I've been looking thru the article "50 Small Eating Changes" and decided that not all of them are worth posting. So this time I'm focusing on the hints for "Eating Out". Hopefully, they'll help me make good choices while we're in Hawaii and Salt Lake:
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Decide what you're going to eat ahead of time. If you're familiar with the restaurant, don't even look at the menu.
PICK A PRICEY DISH: It provides instant portion control. Restaurants can afford to serve oversized amounts of less-costly items, such as pasta and chicken, but tend to scrimp on more expensive foods.
SLENDERIZE IT: Many restaurants serve ridiculously oversized portions, ask your waiter to bring only half your entree and wrap the rest to go. Another option: order one or two appetizers or side dishes instead of an entree.
PLACE THE FIRST ORDER: Listening to everyone else's choices makes it too tempting to change your mind.
ASK FOR AN APPETIZER: Starting with soup or salad takes the edge off your hunger and helps you to eat the rest of your meal at a leisurely pace.
BAN THE BREAD BASKET: Ask that the bread basket be removed from the table or else just move it out of your reach.
EAT BEFORE YOU GO: Have a snack before going to a dinner party. This will help you to control your appetite once you're there. Your best bet is a combination of a complex carbohydate and protein, such as a low- or nonfat yogurt and an apple.
As Julia would say, "Bon Apetit"!!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wii Fit exercising
I really like to play the Wii, and so does my sisters. One of my favorite games on it is the Wii fit. In the game Wii fit it has a body test, yoga poses, strength poses, aerobic games, and balance games. It is a really good exercise and is fun at the same time. I enjoy having the Wii very much. I would like to say also that Wii fit is not the only game for the Wii. There is a lot more.
Healthy Recipe
Will says it is my turn to post, so I am posting my recipe for chicken chili. This is a great recipe because it is super easy and if you make it over the weekend it also reheats well to bring for lunches or for nights when you are too busy to cook dinner. It is mostly chicken and beans, so very healthy. You can add toppings to make it more interesting like green onions, cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, or fresh avocado. Jeff wasn't too sure about white chili, but now it is one of his favorites.
White Chicken Chili
2 pounds chicken breast
2 cups finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chilis, undrained
1 cup water
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can of low sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (more if you want it spicy)
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped green onions
Heat a large on-stick skillet, cook chicken until browned. Dice chicken.
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and add onion to pan. Sauté 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and coriander. Sauté 1 minute. Stir in chiles, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes. Add chicken, water, beans, and broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in hot sauce.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle cheese, cilantro and green onions on top.
White Chicken Chili
2 pounds chicken breast
2 cups finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chilis, undrained
1 cup water
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can of low sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (more if you want it spicy)
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped green onions
Heat a large on-stick skillet, cook chicken until browned. Dice chicken.
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Coat with cooking spray and add onion to pan. Sauté 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and coriander. Sauté 1 minute. Stir in chiles, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes. Add chicken, water, beans, and broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in hot sauce.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle cheese, cilantro and green onions on top.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Badger Mountain!
On Tuesday Emily, Kate, and I hiked Badger Mountain. We thought it would be a fun way to exercise on a pretty sunny day! Here is a picture of us at the top! Ain't no mountain high enough! ~erin
Monday, April 6, 2009
50 Small Eating Changes to Help You Lose Big
As everyone knows, I've just started going back to Weight Watchers. Being at the beach last week probably set me back, but I'm back to using my food journal and counting points. I was looking thru my "Diet/ Exercise Ideas" notebook and came across an article I cut out years ago. It would take too long to post all 50 at once so I'll do ten at a time:
1. Eat enough to lose. Eating too few calories can mess up your metabolism. So make sure your daily caloric intake is at least 1200 calories. Otherwise, your body may go into "starvation" mode, actually slowing the burning of calories and the digestive process.
2. Picture a portion. You can really overeat if your don't have a clear sense of what makes a reasonable serving size. Use these visual guidelines: Meat, fish, chicken (3-4 oz) looks like a deck of cards. Chopped vegetables (1 cup) are about the size of a tennis ball. Picture half a tennis ball for pasta and other grains (1/2 cup). For cheese (1 oz) think of a standard domino.
3. Give yourself a break. It's hard to include something from all the food groups in every breakfast, lunch and dinner. Concentrate on choosing items from only three food groups at a time. As long as you get a balanced variety of foods during the day, that's what counts.
4. Remember the color rule. Fill your plate with colorful foods--especially greens, reds, and yellows. The more colors on your plate, the more nutrients and the less fat and calories you're probably getting.
5. Get fat in the afternoon. Don't restrict your fat calories at lunch, since this is the natural time for your body to crave fat. If you deny your desire, you'll just eat more later.
6. Follow the 3-gram rule. Your goal should be to eat meals that have no more than 30 percent of calories coming from fat. An easy way to figure this out: Choose foods that have 3 grams of fat or less per every 100 calories (read labels).
7. Limit fat-free products. Fat-free foods are less satisfying than the real thing, so we tend to eat more of them. Many of these products have just as many calories as their full-fat product.
8. Don't overeat protein. Since your body only utilizes the amount of protein it needs, the rest is just extra fat and calories. Limit your daily protein intake to 6 or 7 ounces.
