Thursday, December 22, 2011

Finally, The Sun Is Out!!!

It was cold this morning when I took the boys out for their walk, low 20s but felt like the teens with the wind. However, it was worth it, the Sun Is Shinning!!!!! For those of you unfamiliar with Utah weather, let me explain. It is not because we have had a lot of snow, we barley have any, brown Christmas, sucks, I wish it was snow. We get inversions. These normally do not come until January, February time frame, but we have them this year in December. It is smog, fog, crap, all the nasty stuff. Most of the major cities of Northern Utah sit between two mountain ranges and when we do not have a storm blow through, everything stays. When these inversions are really bad, we have the worst air quality in the nation. It is horrible! It makes driving difficult due to the fact you may not even be able to see the house across the street.

So, this is a health and fitness blog, how does talking about the inversions mean anything for this blog. Glad you asked. If you have allergies or asthma, you can expect them to be horrible. The inversions flare these conditions up. You normally do not think of allergies and asthma this time of year, in Utah we do. For the last several weeks, symptoms of allergies and asthma have been plaguing those who suffer from them. Which makes sense. All the crap is sitting in the air and not moving. It gets worse. When you are outside, you breath in all of the toxins, poisons and allergens. Outside sports are concealed, people are encouraged to stay indoors, not drive if they do not have too, we do not see the sun. These can go on for weeks on end. We do not air out our houses because of the air quality and everyone gets sicker.  

What do we do? Most people are encouraged to go to the ski resorts and the respective cities associated with them!!!!! Now you will know where all the people in Utah are, skiing and snowboarding. The resorts are on the other side of the mountain, which normally does not see the inversions. We take trips to the other side so we can breath fresh air. These smaller sleeping cities become busy little towns.

Other than getting out of the inversion. other things to due nutritional, even if you do not have these types of inversions, are simple. Eat real whole food, like I talk about on this blog. These foods will help to keep your immune high. Giving you the nutrients you need to stay healthy and fight off the bugs. Processed foods should be avoided, as usual. They destroy our immune systems and gut floras.When our gut floras, the good bacteria, our low our allergies and asthma will be even worse. Eating foods which will help the little bugs in our guts thrive will keep us healthier.

Foods to eat are vegetables, some fruit, pineapple can be good for helping allergies, protein and of course my favorite, fat. You also want to bring in more good bacteria, eating yogurts and other fermented foods like Kombucha, a fermented tea, will do the trick. Another great thing to add is whole raw milk. This has all of the protein and fat along with the vitamins, minerals and good bacteria our bodies need to stay healthy. A Vit. D supplement can be a good idea as well. One of the best sources is cod liver oil.

Now, the start praying for snow for a white Christmas....
Peace, Joy and Love,
Jenn










Saturday, December 17, 2011

Pizza is a Vegetable

Maybe you have already herd about this one, but I am going to write about it anyway! I know there are many of you who are over joyed at this news, pizza is a complete food group! that the government has decided pizza is a veggie. Well, I am here to burst your bubble, pizza is NOT a vegetable.

First, why pizza is not a veggie. When you buy a pizza from the store or most restaurants, how many veggies do you see on your pizza? My point. Not very many, even if you order a vegetarian. The largest majority of your pizza is sugar and more sugar. The sugar is coming from the crust, grains, and the follow up, the sugar in the grains, most commercially prepared pizzas have high fructose corn syrup in them, as well as other added sugars. Then, there is sugar in the sauce, HFCS and other sugars. All of this sugar is going to add weight to that waste line, not take it away. The cheese will not have much to talk about either, considering it is probably American, heavily processed, and has hormones, rBGH, and antibiotics in it. The meat will be the same thing, if it is meat. Then, we finally come to the veggies. The bottom of the ingredient list. If veggies are one of the last ingredients, how can pizza be a vegetable?

How many parents are going to be feeding their children pizza thinking it is a good thing because the government says it is a vegetable? They are getting their "five a day." When all we are really doing is setting are kids up to be sugar addicted, over weight, depressed, anxious, and all of the disease that come along with being over weight.

I am not saying pizza is not a great food, something I thought I would miss dropping the grains. However, there is a way to make pizza very healthy, with lots of veggies! You can make your crust out of veggies or make your own with a load of veggies on it. Here is a recipe I got from over at Marks' Daily Apple, but she has her own blog, Eggplant Pizza. I know it sounds crazy, eggplant pizza. If you are my older brother you would considered it extremely weird shit! It is good, do not knock it till you try it. You can try this with any other vegetable you would like or do a combination if you do not like eggplant. Mine and Hublet's personal favorite is Meatza! How could this one not be amazing, it is meat based with loads of veggies and some yummy cheese, if you can do it! If you still need that grain crust, you can always try, quinoa, millet, coconut flour or some other form of grain that has been properly prepared!

I am sorry, but commercially prepared pizza is not a vegetable. Even doing one of these recipes, I have linked to, would not be considered a veggie. Yes, they have many vegetables in the recipes, but nothing is a vegetable but a vegetable!

If you are looking for some more great recipes, I was introduced to this awesome page web last night, Nom Nom Paleo. I have not tried any of the recipes yet, but I will be!!!!!

Now, go eat some real vegetables!
In the Love of Baby Jesus,
Jenn

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tuesday Recipe, Water

Ok, I know it is really not a recipe, but I do have some in store for you, so hang on. Let us talk a little about water. Our bodies are made up mostly of water, even our brains are about 80% water. When we are dehydrated, we can have a myriad of symptoms:
Headaches
Insomnia
Dry skin
Sugar cravings
Fatigue
Irritability
Constipation
Dizziness
Thirst
Low urine output

In sever cases it causes:
Very excessive thirst
Lack of urination
Low heart rate
Rapid heart rate
Fever

I think you get the point, some not so pleasant symptoms. This begs the question then, how much water do you need to drink? I do not have that answer for you. You have to figure that one out on your own. You have to love it when people tell you that. Everyone's body is different and needs different amounts. Amounts can also depend on where you live, some where hot and humid, cold and dry, high or low altitudes. If you travel to a different area, this can all change the amount you will need. There really is no set answer, it just depends.

If you are someone who has not been drinking water for some time, you may need more initially, to re hydrate your body. Once this is accomplished, try different amounts to see how your body feels. If you drink a lot of water, do you feel like you are floating away, your urine has no color  in it? These can be signs you are drinking to much. If you drink less, do you have some of the symptoms of dehydration again? Then you will need to increase the amount. Play with it and see when you feel your best. Remember, if the season changes, you travel or move, you will need to reassess your intake. Also, if you eat more fruit and veggies, this can change the amount you need as well due to the water content of these foods. As you can see it can be complicated. The best thing is to listen to your body.

Our bodies recognize thirst as hunger. If we are hungry or thirsty, our body will have the same way of telling us, hunger pains. If you are new to listening to your body, and not sure if you are hungry or thirsty, the best thing to do is drink a glass of water first. Wait about 15 minutes and then reassess. Are you still hungry, then eat something, if not, well you should understand that as being thirsty. You can apply this same strategy if you are craving sugar or something not healthy for you. More likely than not, if you drink a glass of water, you will no longer crave this food. Our bodies are interesting.

If you are like I used to be, drinking water might be kind of boring and not something you enjoy. Here is where the recipes come in.

Put lemon in your water. In fact, this is a great way to detox your liver. Every morning, drink a warm glass of water with a fresh squeezed lemon in it. Lemon is a natural liver detoxifier and makes your water taste much better.

My current favorite recipe for my water is:
lime
grapefruit
I fill a glass pitcher with spring water. Wash the lime and grapefruit. Slice is up and place in the water. Place a lid on it and put it in the fridge, if you like it cold. Enjoy!

I have read of people liking to put in cucumbers, rosemary or sage. Try different fruits and spices to find what you like best. The great added benefit is what the fruit and spices offer as well, not only taste but nutrients as well.

