Lavender...so much more than sachets!

Since I've become a mother, I've been using essential oils for all sorts of things. I started during my pregnancy, as I was preparing for childbirth. I was planning a natural childbirth and so began researching which essential oils could help me achieve my goals. I had several by my side during labor and deliver, to include Clary Sage, Jasmine and Lavender.  Once our baby girl came along, I've been using Tea Tree Oil in our homemade bum wipes; and when she had chest congestion this winter, I used a balm of Eucalpytus, Lavender, and Chamomile on her chest to help her breathe and sleep better.

Maybe I'll talk about the rest in future posts, but today, I want to talk about Lavender. We use it all of the time...or if you're like me, you used it before you even thought about essential oils. It came in sachets for my unmentionables (ha). I sprayed in onto my pillow in a pillow spray before bedtime! And I had it in all sorts of bath time goodness: bath bombs, bath oils, soaps and hair products! Now that I've entered the essential oils world (and, full disclosure, I've become an Independent Young Living Distributor)...I've learned so many of the benefits of this amazing essential oil...beyond just the relaxing scent!

Here are just a few of the great uses for lavender:

I've been eyeing a pin on Pinterest about lavender lemonade. It looks so good....it's purple! But, I am the worst at growing plants! I have tried to grow lavender several times, to no avail. I am chalking it up to living in hot climates...I've tried in both Texas and Miami. (It's surely not that I have no green thumb!) 

So, now that I have therapeutic grade lavender in Young Living's Essential Oils (and someone else is successfully doing the growing for me), I figured I have a chance to try it out. So, I looked at the pin and she uses sugar, fresh lavender and fresh lemons (and, GASP, food coloring for the purple color! I've been set up!!). Here is the recipe I used as a guide Centsational Girl's Lavender Lemonade.

I used Young Living Lavender Essential Oil, YL Lemon Essential Oil, and stevia extract. The first cup I made, I left out the stevia. It was fine until I reached the bottom of the glass...then it tasted a bit like soap. So, I added a few drops of stevia in the next glass, and I am in heaven. Not only does it taste amazing, but I also feel like I'm sitting on a hilltop overlooking fields of lavender in France. ;) And who would want to pass up these additional benefits:

 Lavender Essential Oils:

• Balance normal body functions
• Soothes and relaxes the mind and body
• Eases bodily tension and stress

Lemon Essential Oils:

• Boosts natural defenses
• Promotes energy and mental clarity
• Refreshing

Please be advised that I only recommend this with therapeutic grade Young Living Essential Oils. Not all EOs are created equally. You can check the packaging and see that many EOs are not meant to be ingested. But, most Young Living Oils can be ingested either neat (without diluting in oil or another carrier) or diluted. Check out my website on more information on Young Living products and feel free to contact me for any more information!

Now for the details:

Young Living Lavender Lemonade

2-3 Drops YL Lemon EO

2-3 Drops YL Lavender EO

2 or more drops (to taste) liquid stevia or powdered stevia to taste

24 oz. filtered water

Stir gently and pour over water for a refreshing drink! (And please accept my apologies for it not being purple.) 

Note: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. And this information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Two ways to put up the fight against cancer in your body this week

If you joined us yesterday, you know we're talking about ways to put up a good fight against cancer. Now, that might not be on the forefront of your mind, especially if there hasn't been a history of cancer in your family - And That's Great! But we can all take these small steps to living a more healthy lifestyle and, hey, if we fend off cancer in the meantime, then why the heck are we not doing them???!

Note: I'm not going to get all sciency on you, so if you want the research and background click here.

We talk a lot about BALANCE here (and even when we're not on here - we try to live and, yes talk about, BALANCE). In everything we do, we try to find a good BALANCE between what is good for us and what we can maintain in our lifestyle. So, here are two things that you should be able to incorporate in your (busy?) life to promote both a healthy and cancer-free lifestyle:

Eat your Veggies and Herbs!

1. Eat more veggies! Yep! You knew that was coming right? Haha! There's no mystery here; veggies can stimulate the immune system and rid our bodies of carcinogens. What are some effective anticancer veggies? Cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, GARLIC (yes, GI JOE**, you read that right!), onions, and leeks! And if you pair these veggies with delicious herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint, or basil, you simply compound the goodness!


2. Here comes another shocker: EXERCISE! (did you see that one coming too?) Regular exercise helps to eliminate carcinogens from our bodies and strengthens our immune system at the same time! Does anyone NOT want those two side effects?

