Lador Day Weekend

Happy holiday weekend everyone! I hope you have learned a little about some of the “food” we talked about this week. And if were things you already knew about, maybe we can make it a point to incorporate into our lives. Make good choices at those cookouts and be safe. Maybe you can take this item to share with all your family and friends.

Scallops in Shiitakes
Serves 8 (serving size is 3 stuffed mushrooms)

24 medium shiitake mushroom caps (about 1 1/2 inch in diameter)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 medium sea scallops (about 1 pound), cut in half
2 tablespoons prepared pesto

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Arrange the shiitake mushroom caps in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the black pepper onto the caps. Place 1 scallop half into each mushroom cap. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon pesto onto each scallop half. Bake the mushrooms for 10 minutes or until the scallops are done.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 99 FAT 3 g PROTEIN 12.3g SODIUM 138mg FIBER 1.8g CARBOHYDRATE 7.5 g

Eat Right

I'm not just talking about the right foods here. I'm talking about sitting down and eating your meals properly. Don't eat while standing up, in the car, or when you're on the go. If you sit down at the table, take your time, and relax while you eat, you'll be less likely to snack on a bunch of junk between meals. I know it seems you can multi-task if you eat while you’re doing something else, but you actually are more likely to over eat. So take a few minutes and sit at your table desk or at the counter and eat right.

Soda Quota

Regular soda is definitely out because it a major calorie overload, but guess what, I don't want you drinking diet soda either! After you stop drinking it every day, you could definitely feel the difference being off those chemicals! As I've learned more about health and wellness, I've become very aware of what it is that I put into my body. The FDA has not ban these products, but there is plenty of research about aspartame (the sweetener in Diet Coke). The main thing I want you to do is try your best to limit your exposure to it. If strictly water is out of the question, drink unsweetened ice tea or coffee, they both have zero calories. If you need to sweeten your coffee or tea, try xylitol, stevia, or if you have to sucralose (Splenda). Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener that's extracted from the fibers of certain fruits and vegetables, and stevia comes from a South American plant. You've hit your quota, now's the time to look for alternatives to rid you of your soda.

Wing...Don't Stop!

Low cost dining spots like wing joints have become some of the country's fastest-growing chains. Buffalo Wings restarants are now the nation's fastest-growing franchised restaurant. Several recent surveys have confirmed that tighter food budgets are causing more consumers to seek out less expensive dining options. But, folding wings into your dining lineup too frequently could lead to a seriously expanding waistline. Here’s the low down on the calorie counts of several popular wing spots:

Lone Star, chicken wings appetizer: 1,759 calories
Applebees, 1 order boneless Buffalo wings, 1,724 calories
Zaxby’s, large order wings & things, 1,673 calories
Wingstop, 10 Cajun wings, 1,590 calories
Old Chicago, best Buffalo chicken wings, 1,562 calories
Chi-Chi’s, 1 order Tex-Mex BBQ wings, 1,421 calories
Chili’s, boneless Buffalo wings, 1,250 calories
Hooters, 5 chicken wings, 866 calories
Pizza Hut, 10 hot wings, 600 calories
KFC, 1 order of 5 boneless fiery Buffalo wings, 420 calories

Most adult women need about 1,600 calories a day and men 1,800 – 2,000. That means a single wing order can provide a quarter to well over 100% of the calories needed in an entire day. Not to mention the fact that each wing contains 1 gram of artery clogging saturated fat not including the blue cheese or ranch.If you’re a health and budget conscious wing fan, here are a few alternatives:

Try a Veggie Alternative: Morningstar Farms (frozen), 5 veggie buffalo wings, 200 calories
Make Your Own! Ingredients:One 4-oz grilled chicken breast, sliced into strips (120 calories), red hot sauce (0 calories), 1 cup celery stalks (15 calories), dip made from one quarter cup reduced fat sour cream (90 calories) and 2 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese (50 calories). Total = 275 calories, a much healthier meal with enough room to add a serving of whole grains like popcorn or fresh fruit!

