Spring Chicken Salad

Hello Fit-NOW-Friends!

I hope your week is going well. I came across a really YUMMY looking dinner in the Food Network magazine.

Spring Chicken Salad
Total time: 20 mins; Prep: 14 mins; Cook: 6 mins

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound small red-skinned potatoes, halved
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 romaine hearts, torn
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 Kirby cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced
• 4 radishes, cut into wedges
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

Directions

Place the potatoes in a small pot and cover with water. Season with salt, cover and boil until fork-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and cool.

Meanwhile, pulse the chives, tarragon, vinegar, yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse to make a thick dressing.
Toss the romaine, potatoes, chicken, cucumber, radishes and bell pepper with the dressing in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.



Until Next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!
♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Volume 3 - FAST Ways to Lose Weight

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day! Back to working on implementing some new healthy ways to live in our everyday lives. How is that going? Have you tried any of the ideas? What is working for you? Please share with us.

11. Keep a Healthy Snack With You:
A small container of salad, grapes, an apple, even some flavored low-cal rice cakes would do. If a snack-attack strikes, you’ll be prepared… and won’t have to seek out the high-calorie, high-fat junk in the vending machine!

12. Schedule Your Snacks:
We’ve already covered the reasons why eating 5 times a day is an absolute must for all of us who want to lose weight fast and keep it off. What we also need to do is to make sure we snack on a schedule too! 5 time meal schedule means a good breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the other 2 meals are healthy snacks we need to have in between the big meals. To make it easier to remember when to have your snacks, schedule them 3 hours after breakfast and before lunch, and 3 hours after lunch, which would also be 3 hours before dinner. Eat at the same time every day and your body will know exactly when to expect its next meal. Hence, no unnecessary cravings, emotional eating, off-schedule snacking etc. which are just a few things that prevent us from successful and fast weight loss.

13. One of the Easiest Ways to Lose Weight - Don't Stock up on Junk Food:This is also one of the most effective ways to lose weight, Ladies. Just don’t buy junk food and don’t bring it home, it’s that easy! You can’t crave what you don’t have. Well, even if you do crave it, you don’t have a choice but have something else, much healthier instead. When I start craving french fries, for example, I simply microwave a nice big potato and have it with a little bit of sour cream and spices. It tastes delicious, and the cravings? They are gone the minute I think of a baked potato I am about to have!

14. Have Dessert After a Proper Meal: The big mistake many of us make is having just a dessert instead of a proper meal to keep the calorie intake down. But the thing is, anything sweet makes your blood sugar skyrocket, which automatically leads to storing fat no matter what you put in your mouth afterwards. But if you have a real meal first (complex carbs, veggies, proteins) and then have your dessert, your sugar levels will go up smoothly, without creating a spike and without causing you store fat.

15. Share Your Dessert: When having that occasional dessert after a meal, share it with your someone special. You will still get to taste the good stuff, but without calories piling up. And it does not even taste that good after 3-4 pieces, when your taste buds are already used to it. But you already know that, right? So, indulge in moderation, share and keep losing that weight fast!


Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Life is inherently risky. There is only one risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. Get out there and make something happen, even if it’s just a small step in the right direction. Strive for progress, not perfection. From the Marc and Angel Hack Life website.

Everyday is Mother's Day, but make Sunday extra special for your Mom, Grandma, Step-Mom, friend, "Second" Mom, or whatever variation of someone special in your life.

Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!


♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Simple Turkey Chili

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

I personally love Turkey Chili! It's easy, hearty, healthy, and always leaves left overs for the next day. I will usually add a diced bell pepper if I have one in the fridge. I will also add a can of black beans, if I have a can. That's the best part about chili, add or delete what you like. You can serve this with lowfat Cheddar cheese and lowfat sour cream. It's also delicious with crackers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black peper 
  

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
2. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.               
Prep time: 15 mins.  Cook time: 45 mins  Ready in: 1 hour

Nutritional Value:
Amount Per Serving Calories: 185 | Total Fat: 6.1g | Cholesterol: 42mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database


Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Volume 2 - FAST Ways to Lose Weight

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Where you able to add any of the ideas last week into your routine? Please share your comments with us what you tried and how it worked! Did you miss the ideas last week, click here to view the first set of ideas from the allstalkwoman.com website article written by Jennifer.