Exercise Regularly

Okay, so we're probably not telling you anything you didn't already know. But it's good to be reminded why we do the things we do (ie. get up at 5am to run 3 miles before work and take the time to steam up a nice pot of broccoli to go with our...hamburger...I mean salmon! 


But that brings me back to my point on BALANCE! I would never tell you to cut that greasy hamburger completely out of your life (well, because I will honestly never cut it out of mine). But, I would recommend that you think about how often you have that hamburger and fries (oh, did I not mention the fries before?) and offset it with some veggies to fight off the ill-effects that burger and fries caused (Take a gander at Too Much of a good thing for notes on why you want to offset that burger and fries).

Today, try to think about balance in everything that you do and see if it changes your perspective. Let us know!

~ Samara

**Note 2: I've decided to refer to ME (my better half) as GI JOE from now on. He likes that name for Words with Friends (and it gets him a LOT of lady opponents) and I figured it's all in all a better nickname. :)

Too much of a good thing?

My new boss suggested a great read this week. It's a transcript of David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, giving a lecture here in Houston at MD Anderson, a medical center with the mission to "eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation, and the world." His lecture included interesting results in anti-cancer research and I'm going to share a few with you over the next few days. If you are interested, you can read the transcript for yourself for all the details and research footnotes. He has also written a book on this, Anti Cancer: A new way of life, that is now on my reading list.

The basis of his lecture is that there is research that proves that not only do genetics factor into the risk of cancer, but increasingly so does our diet and lifestyle! Go figure!

Omega Essential Fatty Acids are, well, essential to our bodies!

The most interesting fact that I took from his lecture is the imbalance we have in our diet of Omega-6 and Omega-3s. We hear these thrown around all the time: "Make sure you get your Omegas!" Ok, great, but why? Well, these are essential fatty acids that our body needs, but cannot manufacture on it's own, so we have to get them from food. These days, so many of us do; we eat salmon and eggs, we take fish oil, we may even add flax seed to our yogurt or smoothies. But, what we need to also be aware of is the imbalance of Omega-6s over Omega-3s? What? Too much Omega-6 could be harmful to us? Well, research shows that when the ratio is out of whack (i.e. too much 6), the risk of cancer increases!

Look for eggs and dairy high in Omega-3

So, guess where the ratio is out of whack? In meats and dairy from grain fed animals, in eggs from grain fed chickens, vegetable oils (such as corn and sunflower) and the ever-dreaded trans fats. So, if you still were looking for a reason to switch to grass-fed beef and Omega-3 eggs/milk, here you are...it could decrease your risk of cancer.

Another great thing I took from his article is that he realizes that we’re humans and we have to find what works for us. We’re not perfect and we are probably not going to be able to eat eggs high in Omega-3’s every chance we get or make sure our salad dressing from the restaurant is made from Extra Virgin Olive Oil. However, we can do our best to choose the best possible whole foods as often as we can to make a difference.

Of course, there are many more things we can do. Think of it as a balance. Just like offsetting your carbon footprint, make it your goal to offset or bring balance to your diet when you can. Come back tomorrow to see how we can find balance!

~Samara

Bragg Liquid Aminos

A few weeks ago, I posted a quick breakfast recipe that I finished off with Bragg Liquid Aminos. I wanted to share with you the benefits of these. I actually picked it up a few years ago as an alternative to soy sauce, but then learned of the additional benefits.  

Bragg Liquid Aminos is a liquid protein concentrate that is derived from soybeans and contains both essential and non-essential Amino Acids. So, why do we need amino acids? Well, I never really enjoyed chemistry, so I won’t even try to get deep into this, but the bottom line is our body needs amino acids to function, especially to synthesize proteins and as an energy source. They also build cells and repair tissue...sounds like just what we’re looking for when we are trying to build muscle, right?  Well, there are 8 essential amino acids that we cannot produce on our own and thus need to find them somewhere else...enter Bragg! Bragg Liquid Aminos ensures we are getting 16 Essential and Non-Essential Amino Acids in natural occurring amounts. 

This is specially important for people who are dieting and may not be consuming enough calories or getting the essential amino acids from food choices. So, try out some Bragg Liquid Aminos and see how it affects the way you feel and think daily!

Head over to www.Bragg.com for free samples from the Bragg line and to learn more about all of their producs. 

Bragg Liquid Aminos comes in several different sized pour bottles or a spray bottle. The spray bottle is nice to finish off any meals, especially salads, with a little flavoring, and, as mentioned before, as substitute for soy sauce or salt. Good to know: it’s gluten free, kosher, and contains no added MSG. You can find it at natural food markets and sometimes in your grocery store. Let me know if you’ve tried it!

