GET ENERGIZED FOR YOUR DAY WITH A LEMON REFRESHER

Lemon water is a great way to start your day. Lemons are a great source of Vitamin C, folate and potassium and have natural detoxification properties, not to mention, a great addition to water. 

I try to start my day with a nice big glass of Lemon Refresher. It is incredibly simple to put together. First, cut a fresh lemon in half. Remove the seeds. Fill a shaker cup with 1 cup or more of filtered water. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon in your glass, being sure to include the pulp. Add some ice, then secure the lid and shake. After a few seconds, you are ready to go. It is best to drink it while it's fresh to get the greatest benefit. 

Drink up for a nice refreshing and energizing morning drink or anytime during the day.

*Note-Since lemons can damage the enamel on your teeth, rinse your mouth with fresh water and/or brush your teeth after drinking. Interesting fact, soda is far worse on your enamel then lemon juice.

CLEAN TACO LETTUCE WRAPS

Taco night just got a little bit better! Taco Lettuce Wraps are a great alternative to traditional tacos and healthier. I found a great recipe @thetaylor-house.com and put my spin on it. Check out their website for the original recipe :)

CLEAN TACO LETTUCE WRAP RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/4 chopped white onion (optional)
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
1 cup grape tomatoes chopped or sliced in half or fresh salsa
1 cup low fat mexican blend shredded cheese or fat free shredded cheese
1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered (you can also use hearts of romaine)
Optional - nonfat greek yogurt or sour creme (for topping)

Directions

• Cook beef and onion over medium high heat in large pan.
• When cooked drain beef and reduce heat to simmer.
• Mix in taco seasoning and add water with beef. Continue cooking for about a minute. 
• Unwrap lettuce and place 1/4 cup or desired amount of taco meat in lettuce boat. Add desired amount of cheese and tomatoes. Top with additional toppings if desired.

ZUCCHINI CRISPS

I recently have developed a small addiction to zucchini. It's a great addition to dishes or all by itself. This is perfect to satisfy that salt and pepper craving from frugalfreebiesanddeals.com. Actually, I think these are way better tasting than potato chips. Crazy, I know. The downside is that they take a long time to make a dehydrator and this recipe only makes one serving since the zucchini shrink down a great deal when dehydrated. It is very easy though. I started making several batches at a time to have a few on hand :) 

Ingredients

• 1 lb (about 4 cups) thin sliced Zucchini
• ¼ tsp salt (I used sea salt)
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp olive oil or coconut oil (this can be omitted or you can use olive oil spray)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Cut zucchini into thin slices, about 1/16-1/8 inch slices. If you don't want them as crispy, you can make the slices thicker. A slicer is so much easier but not required.
• In a medium bowl whisk salt, pepper, olive oil (if used), and vinegar (the dressing)
• Add sliced zucchini
• Toss with the “dressing” to coat.
• Arrange slices on dehydrator trays
• Dehydrate at 135 degrees for 5-6 hours or until crispy

BBQ CHICKEN & PINEAPPLE QUESADILLAS

I picked up this delightful recipe from Danielle Green. She has a great blog full of delcious recipes. Find the original recipe @ kraftedkoch.com. 

This is a meal the whole family will love. I added a few modifications that I used in parenthesis to reduce calories for an equally delicious dish. 

BBQ CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOK TIME:  2 hours
TOTAL TIME:  2 hours 15 mins
Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 8 wheat 10" whole wheat tortillas (I used Tomaro's 60 cal multi-grain tortillas)
• 1 lb. lean skinless chicken breasts
• 1 c. BBQ sauce (low sugar) Baby Rib's sweet & Spicy BBQ sauce adds extra sweetness plus a kick (I would reduce the pinapple amount a bit for this one)
• 1 c. onion diced
• 4 c. fresh pineapple sliced thinly (I only used 2 cups)
• 2 c. shredded cheddar (low fat or non-fat)
• non-stick spray
• Optional ½ c. BBQ sauce for spreading on tortillas and cilantro 

INSTRUCTIONS

• Spray your Crock Pot with pan spray, and add the onions, chicken breasts and 1 c. BBQ sauce. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
• Let the chicken cool for 10 minutes, then with two forks begin shredding the meat. Stir the mixture well to combine the meat and sauce.
• On each tortilla half, spread ½ c. meat mixture. On the other half, layer 1 Tbsp. BBQ sauce, ¼ c. cheese and ½ c. pineapple slices. Fold the quesadillas together and spray each side with pan spray.
• Place quesadillas on a hot griddle or frying pan and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes until crispy.
• Remove from heat, and slice in three sections. Serve immediately.

LIGHT CHIPOTLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Here is another delicious recipe from kraftedkoch.com. Check out her original recipe here.

