Hooray for Hummus

I'm sure most of you cringe when you hear the word Hummus, which might be because most of you don't know what Hummus is actually made from and the benefits it has. It may not be the best tasting to some, but for the most part, it has a very distinct flavor and can add a lot of taste to a sandwich.
Hummus is a fantastic source of Iron, Fiber, Protein and Vitamin C. It is made with Chickpease and Garlic which is healthy for the heart. It has very little carbs which of course is good for everyone, especially the diabetics, and has fat intake, but the fat is from Olive Oil, so it's the fats your body needs. I'm not saying go eat a bucket of Hummus. Of course eating anything of too much isn't good for you, but when it comes to choosing a healthy condiment-it is very highly recommended.

Ideas for easy, healthy Hummus use

~Whole Wheat Ham Sandwich:
Tomatoes, Cheese (low-fat), Avocado, Hummus, and Ham

~Egg and Hummus Breakfast:
Whole Wheat with Hummus, Cheese, and scrambled Egg Whites (3)

~Turkey Wrap:
Whole Wheat Tortilla, Hummus, Turkey, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Cheese

Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism

1. Breakfast EVERY SINGLE DAY!

The only way to get your Metabolism even started in your day is to eat breakfast within the first half hour when you wake up. The rest of the day your metabolic rate will be up and will continue to rise just by eating breakfast.

2. Pick Protein for Lunch
Even at work and sitting at a desk, you can still burn calories by eating a protein packed lunch. Protein builds muscle and muscle of course burns more calories than fat. So even while sitting at a desk, if you eat protein for lunch, it will keep your metabolism going and burn calories. You want at least 30 grams of protein-which is about a cup of Low Fat Cottege Cheese, or a 4 ounce boneless chicken.

3. Keep Dairy in your day
This doesn't mean ice-cream or eating blocks of cheese. The calcium from Dairy helps your body metabolize fat by increasing the rate at which is gets rid of waist, (umm, going number 2) so your body is regulated through your metabolism. A good amount is 8 ounces of low fat Milk a day or 6 ounces of low fat Yogurt.

4. Eat SPICES
Spices are incredible for your Metabolism. They are one of the only things you can eat that actually speed up your metabolism just by simply adding them to your meals. Make sure to put them on your Fish (Salmon) when you eat it so then you get double the benefits, because Fish carry Omega 3-fatty acids and those trigger rapid signals of "I'm full" to your brain. They also carry 90% of your Vitamin D recommended daily value.

5. IRON
Woman lose a lot of Iron from there periods every month which alone can slow down your metabolism because Iron helps carry oxygen to your muscles. When your Iron is low, your muscles aren't getting enough oxygen which of course slows down your metabolism. Make sure to add plenty of dark leafy greens such as Spinach to your menu along with Broccoli, Oats and beans. All of which carry a lot of Iron.

6.Working Out with Intervals
They did a study that showed people that walk/jog in between sprints for 20 mins off and on burn 3 times more fat than the people that run for a steady pace for 40 mins. The burst of speed can stimulate a fat-burning process within the muscles rather than going at a steady pace that your muscles get immune to. Also, if your a weight training kind of person, another excellent way to speed up your metabolism is to lift the weights slowly. Count 3 seconds every time you lift and let down.

7. DRINK WATER
The University of Utah did a study that the people that drank 8-12 ounces of water had a higher metabolic rate than those who only drank 4. They also say if you drink your water cold, it burns an extra 10 calories a day, which of course doesn't sound like very much, but in the long run you lose pounds in the overall year.

8. Get Your Sleep
When you lose hours of sleep you have 2 very important hormones that get thrown off (leptin and ghrelin). These 2 hormones help regulate energy use and appetite, and by losing sleep they are thrown off. Getting less than 7.5 hours of sleep a night can lead to more body weight from these 2 hormones not getting there proper use. Getting sleep is the most important thing you can do to help speed up your metabolism and overall feel better.

Planks and Push-Ups

A fantastic work out for those days when you don't have an hour at the gym, or you don't feel like running 12 miles. (which I am absolutely not capable of doing in my life, ha, but props to those who can)
It's an awesome work out when I only have half an hour or 20 mins if that. I highly recommend doing it-works all the muscle groups and even leaves you sore. Like I say, fantastic work out for those days you want a fast, efficient tone up!

Planks and Push-Ups
-For 20 minutes walk at a fast pass just around your block or on a treadmill if you have one. (for those of you who like the running, run for the 20 mins)So you can get your heart rate up by doing some cardio. Make sure to pay attention to your stomach while walking and be sucking/flexing the entire 20 mins.
-When you're done walking, get on the floor and hold your body in the plank position for 30 seconds.