Healthy Breakfast in a (semi) Hurry

Ok, so, we all know breakfast in a HURRY can involve, well, to be honest, nothing - Bad Idea. Other, slightly better-for-us options could include:

• protein shake
• protein bar
• smoothie
• perhaps some whole lean protein, a piece of fruit, and a handful of nuts (nice quick option)

As I awoke this morning with just enough time to grab a Clif bar and run out the door to teach BodyPump, I left ME and Kel in the kitchen. Kel is always on the go and often eats breakfast at work, but ME was heading off to school and could have used a nice hearty, healthy breakfast! I felt guilty leaving him in the dust to fend for himself when, if I’d just gotten out of bed 10 minutes earlier, I could have given him a nice healthy send off - and Kelly too! (rewind the clock to 6 am when I heard my alarm go off and scrambled eggs with the lean turkey I already have browned sounded just SO HARD to put together!) 

When I returned from the gym, I whipped up an even faster breakfast so that next time I find myself lying in bed with this dilemma, I will choose to be a caring wife who chooses cooking breakfast for her husband over getting 6 more minutes of sleep! (now, don’t let me guilt you here, husbands are just as capable of cooking their own breakfasts, but sometimes, I like to pamper him...but to be fair, he often cooks me breakfast in bed. i.e. YESTERDAY! - now I feel even MORE guilt! ha!)

In about 5-6 minutes, here is what I threw together:

Eggs “Almost” Florentine

2 Eggs, fried over easy

2 Handfuls of raw baby spinach

2 oz. low sodium deli ham, sliced

Braggs Liquid Amino Acids

Cooking spray

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the spinach and stir occasionally until slightly wilted (If the spinach begins to stick to the pan, add some water or broth to the pan). Place wilted spinach on a plate and season lightly with the Liquid Amino Acids.  Spray the same skillet lightly with cooking spray. Add the ham and stir lightly, then push to the side to continue to heat through as you use the remainder of the pain to fry your eggs.

To plate: Add ham atop spinach, and place the eggs on top. Enjoy!

Yes, that's half-eaten! Don't judge!

Now, if you wanted some carbs for some nice energy, you could be cooking an easy pot of oatmeal at the same time as your Eggs! Again, I was too lazy for that today! ;)


~ Samara

D-Lightful Vitamin D

Yesterday, I’d mentioned how my Dad, Dr. B, has been a great example of supporting a healthy diet with vitamins and supplements. One that he has been consistently encouraging me to take is vitamin D. Being a psychiatrist and practicing in the sometimes grey state of Washington, he personally sees the difference that supplementing your diet with vitamin D can offer. 

You most likely know from all of those milk commercials that D will build strong bones and teeth! But, ensuring you have enough D in your diet can also support your immune system and breast health, colon and pancreas health. And, as Dr. B touts, check out this article on how vitamin D can also be a contributing factor to reduce the risk of depression and increase quality of life.

We always would prefer to get our vitamin D from natural food sources, such as eggs and fish. My second favorite way is SUN! But sometimes you’re busy and can’t even get that daily 20 mins in; and maybe fish and eggs or milk aren’t on your menu today. So a great way to ensure you do get enough is to add it to your supplement list. 

These are a few options we have in our pantry currently.

Of course, consult your physician before you add anything to your diet, as well as to determine what the appropriate level of vitamin D is for your specific needs.

~ Samara

Things I’m Thankful for Today:

~ Finding the desire to race and train again

~ Indirect motivation from your friends

~ More students in my morning BodyPump classes

~ Getting rewarded for procrastination, yet again! ;P

Am I really hungry?

We talk a lot on here about healthy eating, but to be honest we didn’t always eat like this. When I was in college, I seemed to learn that I needed to eat everything put in front of me, because, when you’re in the Army, you never know when your next meal might be. It took me 9 years to re-learn that I didn’t really need to live like that anymore. When I got out of the Army, I took a look at myself and realized I needed to do some work to lose some weight and reshape myself and my life. With Kelly’s help as my Personal Trainer,  and my refocus on how to nourish my body and how to look at food, I was able to transform both my body and my life. I learned to be selective in what I eat and that I can gain just as much pleasure from eating smaller amounts of quality food than I thought I’d used to get from eating large quantities of anything around.

