Spiced Green Beans

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound fresh green beans
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh ground cracked pepper to taste


Directions:

Heat olive oil and add green beans, sauté for 2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and sauté for approximately 10 minutes or to desired tenderness. (Stir frequently)

Enjoy

Breakfast Burrito

These are so amazing and so simple, you can add some cheese, beans, and sour cream and make dinner (minus the eggs).

Ingredients:

2 Farm fresh eggs
3 Ounces lean ground turkey
1 Handful of Trader Joe's Roasted Bell Peppers and Onions
1 Handful of baby spinach
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt - to taste
Fresh ground pepper - to taste
Garlic powder - to taste
Mustard powder - to taste
2 Truly Handmade Flour Tortillas (Trader Joe's)

Directions:

Brown ground turkey, add frozen bell peppers and onions, once thawed add spices and eggs. Cook for about two minutes until "scrambled", add spinach and cook to desired texture. Warm tortillas, I still throw them on the open burner! :) 

Enjoy!

Maria Craddock

5 Cheap Meals You Can Make On A Budget

Eating healthy does not have to be expensive.
If that’s the excuse you’ve been using to put off improving your diet, I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s simply not true. Healthy food doesn’t mean $10 juices and $12 açaí bowls and so on. Healthy food doesn’t have to be elite. It also doesn’t have to be boring.

Sure, there won’t be much filet mignon on the menu, and you might opt for a 50-cent apple instead of a $5 basket of blackberries, but if you are willing to cook, there are a plethora of low-cost meals available at your fingertips. Also, meal planning can help reduce food costs. Before picking your recipes, look at store circulars before you shop and build your menu around what’s on sale that week. Shop the bulk bins for dry goods like whole grains, legumes, dried fruits, and nuts, and buy just what you need.

To test this “eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive” theory, we compiled a list of my favorite recipes from the Beachbody Blog and calculated how much a serving of each costs using prices gathered at Ralph’s, a Southern California branch of Kroger supermarkets. Since sale items change every week, we relied instead on the normal retail price. Also, we did not include the cost of common pantry items such as olive oil, vinegar, spices, honey, and maple syrup.

Savory Slow Cooker Beans with RiceCost per serving: 70¢
Beans and rice are staple foods in many cultures for a reason: they’re cheap and can easily be transformed into a variety of meals.

Let this savory bean dish cook all day and have dinner ready when you get home from work. If you want to skip the first step, you can soak dry beans overnight in a large pot of water. These beans get great flavor from celery, garlic, and diced green chiles.

Total Time: 11 hrs. 25 min.
Prep Time: 5 min.
Cooking Time: 10 hrs. 10 min.
Yield: 6 servings, about 1 cup of beans each

Ingredients:

1¼ cups dry red beans (or dry red kidney beans), rinsed
Water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth
1 cups water
1 (14.5-oz.) can stewed tomatoes
1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles, undrained
Hot sauce (like Tabasco) (to taste; optional)
3 cups cooked brown rice, warm

Preparation:

1. Place beans in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover beans by two inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; gently boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for one hour.
2. Place beans, onion, celery, garlic, basil, bay leaf, broth, water, and tomatoes in 4-quart slow cooker. Cover; cook on low heat for 9 to 10 hours (or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours), or until beans are tender.
3. Remove bay leaf. Add chiles and hot sauce (if desired); cook for an additional 30 minutes.
4. Place ½ cup rice in each of six serving bowls. Top evenly with bean mixture.

 

 

 

Spinach Salad with Quinoa, Chickpeas, and Paprika DressingCost per serving: $1.48

 

This colorful salad is a show-stopper. Make it for your next potluck or picnic, or amaze your family for dinner any night of the week. The recipe makes 12 portions, and you’re going to want to eat them all. Even after it’s dressed, this salad stores well for up to three days. Quinoa and chickpeas give it a hearty serving of protein. We love the juicy tomatoes and cucumber, but the stars of the recipe are the piquant paprika dressing and the full cup of torn mint leaves. We think once you taste this salad, you’ll want to add mint to all of your salads.

