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The 9 Dirtiest Places in Your Kitchen

May 13, 2013 in Food, Info, Organic, Recipes, Tools with 1 Comment

kitchen

I often blog about what to eat, what not to eat, what exercises to do, and how to cook. Today’s blog is about the dirtiest spots in the average kitchen. I almost didn’t share this article, but then I thought to myself “we use our kitchen to support our healthy lifestyle… why not!?” After reading this article, I bet you will be heading to your kitchen to do some cleaning in some spots you never really thought about cleaning…

I found this article on Organic Authority’s website, which I highly recommend for all types of health related information. You can find the original article HERE.

 

THE DIRTIEST PLACES IN YOUR KITCHEN

1. Vegetable Compartment in the Refrigerator
Because of all the veggies that visit this compartment weekly, this compartment was found to contain listeria and salmonella. Be sure to wash this compartment with soap and water monthly. Organic Authority also recommends storing your veggies above your raw meats.

2. Meat Compartment in the Refrigerator
Once again, this compartment is likely to house bacterias! Be sure to clean this container monthly, at minimum.

3. Blender Gasket
This is the rubber part of the blender at the bottom where it seals the blender. This study found yeast, mold, E. coli, and salmonella. Gross! To avoid these awful germs, authorities recommend disassembling your entire blender before cleaning to clean the hard to reach places.

4. Can opener
I have to be honest, I don’t know the last time I cleaned my can opener. Because this is used to open foods off all shapes and sizes, this utensil should be rinsed with soapy water every time you use it!

5. Rubber spatula
If your spatula can disassemble into handle and spatula, watch out! Be sure to take apart your spatula each time you use it to be sure it is entirely clean. If cleaned improperly, this too can house yeast, mold, and E. coli.

6. Water Dispenser in the Refrigerator
Because of the amount of moisture constantly living in this compartment, mold grows all to easily. It is recommend that you clean your dispenser by running a water and vinegar solution through the dispenser, a “how to” you can find in your refrigerator manual.

7. Ice Dispenser in the Refrigerator
This too is moist and an easy place for mold to grow. To clean this compartment, turn off the ice, pull out the ice container and clean with hot soapy water, and allow it to dry completely before putting it back in the freezer.

8. Knife Block
If you do not wash and DRY your knives properly, your knife block can grow some nasty mold in the tiny slots. Be sure to clean knives in hot water and allow them to dry standing up and dry completely before putting them back in the knife block. You can also clean the knife block by cleansing with hot soapy water and letting it dry upside completely.

9. Rubber Seals on Food Storage Containers
We probably all have wonderful storage containers that have a rubber seal or some difficult groove to reach at the top of the container. Be sure to clean these containers completely and dry them before putting away!

 

After reading this article, I am thankful I clean my kitchen as often as I do. When you use your kitchen as often as most of us do, you want to be sure you are cleaning food and containers properly so that the healthy food you are consuming does not contain unwanted germs and dangerous bacterias.

2 Reasons to Pack Your Meals

April 22, 2013 in breakfast, Calories, Food, Protein, Tools, vegetarian burger with 5 Comments

healthy lunch

Here’s yet another simple trick to stay healthy and save money: pack your lunch!

Pack a lunchbox (stylish or not) and prepare your meals at home for the next day and coming work week. By packing your own meals, you get to regulate what enters your mouth and how healthy it is.

WHY SHOULD I PACK A LUNCH?

1. You will save money.
Eating out at $10, 5 days a week, adds up to $200 a month, just on LUNCH. Packing your lunch will never hit that astronomical number unless you start packing rare exotic animals to eat.

2. You will save calories.
Eating out uneducated will cost you about 1000 calories per meal, while packing a lunch should cost you only 500 each day. Do the math here, and in one month’s time, you’ve eaten an extra 10,000 calories.
That’s 3 pounds my friends!

3. You will never regret saying no to unhealthy foods.
Too many of us watch coworkers and friends eat out for lunch almost every day and make terrible choices. It can be tempting to go out and enjoy what seems to be “better” food, but  feeling disgusting is never better.

EXCUSES

1. I don’t have enough time in the morning.
PACK IT THE NIGHT BEFORE. Packing my food the night before, helps me make good food choices and causes me to carefully measure out my food portions. Packing last minute in the morning would either cause me to be late or throw pre-packaged unhealthy food in my lunchbox.

