Beer Battered Fish Tacos with fresh Salsa

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Tomato & Avocado Salsa, (recipe follows) or store-bought fresh salsa
  
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  
• 2/3 cup beer
  
• 16 ounces tilapia fillet, cut crosswise into 1-inch wide strips
  
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
  
• 8 corn tortillas, warmed
  

Tomato & Avocado Salsa Ingredients

• 2 large tomato, diced
  
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
  
• 1 jalapeno, minced
  
• 4-6 tablespoons lime juice
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  
• 1 avocado, diced
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  
• Pinch of cayenne, if desired
  

Preparation

1. Prepare Tomato & Avocado Salsa, if using.
   
2. Combine flour, cumin, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Whisk in beer to create a batter.
   
3. Coat tilapia pieces in the batter. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Letting excess batter drip back into the bowl, add the fish to the pan; cook until crispy and golden, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Serve the fish with tortillas and salsa.
   

Nutrition

Per serving: 409 calories; 16 g fat (2 g sat, 9 g mono); 57 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrates; 29 g protein; 8 g fiber; 408 mg sodium; 972 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (40% daily value), Potassium (27% dv), Magnesium (25% dv), Folate (23% dv), Vitamin A (20% dv).

 

How to make eating fun

If you're anything like me, the act of eating can be a somewhat scary thing. Something that, while a vital part of our being, is so intimidating because of the lasting effects it can have when we make the wrong decisions. It occurred to me this afternoon as I was contemplating my lunch choices, that eating has somehow become something I dread rather than enjoy. I love food. I love the way it smells, looks, makes me feel and of course the way it tastes. Yet, although I have such a love for it, I realized that I also hate it. I mean, it's easy to blame food for my present battle with weight…although I KNOw the fault is mine and my long past with poor food choices.

So, as a result, I decided to list some ways that I can make healthy eating fun again, and not a chore or something that has become painful.

• Vegetables are your friend. In addition to being super healthy, they are flavorful, colorful, and so versatile. The can be eaten raw , boiled, steamed, sautéed, baked or grilled. No matter how you cook them, they come packed with healthy vitamins & minerals, and rarely need anything more than a dash of seasoning.
  
• Don't be afraid to experiment! Some of my favorite meals have been a result of "a little of this, a little of that." Butter, cheese, dressing or sauces need not be added when you brave seasonings and spices. The possibilities are endless!
  
• Make it a game. Journey back to elementary school and revisit the food pyramid. Try to get all of the major food groups and servings in your daily diet…every day! As a reminder, food groups & servings are:
  
• Learn about vitamins, how they help you, what the daily recommendations are, and where their natural forms.
  
• See how many people notice your healthy choices and see if your changes rub off on them.
  

Have a FABULOUS (and cool) day!

Fit-NOW-Girl

Halibut with Summer Vegetable Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped red onion
  
• 1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 6 ounces zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 2/3 cup fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed
  
• 5 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
  
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  
• 4 6-ounce halibut fillets
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  

 

Directions

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in zucchini, corn, 3 tablespoons basil and parsley. Cover and simmer until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
   
2. Add halibut fillets to sauce in skillet. Sprinkle fish and sauce generously with salt and pepper. Cover; simmer until fish is opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Drizzle lime juice over.
   
3. Using spatula, transfer fish to plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.
   

Bon appétit!

Fit-NOW-Girl

 

The bad side of alcohol

Successful weight loss is all about burning more calories than you eat. When they go on a diet, many people choose low-calorie alcoholic drinks, mainly because they contain fewer alcohol calories than their regular counterparts.

However, drinking too much has a far more damaging effect than you can predict simply by looking at the number of alcohol calories in a drink. Not only does it reduce the number of fat calories you burn, alcohol can increase your appetite, make you less aware of how much or even what you're consuming and lower your testosterone levels for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking.

Alcohol calories

According to conventional wisdom, the infamous "beer belly" is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat. Yet, less than five percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. Rather, the main effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy.

Some evidence for this comes from research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Eight people were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%.

Rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into a substance called acetate. In fact, blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal. And it appears this sharp rise in acetate puts the brakes on fat loss.

A car engine typically uses only one source of fuel. Your body, on the other hand, draws from a number of different energy sources, such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability.

In other words, your body tends to use whatever you feed it. Consequently, when acetate levels rise, your body simply burns more acetate, and less fat. In essence, acetate pushes fat to the back of the queue.

So, to summarize and review, here's what happens to fat metabolism after the odd drink or two.