Total Time: 4 hrs. 26 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 16 min.
Yield: 12 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients:

1½ cups dry quinoa
Water
Sea salt (to taste; optional), divided use
¼ cup sherry wine vinegar
2½ tsp. paprika
Ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups raw baby spinach leaves, washed, dried
2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed, drained
1 medium cucumber, unpeeled, chopped
2½ cups halved cherry (or small heirloom) tomatoes
1 cup fresh mint leaves
¾ cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese, divided use

Preparation:

1. Place quinoa in a large saucepan; add water to cover by 1-inch. Season with salt if desired. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and gently boil for 15 to 16 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Drain if there is excess liquid. Chill, covered in the refrigerator, for 4 hours or until cool.
2. Combine vinegar, and paprika in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired; slowly whisk in oil to blend. Set aside.
3. Combine spinach, chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, and ½ cup cheese in a large bowl; mix well.
4. Add cooled quinoa to spinach mixture; toss gently to blend.
5. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to blend.
6. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup cheese over salad; serve immediately.

Chicken with Quinoa, Oranges, and WalnutsCost per serving: $2.20
Chicken is pricey when money is tight, but in this recipe, the bulk of the volume is comprised of quinoa, fresh herbs, oranges, and walnuts. To make each serving go further scoop half-portions onto fresh spinach or other greens.

This chicken and quinoa dish is packed with healthy proteins and good fats. Walnuts give it crunch, and oranges and herbs give it lots of fresh flavor.

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa
3 oz. shredded rotisserie chicken breast (about ½ cup)
1 oz. walnuts, coarsely chopped (about 14 halves)
1 medium orange, peeled and chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 dash ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Place quinoa, chicken, orange, walnuts, and cilantro in serving bowl.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.
3. Mix well and enjoy.

Tip: Store-bought rotisserie chicken is very versatile. You can bone and skin the chicken and use the leftover meat in other recipes throughout the week. It’s great in sandwiches, soups, and salads.

 

 

 

Sweet Potato Skins with Chicken and SpinachCost per serving: $2.57
These stuffed sweet potatoes look like appetizers, but they’re actually pretty filling since they’re packed with spinach and chicken.

 

We took what is usually a greasy bar snack and turned it into a delicious appetizer that is healthy enough to eat for a meal! These baked sweet potato skins are topped with spinach, spiced chicken, and cilantro, with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Total Time: 20 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 10 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 baked medium sweet potatoes, cut in half
1 tsp. olive oil
½ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
4 oz shredded cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 tsp. all-natural taco seasoning, no salt added
1 cup steamed spinach
8 Tbsp. low-fat plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Scoop flesh out of the sweet potatoes and reserve for another use.
3. Place skins on a baking sheet. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes, or until crisp.
4. While skins are baking, combine chicken and taco seasoning in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
5. Replace sweet potato flesh and top each sweet potato half evenly with spinach, chicken mixture, yogurt, and cilantro.

Lentil and Feta SaladCost per serving: $2.23
Once you’re done chopping the fresh vegetables and herbs to compose this lentil salad, you’re left with a large enough recipe to feed you all week. Plus, it’s a good vegetarian source of protein and fiber.

This lentil salad is a winner in so many ways. It takes a little bit of effort to chop all of those fresh veggies and herbs, but once you’re done, you’ve got enough food for a week’s worth of meals. Eat it in winter, spring, summer, or fall. It’s a good vegetarian source of protein and fiber and has only 221 calories per serving.

Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 6 servings, about 1½ cups each

Ingredients:

⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. dried thyme (or 1½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme)
Sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste; optional)
3 cups cooked lentils
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 medium cucumber, finely chopped
3 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
¾ medium red onion, finely chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Preparation:

1. Combine lemon juice, oil, and thyme in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
2. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.
3. Combine lentils, cheese, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and mint in a large bowl; mix well.
4. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to blend. Refrigerate, covered, for 1 to 12 hours.
5. You can eat it after an hour, but the next day is the best!

Via Team Beachbody Blog, edited by Maria Doney

It's Ok To Lift As A Woman!

Lifting doesn't mean bulky!!!

