Peanut Butter Cracker Snacks

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat crackers
• Raw Natural Pure Honey
• Natural Peanut Butter

*I don't give you a certain amount because it depends on how much you want to snack. I recommend no more than 10 lightly peanut buttered & honeyed crackers because of the amount of calories...but remember... they are good calories

Calories: Well... 5 whole wheat crackers is about 70 calories... 1 T Honey is 60 calories... & 2 T Peanut Butter is about 200 calories. So just add up how much you make. :-)

Directions:
Spread a little peanut butter on 1/2 the crackers. Then drizzle them with honey and put the remaining crackers on top.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Casserole

I love this recipe! It's a little sweet while at the same time offering a good seasoned flavor!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Butternut Squash (spaghettied-I do this using a grater)
• 2 regular carrots (peeled and diced)
• 1 Sweet Potato (diced w/ or w/o skin-whatever your preference)
• Sea Salt to taste 
• 2 t Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 t Ground Cumin (or other seasoning of choice)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine all ingredients in 9X9 pan or medium casserole dish.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are easily penetrated with a fork.
ENJOY!!

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Cutting Back at Restaurants

Sometimes going out to eat when you're trying to eat healthy can be discouraging and frustrating so I wanted to share with everyone how I usually eat at restaurants.

1. Grilled Chicken Sandwich (This is one of the healthiest things, other than a salad, at Buffalo Wild Wings or Hardees)

• No mayo & add jalepenos and/or pico de gallo for flavor
• Lettuce wrap if available & if you like lettuce wraps (At Hardees just ask for a low carb chicken sandwich)
• If you are really wanting bread (or if a lettuce wrap isn't available) choose the healthiest bread available (wheat, etc) & only eat 1/2 of it. What I usually do is take the top bun off & eat only the bottom bun. To keep the sandwich together I start with the bottom bun, then add all the extras such as lettuce, tomato, jalepenos, pico de gallo, etc. Then I top it off with the grilled chicken upside down (if you have cheese on it the cheese should face down). This allows for the chicken to act as a "top bun" and keep everything together & less messy.

2. Baked Potato

• Since I never eat butter and rarely eat sour cream, I usually get a plain baked potato and add low fat cottage cheese since it is suppose to be healthier. Usually I just say that I don't want any sour  cream & butter, but want cottage cheese instead & its no extra cost. Then I just add a little salt & pepper.

3. Steamed Veggies

• The main thing here is just being sure to state that you want them cooked as healthy as possible. I always say "I want them healthy...no butter, oil, or all the other stuff..I just want them cooked". Then I add a little salt when they get to the table. The only reason I say this is because a lot of people order steamed veggies thinking they are eating extremely healthy but if that restaurant steams their veggies in a bunch of butter & other bad stuff, you really aren't eating as healthy as you think. If you can only eat veggies with butter, etc. then tell them to go easy on it but I recommend trying them plain a few times to get use to it before giving up on going butterless. :-)

4. Salads

• Although most people know this, I never want to assume that everyone does...IT IS ALMOST POINTLESS TO EAT A SALAD THAT IS LOADED WITH UNHEALTHY DRESSINGS OR TOPPINGS (BACON, ETC). I eat salads often at restaurants. My salad always consists of veggies (any raw veggies), a low-fat or low-calorie vinegarette, and occassionally a little cheese. If you only like ranch dressing, get fat free ranch!! Ranch is very bad for you...just read the label & figure up how much you need to run, bike, or exercise just to work off that ranch you're eating. You might be surprised. ;-)

5. Try New Veggies

• I just want to encourage you to try veggies that are unique to restaurants. For example, Ruby Tuesdays has spaghetti squash that is incredible & very healthy, but if you don't step outside your comfort zone you may never find this out. People often get stuck in veggie ruts and eat the same things over & over again...especially salads. Don't do this because you will be more likely to get bored with veggies and fall off the healthy eating train. Try new things! And if you don't like them...at least you know you don't! 

6. Very Rarely Eat a Buffet!!!!!!!!!

• I would say never eat a buffet, but that can be scary and discouraging. :-) I will definitely say don't eat a buffet more than once a month! There are many reasons for this. Order off the menu and if you are really wanting something that is on the buffet (whether it be pizza or whatever else), take a bite or 2 (& I do mean 1 BITE or 2 BITES) from the person beside you. This keeps you from overeating & allows for healthier choices since buffets aren't usually healthy. Obviously salad buffets are awesome, but just remember to follow the salad tips above...don't eat everything that's there! Just because it's on the salad bar doesn't mean its good for you. ;-)

***I will continue adding to this blog as I think of stuff, so keep coming back***

Great Fitness Apps

All of the following apps are great for exercise & fitness:

1. Map My Run-This app is perfect for outdoor running or bicycling. It keeps up with your distance, speed, route, etc. I use it all the time. You can use it as a food diary too. Another neat thing is that you can connect with friends and challenge them to run the same routes you do.

2. Runtastic-The same as Map My Run but some people prefer it instead.

3. My Fitness Pal-This allows you to log all types of exercise and develop a fitness plan. It also has a food diary.

4. Lose It-This is very similar to My Fitness Pal and allows you to connect with others and set goals. There is an online community for support and encouragement.

