What I'm eating now!

So I really love oatmeal! BUT when warmer weather strikes, I'm just not too keen on having a big hot bowl of anything ;), ya know? But with all the heart healthy benefits that oats carry, you can't just drop your oatmeal cold turkey just because it's hot outside! So what's a B-Fitter to do?

How's about this little bar that I recently discovered......

OATMEAL SQUARES by Corozona

These sweet healthy gems are soooooo deliicous, so nutritious and will satisfy your hunger when your on the go. At only 190 calories, they come in all different flavors, from cranberry flax to chocolate peanut butter, and everything in between, you have so many options, you'll never go hungry! Full of protien, fiber and multigrains, it's a homerun for your healthy! Read more about these great nutrition squares and all the Corozona products here: http://corazonas.com/our-snacks/oatmeal-squares/ And while you're there, order yourself some! Your heart will thank you! :)

Spring Salad

Keepin' it simple is the name of the game today! Afterall, it's Monday and who needs to be weighed down with anymore busy than they already have?! So here's a "few ingredient" recipe that will keep your tastebuds happy and your waistline, too! This refreshing cucumber salad has a pop of dill that wakens up the flavors, and paired with your favorite protein (perhaps a lovely grilled chicken breast), you've got healthy and smart on one plate! A great way to start off the week in charge of your healthy!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 2 English cucumbers (2 pounds)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh

Directions

Slice the cucumber lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice thinly. Thinly slice the onion.
In a colander, toss the cucumber and onion with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes. Press the liquid out of the vegetables and rinse well with cold water.
In a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well. Add the cucumber mixture and toss to coat. Stir in the dill.

CHOCOLATE!!

It's almost the weekend!! And don't you like to have a little splurge when it comes to the weekend?

And there's nothing wrong with that! You've been eating right, exercising and really taking great strides to get healthy, and stay healthy! And with every good deed there comes a reward! Now for me, I like CHOCOLATE!! Now I'm not saying I'm going to be splurging all weekend long! That would just be silly, and totally defeat the purpose of eating healthy all week and working out. BUT, so you do stay on track, once a week you just gotta have something that you LOVE!! And this week's weekend splurge is BROWNIES!! Who's with me?!?

Homemade, bursting with chocolatey ooooey goooey goodness, oh and did I mention their even low in fat and calories, at 150 calories a serving! You see, you can make that chocolate brownie and eat it too! And go ahead and freeze the rest for you next splurge, or bring some to a friend. They will LOVE you forever! ENJOY! ~FoodieGIRL

 

 

Dark Chocolate Brownies

Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double broiler or heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until smooth. Add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the chocolate-butter mixture and whisk until blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just enough to moisten.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and sprinkle with nuts, if desired. Bake until the wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into 24 pieces.

Makes 24 servings

Serving size: 1 piece



Per Serving:
Calories 150; Total Fat 8 g; (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 0.8 g) ; Protein 3 g; Carb 18 g; Fiber 1.5 g; Cholesterol 40 mg; Sodium 55 mg

Staying Connected :)

Staying connected with friends is just as important on your health journey as eating right, exercising and sleep!

Sometimes a moment on the phone with a pal or lunch out with your friends can bring such positive joy and energy to your well-being, that FRIENDS are a VERY important part of the equation, and you should not leave that out!

WHO doesn't want to SMILE!? See, staying connected with people is part of the journey! You don't have to exercise alone, you don't have to figure out good for you food choices, alone, you just have to make the effort to stay connected with positive like-minded friends and support each other onyour wonderful B-FIT4U journeys!

LIFE is meant to be shared. LOVE is meant to be shared. STAY CONNECTED support each other. AND bring more HAPPINESS AND GOOD HEALTH into your LIFE by being a GOOD FRIEND :)

(now isn't that easier than sweating it out in the gym? I thought so ;)

 

Happy Trails~FoodieGIRL

 

Jumpstart that weight loss!

Are you on a constant roller coaster of emotion when it comes to your food choices.......

Eating super well only to eat super bad? Hey, we all get in a rut sometimes. Maybe what you need is a true JUMPSTART to your weight loss! And a great way to do that is a CLEANSE. Dieting is going to leave you hungry, empty and eventually gaining the weight back....that pretty much sounds lousy, doesn't it? But the idea behind a cleanse is just this.........

"The ultimate goal of a detox diet is to cleanse the body of impurities and provide you with a fresh start. These diets usually entail limiting the body to liquids or a very strict food regimen. Some believe that by doing this, the body flushes out built-up toxins which promotes good health. Some popular detox diets may also help the dieter lose weight quickly. Before beginning a detox diet, consult your doctor about the effects it may have on your body."

WITH all that being said, a detox may or may not be the right choice for you. You want to look for something that you know you're going to follow because what's the point if you're not going to follow the rules of the detox, right? You want it to work! Also, look for something that isn't too restrictive to your regular regimen. In other words, something that will not only jumpstart weight loss, but more importantly have you thinking about good food choices, and eating your veggies and protein more often, even when you finish the cleanse.
SO look for a cleanse that teaches you to make better food choices, cut back on sugar and fat, and makes you feel good!  Personally, at B-FIT4U, we are not endorsing the liquid detoxes, a little extreme for our taste. You don't want to ever feel deprived, now that's no fun! Good for you, good food should be apart of your cleanse. AND a great cleanse source to get you started comes highly recommended by one of our readers, who recently finished the cleanse and is raving of the results both physically and mentally; helping her to see where she was overeating and indulging in sugar too often, and how to incorporate better food choices into her daily life.

What did she do? The ASTER ELLIOT cleanse. For all the details and see if you would like to get started on the program, check out this wonderful website and get started on a better, healthier you!
http://asterelliott.com/
 

 

SPRING on your PLATE!