Life is in the Journey

Life is in the journey, not the destination, so do what you can and take it one day at a time. Go slow; do it right; make it permanent, then help out others who are where you were. Get psyched to help someone, especially when they're feeling like giving up on their fight.

You're Worth It

Change is painful and often requires some struggling, but remember, it's so worth it. Every time you grunt it out and push yourself physically, you will grow even stronger and more confident in your abilities. You are stronger, healthier, and happier.

Shrimp and Scallop Pesto
Serves 2

1pound sea scallops or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined1/4 cup prepared pesto
2tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
8 cherry tomatoes, halved

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add scallops or shrimp; remove from heat. After8 minutes, remove scallops or shrimp with slotted spoon.
2. In a large bowl, mix pesto, olive oil, and parsley. Stir in scallops. Before serving,gently toss scallop mixture with cherry tomato halves.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 490 FAT 29 g PROTIEN 44g SODIUM 270 mg FIBER 2g CARBOHYDRATE 10 g

Write It Out.

We write down so many things during the day, and for what? To remember what we have to do, need to buy or to communicate with someone. So why don’t we do the same thing when it comes to our food? It is time to man (or woman) up and face what we eat. Seeing what we eat during the course of a day can really set your body in a good rhythm of when to eat and what to eat. Remember food is not the enemy. Our choice of food can be if we let it.

Don't Beat Yourself Up!

Hey, we all slip, the part that matters is what do you do after you slip. Do you fall of the wagon completely (nutritional suicide) or do you go back to the game plan (like an Olympic athlete)? We are all here for you, and we all know you can do this. Believe in yourself and try to incorporate my suggestions into your life, and let's see how you do.

Don't Panic

You can and will lose weight. Even if you're eating more than the meal plan calorie allowance, you can still lose, it just might take a little longer. Exercise is also crucial. Working out harder and more often will help burn those extra calories you might take in if you have a bad day.

Think About What Soothes You

Steer yourself toward positive feelings of self-worth, and you will pick activities and behaviors that inherently contradict self-loathing and self-destructiveness.

Examine Your Hunger

The next time you feel really hungry between meals, consider the last time you ate. If it was less than an hour or two earlier, your stomach isn't growling, and you're not weak or tired, it's likely that you're emotionally unsatisfied rather than genuinely physically hungry.

Sleep!

There are two hormones that regulate our appetite, both of which are directly affected by how much sleep we get: leptin and ghrelin. Together, these hormones work in a kind of checks and balances system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Getting the right amount of shut-eye will help curb your appetite.

Fill Up the Healthy Way

If you think you're suffering from a food addiction, the first step is to make sure you're eating correctly. If you're certain that you are eating as you should for yourself and you still feel hungry all the time, consider this: At the end of the day, sometimes life just sucks in a way that can't be reasoned with or rationalized. The key is to take care of you with a strategy that is life-affirming, not self-destructive. You need to learn to establish some healthy patterns.

In the meantime, I will give you some tricks to make you feel full so you don't have to eat yourself out of house and home in your quest to satiate that hunger:

Drink tons of water. When you feel as if you're starving, pour yourself a huge glass of water or grab a bottle it will help quell the urge to snack.

All or Nothing

If you haven't already, it's definitely time to kill the all-or-nothing attitude. One great way to do that is to get real regarding setbacks. We are all bound to have lapses on the road to health and wellness, but it is critical that we learn how to handle small failures positively so that we can minimize their long-term destructive effects. One setback is one setback, it's not the end of the world, nor is it the end of your journey toward a better you.

Keep Working Hard

Keep up with all the hard work. Remember to take advantage of the weather when you can and go for a jog or maybe a swim. Have a great weekend!

