Tuesday, May 17, 2011

5 Amazing (and Healthy) Recipes the fam will love...all under 30 mins.


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BBQ Chicken Wraps
Ingredients

4 large, high fiber tortillas (I used Large La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Low Carb Tortillas)
8 oz shredded, skinless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup corn (thawed if frozen, drained if canned)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
Juice from 1 lime, freshly squeezed

Instructions
Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add all ingredients except tortillas, carrots, cilantro and cabbage; stir to combine. Cook until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, and cilantro.
Assemble the wraps by equally diving the cabbage mixture between the 4 tortillas, and place in the center of each tortilla. Top with one-fourth of the chicken mixture; roll as you would a burrito.

Slice in half diagonally and serve warm.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)Cooking time: 5 minute(s)Diet (other): Low calorie, Reduced fat, Reduced carbohydrate, High protein

Number of servings (yield): 4
Recipe by LaaLoosh.com.

Entire recipe makes 4 servings
Serving size is 1 wrap
PER SERVING: 206 calories; 5g fat; 34 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 14 g fiber

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Ingredients


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

Preparation
Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
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.


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.


2 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

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

Crockpot salsa chicken

Ingrediants:
4-5 frozen chicken breasts
1 can of corn
1 can black beans
1 small can green chiles
1 jar of your favorite salsa
(deli fresh or homemade tastes best)
4 oz low fat cream cheese
Combine all ingredients in crockpot on low setting for 7-8 hours.
30 min before serving add cream cheese on top and let melt.
Stir (shred chicken If preferred) and serve with corn tortillas, quinoa or brown rice.
Makes 4-6 servings depending on size of chicken breasts. Great for freezing and saving for work lunches
Eating Well/2008

Healthy Sloppy Joes
IngredientsAllrecipes

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste


Directions
1.In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2.Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 188
Total Fat: 9.3g
Cholesterol: 50mg


Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil


Directions
1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.


2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.
Nutritional Info: 262 Calories/10.2g fat
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Monday, May 9, 2011

Hormonal Triggers that might be making you fat!


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I love endorphins. Hey, I confess. If you gotta be addicted to something, why not something good for you, right? There's nothing better than a runners "high" after a great workout.


Endorphins are the body's natural pain medication hormones. Endorphins (en-dor-fins), when they're released, make us feel better, improve our mood, increase pleasure, and minimize pain. There are some good ways, and bad ways, to increase endorphins.

Low endorphin levels make us crave fat

Nan Allison in her excellent book Full & Fulfilled describes the relationship between endorphins, food, and exercise. By permission, Nan Allison, M.S., RD writes:

High concentrations of endorphins in the brain produce a sense of euphoria, enhance pleasure, and suppress pain, both emotionally and physically. When endorphins are low, people feel anxious; they are also more aware of pain. They have an appetite for fat and fatty foods, such as fries, cheese, creamy sauces, margarine, butter, fried chicken, potato chips, and chocolate, to name some of the most popular examples. Upon eating some fat, they will notice a change in mood, feeling more pleasure. This feeling is related to a higher concentration of endorphin.Exercise, by releasing fat from within the body, raises endorphins and causes the same mood changes.

When we have cravings for potato chips and chocolate, it may mean that we need an endorphin pill rather than all the empty calories from chips. Well, there's a problem. We don't have an endorphin pill. But we have something even better; knowledge of how to deal with these specific types of cravings.

Low serotonin levels make us crave sugar

Similarly, another hormone, serotonin makes us feel calm, poised, confident, and relaxed. When our serotonin levels are low, we feel nervous, irritable and stressed. We don't crave fat, now we crave sugar.

Have cravings for sugar? Nan Allison advises that trying some crackers, frozen yogurt or popcorn may help by raising serotonin levels with far less calories.

Low dopamine make us feel foggy

Mentally "foggy" at times? This just may be caused by low dopamine levels. When we don't get adequate protein, dopamine levels drop and this makes us mentally sluggish.

The best way to raise dopamine levels, get plenty of lean protein in you diet, with moderate fat and carbs, advises Nan Allison.

High-intensity exercise performs best

Researchers have shown for years that high-intensity exercise increases these hormones significantly. At Texas Fit Chicks Bootcamp we incorporate interval training ~ with intensity that's guaranteed to burn fat and change your body.