As a side note, by drinking ice cold water, you can burn a few more calories a day. Our bodies maintain a certain internal temperature, ice cold water is not the temperature. Our body has to heat the water up, which takes calories. I am not saying this is going to be your miracle, just a little helper!

Begin drinking more water and see how your body feels.
In the Peace of this most Blessed Season,
Jenn











Monday, December 12, 2011

Bulletproof Coffee

Ok, I have a confession to make, I am addicted to bulletproof coffee, or as I like to call it, my reason to get out of bed in the morning. My Mom sent me this link to this web page and I thought, ok whatever, seems a little strange, butter and coconut oil in  your coffee. I am willing to try most things at least once, rocky mountain oysters, not a chance even though I had the chance. After the first cup, I was hooked. A few days later I had a normal cup of coffee, it just was not the same. I was longing for my bulletproof coffee, craving it. Over the weekend, I made some for Hublet. At first he was not too sure. I made my cup and he drank half of it. Hublet has a sweet tooth, any one who know him can tell you that. He thought it would be better with a little raw honey, I obliged. I do try to be a good wifey! The following morning, he made coffee, put his regular cream in it and out he went to work on his truck, had to replace the breaks. I asked him a little later if he wanted some bulletproof coffee, he said YES. My other cup, even with my cream in it, just is not as same any longer. There is something missing. The confession really is, Hublet and I are addicted! I have a feeling, this is going to be going to work with him, then the guys he works with will really go after him about what he eats. But he is the one who has lost all the weight, kept it off and has great numbers from blood work! I am SOOOOO proud of him.

For the recipe, you need to go to Dave's web page. Credit due, where credit is due. This is his recipe, unfortunately I can take no credit for this one, how I wish I could though. The changes I do make is adding cinnamon to my coffee grounds. This will help to take some of the acidic bitterness out of the coffee and cinnamon is amazing for your health. For Hublet, I also add some raw honey, if you like a touch of sweetness. While over at Dave's page, look around. He has some incredible information. I like his diet, what I follow for the most part, a few things I will be striving to change in our diet from reading his. If you are looking for a great health plan, this is it.

Let us talk a little about why this coffee is SO healthy, why you want to add it to your morning routine, besides the taste.
We have discussed coconut oil and butter in many posts before, herehere, and again here. But, if you are anything like me, you need to be reminded over and over again how great saturated fat and cholesterol are for us, due to the CDT, common death trap, and their pounding it into our heads that it is bad. I really do not remember what I said in those posts, I write and go on, if you would like to re-read those posts, it would probably be a good idea to refresh on the health benefits. We will re-cap here, I think. Saturated fat is not going to cause heart disease, or cholesterol, it will help to prevent it. Saturated fat will actually increase your HDL levels. In most people, their HDL levels are low due to not eating enough fat and to much sugar, which increases LDL and decreases HDL.
Coconut oil is also energy. Our body does not have to break it down, it goes right in to give you the energy you need. It is better than caffeine or sugar, you do not get the shakes or the drop after, just long lasting energy.
Butter also has saturated fat and cholesterol in it, giving us the energy we need and very important vitamins, like fat soluble Vit. A. Butter will help to protect everything from your skin to your heart.

Well, hopefully you will go and try this amazing coffee. I have finished mine while typing this post. I now have the energy to keep up with Otto, my Weim. Anyone who knows him, knows it take more than a cup of regular coffee to keep up with this dog, he is endless energy. Mom has endless energy too, to the park to play soccer we go, on this cold December Utah morning.

In the Blessings of this Joyous Season,
Jenn



Thursday, December 8, 2011

Christmas Weight Lose...

Hopefully all of those wonderful Christmas parties are going great for everyone. Are you finding those treats too tempting to resists? Self control is just no fun! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to eat whatever you want and never gain weight... Supposedly like those super models and actress who claim that. I do not know about you, but I normally do not believe them when they say that or I just remember they are 20 and have a high metabolisms. Give them a few years and that will change.

In my Holiday Season post, I gave you some tips on ways to not gain weight, but even lose weight during this joyous time of year. One of the tips I gave was having a  planned cheat meal. Today we are going to talk about this further.

The benefits of a cheat meal: If we fast for long periods, our bodies go into a starvation mode. The problem with this is our bodies think we are going to starve to death, great mechanism we have in place to survive those times of famine. Only, most of us do not know what true hunger is. The way our bodies respond is to hold onto fat. Our bodies think it is a time of famine and who knows when the next meal is going to come. We need to survive. This is why you can gain weight or not lose weight when you do those very few calorie diets. The way to trick your body is once a week have a cheat meal. Have an extra helping at dinner and dessert and some good snacks through out the day. You want your body to believe it is a time of plenty, that food is abundant. Your bodies response is to let go of the fat. Why hang onto extra pounds when you do not need them? However, this is a once a week cheap meal, not every day. We can all do that, eat healthy for six days a week and one day have a feast. It does not make is sound so bad or hard then does it? Those goodies are not off the radar for ever any longer.

The best way to create a calorie deficit during the week is not limiting your calories but, working out. As long as you are not eating a thousand extra calories every day. Eat what your bodies needs and then work out. This is a much better way to create the deficit, which will turn into weight lose. This needs to be a good workout to burn at least 300 calories. A good workout like HIIT. The added benefit of doing weight bearing exercising is muscle building. The more muscle we have, the more calories we will burn. This will lead to even faster weight lose.

Before that cheat meal, you will want to do an even harder workout, like an extra set or after the weights do some sprinting. The reason for this is depleting your muscle glycogen, the sugar in your muscles. When we do this, our bodies are ready for an even bigger meal and there is more room to store the extra sugar we will be consuming from the cheat meal. Some of those calories will be burned from our bodies needing to be replenished from hard work. The harder the workout the better before a cheat meal. This is a work out you will want to really push yourself. Go beyond what you thought was possible.

Hopefully I did not lose you. This can be pretty technical, but in the end it is simple. Eat healthy all week long, workout daily to burn an extra 300 or more calories, and then once a week have a big yummy cheat meal. Having some of those foods you have been avoiding for the week to be healthy. In the end, you get to have your cake and eat it too! Who does not like that?

In the Love and Peace of Baby Jesus,
Jenn









 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Tuesday Recipe, Not Really...

Instead of a recipe today, I thought I would give you a few more suggestions to help make your Christmas treats a little healthier.

We all know sugar is not great for us. If you want to lose weight, cutting out the sugar is better for us than anything, controlling our insulin levels. Making desserts with large amounts of processed sugars is of course something we want to avoid. If you have been reading my blog or have read through past posts, I am sure you guessed that is what I was going to say.


What to do?  Instead of using white sugar in your recipes, us raw sugar. Raw sugar also has a little bit of fiber, because it is not processed. Also, there are not the chemicals used due to bleaching and non-caking agents. Along with this, use half the sugar the recipes call for. Most of them are made very sweet. Train your body to not need that much sugar. You can also use honey. I have been told, that if you replace all of the sugar in a recipes with honey, it is hard and does not come out well. This would make sense. If you want to try this option, use both honey and raw sugar. Apple sauce is a great alternative. Not only will you have some of the sweetness, but the moisture as well. For some cookies this might not be the best idea, raw sugar would be better.