Serves: 4-6

PREP TIME:  10 mins     
COOK TIME:  40 mins     
TOTAL TIME:  50 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bell peppers
• ½ lb. lean ground chicken, turkey or beef
• ½ yellow onion diced
• ⅔ c. brown rice cooked
• ½ c. corn
• ½ c. black beans
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• 1 can 16oz fresh or pre-made salsa
• ¾ c. non fat or low fat shredded cheddar cheese
• ¾ c. tortilla chips crushed - this can be omitted to reduce calories/carbs/sodium
• Nonfat Greek Yogurt - optional
• Chopped cilantro - optional

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat your oven to 350°.
• Cut your bell peppers lengthwise and remove all of the seeds. Place peppers cut side down on a greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large saute pan sprayed with non-stick spray, add diced onions. Cook for a few minutes until tender and add chicken. With a wooden spoon break up the chicken so it is crumbled into small pieces.
• Once the chicken is cooked through, add the rice, salsa, corn, black beans and spices and remove from the heat.
• Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and arrange the bell pepper halves, cut side up. Spoon the meat and rice mixture into the peppers and top with 2 Tbsp shredded cheese and then 2 Tbsp crushed tortilla chips.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven and serve warm with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

THE SECRET SAUCE FOR FAT LOSS IN 7 MINUTES: HIGH-INTENSITY CIRCUIT TRAINING

High-Intensity workouts have become the latest and greatest craze in the fitness world. Crossfit, personal trainers, and fitness experts all over the world now incorporate these short bursts of max effort followed by even shorter rest periods into their fitness programs. Why? Because they work. Scientific evidence has proven that this style of workouts not only burns serious calories, but they also have the potential to torch fat and rev up your metabolism for up to 72 hours (The American Academy of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Journal 2013).  Alternating short bursts of high-intensity exercises and rest periods less than 30 seconds appears to have a substantial impact on subcutaneous fat, suggested to be due to a rise in growth hormone and catecholamines in the blood. 

Please note that this style of workouts is not suggested for beginners or certain health conditions. Please consult your health provider prior to beginning any workout regimen. Using your body weight as resistance increases the level of intensity and utilizes multiple muscle groups to optimize results in a short amount of time. 

How to build your workout

Each workout should consist of 9-12 exercises, lasting a little longer than 7 minutes, The 7 minute workout can then be repeated 2-3 times. It is important to warm up and stretch the entire body prior to beginning your workout to reduce the risk of injury and reach max intensity levels for the entire 7 minute workout. Each 30 second exercise is followed by only 10 seconds of rest. 30 seconds on average has been tested to be a sufficient amount of time to maintain max heart rate without compromising proper form. Failure to reach max intensity during each exercise compromises the effectiveness of the program. In order for HICT to have the greatest level of effectiveness, the level of intensity used to perform each exercise should be at max effort for 30 seconds. 

Workouts should be well rounded by targeting a multiple muscle groups and opposing muscle groups should be used in concurrent exercises throughout the order of the workout. Example: complete push ups and rest period followed by squats. This will target your upper body for the first move and lower body for the second to allow muscle groups to have rest periods and help sustain proper form for the 30 second duration of each exercise.

Sample workout

Exercises are performed for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds of transition time between bouts. Total time for the entire circuit workout is approximately 7 minutes. The circuit can be repeated 2 to 3 times.

1. Jumping Jacks- Total Body

2. Wall Sit- Lower Body

3. Push-up- Upper body

4. Abdominal crunch- Core

5. Step-up onto chair- Total body

6. Squat- Lower body

7. Triceps dip on chair- Upper body

8. Plank- Core

9. High knees/running in place- Total body

10. Lunge- Lower body

11. Push-up and rotation- Upper body

12. Side plank- Core

BANANA SILVER DOLLAR PROTEIN PANCAKES

Babyfood isn't just for babies. Being the mom of an infant means I have plenty of baby food on hand. So I pulled out a box of his Organic Whole Grain Oatmeal Cereal with Bananas, which is actually made out of oat flour, and ended up making some pretty delicious, healthy and completely satisfying pancakes. 

Even Bradley loved these and was begging for more. Of course, I did not let him have any with the sugar free syrup. I try to avoid feeding him anything "chemically engineered or unnatural" if possible. 

Banana Silver Dollar Protein Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup liquid 100% egg whites
• 1/2 cup Organic Whole Grain Oatmeal Cereal with Bananas (I used Earth's Best but you can use anything similar)
• Optional Toppings: Fresh fruit, sugar free or light maple syrup, cinnamon, honey, peanut butter or PB2. You can also add a tsp of stevia to your first 2 ingredients or after your pancakes are prepared for additional sweetness.   

Directions

• In a bowl mix egg whites and cereal. This will thicken in once mixed and should be the consistency of a light paste. You can add additional egg whites to make it thinner if you would like.
• Preheat a griddle or frying pan on medium high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray (I used the butter flavor). 
• Spoon out small amounts of the batter and add directly to frying pan or griddle. I made 3 silver dollar pancakes with this recipe, however, you can make it into 1 or 2 or even double the recipe for more. 
• Reduce heat to medium to avoid burning your pancakes. 
• After about a minute, flip each pancake with a spatula and continue cooking until each side is browned. 
• Add to your plate and top with syrup and sliced fruit. Yum Yum!!

