March 2010 Archive

26Mar
2

Pecan Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

3 cups water
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup bulgur
1/2 cup barley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Cook rice and barley together, in 2 cups of water, simmer for 40 minutes. Cook bulgur separately, in 1 cup of water, simmer about 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. While grains are cooking, saute onion in olive oil in frying pan. When grains are cooked, add onion and rest of ingredients to grains and stir thoroughly. Serves 6

Nutritional Information

Calories: 267
Total Fat: 12 g
Sat Fat: 1.4g
Mono Fat: 7.2g
Poly Fat: 2.9g
Trans Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 220mg
Potassium: 231mg
Total Carb: 36.5g
Dietary Fiber: 6.8g
Sugars 2g
Protein: 5.7g

Recipe from Recipezaar

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Posted by fitchoc in Recipes
26Mar
0

Good for You Grains

There are several “good for you” grains that everyone should eat as part of their healthy lifestyle. Learn why they are good for you and how you can incorporate them into your diet below.

Bulgur Wheat

  • Prevents heart disease
  • Prevents constipation
  • Reduces the risk of cancer & heart disease
  • Rich in vitamins

Brown Rice

  • Helps control blood sugar
  • Helps control cholesterol
  • Beneficial to the stomach, including ulcers & diarrhea
  • Rich in fiber
  • A body building food

Barley

  • Helps prevent diabetes
  • Excellent source of fiber
  • Packed with vitamins & minerals
  • Contains antioxidants

Quinoa

  • Great source of protein – 8 grams per cup
  • Helps control weight
  • Helps prevent heart disease and diabetes
  • Full of vitamins
  • Rich in fiber

Please see the Recipes section of this blog for some great recipes using these powerful grains.

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    Posted by fitchoc in Healthy Eating
    23Mar
    2

    Body Fat Analysis

    Have you ever wondered just how much fat versus muscle that your body contains? Well, I have – probably a little too much. I received a very generous gift yesterday from one of my beautiful friends. (Thank you, Lisa!) It is the Omron Fat Loss Monitor.

    When I woke up this morning, I did my analysis on the monitor and did not like what it said. There are two settings: Normal and Athlete. You have to do some calculations based on your activity level to figure out which setting you need to use. Well, my calculations said that I had to use the Athlete setting.

    After a pit stop in the loo, I was ready to get my fat measured. It took 7 seconds and before I knew it, I was told that my BMI is high (25.5) and that I have 29.2% body fat. HUH?! Well, that’s not good! I shook the monitor to see if it would scream, “I’m wrong! I’m wrong!” It just looked back at me with the same numbers. Sigh.

    Last May, I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my ankle and sprained it and my foot really bad. Needless to say, my activity level was affected in a horrible way. After 8 weeks in a “boot,” I was allowed to do a little exercise. Do you know how much muscle loss and fat gain you can achieve in 8 short weeks? Well, I can and it ain’t pretty! I went from being in the normal BMI range to high and I don’t know how much actual fat I gained. My clothes and thighs are telling me quite a bit.

    My ankle still hasn’t completely healed and it is hard for me to do aerobics to the intensity that I was doing before. I’m not using that as an excuse because my ankle didn’t force me to eat like a pig during the holiday season. I did this to myself and now I’m paying the price. I wasn’t too worried about my little fat gain because I didn’t think that I would be wearing a bikini too much this summer. Well, I was wrong! I booked a cruise last week and I will be in a bikini for 7 straight days. Oh, the horror!

    What am I going to do to get bikini ready? Here’s my program:

    1. Only ONE cheat meal a week. Not a cheat day, but one cheat meal – big difference!
    2. Eat within my calorie range to lose 1 to 1 1/2 lbs. per week. (Find out your calorie range at www.myfitnesspal.com.)
    3. Eat clean as much as I can, which is normally 90% of the time.
    3. Continue to lift weights 3 days a week. I have to maintain and gain muscle to keep the furnace burning.
    4. Increase my cardio from 30-45 minutes to 45-60 minutes a day. It is imperative to do lots of cardio to lose fat. Since I’m limited to what cardio I can do, I use several different methods: a) My Fitness Coach game for Wii; b) Walk Away the Pounds 4-mile Super Challenge; and c) Basic Step Aerobics while watching TV.
    5. Only allow myself one piece of dark chocolate a week. Think Jell-o Pudding – Sugar Free/Fat Free Chocolate!

    I’ll post my progress along the way. Hopefully, this posts will show others that sometimes we all have stumbles and struggles along the way, but we can overcome them with hard work. I’ll continue to be a work in progress.

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    Posted by fitchoc in Physical Fitness and tagged with , , , , ,
    12Mar
    0

    Great Snack for Chocoholics

    I subscribe to Fitness and Shape magazines and have seen several ads for the VitaMuffin VitaTops. I found some at Publix and bought a box of the Deep Chocolate. Put one in the microwave for about 20 seconds and you’ll be in heaven!

    Nutrition Facts:

    Calories: 100
    Total Fat: 1.5g
    Cholesterol: 0mg
    Sodium: 140mg
    Potassium: 170mg
    Total Carbohydrate: 21g
    Fiber: 6g
    Sugars: 9g
    Sugar Alcohol: 4g
    Protein: 3g

    The ingredient list is not bad at all either. I normally don’t buy processed foods that are full of junk, but this one seems to be OK.

    Just make sure you have these as a treat, so you don’t over-eat.

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    Posted by fitchoc in Healthy Eating and tagged with , ,
    08Mar
    1

    Healthy Secrets from Around the World

    Let’s face it. The United States is one of the most unhealthiest countries due to our love of convenience foods (fast food, microwave dinners, etc.) and our huge portion sizes. For example, my family decided that we wanted take-out Chinese food a few weeks ago. The three of us ordered one dish each. The dishes were so huge that we all made three meals out of them!

    Several countries are known for their healthy eating habits, so let’s explore what they do right. In Sweden, they eat a lot of fish. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart healthy. The main focus of food in Spain is seafood, vegetables, and fruit. Seafood is low in fat and high in protein. Japan’s citizens eat broth-based soups, vegetables, fish, and rice. Due to their healthy lifestyle, Japanese women and men live longer and healthier than anyone else on earth.

    How can Americans improve their health and lose a few pounds?

    1. Focus on portion sizes – use a salad plate for your meals instead of the larger dinner plate.
    2. Limit your time spent in a fast food drive-thru – prepare your own meals at home so you know exactly what you’re eating. If you must have a drive-thru burger, limit it to once every few weeks.
    3. Eat more fruits and vegetables – have two vegetables with a lean protein for a meal. You can live without the mashed potatoes loaded with butter. Instead of eating a piece of cake for dessert, enjoy some fruit instead.
    4. When eating at a restaurant, order a take-out box when you order your entree. When you receive your entree, immediately cut it in half and place one-half of it in the take-out box.
    5. Walk as much as possible – don’t drive around the parking lot at the mall or Wal-Mart searching for an empty space close to the store. Park at the end of the lot and walk. Not only will you get into the store faster, you will burn a few calories also. If at all possible, leave the car at home and walk to your destination.

    Now, I just need to listen to my own advice and do them more often. ;) If you have any other suggestions to add, please contact me or comment below.

    Thanks for reading!
    Sheila

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      Posted by fitchoc in Healthy Eating and tagged with ,