If you remember the other post on grains or gluten/celiac intolerance, you have will remember I do not eat a lot of grains. Of course I have substitutes!
*Coconut flour. I do not generally use this alone in recipes. I will add other flours along with the coconut. I do know people who and they seem to say it works well.
*Chia seeds. The reason I love these is their nutrition profile and they taste good. They contain Omega-3 fatty acids, in the form of ALA, alpha-linolenic acid. A little protein, nothing to write home about, but they are packed with fiber. Other notable vitamins and minerals are calcium, iron, zinc, good for the skin, and magnesium, which is a good thing for sleep. These were a power house of energy for the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. I grind mine fresh in a coffee grinder.
*Flax seeds. We have all heard about these. They also have omega fatty acids, great vitamins and minerals and they are also great for the reproductive organs! I also grinds these fresh, however you can it already ground.
*Pumpkin seeds. These are loaded with magnesium and good fats. Really, any seed can be used. All you have to do is grind them into flour and you are good to go!
*Nuts also work great. You can use one kind or a variety. It really just depends on your taste buds and what you are making them with.
*Another option is quinoa. This little seed is jam packed with healthiness. Complete protein source, vitamins, minerals, fat, energy and best of all no sugar or gluten. You can buy it at any grocery store. When cooking with quinoa, you first need to rinse or soak the seeds over night. This will remove the saponin. From here, you can either dry it and then grind it into flour or cook it. After it is cook, put it into a blender and blend. I have done it this way many times and have not had any problems. For convenience sake, at some health food stores you can buy quinoa flour, along with other products like pasta.   


There are a few more ideas to help this wonderful time of year to be a bit healthier! Do not be afraid to try new things. Life is an adventure, why be boring and always eat the same things?

In the Peace and Joy of Baby Jesus,
Jenn







Thursday, December 1, 2011

Holiday Season

Sorry, it has been a while sine I have blogged. Been having fun with my wrist and with-drawing from pain meds. Not fun! I think in a two week period, I slept one nights worth of sleep. Finished with that crap!

Moving on and forward, because that is the way to live life. Christmas is very quickly approaching us, which of course means loads of holiday treats and goodies. Today I would like to talk about how to enjoy this very merry time, but not gain 10 pounds! Instead, maybe lose a few lbs. Yes, it can be done.

* Do not pig out. We all already know that though.
* When at a party, instead of trying every goody, pick one or two you enjoy or wold like to try and have a small piece or just one.
* SAVOR it. How many times do we throw food into our mouths and not really taste it? If you take the time to really taste and enjoy what you are eating, you will eat less.
* Plan your cheat meals. Having a cheat meal once a week is great for weight lose, not feeling deprived and a way to still have your cake and eat it!
* Begin your day with a big, healthy breakfast of protein and healthy fat. When eating this type of breakfast, you are less likely to binge through out the rest of the day. This is not just for the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, this is year round.
* Drink a large glass of water before the party and while at the party. This will help you to feel full.
* Do watch the drinks, even non-alcoholic ones. They can pack major calories and even more sugar than if you were to eat the baked goods.
* The day after, do a good hard workout.
* Do not stress while you are enjoying yourself. Enjoy and know it is ok to enjoy and indulge in some of your favorite treats occasionally. When we are stressed when we eat, it raises our cortisol levels, leading to weight gain.
* Take something healthy to the party. Everyone else is going to bring the tasty morsels., be different and take something with a healthy edge, but not obvious.

I think this is enough to get us started. The reality is, we do know all of this, it is just following through and having self control.
Here is to a healthy and happy Christmas Season.
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Beauty Sleep

OHHHHH yes, sleep! We all seem to love it, but how many of us are actually getting enough z's nightly? You have probably heard enough times that sleep is important for you, all aspects of your health. It is not called beauty sleep nothing. However, do you know the importance of sleep for your waist line?

There are important connection between sleep and the amounts of what we eat and even the foods we eat. There is a pesky hormone called ghrelin. In recent times you might have heard about it, due to its importance for weight lose and our better understanding of this hormone. As a norm, you will hear ghrelin in combination with leptin, as they work together. A little about ghrelin, we will not get to deep into it, beyond the scope of this blog. Ghrelin is produced in the stomach. We have a higher production rate when we are hungry, an increase. When we are full, the levels drop. Leptin comes into play to help you full the fullness factor, or as we call it, satiety.

How sleep effects this. When we do not get enough sleep, our ghrelin levels are higher thus signaling to us that we are hungry. We eat. What we tend to eat is more sugar because it is instant energy for out body and causes greater weight gain. When we have gotten enough sleep, we have lower levels or ghrelin and thus eat less. When we eat less, we can lose weight or maintain, the name of the game.

Try an experiment for yourself to see how this will play out for you. After you have not had a good nights sleep, keep track of what you eat for the day. After several nights of little sleep, you will begin to see a pattern of being hungry and eating a lot of sugar and or carbs. Then try to get to bed earlier so you can get seven to eight hours of sleep. Again, keep track of what you eat over a period of several days. Then, compare what you have eaten from noting sleeping enough to sleeping enough. What you should find is you are eating less on days when you sleep well and are more rested.  After a few weeks of more sleep, you will begin to feel better, look better, and lose some weight.

Just a little trick in the fight against weight lose! It might seem simple, but remember, it is the simple things that usually work the best.
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tuesday Recipe:...Leek & Majoram Chicken

Today's recipe is one I came up with on the fly. I had some ingredients in the fridge that I needed to use so I started throwing together. In the end, it turned out yummy. You know it is yummy when Hublet likes it and requests it!

What you need:
Bundle of leeks, usually come in a bundle of 3
2 TBS of raw apple cider vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
Majoram
Half bunch of Parsley or several TBS of dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Whole chicken

Method:
Wash off chicken and pat dry. If the chicken is small enough, it can be done on the stove, so stick it in a pot with a lid. For the leeks, cut off the roots and right around where it begins to turn green. Dice it. I usually put mine in a colander to rinse them off. You have to rinse the inside part of the leeks as well due to the fact they are grown in sand. You can also use a bowel with water. Place the leeks in the bowel, swish all around, dump the water and repeat until all of the dirt and sand are gone. Rinse both them lemon and the parsley, if using fresh and then chop the parsley. If doing this on the stove top, brown the chicken on all sides, you might want to put in a little butter in the pan. Once browned, put all of the rest of the ingredients into the pan, put the lid on and allowed the chicken to continue to cook. Every 10 to 15 minutes turn the chicken over so it does not burn and cooks on all sides. I usually do about medium to medium high heat. Depending on the size, it will take about 45 minutes to an hour to cook. Generally, there are enough juices from the chicken and what you have put in to have a gravy. You can put in a little corn starch to thicken if you wish.
 If you are doing this in the stove instead, place the chicken in an oven roasting pan with half of the ingredients. Every 15 to 30 minutes bast the chicken so it does not dry out.

There you have it! An easy meal. Serve with some veggies on the side and you have a great meal! Enjoy.
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn







Saturday, November 12, 2011

You Think You Live In A Free Country....?

America is "suppose" to be a free country. I have family who have who have fought for the freedom of this great country. By the grace of God, none of them have died in war. THANK YOU!!!!! What outrages me though, is I have these family members who have fought, and all of out other soldiers who have fought and died for the freedom of this country. And yet, we are not free. You are probably asking what I mean. Take a look at these videos:


This is the outrage I am talking about. Here you have a farm growing true organic food, the God intended food to be, having a professional chief come in and these people can not eat it. The pigs can not even eat this food! For crying out loud!!!! If these people can not even choose what they themselves want to put into their own body, how are we free? Some low level health inspector comes in and her only reason this food is not safe for any consumption, of human or animal, is because "she said so". She had no legal right to do this. Yet, to a certain extent, she got away with it. All of the food had to be destroyed, thrown away and bleach powered over it. Once the police did arrive, she did not have any of the proper paper work and nothing legal to have the owners or guests arrested. So, she was escorted off the farm. It was not a full victory. I have a hunch, she is being slammed in Nevada for what she has done. I hope sever action is taken against her and her supervisor also, but I am sure that will not happen.

You do not think this can happen again, think again.  It is not the first time a thing like this has happened. Their was an Amish farm in Pennsylvania that was raided. There have been farms in California raided, in almost every state there have been farms raided. All from the USDA and FDA throwing their weight around. In fact in some states a farmer cannot even drink his own raw milk or feed it to his family because the FDA, CDC and USDA said no. This happens more and more frequently. It is time to stand up to the government and tell them enough is enough. They need to again be fearing the people of this country, not the people fearing their government. 

