Feel Good Friday

Good morning, girls!  I hope you all make it a fantastic weekend ahead of you :) 

Remember, even if things aren't going as you want them to go, BE POSITIVE!  I was reminded of this last night when I was talking to the beloved Marin and I realized my voice coming back to me was annoying!  No matter what stress or inner hurricanes I've got going on, whining & complaining doesn't improve anything.  It brings you AND whoever's listening to you down.  So be proactive!  Actually DO something to improve yourself or your situation- BE POSITIVE! 

#s 6, 7, & 8 are so great :)   Alright, gals, let's all make a positive comment today on this post, something to rah-rah us all up to make it a phenomenal weekend!

11 Benefits of Being Positive by Jon Gordon

Over the years I've done a lot of research on the positive effects of being positive and the negative affects of being negative. The research is clear. It really does pay to be positive and the benefits include enhanced health and longevity, happiness, career advancement, athletic performance, team building and financial success. Being positive is not just a nice way to live. It’s the way to live. In this spirit here are 11 benefits of being positive.

1. Positive People Live Longer - In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)

2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)

3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)

4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)

5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)

6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)


7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)


8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can't be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)

9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)

10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)

11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Several Studies)

Feel the Burn Thursday

Good....afternoon :) Hehe.... oh well.....

What workouts have you done this past week and what's on the agenda for this weekend?  Are you going to take advantage of the fact that spring's right around the corner?! So close I can almost taste it!

In addition to sharing what workouts you've been up to, please also share with us what your hardest physical feat is that you've accomplished, and then how that felt.  Everyone's going to be so different- it'll be really interesting to see the responses- and I'm sure some of us will make the group laugh  :)

Side Challenge #1

"TRICK EXPERIMENT"

Ok, ladies!  Here's this week's side challenge!  It will run up until next Monday.  It's kind of a flexible challenge.  So today pick one of these tricks below (I pulled them off of this Reader's Digest article http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/easy-ways-to-lose-weight-50-ideas/article16057.html) and set up an experiment.  Try to tackle just one of these tricks sometime today through Sunday, so you have 5 days to do it.  Then on Monday, w/ your check-in, let us know how you did!  Let us know which one you picked, if you think the trick worked, if you had fun doing it, if it made a difference in your appetite or attitude, etc.    Of course you can pick more than one if you're feeling super playful and ambitious.  Of all the participants who do this side challenge, I'll put your name in a hat & draw out a winner who'll get a prize given/mailed to them!  Have fun!!!!!!!!

10. Bring the color blue into your life more often. There's a good reason you won't see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.

12. Downsize your dinner plates. Studies find that the less food put in front of you, the less food you'll eat. Conversely, the more food in front of you, the more you'll eat -- regardless of how hungry you are. So instead of using regular dinner plates that range these days from 10-14 inches (making them look forlornly empty if they're not heaped with food), serve your main course on salad plates (about 7-9 inches wide). The same goes for liquids. Instead of 16-ounce glasses and oversized coffee mugs, return to the old days of 8-ounce glasses and 6-ounce coffee cups.

11. Clean your closet. Once you've reached your target weight, throw out or give away every piece of clothing that doesn't fit. The idea of having to buy a whole new wardrobe if you gain the weight back will serve as a strong incentive to maintain your new figure.

13. Serve your dinner restaurant style (food on the plates) rather than family style (food served in bowls and on platters on the table). When your plate is empty, you're finished; there's no reaching for seconds.

16. Use vegetables to bulk up meals. You can eat twice as much pasta salad loaded with veggies like broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes for the same calories as a pasta salad sporting just mayonnaise. Same goes for stir-fries. And add vegetables to make a fluffier, more satisfying omelet without having to up the number of eggs.

18. Avoid white foods. There is some scientific legitimacy to today's lower-carb diets: Large amounts of simple carbohydrates from white flour and added sugar can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and lead to weight gain. But you shouldn't toss out the baby with the bathwater. While avoiding sugar, white rice, and white flour, you should eat plenty of whole grain breads and brown rice. One Harvard study of 74,000 women found that those who ate more than two daily servings of whole grains were 49 percent less likely to be overweight than those who ate the white stuff.

30. Use flavorings such as hot sauce, salsa, and Cajun seasonings instead of relying on butter and creamy or sugary sauces. Besides providing lots of flavor with no fat and few calories, many of these seasonings -- the spicy ones -- turn up your digestive fires, causing your body to temporarily burn more calories.

