Healthy Stir-Fry

Stir-Fried Chicken with Yellow Peppers and Snow Peas

Serves 6

Chicken:
1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch strips
1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. arrowroot or cornstarch
1 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

Add ins:
1 tsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves

Vegetables:
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups of trimmed snow peas
1/4 cup of low-fat, reduced sodium chicken broth

Toppings:
1/4 cup of toasted almond slivers or cashews

Directions:
1. Prepare the chicken: Mix the chicken strips, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and arrowroot or cornstarch in a medium bowl. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Heat a wok/skillet/pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp. of peanut or vegetable oil, and stir fry the chicken for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.
3. Prepare the Add-ins: Add the 1 tsp. of peanut or vegetable oil to the wok. Add in the ginger and garlic, and stir-try for 30 seconds.
4. Add the yellow pepper strips and sliced mushrooms. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add in the snow peas, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add in chicken broth, cover, and steam for 3 minutes or until snow peas turn bright green and are crisp.
5. Add in the desired sauce (see below for ideas), and cook for 1 minute until sauce thickens. Return the chicken to the wok, coating with sauce. Sprinkle with either almonds or cashews.

Sauce Suggestions

Orange Hoisin Sauce:
1/2 cup low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
2 tbsp. prepared hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. grated fresh orange zest
1 tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch

Combine all ingredients except the arrowroot or cornstarch. Whisk until smooth. Add in the arrowroot or cornstarch, and whisk again.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1/2 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. arrowroot or cornstarch

Mix together all the ingredients until smooth.

Me and Brad put it over Brown Rice.

Absolutely delicious!

(we also added in bean sprouts,

feel free to add in any other vegetables you prefer)

Cutting Back on the Tube

First of all, I just wanted to say how excited I was about the menu's. I got a lot of responses via comments, but mostly email. I hope it works out for all of you! You will definitely have to tell me how it goes.


So we all have heard that TV is not the best thing we could do for hours on end.
Well, studies are coming out that TV is not only dwindling the brain cells, but also keep some of that weight on that you may be wanting to shed.

The average American sits in front of the TV 5 hours a day. So what would happen if we all turned off the tube? Turns out, we'd be moving around and burning calories, (go figure) a study found out. The televisions of 36 overweight adults were outfitted with a gadget that monitored how long a TV had been on-and which could also switch it off. After 3 weeks, the researches limited some participants to just 50 percent of their normal TV time. Over the next 3 weeks, people forced to turn away from the TV burned an average of 119 more calories a day than viewers left glued to the tube.

This could come to about 12 pounds less body weight over the course of a year. A different study found that watching 4 or more hours of TV a day was associated with a 46 percent greater risk of death than watching less than 2 hours. It's a result that might unnerve even the most dedicated couch potato.

Just something to think about next time you're debating to sit and watch some good TV, or go for a walk outside.

(information source Diabetic Forecast)

Dear Readers....

My fellow readers,

My husband's family is doing The Biggest Loser challenge and they asked me to put together a healthy menu for the week. I did a lot of research of what foods are best at certain times of the day, and what fruits and vegetables are low-caloric and high in fiber.

I've put together the menu, including a grocery list and recipes of what to eat at exactly what time of the day to make it as easy for you as possible.

I wanted to include you in on this menu!! So if you're interested at all, let me know and I would be more than happy to send you this menu so you can enjoy the benefits as well. You can either leave your email address in the "comments" or email me at melermie@msn.com to recieve the menu.

For any questions at all, feel free to ask at any time!

Your Friend and Fellow Blogger,
Melissa


(I did a menu previous to this awhile back similar to this one, and the people that received the menu lost an average of 7 pounds and for those who did it longer than a month lost more. I'm not saying this will happen with you, but I can guarantee you will start to feel better and healthier if you go by the menu to the best of your ability.)

The Tricep Tease

A lot of us woman have the same problem when it comes to our triceps. If you don't know what the tricep is, most likely it's the flab of skin dangling under neath the arm. If yours is not dangling, I give you my highest respect for taking such good care of your arms. For the rest of us average humans, I put together a workout awhile ago and the people that have been doing this little routine have been happy with their results. So of course I wanted to share it with you. (and of course I felt motivated to share it after talking with some good friends at aerobics last night.)

