This mixture could also be used for a pasta sauce.. 
Serves 4
Prep time: 7 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
You will need:
2 ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed & drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 lemon, juiced & zested
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste
4 thick slices of ciabatta bread
Preheat the broiler. Coarsely chop the tomatoes & garlic. Place in food processor along with the artichokes, parsley, walnuts, lemon juice & zest, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined but still chunky.
Place the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and broil until golden on both sides. Lightly brush the slices with the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Spread the tomato-artichoke mixture on top and serve.
Nutrition facts/serving:
(1 slice): 340 calories, 23 g fat (58% of calories), 3 g saturated fat, 28 g carbs, 9 g protein, 4g fiber, 91 mg calcium, 2 mg iron, 336 mg sodium.
by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
1. Many so-called “health foods” are actually cleverly disguised junk foods that can actually stimulate you to gain more belly fat… yet the diet food marketing industry continues to lie to you so they can maximize their profits.
2. Ab exercises such as crunches, sit-ups, and ab machines are actually the LEAST effective method of getting flat six pack abs. We’ll explore what types of exercises REALLY work in a minute.
3. Boring repetitive cardio exercise routines are NOT the best way to lose body fat and uncover those six pack abs. I’ll tell you the exact types of unique workouts that produce 10x better results below.
4. You DON’T need to waste your money on expensive “extreme fat burner” pills or other bogus supplements. I’ll show you how to use the power of natural foods in more detail below.
5. Ab belts, ab-rockers, ab-loungers, and other infomercial ab-gimmicks… they’re all a complete waste of your time and money. Despite the misleading infomercials, the perfectly chiseled fitness models in the commercials did NOT get their perfect body by using that “ab contraption”… they got their perfect body through REAL workouts and REAL nutrition strategies. Again, you’ll learn some of their secrets and what really works below.
I was reading one of my older Fitness Magazines and I came across an article that said you should eat about 350 calories for breakfast, about 400 for lunch, about 450 for dinner, and under 150 for a snack. Its hard to count calories, especially when you like to cook at home often, so here are a couple recipes I have found that fall under the suggested calorie limits and taste amazing. =)
Banana & Honey Smoothie
1 cup light vanilla soy milk
1 small banana
1 tbs honey
2 tbs old-fashioned oatmeal
1 tbs ground flaxseeds
Blend together until smooth
Tomato-Basil Ricotta Toast
2 slices whole-grain bread
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
5 fresh basil leaves
4 slices tomato
Toast bread & spread with cheese.
Top with basil and tomato.
Lunch – 400 calories
Balsamic Chicken Salad Pita
1 cup precooked, diced chicken
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 whole-wheat pita
1 cup mixed salad greens
Mix chicken, vinegar, scallions & celery.
Fill pita with mixture & salad greens
Dinner – 450 calories
Garlic-Basil Shrimp & Zucchini Pasta
1 cup whole-wheat pasta noodles
3 ounces frozen precooked & shelled shrimp, thawed
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 tbs chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs olive oil
Cook pasta. Mix hot noodles with remaining ingredients.
Takeout!! Sushi
Miso Soup (1 cup)
Tuna Roll (6 pieces)
Small seaweed salad
1. Skinny Cow Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich
My article that will appear in the voice this week: =)
Getting Fit For Summer
With the summer months finally in sight and the bitter cold days behind us, we are all starting to realize that a little exercise might be necessary. It is now that time to break out the bikinis and board shorts, drop the extra layers of clothing and maybe even a couple of pounds.
It is no secret that everyone tips the scale a little bit throughout the winter months, especially as college students. With winter comes many holidays that focus on plenty of special dinners and party after party. Along with the shorter days come cold miserable weather, increased sleep and lack of exercise. Campus dining also offers a variety of delicious burgers, cheese-steaks, French fries, bagels, and many more carb filled treats. These are all essential ingredients for weight gain.
So now that its time to expose some skin, you’re probably thinking ‘What should I do to look good for the summer’?
There are a lot of ways to work on your figure, especially as a member of a community like Bloomsburg. The student recreation center is open everyday until 11pm Monday through Thursday at 10pm on weekends, making it easy to find time during the day to make a trip. The rec is full of cardio machines and weights and offers many aerobics classes to fit anyone’s needs. The rec also offers a free personal training session to show you how to tackle your problem areas. It could be a big help if you grab a friend and take them with you or join a class to help build up some motivation.
The pool in Nelson Field House is also available to all students for certain hours throughout each day. Everyone loves to jump in a pool, and a refreshing swim also offers you a great amount of exercise without even realizing it. The pool is open until April 25th and its hours can be found on the bloom website.
