P2: French “Toast”

October 3, 2011

OK, YUM!  If you are like me, you are now hopefully reaping the benefits of all the hard work you have put into your summer gardens!  My squash and zucchini are out of control! So much so, I was about to throw it out, until I saw a blog that made french toast using eggplant. This gave me an idea!  Why not use zucchini?!  Guess what is even better… for those in P2, you can have this!

Directions:

Slice a large zucchini into 1/4″ slices. Stab multiple times with fork and pat dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soak slices in an egg mixture of 3 egg whites, 1TBSP milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and stevia. You will want to use enough stevia to make sure mixture sweet enough. Be sure to test one cooked before continuing with the rest of batch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place onto hot pan or griddle. Make sure you use enough PAM to keep egg from sticking(PAM OK in 800 protocol).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let cook through, then turn over, but gently loosen from pan before turning. Egg mixture will stick if not using coated pan. Cook until you have a nice crisp on each side. For added thickness, double dip into egg mixture and cook again. Again, make sure to do a light spray of PAM in between turning to prevent egg from sticking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy with your fresh fruit, and some capella drops or glycerin stevia!  Just be sure to eat right away, because the moisture from the zucchini can make it soggy. :) My 2 and 4yo even enjoyed this!

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FitBit vs. BodyBugg

July 4, 2011

 

 

VS

 

 

 

 

Finally, after a busy week, and a crazy weekend on the ambulance, I was able to sit down and write this!

For the last 2 weeks, I have been wearing my Fitbit consistently, and my BodyBugg when I could. I was starting to get a little annoyed with the bodybugg on my arm all the time, and needed to take a few days break.  I don’t have a day by day comparison, but enough to know what I liked :)

First off, what’s a FitBit, and how does it work?

“The Fitbit Tracker contains a motion sensor like the ones found in the Nintendo Wii. The Tracker senses your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities. The Tracker measures the intensity and duration of your physical activities, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, how long it took you to fall asleep, the number of times you woke up throughout the night and how long you were actually asleep vs just lying in bed. You can wear the Tracker loosely in your pocket or clipped to your clothing, even bras.”  – fitbit.com

So far, I have to say I have been really impressed with the FitBit!  It came very quickly in the mail, and was simple to set up.  All I had to do to was plug it in, register on their site with the given code, and set up my profile.

The fitbit it’s self is no bigger than your thumb, and can very easily be hidden on your clothing – whether bra, pants, belt, or pocket.  They do claim on their site to watch out for “death by washing machine.”   That made me lol, and I can see how that could easily happen if you aren’t paying attention, so be aware!

 

 

So what do I like about Fitbit?  You can wear it on your clothing, and it doesn’t have to be on your arm… I know I have a fun little tan line across my left bicep from the bodybugg.  Also, FitBit has a built in display, which shows you your calories burned, steps taken(built in pedometer), and mileage. You have to buy the display for an additional $79.99 from bodybugg, and it is worn on your wrist in addition to the bugg on your arm.  To upload fitbit to the website, all you have to do is walk by the port… that’s it! With bodybugg, you have to plug everything in, sign in, upload, fill in times when you weren’t wearing it, etc. Fitbit’s website itself is soooo much more user friendly, and the food data base is much easier accessed, and more extensive.  If it isn’t there, it is very easy to add!

Sleep!  Studies are showing more and more that sleep is a very important part of weight loss – if you aren’t getting enough sleep, your hormones leptin(will decrease) and gherlin(will rise) can be affected, which play a major roll in appetite and satiety. No sleep = increased hunger, and less satisfaction when you do actually eat, which can cause you to easily over eat.  Fitbit is able to track your sleep, plus quality of sleep.  You can wear your bodybugg through the night to track your sleep activity, and it will adjust your caloric burn accordingly, but it doesn’t give you a break down of what may be going on.

Accuracy – I thought for sure there would be a greater difference between the two, but there really wasn’t.  Most days the bug would show a higher burn, but the fitbit would still be within 100-150 calories.  The only day I noticed a big difference was on a Sunday that I didn’t do much of anything.  It was almost a 400 calorie difference, but it is better to under estimate vs over estimate. I would still say bodybugg is more accurate, because it is based on your actual thermagenics, but the 3D motion sensing of fitbit is close enough that I feel comfortable recommending it. General population America definitely over estimates it’s calorie expenditure, and under estimates it’s calorie consumption. Better to have a little more of a deficit to make up for this lack of understanding.  Do not wear in water activities, but you can manually record in your activity log what you have done.  Same goes for biking. It won’t pick up biking because your torso is stationary, but you can go through and manually enter your activity.

Price…  I purchased my bodybugg for $169.99(doesn’t include display – display is an additional $79.99).  It comes with 6 months free membership, but then you have to pay a $9.99/month to maintain access. You can get a cheaper monthly rate if you purchase multiple months at a time.  Fitbit – I purchased for only $99.95, and that includes your membership. Once purchased, there are no additional fees, but there is an upgrade option for an additional $49.99 that gives you a more in depth analysis of your data.