I ask the question, are we really a free nation? How far are you willing to go to support your right to put what food you want in your body? As crazy as you might think I am, it could come down to giving your life so your family and friends can eat real, whole, nutritious food. the food God intended for us to eat, not the crap the government tells you to eat. Wake up before all of our soldiers who have fought and died for the freedom of this country is a waste of their lives.

For great information and how to get involved to help stop things like this from happening again and going further, visit this web page.

Demand real, whole, nutritious food, God's food.
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn





















Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Benefits of Walking

I am a big walker, I love walking in fact, especially with  my two boys, Mungo and Otto. Walking is just as important for our four legged family members as it is for us! If you think about it, walking is really in our genes. Our ancestors walked miles most likely daily, hunting, gathering, finding and bringing water back, along with moving for the seasons. There were no motorized vehicles to carry them around. It was their feet! Why would walking be bad for us now?

Well, it is not bad for us. There are great benefits to walking. Walking is also not just for people who cannot do other forms of exercising, like jogging, HIIT, sprinting or other forms of heavy exercises. Walking is a wonderful all around exercise for all, from the most fit to the least. Still thinking I am crazy, well.... Look at people from Europe, Asia, Russia, basically anyone from another country. The one thing we all notice is how lean they are. What is one of the things they do that we here in America do not do? Walk.They walk and they walk and they walk. I actually have a friend who lived in Russia for a few years while her hubby worked there. When she came back for a visit, I could not believe how much weight she had lost, not that she had any to lose in the first place. I asked her what she had been doing? She just said walking. I walk every where there and because of this I have lost weight.

The reason walking is so great for us is the fat burn we obtain. Doing a low to moderate exercise will burn the fat that is in our blood stream. One of the best times to walk is after a hard circuit, HIIT training or first thing in the morning before you have eaten, doing a fasted workout. The reason going for a walk after this type of training is beneficial is because these workouts release the fat into our blood stream. Walking will use that fat. Any fat that is in our system, walking will use up! This is true for fasted walking also.

This does not have to be some endurance walk either. This is a moderate exercise we are talking about here. Something you could keep up for six hours, all day if you need to. How do you know if you are doing moderate workout? You want to be able to carry on a conversation with someone. If you are so out of breath you can no longer talk, you are going to hard. If you are just beginning, this will not take a lot, if you are more advanced, you can walk up a the side of the mountain and carry on this conversation. Yes, I do this and people think I am crazy. But I tell you, it is one of the best workouts I have ever done. And you will have a great perky butt doing hills. And who does not want this?! Do not start out with a hills or the mountain. Begin on something flat and even and work up to hills. I do not want you to kill over dead. If you begin breathing very hard and heaving, stop and rest. For the type of exercising we are talking about today, this is to hard. As all disclaimers, talk with your doctor before beginning a walking regimen.

It is easy to add walking into your daily routine as well. It will just take some adjustments. Also remember, walking, as with all exercises adds up. You do not need to do it all at once, you can break it up. In time, I would suggest trying to get in a half hour walk a day, along with these other changes. Here are a few ideas:
   Instead of parking at the front of the parking lot, park in the back and walk, this goes for all parking lots.
   When there are stairs, take the stairs. If you are beginning and need to walk up five flights of stairs, begin with one flight. After a week or two, try adding in another flight of stairs until you have worked up to doing all five. Try doing this with a co-worker instead of on your own.
   When you have a break at work, instead of sitting there bsing with everyone, go for a short walk either in the building or preferably, outside if you can. This can be a great time to clear head.
   Instead of sitting in front of the TV for hours on end everyday, take one of those hours, half hour, and go for walk as a family or for a date with your spouse. Dates do not have to be dinner and a movie, they can be working out instead. Exercising together can have many benefits, many...
   Wake up 20 minutes earlier, I know how precious sleep is, but just getting up 20 minutes earlier and going for a short walk, you will begin your day on a better note. Doing a fasted workout can also help you to eat less through out the day.
   Make going for a walk family time, time to spend with your spouse or a friend. It is always easier when you have someone else to walk with, to motivate you. For your children, this can show them the importance of exercising and be a fun bonding time, create memories.

These are just a few ideas to begin incorporating walking into your daily life. Think about your day and see where you can find ways to walk more.

Here is a link to a great article on more benefits of walking.

Well, I am off to take the boys for a walk. Maybe I will see you out there!
Until next time
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn







Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Tuesday Recipe, Apple Syrup

On Saturday Morning, I decided to make breakfast for my Hublet. I gave him the choice of whatever he wanted, what a nice wife. And yes, he is spoiled, I mean well loved! He decided he wanted waffles. I saw I had several apples sitting in my fruit bowel and thought an apple syrup sounds really yummy to top the waffles. So, creativity began!

What you need:
Apples, I used Fuji, which was not the best apple to use, but what I had on hand. Pick an apple for what you want the taste to be, a sweeter apple or a more tart apple. I think next time I will use a more tart apple.
Raw sugar or honey
Cinnamon
Cloves
Sea Salt, just a touch to bring out flavorings.
Butter, I used butt I had made the night before. Yes, I did make my own butter. I used this recipe from marksdailyapple.com however, any butter will work.

Method:
Cut apples into bites sizes pieces, I did leave the skin on. Put the apple pieces in a pan with that has a lid. Put all of the other ingredients in as well. Turn on the burner to medium heat. Put the lid on and let it cook down. When the apples are cooking, they will begin to release their juices, along with the sugar bringing out some of the juice as well, making the syrup. Every few minutes stir the apples so they do not stick and all cook evenly. It took four apples about 20 minutes to cook down. The apples are ready when they are soft, not mushy. Enjoy! They were tasty on the waffles as well as the protein pancakes. I did not use any other syrup or honey on my waffles or pancakes with this recipe. Hublet did use some more syrup because he likes really sweet things.


Try different apples to find which you like best. Also, what you are putting them on top of will make a difference for wanting sweet or tart apples.

This did reheat well. If you want to make a larger batch and then have it to eat as a snack or to use as a topping for something else later, it will work well.

Hope you enjoy this sweet treat for the fall!
Until next time
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn



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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Simplify.....

I was reading a book the other day from one of my favorite authors, Mathew Kelly. In the book he was talking about needing to simplify our lives. And how we over look the simple answer. If it is simple we tend to think it canmot be the answer, how can it when it is so simple. We go to the complex, complicated, convoluted way looking for our answer, because if it is simple, it just cannot be the answer. How many times do we come back to the simple answer, that often times was right in front of our faces? Fitness and nutrition are no different.

Today, the area of fitness and nutrition has become very complicated. You have to eat certain grams and calories of protein, fat and carbs, they have to be eaten at specific times, or you will not lose weight you will gain. Exercises have to be done with purple poked shorts, with leggings underneath, a green sports bra with a yellow top that has strips which are vertical and your hair has to be just right! Along with that you have to stand on one foot, balance a weight in your right hand and think the correct thought. I know that is all a fabrication, but I think you get my drift. Magazines, trainers, nutritionist, web sites, late night infomercials all make exercising and nutrition sound complicated. So complicated in fact that many people through their hands in the air and say who cares. I have tried to lose weight and get into shape, but all of the complexity is over my head. I cannot understand how to lose weight and stay in shape. So, they stop trying. It is like every other problem, it is simplifying and going back to the basics.

When we simplify weight lose and exercising, we find it is not all that complicated. What it boils down to is eating real food. If God did not create it, it was man made, then do not eat it. Other than butter and bacon. God did create those, we just have to turn them into those forms! Learn to listen to your body. It will tell you the real food it needs. Your body does not want to be sick or out of balance. God created our bodies to know what they need and when they need it. Just like an animal in nature, they know what to eat and not eat. How do they know this, listening to their bodies.