This came to mind this week, while we’re on vacation and visiting family. While traveling, we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. If you’ve been there, you know they bring out a large basket of hot, fresh rolls with delicious cinnamon butter out to your table when you are seated. We allowed ourselves to share a roll with our salads. Then our steaks and mixed vegetables arrived and we thoroughly enjoyed that. As we were winding down, I looked over at the plump rolls, piled up so innocently in that basket next to my plate. I really wanted to take one more roll, slather it in butter and have it to chase my steak. But I took a moment and looked at my plate, where there were a few more bites of tenderloin and about four more florets of broccoli and cauliflower. I asked myself, “Am I really hungry? If I am really still hungry, then I can have some more vegetables instead of bread” But, I really wasn’t hungry, I just wanted the feeling of that tasty bread and butter. After realizing this, I was able to find the discipline to not take the other roll.

Have you ever found yourself in this situation? Have you been able to find the will power to overcome your desires for more food even though you have eaten enough already? Have you thought about asking the server not to bring the bread to the table? Or to leave the rice off your order? 

For me, it took some time, more than a year, to be able to find the discipline to have snacks in the house without the need to eat them immediately. But, this is something that I work through daily; somedays I win the battle, somedays I don’t, but what’s important is that the next day I keep working towards my goals.

Eat something nutritious and healthy today! I'll join you in that!

~Samara

How do you stay on track in the Kitchen?

                                What’s in your Fridge?  

We all have techniques for keeping junk food out of our bodies, what’s your technique?  I personally have to keep junk out of my house.  I normally only keep exactly what’s on my eating plan for the next couple of days in my fridge, because I know, when it’s pre contest time and I’m working out so much, I turn into an eating machine and I’ll eat anything that crosses my path! Ha, not really but, it’s just better, for me, to keep temptations out of the house.

However, that all changed this weekend.  Samara and her husband have come to stay with me for a few months between Army assignments, so we spent all weekend unloading boxes and getting them settled.  But it seemed that the more boxes we unloaded, the more grocery bags Samara unloaded!  Samara’s technique for keeping junk food out of her and her hubby’s body is to STOCK the fridge full of fresh, organic yummy food, that way they’ll never have an excuse to get hungry and eat something they’ll regret later.  I just had to take a picture of the fridge because I’ve never seen MY fridge so full of food!  It makes me smile!  I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot! 

So, while my technique of keeping only the bare essentials in the house is effective, their technique of making sure there is plenty of good stuff is also working out well (plus Sam has been cooking for me, yum yum!) 

Yet a third technique (one that DOES NOT work for ME) is JB’s way.  JB accepts treats, baked goods, left over pizza, etc, but he freezes it all until a “cheat day” or “refeed” day.  It works well for him bc he’ll never defrost something he’s not supposed too. I, on the other hand find it way too easy to defrost that piece of pound cake in the freezer, microwaves are magical!

So, how do you all stock your fridge/pantry?  Can you keep a good balance of treats and clean foods or do you end up going to extremes like me?  Please leave me some comments, I’d love to hear how you manage your sundries and produce.  

P.S. yes that’s cool whip, we had fresh strawberries over the weekend, come on, a girl needs a treat every now and then!!!

Procrastination - can you get away with it?

                          You may delay, but time will not. ~Benjamin Franklin
My friend Amanda over at http://www.runtothefinish.com/ honored me by asking me to do a guest blog about why I love competing in fitness shows......2 weeks ago!  I'm sure I'll put it off a few more days.  Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about writing a post for her awesome blog and I'm always excited to write about fitness......sigh.  So why have I been procrastinating?? My official excuse (which actually holds a lot of truth) is that it's tough to put all the reasons why I LOVE competing in Fitness, Figure, Bodybuilding type competitions in one short post, I could talk all day about the plethora of reasons I get up on that stage...but more on that later.  The fact is, I have plenty of idea's for the post, I can knock it out in about 45 minutes if I put my mind too it and use spell check:)  But the real reason is, I'm just a professional procrastinator! It's my MO!
       Procrastination works well for me.  I wait till the last minute and then I'm under the gun so I work quickly and efficiently.  However, there are some area's in my life where procrastination does NOT work, and believe me, I've tried my procrastination techniques everywhere!  I have found that saving money and getting in shape are the main two places I just can't procrastinate.  Here are a few examples:

When I was in the army, I knew 6 MONTHS ahead of time when a physical fitness test was coming up (2 min push up, 2 min sit up, 2 mile run)  did I start training ahead of time?  did I work on my 2 mile time with sprint workouts?? HA! No, I would wait until THE WEEK BEFORE and decide to try to do 500 sit ups a day to catch up on all the training I had skipped out on.....and go figure, it never worked. 

