Herbed Whole Wheat Pasta with Lemon Butter

Of course we have all heard of the famous NieNieDialogues, and her incredible story, but she has countless talents that I'm sure all of us are aware by now. One of them being her incredibly healthy cooking.

I actually cook a lot of her stuff pre-accident and love every. single. one. of them!

Her and her family are incredibly healthy, from what it sounds like, and I loved reading through her recipes and still do.

One that I just made a couple of nights ago was the

Herbed Whole Wheat Pasta with Lemon Butter.

Fast, Easy and Delish.

I couldn't help but recommend it!

Enjoy!

Herbed Whole Wheat pasta with lemon butter "This is a great dinner that can be made in under 20 minutes. So if you are like me and Mr. Nielson who reserve Friday nights as date night, this meal will be a great one to make in advance for the babysitter to feed the kids. Instead of leaving the local pizza joint's number for your babysitter, leave her this meal and save that extra $15 bucks on dessert with your lover."

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, and chives
crumbled feta

~In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Return pasta to pot.
Stir in butter, lemon zest, juice, and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Add some of the reserved pasta water to adjust consistency, if needed. Top with crumbled feta.

***For more of her delicious recipes, click HERE.

(Recipe, Directions, and Quote was all from the website of Cuisinenie.)

What's Really in Your Food??

I Came across this great article today on msn.com.

Well, maybe I shouldn't go so far as saying it's great, but it makes you think of what you're really eating.

When you look at the ingredients you're putting into your body, try to remember the smaller the list, the more "real" your food is.

We want real food! Natural foods!

We want the nutrients our bodies need!

To read more of what people are putting into there bodies when they eat fast-food, click HERE.

Did You Know??

Did you know that Dark Chocolate carries Flavonoids?

Which is an antioxidant that is also found in tea, herbal tea, and apples.

Dark Chocolate can also improve blood flow, protects your arteries, prevents blockage of the arteries, and raises levels of good cholesterol!

Best of all for us ladies, research has shown that dark chocolate can enhance your mood and promotes good energy levels.

Along with helping your eye sight as well.

A lot of good benefits I would say.

So how much should we eat??

Serving size-1.5 ounces
calories-220
sugar-12 grams
sodium-5 mg
fiber-5 grams (which is fantastic!)

So for all you Valentine lovers, choose the DARK!!

(For more information about the benefits of Dark Chocolate, visit 360-5.com)

Have a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Zesty Salad

I actually made this up, but it was so good I couldn't help but share it. One of the fastest recipes, with a lot of color and very healthy for you!

It's a perfect lunch!

Zesty Salad
2 cups of Whole Wheat Noodles
half of red pepper sliced
handful of cut up mini blocks of cheese
handful of sliced up olives
half a tomato sliced
pinch of pepper
half a bag of Mixed Lettuce
Zesty Italian

*Make noodles, and while they're cooking start cutting like you are making a typical salad. When noodles are done, mix them with all your veggies, and poor over some Zesty Italian.
Again, ALWAYS feel free to use whatever veggies, I'm just giving you an idea of what to mix together:).
Also, I didn't measure anything, so of course go by how much you want to make.

Simple, and delicious. I hope you enjoy!

Our Metabolism

Sometimes we tend to give our Metabolism more credit then it deserves on why we gain weight and others remain a size 2 all there lives.

We may all think it's because of the differences with our Metabolisms.

I found a fantastic article of what exactly our Metabolism is and

why we think to believe it slows down after 30.

Well, it covers the myths, the lies, and the facts about our Metabolism

and what really happens with it through the years.

And not only that, but how to get it back on track to when we were 16.

That's right, it's possible to get our Metabolisms back through some simple steps and feeling like we still have it!

Read about it Here.

Green Delight

Smoothies have never been a big part of my life since the Betes-because the fruits and sugars mix is pretty much asking for no toes. So my post previous asking about new years goals, (which by the way I absolutely loved reading!) there was one goal that I fell in love with,

and I'm blogging about it because I recommend it entirely after trying it.

