CAFFEINE

This is a fun fact about me...I only recently (during the last 2 years) began drinking wine, coffee and tea. Wine is a post for another time. But coffee and tea have changed my life and I am positive they have also played a part in getting me into my best physical shape.

Christmas just ended and I was lucky enough to have an absolutely fabulous date! Oh my goodness! Well, we went dutch at Legal Sea Foods. We shared the Ahi tuna appetizer with extra wassabi and I had the salmon (shocker!) with steamed broccoli. My date had the halibut with steamed broccoli (cheese on the side which was not even touched). Then when the server came by with the dessert menu we perused it but decided to walk around the mall instead. If our desire to have something sweet was still there we would enjoy at a later time. It was during our after dinner mall stroll that I talked my gorgeous date into entering the Teavana store with me. Tea is one of my favorite things but my date had never had Teavana tea and thought that all tea was "gross". But one sip of the wonderfully warm samples changed her mind instantly. My date was my beautiful, sweet, smart older sister, Melissa and she was a changed woman! We proceeded to have an hour long conversation about tea with the workers in Teavana. I love tea because it warms me on cold nights, cools me on hot afternoons, peps me up and satisfies my sweet tooth. I was so excited to be able to share this new found healthy addiction of mine with my sister who now has the addiction in full swing. She bought the tea maker and a plethora of new morning and evening teas and agreed that strategically drinking tea could help curb her sweet tooth. We got the sweet Teavana tea makers to make us a cup of Caramel SeaSalt and Melissa immediately exclaimed that it could work for her instead of dessert. Well there you go. Tea can save you 300-500 or more calories! That was an herbal tea. I like to drink Mate or black teas in the morning to give me some caffeine. But as the ever informative Teavana workers stated, our bodies treat the caffeine in tea differently than the caffeine found in coffee. My wonderful Mom is allergic to caffeine in coffee...makes her stay up like FOREVER but she can drink tea so that is definite proof that (at least some) bodies use the caffeine differently.  

So at 2:15 when my kids come home from school and now during the same time during Christmas break I have my tea break while they have a humongous, healthy snack. I often have my mid afternoon snack with them usually consisting of an apple and almond butter or blueberries and Greek yogurt. My sister could not believe the tea she tasted was absolutely calorie free. Tea: a wonderful way to add spice to your life, decrease your sweet tooth, curb your hunger, give your body antioxidants it needs and relax! Enjoy a morning, afternoon and evening cup....its on sale right NOW at Teavana and online at 

Teavana.com (some of my very favorite flavors are 75% off!!!!! Message me if you need help or advice about ordering. It is pricey but worth it and most can be re-brewed!).

I realize this picture has nothing to do with tea to the average onlooker. But I had just finished a fabulous cup of tea when I found these fabulous red shoes while out with my sweet Annika! For some crazy reason my sister and I didnt take any pictures during our date. Probably because it felt good not to worry about anything and probably also because between the 2 of us we have 6 kids and are always taking pictures of them.

Order your super flavorful tea at Teavana.com 

Yummy, Fast and Healthy Turkey Burgers

Ahhhh, lunch! While breakfast is my very favorite meal of the day lunch comes in a close second. On the menu today is 99% lean scallion turkey burgers. Again I have turned to my local Trader Joes for my lean ground turkey. It takes me about 22 minutes to get to the closest Traders but once I'm there it's worth every minute in the car! As you know by now I like to prepare my own foods and create my own recipes of my favorite restaurant and store bought foods. I challenge any restaurant with this recipe! Yes, it's THAT good! But it is spicy so my 3 sweet kiddo testers are out of a job with this one.
Healthy, Spicy Turkey Burger Recipe:
1 lb extra lean ground turkey (99% lean!)
2 eggs
5 scallions finely chopped (use the whole thing except the roots part)
2 T ground flaxseed
2 T wheat germ
2 T Parmesan cheese grated
1 T Italian seasoning
1 T Fresh Horseradish (Trader Joe's is VERY potent!)
1 t Mexican style chili powder

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Directions:
Mix everything well. Form into patties any size you want. I make mine the size of a piece of bread so it fits nicely on toast. Cook on a pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Cook about 3-5 min on each side (depends on size and thickness of your meat of course). Place on top of a piece of toast and some spinach or lettuce. I used some fresh horseradish to add another zing. Yummy! Enjoy and tell me what you think! I could just eat these all day!

Super Duper Easy High Protein Bars Nut Free Version!

Just like everyone else in the world I love a good, quick grab and go snack. But I prefer my snacks to be loaded with protein and have only the cleanest, healthiest carbohydrates. Thats how I came up with my super duper easy protein bars. Almonds and peanuts are my go to nuts for quick snacks so of course I looked to those 2 for my protein bars. But one of my best friends has a nut allergy and wanted to try some of my high protein bars.

So if you have a nut allergy or know someone who does you can still make these high quality, high protein bars for them. And there is not any cooking involved so this is a perfect recipe for kids to make on their own! Below you will find the recipe for the nut free version and the extra nutty version for you nutty characters. Enjoy!

Nut Free High Protein Bars
1/2 Cup quick oats
4 scoops whey protein powder (I used vanilla)
1/2 Cup milk or coconut milk
2 T Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter...check the label to be sure it is 100% nut free)
Optional 1/3 C dried cranberries or raisins
Directions: Stir together all ingredients until well mixed. Spread evenly in a small container and put in fridge or freezer for 30 minutes. Take it out of freezer and cut into 5 or 6 bars. Individually wrap each bar using wax paper (aluminum foil sticks we found). Store individually wrapped bars in an air tight container or zip lock bag. I love the way these taste stored in the freezer but you can store in fridge if you'd rather. Grab and go and Enjoy!