9. Fill up on fiber. Eat foods high in soluble fiber and you'll feel fuller longer. Most fruits, vegetables, oats, brown rice and beans are good sources. So are packaged foods with at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving. Add a few tablespoons of wheat bran to yogurt, cereal and salads.
10. Don't drink all of your fruit. Opt for fresh fruit rather than juice. A piece of fruit gives you the satisfaction of chewing, takes longer to consume, and helps you feel fuller because it's loaded with fiber. Plus, it's lower in calories than fruit juice.
1. Eat enough to lose. Eating too few calories can mess up your metabolism. So make sure your daily caloric intake is at least 1200 calories. Otherwise, your body may go into "starvation" mode, actually slowing the burning of calories and the digestive process.
2. Picture a portion. You can really overeat if your don't have a clear sense of what makes a reasonable serving size. Use these visual guidelines: Meat, fish, chicken (3-4 oz) looks like a deck of cards. Chopped vegetables (1 cup) are about the size of a tennis ball. Picture half a tennis ball for pasta and other grains (1/2 cup). For cheese (1 oz) think of a standard domino.
3. Give yourself a break. It's hard to include something from all the food groups in every breakfast, lunch and dinner. Concentrate on choosing items from only three food groups at a time. As long as you get a balanced variety of foods during the day, that's what counts.
4. Remember the color rule. Fill your plate with colorful foods--especially greens, reds, and yellows. The more colors on your plate, the more nutrients and the less fat and calories you're probably getting.
5. Get fat in the afternoon. Don't restrict your fat calories at lunch, since this is the natural time for your body to crave fat. If you deny your desire, you'll just eat more later.
6. Follow the 3-gram rule. Your goal should be to eat meals that have no more than 30 percent of calories coming from fat. An easy way to figure this out: Choose foods that have 3 grams of fat or less per every 100 calories (read labels).
7. Limit fat-free products. Fat-free foods are less satisfying than the real thing, so we tend to eat more of them. Many of these products have just as many calories as their full-fat product.
8. Don't overeat protein. Since your body only utilizes the amount of protein it needs, the rest is just extra fat and calories. Limit your daily protein intake to 6 or 7 ounces.
9. Fill up on fiber. Eat foods high in soluble fiber and you'll feel fuller longer. Most fruits, vegetables, oats, brown rice and beans are good sources. So are packaged foods with at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving. Add a few tablespoons of wheat bran to yogurt, cereal and salads.
10. Don't drink all of your fruit. Opt for fresh fruit rather than juice. A piece of fruit gives you the satisfaction of chewing, takes longer to consume, and helps you feel fuller because it's loaded with fiber. Plus, it's lower in calories than fruit juice.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Running,walking, or exercising
I didn't really have anything to write about so I wanted to show some real pictures of people exercising. Just for the fun of it, I guess.
There's one of me swimming,smiling and looking cute. I think looking cute counts. Also, one of me hanging like a wild monkey with a sugar rush. One of them me and Erin are bouncing on a ball together. And finally one of Emily hugging and kissing me on my birthday!(I had just turned two.)
There's one of me swimming,smiling and looking cute. I think looking cute counts. Also, one of me hanging like a wild monkey with a sugar rush. One of them me and Erin are bouncing on a ball together. And finally one of Emily hugging and kissing me on my birthday!(I had just turned two.)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The latest aerobic class craze: ZUMBA!!
Holly and I have been going to Zumba once a week for a couple of months now and have been having a lot of fun, as well as getting a lot of exercise. Although, we don’t leave the class exhausted and we don’t wind up feeling sore for the next couple of days, we definitely get a great work out! So are you all wondering, what is Zumba? Let me tell you.
A Zumba workout mixes body sculpting movements with easy-to-follow dance steps mainly derived from Latin music. The routines feature aerobic interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms to tone and sculpt the body. It targets areas such as the gluteals, legs, arms, abdominals, and the heart. Participants do not have to know how to dance to do Zumba. The move combinations and Latin rhythms strive to create a party-like atmosphere - a more "feel happy" workout than may be experienced in other group exercise class types. A Zumba class is typically not formulaic in that instructors often add on their own music choices and choreographies to make their class presentation locally unique.
Inspired by Latin dance and music, Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip hop, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso and Salsaton. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms.
But the best way to understand Zumba would be to do it. Next best would be to watch a video! Zumba!!
And before anyone asks, no Holly and I do not have Zumba outfits like the ones in the video!
A Zumba workout mixes body sculpting movements with easy-to-follow dance steps mainly derived from Latin music. The routines feature aerobic interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms to tone and sculpt the body. It targets areas such as the gluteals, legs, arms, abdominals, and the heart. Participants do not have to know how to dance to do Zumba. The move combinations and Latin rhythms strive to create a party-like atmosphere - a more "feel happy" workout than may be experienced in other group exercise class types. A Zumba class is typically not formulaic in that instructors often add on their own music choices and choreographies to make their class presentation locally unique.
Inspired by Latin dance and music, Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip hop, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso and Salsaton. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms.
But the best way to understand Zumba would be to do it. Next best would be to watch a video! Zumba!!
And before anyone asks, no Holly and I do not have Zumba outfits like the ones in the video!
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