1 (16 ounce) package baby carrots
2 Tbsp honey mustard (not the dressing, but the actual mustard)
1 Tbsp. fresh dill, snipped
2 tsp. unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with a thin layer of water.

2. Place the carrots into the saucepan with the water and set over medium high heat. Bring to a steady boil.

3. Reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Continue cooking on low 17 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

4. Drain well and place the carrots in large serving bowl. Stir in the honey mustard being sure to cover the carrots well.

5. Sprinkle the dill over the carrots and top with the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and distributed through the carrots.

You can also use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray instead of the butter. These carrots are great paired with sweet & tangy grilled turkey.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values based on 3/4 cup)

74 calories; 3 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 5 mg cholesterol; 172 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 1 g protein

There are many reasons why weight training is important, but I’m going to hit three of the top.  Remember that in order to bulk up like a body builder you would have to spend hours a day and have a major plan in place.  Body builders do not get that way by working out for 20 minutes 3 days a week. lol

1.  Muscle burns calories.  Even if you aren’t worried about weight loss, who doesn’t want more calories burned everyday?  Very few. lol  Maintenence (staying at your ideal weight) is much more fun when you can splurge on dessert or your favorite, less-healthy foods a couple of times a week.

2.  Strengthens joints and connective tissues.  When you put the extra pressure and tearing on your tendons and ligaments they rebuild to become stronger just like your muscles.  The next time they make that same movement they want to make sure they are even stronger.  Our body always wants to improve it’s workability.  This will help decrease common knee and other joint issues.  By doing your exercises correctly you also improve your flexibility and full range of motion with your joints.

3.  Improves posture and balance.  Stronger muscles will help keep your posture more upright and pain free.  Many know this of course, but what about the balance idea?  Very few people think about their balance until it’s gone.  I have been blessed to watch my seniors fitness class improve dramatically since 2008 by weight training.  Yes, that would be my senior citizen fitness class that is primarily full of women in their 70’s and 80’s. 

These are direct health benefits of weight training.  This doesn’t even touch on all the confidence and emotional improvement you can benefit from while strength training.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup reduced sodium beef broth
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 pound beef sirloin, cut into thin strips
2/3 cup reduced fat cucumber ranch dressing
5 (6 inch) pita bread
2 cups lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 red onion, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Place the beef broth in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the olive oil and garlic. Seal and shake lightly to combine.

2. Sprinkle in the oregano and pepper.

3. Place the beef strips into the bag with the marinade. Seal and shake well to completely cover the beef. Place the bag in the refrigerator at least 2 hours but as long as 24 hours.

4. Drain the beef strips into a colander. Discard any marinade.

5. Spray a skillet with a non stick cooking spray. Add the beef strips and place the skillet over medium heat. Cook the beef strips 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

6. Place the pita flat on a serving plate. Place the lettuce on each slice of pita bread. Layer the beef strips on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle with the chopped tomatoes. Layer with the red onion slices and drizzle the salad dressing over the top.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values per 1 sandwich)

396 calories; 14 g fat; 3 g saturated fat; 51 mg cholesterol. 1,046 mg sodium; 41 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 24 g protein

While it might feel like the baby weight showed up over night, the truth is that it took nine months for your body to gain and while you might not notice it now, with the birth of your baby, you’ve already lost 10 pounds or more. Shocking, but it’s true! With that in mind, it will take a new mom roughly nine months or longer (depending on your activity level) to lose all of the post-partum weight that you’re left over with.

The best quick tip for a new mom workout plan is to start slowly. There’s nothing more important than your health. A crash diet might shed the pounds but rest assured, every pound lost will come back and bring friends with it. Plus you are putting your health at risk and your babies as well if you are breast feeding.

A brisk walk around the block can help you burn calories and give you a much needed dose of the outdoors. Build your walk up to about 20 minutes at a brisk pace. This is enough to help you get a boost of energy and ease into your new mom workout. It’s also an excellent way to change your scenery if you’re feeling stuck indoors.