If you would like the nutty way here is that recipe:
1/2 C quick oats
4 scoops whey protein powde
2 T natural peanut butter
1/2 C almond milk
(
Optional: 1/3 C sliced, toasted, slivered almonds
Directions: Mix well and spread into a small container and place in freezer. Remove from freezer after 30 min and cut into 5 or 6 bars. Individually wrap the bars and store in your fridge. Enjoy!!!!

Thank you!

Inspiration

I am a lucky woman but I have been caught up in the daily grind. Its hard to pinpoint why exactly but I have been lacking motivation lately. But today I was given a compliment that really motivated me. A friend told me that one of my posts "inspired her". It felt so good to hear that! It is all I want to do....but don't we all? I realized when she said that that I have been lacking my own inner inspiration and motivation. But just like that, quick like lightening from nice words and a genuine smile my motivation and inspiration are back. She thinks I inspired her? It is words from others, nice smiles, and kind gestures that keep me going. So right back at you fitness babe....YOU inspired me! Thank you so very much for the compliment and for letting me know that my little words have made a difference in your life. You rock!

Save Calories and Money at the Movies!!!!!!

Movie Munching

Last Friday night a friend and I brought 7 children to see the movie Hotel Transylvania (AWESOME movie by the way!). Before leaving our house for the movie the kids and I packed our movie bags. Each child had a snack mix as well as his or her own water bottle to bring into the movie. Sorry movie theaters but America's wallets and waistlines cannot stand your over priced and unhealthy food choices! 

The snacks that I packed for my friend and myself were a baggy each of celery, freshly picked apples for a good crunch, dry roasted edamame for a salty protein snack and of course water and green tea to drink. I always pack my own snacks and bring them anywhere and everywhere I go. I think this all started because I have been "thrifty" my whole life. Also, I have always enjoyed making my own foods instead of relying on foods to purchase in public which may or may not be healthy and are most likely extremely over priced. I didn't think twice about my movie going snack bags until my girlfriend looked at me square in the eyes after leaving the movie and said, "Alaina, You just changed my whole movie going experience!". I asked her what she meant by such an exclamation and she explained that she ALWAYS orders a large popcorn for herself and finishes the entire tub by the end of the movie. She told me that she liked my snacks and felt cleaner after leaving the movie instead of mad at herself for devouring the tub of movie theater popcorn. I was thrilled to hear this of course! 

Another thing I would like to revisit about watching TV or a movie is fidgeting. I absolutely love watching my 5 year old at the movie theater. All 3 of my kids have a ton of energy and are natural movers but he always goes up and down in his seat when he is excited about the movie and moves pretty much any time he sits down (not in an annoying way...I assure you ;-). So while you watch a movie and enjoy your healthy snack do some inner thigh squeezes or some ab crunches while you sit. Wiggle in your seat, laugh, cry and enjoy your time but sit still?....nah, save that for when you sleep!

Check out that protein and fiber!!! They are yummy too!

Its a Miracle!

A Noodle Worth Talking About

I absolutely love Asian food! Yummy noodles smothered with spicy peanut sauce, covered in tons of chicken or tofu and mixed vegetables is definitely one of my favorite meals. But now I have finally found a noodle that I do not have to think twice about eating. The Miracle Noodle may very well be close to a miracle in my book! The directions on the package tell you exactly how to prepare them and it is easier than easy! Just open the package, rinse the noodles, par boil them for 1 minute, drain and dry on paper towels and prepare the way you would any other noodle. In my case I was in the mood for some Asian style so I added a tiny bit of a nice, spicy peanut sauce and stir fried tofu coated in nutritional yeast. It was very flavorful and fulfilled my noodle desire while providing me 0 calories. Yummy!  Click here to find out more about the Miracle Noodle. The funny thing is that the package says 2.5 servings per package but if it is 0 calories who really cares if you eat the whole bag?

Directions are easy! Drain and rinse, par boil for 1 minute, drain and dry.

They have very similar consistency to regular angel hair pasta.

This is the peanut sauce I used...Yummy and so versatile. 

Tofu over Miracle Noodles in the bowl on the left. The bowl on the right is tofu topped with nutritional yeast.

Get your salt fix...the kale way!

Kale Chips....mmm mmm!

Ahhh, its so very close to fall. The crisp mornings running out the door to catch the bus and the sunny afternoons running up the hill from the bus and into the kitchen door make it even more fun to make healthy favorites for my family. My now kindergartner and second grader always come home very thirsty and extremely hungry. Thankfully we have some down time when they get home to enjoy each other and have a big, hearty snack which typically turns into a very early dinner. Today we made kale chips...their way. The boys came home to a bowl of already made kale chips and a huge bunch of kale ready to be prepped by them to make into more chips. They love to eat and thankfully all 3 of my children love to cook. So as Will finished his homework Dean washed, trimmed, tore, salted and sprayed the kale. When it was done we all enjoyed a healthy, fun snack. We were having so much fun cooking that we kept going and prepared our dinner's main course of salmon cakes. I will post that protein, Omega 3 rich recipe later in the week. Just a little teaser....the kids LOVED the salmon cakes too! Score for Mom! High 5's for me!

For the recipe all you need is a bunch of kale that has been washed and dried very well, olive oil spray, salt and pepper!

Just tear the leaves off of the stem, spray the pan with olive oil, then lay the kale in a single layer. Spray a light coating of olive oil on top of the kale, sprinkle salt, pepper and any other seasonings you like (also good with Parmesan cheese!). 

Put in the oven at 350* for 10-15 minutes or until the edges curl and each leaf is very crisp....so crisp it almost melts in your mouth.

Then ENJOY! It is salty and crispy like popcorn but  with tons of vitamins!