A which isn't healthy but is delicious and I only get it when I'm visiting my hometown because there are no locations where I live. Finally for dinner we had multi-grain pasta and baked chicken parmesan which is a delicious substitute for a deep fried restaurant favorite.

My most difficult thing with traveling is working out. The weather here has been different than expected and I didn't plan on working out in 40 degree weather so I only have shorts. I did make one trip to the gym and it was a very good workout, but I will be working extra hard to get back on the health food track when I return home in a few days. I still feel deprived sometimes instead of knowing that what I have is just as good and even better for me. I still feel like I'm missing out when I don't get french fries at a restaurant even though I know I will feel better if I eat a salad or mashed potatoes as an alternative to something fried.

If you're better than I am about working out and eating healthy on your vacations I hope that I can develop your discipline, if not, I recommend setting some ground rules for yourself. Like one meal a day or one meal every two days can be a little less healthy, but try to keep breakfast and dinner healthy. If you deprive yourself completely it will lead to worse things down the road. Everything's ok in moderation! Have a great rest of the week, I will return with some more recipes in the next few days!

Banana Zuchinni Muffins

Today I was trying to figure out a way to use some of the bananas that were in my freezer. Which is a great way to keep bananas from going bad and they can easily be used in baking afterwords!

So I decided on Banana Zuchinni Muffins and the recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup splenda or other low calorie sweetener
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large banana
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated zuchinni (i chop mine in my food processor so that it is very small) 
                 - If you don't have enough zuchinni you can do 3/4 cup of zuchinni and an additional small banana

Instructions:
Mix together applesauce and splenda until smooth. Then add eggs and blend well. Add zuchinni, banana, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.

Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Oatmeal, flour, and baking powder. Add slowly to the wet ingredients.

Spray two muffin pans with olive oil non stick spray or with baking liners. Fill muffin tins 1/3 of the way to 1/2 of the way. It will only make 20 muffins so you only need to spray or line 20 muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes depending on the oven. Make sure you check them regularly so that they don't burn.

It makes 20 individual servings and they are 2-3 points each on Weight Watchers Points Plus. The points difference depends on whether you use more zuchinni or more banana. If you use 2 bananas count 3 points.

Let cool and enjoy!

These muffins are not going to be a breakfast cake. They are a little sweet but not nearly as sweet as most cake like muffins. But they are still delicious!

Turkey Burgers, Onion Rings, and Blueberry Cobbler!!

Tonight I made a delicious dinner that I would happily eat any day of the week. The onion rings in my photos are made from a recipe off of www.skinnytaste.com . Her onion ring recipe is delicious and easy to make! The only change that I made is that I use a powdered buttermilk that keeps for an extended period of time in the refrigerator and you mix the powder with water. So, thank you to Gina from Skinny Taste for a new favorite recipe!!

The turkey burger recipe that I use is as follows: (also pictured, the onion rings!!)

8-9 oz. of 99% fat free ground turkey formed into two patties, season with salt, pepper, worchestershire sauce, and I always add a little liquid smoke and montreal steak seasoning.
1 slice of Fat Free Sharp Cheddar Kraft cheese (these are sold in the pre-packaged cheese slices)
2 slices of Whole Wheat Smart White Wonder Bread
Lettuce and Tomato
1 Slice of Jennie-O Extra Lean Turkey Bacon

If you're on Weight Watchers this Burger with everything on it is 7 Points Plus Values.


I also love Honey Mustard but it is difficult to find a healthy version. Pictured below is my version it is equal parts honey and yellow mustard. 1 tbsp is 0 Points Plus Values on Weight Watchers! I always make a little extra and keep it in the refrigerator to add to other sandwiches in place of mayonnaise. And there in the background you can see my dog Oliver and my husband Matt's feet. Always helping out in the kitchen!

Finally, I added a delicious, low calorie dessert that your whole family would be happy to eat!

The recipe for my Blueberry Cobbler:  Makes 6 servings.

1, 16 oz. bag frozen blueberries
1 cup oatmeal (not quick cooking)
1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp margarine (low fat variety, I use Blue Bonnett light)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then use a fork to mix it together just like you would if you were using regular butter to make your crumb topping.

Spray an 8x8 baking dish and pour in the frozen blueberries. Crumble the topping over your blueberries, bake covered with foil for 15 minutes, uncover and bake another 25 minutes. Serve hot, topped with Fat Free Cool Whip.

