Okay I know I have been MIA the last several months here on my blog and in real life. Life as a working mom has been NUTS. I have what feels like zero time.  I literally get home from work and spend time as much time with my family as I can before I have to cook, clean, work on my calling etc. I have jokingly comment to some of you that right now if you want me to be a part of your life you have to reach into my bubble and pull me out. But there is a shift on the horizon and I promise that in a couple of weeks I will get you all caught up on my life. My blog will return with helpful information on health and fitness. As well new recipes and fitness routines. Thank you for putting up with my hermit-like behavior. I promise to emerge soon! :)

Hey All,
I'm so sorry for the long pause! I have taken a breather from what seems like everything. I injured my knee because I have been running in OLD shoes. So I had to order new shoes, yes ORDER. I guess that small footed people do not run. I tried at least 10 stores and no one carried a 5.5 in a decent running shoe. Anyway my new shoes should be here today and I will be back on track. Last week (before my injury) I ran over 15 miles. I know to you runners out there that isn't much but for me that it HUGE! I have been trying to run a 5k every morning and I felt GREAT until my knee started to ache. Anyway so I've been resting my knee while I wait for my new shoes. The should arrive today and I will be back on track. Anyway I promise to be better about posting.

How are you doing though? How are your workouts going?

How to measure spaghetti servings

I often cook myself pasta for lunch. I am pretty good about measure out smaller pasta such as bow tie or elbow but when it comes to measuring out dry spaghetti noodles I ALWAYS struggle. I swear I always make more than I need (but I eat it anyway). I found the following tip on EHow.com. It is seems like an easy way to remember portion size.

When you have adults for dinner, the portions vary considerably for measuring spaghetti. Since the pasta gets a bit thicker after it is cooked, the measuring can be offered to the people or you can just decide for them yourself.

Thoroughly wash hands for 2 or 3 minutes with an antibacterial soap and rinse before touching food. After removing the spaghetti from the box or plastic wrapper, hold it in between the index finger and the thumb

After removing the spaghetti from the box or plastic wrapper, hold it in between the index finger and the thumb making a circle around the pasta. For each adult consider a portion about the size of a nickle. For the larger appetite make a portion of either 2 nickles or a quarter.Children's portions are considered adequate if you measure each to have the size of a dime.If pasta is not the main dish you can consider smaller for each person. When you ask someone to tell them which size portion they want; ask them in terms of these coins for validation. Before you know it, everyone will be in tune to this measure for spaghetti.

Read more: How to Measure Spaghetti Servings | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4730645_measure-spaghetti-servings.html#ixzz1ZGDFSqDG

FUZE SLENDERIZE

These were on sale at Costco this week so I decided to pick some up. I LOVE their normal drinks (Pina Colada ROCKS but has tons of sugar & calories). These drinks are JUST AS YUMMY! Here is the nutrition info per bottle:

Calories 10
Total Fat 0
Sodium 90mg
Total Carb 1g
Sugars 1g
Protein 0
Vitamin A 40%
Vitamin C 200%
Vitamin E 40%
Pantothenic Acid 40%
Chromium 30%

It also contains:

Super Citrimax
An extract from the South Asian Fruit Garcinia Cambogia
L-Carnitine
An ingredient that the body uses in metabolism
Chromium
A micro nutrient known to help the body get energy from food.
Vitamin A, C, E
Triple Antioxidant power that helps fight free radicals and helps support good health
Vitamin B5
A vitamin necessary for normal metabolism of fat.

AND IT TASTES GOOD!!!! Now beware it's a little pricey but if you are looking for a juice replacement that will give you a boost you have found it! Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!

Ripped in 30

Okay my cute friend at work let me borrow her Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30. I did the Week 1 and thought this is great but nothing too difficult. Today I started Week 2...WOWZA! I thought the workouts were supposed to get progressively harder! NOPE! She went from mild/easy to KILLER! I can't wait to see what workout 3 & 4 are like! My shoulders were literally shaking for 3 hours!

PS Do any of you like Yoplait's Whipped Yogurts!? I LOVE them but I'm trying to get more out of my yogurt so I have been eating Chobani. Well I stumbled across Chobani Champions! LOVE it! It is meant for kids but it has the fruit whipped into it! I LOVE it!

10 East Ways to Lighten Up Any Recipe

Thank you SparkPeople.com for this GREAT Article!!!

Choosing healthy foods is an important part of eating right, but cooking them in a healthful way is another huge part. For example, zucchini can take on two completely different forms when it's quickly sautéed in olive oil versus battered and deep fried. What we add to foods makes all the difference when it comes to home cooking.

The first step to healthier cooking is to take recipes as suggestions. Before you start chopping and mixing, scan the recipe to see if there are any unnecessary calories. Look for excess cheese, butter and oils, as well as sugars.

Here are some tasty, healthy ideas to help you become a professional recipe overhauler!

1. Sauté—the skinny way! A couple of tablespoons of low-sodium vegetable broth can be used instead of oil or butter in your stir fry or as the basis for a sauce. This method will add a nice flavor to your dish as well as a little moisture—and you'll save calories to use elsewhere. To get a dose of unsaturated fats, serve your broth-sautéed veggies with a side salad, and pour an olive oil-based dressing over the top.
   
   
2. Say no to skin. Three ounces of chicken breast meat with skin has almost 150 calories; three ounces of chicken without the skin has 50 fewer calories. Tasty as it might be, the skin contains mostly heart-unhealthy saturated fat. You can cook with the skin on to retain moisture (add fresh herbs or citrus zest underneath it to really bake in some flavor), but be sure to remove the skin before you enjoy your meal to save on calories and saturated fat.
   