• A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.
  
• Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.
  
• The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.
  

The way your body responds to alcohol is very similar to the way it deals with excess carbohydrate.

Although carbohydrates can be converted directly into fat if not burnt, one of the main effects of overfeeding with carbohydrate is that it simply replaces fat as a source of energy. That's why any type of diet, whether it's high-fat, high-protein, or high-carbohydrate, can lead to a gain in weight.

Appetite

The combination of alcohol and a high-calorie meal is especially fattening, mainly because alcohol acts as a potent appetizer. A Canadian study shows that an aperitif (an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to increase the appetite) increased calorie intake to a greater extent than a carbohydrate-based drink.

Researchers from Denmark's Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University report similar results. When a group of people were given a meal and allowed to eat as much as they wanted, they ate more when the meal was served with beer or wine rather than a soft drink.

This doesn't mean you need to avoid alcohol completely.

A study published in the International Journal of Obesity, compared the effect of two different diets over a three-month period. Both diets contained 1500 calories daily, one with 150 calories from white wine and one with 150 calories from grape juice.

Weight loss in the grape juice group and white wine group was 8.3 pounds and 10.4 pounds, respectively.

So, what's the bottom line?

Although an alcohol-rich meal does increase your metabolic rate, it also suppresses the number of fat calories your body burns for energy — far more so than meals rich in protein, carbohydrate, or fat. While the odd drink now and again isn't going to hurt, the bottom line is that alcohol and a leaner, stronger body just doesn't mix.

Until Tomorrow!

Stay awesome (and cool)

Fit-NOW-Girl

How to be a loser

If you've drifted away from the direct path to your weight loss goal lately, join me as we take a look at some ways to ease yourself back into living like a "loser"!

Television and Temptation
We're not just talking about those commercials for the latest $1 hamburger at the fast food joint around the corner! Didn't you hate it when your mom called the television "the boob tube" as if you were a complete idiot for watching it so much? Turns out she was on to something... at least when it comes to the part of our brain that tells us enough is enough. When we tune in to the "X-Files" marathons on Tuesday nights (or whatever your TV addiction might be!) and sit down with some munchies, it's a virtual feeding frenzy.

Research has shown that we automatically exaggerate portions when we snack in front of the television, especially on the foods we tend to overdo anyway like straight-out-of the bag potato chips, powdered donuts, buttered popcorn... (All those delicious treats that just happen to be high in fat and sugar that go with TV so well!) Do yourself a favor and portion out a single serving of your favorite treat into a snack bag and allow yourself only that serving during prime time.

Stave off Hunger
A sure-fire way to fail in your re-dedication to weight loss is to skip meals or eat so little during the day that you allow yourself to become super-hungry by nightfall. When you don't eat well-balanced meals during the day or forgo them entirely you will end up so famished by the time you do eat that you're far more likely to binge. A reliable way to keep your appetite from getting out of control is to incorporate good sources of protein into your meals:

• Breakfast will stick with you until lunch if you include cottage cheese, eggs or yogurt.
  
• Working poultry into lunch will keep you away from the vending machine mid-afternoon. Perhaps a turkey sandwich with lots of veggies on the side or add sliced grilled chicken to a salad with reduced-fat dressing.
  
• At dinnertime, making lean meat or fish your entrée will fill you up and prevent the midnight munchies from sneaking up on you.
  
• Legumes are a great side dish for lengthening any meal's staying power.
  
• Snacks serve up a protein punch with yogurt, legumes or peanut butter.
  

Give Yourself Writer's Cramp
Most of us get into the groove of keeping a food diary when we first start assessing our eating habits or when starting a new diet. But once we get an idea of where our trouble spots are, or, we get the hang of our diet, we stop. In actuality, keeping a food diary is a good idea anytime, but it's especially useful if you know that you've gotten off course from your diet program or your healthier eating goals. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a notebook or a few copies of a food diary form.

Jot down what you ate, how much and when. Keep track of everything, including the slice of your boss's birthday cake that you didn't know was going to be lurking in the employee break room and other unexpected goodies. Write down each item as soon as you throw away the plate or packaging that came along with your treat so you don't forget to account for it! Make it a daily habit and sit down with your diary and glean your bad habits and pitfalls from your record. Commit to changing the unfavorable patterns you see!

