Super and Supper

Happy Super Bowel Weekend!

Tuna and Green Bean Pasta Salad
Serves 6 (serving size is 1 1/3 cups)

2 cups green beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked whole-wheat farfalle (bow-tie pasta; about 2 cups uncooked)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
2 (6-ounce) cans albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked

1. Trim ends from beans and cut them in half lengthwise, slicing through the seam.
2. Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over high heat. Add beans, and cook 5 min­utes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.
3. Cut beans into 1-inch pieces. Combine pan drippings with lemon juice, water,and black pepper in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
4. Add farfalle and remaining ingredients; toss well and serve.

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 27 FAT 7 g PROTEIN 18.4 g SODIUM 396 mg FIBER 1.9 g CARBOHYDRATE 33.1 g

Emotional Eating Pt. 2

Once you understand your triggers, you can break the cycle and start regaining control of when, why, and how you eat.
The best way to identify your emotional triggers is through self-examination. Face your issues. Bring them to your conscious reality. This is the most empowering thing you can do for yourself.

Emotional Eating

You just got had a fight with your spouse, child, or mom. Your reaction is to head for the kitchen to soothe yourself with something smooth, fattening, creamy, sugary, salty, or crunchy. Sound familiar? If so, you're an emotional eater. But you've probably figured that out already. You've probably also figured out that unhealthy overeating leads not only to weight gain but to a destructive pattern. Break the cycle. You've got to start by facing the fact that there will never be a totally stress-free time in your life. Now on to the good news: You can stop emotional eating. The key is to identify the things that make you feel pressured, sad, angry, or anxious. 

Choose and Lose

If you listen to one thing and one thing only make it this: Always choose the healthy option. Go for low-cal, low-fat foods instead of junk. Junk is always available, making it very easy to justify, so this will take persistence. Have half an apple instead of a candy bar. Have a bowl of air-popped popcorn instead of a bag of potato chips. You get the idea. Old habits die hard, but keep at it. The results will affirm you in ways you never imagined possible.

Portion Cut Pt. 2

Here are techniques you can use to keep your portions under control.

·                                 If you're at home, use smaller plates. This creates the illusion of eating a bigger serving.

·                                 If you're at a restaurant and you know the portions are going to be huge, ask the server to put half your meal in a “to-go box” before it even hits the table. This saves you money as well as unnecessary calorie overload.

·                                 Share an entrée with your dining partner.

·                                 Make a new rule for yourself: Always leave something on your plate. This reminds you that you are in control of the food, not the other way around.

Happy Weekend Everyone

Get active this weekend.

Shrimp and Scallop Pesto
Serves 2

1 pound sea scallops or medium shrimp, peeled and deveined1/4 cup prepared pesto
2 tablespoons 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

Portion Cut

Americans have completely skewed ideas about portion size. No other country on earth offers portions as enormous as the ones here. Go anywhere else in the world and order a meal. You'll see the difference. We're conditioned to believe that more equals better. Just look at the endless marketing of fast food; we're constantly encouraged to eat more in order to take advantage of a "bargain." But what kind of a bargain are you getting if you're eating 100 french fries in one sitting just to save a quarter you wouldn't have spent in the first place? And the reality is that Americans are paying for this illogical thinking with their health and their lives.

Resolutions

So if those pesky New Year's resolutions have you down, it's time to think of a more effective method to acheiving your goals. If you promise yourself you'll eat three meals and a snack every day, that's a reasonable goal to keep. If you promise yourself you're never going to eat pizza again, you're up for inevitable failure. Think of the big picture about wellness and make smaller goals that you can keep for the long haul.

Sit Down and Eat

Turn it off and put it down. When you're watching television or reading, it's hard to gauge how much you are eating or how full you are. Get old school at mealtimes and set the table, sit down, and enjoy.

Learn to Slow Down

Are you so busy you barely have time to eat? Scarfing down meals won't help you meet your weight-loss goals. Eating too quickly is one of the leading causes of overeating. It takes twenty minutes for your stomach to register the food you eat and send the "I'm full" message to your brain. If you are barreling through your meals in fifteen minutes, you are probably eating more than is necessary to satisfy your hunger. Force yourself to slow down.

Keep these tricks in mind.

·                                 If you're right-handed, eat with your left hand, and vice versa.

·                                 Cut your food into small pieces, and eat your meal one morsel at a time.

·                                 Make yourself put your silverware down in between bites.

·                                 Take a sip of a beverage in between bites. Water is always best.

I know these hints may sound silly, but they work. If you slow it down, you'll find that don't need that second helping.

Writing

Writing about your goals will help you think them through: Do you want to be healthy, confident, physically and mentally strong? Are there clothes you want to wear that you can't now? Do you want to see and feel yourself in your ultimate body, living a new life, playing with your kids, going on a date, getting compliments from others? Whatever your ultimate goals, physical and emotional, write them down in as much detail as you can, and refer back to them often. They will help you stay motivated on your journey.

Check Your Progress

Checking in is more than just a way to find motivation. It's also a great way to be held accountable. Check in with your friends or your trainers when you have an amazing workout or when you stick to a sensible meal when you could have had something bad, but also if you fall off the exercise wagon entirely. Motivation and compliments are a great boost, but a little tough love can work wonders, too.

Happy Weekend Everyone

Get those goals set and get ready to make some serious progress. Do your cardio and eat clean.

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 pesto1.
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

Setting Goals for Success

Your first step on the road to total health and your best life is simple: You can't achieve success if you are not moving toward something, so before you do anything else, you have to establish both short- and long-term goals. Need some inspiration try answering these questions and give the answers to your trainer and they can help establish your goals.

Tell me
> What are you trying to achieve?
> How long has this been a goal?
> What is most important to you about achieving that?
> What has prevented you from achieving it in the past?
> Outside the box questions
> What would you try to accomplish if you knew you could not fail?
> What would you do if you won the lottery?
> Who are your role models?
> What experiences do you find engrossing?

My team has gotten their question a week ago, so if you are part of the few who have not sent it back, getting going on those questions and get them back to me.

Endorphins to the Rescue!

Feeling a little blue or out of sorts? Get moving. Physical activity changes your brain chemistry and positively influences your mood. It releases endorphins, which act on the brain as natural pain relievers. On top of that, exercising will boost your confidence. As you start working out and getting stronger, your sense of strength in other aspects of your life will naturally flourish. Whatever you do, don't lie around it's totally counterproductive. You have the power to change your life, so get up and do it.

Fight Back With Exercise

Sometimes things happen to our bodies that we can't totally control, like certain health conditions. Unfortunately, healthy eating and regular exercise can't cure everything, but that doesn't mean you can't take your best shot with them. Think about all the things a healthy diet and exercise can help you do, such as reduce the risk of "lifestyle" diseases, lose unwanted weight, alleviate stress, and look and feel your best.