39. Take a walk before dinner. You'll do more than burn calories -- you'll cut your appetite. In a study of 10 obese women conducted at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, 20 minutes of walking reduced appetite and increased sensations of fullness as effectively as a light meal.

46. Sniff a banana, an apple, or a peppermint when you feel hungry. You might feel silly, but it works. When Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, tried this with 3,000 volunteers, he found that the more frequently people sniffed, the less hungry they were and the more weight they lost -- an average of 30 pounds each. One theory is that sniffing the food tricks the brain into thinking you're actually eating it.

51. Brush your teeth after every meal, especially after dinner. That clean, minty freshness will serve as a cue to your body and brain that mealtime is over.

53. Passionately kiss your partner 10 times a day. According to the 1991 Kinsey Institute New Report on Sex, a passionate kiss burns 6.4 calories per minute. Ten minutes a day of kissing equates to about 23,000 calories -- or eight pounds -- a year!

54. Add hot peppers to your pasta sauce. Capsaicin, the ingredient in hot peppers that makes them hot, also helps reduce your appetite.

***NEW INFO SATURDAY 3-13***

Kim, who won our last side challenge, and the to-be-announced winner of this side challenge on Monday will receive a Mead Meal Planner!!!!!  I'm way excited about this.  LOVE IT!  It's a magnetic calendar that you put on the fridge, plan out your meals, and has a grocery list pad attached to it!  Should make meal planning more convenient!!!!!  (And there's a Target gift receipt w/ each if you don't like it :) )  So, here's your reminder to do one the side challenge trick experiments this weekend and be ready to report on Monday morning with your check-in!!!!

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, ladies!!!  You've made it to day 10!!! Wahoo!!! 

Sooo, share w/ us what you've been eating! Be specific so we can all get great ideas on things to eat, whether they're store-bought treats or home made meals. 

I made this fav of mine on Sunday night and have been enjoying the leftovers for lunch at work this week.  (I tried it first at Christmas, but I love it so much I use it as a side dish for other meals, too).  It's from Fitness Magazine.

Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch rings

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil and roast until they can be easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly.
2. Trim the ends and pull off the peels; slice into 1/2-inch rounds.
3. Butter a small (3-1/2-quart) casserole dish with half the butter. In a bowl, stir together the cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Arrange half the apple rings and sweet-potato rounds in alternating layers in the dish; sprinkle with half the spice mixture and half the maple syrup. Layer in the rest of the apples and sweet potatoes, ending with the apples. Sprinkle with the remaining spices, drizzle with the remaining syrup; dot with the rest of the butter.
4. Cover and bake until the apples are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Nutrition facts per serving: 111 calories, 1g protein, 22g carbohydrate, 3g fat (1.9g saturated), 2g fiber


Here's another good one that I haven't made in a long time but plan on making tonight.  I got it off an Uncle Ben's rice box.  We don't do the rice at all in this recipe, though.  So the calories are going to be less than listed here.  We just do the chicken & snow peas. 

Polynesian Chicken

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup UNCLE BEN’S® ORIGINAL CONVERTED® Brand Rice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. peanut oil

1 cup apricot or pineapple marmalade (I couldn't find this so I used apricot preserves)

Instructions:
1. Prepare rice according to package directions.
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken breast and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Add juice from pineapple to chicken in skillet just before chicken has finished cooking.
3. Mix pineapple chunks, marmalade and soy sauce. After pineapple juice has evaporated from skillet, add marmalade mixture to chicken. Cook until sauce is a glaze. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Nutrition Facts per Serving: 469 calories, 36g protein, 66g carbs, 2g fat
 
I've shared this one before, too, but it's another big favorite of mine, also from Fitness Magazine (recipe from Natalie Coughlin, the Olympic swimmer).  Made this for lunch on Sunday.  THIS time I had actually gone out and bought an iron skillet so I could do it properly and not explode my Pryex pie dish all over the kitchen :) 
 
Asparagus Frittata 
 
Serves 4
 

Ingredients:
6 eggs
salt & pepper to taste
2 T grated parmesean cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 large leek, washed, thinly sliced (looks like a giant green onion for those who don't know what it looks like, usually by the green onions at the grocery store, tastes like a really mild green onion- maybe a little sweet)
1 fresh bunch of asparagus, washed, chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups baby spinach, washed
 