Go Halves
One of the most crucial steps in losing and maintaining weight is to master the skill of portion control. If you've slipped back into old eating habits, a really useful way to start managing your portions again is to cut normal servings of your usual fare in half. Not only does that mean boxing up half of your entrée as soon as it's served or splitting your deli sandwich with a co-worker, there are also sneakier ways to meet your weight loss effort halfway:

• use only half your normal creamer in your coffee
  
• drink 1/2 your bottled soda now and 1/2 tomorrow instead of downing the whole bottle in one sitting
  
• use 1 slice of bread halved when making a sandwich instead of two slices
  
• use 1/2 as much mayo as usual on your sandwich
  
• use half as much oil as usual when you sauté veggies for dinner tonight
  
• These may sound like small things, but they really do matter in the big picture of making changes you can stick with. Couple them with your bigger changes and it all adds up to pounds lost!
  

Be a Fruity Foodie
There are so many good reasons to incorporate fruit into your diet. Even if you thought you could never become a fan of fruit, try sneaking it in a couple of times a day and it'll grow on you (No pun intended!). Make fruit the only thing you eat between meals for a few days. You'll get the boost of additional nutrients that help your immunity and general health and you'll eventually have fewer cravings for sweets and begin having a yen for fruit instead.

A great way fruit will help you lose weight is to replace desserts with it. You'll be surprised at how well a banana or apple can appease your sweet tooth once you become accustomed to it. If you really want some extra pizzazz, try fruit cocktail (not syrup-based), add reduced-calorie whipped topping to your melon, zap your apple with some cinnamon in the microwave or freeze a banana to make a "fake" ice pop.

Go Veggie
Make one day of the week's meals all vegetarian. You'll not only eat healthier by building your meals around vegetables and grains (thus reducing fat and increasing fiber), you might end up finding you like the veggie lifestyle and go veg for good! Incorporate recipes you've never tried into your menu and try vegetables you've shied away from in the past. If you try different ways of preparing veggies, you'll probably find some to your liking.

For example, I was positive that the only way I could tolerate broccoli for years was to eat it raw. And even then it wasn't very pleasant. You know the episode of "Seinfeld" where Jerry tells Newman he wouldn't eat broccoli if it was covered in chocolate? I liked broccoli even less than everyone's favorite postman. But I finally had some steamed broccoli when I first began a vegetarian diet and it became one of my favorite foods. Try the same trick on your taste buds and you may be pleasantly surprised at their reaction!

Until Tomorrow!

Fit-NOW-Girl

Grilled Salmon Teriyaki

 

 

Ingredients:

• 4 salmon steaks (about 6 oz. each), skinned
  
• 1 cup light soy sauce
  
• 1/3 cup sake (Japanese rice wine)
  
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, grated
  
• 1/3 cup sesame oil
  

Instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
   
2. Rinse salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Divide each steak into two pieces by cutting along either side of the central bone and then discarding the bone. Place the salmon in a shallow glass or ceramic container and pour 1 cup of the marinade over the fish. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the fish occasionally.
   
3. Let come to room temperature before cooking. Prepare grill.
   
4. Remove the salmon from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Place the fish on an oiled grill rack, approximately six inches from the heat source. Turn once and brush with reserved marinade. Cook 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the salmon's thickness.
   

Makes 8 3-oz. servings.

Still no valid proof that diet pills are “the cure”

Courtesy of Natural News.com:

Weight loss drugs may result only in minor weight loss, even after long-term use, according to a new study conducted by Brazilian and Canadian researchers and published in the British Medical Journal.

Researchers conducted meta-analyses of a number of studies conducted on the weight-loss drugs orlistat (marketed as Xenical and Alli), rimonabant (marketed as Acomplia) and sibutramine (marketed as Meridia), and found that users lost an average of less than 11 pounds, even after one to four years of use. Several key indicators of cardiovascular health were improved by taking the drugs, however.

Researchers examined 16 studies on orlistat, which operates by preventing the body from digesting fats. The average long-term user of orlistat lost only 7 pounds and had reduced diabetes risk, blood pressure and cholesterol. As many as 30 percent of users experienced digestive side effects.

Ten tests on sibutramine were also examined, along with four on rimonabant. Both drugs work by interrupting neural signals in the brain.

Sibutramine was found to reduce patients' weight by an average of only 9 pounds. In up to 20 percent of patients, however, it induced side effects including insomnia, nausea, and elevated blood pressure and pulse.

Rimonabant users lost an average of 11 pounds. Six percent of users experienced an elevated rate of mood disorders, however.

After receiving reports of psychiatric side effects such as anxiety and depression, the FDA refused to approve rimonabant for U.S. sale last year. Orlistat, in contrast, is approved for over-the-counter sale in a weakened form (Alli).

