GO GREEN!!! ... Asparagus

I always try and keep a green vegetable in my fridge at all times. They make for really good snacks as well as sides to a meal. Today I ate asparagus as a light snack in between lunch and dinner.

First what I did was I took 5 pieces of asparagus, washed them, cut the bottom off and cut them in half. I stuck them into boiling water for about 8 minutes, or until they are cooked to the texture of your liking

Afterwards I drained them out, stuck them into a small bowl, drizzled them with a teaspoon of olive oil and some fresh ground pepper. I cannot tell you how delicious this was! AND it was extremely simple! I know that a lot of people do not like the stringy texture, the smell and maybe even the effects it can have on your urine. I have found that drinking a lot of water helps to eliminate that, or make it less profound.

My friend Zach Wells told me about Blanching (yes, yes I am learning new things here too)

For those of you who do not know what it is (like me until now)

here you go:

Blanching is an easy technique that many chefs use to help keep vegetables crisp and tender. By boiling asparagus briefly, chilling them in ice water, and then reheating them slowly, blanching preserves texture, color and flavor.

This will eliminate that stringy texture that we sometime think is gross. This will also make it so that you can eat them a few hours later and they will not be mushy. :)

THANKS ZACH!!

***Green vegetables are very rich in Vitamin K, and should be a MANDATORY part of your diet!!!!

Benefits of Asparagus

Found on HealthMad.com

• High in Vitamin K and Folate
• Eat asparagus when you are pregnant, thinking about conceiving because it can help prevent birth defects i.e: spina bifida
• Great for your heart (HELLLOO)
• Helps with menstral cramps (YAY)
• great for your gastrointestincal tract and your colon
• Great food to help treat depression
• Increases the sucess rate of chemo therapy
• helps lower cholesterol
• helps fight off high blood pressure

These are only some of the fantastic effect of Asparagus. They are really easy to make and need to be added to your diet!! Really GO GREEN with this one.

OTHER RECIPE IDEAS:

fat- free cream cheese, wrapped w. turkey bacon

olive-oil, pepper, fat-free feta

(feel free to leave your ideas on how to cook healthy asparagus)

I SCREAM for Ice Cream!

I absolutely ADORE ice cream!! However, it is not something that I can eat out of the carton until it is all gone, like I would when I was younger. I found a really great substitute for that special evening when you would like to have a heavier dessert after a meal. The Dreyer's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy, and the Slow Churned Rich & Creamy NO SUGAR ADDED! They actually taste fantastic!! Soooo rich and creamy (just like the name)...

So what I did last night was:

1/2 banana sliced

1 scoop Coffee flavor Rich and Creamy ice cream (or any flavor you like with bananas)

2 pieces melted Dove Dark Chocolate (about 35 secs in microwave pour this on top)

(You can also make this as a milk shake...equally as delicious)

1/2 the fat and 1/3 fewer calories compared to Dreyer's regular ice cream flavors. This is a much better alternative for your sweet craving, the banana is great for you and so is the dark chocolate (in moderation). I hope that you try this ice cream it is really great!! soooo many good flavors too....

Dreyer's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy:

• 
  
  Butter Pecan


• 
  
  Carmel Delight


• 
  
  Chocolate


• 
  
  Chocolate Chip


• 
  
  Chocolate Fudge Chunk


• 
  
  Coffee *** (my fav)


• 
  
  Cookie Dough


• 
  
  Cookies 'n Cream


• 
  
  Double Fudge Brownie


• 
  
  French Silk


• 
  
  French Vanilla


• 
  
  Fudge Tracks


• 
  
  Mint Chocolate Chip


• 
  
  Mint Cookie Crunch


• 
  
  Neapolitin


• 
  
  Peanut Butter Cup


• 
  
  Rocky- Road


• 
  
  Strawberry


• 
  
  Strawberry Cheesecake (Jan-Apr)


• 
  
  Take the Cake


• 
  
  Vanilla


• 
  
  Vanilla Bean

NO SUGAR ADDED:

• 
  
  Butter Pecan


• 
  
  French Vanilla


• 
  
  Fudge Tracks


• 
  
  Mint Choc Chip


• 
  
  Neapolitin


• 
  
  Triple Chocolate


• 
  
  Vanilla


• 
  
  Vanilla Bean

Never Hesitate to Designate!!

One thing my mom ALWAYS instilled in me was to never, under any circumstance, drink and drive... always call her/someone or take a taxi she would tell me! I am very excited to be in this ad in the January 2010 issue of NiteGuide Magazine for 1-800-4MYTAXI . Hopefully somebody seeing this ad will be persuaded to put the keys away and just have a cab drive them home. I am also really excited about this publishing!!! :)

I am on the right in the main pic... and also in the small ones up top :)

EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES!!!

One of my favorite things to say to people when I work out with them or when they say they want to work out but..... but what? "Leave your excuses at the door!" The faster you get to the gym or walk out of your house, the faster you can leave the excuses at the door. JUST DO IT! as NIKE says. It's plain and simple. We can EASILY sit on the couch for 45-60min and that is definitely quality exercise time.

I know that I am REALLY into working out and weight training at the gym... but not EVERYONE has to be super hard core... I am talking about walking the dog, walking with a friend, going rollerblading, riding a bike, riding a skateboard, race around with your kids, nieces, nephews, etc. The more active you are in your day to day life, the more energy you will acquire throughout the day. I did not make this up. IT IS A FACT!!!

