French Bread Pesto Pizza

This is prob. not the healthiest thing you could eat but it could be made healthier with home made pesto and maybe on different bread but it’s not so bad and it’s really easy and delicious.

Ingredients:

• French bread
• Pesto spread
• Park skim shredded mozzarella
• tomato

All you do is slice the french bread (or whatever type of roll bread your using) in half and then into the size pieces you want (1 small tomato is enough for 2 halves of about 1/3 of a loaf) then spread the pest on, slice the tomato thing and place on top then sprinkle on the cheese. Then I bake it in the oven at about 375 until the cheese is melted and the bread is a little crispy.

Hawaiian Bbq Pizza

This is the recipe for Hula Pizza from The Biggest Loser Family cookbook! It’s delicious! Here is the recipe!

Makes 1 serving 217 calories.

Ingredients:

• 1 8in low-fat wheat tortilla
• 2tbs bbq sauce (I used sweet baby rays)
• 3 tbs goat cheese crumbled
• 3 tbs shredded canned pineapple drained
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh copped cilantro (I used a little less than an tsp dried)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put tortilla on a baking sheet and bake 2-3 min each side pr until crisp. If air bubbles come up pop them with a fork and press flat with a spatualla.

Remove from oven and top evenly with bbq sauce, pinapple, goat cheese, and cilantro. Bake another 2-4 min or until cheese it melted. Then cut it into 8 mini wedges and serve!

This is listed in the cookbook as a snack but I ate it as a light lunch. Enjoy!

Healthy Mandarin Orange Salmon Recipe

Dinner tonight was mandarin orange salmon with green beans and rice. This is so simple! I am not a fabulous cook by any means and was able to make this entire dinner in 20min.

For the green beans I just used the frozen steam ready green beans. I know they are not the freshest but for someone as short on time as I am most nights they work perfect and keep me on track with my diet. For rice you can really have any wild rice or brown rice. I had rice pilaf tonight because its what I had but wild or brown rice would be healthier. Try and avoid white/bleached rice or packaged rice with a lot of butter. Ok on to the salmon recipe…

What you need:

• Salmon fillet
• Nature’s Promise Mandarin Orange Sauce (this is only 50cals per 2tbs!) 

If you know ahead of time you will be making this I take the skin off the salmon and pour some of the sauce over it and leave it in the fridge for about 30min. You don’t have to do this but it gives it a little time to marinade. Then I just cook the salmon on a baking sheet for about 15min. Maybe a little bit longer depending on the size of the piece. If I have some I usually add a little bit of fresh ginger to the top when baking for some added flavor but you really don’t need to the sauce is very flavorful on its own!

That’s it. Simple and delicious!

Pets can boost your mental health?

I was reading THIS ARTICLE on glamor.com about how pets can boots your mental health and put you in a better state of mind. Pet research shows that pets are great for entriching peoples lives and are a good source of emotional and social support. Also they point out pets often are used to help people suffering with illness and depression.

I have heard of pets being used for children and adults suffering with illnesses and after getting a pet they made a miraculous recovery! I also remember watching a TV show where dogs were given as pets to well behaved inmates in a high security prision. The inmates were responsible for taking care of and training the dog. It taught them responsibility and they seemed to be able to connect with the dogs and people better on an emotional level. It made them better people.

I for one have a dog, Sonny, a black lab who lives with my parents. He is our family pet. He deffienetly knows how to put a smile on your face when your sad. I think dogs espcially (those are the pets I have the most experience with myself) offer a ton of emotional support. Dogs love you uncoditionally you can scold them one minute and the next all is forgotten. I am considering getting another dog since Sonny had to stay with my parents.

What do you guys think on this subject?

My Favorite Shakeology Recipe

Recently I have been replacing my breakfast with the chocolate shakeology. I like to make mine like a smoothie because it keeps me full for a really long time. There are so many good recipes out there but right now I am loving the “banana honeymoon” one. It’s like drinking dessert for breakfast but it’s light at the same time. I find it gives me enough energy to get through my workout or a full morning of work. My first two weeks on shakeology I droped about 5lbs by doing nothing different but replacing one meal a day with it.

You can also drink shakeology as a snack but the way I like to make mine it’s more of a meal. It takes about 2min to blend up and I bring it to the pool or the beach with me in a big 20oz tumbler. I got mine at starbucks.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 banana

1tbs natural peanut butter

1tbs honey

1 scoop choc. shakeology

1c water

ice

Blend it up and your good to go. For more shakeology recipes you can go HERE. They have some good coffee ones that I like to drink in the morning too.

Since starting to drink shakeology daily I have also noticed a decline in my migraines. Before this I got them several times a week now I get them maybe a few times a month, not bad. PLUS I feel way more energized and even was able to cut coffee out of my diet completley, probably due to the TONS of vitamins and good stuff in it. It’s like eating 3 super salads plus some exotic fruits in one glass. If you want more info. on shakeology, whats in it, health benifits, etc please ask!

My Fitness Story

Ever since highschool I have wanted to “lose weight”. I have never been a really heavy person or had more then 20-25lbs to lose. My story isn’t about losing amazing amounts of weight or even having a ripped body. Getting in shape for me has really changed my entire attitude about life.

For the past few years I was depressed and even anxious sometimes about the way I thought I looked. I didn’t have a great attitude and I didn’t think anything would change and to be honest I wasn’t DOING anything to change it so it wasn’t going to change. After trying P90X and not loving the workouts I was discouraged yet again. I thought, “great another workout everyone loves that gives good results but I just can’t stick with” but THEN I saw an add for Chalean Extreme. It looked similar to P90X but more for women. I say this honestly and mean it, Chalene changed my life.

