Friday, July 22, 2011

Eating Right and Working out after Vacation!

Well, after taking a week off from working out, lets just say I NEEDED a few good work outs yesterday and today! Also, these last couple days being home I am trying to "cleanse" my body from all the unhealthy foods I ate while on vacation! One of the first things I did after getting home is went grocery shopping and bought tons of fruits and veggies and healthy things to eat this week!  I know you have probably heard this before, but working out really is a love/hate relationship! I love how I feel after, but I hate having to actually do it and I hate the burn I feel while doing it! Sometimes I really just need that extra push to get going and start a workout and then once I am done, I feel so good for getting it done! So yesterday I ended up taking a SPIN class with a few friends and it was just what I needed! A great tough work out that made me sweat it up! It felt great. Today, I am trying something new, Pilates! I have never done a Pilates class, and I know they can be quite expensive, so I found a website online that I really like! You can do all the different Pilates classes right in your living room on your laptop for free! I did the 30 minute Pilates for Beginners video today and I really enjoyed it! I have a feeling my legs will burn tomorrow! After just working out for 2 days after my break, I feel better, have more energy, and don't feel so sluggish! I really need to get back in a routine of working out everyday and working out hard! It really does make my day so much better! Now, I am off to finish up my work out by doing some treadmill intervals and then off to run errands today!

http://www.blogilates.com/workoutindex  ( The link to Pilates Work outs online)

Here are a few meal ideas if you are trying to detox from a junk food filled weekend or vacation. These foods are really helping me feel better!

Breakfast:

  • Kashi Go Lean Cereal with Fat- Free Milk 
  • 2 Slices Whole Wheat Toast with Almond Butter 
  • Whole Wheat Toast with Peanut Butter and Banana and Chia Seeds (optional) 
  • 1 Whole Wheat Slice of Toast with 1 Drippy Egg and a Piece of Fruit 
  • Fruit and Spinach Smoothie
Lunch: 
  • Salad- with chopped celery, carrots, cucumber, peppers and light dressing (or homemade!) 
  • Veggie Wrap with Hummus and a Side of Fruit 
  • Fruit and Spinach Smoothie with Protein Powder 
  • A Piece of Trader Joes or Other Naan or Flatbread with Chopped Veggies - drizzle with EVOO, Sprinkle S&P and Cheese and Broil a few minutes 
  • Spinach and Egg White Omelet with a  Greek yogurt and fruit parfait
Dinner 
  • Grilled Chicken Salad with Veggies and Light Dressing 
  • Veggie Stuffed Spaghetti Squash ( Recipe to come) 
  • Homemade Veggie Thin Crust Whole Wheat Pizza 
  • Turkey Burgers with Homemade Whole Wheat Buns and Homemade Baked Fries
Tips for cleansing after a junk food filled weekend or vacation: 
*Eat lots of Veggies, Drink tons of water, No snacking or salty foods for a while until your body feels better, Take Fiber in your water or smoothies, Try to eat as clean as possible and less processed foods! 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Vanilla Caramel Popcorn


After a week off for vacation, I am back! Sorry to leave you hanging for so long. I wanted to start back up with a tasty snack recipe that I absolutely love! I apologize in advance for everyone who is dying from a heat stroke and won't even dare to turn on your oven to make this, but just bookmark it for cooler weather! 

I tried this caramel corn recipe a few months back and I really enjoyed the results! It was crunchy, sweet and had a really tasty flavor! It makes quite a bit of popcorn, so I suggest you bring it to a party or at least give some of it away so you don’t have it sitting in your cupboards to munch on throughout the day. It is a great snack to have during a movie night or anything like that! I will continue my search for more versions of caramel corn because I absolutely love this snack, but I think this recipe will be my go-to for a fairly simple and delicious version of the treat! Enjoy!

8-10 Cups popcorn, unsalted or salted lightly (about 5-6 TBS of kernels)
1 Cup light brown sugar
1/2 Cup light corn syrup
2 tsp molasses
1TBS butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS vanilla

Pop corn and let cool. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with lightly greased foil. Preheat oven to 250F. Place large bowl in oven to warm while making the caramel.
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, molasses and butter; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the mixture reaches 250F. You can use a candy thermometer to double check. This will take 2 to 3 minutes.
In the meantime, transfer popcorn to now-warm glass bowl (you may need two bowls so you can thoroughly stir the popcorn)
Remove caramel from the heat and immediately stir in salt, baking soda and vanilla. Pour the mixture over the popcorn, stirring until most of the kernels are coated. Pour popcorn onto baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
Bake popcorn for 1 hour, stirring (and if necessary, spreading out) every 15-20 minutes.
Let cool and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container