Superbowl: What Was Your Score?

So did you do it? Did you give in to all the convenient excuses and over-indulge on game day? What I want to know is who is behind the conspiracy? Everywhere you look there are game day recipes for high fat (highly delicious), mega calorie dips, spreads, chilis, subs. Why? Is it because Football players eat all these things and that is why they are so big? Are we supposed to aspire to that? Why is that one (namely me) feels like a failure or left out if I don't indulge in the hype-laden foods of the day? "Well, it's Superbowl Sunday...It would be UN-American not to eat and drink and celebrate THE BIG GAME!" Does it matter that I didn't even know who was playing until the morning of? The point is, like most Americans, I live for the excuse to indulge. So, with that said, I met it head on this time. Ok, I will have Buffalo Sauce and Bleu Cheese and even Tortilla chips, BUT MY WAY. I made the most delicious Buffalo Chicken Salad with Low Fat Bleu Cheese Dressing. I added scallions, peppers all colors, shredded cheese low fat, tomatoes,celery, carrots, cukes, sunflower seeds, red onion. I mixed the shredded chicken I pulled off my leftover baked chicken from the day before, with a bit of light cream cheese and the Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce (the cream cheese mellows out the buffalo sauce a bit). Poured some light bleu cheese dressing. Then I crushed a handful of Lime Tortilla chips and sprinkled them on top. The result: Fantastic, Superbowl (Healthy) Decadence. I did not feel one bit deprived and had leftovers for the next day. Plan your work (food prep) and work your plan. Thanks to knowing myself and years of experience, I was able to identify a weakness approaching, and by planning wisely, I pigged out on Superbowl Sunday (on a salad!) I even stopped myself 3 bites after I knew I already had enough (not too bad for me! It was just so delicious!)

The kids were sick so I stayed home with them. I was so content with my meal, I fell fast asleep. One problem: I woke up at midnight with almost 4 hours of sleep under my belt: I will try next time: A handful of Sesame Seeds. Sesame Seeds are known to have trypyophan, the sleep inducing amino acid famously known in Turkey. I also rely on Melatonin which I buy at the drug store which works very well...and all natural. Another source of melatonin: Cherry Juice (Try Knudsen Just Black Cherry Juice with 100% juice and no added sugar :) (If i were you, I would cut it with seltzer and squeeze some lime or lemon juice in it!)

Less Sore? Eat more!

This is another tip I love. Anything about eating more for a good reason gets the thumbs up in my book. I usually do not eat 2-3 hours before a workout for a few reasons. One is just plain common sense: All that jumping around makes the food not settle so well and I get nauseous. Secondly, I've read that your body burns the calories you've just eaten rather than the stored stuff you want to burn (i.e. fat). So, usually it is fairly late by the time I come home from the most fantastic exercise class on the planet (ZUMBA). This is the perfect set up to overeat if you let it be. DON'T. Plan ahead. Know exactly what you will eat and how much. When you get home, do an assessment. Am I really hungry? If you are, great, follow my advice on what to eat that follows. If you're not, eat just a small portion of whatever you planned just to reap the benefits of less muscle soreness and boosted muscle building and metabolism revving. Studies have shown that eating within 30 minutes of exercising help prevent your body from breaking down muscle tissue in order to replenish itself. The perfect thing to eat after work out would be about 400 calories with 20-30 grams of protein. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a SMALL bowl of pasta with meat sauce fits the bill. That sounds good! Top if off with a large glass of iced water with lemon and you're good to go. Just make sure your portion is correct. If you are not hungry, go for a glass of low fat milk. Studies have shown that milk re hydrates your body better than water after a workout because it has electrolytes and potassium.

SORENESS: Personally I like being a bit sore a day or two after a workout so I know I pushed myself. But, for beginners, it can be a little too much of a reminder of how out of shape you really are! OUCH! If you exercise in the a.m., caffeine has been shown to reduce muscle soreness more than pain relievers. Also, papaya and pineapple have bromelain and papain, enzymes help break down proteins for digestion bur also have anti-inflammatory properties to help speed up your post workout recovery (Information in this blog segment provided by Eat This, Not That!)

Give Yourself the Brush Off?