You can ask my husband- come 9 o clock I make sure my lunch is packed in the right containers, fruit is washed, portions are measured, and it is stored in the fridge. I even go as far as getting my coffee in the filter so I only hit “Brew” when I get to the kitchen on my way out to work.

2. I don’t know what to pack.
LET ME TELL YOU WHAT I PACK:

Breakfast-a banana and instant flax oatmeal
Midmorning snack- 2 oz chicken and string cheese (both for the straight protein), usually accompanied by a piece of fruit
Lunch- 200 calories of either soup, chili, or a veggie burger, and a container of Greek yogurt with Chia seeds
Mid afternoon snack- CLIF Builder’s bar

This all puts me at only 1200 calories going into dinner.

 

In addition, if I know there’s an event later with unhealthy food I don’t enjoy spending my calories on, I will pre-pack a dinner. Packing my dinner ensures that I enjoy what I eat and intake foods my body loves, all while saving money and calories.

 

Recipe: Quinoa Chicken Soup

March 21, 2013 in Calories, Food, Info, Recipes, Tools, Uncategorized with 0 Comments

You may be thinking “quin-what!?” That word is quinoa (keen-wah), and is a grain high in protein and fiber! In fact, quinoa is a perfect protein because it contains all of the essential amino acids! It is perfect by itself or is great added to soups, chilis, salads, and more.

This recipe is one we tried not too long ago and really loved. It has a basic chicken soup flavor, with the quinoa adding a nice nuttiness to it as well. Once again, I recommend doubling it and freezing some so you have a quick go to meal in a couple weeks!

QUINOA CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients

2 TBLSP olive oil
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup scallions or onions, chopped
2 cups water
3 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and uncooked
2 cups chicken, diced and chopped (I recommend buying rotisserie chicken & shredding it)
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 TSP garlic powder
1/2 TSP black pepper
1/2 TSP salt

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 2 TBLSP olive oil over medium high heat. Add in celery, carrots, and onions and saute until browned (about 5 minutes).

2. Stir in 2 cups of water and 3 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil.

3. Add in the rest of the ingredients (through the salt), and reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes. You can adjust seasonings as needed at this point.

Serves: 8 one cup servings

 

You Should Be Eating Cake

March 13, 2013 in Calories, Desserts, Food, Info, Tools, Weight with 1 Comment

You should be eating cake. I’m serious.

Today is my birthday. I think birthdays should be celebrated and celebrated big. For me this means eating cake. (White cake with buttercream frosting is my favorite).

I love desserts. I love QUALITY desserts. I recommend eating dessert and doing it often.

Here are my 3 pointers:

1. Eat a small portion.

2. Make it worth it.

3. Don’t repeat the process in the same sitting.

Too often we are given the option of eating really crappy foods, and we eat them anyway. I have learned that some sweets are never worth it. Personally, I don’t care for brownies so I never waste my calories on them. BUT good cake and good cupcakes get me every time. I love good cake.

How do you decide if the dessert is worth it?

1. Who made it? 
Is it a cheap Walmart cookie? Probably not worth it. Did a baker you know and love make it? Indulge.

2. Do you even like it?
If you’re a cheesecake person, why are you eating the peanut butter cookies? If you like cake like I do, why are you snacking on the brownies from a box?

3. Do you really need two servings?
If I know what’s about to be served at a party, I commit to only eat ONE serving. Most of the time I am successful, but then sometimes the cake is just too good. Once again, it’s always cake. I can’t help it.

 

All this to say, these rules apply almost every day of the year. Except birthdays. Today I plan on eating any amount of cake or birthday dessert I want. However, it will be good dessert and I will know who made it, which means it will be worth however much I put into my mouth.

Sweet Potato Chips

February 14, 2013 in Food, Recipes, Tools with 3 Comments

Last week I posted my favorite black bean burger recipe. The sweet potato chips I am about to share are my favorite side dish along those black bean burgers, grilled chicken, a beef hamburger, or any main entree really.

You will need:

2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes (count about 1 potato per person at the meal)

Olive oil

Cinnamon

Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. They will cook well without parchment paper, but this makes clean up much easier. (Tip: to get parchment paper to stick to cookie sheet, spread a tiny amount of butter in each corner and press down parchment paper.)