It's SPRING! I do believe, it has officially ARRIVED!

And you know what comes with warmer weather...less clothing!! YAY! (or nay if you feel like those last 5lbs are still hanging on you like a blanket from the winter) BUT who cares? It's SPRING! And with salad's like this one below, those last 5lbs are going to fly off you quicker than you can get to the gym! YES! Because your food choices are just as important you gettin' out there and movin' in this beautiful weather. SO, jump into SPRING with good for you food that will

help you lose weight and feel great! (oh and did we mention, this salad is so YUMMMMMY!)

 

WHITE BEAN TUNA SALAD

 

• 2 (6-ounce) cans dark meat tuna, packed in olive oil
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannelini white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 cup small capers, nonpareil in brine, drained and rinsed
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh arugula
• 6 fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a large bowl, add the tuna, reserving the olive oil in a separate small bowl. Break tuna into bite-size pieces with a large fork. Add the beans and capers. Into the bowl of olive oil, add the red wine vinegar. You should have 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil - add more extra-virgin olive oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing on the tuna, bean and caper mixture and allow the flavors to infuse while slicing the vegetables. Add the onion and tomatoes to tuna mixture and toss gently.

Place the arugula on large decorative platter and top with tuna mixture. Tear fresh basil leaves over the top and serve immediately.

Back on Track!

Have you fallen off the food wagon? Did vacation 'cause your "healthy" to run  right off the track into too many cocktails, desserts or overstuffed meals? Hey it happens to all of us from time to time,....yes, sometimes I even indulge in one of my favs, chocolate....Easter basket anyone? ;) But eating healthy is NOT about being perfect...I repeat, you do NOT have to be perfect!But you do have to choose healthy eating consistently in order to make progress to your goals, whether, health, wellness or fitness. So if you've fallen off the food wagon lately, don't beat yourself up! Pick yourself UP, and start a new with sensible good for you choices this week, not perfect choices, but hey come on, who are you kidding, that cupcakes and sugar laden latte are not a good breakfast ;) Grab some eggs and whole wheat toast and get going back towards your
B-FIT4U lifestyle!! (P.S. I love this article below and had to share with you, go on get healthy AND...GET INSPIRED!)

“7 Things You Can Do Today to Get Back on Track With Your Diet"
 “Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book "The Raw Secrets". He is currently giving away free access to his private library of over 100 exclusive articles along with a subscription to his newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition. Visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com while charter subscriptions last.”

by Frederic Patenaude I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I fall off the wagon with my diet and fitness activities. Sometimes I eat more fat than I would like too. Sometimes I eat foods that don't make me feel great. Sometimes I end up being sedentary for a little while. Let's face it. It's rare that you'll find someone who will commit 100% to something and never look back or have a breakdown. But your ability to succeed will be measured by your determination and focus, as well as your ability to learn from your “mistakes”. So here are 7 things you can do *today* to get back on track with your diet. 1- Don't Be Hard on Yourself We're really fast at acknowledging our shortcomings, but much less at acknowledging our successes. It's very easy to beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon and never take time to celebrate all the successes you've had so far. So don't be hard on yourself and just look at what you've accomplished, no matter how small it may look! Compared to where a lot of people are at right now, you've already come a long way. 2- Reset Your System and Fast In my book “The Raw Secrets”, I talked about the value of occasionally fasting 24 to 36 hours, or even 2-3 days (longer fasts should be supervised). This is especially useful to get back on track with your diet. Fasting just 24 to 36 hours will literally “reset” your system and make it much easier to start eating right again. Don't get me wrong. I don't suggest doing the harmful pattern of binging now and fasting later. I'm just saying that a short fast might be just what you need to give your body a chance to get back to a state of balance. You can refer to my book “The Raw Secrets” for more information. If you're unsure about doing a short fast or your health does not permit it, then simply having a couple days of mono-fruit meals (only eating one type of fruit per meal), will give you great results. 3- List Your Benefits When you have the time, take a moment to list all of the reasons *why* you are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Why do it at all? Unless you know the *why*, you won't know the *how*. Any small difficulty will throw you off balance. So your homework assignment is to list at least 25 benefits or reasons for eating well (however you define it at this point) and exercising. Then put this list in a place where you can see it! 4- Recommit Commitment is very important. It just means that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go. After you've listed your benefits, take a moment to commit to your success. All it takes is *share* your list with someone else, someone who can support you (ideally, your “success buddy”!) and tell them you commit to achieving those results. 5- Give Yourself a Goal In addition to writing your list of benefits, give yourself one to three short-term goals that you believe you can accomplish within the next 6 to 12 months. Maybe it is to *release* a certain amount of weight. Maybe it is to lower your body fat level down to a certain percentage. Or maybe it is to succeed doing so many push-ups in a row. Set a few realistic goals that are also a little challenging, and keep your mind focused on them. 6- Be Prepared for the Next Breakdown No matter how well you do in life, there *will* be another breakdown. I'm not saying that you'll necessarily fall off the wagon. Maybe it will just be a period of doubt and fear. Or you'll find yourself in a situation where you're not sure how to maintain your diet. Prepare for success and envision different things that could potentially be challenging. What would you do in those moments? Take a moment to think about that and discuss it with your coach or someone who supports you. 7- Get Coaching and Support Even the best athletes in the world have their own coaches. How do you think that you will make it without one? A good coach will not only push you to get beyond where you want to go, but will also support you in the process and celebrate your successes with you. Without coaching and support, it will be much more difficult to make your list of benefits come true. If you can afford it, having a personal health coach will make a tremendous difference for you. So, now that you're armed with these 7 tips I have revealed in this article, start using them, and if possible, have a coach help you in the process. Once you start applying them, you will understand why they make all the difference!