To make it even more simple, stick to single ingredient foods and combine them yourself. It is not complicated to eat healthy. It is retraining your body to crave the whole foods and learning to eat and enjoy whole foods.

Exercising is nothing more than getting up off your butt and moving. You do not have to go to the gym for an hour everyday to lose weight. Go outside and play with your kids. Don't have kids, take your dog out and play, run around and chase each other. Exercising does not have to be some ridge, rule stricken aspect of your life. If you want it to be, you can. Exercising should be something fun and even spontaneous. Yes, to get the best results, you need to push yourself, you should still enjoy it though. If the gym is not your thing, find something that is. Remember, the simplest thing can be a great work out. If you want to get up in the morning, whenever you want to work out, and do:
 10-15 push up
 15-20 lunges
 30 seconds of mountain climbers
15-20 jumping squats
30 second plank
Repeat this set 3-4 and then do it 3 times a week and then go for a 45 minute to an hour walk daily, I would let you know, you are well on your way to improving your health. I really just made that set up as I was typing this. This is how simple getting into shape can be. You do not need more "stuff", your body weight is the best thing you can use. If you do not believe me, Youtube videos of gymnasts and then tell me what you think. Most of their training is body weight training, I know from personal experiences.You already have all of the information you need. The fitness world needs it be very complicated to keep you coming back for more and thinking you do not have the tools. You do. Keep it simple, simplicity is the key to success.

Until next time, remember to look for the simple!
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn











Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Tuesday Recipe... Steamed Veggies

I know steamed veggies are nothing new, people make them all the time. However, I do get asked questions about how I make mine and what to do. So, I thought I would do a post on them.

What you need:
Veggies, what ever you want. You can either do one veggie or a variety
A pot with a lid
A little water
Butter/olive oil
Seasonings, sea salt, pepper, oregano, basil, dill weed, pick whatever you like. Hublet and I like spices from a company called Penzeys. The have different mixtures which are yummy.  By allowing everyone at your table to pick their own spices you will also help them to eat their veggies. If they like it, they will eat it and that is what the name of the game is all about!

Method:
Put veggies in the pot, poor in some water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Put the lid on and place on the stove top. You will want the heat about medium high. Every few minutes shake the pan, keeping the lid on. The veggies are finished when they begin to turn a brighter color. The first few times you may want to try one to check for doneness. Be sure they are not over done, you do not want them soggy or mushy. Turn off the heat. If there is any water left, drain it. After this, add your butter or olive oil. If you have read any of my posts, you know I like my veggies dripping in butter, so yummy. Put on the table, with a pot holder, and serve. Allow everyone to put their favorite seasonings on and enjoy.

Steamed veggies are a very easy, healthy way to prepare vegetables. By steaming veggies you are far more likely to uptake the vitamins and minerals in them. The main thing to watch out for is not over cooking your veggies. You do not want them limp and mushy, at this point you have cooked out all of the vitamins and minerals. You still want them to have some firmness to them. Most of the vitamins which can not tolerate heat will still be present and those which need some heat to bring them out, will be brought out. Steaming is a great!

By adding some fat, like butter or olive oil, at the end will help you to assimilate more of the vitamins and minerals. Fat allows you to get the most out of your veggies, however they are prepared. There are many vitamins and minerals we can not uptake unless there is fat along with them. By eating fat free you are not getting the most from your veggies. Who wants to eat veggies with no fat, that is what makes them taste yummy anyway.

Enjoy your veggies!
Until next time,
In the love of Christ, If you have a passion for cooking, maybe you should look into accredited online colleges for culinary school.
Jenn



Accredited online colleges have culinary classes   If you have a passion for cooking, maybe you should look into accredited online colleges for culinary school.




Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Fruit Juice

I want to nip this in the bud right away, fruit juice. I know there is a common belief that 100% fruit juice can be healthy for you. Drink fruit juice as part of a healthy diet. You can have one to two servings of your fruit and vegetables by drinking juice. Lose weight with fruit juice. Well, there is only partial truth to some of these claims. There are two major issues with fruit juices.

The first problem is: the sugar content. Have you read HOW much sugar is in one serving of juice, even 100% juice? There can be anywhere from 25 to 30 grams of sugar or more. Juice cocktails are even worse, some over 40 grams! Most people drink more than one serving at a time, so double those sugar grams, 50 grams of sugar in one sitting. We have talked about sugar and what it does to our insulin levels and the effect insulin has on our weight lose efforts. For a quick refresher, when our insulin levels are constantly elevated, we are in a weight gaining pattern. When they are lower, in the 90's, we are in a fat burning state. This is where we want to be, the "sweet spot". Also, remember when you peak and trough with your insulin levels, this puts you at significant risks for diabetes and insulin resistance. Do you think that 100% fruit juice is still good for you? I hope not. Also think about this, when a diabetic feels "low" as they say, one of the best things for them to drink is orange juice. It will quickly get into their system and raise their levels of sugar and insulin. Not what the rest of want. Even if you do fresh squeezed juice, you need several oranges to make a glass of juice. You would not eat three to four oranges in a sitting, but you can easily drink that much and more.


The second problem: There is no fiber. No matter how many servings of fruit juice you drink, you will still not have any fiber. From those previous posts, we should remember that fiber helps to slow down the uptake of sugar in our system. This is why it is important to eat the whole piece of fruit, with the skins like apples and peaches, grapes or the pulp with an orange. When we eat the whole fruit, that fiber will slow the sugar uptake, thus you will not see a huge spike in insulin levels. Fruit juices do not have this protection. There intake should be limited to rarely.

One of the worst times to consume fruit juices is before bed. Your body is going to put all of that insulin right in to fat storage. It will give you an increase in energy due to the sugar content and then drop you. This can actually cause difficulty sleeping. If you wake frequently in the middle of the night, watch the amount of sugar you are eating in the evenings. What I am sure you will find is, a large consumption of sugar in any of it forms. The drop in insulin will wake you up. The best way to combat this, along with limiting your sugar intake in the evenings is to eat some protein and a little fat. Nuts do the trick very well. Keep some nuts by your bed and when you wake up, eat a small handful and you should find you will go back to sleep quickly and stay asleep. Due to the fat and protein, your insulin levels are going to stay stable. Thus, you will sleep peacefully and soundly through the night.

If you want to eat some fruit, the best way is to eat the whole fruit. Not only will you be getting the fiber, but their is also less sugar in a piece of fruit than there is in the same fruit juice. Be sure to not over consume fruit though, their is a lot of sugar in them, causing weight gain.

Until next time,
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn



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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tuesday Recipe: Pumpkin and Apple Leathers

Here we are again on Tuesday. The weeks go by so fast these days.

This is a great time of year, the harvest season, so why not take full advantage of it? Pumpkin is another of my favorite vegetables, along with acorn squash. Hublet always tells me it is just the pumpkin spices I like, he thinks he has my taste buds... I do like the spices, I would have to say, however, I also really like pumpkin. Another great harvest of this time is apples. Let us combine them.

What you need:
Small pie pumpkins or canned pumpkin
Apples
Cinnamon
You will also need a food dehydrator and fruit leather trays for your dehydrator.

If you bought pumpkins to cook down, this is what I did with mine.
I cut them in half, scooped out the seeds and saved the seeds.
Turn the pumpkin face down in a baking dish.
Add a bit of water.
Place in the oven at 450 for about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on size.
They are finished when tender to the touch or the skin has pulled away from the flesh.
Remove the skin, place in a blender and blend until smooth.
The extra you can put in the freezer for later use.

For the fruit leathers:
Blend your pumpkin, apples and cinnamon together, until smooth, unless you want some chunks in it. It is your leather, make it the way you will eat it! For amounts, use the amounts you would like. Taste it as you are blending until you achieve the flavor combination you like. If you do like it sweeter, try using a sweeter apple first. If it is not sweet enough, add a little raw sugar. You do want to get to the point you do not need to add any sugar. Work on it and you can get there. Pour the mixture onto the trays and turn your dehydrator on to the temperature it says. Allow to dry to your liking. Enjoy!