2. Wash sweet potatoes and peel. After sweet potatoes are peeled, cut horizontally to create circle shaped chips that are about 1/4 inch thick. Each sweet potato should yield several chips.

3. Place sweet potato chips in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Only use enough olive oil to lightly coat the sweet potatoes after being mixed and tossed in the bowl.

4. Place lightly coated chips on the parchment paper so chips don’t overlap or do so just barely if necessary. Sprinkle salt and cinnamon on all chips, you decide how much flavor you want. I tend to do only a little bit of salt and lots of cinnamon! So good.

5. Place olive oil, cinnamon, and salt coated chips in the oven. Bake at 430 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until soft.

Enjoy! The parchment paper keeps the sweet potatoes softer while the bare cookie sheet makes them crispier and more chip-like. You decide what sounds best!

Info:

One 5″ sweet potato contains 112 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and a healthy dose of beta-carotene! This brightly colored vegetable is much healthier than a plain old potato and is great cooked like this or baked in the oven whole for about an hour and a half.

 

Get cooking! Let me know how these turn out.

 

My Resolution for You in 2013

January 7, 2013 in Food, Tools, workouts with 6 Comments

2011-year-resolution

I sit here on this first Sunday afternoon of 2013 writing this blog while listening to the football playoffs in the background. I am so honored to be able to write for you guys, my readers.

That being said, here is my New Year’s Resolution (well, one of them):
I will blog constantly. Not every day but my goal for you is at least 2 posts a week. Information, recipes, workouts, and anything else you want to read about.

I apologize for the lack of blogs the past few months as I settled into marriage and a new job. Now it’s a new year and a new start- back to the blogging, which is one of my favorite things!

So please answer me this-
1. What would you like to read about on the blog in 2013?
2. What are your resolutions? Be careful telling me your fitness goals, I’m a really good accountability partner…

2013 is going to be a fantastic year!
Full of sweat, pain, and maybe some nausea and tears (all from a good workout of course)!

Here’s to you, who make blogging possible! How can I help you this year?

Weight Loss Rules You Can Break

July 30, 2012 in breakfast, Calories, Food, Info, Running, Tools, Weight, workouts with 0 Comments

We have probably all heard enough “rules” about weight loss to make us want to throw in the towel completely, eat our favorite foods until we can’t move, and start it all over again the next day.

But here’s the good news: some of those “rules” are breakable. Let’s talk about which rules you can break without being left hanging out to dry with extra chub around your middle. These rules plus a few more were found in Shape Magazine.

1. You don’t have to eat 5-6 small meals a day.
Some of us are not snackers. We eat healthy, satisfying meals and don’t need snacks to sustain us. Don’t feel bad if you don’t prepare snacks every day. Sometimes snacking actually just makes us chubbier.

2. You can skip a morning workout to sleep.
Don’t do this all the time, but it is okay every once in awhile. When sleep deprived, your brain produces less of the hormone that helps signal being full, which leads to overeating during sleep deprivation.

3. You can skip your super intense workout for the week every once in awhile.
Sometimes constant high-intensity carb and fat burning workouts just leave us ravenous. I know I’ve been guilty of exercising and overeating later because of my earlier workout.

 4. You can splurge every now and then.
If you’re going to splurge, go big and don’t look back. And only do it for ONE DAY! Your body will get rid of the bad stuff when you only put it in occasionally. Also, changing up the amount of calories you eat (low to high) can increase fat burn because it keeps your body guessing.

5. You can avoid the scale.
More often than not, people seem to get in condemnation over that stupid number on the bathroom scale. It’s okay to only weigh yourself at the doctor’s office as long as you have other accountability. Have a pair of every day jeans and have that pair that only fits right when you’re making good choices.

 

Don’t feel overwhelmed by weight loss rules. None of us can follow them all, nor should we have to. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you don’t understand something or feel stuck. I hope you constantly feel better about yourself because of the choices you made.

One Time You Are in Danger No Matter How Fit You Are

June 28, 2012 in Info, Running, Tools, Weight, workout in heat, workouts with 5 Comments

What season just began? That’s right, summer.
And summer means swimming pools, barbecues, friends, and extreme heat.