I got the workout and started doing it every day and actually looked forward to my workouts. Chalene was so motivating and positive and I couldn’t help but feel empowered and encouraged. Something just kind of clicked in my head that I wanted to get FIT not “lose weight” to look skinny. I wanted to be in shape and I wanted to do it for myself. Talking to myself in a more positive voice and taking time for myself like Chalene suggested really did work wonders. It may sound cheesey but for the first time ever wanted to get in shape to meet MY goals not to fit in or look a certain way. I LOVED the way I felt when I was working out. I stopped caring so much about what the scale said because I felt so good it really didn’t matter. Then one day two weeks into the program I did weigh myself and to my surprise I had lost 6lbs! It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you are doing something because you WANT to not because you feel you HAVE too.

Then a while after that I met Chalene’s sister Jenelle Summers on twitter. I had seen her in Chalene’s videos and she really inspired me to push more. Through talking to her she introduced me to the world of beachbody coaching and I have never looked back. Through coaching I have met some of the most positive, hard working, and just generally inspiring people I have met in my entire life. I myself have become more positive and have really grown as a person because of beachbody. It’s an amazing feeling to know you can help other people get fit, healthy, and achieve their goals while getting paid and making new friends. My entire attitude has become more postive and I am a happier person over all. I have goals now and ambitions a year ago I would never have dreamed of and now they could be a REALITY. Coaching has given me that extra accountability I need to stay commited to my workouts and to encourage others to do the same. I have more confidence and better self estiem. I don’t talk negitively to myself anymore because it is a waste of time. With commitment, persistence, and a positive attitude I know I can accomplish my goals and that is a great feeling! Surrounding youself with the right people I realized is half the battle. While I may not be at my goal weight yet I’m getting there and with a better attitude and less pressure on myself. It’s a great feeling!

Now I want to pay it forward and help all of you feel just as great about yourselves! For more information on how to become a coach youself please contact me I would love to help you all achieve your financial and fitness goals as well!

The Benifits of Drinking Water

Okay may sound boring but water is actually one of the best things you can put in your body and it’s free. Let me explain why!

Water has zero calories so for people trying to lose weight, hello! water should be your new best friend. It is recommended you drink at least eight 8oz glasses of water per day BUT if your working out too you lose a lot more water than normal through sweat, this is also true just in the warm weather! For those losing water to sweating you should be drinking more like 11-12 glasses of water per day.

Water helps to speed up your metabolism, curb you appetite, flush out toxins, and help increase weight loss. To use water to help increase weight loss you should take your weight and divide it in half—you need to drink that much water during the day to help support weight loss. My dad did the 5yrs ago and lost 15lbs without doing anything else (he had a significant amt of weight to lose). Remembering to drink water is half the battle to bringing a premeasured large bottle of water (or jug) and either pouring it into small bottles or drinking it from that if you don’t mind helps. OR you could always just pack for the day the amount of water bottles you will need to drink.

Drinking water before eating also helps to curb your appetite. Durinking it while eating makes you feel fuller faster so consume the right portion amount.

Water also has many more amazing benefits like helping your skin, helping you stay energized, burn more fat and regulate body temperature.

Hopefully this post has at the very least encouraged you to drink more water. ESPECIALLY if your trying to lose weight and get in shape!

Healthy Quesidilla Recipe

This is a recipe a friend gave to me a long time ago from a Spanish exchange student staying with them. She called it a quesidilla but it’s more of a “fresh” burrito!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, diced small
• 1 jalapeno, chopped very small
• cilantro
• lemon juice
• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• Whole wheat tortillas
• 2% red. fat Mild Cheddar, shredded

1. Mix the diced tomatoes, diced onion, jalapeno, cilantro (add to taste), lemon juice (1tbs or add to taste). Set aside and refridgerate.

2. Cook the cubed chicken in a skillet w/ a SMALL amount of olive oil or cooking oil of your choice until the chicken is cooked all the way through. The chicken should be cut into small cubes beforehand.

3. Place a torilla on a griddle or in a skillet on LOW heat and add some cheese, melt the cheese. Take the torilla off the griddle and add a few pieces of chicken, a few scoops of salsa. Add light sour cream and guacamole if you want. Just make sure you go LIGHT on these if you do to avoid adding a ton of extra calories.

When to replace your workout shoes!

It is recommended for runners to replace their shoes every 350-500 miles. On average this is every 6-9 months.  Runners who weigh more or are harder on their shoes would be on the lower end of this figure. Over time the shoes lose their stability and the soles break down so they are able to absorb less shock and this can lead to more injury.

Another rule of thumb to see if your shoes need to be replaced. Twist them. Do the soles bend easily? If they do…time to replace them!

For those of us who are not runners the 6-9 month rule is still a good rule of thumb and the sole test is a good way to see if they need to be replaced sooner. Having a good pair of supportive shoes is really importaint for your workout to prevent injury and get the most out of your workout.

Healthy Recipe- Hummus and veggie wrap

My favorite new lunch spot has an awesome hummus and veggie wrap that I love but don’t want to be spending $6.5 everyday to order it. So I modified it a little 2 make it at home! It’s delicious and really healthy so I thought I would share.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 whole wheat tortilla or wrap
• 1-2 tbs of roasted red pepper hummus (depending on size of tortilla)
• cucumber slices length wise (thin)
• carrot shavings
• avacado slices
• green peppers
• tomato slices (thin)
• small amt. of low fat/low cal red wine vinaigrette drizzled on 

Sometimes I also add-

• sm amount of crispy wonton noodles for some crunch
• bean sprouts
• Lettuce

I also switch up the flavor vinegrette or hummus flavor to change it up sometimes. You really can add anything you want to it or subsitute any of the veggies for ones you like.

Enjoy!