If you can’t get outside, take that same 20 minutes that you’d devote to a walk outside and do 20 minutes going up and down the stairs. You’re exerting the same amount of energy with the same calorie burning benefits of a walk around the block.

Again start out slowly with a walk every couple of days and slowly build up to three times a week or more. Once you’ve gotten a walk routine down, you can begin adding in other exercises, including weights, Pilates, and cardio.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 pounds beef top sirloin steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups onion, chopped
4 quarts hot water
4 cups carrots, chunked
4 cups potatoes, chunked
4 cups cabbage, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
8 tsp. low sodium beef bouillon
1 tsp. pepper
4 bay leaves
6 cups low sodium tomato juice

Directions:

1. Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the beef cubes and onion to the melted butter and cook 6 minutes or until the beef is browned on all sides and the onion is beginning to get tender.

2. Pour the water into the soup pot. Add the carrots, potatoes, cabbage and green pepper. Stir in the bouillon and pepper. Place the bay leaves into the pot.

3. Turn up to high heat and bring the mixture to a rapid boil. Reduce to medium low, cover the pot and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.

4. Pour the tomato juice into the pot. Re-cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes or until the beef and vegetables are as tender as you like. Discard the bay leaves before serving.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values per one cup of soup)

123 calories; 4 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 34 mg cholesterol; 428 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber; 12 g protein

One hidden “miracle” is called antioxidants. They have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills. It’s spouted how great they are, but what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

Antioxidants are substances that fight the aging process that goes on in your body. They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them. A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The body continually replenishes its cells. Through a process called cellular metabolism, the body produces energy, more cells and repairs any damage. One by-product of cellular metabolism is unstable molecules called free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules that damage your body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron. To get another one and become stable, free radicals will steal electrons from cells. That theft damages the cells in a variety of ways.

The results are visible and invisible changes to our bodies. The development of diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and neurological deficiencies may begin to affect you as you age. Also, skin wrinkles and brittle bones are a problem. Free radicals enter our body from outside sources as well: cigarette smoke, radiation and the sun’s UV rays. The more free radicals we encounter, the greater the damage that can be done.

Antioxidants have been shown to be of great help in the free radical issue. Antioxidant substances combine with free radicals and neutralize them. Once they are neutralized, they can no longer do any damage. Scientists don’t have any idea of a recommended daily dose of antioxidants to correct free radical damage and the diseases that come with age, but they do know that eating foods rich in antioxidants makes a huge difference in how we live.

Where do you find antioxidants? They are all around us. Look no further than your local farmer’s market or produce aisle in the grocery store. Fruits and vegetables contain the principle sources of antioxidants.

Examples of antioxidants include:
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin A
* Vitamin E
* Lutein
* Lycopene
* Beta-carotene

Certain minerals like zinc and selenium also function in the body. They are not antioxidants but they boost the immune system to fight against free radical damage.

Antioxidants are also found in nuts, legumes, cold water fish, seafood and red meat. So, eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and the foods just named will increase the amount of antioxidants in your system and help reduce the incidence of disease. Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form instead of juices brings the benefit of other nutrients found in the foods. Juices also contain a lot of sugar that is not needed by your body.

Food does more than stave off hunger. Natural substances found there can cause us to live longer and stay free of disease as we age. As you can see from the above list, there is a big reason why we’ve been taught to eat fruits and vegetables from all colors of the rainbow. Our bodies thrive on multiple sources of nutrition and science is now able to show us many more reasons why.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 envelope reduce sodium taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) jar low sodium salsa, divided
1 (8 ounce) package low fat cheddar cheese, divided
36 wonton wraps

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray a large skillet with a non stick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Place the chicken into the skillet and sprinkle the taco seasoning over the chicken. Stir slightly to coat the chicken. Cook the chicken 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices run clear.

3. Place the cooked chicken into a mixing bowl. Add the onion to the chicken and toss.

4. Pour in half of the jar of salsa and half of the package of cheese. Stir well to combine.

5. Coat the cups of a mini muffin tin with a non stick cooking spray. Press the wonton wraps into each of the cups. Place the cups into the oven and bake 4 minutes or until a light golden brown.