6. Go easy on the Bread if you want to lose weight faster:
It’s best to avoid bread altogether, but if you necessarily must have some, opt for whole grain bread, rather than processed white bread. It has fiber and it has way less calories. And it tastes better too! It might take some time to start eating less bread, but once you do, you’ll see that this is probably one of the most effective and fastest ways to lose weight.

7. Ditch the salad dressing and other salad toppings:
Salads with loads of leafy greens are marvelously nutritious and low-cal, unless you cover them in salad dressing and croutons. One of the fastest ways to lose weight is to have as much salad as you can, only substitute the dressing with some vinegar, olive oil or lemon juice. Your body will be spending more energy on digesting these salads than it will be getting out of them, so you’ll be shedding pounds like never before if you start eating a couple of salads without traditional dressings every day.

8. Do NOT Starve Yourself If You Want to Shed Those Pounds and Keep Them Off:
This is a common mistake many of us do, when trying to find a way to lose weight. I’ve been there and from my personal experience I can say that skipping meals in order to lose weight is not working. First of all, it’s very hard and distracting, as you can not stop thinking about food, and second of all, the few pounds I managed to lose came back in abundance the week I started eating normally. The thing is, starving ourselves puts our bodies in a “starvation mode” which basically means the body is trying to reserve the very same fat that we are trying to burn off. And don’t forget what a toll it takes on your overall health and your metabolism… Eek!

9. Eat 5 meals a day, Rather than 3 big ones:
The more often you eat, the less hungry you feel before each meal, which inevitably leads you to consuming less when you eat more often. Just make sure the 2 snacks you have in-between the meals are actually healthy. Boiled eggs, or a piece of chicken breast and a salad will be the perfect choice. If you decide to have a yogurt or a fruit, have it after your salad or protein snack.

10. Don't Skip Breakfast if you Want to Lose Weight:
This is the meal that feeds your body through its most busy… and studies have shown that eating a healthful breakfast helps you lose weight faster. Make sure your breakfast contains plenty of complex carbs (a hearty bowl of oatmeal is the perfect example). If still hungry, you might add some protein (eggs) and vegetables.

Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!


♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Got Motivation?

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

Do you struggle with Motivation? I do on a regular basis in many different parts of my life. I'm realizing that there are two parts to Motivation, the getting started and putting the Habit into place to keep going.

I came across the following S.M.A.R.T. way to set goals on the Marc & Angel Hack Life website:
S.M.A.R.T. goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Let’s briefly review each:

• Specific – A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a related specific goal would be, “Join a health club and workout 3 days a week for the next 52 weeks.” A specific goal has a far greater chance of being accomplished because it has defined parameters and constraints.
• Measurable – There must be a logical system for measuring the progress of a goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself questions like: How much time? How many total? How will I know when the goal is accomplished? etc. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal.
• Attainable – To be attainable, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. In other words, the goal must be realistic. The big question here is: How can the goal be accomplished?
• Relevant – Relevance stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. For example, an internet entrepreneur’s goal to “Make 75 tuna sandwiches by 2:00PM.” may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Timely, but lacks Relevance to an entrepreneurs overarching objective of building a profitable online business.
• Timely – A goal must be grounded within a time frame, giving the goal a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps you focus your efforts on the completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by daily distractions.

When you identify S.M.A.R.T. goals that are truly important to you, you become motivated to figure out ways to attain them. You develop the necessary attitude, abilities, and skills. You can achieve almost any goal you set if you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that once seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

Then keeping this in mind when we stumble and fall with our Goals, Motivation & Habits.

"No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying."

Let's keep moving forward Fit-NOW Friends!

Until Next time!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Szechwan Shrimp

Hello Fit-NOW Friends!

I've been cruisin the allrecipes.com website for some new dinner ideas. Here's a new one I've never tried before. The author of the recipe said, "Don't let some of the ingredients fool you -- this spicy shrimp makes a simple, impressive dish for any occasion!" It is recommened to simply adjust the amount of red pepper depending on how "spicy" you like your dish. Serve over hot steamed rice or vegteables.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is bubbly and thickened.               

Nutritional Values:
Amount Per Serving Calories: 142 | Total Fat: 4.4g | Cholesterol: 164mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database


Until next time!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