I've put together the top exercises that target specifically the tricep down to the core. If you're not used to working out the tricep, it will feel extremely sore the next day, BUT I promise you, if you keep at it, you will not only be seeing tight results, but you will be wanting to add more weights and go harder before you know it. And of course, always stretch after your workout.

I recommend it either before bed or first thing in the morning. OR if you already have an exercise routine daily (walking, running, swimming) I recommend doing it right after your cardio.

The Tricep Tease

Back-of-chair Up/Downs-20 reps.

(legs out straight, hands on the edge of your chair, back faced towards the chair and bend elbow so your body is lowered down, then push up. repeat 20 times)

Man Pushups-10

(when you get to the point when you can do 10 man pushups without stopping, add 2 more on.)

Weight Pullover-

(get a 10-15 lb. weight and pull it over your head. Straighten elbow by pulling the weight up so your arms are completely straight with weight in the air. repeat by raising and lowering at the elbow.)

Circling Arms-45 circles

(put your arms out to your side, straight out. Make a complete circle by twisting your arms and leading with the palms of your hands, your shoulders shouldn't be moving. Like your shaping a small, invisible basketball. Every circle counts as one. Do 45 individual circles.)

DO THIS ROUTINE TWICE AROUND!

5 Ways to Quit Caffeine

Caffeine. A drug that our nation depends on entirely.
90% of Americans consume it in one form or another every single day.
84% of those Americans are drinking it in the form of soda or coffee. Why do people think they need it? Easy....they're addicted to it.

Not only does soda cause dehydration (from choosing it over water when thirsty) but it also has been linked to ingestion, heart disease and bone loss. For Diabetics especially, it not only causes diabetes from sugared soda's from the pancreas not being able to support how much sugar is actually being swallowed, but for those that have Type 1, it damages there Kidney's even more than they already are because it sucks the glucose out of the kidney's as well so your body can try and support this awful drink . If Diabetes doesn't scare you enough, soda has been linked to cancer. Soda causes you to burp, and burping from soda brings acid up to into your esophagus, causing lesions, and lesions become cancerous.

So why do we do this to ourselves? Why is it our first option to reach for a coffee or soda to get our day started? It goes beyond it "tasting good". Caffeine alters the brain's natural state, and stimulates it in a manner similar to the amphetamines cocaine and heroin. So you literally have no control and it becomes a need instead of a want.

One of the mechanisms that caffeine addiction, cocaine addiction, and heroin addiction share, is that they block an adenosine's ability to slow the nerve cells' activity in preparation for sleep, and instead increase the speed of their activity and of the neuron firing in the brain. Which of course people can over due if they are drinking it through out the day, leaving you not only wired and unable to think clearly, it keeps you up at night, which we all know how important our sleep is.

So I've found 5 simple strategies to help us rid caffeine from our systems and start over with a fresh new outlook on how to get our lives back on track to health and control. Simple steps that may make a HUGE impact in our every day well-being.

1. Timing is Everything.
Start by choosing a time when you are most relaxed, such as a long weekend.

2. Take Baby Steps.
Make a commitment to try 3 caffeine-free days, and see how you feel afterwards.

3. Be prepared for side-effects.
Be prepared to experience tiredness, irritability and a very back headache, especially after avoiding caffeine for 24 hours. Prepare for these side effects by keeping yourself busy: take walks, spend time in the garden, or do other light, soothing activities.

4. Be aware of your surroundings.
Avoid anything that may aggravate a headache, such as prolonged tv watching or reading in low light. These side-effects will eventually diminish-and are worth it in the long run.

5.Alternative ways to quit.
Or, consider weaning yourself off caffeine by gradually reducing your intake. Substitute Soda, tea or coffee and drink water or fruit juice mixed with sparkling water in lieu of cola. Breathing exercises, physically exercise and a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables may also help reduce the severity of side-effects.

(Sources from Phlant.com, mindconnection.com, and uthealth.com)

Did You Know??

Did you know that if you're actually feeling thirsty, your body is past the point of dehydration?

If you're body gets to the point of feeling thirsty or you have cotton mouth, your body is basically screaming for water by this point.

Avoid your body having to tell you when it needs water and just drink the amounts that's needed to sustain your organs.

Goal for this weekend-1 Liter of water a day!

Do your body a favor and give it all the water it's needing without having to tell you. Your skin will thank you too!!