This is a great treat. There is a lot of fiber in both the apple and pumpkin, along with many vitamins and minerals. Because of the fiber, it will help to keep you full for longer periods of time as well.

Fruit leathers are easy to make. If you do not like apples and/or pumpkins, mix your favorite fruits together to make a healthy, delicious snake for both you and your family!

Until next time,
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn






Friday, October 14, 2011

Cost of Eating Healthy

As a trainer and passionate about nutrition, I frequently hear it is too expensive to eat healthy. I have several family members who are on tight budgets for various reasons and they tell me they can not afford good healthy whole foods, it will blow their budgets. They have to eat junk food, fast food, dead food which causes weight gain and sickness. No matter how I try to tell them it is not expensive to eat healthy whole foods and in the end it is even cheaper, they do not want to hear. Junk food tastes better to them and they do not want to change their habits. Most people are in the same boat today with the state of the economy or being addicted to these foods. Yes, I did say addicted. With the amounts of sugar and chemical additives, junk food is even  more addictive than cocaine. Even so called healthy food is nothing more than sugar laden fat causing pseudo dead food, which are addictive. This is how the manufacturers want their food though, addictive, because then you have to have it and you continue to buy more. They have very cunning marketing gimmicks to fool you into thinking it is healthy. Then, you are addicted and have to the food.

Back to real healthy food being expensive. Think about it this way, when you go grocery shopping, where do you spend most of your time? Where do most of your foods come from? The middle of the store, the isles of processed foods or on the outer portions of the store, the produce and meat isles, the single ingredient items? You see, when you are shopping in the middle of the store with all of the processed foods, these are dead, have very low nutritional profiles, are laden with sugar, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, HFCS, and various other chemicals. These foods do not provide our bodies with the nutrients they need, can cause diabetes, cancer, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, lack of vitamins and minerals and the list goes on and on and on. If you end up with any one of these disease, or several, you are going to spend more money than you would if you were eating real whole foods. Here, there is no comparison. The cost benefit ratio is out of this world. You will spend  more on a heart attack or cancer treatment than if you ate healthy food your entire life which can ward off these diseases. Makes eating healthy not seem so expensive does it?

When you are eating these types of foods, you also have to eat more. For example, if you drink a can of soda and eat a bag of chips, in about an hour, if not shorter, you are going to be hungry again. When you are drinking soda, their is no signal to your brain telling your stomach is full, so you eat and eat. The chips have nothing really that healthy in them either. Your brain nor body receives the nutrients they need to function and thrive. They go through your system quickly and you are hungry again. Not only that, but you have a sugar crash and your body needs it's drug, sugar. You reach for a doughnut, more soda, candy or so called healthy foods. The cycle continues on. With this, you eat more food and thus more calories.

On the other hand, when you are shopping on the outer portions of a store and  thus eating whole foods, your body and brain are fed. They receive all of the nutrients they need when we eat a variety of vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, eggs, fish and fats, like butter, and cream along with nuts and seeds. You actually will eat less food when consuming real whole food. Even Hublet admitted to this, when I eat healthy foods, I need less. That is big, coming from Hublet! Protein and fat take longer for our bodies to digest, you are full for longer periods of time. When we eat fiber, it will create more bulk in our stomach, and we are full for longer periods. Your blood sugar levels are going to be stable and even in a fat burning zone instead of peaking and troughingcausing diabetes and a host of other diseases, when you are eating real food. If you are eating less food,  you are automatically  saving money! When we eat healthy, we maintain our health. We are not going to the doctor and having to take prescription medication or over the counter medication, again saving money. You could possibly not have to take a multi-vitamin or other vitamins if you are eating real whole foods. Again, saving money.

By avoiding the processed, pseudo dead food, both food and drinks, we have more money to buy real food. When you go grocery shopping, try to have 90-95% of you shopping cart filled with single ingredient items, shopping on the outer portion of the store. Those foods which you do buy from the inner portion, be sure you can read every ingredient and know what it is. Or, instead shop at farmer's markets, fruit stands, buying local food. When the end of the season comes around, stock up and freeze o dry foods for alter use. Buy in bulk when you can with your meats. Buy a cow. If you can not eat the whole thing, split it with family or friends. Some butchers will sell half or quarters of a cow. Grow your own produce, it is not as hard as it sounds. If I can grow produce, anyone can. Have chickens for your eggs and then poultry, if you are allowed to. You can even sell the extras to neighbors. Plan a weeks worth of meals before you go shopping, know what you need and stick to your list. If you know a particular isle is tempting for you, do not go down it. In the end, you will see your bill go down. But more importantly, your health will improve, weight will fall off and you will feel alive and better than you ever have!

Here is a great article on this issue which has some tips. There are links at the bottom to other articles which show you more money saving tips and tricks and even one showing how cheap healthy food can be. It can be cheaper than junk food.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/14/is-junk-food-really-cheaper.aspx?e_cid=20111014_DNL_art_3 

Until next time,
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn














Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuesday Recipe: Acorn Squash

I love acorn squash. This began from my Mommmy making it when I was growing up. When it came time for fall and the harvest season with the winter squashes, she would make this recipe, something similar any way. I loved it! I would ask for it every meal and would wait in patient anticipation for fall to arrive so we could have it. Thank you for the delicious recipe Mommy!

Yes, even Hublet enjoys this recipe. The first time I made it, he was not so sure because of how he had had squash growing up, which was not very good. But, after the first try, he was in agreement with me of it deliciousness.

What you need:
Acorn squash
Butter
Raw sugar
Cinnamon
Deep baking dish with lid
Oven or toaster oven

Method:
Cut the acorn squash in half, the long way, they are more oval than a circle. Scoop out the seeds. Depending on the size, I use either a large spoon or an ice cream scoop. If you would like, save a few seeds to plant for next year, or you can dry them and eat them like you would pumpkin seeds, or put them in your mulch pile. I then slice in the the flesh a little way so the butter, raw sugar and cinnamon will seep deeper into the flesh. Place butter, raw sugar and cinnamon in the center and up the sides, if you wish. Place in a deep baking dish with a lid. Put the lid on and bake at 350 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on how fast you need it cooked and how big it is. It will need to cook for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, again depending size and temperature. It is finished when the squash is soft to the touch. Take out of the over, allow to cool until you can touch it, then scrap the sides and bottom of squash and mix it with the goo. Enjoy! 

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.
In the love of Christ,
Jenn

Friday, October 7, 2011

Something Better Than Chronic Cardio

Is there something better than chronic cardio? Why yes there is! We have tackled HIIT training and the benefits of training this way. But lets talk about about sprint training, the benefits and why we want to sprint.

Chronic cardio is long and boring, in my opinion, and does not get you the results you are looking for. The reason for this is because you keep your heart rate in one range. Yes, it takes work to get it up to the range of a jogging speed, but once it is there, it stays in the same range. You will stop burning as many calories. For woman especially, your body will adjust to this type of  training. What these means is, your body will stop burning calories when you perform long cardio, like jogging. Our bodies, our muscles, have this great way of realizing chronic actions, which in the long run is good for us. It works against us though when we are trying to lose weight. Guys tend to not have as many problems with this. This is due to our different types of muscle. This is why you see woman who run miles and miles, spend hours doing chronic cardio and their bodies do not change. It makes you wonder why they continue on the same path when they have not seen changes in their bodies for months, even years. If you do not change the way your work out, your body is not going to change.

The reason sprint training is so wonderful, is we bypass all of these issues. When sprinting, you will increase your heart rate to its upper max and then when you are recovering, it will come back down. This processes is repeated over and over, yielding a higher calorie burn and our bodies do not plateau. You also build muscle while sprinting. It takes more muscle to sprint than distance running. Have you seen a sprinter with little to no muscle? No, we see them as very stronger, ripped built bodies. It is the distance runners who have no muscles and look frail. It takes a decent amount of muscle to sprint across a field or to get a way from a hungry bear!