This recipe can be adjusted and made with multiple other frozen fruits. It is quick and simple and again, if you're on Weight Watchers it is only 3 Points Plus values if you don't add points for the fruit because on the new plan fruit is 0 points! However, if you can't help but over indulge I would count 4 Points Plus Values which is the value with the blueberries plugged into the Recipe Builder.

I hope you can enjoy these recipes just like we do!

Lent

Every year when the Lent season comes around I examine things in my life that don't honor God and I try to adjust something that not only honors God but also that improves my body and mind. This year I examined things in my life that needed to change and working out consistently was one of them. I truly believe that we should honor the bodies that God gave us by taking care of them, even though it is an incredible struggle for me.

So this year I resolved to give up my lack of motivation. My commitment this Lent season is to workout at least 5 days a week, and possibly more as the time goes on. I not only hope that this will develop a stronger body but also a greater commitment to God and honoring the things that he has provided me with above and beyond the body I live in now.

So far it is going pretty well. I have worked out for 2 days in a row and only plan to continue this effort as the weeks go by. Hopefully the habit will be developed by the time Lent is over and will continue on for a long time after. Resolutions are not always the best way for us to make a change in our life because we often make excuses later on that we're too busy or that the resolution wasn't really what we wanted to do anyway. But I encourage you to stick to your resolutions even when it's hard, and if you have a bad day to let it go and get back on track the next day.

I'm not perfect by any means, last night we had pizza because I was being lazy and didn't want to fix something. It's not the best choice for our budget or our bodies but I have to let yesterday go and work hard to make today a better day. It has started out well, I hope your day has too! Tonight we're having a simple and delicious meal that is easy to prepare and healthy. I hope your family gets to enjoy something similar tonight!

Moving.....

My husband and I are planning a move to Virginia in the coming months as long as everything falls into place. We are waiting to hear about jobs and just going with the flow.

If you have ever moved halfway across the country you can understand that this endeavor is not easy. While I have made the move back and forth several times for college it is much different to move two people and a dog 1500 miles. I think the most difficult part of our move is that we have to say goodbye to lots of people that we love and that is never easy.

I am trying to have a healthy and positive attitude as we consider this option for our family even when it's difficult with so many people telling us how much they wish we would stay. We have been praying about this move since we got married and we feel that this is the right decision for the time being because of our job situation here in Nebraska.

If you're like me, when I get very stressed I tend to eat things that are simple, which often equates to unhealthy. I am working to find healthy snacks that are both easy and delicious. I am also looking for things that are a little more than a piece of fruit or a bag of carrots. Those things are great snacks but I also like a little variety in my life. I will hopefully post some delicious and easy snack ideas for you to try at your house!

I am new to the blogging lifestyle so I will try to add pictures in my coming posts of recipes that we try and of workouts that I find successful. I hope that your doing well in your healthy journey.

Snow Days

Today I woke up to snow!!! Most people would find this a little less exciting than I do, considering it's March 7th. However, I love to wake up and see everything covered in white! But, weather like this can often have a negative effect on working out. I know that I can find just about any excuse to avoid working out because I hate being sweaty. That is truly the only reason that I hate it so much. If I didn't sweat, working out would be a much more enjoyable activity!

So today, I'm going to do a snow day workout. With my injured ankle I am still limited in what I can do. So the goal for today is to do at least 200 sit ups..... probably not all at once! I will also do at least twenty minutes of strength training and I will either do the Wii fit or a video that doesn't involve jumping jacks because of my ankle.

I think that setting a reasonable goal for yourself is one of the most important things. I know that it's not reasonable for me to do a 3 hour workout yet so I am working up to more intense and more frequent workouts. If you never workout start with 15 minutes, 5 days a week. You can easily do that and it won't seem as daunting as trying to workout for 2 hours a day. I am starting with 45 minutes, 5 days a week. Some days I workout for longer than that and sometimes it's hard for me to get to 45 minutes.

Remember that its better to do 15 minutes then to get so overwhelmed by the idea of exercise that you don't workout at all. I will be back to share about my experience attempting to workout on a regular basis. I hope that you can do the same thing!

To Procrastinate or not to Procrastinate?