I have waited until the last minute to diet/train for fitness shows. Why? I don't know, I certainly knew I had a show coming up! They post the dates about a year out and you have to register far in advance. So why (on more then one occasion) have I found myself on the treadmill for 3 hours a day the week before a show trying to make up for all my procrastinating?  FYI, this is NOT the way to get the best results in ANY type of competition!

The bottom line is, getting in shape, losing weight, gaining muscle, flexibility, strength and overall strength all take time. A Long time!  So please don't put your health off one more day!  Don't wait till tomorrow to start that new diet plan, walking regime, weight plan, marathon prep, etc.  Procrastination and health don't work, take it from someone who tried a few times to mix the two!  I'd love to hear your stories about procrastination and how it worked out! Leave me some comments!  -Kelly

Do you SERIOUSLY want to put that in your body??

Hi All, It's been a while since I posted, Samara has been picking up the slack for me.  I've been putting in a lot of hours and the day job and then training as many clients as I can at night and I've started Prepping for my next show...more on that later :)  So, not only have I not blogged, I haven't been able to catch up on TV either!  I just got around to watching a three week old episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. That show makes me so angry I almost blogged last night, but it would have been filled with curse words!! I'm more calm this morning, but I've got to tell you, I'm really really upset about what we are putting in our bodies and the bodies of our precious children.  During last night's episode, he had a classroom full of kids and he let them make an ice cream sunday with all the usual fixins, candy bits, sprinkles, whipped topping, sugary sauces...you know, the good stuff:)  Then he asked them if they knew what they were really eating. There were over 250 ingredients in their sundays!!! I couldn't even pronounce the majority of those 250 ingredients.  You could see the look on the kids face change as it started to sink in.  He then went on to explain what those ingredients were actually made of...the shellac on the shiny candy coating - beetles! Other ingredients were derived from duck feathers, pig intestines and human hair...tasty huh??  By then the kids were gagging and I knew he had made his point.  People, please, read the ingredients and if you don't know what it is....DON'T BUY IT!  We are already exposed to so many toxic chemicals in our every day environments, please don't needlessly put more toxins in  your body!  So next time you are at the grocery, read the labels and avoid anything that sounds like it came out of your 9th grade chemistry class!!  Have a healthy day! -Kelly

Is this food good for me?

I was reading Everday Food last night and saw this disturbing note from a Cornell University study: that people thought that food stamped “organic” was healthier than another version that was not certified organic. Specifically, they believed that organic cookies had half the calories and more fiber than identical non-organic cookies! Yikes!

Kelly and I strive to eat organic foods when we can, as we are continually learning to be more aware of the things that we put into our body. But it still takes a mindful eye while shopping (and really, while creating your shopping list beforehand) to determine what your body actually needs, what is healthy, and what is, in Kel's words, ‘poison’ to your body (no matter how good it tastes). Yes, that’s a little dramatic, but some of us need that shock to be forced to see what we are doing to this vessel we’ve been given; our body.

There are several vegans and ovo lactos in my yoga teacher training class, as one would expect. During yesterday’s lunch, we had an interesting discussion led by one student about how he used to be a ‘Dorito vegan’ when he started; In order to cut out meat from his diet, he just lived on Doritos! He has since learned, and instilled within him, that to be vegan for him is more than just the shift away from meat, but also towards healthful eating.

I think this is an important shift in one’s mind that we could all strive to reach. Have you ever found yourself reaching for something that is labeled ‘organic’ or even ‘low fat’ only to realize that it may be worse for you than the original version? What steps do you take to be more mindful while shopping?

This is your last day to enter the Total Body Kit Giveaway!

Things I’m Thankful for Today

Calm in the midst of pressure

Study partners

Restorative yoga poses

Dry heat

Clean Eating on the Road ~ can it be done?

ME and I started our road trip out west yesterday; we’re heading to Houston to link up with the other half of HFE, Kelly, for a week! I’ll be taking a week of yoga training and ME will be prospecting our living arrangements for the next <year in College Station. So, we’re spending two days on the road while I’m on the sugar free challenge and Matt’s on his clean eating plan; how are we managing, might you ask? Well, with some quick prior planning, we’re managing just fine, thanks.

Here’s what we’re living on:

~ Sammy’s Creamy Tuna Salad

~ Prepped salad mix

~ Sliced veggies (peeled cucumbers, celery, and carrots)

~ Almonds (a new awesome flavor -Habanero BBQ- I happened upon)

~ SpoonfulOfSugar’s Crazy Healthy Granola Bars in Reese’s PB

The above is what we eat while driving. We ate at Outback last night and had lean proteins and veggies while we wallowed away as our Miami Heat managed to lose yet another game! This morning, we had the perfect breakfast provided by our Residence Inn: eggs (scrambled and hard boiled), canadian bacon (my Zone loving mother would be so proud!), and fresh melon. We couldn’t have been more blessed, as I’m sure tomorrow they’ll have some nice fatty sausage in lieu of the canadian bacon - while delicious, not on today’s diet plan! ;)

Click here to try my easy Samara’s Creamy Tuna Salad.