Roasted Striped Bass with Warm Lentil Salad
Serves 4

1 cup small French green or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed1/4 cup caramelized onions
1/2 cup canned roasted red peppers, cut into strips
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 boned, skinned striped bass or other firm-fleshed white fish fillets (about 6 ounces each)freshly ground black pepper, to taste
lemon wedges

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. In a 4-to-5-quart pan over high heat, bring lentils and 1 quart water to a boil.Reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain andreturn to pan. Stir in caramelized onions, red peppers, vinegar, parsley, cumin,and cayenne pepper.
3. Meanwhile rinse fish and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly all over with black pepper.Arrange pieces slightly apart in a foil-lined 12 x 15-inch baking pan. Bake untilopaque but still moist-looking in the center of the thickest part (cut to test),about 6 minutes.
4. Mound lentil salad equally on four dinner plates. Using a wide spatula, topeach mound with a piece of fish. Serve with lemon wedges.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 408 FAT 5.9 g PROTEIN 46 g SODIUM 151 mg FIBER 8.2 g CARBOHYDRATE 44 g

Cut Down on the Caffeine

Caffeine is all over the place: coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks and pills. Not to get on my soap box, but caffeine isn't the best choice. Drinking too much of it, can causes your adrenal glands to dump adrenaline into your blood like it's going out of style. And when the caffeine leaves your system, your adrenal glands will be depleted and you'll be left feeling weak and tired. Caffeine also speeds the rate of oxidation, which is the exact opposite of what you want your nutrients to do. So do your best to limit your intake.

Alcohol Is Not Your Weight-Loss Buddy

Whether it's cocktails on ladies' night out, a beer at the pub, or a glass of wine with a delicious gourmet meal, most people enjoy a drink every now and again. But remember it's important to know which ones are truly bad for you.
Alcohol can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. It's a simple carbohydrate and your body treats it as sugar when breaking it down. Alcohol also causes an increase in blood sugar and fat storage, and because it doesn't contain any fiber, it will also cause a sugar crash as well as an increased appetite for carbs.
It's also a good idea to eat something around the time you're going to be drinking. Try to have a meal that's high in protein, which will help curb the release of carbs from the alcohol and create more balance in your blood sugar levels. The meal will also serve to fill you up so you'll be less likely to make unhealthy food decisions or succumb to cravings when you're hungry and tipsy later.

Post It

In addition to sharing your great moments with family and friends, journal them at home. Every day, make an effort to acknowledge at least one thing you did that made you feel good. Keep a list of your favorites next to your bed or by your bathroom mirror to remind you to start and finish each day with a great attitude.

Stay Motivated

Share Your Good Vibes! One way to stay motivated is to acknowledge when you're feeling awesome. To get even more mileage out of those good vibes, share them with others. Not only will you be excited to share your success, you'll be inspired by your fellow workout buddies.
Examples are telling people that you are seeing changes in your mood or energy. Or report that you lost pounds, or even better, inches. Maybe you used to ride your bike around the block and think "I can't make it". Now you can go on 10-mile rides for fun. Or maybe you have mastered the elliptical because after 2 minutes you thought you would die and now you can do 20-30 minutes. Share all your good conquests.

Lables, Lables, Lables

Read those labels and really try to understand what it is that you are really putting into your body. This will take practice, but with a little time you will be able to pick all the right stuff. Go out and get the ingredients to make this.

Peppered Swordfish with Cardamom-Carrot Sauce
Serves 4
1 teaspoon cardamom pods
3/4 cup carrot juice
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt, to taste
1 pound boned, skinned swordfish or halibut
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Crush cardamom pods; remove seeds.
3. In a l-to-1 l/2-quart pan, mix cardamom, carrot juice, rice vinegar, cornstarch,and sugar until well blended. Stir over high heat until mixture boils; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 7 to 9 minutes.Cover pan and remove from heat; let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Taste, and add salt and more vinegar if desired. Pour sauce through a fine strainer into a bowl.
4. Meanwhile rinse fish, pat dry, and cut into 4 equal portions. Rub fish with oliveoil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set a 10-to-12-inch nonstick frying pan (with oven proof handle) over high heat. When pan is hot, add fish and turn as needed to brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes total. Sprinkle black pepper evenly over fish.
5. Put pan in oven; bake until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Transfer fish to rimmed plates. Spoon sauce evenly around fish, and sprinkle with chives.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 171 FAT 5.7 g (saturated 1.4 g) PROTEIN 23 g SODIUM 116 mg FIBER 1 g CARBOHYDRATE 5.5 g