So today I got up early, weighed in at my weight watchers meeting, went to the gym (SUCCESS!), and took my dog to the dog park. So why would I want to talk about procrastination? Because today I have taken a step back into college life in preparing for a test required to receive my Virginia Teaching License. I have never been much good at studying and today is no exception. While I know that I will regret not taking the practice test before going to take my tests tomorrow morning I find it difficult to get through even 15 questions before something shiny attracts my attention.

I am extremely out of practice in preparing for tests as it has been over 2 years since I have taken a test and it is pushing my will power to its limits. However, this blog is about healthy habits. While this test is one example of procrastination there are so many other areas that suffer from procrastination. The I'll start later mentality that I share with 95% of the world's population can kick my butt. Especially when it's related to eating healthy and going to the gym. I have found that when I let one area slip other areas fall like an overwhelming avalanche of unfinished, unwanted tasks.

So if you are struggling with procrastination, in any or all areas of your life I find that certain things help me to stay on track.

1: Get out of the house!! It is much harder to be motivated to work or workout when you have television, computer, and more entertaining books and media to attract your attention than the task at hand.

2: Use the buddy system. This is especially helpful in working out and studying. It's always nice to have someone to push you and encourage you to continue in a task that you might hate.

3: Treat yourself! If you are doing something that is particularly difficult for you to do, hence the procrastination, give yourself a reward for getting it done. If you hate working out, after one full week of working out treat yourself to your favorite dessert or an even healthier option like a massage, if you can afford it!

4: Make a shorter to do list. Pick one or two things that need to get done and do them. It's a lot easier to get away from procrastinating when the list you have isn't overwhelming. Do one thing at a time.

Now that I've procrastinated with this blog about how you shouldn't procrastinate, it's back to work for me. Have a wonderful weekend!

Failure

So a few days ago I posted about working out when you're injured and I failed to do just that. My ankle is still swollen to twice its normal size and I have been unmotivated because of the pain in my ankle. However, I have attempted to combat my lack of working out with healthy eating at home and at work.

One of our local grocery stores is having a meat sale this week so I took the opportunity to buy some fresh salmon and we are having that tonight for dinner! I love salmon and this recipe, found on www.allrecipes.com is wonderful and reasonably healthy with a few minor changes.

Crusted Salmon with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients

• 1 (1.5 pound) skinless center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish; pour the milk over the fillets. Allow the salmon to soak in the milk 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Stir the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a wide, deep bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl until frothy. Remove the salmon fillets from the milk; shake the excess milk off the fish. Dip each fillet into the beaten egg and then gently press into the bread crumb mixture to coat; gently shake to remove the excess.
4. Bake in the preheated oven, turning once, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
5. While the salmon bakes, stir the butter, mustard, and honey together in a bowl; drizzle over the baked salmon to serve.
   
   
   *** However instead of adding butter to the dipping sauce we just use honey and mustard mixed together to cut down on fat. We also use panko bread crumbs that we ground up in our food processor to make them a finer consistency because panko is a healthier bread crumb alternative.
   
   
   Other great ways to alter recipes to make them a little more health conscious are using skim milk because it's fat free. You can also use reduced fat or fat free cheese to keep your recipes more health conscious.
   
   So despite my workout failure I will be enjoying delicious salmon, a baked potato with light margarine, and green beans tonight. A completely guilt free, tasty meal. Yum!

When You're hurt......

Does it ever feel like every time you get back on track something throws you off again? Today was that day for me. It started out great, I headed out to sub in a kindergarten classroom and the day was going great, a kid told me I was beautiful, it was adorable! Then this afternoon as we headed out to recess I tripped and fell down some stairs and sprained my ankle fairly badly. Just what I needed, right? Not quite.

So today I am brainstorming about how to exercise when you're injured. I think today I will take the day off and let my ankle rest. However tomorrow its back to working out in any way possible. I think one of the best ways to still get in a pretty good workout if your ankle is hurt can be riding the exercise bike on a lower setting so you still get a good cardio workout in. I also think doing a really good ab workout and lifting weights is a great way to stay on track even if your feet can't do most of the work.

I think this is one of those things that isn't discussed very often because when we're hurt we think we just can't do anything and we feel defeated. So I will keep you posted on my efforts to go to the gym while I'm injured. However, I would never recommend working out without asking a doctor first if it will hurt your injury more, and always stop if it starts hurting more than it should. I have never tried this before but I don't want to sacrifice a week of exercise, so i'll do my best!