To have a higher metabolism, we need more muscle. Muscles have to eat and be feed, this is done by food. The more you want to eat, the more muscle you need to have. Sprinting is a great way to build muscle and burn mass amounts of calories, in the end, to get into shape. By sprinting you can build a long lean ripped body. A body which will turn heads and everyone will be wondering what you do. When everyone else is out there wasting hours doing long cardio, you can smile when you are finished with a workout in less than a half hour and your body actually has something to prove for all of your hard work. The fat whittling away!

Sprinting has the similar effects as HIIT training does. It is done in an interval style of training. Here is what you do:
Sprint has hard as you can for about 30 seconds. It does not sound long, but believe me, it is harder than it sounds.
Nicely walk back to the starting position, take about a minute and half to two minutes.
Repeat process as many times as you can. When first beginning you will not be able to do very many, maybe three to five if you are in decent shape. You want to push your body, but to the point of killing yourself. Listen to your body. Work up to dong 15 sprints. You really do not need any more than this. If 15 intervals is too easy, sprint harder, do winds sprints or up hill sprints. For frequency, you really only need to sprint once a week. Make sure when you do sprint, you have a lot of energy. If you do not have the energy to go all out, then do not sprint that day. Sprinting will take everything you got and then some. Listening to your body is very important. Also, you do not have to do this with running. You can sprint on a bike, or swimming, with kettlebells, really anything you would like. Just perform the exercise in the same fashion. Sprinting will be the hardest.

My favorite place to do my sprint training is in a grassy field. There is one not to far from my house that I take my two dogs too. They love to run and play at the field. In fact, right now they are not very happy with their Mommy because it has been raining here in Utah and is cold, we have not gone to the park in two days. They are sulking and letting Mom know. When the Boys are running and playing, I do my sprint training. I do it barefoot. This is one of the reasons I like sprinting in the grass, I can do it barefoot. It is also softer on the body than the pavement.

Get out there and start sprinting! See amazing fast changes in your body.
Until next time, in the love of Christ,
Jenn





Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Protein Pancakes

I have to admit, I am a huge fan of pancakes! When I began eating primal and found out I had a gluten intolerance, this is one of the foods I missed most, lame, I know. I tried a few different ways of making pancakes, but they did not turn out so well. When I came up with this recipe, I must admit I was addicted right away. It is seldom there are not some in my fridge.

What you need:
chia seeds*
pumpkin seeds*
flax seeds*
any other seeds or nuts you would like to grind into flour or purchase nut flours
coconut flour 1-2 TBS depending on size of batch, I put it in when I have it on hand
6-8 whole eggs
cinnamon to taste
ginger to taste
nutmeg to taste
cloves to taste
sea salt, just a pinch
baking powder, just a pinch
some form of liquid, water, kefir, milk, cream, coconut milk/cream to your preference for thickness of pancake
butter, bacon grease to cook your cakes in if needed
*I fill my coffee grinder to at least cover the blades but no more than the max fill line Then I add additional of any of them or liquid for the consistence I want.

For the nuts and seeds, find the combination you like best, they all change the texture and flavor so try different ones to find what you like best. I like flax, chia and pumpkin best and when I want a variation or have others on hand, I add it in.

Additional options to add in:
pumpkin, I think this makes them the best, really moist
banana
yogurt
chocolate chips
coco powder
Swiss chard, kale, spinach



Equipment needed:
coffee grinder to grind seeds and nuts into flour
bowl
blender, mixer, something to mix all this stuff together
something to cook your pancakes on, pan, griddle

Method:
Crack eggs and blend well. Grind all the seeds/nuts in the coffee grinder. Once ground, place in the egg mixture.
Add all the other ingredients, plus any extras you are going to add, unless it is chocolate chips, add those at the very end and mix in with a spatula. Blend all the ingredients until well mixed. Adjust liquid to your liking for either thick or thin cakes.



Cook them on your pan or griddle to your liking of doneness. I really like to cook them in bacon grease, makes them a little crispy on the edges and tasty really yummy.

Toppings I use:
Butter, of course
raw honey
real maple syrup, do not go over board on either, they still have sugar
whip cream
fruit, fresh or made into a compote
nut butter
They are yummy plain as well.

These save well and reheat easily. I always make a large batch and then have breakfast for several days or a snack when needed. They pack well also. Be sure to make a large batch so you have left overs.

I hope you enjoy!
Saving the world one stick of butter at a time.
In the love of Christ,
Jenn










Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Training Idea

We began talking about HITT training the other day, so let us continue and I will give you another workout, the one I did today.
  The reason the training which you have been taught, do 30-60 minutes of cardo three times a week, even five times a week. Then after this, do some abs exercises and some boring weight workout that you rest in between every exercises and do not push yourself. The problem with all of this is It Does Not Work! If you have been doing this for some time, you know. You have been doing everything they tell you for weeks now, decreasing your calories to nothing and starving and then doing the latest workout you saw in some magazine, all to no avail. They want you to stay fat and over weight. You see if you lose the weight and get into great shape for good, they lose money. You do not need more of all their "ideas" and latest and greatest. You just need good hard body weight workouts with sound nutrition.
  The reason HIIT training works so well, is how hard you are training. By doing this type of workout, you will raise and lower you heart rate. How do you this? This is done by mixing heart bounding exercises along with isometric holds, then resting in between sets. For each set you do, you push as hard as you can, giving it everything. By the time you are finished, you should be sweating and your muscles tired and shaking. You know you got in a great workout then! With raising and lowering you heart rate like this, you will burn an enormous amount of calories and burning fat, most importantly. It goes beyond calories in calories out, it is more about burning fat and HIIT training will do this. 
   This is why you do not need to waste your time doing cardio work outs, it is done right along with your training. By doing heart pounding exercises you are increasing your heart rate, then by doing an isometric hold you will bring it done, this burns fat. Work outs can be finished in 10-30 minutes instead of the hours you are told to do.
  Here is another example of a heart pounding, sweaty work out. Just so you know though, you might not like me very much while you are doing this. You will be calling my every name in the book. But, once you begin to see results and the body you have always wanted, begins to come through, you will love me!

20 jump squats onto a block
15 step up with a leg raise on each leg
12 planks with side lateral raises, each side
10 single leg Romanian dead lift, each side
10 stability ball knee tuck twists on each side
30 second plank hold with my feet on the block from my jump squats.

Planks with a lateral raise, I kind of made up on my own. Since destroying my wrist, I have very limited rang motion. I can not be in a prone position, this is the position for a push up. I have done push ups with lateral raises and they are a great killer core and upper body workout. Because I can not do them, I modified them so I can get some of the benefits of this exercise. How you do it:
Start in a plank position  on your elbows and toes.
Then lift one arm and twist all the way over until you are side ways, a side plank with your hand raised. Be sure to hold your core tight as well as you shoulder so you do not go past vertical. Hold briefly. 
Lower back to the plank position and repeat on the other side.

If you want the exercise to be either easier because you are just starting or harder, here are ways to do each. I will begin with the easier version and then put the harder one right after.

Jump squats up onto a block:
Easy, instead of jumping up onto a block, just jump straight up into the air as high as you can.
Harder, use a higher block

Step ups:
Easier, do not do the leg raise on the top of the block.
Harder, add some weights, do an arm raise while stepping up, or with weights do the arm raise.

Planks with lateral raises:
Easier, do them on your knees.
Harder, you can add weights or you can first do a push up and then the lateral raise. With the push up, you can also do them with weights once you progress.

Single leg Romanian dead lift:
Easier, do not try to balance on one foot the entire time. Also, until you have the flexibility, do not go down as far.
Harder, add weights or if you are not ready for weight, but need something slightly harder, use a stablity ball.