Directions:
1. Preheat broiler and set rack 6" from heat.
2. Crack eggs into bowl, salt & pepper, and parmesean. Mix & set aside.
3. In iron skillet on stove top, heat the oil & butter. 
4. Add the leek, saute for 1 min stirring occasionally.
5.  Add the asparagus, saute for 3 minutes or until almost fully cooked.
6. Add the spinach, season w/ salt & pepper if you want.  When spinach is almost fully wilted, spread this veggie mixture evenly across the bottom of the skillet. 
7.  Pour the egg mixture over the top and tilt the pan so the veggies are all covered.  Cook until the edges of the eggs start to come away from the side of the pan. 
8.  Put the pan in the oven to broil for about 5 minutes, until the frittata is lightly golden and the eggs are fully set.
9.  Immediately turn the frittata out upside down onto a plate.  Garnish w/ the extra parmesean if you want.  Cut into 4 slices & serve.
 
Nutritional Facts per Serving: 208 calories, 12g protein, 8g carb, 15g fat, 2g fiber
 
Here's another yummy that the hubby made for me a few months ago that I just remembered, also from Fitness Magazine:
 
Stuffed French Toast
 

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup fat-free cream cheese

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup strawberry jam

8 1-inch slices French bread (we used wheat bread slices we had on hand, Sara Lee 45 Cal multi-grain)

2 egg whites

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice (we used pumpkin pie spice b/c we didn't have this on hand)
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
Combine the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons jam. Make a slit in each slice of French bread to form a pocket; fill each with about 1 tablespoon of the cream-cheese mixture.  (Since we were using thin already sliced bread, we used two pieces of the wheat bread and put the cream cheese mixture between it like a sandwich)
In a small bowl, combine egg whites, egg, milk, vanilla, and apple pie spice. Lightly coat a nonstick griddle with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.
Dip the bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Place slices on the hot griddle. Cook about 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the 1/2 cup of jam until melted, stirring frequently. Pour over French toast.

Nutrition facts per serving (2 slices): 300 calories, 14g protein, 30g carbohydrate, 2g fat (0g saturated), 0g fiber

As far as snacks, I haven't been too creative lately.  Just enjoying my daily late morning snack of a Pacific Rose apple sliced w/ 2 T crunchy all natural PB.  I've also been enjoying Marin's dressed up cereal idea for breakfasts as an alternative to eggs.  This morning (short on time mornings :) ) I had 1 cup of special K strawberry w/ a sliced up banana and half cup of skim milk. I still like my protein shakes & protein bars in the afternoons, too. I found a protein bar that I'm pretty satisfied w/ after trying pretty much every one out- Clif Builder's.  Still has a little soy and I'd like just whey, but for 20g protein, it's mostly all-natural ingredients, as opposed to the really sugary & processed alternatives out there.   Some greek honey-flavored yogurt is a good post-dinner dessert. 

So excited to hear all your great ideas & recipes!

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, amazing ladies! I am so so so so so impressed by all
your great results and hard work this past week.

Keep that great high and momentum to move forward. THIS time is
different. I swear. Think about what hasn't worked in your past with
attempts to lose weight. That knowledge is equal in importance with
what TO do to lose weight successfully and with long-term results and
health in mind.

Now think about the new skill you're learning. No deprivation diets.
No fad eat this and never eat this. Just cutting down calories and
working out as much as it works into your shedule. Just burning more
than you consume. Doing it at a slow and healthy rate that is going to
make the change more lasting and life-long.

You should all be so proud of yourselves! You've made real progress
this week! YOU know yourselves and you can shed away the pounds of
curtains that are drawn over you.

Check out this article: http://weightloss.about.com/od/weightloss101/a/101lesson10.htm

Did anything in there apply to you? I particularly liked the concept
of pushing and peer pressure. That's hard for me. Good reminders are
in this article for all of us. Share your thoughts on it with us, or
other motivational tips!!!!

I hope you all have a phenomenal day!!!!

Monday Morning Check-In

Good Morning, girls!  First Check-in!  Let us know how much you're up or down.  Let us know your thoughts on it.  Let us know what your game plan is for this week.  Keep up the great work & stay strong!  It's a slow journey but it's OH SO WORTH IT!  I know you can do it.