First some updates. The Espresso "MUD" Body Scrub and Wrap at Nine Stones Spa in Portland Maine was fantastic! Pricey, but worth every penny. The scrub is intended to detox and exfoliate your skin. It smelled divine. Then the Vichy Shower hosed me off right on the same table I got the scrub applied. Heaven not to have to get up. Afterwards I did have to get up to dry off and then go on to the massage table to get an extremely buttery lotion fantastically massaged into my skin. This treatment had it all. I never did get to the restaurant I mentioned (Duck Fat), but I will. If any of you go, please let me know! So, on to the brush off. IF YOU WANT THE SOFTEST SMOOTHEST SKIN EVER, DO THIS! Go to drug store and buy yourself a natural bristle brush (looks like a shoe shine brush). I think I bought mine for about $9. Before you shower or even work out DRY BRUSH your skin. Special attention should be paid to the back of your knees, your inner thighs, under your arms (lymphatic areas). Brush toward the heart always for 2-3 minutes at a time. Do everything except face and breasts. After your shower finish with an alpha hydroxy lotion (c.booth is very affordable and have lots of different options. You can find it at drugstore.com or local drug stores or even wal mart (i bought it on the clearance rack there, so don't know if they carry it regularly.) YOUR SKIN WILL FEEL AMAZING. You won't be able to go a day without doing it because it feels so good and is effective. Skin Brushing helps reduce cellulite, tightens the skin, aids in digestive process, removes dead skin cells, aids circulation. The skin eliminates 2 lbs. of toxin waste each day. Help it along!


EAT TO LOOK YOUNGER? OK...I was happy to read sunflower seeds have the highest natural vitamin e content of any food around. No antioxidant is better at fighting off the aging effect of free radicals (found in pollution, junk food, chemicals, smoking). I throw them in my cereal in the morning which is granola and soy milk (make sure yours has at least 3 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar per 1 cup serving)

TOOLS FROM MRS. TOOLE :)

Just when I think I have had enough of all this fitness and nutrition info, I find a whole new bunch of news to share with you all. That excites me. I mentioned last time I was reading what not to eat if you were going to be really strict with yourself and detox. Well there piece of information I liked in there (more really, but one I thought would be helpful to you all. Diets high in protein promote greater fat loss versus high carb diets. So, if you want a peice of fruit like an apple ( a carb), eat it with some peanut butter or a small peice of cheese. Thumbs up, yes I like that! If you want to eat some bread (whole grain of course), dip it in some olive oil! YUM.. Just remember, not too much of the good fat! Don't fool yourself..The diet guide also mentioned eating vegetable soups and stews that have a high water content, thus filling you up. If you've been reading this, you know I am a proponent of that. I was in the kitchen the other day trying to think of something for dinner (danger zone not to be prepared, but I managed not to sabatoge my self that day) and I came up with the most fantastic, filling STOUP (as rachel ray would call it). Healthy, very satisfying, very filling. I made a huge pot of it, and lived on it for a few days. It was so good, but of course, it you get bored easily, you could always freeze the rest in portions for yourself. Then simply take out as needed. My best advice to day is to cook more than you need of each healthy think you make, and freeze in portioned containers. You're cooking anyway, so just buy a little more of all and do it. Also, do not cook hungry. The best time to cook is after you've had a meal. I generally have no temptation to BLT when I do this. So, dinner at 4 p.m., then while you are cooking for yourself or everyone else, you won't pick. If you choose to eat another meal, most likely it will be a small one, and then have some nice hot tea with lemon! Perfect...maybe even a square of dark chocolate with it. I just bought some dark covered chocolate cranberries. Full of anti-oxidants and delish. Just portion out how many you think is reasonable, and close the bag immediately and don't go back!

Here is the Smoked Chicken STOUP recipe:

1 fully cooked whole chicken or turkey (smoked or rotisserie style from the store)
Celery Tops (a few)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 Can cream of corn
1 can Rotele style diced tomatoes (I used green chiles and jalepeno)
1 red pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can white beans, partially drained
chopped basil

Remove chicken from the bones. Chop and set aside. Simmer bones in water for one hour. Add the celery tops to this broth for flavor.

Drain broth in colander, drain it into another cooking pot.
To this broth add remaining ingredients except basil and simmer for 1 hour
10 minutes before you're done, add chopped basil. Add more water if you need.

You will adjust the recipe as you need it, but it is very easy and very delicious.

You can also add some spinach when you add the basil. That brings me to my final tip: STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT PEOPLE WHO EAT A COMBO OF LEAFY GREENS AND BEANS HAVE THE LEAST WRINKLES. THEY ARE FULL OF COMPOUNDS THAT HELP PREVENT AND REPAIR WEAR AND TEAR ON YOU SKIN CELLS AS YOU GET OLDER.

Bon Appetite!