Stability ball knee tuck twists:
Easier, do not go to the sides, just tuck your legs straight in front of you. Also, this is an exercise you need to work up to. If you can not do a plank on your toes and hold it with good form, do not do this exercise. It is very advanced. As a progressive move, you can do planks on the stability ball with out doing the tuck ins.
Harder, This move is already advanced, if you think it is too easy, add more repetitions. 

Plank hold with my feet on the block from my jump squats:
Easier, This is also a move which needs to be worked up to. Do not try this until you can hold a plank on your toes with proper form. For beginners, do your planks on the floor on your hands, if you can, with your knees on the floor. Once you can hold this with proper form and have the strength, move to doing it on your for arms, with knees on the floor. Then, progress to holding them on your hands up on your toes. Lastly, do them on your for arms on your toes. Once you have the strength, then begin trying them with your toes elevated, either on a block or a stability ball or with your arms on the block or ball. It is much more difficult with your toes elevated.

What you want to do is do one exercises right after the other. Do all six and then rest. This is a circuit and meant to get your heart up there and pumping. Try to do all of them one right after the other. Once they are finished, rest and then go again. How to time your rest period is by how you feel. Obviously, if you are just beginning, you will be very tired after one set, rest until you feel like you can go again and give it your all. You want your heart rate to come back down some as well. It will not come all the way back to your starting rate, but you do want it to come back to a comfortable rate and your breathing is more stable. If you if like you are sucking air, can hardly breath and your heart is still racing, you are not ready to begin another set. Eventually, you will want to rest for two minutes. Resting for two minutes is something you will have to work up to. Some one who can do this set, rest two minutes and then go again is in great shape. Take your time, listen to your body and work up to it.

Well, there you have it. A great fat burning workout. Try to do at least three sets and work up to doing four to five. Five sets is probably not necessary with so many exercises, but you are more than welcome to do that many if you would like. Enjoy!

Until next time,
In the Love of Christ,
Jenn








Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuesday Recipe Post, Squash Chips

We have a summer squash plant that has been a producing fen this summer, it is slowing down with the cooler fall weather. Anywho, what I decided to do with it instead of giving it away, was make chips out of it. I no longer like t eat corn chips because corn is not that healthy for us, can cause weight gain and the oils which are used cause heart disease and weight gain, not very good or enjoyable any longer. One of my favorite foods was chips and salsa. I still love salsa, especially my family's home made salsa or when Hublet makes fresh salsa, so I had to figure out something to do. I needed something to go with it, enter in the squash chips.

What I do:
I let my squash grow larger than if you were just going to cut it up and eat it.
I cut it into about 1/4 inch slices, or Hublet does for me when my wrist hurts so much that I can not, what a great Hublet I have!
I put some olive oil on them, not a lot, but enough to coat them.
Then I put what ever seasoning on I want on them. Sometimes I do sea salt, blackening seasoning, or different ones from a spice company we love called Penzyes. You can put whatever you would like on them. Try different things to see what you like.
I then place them in my food dehydrator Hublet gave me for my Birthday after we got married, I love my dehydrator and I highly recommend them. If you do not have a food dehydrator, you can use your oven. I would put it on the lowest setting you have and watch them to make sure they do not burn
I allow then to dry until they are crisp, I like the crunch and for them to be crispy enough to hold salsa on them, play with  them to see how long you like them done.
Once they are finished to your liking, place them in a storage container and you are finished.
Eat them either plan or with salsa, humus, as nachos, whatever you would like really!

I know you might be thinking they would not be very good. Trust me, they are. The first time I made them, Hublet told me to make them however I wanted because he probably would not eat them, they did not sound good. However, he told me, you make things that do not sound good at all and turn out to be delicious. But I will probably not eat them. The first batch I made, he ate the whole thing. Everyone else who has tried them, loves them. Give them a try before mocking them!

Know I can have chips and salsa whenever I want. Instead of corn chips, I have very healthy squash chips with all of the added benefits of vegetables!
You can do these with any type of squash you would like. You can also try them with yams, sweet potatoes or a regular potato if you would like. When it comes closer to Thanksgiving time, I want to try them with yams and sweet potatoes to see what they are like!
Go enjoy some healthy chips!
Until next time, in the love of Christ,
Jenn

Monday, September 26, 2011

HIIT Training


Sorry I have not been posting as much, I want to try and post about daily, but my wrist has been hurting and typing increases the pain significantly. I have to type in moderation or type one handed. On to today's post.

You might be wondering why I have not talked about training at all yet, considering I am a personal trainer. The reason for this is because I believe nutrition is 80% of weight lose or maintenance. If you have your nutrition dialed in 80% of the time, you will lose weight and see amazing results, working out just helps to speed up the processes. You need to make sure you have your nutrition going first and then add in the training. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, this is important. You do not want to tax your hear and if you are significantly over weight, your heart is already having to work over time. You do not want to add hard training on top of it.
   Here, I must also give another disclaimer. Before beginning any nutrition or training regmine, you need to speak with your doctor to clear. If you have heart problems, be sure to speak with your doctor for how hard you should train, increase your heart rate and push yourself, if at all. Follow his advice. I do not want you hurting yourself.
   How do I train and what do I think is the best type of training?
   I train with HIIT, high intensity interval training. It is heart pounding, sweat drenching and tiring. The beauty of this is I do everything at the same time, my weight training and cardo workout at the same time and I am usually finished in 20-30 minutes, if I do a long workout. With some of my workouts, I am finished in 10 minutes. Time restraints, not any longer. Who does not have 10 minutes to work out? If you continually say you do not have time to work out, you are making up excuses know. How many hours do you spend watching TV? If you think you need to workout like the CDT teaches, then yes, I can see not having the time. I can see not having two hours a day to workout, but 10 to 30 minutes, you have that. However, when you train with HIIT and it takes 10 minutes to get in a workout, you have no more excuses.
  I do not waste my time doing a cardo workout, which are a waste of time anyway and do not get you results, and then do some slow weight training workout. With HIIT, you will naturally take your heart rate through highs and lows, burning a huge number or calories at the same time. It is great time management, it is all finished in one feel swoop. It does not take hours to complete and you will see results faster because of your diet, number one, and then because of the calorie burn. With most of these workouts, once you are finished, unlike if you go for a 30 minute run, you do not stop burning calories. You obtain what we call the "after burn effect". If you work hard enough, this after burn can last up to 72 hours! Who does not want that? Train really hard and three days later you will still be burning calories, my type of training.
  By the time this 20-30 minutes is up, I am breathing hard, drenched in sweat and my muscles are done, they are tired. I feel great from working so hard.
  Enough about all of this, what do the work out entails? A lot of hard of hard work, determinations and will power to work hard. What you need is not another gizmo or contraction to work out, you need yourself and once  you work up to, a few items will do. But even then, your body weight is the best thing and really all you need. If you want a longer workout, take four or five exercises and do them in order, one right after the other without any rest. Once you have finished them, rest for about one to two minutes and then repeat. Do three to five sets depending on how you feel. Remember, through all of this, listen to your body. For a short set, if you only have 10 minutes, take two exercises and do them one right after the other until you have finished five sets. It might not sound like it, but these will be awesome workouts.

For example of a longer set:
30 seconds to one minute of mountain climbers,
20 lunges, 10 on each leg
10 push ups
20 squates
30 second plank

For a shorter set:
20 jump squats
30 second plank

   For any of these exercises you do not know how to do, what they or making sure you have proper form, go to You Tube and type it in and you will see how to do them with proper form.
  You see, it is not difficult or complicated to work out. If you are just beginning, take  your time and start slow with more basic workouts. Once you have the strength and stamina to go harder and perform harder workouts, push yourself to advance. You do not need more information to work out or another "thing", you need yourself and to decide to do it.
 In the next couple of posts I will explain more of HIIT, give some more work outs and other ideas!
Until next time, get your sweat on!
In the love of Christ,
Jenn