Nutrition

Serving Size: the entire recipe :)

Calories 160

Fat: 2 g

Sat Fat: 0 g

Carbohydrates: 18 g

Fiber: 2 g

Protein: 16 g 

THE PERFECT SUMMERTIME TREAT: FROZEN GREEN GRAPES

Who would have thought the delightfully crisp and refreshing taste of green grapes could get any better and it is incredibly easy to do. 

Start by rinsing your grapes thoroughly or letting them soak for 15 minutes in a bath of 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. This little trick will clean and eliminate any bacteria that may have found a nice home on the grapes. Let dry and remove steps. 

You can also leave the stems on but like to pop them off before freezing for a nice grab-in-go snack. 

To prevent freezer damage, throw them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. I put about a cup or one serving in individual freezer bags. It usually takes several hours to freeze. Then when you're ready for a refreshing treat, pull out a bag and enjoy. 

COCONUT CRUSTED SALMON

In Sonnet's Kitchen serves up tastefully delightful meal jam packed full of Omega-3. Whether you are aiming for a healthy meal or just a good-food-lover, this one is for you. Check out the original recipe @ insonnetskitchen.com

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup coconut flour

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 organic, free-range egg, beaten
1 & 1/2 pounds wild salmon, skinned and sliced into 4 pieces (You can also use thawed frozen fillets)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix the coconut flour, shredded coconut, and salt together in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
• Dip the salmon in the egg and coat both sides with the coconut mixture. Lay flat on a sheet pan.
• Bake the salmon for 15 - 20 minutes, flipping once, until the salmon is cooked (the internal temperature should be above 135 degrees F) and the coconut crust is slightly browned and crisp. Serve warm.

Note: to make the crust crispier and add more color, broil the salmon for the last 5 minutes of the cooking process.

HOW TO SELECT WHAT SALMON TO BUY

It is no secret that Salmon is probably one of my favorite foods. It may seem hard to believe, but as a child fish was the last thing that would have landed on my plate. Now, I could honestly eat Salmon daily. Of course, not all Salmon is created equal. I have found that there is an enormous difference in fresh Salmon verses what you may find in the frozen section of your local grocery store. Unfortunately, eating fresh Salmon daily may empty your bank account pretty quickly. So, I tend to shop around for the deals. Out of curiosity I started doing some research to find which variety was the best one to choose. This is what I found.

Imported Atlantic Salmon
Other names: Farmed salmon

Most Atlantic salmon come from farms in Chile, Norway, and Canada, and they have elicited a litany of environmental complaints.

Chilean farms, in particular, pollute the waters where fish are raised with antibiotics and waste. On the other hand, farms in Maine and Eastern Canada are government regulated to keep their impact low, says Barry Costa-Pierce, PhD, professor of fisheries and aquaculture at the University of Rhode Island, in Narragansett. 

Supermarkets in the U.S. are required by law to label the country of origin of many foods, including seafood.

U.S. Atlantic salmon
Other names: U.S. farmed salmon

Farmed Atlantic Salmon is a great option. Nutritionally, they are just as good as wild. "I lump wild and farmed salmon together," says Charles Santerre, PhD, a professor of food toxicology at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind. Farmed Atlantic salmon often contains at least as many omega-3s as wild salmon, because they're raised on a diet of other omega-3-rich fish.

Alaskan or Wild Caught Salmon
Other names: Chum, keta, king, pink, red, sockeye, sake

Wild salmon are caught off the coast of Alaska or the Pacific Northwest. If you have the choice between those two areas, opt for Alaskan salmon because the populations are not as depleted, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Either way, Costa-Pierce says U.S. salmon fisheries are kept in close check so they don’t take too many fish from the ocean.


By going wild, you’ll get a firmer, less fatty fish. While it is still just as healthy as farmed, Santerre says the wild variety is a slightly gamier-tasting fish.

You may not know if your store has coho because, like other species of wild salmon, it’s just labeled wild.

Coho Salmon
Other names: Silver salmon

Coho are smaller and eat less than other salmon, resulting in fewer polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which may cause cancer. (Mercury is not a concern in either wild or farmed salmon.)


Many experts say the risk posed by PCBs is outweighed by salmon’s omega-3 benefits. But David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at University at Albany, in New York, says people should have only one meal a month of most salmon. But with coho, he says, you can have an "almost unlimited consumption."

Canned salmon
Brand names: Bumble Bee, Wildcatch, Chicken of the Sea

What happens if you can’t find environmentally friendly farmed salmon where you shop? And wild salmon costs about twice as much, plus it isn’t always available between October and May. Then what?

Canned salmon is a good way to get wild salmon cheaper and year-round (most brands use wild Alaskan salmon), along with all the same nutritional benefits of salmon, Santerre says.


But you might have to taste-test a few brands to find the flavor and texture you like best.