Full disclosure: I've never road tripped without living on fast food before! So, we can all try something new!


~ Samara

Samara's Creamy Tuna Salad

3 cans tuna in water

2 avocados, diced or mashed

1-2 T mustard, to taste

1 lemon, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Optional Add Ins:

~pickled jalapenos, diced

~diced celery, if you like some crunch

~steamed cauliflower, diced or mashed (optional ~ I just like to sneak those veggies in where I can and I had some leftover from breakfast)

~hard boiled egg/whites, if you want some more protein

Mix ingredients together and chow down. :)

Note: this is what I used because this is what I had, you can mix the measurements to taste...ie. more tuna, less avocado, etc. ~ go ahead ~ mess with it and make it your own!

Sugar Free Food Choices

Yeah, they look just like Lara Bars! :)

One of my concerns at the start of the 10 Day Sugar Free Challenge was what I will use to fuel my body while I’m living the life as a nomad, on the road between gyms for classes everyday. The past few days, in the essence of time, I’ve been living on hard boiled eggs and cold oatmeal. And that’s fine, but I was looking for some bars to fill the void left by the sports bars I normally rely on. Well, yesterday, I happened upon the Crazy Healthy Granola Bars by Alex at Spoonful of Sugar Free. So, last night, I whipped up a version of her Reese’s cup version. Of course, I ate one (well, maybe one and a half) while cooking them and they were great. I’ve already eaten one this morning before my early morning Spin class! I don’t know why I hadn’t tried this sooner! 

For breakfast this morning, I wanted something new as well, so I whipped up an easy batch of Quinoa Cottage Cheese Pancakes. Easy and delicious!

No, those aren't choco chips.
 It's spinach;
leftover from multitasking. ;) 

1/2 c. Quinoa Flakes (gluten free and a good source of protein! yay!)

1/2 c. cottage cheese

4 egg whites or the equivalent of Egg Beaters Whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all of these ingredients in a blender and then cook just as you would any pancake. Serve with your choice of toppings (fresh fruit, pumpkin puree, agave nectar, etc.)

Modifications (add any of these items to the mix before cooking):

Gingerbread: pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves (this is what I had this morning, with pumpkin puree on top ~ Yum!)

Fruit: blueberries, strawberries, diced apple (fold in the fruit after blending)

Apple Nut: diced apple and 1 T almond butter (blend in the almond butter and then fold in the apples)

Nutrition Facts (of the basic recipe before add ons)

Serving Size: 2 pancakes

Calories 183

Calories from Fat 27.0

Total Fat 3g

Saturated Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 7.5mg

Sodium 310mg

Total Carbohydrate 27g

Dietary Fiber 0.5g

Sugars 3.5g

Protein 14g

Day 6 Sugar Free Challenge

So, yesterday, I stepped off the sugar free train; and the worst part: there was no real reason for it. I planned for my morning out on the town by bringing pre-cooked oatmeal, mixed with unsweetened almond milk and cinnamon alongside two hard boiled eggs. I went off on my day teaching classes, running errands, and a doctor’s appointment. During my errands, at Walrgreen’s, one of the weekly free specials was a SoBe Zero Calorie Water...which means sugar substitute. I planned to just stock that at home for after the sugar free challenge. Well, I got out to the car and as soon as I realized I was thirsty, had the choice between warm water from my Camelbak or the nice COLD and REFRESHING SoBe Water in the seat next to me. What do you think I chose? Yup, the SoBe water. Blasted! 

I’d love to say that was my only step off, but it got worse. When I finally got home from my final class of the day and it was lunchtime, I opened the fridge. Neither the yummy tuna salad (I’ll post the recipe later) from Sunday’s lunch or the roasted chicken breasts from the dinner called to me. What did? A hot dog! Yup! My favorite food. I bought two packs (they were BOGO last week, of course) to use as a cheat meal, but alas, I found one in my belly! I wanted another one, but forced myself to wait 20 minutes and see if I was really hungry for one...and of course I wasn’t. So, what did I learn from this? That I’m still not 100% in control of my will power. My solution...what I’ve done before, kept these things out of the house so they don’t tempt me. However, so as not to waste food, I’ve thrown them in the freezer so I’ll at least be forced to plan ahead if I want to cheat again. :)

My goal today is to try out the Crazy Granola Bar recipe that Spoonful of Sugar Free posted a few months ago. They look great and should help to power me through all of my classes without the added sugar! 