The more you sit and hibernate, the more your body will get used to that stagnant energy (boooo!!) We want to embrace life to the fullest, and really show in our attitude that we are grateful for our breath and thankful to be alive.

Here are some common excuses people have for not working out... READ THESE SO WHEN YOU TRY AND USE THEM YOU WILL KNOW THEY ARE JUST EXCUSES!! :p

• I do not have time
• I cannot afford workout equipment or a gym membership
• I can't get to the gym
• I do not have any "workout" clothes
• Working out is boring
• Working out is hard/it hurts
• It takes too long to see results
• I am too old/out of shape/tired/unhealthy already
• I don't look good exercising
• I do not like exercising and seeing my body jiggle
• I already get enough exercise at work
• I want to relax
• I do not know how to get started
• I am already doing too much today
• It is too hot outside
• It is raining outside
• My exercise equipment is broken
• I do not like where I have to go to exercise
• I do not have an exercise partner
• I'm too depressed

A lot of these excuses seem pretty valid to the psych of some people. The idea of going to a gym or something of the sort is really frightening. I think that the reason why it is so frightening for people to "get started" it because it is most likely associated with failure. A lot of obese people say that they have tried "every single diet" so trying something knew is automatically associated with embarrassment and failure... I really challenge you to remove all these excuses from your life and realize the only person you are fighting against in the weight battle is yourself. IT IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. And your family, friends, loved ones actually LOVE TO SEE when you are taking care of yourself and doing well. Happy people create happy environments!

Berry-licious!!

Trader Joes has really fantastic whole-grain waffles that make for an excellent breakfast!! I usually put two in the toaster and toast them pretty crispy, but of course toast to your liking. I put just a little bit of smart balance butter in between the two so that the butter will melt and actually create a lot more butter than you may think!

I also buy the frozen mixed berries from Trader Joes just because I like to buy a lot and I do not want them to go bad. If you buy them fresh you'll just have to use them within the next few days.
I put about 1/4cup or less of real maple syrup and about a 1/2 cup of berries into a bowl in the microwave for about 40 seconds. I use this to top my waffles and I PROMISE you they taste amazing and you will not even care that they are healthy!!

Feel free to also add some cut up bananas or kiwis or something else that you really like. Berries have a lottttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt...(etc etc) of antioxidants and the whole grain (key word: "whole") can really help reduce blood cholesterol if 3 servings are eaten per day.

TRY IT!! I really like breakfast for lunch or dinner too. So try it maybe as a Valentines Day dessert or just a lil something for your sweet tooth any time of the day!:)

REconfirmed- I HATE SODA!!!!

I normally stay away from soda... every once in a while I will indulge in a Diet Coke or a Diet Sprite, especially when I am eating healthy mexican food. Something about the carbonation with the spicy flavor really tastes good to me.
However, during the super bowl I ate a variety of greek food and decided that I wanted to have a pepsi as well. I mean it is THE Super Bowl. haha!

On the drive home, 45 minutes, I was completely dehydrated. I haven't been that thirsty in a longggg time and I could not figure out why I was feeling this way. I got home and downed 2 water bottles, ice cold out of my fridge.

That's when it dawned on me, I had been drinking Pepsi all day and completely forgot about drinking water. I just could not believe that such extreme thirst came from drinking regular soda just for one day. I normally have a bunch of water throughout the day, but the excitement of the game just didn't really leave much more room for thought.

How do people say that soda/carbonated beverages quench their thirst? That has to be one of the biggest lies I have ever heard. Ya it will quench your thirst for 5 minutes and then you're parched again.

I remember getting a physical for cheerleading (Go Merced High) when I was in high school and my physician told me to make sure that I did not drink more than 1/2 a can of soda per week...especially because I need a lot of energy to stay active in my sport. I know people that quadruple that weekly rate...maybe even more. I would not be surprised.

It is really horrible for your teeth (I love my pearly whites :-D) and your bones! Did you know that you can pour a whole can of coke down your toilet and it will eliminated scum and leave it nice and shining. I'd rather not experiment anymore with that in my body.

I don't think I will have a hard time passing up soda anymore. Especially after being so thirsty the entire way home. It really was a miserable feeling. I brought 2 water bottles with my to school today and plan on drinking more when I get home and while at work. There is no excuse for being dehydrated..... We really need to be conscience with our bodies and realize that our body CRAVES water.... no syrup, sugar and artificial sugar.

W-A-T-E-R

Sliced Chicken Breast sandwhich!! mmm

unfortunately I did not record myself making this meal! But I was drooling too much thinking about it and I forgot to grab my flipcam. ...

justtttttt kidding. :)

Ingredients:

2 slices-Whole Wheat Sourdough bread (Trader Joes/Ralphs.. I have bought at both and you can buy it sliced or in whole loafs)

Sliced Rotisserie Style Chicken Breast (Trader Joes)

1 slice- reduced fat provolone cheese

sun-dried tomato pesto

sliced mushrooms

Spread a tiny amount (goes a long way taste-wise) of sun dried tomato pesto on both sides of the whole wheat sourdough bread, lay 3 slices of chicken breast on one side, followed by the mushrooms (I like to saute' mine with a little bit of olive oil and pepper) and then the cheese on top. Put the other half of the bread on and then grill on the stove like a grilled cheese just to give the bread a bit of a crunch, and to melt the cheese a little as well!!

This was fantastic, and I had a side of apples and bananas with it as well!!

If you do not like the taste of pesto there are a lot of things that you can use instead:

Newmans Own Light Balsamic Vinegarette

Trader Joe's Fat Free Ranch

Mustard

Light Mayo