   
3. Squeeze on the citrus. To add a powerful flavor punch with minimal added calories, use citrus on steamed veggies instead of butter or over a salad instead of a dressing. It’s even great on fruit salad in place of sugar and adds some zip when squeezed onto a pasta salad. Don’t forget to use the flavorful zest of citrus fruits as well! Wash a lemon, orange or lime, then use a zester or grater to add the zest to dishes such as baked seafood.
   
   
4. Be choosy about cheese. When using a mildly flavored cheese, such as Monterey Jack, you need more cheese to taste it. But when you choose a cheese with intense flavor, you can use less and still get the desired effect. Try a reduced-sodium feta, sharp Cheddar or aged Parmesan next time. Light cheese wedges such as The Laughing Cow brand are useful when you're watching fat and calories, too. Try mixing one of these soft cheeses into your scrambled eggs or noodle dishes instead of loading on the shredded mozzarella.
   
   
5. Go Greek. Tangy, fat-free Greek yogurt is a healthful replacement for sour cream. Try this switch in herbed and spiced dips, tacos, nachos, enchiladas, or throw it in a cooked dish as a thickening agent. You’ll save 45 calories for each 2-tablespoon serving.
   
   
6. Puree your produce. Add body to soups and sauces with pureed vegetables instead of heavy cream, evaporated milk, butter or cheese. This move will also add fiber and nutrients to your dish for very few calories. A puree of carrots will add texture to meatless spaghetti sauce, and mixing a blend of beans into a chili or soup will add flavor and thicken it—all with very few added calories. In this recipe, Chef Meg thickens a taco soup with chickpeas!
   
   
7. Get cozy with cottage cheese. When a recipe calls for a significant amount of a crumbled cheese, such as feta or ricotta, substitute half the amount with reduced-fat cottage cheese. This will retain taste, texture, protein, and calcium while ditching some of the fat and calories. This works well for stuffed peppers and most baked pasta dishes.
   
   
8. Pump up the veggies! You can easily reach the recommended five servings of fruits and veggies when you’re cooking at home. Veggies can compliment any dish on your menu, adding nutrient-packed bulk to the meal for few calories. Add chopped asparagus and mushrooms to your next omelet, red peppers (or a frozen stir fry mix) to baked casseroles, or any kind of beans to a pasta salad. Include fresh or frozen spinach in pasta sauces and soups, and broccoli in your casseroles. The opportunities for adding veggies are endless for almost any dish!
   
   
9. Cut the cream. When making cream-based soups, sub fat-free half-and-half for any heavy cream. The switch gives the soups a creamy taste and velvety texture without all the saturated fat of heavy cream. This works great in pasta sauces as well.
   
   
10. Make your own marinade. Marinate lean meats in vinegar and citrus combos (with a bit of oil added) rather than a pre-made oil-based dressing. You can also try a fruit juice or wine. These agents will still tenderize and flavor the meat, and a mix of herbs and spices will bring out the flavor! (You'll also save sodium by not using the store-bought varieties!) Try cutting the meat in strips before dousing it to really let the marinade take effect.
    

As you can see, there are endless ways you can boost the nutrition and reduce the calories of almost any recipe. Get creative and experiment in the kitchen. You may just find that you like these new ways of cooking just as much—or even better!

Getting Started

So I had a friend at work ask me to write something up in response to a question she got on a forum. A gal, about college age just moved back home and has gained a bit of weight. She was looking for information on how to get motivated and where to start. This was my response:

Where to start: Weight loss is simple math -calories in and calories out. Start tracking. First figure out your caloric intake (you can google caloric intake and it will give you some great websites to figure this out). Once you have that figure it is all a matter of keeping track. This will be a VITAL key in your weight loss. There are DOZENS of ways to help you track. There are free calorie counting websites (caloriecount.com, sparkpeople.com, livestrong.com, fitnesspal.com etc.) most of which have free apps as well. I love sparkpeople.com--I use their app on a daily basis. Each of these websites has a huge data base of nutritional information, as well as support groups, fitness challenges and a recipe data base. Basically they are chuck full ofgreat information.

Support: Whether you think you need it or not you need support. Tell your family you are trying to lose weight if they care about you and your happiness they will support your decision and try to be helpful. Clear a shelf in the pantry & refrigerator and keep JUST your stuff on it. You have to take some control of your environment.

Exercise: Working out for 3-5 days a week for thirty minutes is great…if you are trying to maintain your weight. If you are trying to LOSE weight (and you don’t have any injuries and have been cleared by a doctor to work out) you should be working out at least 5 days a week for 30-45 mins a day. Of course it will be hard at first but once your body adapts you will feel great. Ever seen the Biggest Loser-those people have a little bit more than 15 pounds to lose and they are still pushing it. You can do it too. Strength training is probably the fastest way to lose weight. I always recommend Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred. This DVD is great! It is a contains 3- 25 minute workouts. Starting with a more basic workout and building up to harder workouts. She has MANY other wonderful DVDs but I would start there. Remember though variety is key. Run one day, then do strength training the next, yoga the next, etc. Remember when you are working out you need to fuel your body properly. Eat BEFORE & AFTER working out or else your body with burn muscle instead of fat. Eliminate soda and stick to water.

Motivation: This is the tricky part. You have to motivate yourself. Sure someone or something may be your motivation for a month or even several months but it won’t last. YOU have to find something in yourself that makes you want to be healthy, want to work out, want to eat better. Until you find that something you can lose the weight but you will eventually gain it back.

Do you have any other advice?