An even better way to get some exercise without really knowing it is to get outside. Now that the weather is warming up you can go for a walk through town or down to the park with a friend. At the park you can play tennis, pick up a game of soccer, hang out at the skate park, or walk down to the river. Take a Frisbee or a baseball up to the quad and throw it around with your buddies; as long as you are outside moving around, you’re making progress and getting exercise!
Personally, I think the best motivation to shape up is planning a summer vacation. Plan a trip with friends to the beach or to a lake; this will not only give you a deadline but also some incentive to drop the pounds and firm up. Spring is the prime time for bathing suit shopping and when we look in the mirror we want to love what we see, not be afraid of what we are looking at.
To top it off, one of the best things you can do for yourself is keep track of what you eat. Keep a journal or a notebook and write down everything you eat in a day and every type of exercise you do. When it is written on paper you can see how much you have consumed and how much exercise you have gotten. Also, when the food is headed toward your mouth, you think ‘Do I really want to write that down and look at it again later?’ and you may change your mind.
Now that it’s nice out, barbeques are taking place again and we all know how hard it is to stay away from the mouth-watering burgers and greasy chips. It is also hard to avoid the grill at the Commons; but instead of heading straight for the pile of French fries, think about the other choices you have available to you on campus. Stick to healthy sandwiches that you can make yourself at the Commons, or have one made for you at the Husky Lounge. You could also try out the new “make your own salad” at the Union. And don’t forget, skip the sugar-filled soda and drink a lot of water! Water keeps your energy up and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
When it comes down to it, losing a little bit of weight only takes a few easy changes in your daily routine. If you follow some of these easy tips you will be fit for summer in no time. So get outside and get moving!
2% or less
Milk contains:
Calcium, Protein, Potassium, Vitamin A & B12 & D
Riboflavin, Niacin, Phosphorus
Orange Juice
Just one glass of orange juice contains:
A full day’s supply of vitamin C
As much potassium as a banana
A good source of folate
Fruit Smoothies
Easy Smoothie Recipes
Smoothies contain tons of fruit which means lots of nutrients.
Sweet Maple Popcorn
Drizzle 5 teaspoons pure maple syrup over 1 3/4 cups hot air-popped popcorn. Sprinkle with salt, if desired.
Bonus: This sweet snack contains fiber, a waist whittler that’s also good for your ticker.
Chocolate Yogurt Pops
In a blender, puree 1 1/2 cups lowfat vanilla yogurt, 1/3 cup cold water, 2 packets sweetened cocoa powder mix and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder. Pour into four 4-ounce ice-pop molds. Freeze overnight.
Bonus: These pops pack protein, key for building muscles, as well as calcium, which helps maintain strong bones.
Recent research has shown that artificial sweeteners in soda may interfere with your body’s ability to estimate how many calories you’ve ingested, so you eat more than you need.
In a new rat study, animals that ate fake sugar consumed more calories overall and gained weight, compared to those that didn’t eat artificially sweetened treats.
This is just one study, but it’s enough to make me want to kick the can habit. Need more convincing? For every diet soda you sip daily, your risk of becoming overweight can rise by 37 percent, according to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
We also know that regular soda is a total sugar bomb — most people I know gave it up long ago. At roughly 225 calories a pop, a 20-ounce bottle of regular soda packs nearly as many calories as a chocolate bar (but is much less satisfying).
Typically, soda also contains zero nutrients — so who needs it? Still have some soda around? Fine, stow it for guests who haven’t decided to quit. Next time you want a fizz hit, try seltzer with lime (or for a caffeine fix, green tea).
Eat what you love. Outlawing a food makes you more likely to want it. Don’t declare all foods off-limits—just keep portions reasonable. Eat just one cookie (or if they’re tiny—two, max.) Or one scoop is fine—but not three! Just tell yourself, “it’s OK” and not “I’ve blown it, might as well keep eating.” One scoop is easy to walk off—three is a major sweat session!
Redirect your appetite. Replacing one mental image with another will help curb the munchies, says Lisa Dorfman, R.D., of Miami. One fast way to distract your brain is with scent. Catching a whiff of peppermint or eucalyptus stimulates thoughts of being light and healthy, so pop a sugar-free mint, smooth on a scented lotion or light a fragrant candle.
Engage your brain. Read a great book, write in a journal or even play a game such as solitaire or Minesweeper on your cell phone or computer to increase activity in the same areas of your brain that light up when you think about eating, so you can take your mind off food.
Make a deal with yourself. I try to keep my treats portion controlled and have them just once a day. If I have a cookie after lunch, I skip dessert after dinner. It makes it easier to give up my evening bowl of ice cream when I know I can have it tomorrow!
Lemon water….
-aids the digestive system
-makes eliminating waste products from the body easier
-prevents constipation & diarrhea
-rejuvenates skin from within & brings a glow to your face
-helps pave way for losing weight faster
-flushes out body toxins
-promotes immune system
-protects from most infections
-works as a blood purifier
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