I wasn't really into "lifting" not because I was afraid of getting too bulky but because I really didn't know where to start. I have worked out for over 20 years, a lot of cardio and some weights. After doing many Beachbody programs (and being a Team Beachbody Coach) I was really excited when they released Hammer & Chisel.  I knew it was going to be tough but was so ready to tone up and learn more about building muscles but not bulking up.  We as women sometimes fear that if we lift we may lose the femininity we work so hard for, but that is far from the truth.  I have learned how to EAT RIGHT (most difficult part in the beginning of our journey), lift enough weight to build and tone where I want.....booty and abs were my priority!! I do not lift more than 40 pounds, so it's not too bad or difficult and more about reps and form.

It is also very important to continue your cardio routine even though you are lifting, the balance of intervals is very important to building and maintaining your muscle.  Hammer & Chisel does an excellent job incorporating both and kicking your butt in doing so! If you are a beginner and want to learn more about lifting, this program is definitely one that will teach you at a very doable pace!

So my point ladies, is don't be afraid to add some weight to your fitness programs!!!  Strong Is The New Sexy!!!!


Maria Doney

9 Foods That Aren't As Healthy As You Think

If you have a cheat meal or eat unhealthily every so often, that isn’t so bad (we try and follow the rule of eating an 80% clean diet). But, what if you’re eating badly and don’t know it? Sure, you stay away from deep-fried Oreos, but is your favorite “health food” snack keeping you from reaching your goals?

Here are nine foods that have successfully disguised themselves as “diet-friendly” foods. Don’t let them fool you.

Granola
Shocked? Granola is often touted as an outdoorsy health snack. Yet, it’s super high in calories and many variations are loaded with sugar and saturated fat.

Solution: Go raw. Muesli is basically just raw granola and it tends to have less sugars and oils—but just in case, always read the label. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure to measure to keep your portion size reasonable.

Frozen Diet Meals
Frozen dinners are not as healthy as they advertise. Though many are low in calories (most range from around 240–400 calories), they are highly processed, lacking in nutrients, and brimming with sodium. Although they may seem convenient, you give up a lot in exchange for the convenience of a three-minute microwaved meal.

Solution: Prepare healthy meals in bulk at the beginning of the week to deter you from having to choose these unhealthy convenient options. Or, if you absolutely must, read the labels. Some brands are better than others. Amy’s Kitchen, for example, does a better job than most.

Sports Drinks
Note the word “sports” in the title. These drinks are specifically designed to replenish carbs, electrolytes and other nutrients during long, hard efforts. In any other situation, they’re just sugar water. You might as well drink soda.

Solution: Generally, sports drinks are only useful for hard exercise going longer than an hour. Otherwise, you’re probably better off with water. However, if you’re eating at a calorie deficit and you’re having a hard time making it through your 30–60 minute workout, a little extra blood sugar might help, so experiment with a diluted sports drink. And again, read labels. High fructose corn syrup or artificial dyes won’t give you the fitness boost you’re looking for.

“Fat Free” Products
“Fat Free” might look good on paper, but your body actually needs fat! Plus, as Nutrition Expert Denis Faye explains, in most of these products “they just replace the fat with carbs and salt, so you’ve basically gone from pouring a little unsaturated fat on your salad to dumping on a pile of sugar.”

Solution: Stick with simple homemade dressings, like balsamic vinaigrette, and, if you’re out, ask for them on the side to control how much you’re using.

Muffins
American-style muffins first came into popularity at the end of the 18th century…and never went out of fashion again. But, this sweet quickbread is hardly healthy. Take those tempting blueberry muffins you see at some classic coffee chains. They’ll pack on about 460 calories and 15 grams of fat. Not to mention they’re usually made with refined flour, tons of sugar, and goodness knows what preservatives.

Solution: Almost all store-bought muffins should really just be avoided. If you’re really craving a muffin, try this flourless chocolate muffin that’s lower in calories and higher in fiber and other good-for-you components. Or, this plum bran muffin if you’re looking for a real fruit and fiber boost.