How do you keep yourself from being tempted by these little setbacks? Have you found some new quick recipes to get you through your busy schedule and still remain on track? Please share!

~ Samara 

What?...There’s Sugar in That?

If you’re on day 2 of sugar free challenge with us...you might have found yourself asking this same question! While I may not be 100% sugar free in the last 48 hours, my awareness of sugar in foods is growing...and at least that is growth, right?! :)

As I left the house in a hurry for yoga this morning, I grabbed a bottle of Dry Roasted Almonds as some fuel for the day. My willpower was strong and I left that identical jar labeled “Sweet and Salty” Mixed Nut blend (which is my current obsession) right there on the island. An hour later, I threw a handful of these ‘dry roasted almonds’ into my mouth as I ran into the gym for BodyPump. After my Spinning class, I went to grab some more almonds - needed energy - but thought to look at the ingredients, just to check. Lo and Behold....halfway down the ingredients breakdown: SUGAR! Straight up! Why on earth would sugar be needed to dry roast my almonds? Darnit! Foiled again!

But while we’re looking at the ingredients of my almonds....why also are there so many other ingredients. As Kelly so eloquently put it: “The only things listed should be: Almonds, Roasted”. I’d maybe add some salt! But goodness! Now I’ve got to find sugar free ‘dry roasted’ almonds! 

Have any of you had these aha moments? Finding sugar hidden in your daily foods? Is this challenge helping you to check out those ingredients a little closer? 

My Goal for tomorrow: looking at the ingredients BEFORE I pop those snacks in my belly!

Day One - Sugar Free Challenge - Don’t Freak Out!

Today is Day One of the 10 Day Sugar Free Challenge co-hosted by our friend, RunToTheFinish, and My Note to Self Today: Don’t Freak Out! 

Honestly, I don’t eat a lot of added sugar, however, when you get down to line items, as a fitness instructor, I live on protein shakes and energy bars to get me through multiple classes each day. I also rely on sports drinks to replenish all of the electrolytes I’m losing during multiple Spin classes - these three key items in my diet rely on sugar substitutes! So, when I realized that in order to do full sugar free for 10 days, I would have to cut these out of my diet, I freaked out a little. :) 

 After discussing it with ME and Kelly, and being reminded that we each need to do what’s best for our own bodies, I’ve decided to do a modified sugar free cleanse. Because Kelly is focused on building muscle in preparation for competition season, she’s cutting out all sugars and sugar substitutes with the exception of protein shakes. I am going to attempt to do the same. In lieu of my electrolyte drinks, I’m taking Salt/Electrolyte Tabs (which I normally only use during long/hot cardio sessions or during endurance races). To help fuel me through back to back classes at the gym, I’m going to use fruit and nuts. We’ll see how that feels after a few days of my new crazy gym schedule. We’ll keep you posted! Don’t Freak Out! (just a reminder)

 Are you joining us on the sugar free challenge? If so, what are your challenges? What are your plans to overcome them? 

With some prior planning and thought, I know we can do this!

Hungry Man Dinner in a Hurry

What do you do when you come home from a full day of work and you’ve just finished a Spinning class and you and your husband are famished and you don’t have enough leftovers in the fridge to make a full dinner? 

If you don’t mind eggs for dinner, then do what I did and whip up this quick and easy dinner in less than 15 minutes. We also heated up some frozen mixed veggies on the side.

Huevos Rancheros

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Rotel, drained

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced 

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp Olive oil

2 eggs

Salsa

Heat oil in sauté pan. Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute. add beans, Rotel, and cumin and heat through. Mash ingredients together to desired consistency. 

Fry eggs and serve atop mashed beans and top with salsa. 

Nutrition Facts

Serves 3

Amount per Serving

Calories 326

Calories from Fat 95.6

Total Fat 10.62g

Saturated Fat 3.22g

Cholesterol 430mg

Sodium 1216.97mg

Total Carbohydrate 33.63g

Dietary Fiber 11.17g

Sugars 5g

Protein 21.8g

Preparing for Sugar Free Challenge

In preparing for RunToTheFinish's Upcoming 10 Day Sugar Free Challenge, I've prepared a full day's menu to get us on the right track. The lunch menu may look complicated, but it's really not, and I've broken it down into parts. You can cook all your veggies at lunch (just double the recipe) and serve the other half at dinner.

