Mousse a La Banana

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons 1% milk
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 medium banana, cut in quarters
• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 8 1/4 inch banana slices

Directions:

1. Place milk, sugar, vanilla, and banana in blender. Process 15 seconds at high speed until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into a small bowl, fold in yogurt. Chill. Spoon into 4 dessert dishes; garnish each with 2 banana slices just before serving.

Makes 4 servings- Serving Size: 1/2 Cup

Nutritional Information:

• Fat: 1.4g
• Carbohydrates: 17.9g
• Calories: 98.9
• Protein: 4.6g

Deal with Weight-Loss Plateaus

Weight-loss plateau is an integral part of weight loss. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! It is your body's way of protecting you for survival purpose. The weight-loss plateau occurs because your body thinks there is a famine and has slowed your metabolism in order to conserve calories. This will happen periodically throughout your weight-loss.

A few Exercise Tips:

1. Variety- Often we fall into a exercise routine- You have to mix up your exercise routine in order to consistently shock your system. A few ways to mix up your workout: Alternate the weights, change the number of repetitions, and change the exercise.
2. Intensity- The best way to speed up your metabolism is to boost the intensity of your training. You will burn more calories, challenge your body and literally force your metabolism to burn a little brighter.

Food Tips:

1. Eat More- The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure. Vary your calorie intake.
2. Reduce your sodium and DRINK LOTS OF WATER: Keep your sodium under 1,500 mg a day at most for as long as you can manage. You can achieve this in part by cutting all processed food out of your diet for two weeks.

Keep going! A plateau will usually break on its own after about three weeks!

Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Rice, brown, instant
• 2 teaspoon oil, sesame
• 1 pound turkey, lean ground
• 1 tablespoon ginger, fresh
• 1 large pepper, red, bell
• 1 can water chestnuts, canned
• 1/2 cup broth, reduced-sodium chicken
• 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 head(s) lettuce
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 teaspoon oil, canola

Preparation:

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute
4. To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, top with herbs and carrot and roll into wraps.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 285
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Sodium: 543mg
• Dietary Fiber: 5g
• Total Fat: 11g
• Carbs: 24g
• Cholesterol: 66mg
• Protein: 26g

Recipe Source: eatingwell.com

Habits for Fit People: Add Activity- Not just Exercise to Your Day!

You want to be a fit person, right? Here are some habits for keeping fit and staying healthy.

Add more activity to your day. This is not just exercise or planned workouts, either. You might not think about it often, but there's a lot more to a fit lifestyle than the time you spend exercising.
You may be thinking that since you work out regularly, you don't need to worry about doing additional active things each day. For example: you think I can park in the closest spot to the door at the store since I worked out earlier today or when some one ask you to go for a walk in the evening with them and you think "I better not over do it after that hard work out I did today".
Remember, there's more to fitness than just working out. You'll feel stronger, more energetic and fitter when you incorporate little bursts of activity into your day on top of your work out.

Here are a few ways you can bring more "activity" into your fit lifestyle, no matter how much time you have on your hands:

• For dinner out, choose a place within walking distance of your house (up to 2 miles away) and walk to and from the restaurant.
• At work, opt for the restroom furthest away from your workstation.
• Take the stairs any chance you get: at work, the mall and even in your home.
• Shun some labor-saving devices like remotes and dishwashers a few nights a week
• When watching TV, try a few simple exercises like the plank, push ups, squats or lungs.
• Play with the kids. Don't just be an onlooker!
• For a fun night out with friends or family members, choose activities like bowling, ping-pong and miniature golf.
• Sit on an exercise ball at your computer to help strengthen your core and posture muscles.

Keep these things in mind and you can become more fit!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp & Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoon oil, olive, extra virgin
• 2 large pepper(s), red, bell
• 2 pounds asparagus
• 2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 pounds shrimp, raw
• 1 cup broth, reduced-sodium chicken
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon parsley, fresh

Preparation

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, asparagus, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl; cover to keep warm.
2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth and add to the pan along with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, Stirring, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the vegetables.

Makes 4 Servings

Nutritional Information (Per Serving):

• Calories: 226
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 514mg
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Total Fat: 7g
• Carbs: 14g
• Cholesterol: 174 mg
• Protein: 28g

Summer Party Survival Guide

While a family cookout or a neighborhood barbecue is supposed to be a time to eat, drink and be merry, those of us trying to follow a healthy path can find such events to be more trying than entertaining. The endless platters of grilled meats. The bottomless bowls of mayo salads, and the parade of refined carbs.
A typical meal from a cookout can have more than 1,500 calories and almost as much fat as you should eat for an entire day. You can cut the calories in half and boost the flavor with a few simple tricks!

• Choose extra lean ground beef or turkey to save 100 calories and more than half the fat of standard burgers.
• Opt for fat-free or low-fat all-beef hot dogs, turkey dogs or veggie dogs instead of bratwurst.
• Choose vegetables, ketchup and mustard and skip the cheese and mayo
• Drink water instead of soda, sweet tea or lemonade.
• Make macaroni salad with whole-wheat pasta to boost fiber.
• Use light vinaigrette instead of ranch dressing of may-based sauces for potato salad and veggie dips.
• Load up on fruit
• Choose whole-grain buns, baked chips or pretzels and limit the baked goods.
• Make kebabs using vegetables and lean meats for a lighter main dish.