Healthy vs Low Cal

Right now I am at war with myself. Over the weekend, I celebrated my 41st Bday and I had a great time. You probably know what that means: Overindulged. Not horribly, but enough to know the daily weigh in would not make my day. So, I decided to take it easy this week. I set up a reward for myself so that if I followed my plan, it would be waiting for me. So far so good on limiting my indulgences this week, but I have an issue. I have been reading these strict diet plans (normally not a fan of) but they interest me because they tell you all the things you should be staying away from if you want to achieve great fitness results in a short amount of time. The kind of results body builders want before a show. Or if you want to detox, which is truly what I am talking about. These plans advice very healthy things like no caffeine, alcohol,sugar, processed foods, low salt. The problem is in order to combat my cravings, in the last few months I have reverted back to low calorie processed, chemical laden foods (light dark chocolate pudding, for example). So they help me stay slim, but are they good for me? No, of course not. I have to ask myself then, what is the goal? I would love to get rid of the toxins in my body, but I then keep adding more of them. In response to this, i have lowered my intake of coke zero and those darn puddings ( i will finish them,they are in the fridge after all). Even fitness bars are off the list and there is nothing I love more than a ZONE Dark Chocolate Bar. They say they have all these added vitamins, but when it comes right down to it, they scream PROCESSED. So, perhaps I will opt for a small pc. of 60 or 72% cacoa dark chocolate (I tried the 86% version, it was awful, maybe too healthy for me :)

Have any of you dealth with this struggle. What are your tips?

Duck Fat

The name of this restaurant both scares me and intrigues me. Duck fat aka confit is a precious gem of the cooking world, mainly French, that offers a wonderful and deep flavor to many dishes. With that said, no, it is not good for you. I want to try this restaurant, whose specialty is the gravy covered fries cooked in you guessed it, 25% Duck Fat. I know when a menu or dish is that intense a little will go a long way, so I am not worried that I will overindulge too much. What I do worry about is how I will feel afterwards. Will I feel bloated, nauseous? Who knows. The caterer in me wants to try it and so I will. All the menu items are inventive and made from scratch from 2 very well known restaurateurs and chefs, so I am looking forward to it. A light dinner is all I will need to get me back on track.

TIP: When we don't have the luxury of going to a wonderful new restaurant for lunch, we have to manage on our own. It is amazing how I panic if I am hungry and don't have anything prepared or planned for lunch. I panic because I know I will grab anything I see to satiate myself. Probably too much of it too. I have a couple of good ideas about this, considering this is the position I found myself in today. Luckily, I kind of did plan ahead. I bought that little snack/lunch portion of pre-marinated or flavored tuna that comes with crackers. Bumble bee makes this one it is a spicy thai flavor (yes it was spicy, and this is coming from Mrs. Del Fuego herself). I didn't even have to add cayenne pepper to it ( a natural metabolism booster, so I read). Anyway, it was perfect. I replaced the crackers with some whole grain bread and added lettuce and onion. It was just right and got me past the "I need food now" stage. Then I had a very small oatmeal raisin cookie and some tea and I could not be happier. Also, Campbell's Selects (the lite variety) makes some good soups like Veg beef Barley and Southwestern which are so low in calories you can eat the whole can and other things too. Good news is the soup is rather filling so you probably won't need much more than maybe some grainy bread.

If I haven't written about Zumba before, I just have one thing to say about it: Do it! It is fun and great exercise. Will get you off the couch and in a good mood.

Good luck and remember: Respect yourself before you wreck yourself...This is from an old school rap song, but I play this phrase often in my head. You will "wreck" yourself emotionally and physically with the wrong habits! Take care!

The Power Within...Not a New Concept

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man (woman...)" Benjamin Franklin had it going on, didn't he? Amazing. Such a simple concept, yet so difficult to achieve. He stated it so succinctly though: Everyone has vices and yes, to battle them is a literal war within. Ben let's you know though, that this war will never end. There is always going to be temptation with unhealthy, decadent foods. The point is as I have mentioned, know that it will be a never ending battle. Enjoy each triumph and learn from each set back. Set goals for yourself. Little ones.."I will not have dessert today"... I will not eat until I am uncomfortable. I will exercise today, or even just break a sweat. I love this other quote I read recently: "Health has no finish line". You have the power to make good choices every moment. If you make a bad choice, always try to follow it up with a good choice. Balance is the key. Remember, no one ever says "I wish I hadn't exercised!"

This week is my 41st birthday. I will treat myself to a espresso body scrub and an antiaging compulift facial. I will report the results to you. Consider me your guinea pig. I chose the espresso body scrub because coffee is supposed to invigorate you cells, detox you, and somehow fight cellulite. At 41, I have the least amount of celllite I have ever had since I started noticing such things. I have hope for you all that struggle with this. If you lessen your body fat, you will see a noticeable difference. I never believed it, but it is true. Quite the motivator. For my birthday I am dreaming of that Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans and Flourless Chocolate cake. The experts say don't offer yourself food rewards. I think this it true, but I am sure I will truly enjoy that dessert, and for your birthday, why not? Plus it's loaded with antioxidants, so not all bad (dark chocolate, coffee even has anti oxidants...)