"Post-exercise beta-endorphin levels correlated with the peak speed attained during the sprint and the subjects peak power to weight ratio. These results suggest that the increases in plasma adrenaline are related to those factors that reflect the stress of the exercise and the contribution of anaerobic metabolism." ( Exercise intensity-related responses of beta-endorphin and catecholamines, 1987, McMurray).
When we experience strong cravings for sugar and high fat foods, it's probably due to a low hormone level that can be resolved with a sensible food choice.

When it comes to diet, the research is clear, the best diet is a balanced diet / in moderation.

Remember to get some high-quality carbs before workouts. This will help fuel the intensity of the workout, and increase, not lower your metabolism.
 
Here's a fabulous post-workout snack: great post workout meal! It's about 300-400 calories depending on the type of yogurt you use. It's great to make extra...you can store in the fridge to grab and go! It tastes wonderful from the fridge or freezer (as an ice cream substitute)! My kids love it too as a dessert! It's packed with protein!
Ingredients:

4 oz Vanilla Yogurt
4 oz Light Cottage Cheese
1 tbsp Granola
1/2 scoop vanilla Whey Protein

Add fresh or frozen Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or any other fruit you would like to try with it.

Blend in blender then enjoy!!
 
Every client of Texas Fit Chicks Bootcamp gets a FREE MEAL plan to teach you how to eat! You will lose weight and get faster results than at the gym with our trainers.
All fitness levels welcome - we train chicks in McKinney, Frisco, Plano and Prosper Texas.
Click here for Texas Fit Chicks Bootcamp Website

Why our clients love Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp...


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Sometimes chicks are nervous that they won't be able to "Do bootcamp" because they feel like they're not fit enough. I can't tell you the number of times that I've heard the following: "I need to start working out so that I can do ok once I start with Texas Fit Chicks." Nothing could be further from the truth! We show each exercise at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Don't take it from me though, here are a few of our chicks and their experience with our fitness boot camp:

"Joining Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp has been a life changing experience for me. I have finally found the motivation that I was lacking for so many years. I was very nervous when I joined boot camp that I would not be able to keep up in the classes. From the first day of class I have felt comfortable and confident in my abilities. The trainers show you different levels for each exercise and allow you to increase to the next level at your own pace. I also enjoy how every class is different and the exercises are fun. After 3 months I have lost 24 lbs and 18 inches. I could not have done it without Texas Fit Chicks Boot Camp." - Brooke R.

"This boot camp helped me push myself harder than I ever would have pushed myself at the gym. The large variety of strength and cardio exercises kept me from ever getting bored and the accountability of being in a class setting kept me from making any excuses! I lost weight and inches in my first five weeks and am looking forward to losing even more!" Karen M

"I was really really nervous about starting this boot camp.  I didn't think I'd be able to handle the level they worked out or manage to get up at 4:30am three days a week.  It's been a great experience so far.  Melody assured me I wouldn't feel uncomfortable (I'm REALLY shy), and although I was still hesitant, I gave it a shot.  She was right.  I haven't felt uncomfortable one time.  I've been able to work out at the level that feels right for me.  I can already see a difference in my body and have only gone 4 times so far! I already can't wait to sign up again." Danielle O.

We strive to make Boot Camp fun and EFFECTIVE. Our number one goal is for YOU to reach your goals. Our Female trainers are all experienced and experts in our field - with national certifications. We will never try to sell you supplements, Shakes or anything else. Just result Driven workouts. We love training chicks in McKinney, Frisco, Plano and Prosper ~ and have women that drive from Allen, Prynceton and Dallas to join our bootcamps! Jump in on any Monday that works for you...and with the flex option you can do bootcamp even if you travel or have a changing schedule from week to week.

Our free meal plan gets you results faster. Don't wait to get fit before you jump in with us ~ that's OUR job to get you fit!

Daily Boot Camp Fitness Tips on Texas Fit Chicks Facebook Page

Texas Fit Chicks Bootcamp Website

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Thinking about lipo? Think again...


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Liposuction is the fourth most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in the US according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons - but, says new research, it’s far from perfect. A new study from the University of Colorado examined non-obese patients who’d had liposuction of their thighs and lower abdomens and found that fat that’s been removed from one part of the body comes back in another part. For study participants that meant that, after a year following the surgery, fat deposits came back in the patients’ upper abdomens, shoulders and upper arms. Liposuction, which is not a treatment for obesity and which removes unwanted fat from specific areas of the body, such as the thighs, chin and abdomen, accounted for 200,000 procedures in the US last year.