Chicken with citrus sauce

Let me first apologize for the hasty post that follows. Today is short on "me" time and thus this post will have to suffer.

I find that with kids, food items that can be held and that are unique are a big hit, and they're very willing (and eager) to try them. One of our favorites are shish kabobs, because they grill quickly and everyone can contribute in making their own, which in turn increases full bellies & empty plates (veggies & all)!

Grilled Chicken with Citrus Sauce

Yields about 20 Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup(s) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup(s) lemon juice
• 3 tablespoon(s) fresh oregano, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) fresh-ground pepper
• 1 pound(s) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4" thick cubes
• 1 cup(s) yogurt
• 2 teaspoon(s) fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon(s) orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• 2 bell peppers each: Green, red, Yellow
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• 1 medium onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 2 Zucchini, cubed

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken: Combine olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes.
   
2. Make Citrus Sauce: Stir together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Cut veggies into 1/2 pieces
4. Cook the chicken: Heat grill to medium high. Run skewers through chicken pieces & cut veggies. Baste with marinade and grill for about 4 minutes, turn over, baste, and grill until cooked through -- about 4 more minutes. Serve with remaining Citrus Sauce.

Nutritional Information(per serving/skewer) * Calories 58 * Total Fat 3g * Saturated Fat 0g * Cholesterol 15mg * Sodium 101mg * Total Carbohydrate 1g * Dietary Fiber 0g * Sugars 0g * Protein 6g * Calcium 0g

Until Tomorrow!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

This is you brain...

Do you remember that old anti-drugs commercial:

"This is your brain (showing an egg). This is your brain on drugs (showing the egg frying)."

It was a very effective visual anti-narcotics campaign in 1987. I remember it...so it must have had some sort of permanent impact on me!

I read a new study today that published 8/25/09 in Human Brain Mapping by Paul Thompson, a professor & lead of the study conducted at UCLA. The study basically determined that (and brace yourself ladies):

"Obese people have 8% less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals. Overweight people have 6% less brain tissue and their brains 8 years older than the brains of lean individuals."

Just in case those numbers seem small, let me put them into perspective. That means, if you're OBESE and 35 years old, you may have a brain that looks and behaves liks a 51 year old! If you're overweight & 40 years old, you may be muddling around with a brain that works like a 48 year old!

According to this study, this severe brain deterioration leads to depletion of cognitive reserves, which greatly increase your chances for developing diseases that attack your brain, such as Alzheimer's disease & dementia. The tissue loss was measured to be greatest in the temporal & frontal lobes (which control memory, organization & planning skills), the anterior cingulate gyrus (which control attention & executive functions), the hippocampus (which stores long-term memory) and basal ganglia (movement).

The short & sweet of this study is:

1. Our brain is a muscle
2. Like any other muscle that is neglected, it deteriorates, loosing potential, and becomes fatty
3. Dormant muscles atrophy and become useless
4. To maintain optimum performance from our muscles they need to stimulated

So, how do we exercise our brains? I'm so glad you asked! In addition to "brain teasers" (sudoku, crossword puzzles, problem solvers, ect.) which are the "physical" exercise our brains need, we need to work and rest our brain just as we would any other muscle. Healthy eating, proper vitamins, healthy balance of rest & exercise, & limiting processed foods all have a direct affect on our brain function. The more healthy you are, the better your brain can work. The more junk you eat and the less active you are, the more difficult it becomes for your brain to operate efficiently.

So, remember....

This is your brain:

This is your brain on Fat:

Until Tomorrow!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

S.M.A.R.T. Planning

With so many "TO-DO" lists in our lives, it's easy to lose sight of our goals.

It's easy to lose control and slip as we try to check off the various other demands that we label MORE IMPORTANT than our health. There are nights that I am (literally) home for 30 minutes before it's time to hit the sack. Those nights (while whisking kids to various sports or events) have been my downfall, the "give-in" nights, the cheat nights, the nights I elect to fore go my rigorous health routine and opt for the quick and convenient alternatives, despite how unhealthy they may be.