How You Can Become a Runner

First things first:

1. Set your first distance goal (This can be whatever you want to accomplish. My first goal was to run a 5k. Then when I reached that goal, my next one was a 10k. Then a half-marathon.)
2. Always stretch before running
3. Set a schedule for running. How often are you going to run? Every day? 3 days a week? (For the first couple months I ran 5-6 days a week. Now I run 3-4.)
4. Get an accountability partner. If you can't find one...I'll be yours, just leave me a comment or contact me.
5. Hydrate!! Hydrate!! Hydrate!! I cannot stress this enough. A lot of people say their side starts hurting when they are running...most of the time this is because they aren't properly hydrated. If you're going to take your running seriously, you need to drink water throughout the day. Do not drink just a little or cram a lot immediately before a run because both of these can make you hurt or sick.
6. Get good running shoes! Do your homework and ask around!

MY INTERVAL TRAINING: How I Began Building Up My Run

Running Days 1-3:

1. Walk 0.5 miles
2. Run at a steady pace as far as you can (don't sprint as hard as you can, just focus on building stamina, speed will come later)-This gives you your current maximum distance and is determined by the first day you run and should remain the same for days 1-3. Therefore, whatever your max is the 1st day keep it like that for the next 2 runs. This prevents injuries, etc.
3. Walk 0.2 miles
4. Run 0.2 miles
5. Walk to your goal

           Example: You begin by stretching and walking 0.5 miles. Then run at a steady but challenging pace until you literally feel like you can't anymore (Lets just pretend its 0.5 miles). Then walk 0.2 miles. Then run 0.2 miles. Finish by walking to whatever your goal is. So if your goal is a 5k (3.1 miles) you will finish by walking 1.7 miles. You will do this exact thing for 3 run sessions. Make sense? :-)

Running Days 4-6:

1. Walk 0.5 miles
2. Run whatever your maximum 1-3 day distance was plus 0.2 miles
3. Walk 0.2 miles
4. Run 0.2 miles
5. Walk to your goal

           Example (continuation of previous example): Stretch and walk 0.5 miles. Then run at a steady but challenging pace 0.7 miles (your 0.5 max + 0.2). Walk 0.2. Run 0.2. Walk to your goal which would now be 1.5 miles. You will do this exact thing for 3 run sessions.

Running Days 7-9

1. Walk 0.5 miles
2. Run whatever you ran the previous 3 running days plus 0.2 miles
3. Walk 0.2 miles
4. Run 0.2 miles
5. Walk to your goal

           Example (continuation from previous examples): Stretch and walk 0.5 miles. Then run at a steady but challenging pace 0.9 miles (0.7 from the 3 previous sessions + 0.2). Walk 0.2. Run 0.2. Walk to your goal which would now be 1.3 miles. You will do this exact thing for 3 run sessions.

You will continue doing this process until you have built up to your goal. Just remember to increase every 2-3 running sessions. There will be days that you feel that you can go way further than others, especially after you've built up your run. When these days come go for it. But be sure to rest your muscles the next day to prevent damage/injuries.

Other important notes about building up:

After I reached a 5k I continued this process but increased by 0.3-0.5 miles depending on how it felt, etc. Just listen to your body. The concept is the exact same...just a little different numbers. I also began maxing out once a week in which I would "jump" my run distance up by a mile for that day only. But I always rested or just walked the following day.

I just want to warn you against building speed to quickly. I strongly encourage you to focus on distance/stamina and speed will come with that. For example, if you can run 5 miles at an 11min/mile pace, you will naturally be able to run 3.1 miles (5k) at a much faster pace. When I ran before, I was focused on building my speed and blew my shins out. I had to quit running for several months and had to start all over again. When I got back into running I focused on distance/stamina instead and it has been awesome!! 

Please let me know if you have any questions. It may sound a little confusing but is actually very simple.

Banana Lover Shake

Ingredients:

1 Scoop Shaklee's Vanilla Cinch Shake Mix (click here to order this product from my Shaklee store)

2 t. Vanilla Extract

1 packet of Stevia in the Raw

1 C. (8oz.) Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or Regular/Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk for an extra sweet shake but be sure to add 50 calories)

1 Banana
About 6 Regular Ice Cubes

Calories: 250

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and mix well.

*****A serving of Shaklee Cinch Shake Mix is usually 2 Scoops (6T). You can use 2 scoops if you prefer. I always just use 1 because 1 fills me up and gives it plenty of flavor. Just remember to increase the calories by 95 because each scoop (3T) is 95 calories. :-)*****

Fruit and Honey Parfait

Ingredients:
1/3 C. Nonfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1/4 C. Raw Whole Grain Oats
1 t. Raw Natural Pure Honey
Fruit of choice (I used kiwi for this one but banana and strawberry is great)

Directions:
In a small bowl mix the oats and honey. In a cup put 1/2 the yogurt. Then put a layer of the oats and honey with about 3/4 of the mixture. Add the remaining yogurt. Then put the fruit of your choice on top and sprinkle the remaining oat and honey mixture on top.

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