-Right after that hurry and switch so your on a side plank position and hold there for 30 seconds. After that 30 seconds, do the other side for the same amount of time.-When you're done with the planks, do 5 man Push-ups. 5 is just in case you're not used to doing them. If you feel like you can do 10, for sure do 10.
Then start all over with the planks and push-ups so you do 2 rounds. You can do as many rounds as you can, but make sure to get at least 2 in. These little exercises catch every muscle group and is especially incredible for your Abs and Shoulders/Arms. Hope you enjoy it and most of all, get the exercise in for the day!

Mexican Chicken and Beans

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken (strips)

1 envelope (1 1/4 ounces) taco seasoning mix

1 can of black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, undrained

1/4 cup of water

Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook Chicken in skillet over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, just until no longer pink in the center.

Stir in seasoning mix, beans, corn and water. Cook over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve with whole wheat tortillas.

FAST, EASY AND DELICIOUS! One of the faves. Excellent source of protein, fiber, and good carbs. This recipe is from the Betty Crocker Diabetes Cookbook.

South Beach Snack Bars

Sometimes it's almost impossible to be able to find time to eat a snack in between meals, or when you don't have a piece of fruit and string cheese near by-this is a handy snack that I absolutely live by. The South Beach Bar. They're a little pricey ($3.80 for a box of 5) but well worth it. Each bar has 140 calories, 10 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and 14 grams of Carbs. It literally is the perfect snack.
Dietitians recommend (for snacks) only eating 150 calories or less which is 15 grams of carbs. It's also approved through the American Dietitian Association. This little bar fills you up for a good while, and has zero hydrogenated oils in it. It's a fantastic snack to be caring around with you.
The only downside is that it has Aspartame in it for all your anti-aspartame'ers. Other than that, I consider it the perfect snack.

They come in a variety of flavors. I highly suggest the Chocolate.

Summer VS Ice Cream

There's just something about Summer time and ice-cream that seem to come hand in hand. I always considered myself more of a doughnut/cake/pie kind of person, but for some reason this summer has had my mouth watering for some good old plain ice-cream. So I did some comparing for the healthiest between fat-free vanilla yogurt or sugar-free to see what was the best choice along with some other options:


(One serving of ice-cream is 1/2 cup)

Fat-Free Vanilla Frozen Yogurt:

150 cal., 33 g carbs., 0 g fat

Sugar-Free Vanilla Ice-Cream:

165 cal., 32 g carbs., 5 g fat (3 g sat. fat)

Soft-Serve Vanilla Ice-Cream:

185 cal., 25 g carbs., 7 g fat (5 g sat. fat)

Plain Vanilla Ice-Cream:
260 cal., 26 g carb., 16 g fat (16 g sat. fat)



Waffle Cone: 160 cal., 28 g carb., 4 g fat (o g sat. fat)


Sugar Cone: 50 cal., 10 g carbs., 0 g fat

For this summer, your best bet would to be to try to stick with Fat-Free Ice-Cream. If you absolutely can't stand it or just love the real deal too much, then keep your control with eating just one serving at a time(1/2 cup).

When it comes to toppings, try to do what you can to get ice-cream that is already flavored so you don't feel like you need to add more. If your counting calories, toppings alone can add an extra 150 calories. For example: 2 tbsp of Chocolate Sauce is 109 calories, 1 tbsp of Chopped nuts is 50 calories, 1 tbsp of Whipped Cream is 8 calories, and a regular Maraschino Cherry is 8 calories. So just be careful when you load on the goodness.

Everyone always needs a good bowl of ice-cream, but just be careful so you don't end up hating it by the end of the Summer for what it did to your bod. When you eat your ice-cream, eat it slow and savor every bite so you can thoroughly enjoy it and be satisfied when it's gone. But don't deprive yourself! Just keep control so you enjoy all aspects of eating it.

Top Basic Weight Loss Strategies

I'm so sorry it has been so long since I have last updated. I've fallen off the ban-wagon of blogging and eating. Man, this summer weather is giving me the appetite of a lifetime! This week I literally have had to start over and get everything back in order. I'm sure all of us know, its 100% harder than it sounds. So for all of us that have fallen off, lets get back on and start over:). Thank goodness for even being able to start over, HA!

Today's post is really simple, but it was a good reminder so I thought I would go ahead and post it.

So a 10-year study called the National Weight Control Registry tracked more than 5,000 people to see how they lost weight and how they kept it off. Here are the strategies the successful participants had in common:

~Calorie controlled diet.

~One hour of exercise daily.

~Weighing in regularly-at least once a week. This allowed them to catch small increases in weight very quickly and take some corrective action.
Losing weight for medical reasons.

I really like this, because it comes back to consistency again. Just basic, simple habits that we can make or change in our day. For calorie controlled diet, just remember to go by your HANDS for those portions, and you will have all the control you need.

Also, when you think of the word exercise, don't think of you sweating off your nose and working out till you literally can't even stand up. This could mean walking, running, gardening, cleaning your house, even grocery shopping. Just keep your body moving through out the day and that will keep your metabolism going!