Sushi
As far as proteins go, fish deserves a high place in your diet and sushi can be a great way to enjoy it. However, most sushi is more rice than fish, and sometimes, it’s been deep fried (we’re looking at you, spider roll) or coated with mayonnaise (cue the dynamite roll and almost any sushi that has “spicy” in the name). While it’s never a complete junk food, like many items here, you can’t chow down without restraint and expect to see nothing but benefits.

Solution: If you do rolls, try to choose rolls made with brown rice or those that are low-carb (in other words, rice free). Or, stick with sashimi.

Pretzels
Don’t confuse these travel-friendly little bites that are low in fat, for a “healthy” snack. This carb-heavy, calorie-laden treat is almost completely devoid of nutrients and is often high in sodium. For instance, you’ll get an entire day’s worth of sodium in one cup of Rold Gold pretzels.

Solution: Stick to nutrient-dense snacks like almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds. Just keep an eye on the serving size if you’re watching your weight.

Veggie Chips
 Just because something contains the word “veggie” in the name doesn’t mean it’s healthy. High in fat and sodium, Veggie Chips are often extraordinarily high in fat and sodium and, honestly, not much better for you than potato chips.

Solution: When snacking, eat your veggies raw—and dip them in hummus if you want to add flavor.

Tea
What’s the problem with tea today? It’s mainly not tea! Most mass-produced teas come bottled with preservatives and designer drinks like chai lattes pump the sugar and additive content through the roof.

Solution: Try Tejava (which is all-natural and just contains brewed tea), stick to unsweetened teas from your local coffee shop, or brew your own. It’s easy!

Via: Team Beachbody Blog

Chicken and Zucchini Poppers

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken breast
2c grated zucchini (leave peel on)
2-3 green onions, sliced
3-4 Tbsp cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
(optional: ¾ tsp cumin)
olive oil, for cooking (or coconut oil, avocado oil, or ghee)

Instructions:

Toss chicken with zucchini, green onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper (and cumin, if using). Mixture will be quite wet.

To cook on the stovetop:

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Use a small scoop or a heaped tablespoon to scoop meatballs into the pan. Cook 8-10 at a time for about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Flip and cook an additional 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and the centers are cooked through.

To bake:

Drizzle a bit of olive or avocado oil onto a baking sheet. Scoop meatballs onto the greased pan. Drizzle a bit of additional oil over the meatballs. Bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. If desired, place under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes or until browned on top.
Serve with guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dip.

Via OneLovelyLife!

Everything You Thought You Knew About Lactic Acid Is Wrong

For a semi-serious athlete, Jeremy Rosenberg is not unusual. The Los Angeles-based book editor is a weekend warrior on the city’s soccer fields, but says he pays for it after most games.
“A couple of hours after I play I feel like what I imagine a whirling dervish does: A post-ecstatic mental state combined with being totally physically drained,” says Rosenberg. “As long as I don’t stop playing, I feel great. But stopping means soreness.”
Rosenberg and his fellow players don’t pretend to be physical therapists or exercise scientists, but they confidently throw around the same term to explain their aching muscles: Lactic acid.
Ah, lactic acid, the much maligned (and misunderstood) participant in the body’s metabolic energy systems. But Rosenberg and his mates can be forgiven: Many trainers and even some physicians make the same mistake, blaming lactic acid not only for the deep muscle burn felt during exercise and the intense ache afterwards, but also for calling it lactic acid in the first place.
“One of the long-standing myths in exercise science and popular culture is that lactic acid causes fatigue,” explains Lance Dalleck, an assistant professor of exercise and sport science at Western State Colorado University. The only problem is that the body doesn’t produce lactic acid, not even during intense exercise. “Lactic acid exists in sour milk,” says Dalleck, “and blood and sour milk have markedly different mediums.”