No-bake Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 8 ounce(s) pasta, whole-wheat, elbow macaroni
• 1 package broccoli, frozen chopped
• 1 3/4 cup milk, lowfat
• 3 tablespoon flour, all-purpose
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper, white
• 3/4 cup cheese, cheddar, shredded
• 1/4 cup cheese, Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon mustard, Dijon

Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta for 4 minutes. Add frozen broccoli and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cups milk in another large pot over medium-high heat until just simmering. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined.
3. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk; return to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in cheddar, Parmesan and mustard until the cheese is melted.
4. Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the cheese sauce. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until heated through, about 1 minute.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 412
  Saturated Fat 7g
• Sodium 640 mg
• Dietary Fiber 7g
• Total Fat 13g
• Carbs 56g
• Cholesterol 37 mg
• Protein 22g

Recipe Source: Eatingwell.com

Exercise Tips for Vacation

While vacation is a time to relax and take a break from work, stress and the usual routine. It should not be a break from your healthy habits. With a little planning, you can enjoy your vacation and still maintain your fitness level.
Whatever your plans- a family road trip, a tropical cruise, or a relaxing beach you can avoid packing on excess weight by packing some healthy foods and workout gear instead.


Here are some ideas to think about:
On the Road:
Plan exercise and stretching breaks. Just three 10 minute pit stops add up to 30 minutes of activity. Go for a quick jog or walk, stretch and run around with the kids. Back in the car, you'll be more alert and energetic.

At the Airport:
While in the airport, take every opportunity for extra movement. Use the stairs, pass on the people movers and carry your own luggage. Instead of sitting around before boarding, use the time to walk. It's okay to get up and walk through the aisles a few times when you are feeling antsy during a long flight.

When Cruising:
Plan for fitness every day. Cruises usually offer complete gyms, aerobics classes, trainers, running tracks and pools. Go dancing in the evening and play beach games when docked.

At the Inn:
Before leaving home, find out what fitness opportunities the hotel offers. While most will have a pool, others may offer tennis, walking paths, bike rentals, and full gyms. Then, pack the appropriate clothes, shoes and gear.

Fitness Anywhere:
Design your own portable workout. All you need to pack is some lightweight, cheap equipment: resistance bands, a jump rope and a sticky mat. You can also do push-ups, planks, lunges, squats, triceps dips on a chair, and other body weight exercises.

With a little planning this vacation you will not loss out on fitness!

The Lieutenant Governor's Challenge: "Your Heart is in Your Hands"

Are you looking for something to help keep you going with the Healthy Villages program. Here is a great web based program that can help you keep track of your physical activities and fruits and vegetable consumption.
The Lieutenant Governor challenge is a 12-week, web based challenge that tracks your physical activity and fruits and vegetable consumption.

To sign up go to www.ltgovernorschallenge.us

Baked Salmon Dijon

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fat free sour cream
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 lb salmon fillet with skin, cut in center
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• as needed fat free cooking spray

Instructions:

1. whisk sour cream, dill, onion, mustard, and lemon juice in small bowl to blend.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil baking sheet with cooking spray
3. Place salmon, skin side down, on prepared sheet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper, then spread with the sauce.
4. Bake salmon until just opaque in center, about 20 minutes

Makes 6 Servings

Nutrition Information:

• Calories: 211.3
• Total Fat: 5.1g
• Cholesterol: 82.6mg
• Sodium: 286.5 mg
• Total Carbs: 5.0g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
• Protein: 30.5 g

11 Ways to Cool Down your Summer Workout

Heat exhaustion can occur when your body gets too hot, resulting in physical symptoms like weakness, muscle cramps, dehydration, dizziness, confusion, rapid heart rate and headache. Staying hydrated and getting out of the heat can help prevent and treat heat exhaustion.

But you don't have to give up exercise just because it's hot outside. Here are 11 tips that will help you beat the heat.

1. Wear "wicking" fabrics- while cotton is comfortable, it doesn't wick away moisture very well. Choose a loose-fitting polyester/cotton blend instead, or synthetic fibers designed especially for wicking during exercise.
2. Protect your Skin. Apply sunscreen with SP 15 (or higher) to prevent sunburn, even on cloudy days.
3. Drink Often. Hydrate your body before, during and after your workout by carrying cold water and drinking it often.
4. Perfect your timing. Sun, humidity and pollution levels are most intense during the day, so you're at greater risk for dehydration, sunburn and heat exhaustion during this time. To minimize the effects of the weather, work out in the early morning or late evening.
5. Acclimate to the heat. Even the fittest people can have trouble exercising when it's hot and humid. Start by exercising in the heat for only a few minutes each day and gradually increase the amount of time you can tolerate outdoors.
6. Seek Shade. Parks, trails, and other tree-lined areas can help you stay cooler than direct sunlight.
7. Monitor your heart rate. If your intensity level rises above your target range, slow down or stop to avoid further stress.
8. Listen to your body. If you notice any symptoms of heat illness stop your workout. It's not a good idea to "push yourself" in extreme heat.
9. Know when to stay inside. If temperatures climb above 90 degrees, take your exercise in an air-conditioned environment.
10. Avoid extreme temperate changes. Don't go from blistering outdoor heat to a shockingly cold air-conditioned building. Try to cool yourself down gradually before exposing your body to cooler temperatures.
11. Take a dip. Water exercise is a great alternative in hot weather.

Hot weather isn't the time to take risks. Even healthy people should take it easy in extremely high temperatures and everyone should understand how to exercise safely and effectively at the height of the season.

Summer brings many fun and exhilarating opportunities to get outside, so enjoy yourself!