As I was researching my topic today, I came across a startling statistic on Center for Disease Control & Prevention:

The prevalence of overweight children and teens has tripled during the past 30 years, and now rests at 16%...or 9 MILLION KIDS!!!

How ironic is it that the nights devoted to attaining active & healthy lifestyles for my kids is the direct downfall of not only my health, but theirs as well?

After I recovered from my shock, I realized...I am (as all parents are) responsible for that number. My 10 year old daughter, according to her BMI, is in the "overweight" percentile. She is not responsible for that...I am. I have allowed her eating habits to become unhealthy, I have not taught her how to make healthy choices, how to read labels, or how to even become aware of how the things she puts into her body affect it. Because of the excuses I allow myself, my children are starting to suffer. Because of my past poor food choices, my children have picked up on my previous bad habits that I have now changed.

As with any predicament that comes our way, there are several ways to address our situation:

1. We can gather friends & family around and have a day-month-year long pity party
2. We can blame others
3. We can accept responsibility for where we are and our circumstances, and find a way to correct them.

As fun as a pity party may sound, I always chose option # 3.

Since I am a full time working mother with 3 kids, cooking healthy meals every night AND maintaining our active lifestyles is simply not possible. HOWEVER....it is possible to PLAN AHEAD and make healthy "grab & go" meals on slow nights or weekends, so that we can still eat healthy when time is short. We can be S.M.A.R.T. planners:

S - Specific. Write a "menu" with your family for meals and shop accordingly. By taking out the guess work of "What's for dinner", you are more prepared and willing to cook. Prepare sandwiches for busy upcoming days the night before or the morning of.

M - Measure. Measure weight, serving sizes, calories. If you or your family is eating it, MEASURE it. Teach how important a serving size is, what calories are, and how eating too much is harmful.

A - Active. In order to be efficient in maintaining an active lifestyle, you must be PROactive. Have healthy, mess-free snacks on hand; light string cheese, dried fruits, gogurt, baby carrots, and granola bars are just a few examples. Be weary of MOST prepackaged "snacks" specific to kids, as they are high in empty calories and low in nutrition. Avoid cookies, crackers, fruit snacks and frozen treats.

R - Ready. Be ready for unseen events. My kids often come home with "Tonight is our concert" or "Tomorrow is ___________" notes. By preparing 2 dinners when you have time rather than 1, you can freeze a perfectly healthy meal that can be ready within a moment's notice. Chop veggies, portion meats, and ration other items when ever you have spare time. I like to chop all my fresh veggies as soon as I get home from weekend grocery shopping, and even freeze chopped items that may not last until I need them (onions, peppers). Shaving off even as little as 10-15 minutes in prep time can be a godsend when you're pressed for a quick meal.

T - Thrifty. In today's economy, being SMART can serve beneficial both to our waistlines and wallets. Buy in bulk, portion and freeze; Buy containers for storage of both food & liquid for convenient meals on the go. My personal choice is Gladware, because it is durable, reusable, easy to label, and space efficient when compared to other Tupperware brands. Not only do containers save the environment because of their re-usability, but they also save us money. For liquids, the containers I have found to have the best seal are Rubbermaid's TakeAlongs Twist & Seal.

Until Tomorrow you S.M.A.R.T Planners!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Being Thankful

There are times in my life that I feel like I'm just going through the motions of living:

• Wake up
• Shower
• Eat
• Get the kids off to school
• Go to work
• Work
• Eat
• Work some more
• Go home
• Help kids with homework
• Make dinner
• Eat dinner
• Take kids to sports
• Work out
• Go to bed
• Wake up.....