All in all, it’s nice to finally see something else on the market to give BodyBugg a run for it’s money.  I give it a thumbs up and say go for it! You can purchase a FitBit here: Fitbit

 

 

7 Comments

The Other White Meat, and Super Food: Quinoa!

June 13, 2011

I had some Pork Tenderloin in my freezer that I needed to use, but am not the biggest fan of Pork(Picture Samuel L Jackson in Pulp Fiction). So, I figured I may as well make the best of it and experiment. I had 4 cuts to cook, at about 4-6oz each.

I decided to try a marinade and see what I could come up with.  I found some honey, lite soy sauce, and garlic.

In a small saute pan I added 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup of lite soy sauce, and a large spoonful of minced garlic(I love garlic).  I let simmer on med heat until it came to a boil, stirring as needed.  After simmering for a few minutes, I turned the heat off, and stirred occasionally.

 

I then dipped the meat and placed into a seal-able container. I poured the remainder of the marinade over the meat, and let marinate in fridge for several hours. If you want to reduce calories from sauce, just dip meat for a minute or two, and don’t add remainder of sauce.

 

After the meat marinated for several hours, I sent it out with my hubby to the grill. While my hubby grilled, I busted out my new best friend, super food, Quinoa! I have heard about this for awhile, but have never actually tried it. I’ve been trying to choose healthier alternatives, and saw this at Costco, so I thought it was about time I gave it a try!

You boil 1 cup of water for a 1/2 cup of Quinoa.  I did 1 cup, to 2 cups water. I boiled a chicken bullion cube and some garlic powder in the water for seasoning.

It actually turned out really good! I like it way better than rice, and even my kids wolfed it down! My hubby even liked it! My favorite part about it is that it absorbs all of the juices/flavors from your other foods… super yummy!

 

 

For my vegetable, I blanched some asparagus then sauteed it in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pepper, and, well… more garlic(I told you I love Garlic! Just don’t come around me when I’m working out;).

 

 

Super easy, and very yummy, even the pork!  Both of my kids cleaned their plates!

Approximate Nutrition for 1 – 4oz chop, marinade, asparagus, and quinoa: 450 calories, 13g fat(if using oive oil), 42g protein, 42g carbs, 5g fiber. Not bad, and very filling! I will definitely be using Quinoa more!

 

 

 

 

More about Quinoa:

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) uncooked
Energy 1,539 kJ (368 kcal)
Carbohydrates 64 g
Starch 52 g
Dietary fibre 7 g
Fat 6 g
polyunsaturated 3.3 g
Protein 14 g
Water 13 g
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.36 mg (28%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.32 mg (21%)
Vitamin B6 0.5 mg (38%)
Folate (Vit. B9) 184 μg (46%)
Vitamin E 2.4 mg (16%)
Iron 4.6 mg (37%)
Magnesium 197 mg (53%)
Phosphorus 457 mg (65%)
Zinc 3.1 mg (31%)

Quinoa is considered a grain, grown in South America, and can be compared  in texture to rice. But unlike rice, it contains essential amino acids and is considered a complete plant protein.  For those that can’t eat wheat, guess what? It’s gluten free! It’s well balanced, high fiber, and good for you. Like I said before, I like it better than rice!

 

Hope you enjoy!  ~Candice

 

 

 

2 Comments

Chicken Spinach Roll Ups

May 16, 2011

Working with as many people as I get to, I come across lots of healthy recipes and like to occasionally test them out! Thanks to Janet J., I found and tried this Chicken Spinach Roll Up. It was really yummy and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Shopping List for 4 servings:

2 full boneless skinless chicken breasts – halved

Bag or cluster of spinach(about 6oz)

Small container of Feta or preferred cheese

1 chicken bullion cube, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, or any other desired seasonings

 

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350. Pull out 2 long sheets of  plastic warp – place one sheet on counter and lay your chicken breast on top.   Place second sheet of plastic wrap on top of chicken.  Proceed to beat the living crap out of your chicken until it is evenly flat. LOL I had never actually done this before, and thought it was kind of fun! Good workout, too ;)

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 2: Heat desired amount(I’m not a measurer, just an eye baller8) of olive oil in saute pan. Lightly saute garlic, salt, and pepper, until golden.  Add spinach an toss until it cooks down to desired consistency. On the side, dissolve 1 bullion cube in 4 oz of water.

 

STEP 3: Divide spinach mixture into 4 servings, 1 for each breast. Evenly spread mixture on one end of chicken. Sprinkle with desired amount and type of cheese(JJ used goat).  Tuck and roll up chicken,  pinning together with toothpicks to keep from unrolling. Place in coated baking dish. Pour bullion over chicken.

 

STEP 4: Bake at 350, for approx 30 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Check and rotate as needed. Pair with a side of wild or brown rice, or a baked or mashed sweet potato for a complex carbohydrate.  Can add more veggies or a salad to fill you up even more!  I sauteed asparagus in the left over oil and garlic mixture. This was super easy and yummy! Even my 4 year old loved it! ENJOY!

 

 

 

Nutrition: 1 wrap(depending on size of chicken breast) = Approx 220 calories, 32g protein, 2g carb, 9g fat(3g of that is saturated), 1g fiber, .5g sugar, 227mg sodium, 101mg cholesterol.

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