The move to sell weight loss drugs over the counter has drawn substantial criticism, including in an editorial accompanying the recent study.

"Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill," Dr. Gareth Williams of the University of Bristol wrote.

 

Have a fantastic day!

Fit-NOW-girl

Key to Successful Weight Loss - # 3

In the past 2 weeks, we have covered how important MOTIVATION and SELF ACCEPTANCE are when it comes to successful weight loss.

This week, key # 3

FOCUS ON POSITIVES NOT NEGATIVES

Many of us have a tendency to look at our bad points, however once you start to accept yourself it will be easier to focus on the positive side more. To make it easier try writing a list of all the good things in what you've done or what you like about your physical self. Practice running these positives through your mind regularly, it may take time but its surprising what you can believe if it is said enough times - remember the past believe that you could look like the models if you obtain the right diet!

·         if you don't reach a goal when you want, just focus on the fact that you will get there in time

·         remember how far you've got not how far you need to go

·         if you miss a workout one day don't worry just go back with more vigor to improve

·         remind yourself that a worthwhile pay-off lies ahead in an improved you

·         remember the exercise is improving your health and fitness and will help increase longevity

·         remember exercise has many psychological benefits including renewed confidence and self esteem

·         any type of action always drives motivation

Until Tomorrow!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Sharing the wealth…so to speak

Two of my kids have birthdays within a week of each other. June/July is a busy time, with summer vacation, their birthdays and annual well checks. Yesterday was their appointment for their annual physicals. I have recently become very concerned with my 11 year old daughter's weight, and asked her Dr. to discretely and delicately approach the subject. Though I have timidly suggested exercise and healthier eating to my daughter, I haven't attacked the issue, as the last thing I want to do is make my daughter feel self conscious. As her Dr. explained BMI, calories and metabolism to my daughter, I listened too. Her Dr. said that although my daughter was still in the "normal" BMI, she was very close to reaching the "overweight" category. She suggested several things that my daughter could do to help her body increase its metabolism and eat less without feeling deprived.

1. Eat slowly. Take a bite, put your fork down, and chew slowly. We like to eat, so we might as well enjoy it.
   
2. Take a drink of water between each bite
   
3. Serve yourself on a small plate. That way you can take less food without feeling like your plate is empty.
   
4. Wait at least 5 minutes before asking for 2nds. If you're still hungry after 5 minutes, take more meat or vegetables only.
   
5. Don't eat in front of the T.V. It's much easier to over eat when you're distracted. Sit down with your family and have a conversation.
   
6. Cut soda out of your diet completely, and limit juice to 1 serving a day.
   
7. Eat 5 small meals a day rather than 3 large, and NEVER skip a meal.
   
8. When you feel the need to snack, have healthy choices always on hand. Small box of raisins, gogurt (frozen), baby carrots, or frozen grapes are perfect "cool you down" and satisfying snacks.
   

While I listened to the Dr. recite the very same tactics I myself try to live by, it occurred to me that, while I practice these tips, I have failed my family by not passing them on. In a perfect world, one would "think" that by watching me make healthy choices every day, my kids would follow suit, however, a perfect world this is not and therefore this is not the case. My kids don't ask why I sometimes prepare a separate meal, or take a long time to eat less, or use a different plate…and I don't volunteer an explanation. It has become, in our house, just the way things are.

I realized that I have been extremely selfish, and although I try to live by example, I have failed my kids by not openly and audibly sharing my wealth of knowledge. I mean, am I their Mom, or what?? Don't I make the choices for them, especially when it comes to their diets? So, why then, do I think that I should be the only one conscious of their health and healthy choices? I would never wish a weight problem on anyone, especially my children. However, by NOT trying to give them a weight complex (thereby allowing them to have the things they WANT but don't NEED… ie.Chips, desserts, prepackaged snacks), I am dooming them to the same fate that I now struggle to overcome…obesity.

Teaching my kids about how to make healthy decisions, what the word "metabolism" means, why so many foods available are so bad for us…those lessons, when lived by as well as taught, will not create weight complexes…they will negate them.

Yesterday, my kids went in for their annual physicals, and even thought they both checked out 100% healthy, I left with a sick feeling that I hadn't been doing my job. Starting today, I have decided to take a healthy dose of the antidote for my ailment?? What's the antidote, you may ask? Sharing the wealth that I have accumulated these past few years with everyone I can…starting with my kids.

Have a super day and share the wealth!

Fit-NOW-Girl