That pretty much sums up my life. Sure, sometimes there's something that gets thrown in there that gives me something to smile about, or weekends where my "work" is replaced with fun Mommy play time and chores, but I find that all too often, I forget to enjoy LIVING. I forget to be thankful for my family, my job, and my lifestyle. I forget that so many things that frustrate me are not worth my energy, and they won't matter tomorrow. I forget to slow down, to make mental recordings of my growing kids, and sometimes I forget to breathe. I get tired, I get bored (even though I don't ever seem to have a minute to sit) I get predictable. I feel like a drone; a robot.

Sometimes, it takes something like seeing a homeless person, dirty and begging for money, or an immigrant looking for work, or a single mother at the grocery store visibly stressed and tired with screaming kids, to kick me out of my trance and make me realize, "Man, I've got it so good." Since I can't put a homeless man, immigrant or single mother on here to remind me of my fortune, I thought I would post some very inspirational and motivational quotes to get us through the weekend. I hope that they send a surge of peace, serenity and calm to your soul as they did mine.

Vince Lombardi: It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up

David Viscott: You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.

Unknown:You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Mark Twain: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Stephen Covey: Begin with the end in mind.

Oprah Winfrey: Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.

Thornton Wilder: We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

And my personal favorite:

Zig Ziglar: People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.

Have a thankful weekend.

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Target Heart Rate

As I've said before, I'm a visual kind of gal. When I'm working out, I want to know how hard I'm working and how many calories I've burnt....I guess the burning muscles and sweat-soaked attire aren't enough "proof" that I'm working hard for me!

As a solution, I invested in a Polar heart rate monitor. I love it. It tells me my heart rate, calories burnt, time lapse, THE TIME, is water (and sweat) resistant, and keeps a running log of my previous results. When I first got my monitor, I was like a kid on Christmas. After reading through the technical manual though, I realized that I didn't really know WHY I needed to know about anything other than how many calories I was burning. I started to research heart rates; why they're important, the ideal HR for optimum calorie burning (fat burning vs. muscle building), and what my average HR should be. Basically, how and why does my heart rate effect the outcome of my exercise?

Did you know that there are 2 types of calories that are burnt when working out? According to the American Heart Association, the energy spent on calories burnt during exercise affects 2 areas: Building muscle and burning fat. Lower intensity workouts (maintained at 60 - 65% of you max HR) spend 50% of the total calories burnt on dissolving fat, and the other 50% on building muscle, however less calories are burnt in total. Higher intensity workouts (maintained at 80 - 85% of you max HR) spend 30% of the total calories burnt on dissolving fat, and the other 70% on building muscle, however more calories are burnt. Your Max HR is the highest BPM that your heart can beat to maintain safety and health, and can can be found by subtracting your age from 220.

Confused yet? Let me see if I can clarify...

Your body is a machine and burns fuel (calories) as it works. The "average" 35 year old 135 pound 5' 6" woman burns around 1500 calories every day just by existing. Muscles are very high maintenance, and require more calories to maintain. The more muscular you are, the more calories you naturally burn at rest. When you're inactive for a long period of time, you muscles are the first thing to depleat, thus burning less calories which are turned into fat.

Determining you target heart rate is specific to YOUR main goal...do you exercise to become toned and trim, or because you need to lose fat? If you exercise to maintain your weight, tone, or trim, your THR (target heart rate) will be in the 80 - 85% zone of your MAXIMUM heart rate. If you exercise to lose weight, your THR should be in the 60 - 65% zone of your MHR.

Formula to determine upper & lower limits of TARGET HEART RATE:

MAX HR (220 -age) - Resting HR (take your pulse for 60 seconds)

(Sum * .65) + RHR = Target for Low Intensity THR (aka "fat burning zone")
(Sum * .85) + RHR = Target for High Intensity THR (aka muscle building zone)

Example of my THR:

(220 - 31) - 65 = 124

(124* .65) + 65 = 145
(124*.85) + 65 = 170

Therefore, my THR is 145 - 170, depending on my main goal.

I hope this was helpful and not too confusing!!