My husband is working on the 4 Hour Body guidelines, so I've added black beans and lentils to the meals for sustenance. If you're not in need of that extra bit, cut out the lentils at dinner. But keep the beans in for lunch so you have something to keep you nice and full for the day!

I hope you'll join us in the challenge. Let me know what you think of the recipes. We had the lunch last night for dinner and ME gave me two thumbs up. :)

One Day's Full Menu

Breakfast

Scrambled Eggs with spinach and peppers

½ C. Egg Beaters

1 C. baby spinach

1 T. broth, chicken or vegetable (can be substituted with water)

1 bell pepper, chopped

Heat sauté pan over medium heat. Add spinach and broth or water and stir until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from pan and set aside.

Spray pan lightly with cooking spray. Add eggs and then turn down heat to low. Scramble eggs until desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers to taste. Mix in spinach and chopped peppers and serve. Options, add a side of whole wheat toast.

Cinnamon Coffee

In lieu of sugar or stevia, add cinnamon to your coffee.

Lunch

Broiled Tilapia salad serves 2-4

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia filets

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

2 cans black beans, drained rinsed

1 can Rotel tomatoes with lime and cilantro with juice

1/2 chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cumin

1 T olive oil

Shredded lettuce

Diced bell peppers

Dressing:

2 T cider vinegar

1 T olive oil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Few shakes tabasco sauce

Tilapia:

Turn on broiler. Place tilapia filets on rimmed baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and add salt and pepper. Place under for broiler for 5-10 minutes until browned.

Black Beans:

Heat olive oil, over medium heat, in a medium sauce pan.  Add onion and sauté for approximately 5 minutes until glossy. Add garlic and cumin and stir a few seconds until fragrant. Add beans and Rotel with juice, salt and pepper to taste and heat through.

Salad Dressing: Whisk ingredients together until emulsified.

Steamed veggies

1 c frozen mixed veggies

2 T broth

1-3 tsp crushed red peppers to taste

Place veggies and broth in a large sauté pan over med- high heat. Cover and steam for 5-10 minutes until just heated through. Mix in chili garlic paste and salt and pepper to taste.

Time Saver Note: double this recipe and use the other half for dinner

To plate: scatter chopped lettuce on plate with diced bell peppers. Drizzle with dressing. Add black beans on top and then add tilapia filets. Top with guacamole and sliced peppers.

Nutrition Value does not include the guac. You can find the recipe and nutrition facts here: Hungry Girl Holy Mole Guacamole

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Amount per Serving

Calories 284

Calories from Fat 72.3

Total Fat 8.03

Saturated Fat 2g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 1224mg***

Total Carbohydrate 22.3g

Dietary Fiber 7.84g

Sugars 2.96g

Protein 29.32g

***I couldn’t get the sodium down in the calculations, due to the canned beans. If you rinse the beans thoroughly, you’ll drop a lot of that sodium. Or cook dried beans to control the sodium even more.

Dinner:

Chicken Stir Fry with Vegetables and Lentils

4-4oz chicken breasts

2 cups stir fry vegetables

¼ tsp salt

Cooking Spray

½ - 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning Blend or Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

¼ cup Chicken broth

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers. Bake at 375 for 20-30 mins, until juices run clear.



Place frozen veggies and a few tablespoons of broth in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Cover and steam veggies until heated through. Remove lid and add Mrs. Dash or crushed red peppers, and salt to taste. 



Serve sliced chicken on top of veggies.

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Amount per Serving

Calories 167

Calories from Fat 18.5

Total Fat 2.06g

Saturated Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 70mg

Sodium 295.63mg

Total Carbohydrate 7g

Dietary Fiber 3.25g

Sugars 3.25g***

Protein 26.69g

***Don’t let the sugar stat set you back. It’s just natural sugars from the vegetables.

Lentils

1 cup dry lentils

3-4 cups water

1 tsp salt

½ lemon, juiced

2 T Olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup parsley

Bring the lentils to a covered boil in salted water and then turn to low and simmer, with lid ajar for 20-30 mins, until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix a minced clove of garlic, juice of half a lemon, 1/2 tsp salt and a handful of minced parsley. Add cooked lentils and mix.

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Amount per Serving

Calories 132

Calories from Fat 63.4

Total Fat 7.04g

Saturated Fat 1.01g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 744.75mg

Total Carbohydrate 19.47g

Dietary Fiber 9.14g

Sugars 0.04g

Protein 8.16g





Things For Which I’m Thankful:

Two for Tuesday classic rock

My husband’s laptop working J

Julia and Jacques