Meet the Real Lactic Acid
What most people are referring to when they say “lactic acid” is actually lactate, and it’s not responsible for the burn you feel in your legs after running intervals or peddling furiously to keep up with the peloton in a road race. Nor is it responsible for the soreness you may feel up to 48 hours after a tough workout, as many believe. Indeed, it’s not a waste product of exercise at all. On the contrary, lactate helps to delay fatigue, and can even serve as a fuel for your muscles, says Dalleck.
The whole misunderstanding dates back to a 1922 study by two British scientists, Otto Meyerhoff and Archibald V. Hill. In their Nobel-Prize winning research investigating the energy capabilities of carbohydrate metabolism in skeletal muscle, they suggested that lactic acid is produced in humans as a side reaction to glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose to fuel muscular work). And that’s essentially how it has been explained ever since: Lactic acid is a sort of residue from your muscles burning fuel, and its buildup is what causes the burn and ache athletes commonly experience during and after intense effort. Because after all, acid burns, right?
What recent studies have found fairly conclusively is that while lactic acid—or more accurately, lactate—coincides with “acidosis” in muscles, it’s not the cause. During vigorous exercise, muscles gobble up ATP, the body’s primary energy source. Every time an ATP molecule is split for energy, it breaks down into ADP and one hydrogen ion, also called a proton. It’s the increase in these protons that causes acidification, known as acidosis, and that does burn.
Coinciding with this buildup of protons (from the splitting of ATP) is the buildup of pyruvate molecules, which are produced during the last step of glycolysis. Each pyruvate molecule absorbs two protons to become lactate. Thus lactate production is actually a consequence of acidosis, not the cause, and helps to buffer the negative effects of it. What’s more, during moderate and hard exercise, lactate can even be shuttled back into mitochondria (i.e., the cell’s power plants) and converted into energy. But at some point during intense exercise, the buildup or protons overwhelms the ability of pyruvate to absorb them. That’s when you feel the burn, and that’s when you have to take matters into your own hands.

How Beat the Burn
Your best bet here is beta-alanine, an amino acid that combines with another amino acid called L-histidine to create a substance called carnosine, which buffers against acid buildup in muscle tissue. You’ll find carnosine in beef, but you’d need to eat a whole lot of it to receive an effective dose for improving exercise performance. And since there’s already plenty of L-histadine circulating in your body, supplementing with beta-alanine is the most efficient method for creating performance-enhancing levels of carnosine at the cellular level. (Unabashed product plug: Beta alanine is one of the primary ingredients in Beachbody Performance Energize, our most powerful performance booster to date.)
Because it takes time to elevate carnosine concentration, results typically occur after 1 to 2 months of daily use. The only common side effect from beta-alanine consumption is a harmless, but potentially uncomfortable symptom called paresthesia. It’s characterized by a tingling sensation throughout the body, and most often occurs with high doses. If you experience paresthesia, try taking smaller (i.e., less than 800 mg) doses of beta-alanine throughout the day instead of one large one.

But What about Muscle Soreness?
Along with acidosis, lactate is also frequently blamed for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which can occur as soon as 6 hours after exercise, and usually peaks 48 hours afterward. The blame is misplaced here as well, as DOMS is caused by micro tears in muscle, not the buildup of lactate. Still, there are several steps you can take to ease the ache.

Pop Some Ibuprofen
The soreness you feel after a tough workout is the result of swelling and inflammation caused by the micro tears mentioned earlier. Popping Ibuprofen, which is an anti-inflammatory, can significantly reduce the pain, according to a study by Greek researchers in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. But that relief may come at a price. An ever-growing body of research has also linked NSAIDs (including ibuprofen) to everything from cardiovascular issues and intestinal dysfunction to suppressed protein synthesis post-exercise. Occasionally taking a couple of capsules is probably just fine—but give some serious thought to using it regularly.

Take Tart Cherry Extract
Doing so can help reduce DOMS not only after a tough endurance workout, but also after intense resistance training, according to two separate studies at Texas A&M University. Both studies supported the results of previous research, showing that tart cherries can reduce muscle breakdown and inflammation, thereby reducing soreness.

Give Yourself a Massage
 Using a foam roller to knead your muscles post-workout can significantly reduce DOMS, according to a recent study in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.Give each major muscle group at least five rolls, starting with your calves and working your way up your body. Spend extra time on sore spots.

Wear Compression Gear
People who wear compression garments after their workout experience less soreness and faster muscle recovery than people who wear a more traditional gym outfit, like a t-shirt and shorts, according to a recent study in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. The reason: By compressing the muscle, such garments help reduce swelling and pressure.

Via: Team Beachbody Blog