Until Tomorrow!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce

I love Chicken. It's healthy, quick, cheap, versatile and filling. To admit that I love it today is odd, because I really hated it growing up. We used to have it nearly every night when I was a kid, mainly because times were tough and chicken was cheap. I don't think I would have hated it if the ways the chicken was prepared didn't alternate between the 5 recipes my mom used (sorry mom!).

Now that I'm a mom, I find that I too run into the challenge of locating "different" chicken recipes. I'm always looking for new, colorful and exciting ways to prepare this simple protein, and so when I find one that is not only new, fast, healthy AND easy, but also a kid pleaser, well...I feel it's my duty to pass it on to you.

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce

4 servings, 30 minute completion

Ingredients

• 4 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 medium shallot, minced
• 2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 4 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Preparation

1. Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Nutrition: Per serving: 275 calories; 15 g fat (5 g sat, 7 g mono); 84 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 373 mg sodium; 370 mg potassium.


NOTE: I used baby Bella mushrooms (it's what I had on hand) in place of the shiitake, and substituted regular yellow onion for the shallots. I served this with a wild rice blend & steamed broccoli & cauliflower, both of which my kids dipped in their cream sauce.

Bon Appetit!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

©Fit~NOW~Girl©

A success story

Today is a very special day to me. It is what I consider to be my "re-birth" day. The day I became a "FIT NOW GIRL." Today marks the 1 year anniversary of my goal to change my life. To be happy. To eat right. To exercise.

1 year ago, I couldn't even walk more than 10 minutes, let alone run. I was so out of shape, so unhealthy, and on my way to an early health crisis. One morning, I looked in the mirror. I don't know what made that morning different than any other morning, but I took a long hard look and realized...I didn't like what I saw. That morning, I decided to make a change...a permanent vow to do better, to eat better, to BE better; for my husband, for my kids, but most of all, FOR ME.

I found a strict, vigorous boot camp very close to my location, and signed up that day. I remember thinking how happy I was to finally be proactive about my happiness, but I also remember the fear I had of actually having to work out...with other people, since I was so out of shape and over weight fat. True to the tips I have posted before, I have kept a journal this past year. My first entry, dated September 22, 2008 reads:

"I just returned home from my first boot camp session...what have I gotten myself into? At the end of the night, I was dragging...barely walking and using every ounce of my remaining energy to stand up, walk to my car, and drive home. I was soaked. Soaked doesn't even do me justice. I forced myself to the bathroom and started a bath...I'm not sure I would have made it through a shower at this point. The simple task of undressing was a chore in itself...washing my hair, my shoulders ached for the push ups, my calves and thighs burned from the night, and my abs were sore from the last exercises. I'm already dreading tomorrow night."

Entry # 3, dated September 25, the completion of 1 week, reads:

"As I drove home, I was so relaxed and surprisingly happy. Although I was physically beat & fatigued, I was mentally stimulated and thrilled knowing that I had made it through the most difficult week (physically anyway) of my life. I smiled at every muscle ache and pain knowing that they were signs of fat burning and a necessary side effect on the journey to becoming the new "me." "

As I read my first entries, tears swallow my eyes with pride. It took me 10 years of failures and 80 extra pounds to push me to my breaking point. 10 years of putting off what should have been a priority....ME and MY HEALTH.

I want you to know that you are not alone. You CAN accomplish what you may feel to be an unattainable goal right now. You DO have the inner strength to control your life, your health. You ARE worth it, you WILL succeed. Most importantly, you have support. As I found when I began this journey, support comes from places you didn't even know existed. When you make the decision to better yourself, everything around you changes as an effect. Your body language, your attitude, your self-esteem, your drive, determination, and efficiency all become so much more prevalent to people around you. Those people, who you may or may not have known prior to your journey, will offer so much support and encouragement without even knowing.

Remember every little thing. Relish every little change. Carry yourself with pride, because you deserve to be noticed. You deserve happiness. You deserve the Journey.

Until Tomorrow!

Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

©Fit~NOW~Girl©