"Your Body Is A Wonderland"

Ahhh! Looks like John Mayer has the bug too!!

Lately I have been obsessed with running stairs.

It is the best, most refreshing workout that a woman can do.

It works your butt and legs like NO OTHER!!

There are machines at the gym that can simulate stairs (which are excellent),
but something about being outside (especially when the weather is nice) gives me a burst of energy and I feel like I can keep going for a lot longer.

You can skip steps, run up the steps, walk slowly, and walk slowly while skipping steps
Get creative with your pattern and try to switch it up
Just when you feel like you're done... do just oneeeee more!! ;)

Smart Snacks!

I am completely, utterly, 100% in love with snacks.

I am always on the go, and there are times when snacks are my mood, appetite and life saver.

But, I also realize that it is important to eat snacks that are not loaded with calories, sugar, etc etc.

I have compiled a list of my favorite snacks:

• Celery w. reduced fat peanut butter (& raisins on top if desired)
• Cottage cheese w. blueberries
• MGC w. Hummus
• Beef Jerkey
• Almonds
• Peanut Butter Pretzels
• Luna Bar (Nuts Over Chocolate; Peanut Butter Cookie)
• Edemame
• 99% fat free mini bean & rice burrito (Trader Joes)
• Banana w. reduced fat peanut butter
• Hard boiled egg (I add Tapatio or Tabasco for flavor) NO SALT
• reduced-fat Cheese-Its (Original; White Cheddar)
• Sliced tomatoes w. reduced fat Swiss cheese w. light oil/vinegar
• Papaya/Mango Salsa w. whole grain tortilla rounds (Trader Joes)
• Sliced bell-peppers w. hummus
• non-fat yogurt w. fruit
• Apple w. peanut butter
• Tuna (chunk white in water) w. dijon mustard on Multigrain Crackers

I hope that this gives you a few more ideas of things to snack on during the day that are healthy and can give you energy before your next meal. Try to switch it up every day because it is really important to have these "pick me up" snacks.

Feel free to substitute fruit to your liking.

I always, always, always keep snacks in my car/purse because you never know if you'll be able to curb that craving when hunger strikes. And the last thing you want to do is go through a drive-thru because you forgot to bring snacks. BE SMART AND PREPARED IN 2010!

WIDE AWAKE!!

Balancing all of lifes activities can be one of the most difficult things to do, especially for a young college student like myself.

CAFFEINE is something that I crave on the daily...

and there can be times when I literally need it in order to fulfill the days errands.

There are a lot of UNHEALTHY ways to get this caffeine: soda, rockstar, sugary starbucks drinks.

SOOOOOOO many calories can come from these drinks

and the energy does not last!!

FORTUNATELY... I have found something that is COMPLETELY healthy

and it gives me a caffeine fix unlike any other.

My Drink of Choice: Grande Americano w. an EXTRA shot of espresso

There is only 15 calories in this.

And since I'm crazy and drink my coffee black.. it is plain and simple.

If you prefer to add something to it and keep the calories low-

opt for Non-fat milk as opposed to whole or half and half-

throw in an artificial sweetener and you are good to go!

***Thankfully for Christmas I received a plethera of Starbucks Gift Cards

which contribute to my addiction!***

MGC & Hummus

One of my favorite snacks recently is the famous MGC (multi-grain crackers)! I found a great kind at Trader Joes that go really well with the Tomato & Basil hummus that Trader Joes also makes. I have about 5 crackers dipped lightly in hummus and it tastes FANTASTIC!! As you can see the name of the MGC is "Entertainer's Crackers"... ;-)

Try it out, You'll LOVE it!

A+ Breakfast Video Tutorial

I know I posted the recipe and a picture on the blog! But with my new FLIP CAM I can edit videos so you guys can all actually watch what I do!! More to come I promise.

Keep 2010 a good one!

An "A+" BREAKFAST!!

Breakfast is definitely my most favorite meal!

Maybe it is because it's so easy and I like to cook it the most.

I wake up in the morning starving so I LOVE to go all out for breakfast!

Here is a picture of my favorite thing to eat in the morning that I cooked the other morning.

Supercharged Breakfast Scramble:

2 egg whites & 1 whole egg

red/green bellpeppers

spinach

mushrooms

sliced avocado

1 slice whole wheat bread w. a little bit of Smart Balance Light Spread

**I usually heat all the veggies in the pan w. some fat free crisco

non-stick spray until they are soft, and then I add the eggs at

the end since they cook so fast**

This is my favorite breakfast to eat after a really hard workout! It completely satisfies me and I am not starving 2 hours later. It is best to stalk up on calories earlier in the day so that you have more time throughout the day to burn them off, and for your body to digest the food as well.

2010 NO MERCY!!

2010! It is finally here, can you believe it? So much has happened in this decade and People Magazine has dedicated an entire issue to remember the decade! I purchased a copy at Target the other day and it really made me realize how much has actually happened this whole year, including things like capturing Saddam Hussein, Britney Spears' "big break" etc etc.

I think New Years and "starting over" is purely psychological. We as humans like to know that we will have this one point every year where we can push everything aside and whipe the slate clean. I think it's really healthy as well for us to have such a vantage point to look forward to.

The thing I am most excited about this year, in regards to being as healthy as possible, is my NEW GEORGE FORMAN GRILL!! I highly recommend this for anyone and everyone. It completely illiminates any excuses I may have for not being a "good cook". It acts as a grill and a panini maker (yummm)! It cooks everything while letting all of the nasty fat run into a tray for the leanest cooking possible!!

Things I have made:

• Chicken pesto veggie panini on wheat bread w. one slice reduced fat swiss cheese


• Chicken breasts marinated in Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinegarette.

I am so excited to create new healthy meals on my George Forman Grill (Thank you mom and dad)... As I get more creative, I will DEFINITELY share my new recipes!!

As far as a New Years Resolution goes I have decided to give up soda (diet-coke/diet-pepsi/diet-sprite, etc). The more and more I read about it, the more motivated I am to "drop it like it's hot." With all of these health scares, such as the swine flu, there is no other way to protect oursevles then to build up our immune systems as much as possible. This year I am going to stick with water, coffee, and unsweated hot/iced tea w. lemon! I encourage you to take this challenge and eliminate the calories we consume in beverages and save them for an amazing healthy meal instead!

GOOD LUCK THIS YEAR!!

2010 NO MERCY.... and more imporantly, NO EXCUSES!!!!