No matter how fit you are, the heat of the summer can be extremely dangerous.

Last summer the news reported that the group of people in the Hospital ER most frequently were very in shape people who had pushed too hard in the summer heat. Being in shape does not mean you are exempt from the extreme temperatures during the summer seasons.

While you can exercise outside during the summer, please be aware of a few things:

1. Your exercise regimen will likely be cut in half because you are physically incapable of performing at the same intensity as when the temperature is lower. Don’t feel bad if you can only run 2 miles instead of 4. It’s NORMAL.

2. The heat will tell you when you should be done. Do not ignore your body when you decide to exercise in the summer heat. If you feel nauseous or light headed, STOP.

3. Once the outside temperature is higher than  your internal temperature (98.6 degrees), your body has no point of reference to begin cooling down while you exercise. You only get hotter when the temperature is above 98 degrees.

4. HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE! Don’t you dare go exert energy in the heat before you down at least 16 oz of water. Drink water and then drink some more.

 

Recap:
Use wisdom, slow down, stay cool, and drink water.
It’s not cool to get heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

 

8 Ways Skinny People Stay Skinny

June 4, 2012 in Calories, Desserts, Food, Info, Protein, Tools, Weight, workouts with 2 Comments

Ever wondered how in the world some people always stay so skinny? There are some general guidelines that will help on your quest to be healthier. Stick to these and be one of the skinny people you once talked about!
Prevention magazine tells us all about it here.

8 Things Skinny People Do:

1. Choose satisfied over stuffed
I had to learn to stop eating before I ever got full. If you start to feel full, you may have already eaten too much. Always err on the side of  smaller portions so you don’t overeat. It feels much better to be satisfied than full.

2. Don’t freak out over hunger.
Normally, we run for the nearest food when our stomach gives a slight growl, but this isn’t necessary. It’s okay to get a little off schedule or keep your body guessing when you start to feel hungry.

3. Don’t cure sadness with food.
Cure sadness with some rest and exercise, but NOT food. That will only leave you feeling sad AND fat.

4.  Eat more fruit.
Fruit is high fiber and so good for you. Fruits pack antioxidants and other vitamins your body needs to stay healthy.

5. Be a person of habit.
Thin people tend to stick to the same main foods in their diet. I eat black beans every day when I can- it’s good for me and I make it a priority. Thin people throw some surprises every once in a while, but they habitually eat the same foods to stay thin.

6. Have self control.
Skinny people say  no and do it well. Need help? Just copy someone you know who has self control at a party and only eat what they eat when they eat it. It may help you better gauge what your food and portions should look like.

7. Move and shake.
Skinny people are on their feet more, which means they burn more calories daily. Make a point to wear a pedometer and take extra steps, the stairs. Heck- do exercises in your cubicle for a 5 minute break. After moving during the day, go home and exercise, toning muscles and shedding fat.

8. Go to sleep.
Sleep is huge for health. Sleep deprived people consume an average of 300 more calories daily- when you’re tired, your inhibitions are lowered and your brain tells you that you’re hungry, even though you’re not. Get some rest!

 

These rules are truly ones to live by!
Once I figured these 8 things out, it was much easier to maintain the weight and size I desired.

How to Survive the Wedding

May 31, 2012 in Calories, Desserts, Food, Info, party food, Tools with 1 Comment

Tomorrow I say “I Do” to the man of my dreams!

Here’s how I recommend surviving the wedding food. My reception is a dessert reception where there will be not only wedding cake but gourmet desserts from an executive chef. Honestly, I recommend trying it all.

I may be partial to my own wedding, but when food this good is laying around, why would  you NOT try it?

When Given Gourmet Food:

1. Try one of everything.
If it looks good, try it. Special foods won’t be lying around the next day, so seize the moment when you have the opportunity to use your calories for amazing dishes.

2. Stop when you’re full.
Try it all and stop when you’re full. Don’t overeat because then you no longer enjoy the food, and you’re just wasting calories and feeling bigger and nastier by the second.

3. Enjoy eating splurge foods.
If you’re going to splurge, ENJOY IT! Savor every bite of all the desserts you want to eat.

 

Surviving a wedding is doable.
But if the food is really that good (and trust me it will be that good), then just eat up and work out on Saturday!

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