6. Remove the cups and fill each one with the chicken mixture. Top each cup with the remaining salsa. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on each cup. Bake 8 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted completely.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values based on 2 cups)

124 calories; 3 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 24 mg cholesterol; 408 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrates; trace fiber; 10 g protein

Living here in the Seattle area, I’ve grown up working out in the rain. We’d never have any outdoor sports if we didn’t. lol But as I’ve gotten older I realized how I would change my running regimen a lot because of the rain. Realizing this is the battle. My family has plenty of hats for me to wear and a jacket if I need it.

I also have DVD’s if it’s raining really hard and not safe. I know some have a lot of snow to deal with and that changes things dramatically.

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup sugar substitute
1/3 cup brown sugar substitute
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup 1% buttermilk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add the cocoa, sugar substitutes and baking soda. Mix together well being sure all the ingredients are combined.

3. Pour in the buttermilk and stir until the dry mixture is completely moistened. Fold in the applesauce and continue stirring until the batter is thick and very moist.

4. Spray a cookie sheet well with a non stick cooking spray. Drop 1 mounded tablespoon at a time of the batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. The mounds should look like clumps of mud and can be slightly flattened with a fork if they mound too high.

5. Bake 9 minutes or until the cookies are firm. Cool completely before storing.

Nutritional Information: (Approximate Values based on 1 cookie)

56 calories; 1 g fat; trace saturated fat; trace cholesterol; 44 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; trace fiber; 1 g protein

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? The answer can be in the food that we eat. As you well know, all foods are not created equal. Choosing and eating the right foods may help increase your life expectancy as well as the quality of your life.

Here are ten of the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health!

1. Beans – If they give you gas, take precautions before you eat them. Soaking them first can help. Beans of all kinds (kidney, navy, lentils, chickpeas, Northern) are high in protein. This is plant protein so it contains very little fat, carbs and calories. If fiber is a problem in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.

2. Oatmeal – Oatmeal has become popular as a food that lowers blood cholesterol. You can make it yourself with rolled oats or eat the instant kind if you are in a hurry. Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant. For maximum health benefits, choose the old school rolled oats. Instant oatmeals in packets contain a lot of sugars and have extra processing breaking down their natural fibers.

3. Fruits – Fruits are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A. Antioxidants fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the risk of cancer. Berries such as blueberries and grapes have the highest amount of antioxidants. But choose an array of fruits in a wide variety of colors for maximum health. The antioxidants in fruit boost the immune system to fight the effects of aging in the body.

4. Allium foods – This class of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks and shallots. Garlic is known for lowering cholesterol. Allium vegetables help guard the body against the risk of cancer and many other ailments. They also help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots. Eating these power packed vegetables in their natural state especially garlic increases their health benefits.

5. Salmon – Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis. Wild salmon is a fatty fish but it contains good fats that have been proven to improve health in children and adults. Salmon is rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.

6. Flax seed – Like salmon it contains omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds also contain omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed. Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, eaten with cereal or added to pancake mix to name a few.

7. Peppers – Peppers are colorful. They contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C. Peppers range from mild and sweet to so hot you’ll be calling the fire department. All peppers contain a substance called capsaicin. Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer risk and heart disease. They are good in salads, salsa and all sorts of healthy dishes.

8. Nuts and seeds – Nuts are high in fat but those fats are the good kind. Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios are all providers of good fats and protein. Crush them into a fine powder and use as a coating instead of higher carb bread crumbs. Nuts help to lower cholesterol. Eat them right out of the shell with no additives. Just be aware of your portions.

9. Açai – This berry has been in the news lately. It is rich in antioxidants and increases energy. You can get more done and look better while doing it. You can get Acai juice and supplements in your health food store.

10. Yogurt – The fat free variety is good for you. Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein. If you don’t drink milk, yogurt is an alternative to get your calcium in to build strong bones and teeth. Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help promote a healthy digestive system.

Building a better healthier body begins with what you eat. Try these super foods to get started on the right foot.