Energy Muffins

Finally, a great-tasting muffin recipe with no added sugar! Naturally sweetened with banana and blueberries, these muffins are as sweet as they are delicious. Enjoy one with a side of scrambled egg whites for a quick and nutritious breakfast.

Servings: 18

Here's what you need...

• 1 cup mashed banana
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup refined coconut oil
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, left to thaw in a strainer

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 18 standard-sized muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine banana, egg whites, water and oil. Add the flour and mix. Gently fold in blueberries. Immediately spoon batter into muffin cups.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove muffins from tins and cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 98 calories, 4g fat, 13g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, and 3g protein.

Pears & Gorgonzola... together? WTH?

Denver health-conscious pizza lovers,

I've found a pizza place that has my mouth watering as I speak (really as I type). I have vowed to try almost everything on the menu. Today's pick is a pear and gorgonzola rustica pizza. I know what you're thinking...but it's delicious with mozzarella, gorgonzola cheese, pears and fresh thyme.
Check out some of the other creations...chicken curry and yam with mozzarella, mango chutney, and raisins; berkley soy cheese veggie with pesto, veggie burger crumbles, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, and bell peppers. I could go on but, you get the idea. I've tried all of the above on wheat crust and fell in love :-) they even have gluten-free crust and vegan cheese.

The place is called ZPizza, 4940 S. Yosemite St, in Greenwood Village. I want you to try them out and tell me what you think.
So I've arranged for you to get 10% OFF, until November 10th, when you mention "Danielle" with your order. The franchise has other locations but, this deal is for the Denver location only. Sorry if I've whet your appetite!

Seriously, do they take Supplements on The Biggest Loser?

I don't know who started this myth about a "magic pill" to lose weight. Some claim that you will lose 5 pounds in a week, others claim that you will lose 3 dress sizes in a month, and my personal favorite claims that you will lose 20 pounds in 10 days. Research shows that 95% of weight loss induced by supplements will be gained back in no less than 3 years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has gone so far as to declare that a weight loss supplement with a proven record of long-term success DOESN’T EXIST!

A dear friend of mine, Stacey Capers, addressed this very topic.

You may recognize her as a contestant on NBC's The Biggest Loser. (What gave it away? :-) Click here to find out how she 'weighed in'.

Get it in, even on the Road

When most clients go out of town for a few days, they ask what they can do to keep up their workouts. It's great to know they are so motivated! (I won't take all the credit.)

Call me crazy, but routines pop into my head all day long. But instead of me yapping all the time, I asked a good friend of mine, at GreedyGirlsGuide.com, to share a few strategies that helped her keep up a fitness regimen while she was away on travel.

Check out what Akilah had to say:

I was surfing through blogs last week and I ran into this post about travel conflicting with weightloss, the author describes how frequent travel for work has become a constant road block in her weight loss journey. This brought me back to my days as frequent traveler in a previous job I was traveling at least 1-2 times a month. Sometimes I would be lucky enough to go to a major city like Philadelphia or Las Vegas but more often I was in more remote areas like Wisconsin. Either way over the time I developed a few strategies to help keep up my fitness regimen and reading her post inspired me to share them here on the guide.

• There are plenty of great fitness podcast available for free on ITunes. Download work out Podcast to your IPod
• YouTube is another great source for free workouts. Create a favorites list of workout videos on YouTube. Check out the Fitness category here on GreedyGirlsGuide.com for a few of my favorite picks
• Pack lightweight equipment like jump rope, resistance bands, water inflatable weights, etc.
• Try to pick hotels with a gym preferable with early and/or late hours so no matter what time you’re working and having co-worker dinners you can commit to at least 30 mins. I find the mornings are the best time so it’s out of the way; the hotels are usually close to the job site so I still wake up at my regular time and I replace what would be my commute time with a workout.
• Purchase a few workout DVD’s and play them on your laptop. Most travel assignments require you to take a laptop, so while hotels rooms don’t usually have DVD players when all else fails you can play your DVD on the laptop.
• Check your destinations weather before you go if it’s going to be nice pack your sneakers and ask the hotel desk staff for good area to go for a brisk run or walk close to the hotel. Use a site like mapmyrun.com to help you map out a good route to ensure you get your full workout.
• When you are joining a gym look into a chain gym like Bally's or Lucille Roberts that allows you to use other branches, and when you travel research where is the nearest location.
• Check on-line for great workouts like this one http://exercise.about.com/library/bltravelworkout.htm or try diet.com’s Workout Builder to make your own.

***

http://www.greedygirlsguide.com/travel-bring-workouts

I hate the word 'diet'

I don't think a diet is the answer. The answer is to change your lifestyle.
Improving your lifestyle does not mean swearing off chocolate or living in the gym. You don't have to eat wheat germ for lunch and you can still enjoy a nice plate of pasta. The key is moderation. Embrace simple, small changes that will add up to big improvements in your lifestyle.

• What You Eat

  The solution to cleaning up your daily diet is NOT to go back on a 'diet'. In fact, I never want you to go on a 'diet' again. Instead, I want you to make permanent healthy changes to your eating habits.
  
  Here are some practical examples:
• Choose salad over chips or fries
• Don't add butter to your food
• Eat fresh produce with every meal
• Purchase fat free dairy products
• Limit desserts to one or two per week
• Cut out mindless snacking
• Drink water or unsweetened iced tea, not soda

I don't expect you to eat a perfect diet every day of the week. You should, however, make MORE healthy choices every day than unhealthy ones.

• What You Do.

Don't disregard the importance and power of a good workout. Your new healthy lifestyle means exercising on most days of the week. Here are simple ways to move more:

• Watch less TV
• Stretch stiff muscles every day
• Play at the park with the kids
• Go for a jog
• Do some pushups every morning

While none of the above are meant as substitutes for a solid exercise routine, they are great ways to become more active and to improve your lifestyle.

Smoked Salmon Salad

It's simple, quick and makes the perfect lunch-to-go. Salmon in packed with protein and those omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs. Notice that this recipe doesn't call for a creamy dressing, but rather a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. Try this on all your salads and save yourself from tons of extra calories and fat.
Yield: 1 serving

Here's what you need...

• 1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup smoked salmon
• 1/2 of a hard boiled egg
• 3 cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon green onion, chopped
• 1 kalamata olive, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• Sprinkle of balsamic vinegar

1. Arrange the lettuce, salmon, egg, tomatoes, onion, and olive on a plate.
2. Sprinkle with parsley and balsamic vinegar.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 170 calories, 6g fat, 5g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, and 18g protein.

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What's so RACY about it? It's just another way to get the message out...

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Blogger Newbie

I thought long and hard about whether I should post a blog at all. To be honest, I'm still thinking about it. I feel the Facebook fan page is enough. I don't see what all the fuss is about blogging. Well, let's see.

This blog is for the everyday individual who's looking for tips to stay healthy and fit through health, exercise, nutrition and wellness. This is a community, so sharing is encouraged!

Okay, so let me finish thinking about whether I should still post this blog :-)

Ciao,

W8trainHer