It's just something I thought sounded good.

Thanks to Teandra for sharing her goals, it's been fantastic trying the smoothie! She recommend smoothies with vegetables mixed with only one fruit and yogurt. I tried made it, loved it, and didn't have spiked blood sugars after-which I think made me fall in love.

The recipe she gave me didn't have a name so I'm going to call it Green Delight (ok, so I have no experience at naming things)

Green Delight

~3/4 c. raw broccoli banana

~1/2 cucumber

~8 oz. Yogurt ( I used the plain LIGHT Activia yogurt)

~1 c. ice

**(She said to always mix in something green, such as kale, spinach, broccoli etc.) and I believe her, green veggies always have the most fiber!

I literally just mixed it all together in the blender and let the blender do the rest.

It surprisingly tasted FANTASTIC! I loved that I couldn't taste the veggies at all, mostly the banana.

Anyways, I would recommend it when you have no time, or all the time in the world-so basically whenever your craving an extremely healthy smoothie:).

Thanks so much Teandra! And by the way, her new years goal was to drink one of these a day to get in all her fruits and veggies for the day.

Brilliant I say.

Lets all try it!

The Ultimate Morning Routine

I always believed that in able to lose inches, cardio was my only option.

Well, I've been learning a lot from reading the textbook for aerobics, and they recommended simple work outs in the morning or at night.

I started one of them and fell in love with not only how I felt, but with the outcome. It only takes about 15-20 minutes, if that, depending on how fast you do them. I have been doing them at nights before I go to bed, and the results actually came faster than I thought. So, go ahead and right them down, stick it to your mirror, and try the workout at least once a day! I promise you, you will feel a difference and see results.

If you don't believe me, there is a testimonial at the bottom of someone who tried it, and got results:)

Good Luck!!

Ultimate Morning Routine:

30 crunches-keep your legs straight and crossed at your ankles and go up and down like your normal crunch. Make sure you can't see your elbows.

**Add 2 more crunches every day.

25 squats-make sure your toes are faced forward, and your core straight. For faster results, add 10 pound weights to each hand.

**Add 1 more squat every day.

25 lunges

**Add 1 lunge every day.

20 criss-cross crunches-bring elbow to opposite knee when you come up, therefore twisting your stomach with each cross.

**Add 2 more criss-cross' every day.

*Do that entire regimen 3 times!

Finish with 5 push-ups if your not used to push ups. If you are used to them, start with 10.

**Add 1 push every Friday.

It will be hard for the first day, but pump that music and get in the habit of doing it right when you crawl out of bed!

TESTIMONIAL:

I was doing some exercises in the morning before I went to work, but nothing structured. I did a few push ups and crunches because I was worried about the 50 year old deterioration of my body which was starting to take effect (actually, I was finding that my belly was not deteriorating, but growing!).

I told Melissa what I was doing and she recommended increasing my crunches 2 each day and she gave me some technique advice so that I was doing them properly and not hurting my back. She also recommended increasing my push ups 1X per week (on Fridays). She threw in another type of crunch that I now do in addition to the basic crunches. I gotta tell you...the additional crunch was brutal! I felt my abs burning when I was done. My wife always wondered why I was moaning and yelling so loud in the mornings.

Melissa also showed me how to do some squats, which I do 50 times a day. Well, I've been doing it now for about 2 months now and I am very happy to report that my previously protruding belly has now shrunk! I can wear my 34 pants a lot easier than I could before. I had to resort to 36" pants for a while...and it was a bummer. I actually like looking in full-body mirrors now because my shirt is flat against a flat stomach. I feel fantastic when I walk out the door to go to work in the mornings. Oh, and by the way, Melissa also gave me some nutritional advice. She recommended I take more fiber. I have begun ingesting about 30 grams per day and my pipes are cleaner than ever! Thanks!

Alan Weidner

Thanks Dad, hehe!
(but all family aside, he really has lost inches that are noticeable! I'm proud of him for sticking to it!!)