I just made the best lunch.  You can probably tell by looking at my blog that Im an avocado lover.

To make this healthy, yummy lunch you will need:

1/4 of an avocado
2 slices of tomato
1/2 of a chicken breast
mayo
red pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper/garlic to taste
whole grain bread

Cook the chicken in a little bit of oil and balsamic. Sprinkle with salt pepper garlic.  Slice avocado and tomatoes.  Toast the bread and spread with mayo that has been mixed with a little bit of red pepper. Pile tomatoes, avocado and chicken on bread and enjoy.

Makes 2 Servings:

5 large eggs
2 tbs water
2 tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 tbs fresh mint, chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 ounces reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled
8 small cherry tomatoes, halved

beat eggs, season with salt & pepper, add 2 tbs water, basil, mint, scallions
spray a large skillet with cooking spray, pour in egg mixture and cook over medium heat for 4-5 mins, pushing the mixture from sides to center. top with feta and tomatoes.  May slide pan under broiler until golden brown

Nutrition facts: 304 calories 

10 ounces skim milk or plain soy milk
1 tbs peanut butter
1 banana
Combine all in blender until smooth
Add 6 ice cubes for thicker consistency  

You know I love the recipes

Shrimp Linguini

I cup linguini
3.5 ounces broiled shrimp
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tbs. chopped parsley 

Cook and season the shrimp as you please.  Boil water to cook pasta. Brown garlic in pan and then toss with shrimp.  Toss shrimp, garlic & parsley with hot pasta.  And Serve

• 1 tbsp shaved provolone cheese (optional) .
• 1 tbsp red onions, sliced .
• 2 tbsps baked kalamata olives .
• 1/4 c grape tomatoes, halved .
• 1 c sliced romaine lettuce .
• 1/4 c marinated artichoke hearts .
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, or a Greek dressing of your choice.

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.
 

5 Facts You MUST Understand if You Are Ever Going to Lose Your Belly Fat & Get Six Pack Abs

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.  

For More Info…CLICK

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. =)

Breakfast - 350 calories

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

Avocado & Black-Bean Wrap
2 whole-wheat tortillas
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinse & drain
1/5 avocado, chopped coarsely
2 tbs salsa
1 cup romaine lettuce
Wrap black beans, avocado, salsa & lettuce together  

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

Takeout!! Panera
Black-bean soup
1/2 Classic Cafe Salad
w/ fat-free poppy-seed dressing 

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.

Artichoke & Tomato Panzanella Salad
2 slices whole-grain bread
1 cup chopped canned artichokes, rinsed & drains
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed & drains
2 tbs low-fat italian vinaigrette dressing
Toast bread and cut into small squares.
Add artichokes, tomatoes, beans, bread squares and dressing and combine. 

Takeout!! Sushi
Miso Soup (1 cup)
Tuna Roll (6 pieces)
Small seaweed salad

Snacks - Under 150 calories (2 a day) 

1.  Skinny Cow Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich 

2.  14 almonds & a small apple, peeled

3.  1/2 cup raspberry sorbet

4.  12-ounce caramel frappuccino light (no whipped cream!)

5.  1 ounce chocolate covered almonds

6.  100-calorie mini bag of popcorn

7.  1 ounce string cheese & 4 whole-grain crackers

8.  Root beer float (1/2 cup vanilla frozen yogurt, 12 ounces diet root beer) 

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 25^th 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!