We're playing basketball

Over the weekend we had 5 basketball games to watch!  My little brother, Levi, played in his first tournament in the Primetime league with my boyfriend's little brother's team, Team Texas.  It was really cool seeing Levi and Scotty play ball together!  Even though the boys only practiced once, they played like a team that had been playing together all season!  So proud of those boys!  Team Texas won it's first game but lost their next two games - each game was a battle and Team Texas competed until the last buzzer sounded.  Looking forward to their next tourney!  Great job Levi!   

And about 30 minutes away, my cousin (#32) with the North Dallas Vandals, won their tournament over the weekend.  On Saturday, they beat the #9 ranked team, the Texas Fuel, and then on Sunday, they beat the #1 ranked team, the Colorado Kings.  These Vandals are legit!  They'll be traveling next weekend, continuing on their road to the championship!

  

NNM, Dinner Recipe

Monday night I cooked dinner for Matt and myself.  As previously suggested via FilthyFit, we are trying to make fish the protein on our plates 1-2 times a week.  Why not start the week off right with some yummy halibut!?  This dish is quick, easy and gluten free (duh).

Here's the recipe, just for you!

Pan-seared Halibut with Apple-Pear Chutney

Halibut

4 (4-ounce) halibut fillets

1 tablespoon chili powder (I omitted this...we don't/can't do spicy)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Chutney

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, buttery spread or canola oil

1 ripe Bosc pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 small tart apple such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/4 cup coarsely chopped white onion (no onions for me!) 

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

1 garlic clove, minced (I left this out as well)

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.  Make the halibut:  Pat the halibut fillets dry with a paper bowl.  Mix the chili powder, salt and pepper together and press onto both sides of the halibut.  Set aside.

2.  Make the chutney:  In a small, heavy saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the pear and apple and cook, covered, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the onion, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, cranberries, garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from the that and let stand, covered, while cooking the halibut.

3.  In a heavy, nonstick (gray, not black) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the halibut until the crumbs are golden and the fist is just barely opaque when cut in the thickest part or flakes easily with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.  Serve the halibut topped with the chutney.

Choose your vegetable as the side - I served the halibut with grilled asparagus (olive oil, salt, pepper). 

Enjoy!

NNM, Where should we go for lunch?

It's time for lunch and your co-workers suggest something like Olive Garden, On the Border or Chilies... Ya, I'm a little grossed out too.  For a healthy and organic lunch, grab your co-workers and head over to Southpaw's Organic Grill.  It's one of my absolute favorite places to eat and I seem to never get tired of it since it's usually where my bff and I end up for lunch.  Southpaw's offers delicious smoothies, salads, sandwiches, rice bowls, etc. without added sugars, nitrates or preservatives!

Locations:

Preston Center
6009 Berkshire Lane

Uptown
3227 McKinney

By the way, the new location on McKinney has an awesome patio.

NNM, Rise and Shine

Breakfast is such an important, if not the most important, meal of the day and often times it's skipped because we're too busy, we don't like breakfast foods or skipped in attempt to lose weight.  Excuses, excuses. Let's take a look at why these excuses can cause you problems throughout the day, physically and mentally.

I totally understand that people are busy, heck I'm busy.  But if we wake up, shower and head to work without nourishing our body, it will suffer and your work may even suffer as well.  Skipping breakfast makes it easier to lose focus and concentration; however, eating a healthy breakfast fuels your body and gives you that mental advantage you need in the office.  So take a little extra time to sit down for a whole grain waffle or a bowl of oatmeal; or take breakfast with you such as a fruit and nut bar, a cup of yogurt or a piece of fruit.

As a fitness professional, I love asking people what they had for breakfast, where they went for lunch and what they'll have for dinner.  When I first started dating my boyfriend, he would call me mid-morning just to say hi and because of habit I would ask what he had for breakfast.  "Nothing, I'm not a big breakfast eater." WHAT?!  I about freaked.  Since that conversation, it's been my goal to suggest breakfast foods that Matt would enjoy.  I stocked his fridge with plain and blueberry whole grain waffles, eggs and bacon, yogurt, fruit and put cereal and oatmeal in his pantry.  He was bound to find something he would like in the morning, right?!  As he sits on my couch I ask him if he's eating his breakfast and he claims to "always eat breakfast now, thanks to you".  Aw!  See, there's plenty of options for breakfast, and I'm positive you can find something you'll look forward to in the morning, something that will nourish your body and fuel you for your day.

Skipping breakfast to lose weight will actually do the exact opposite.  Prolonged fasting increases your body's insulin response which will increase fat storage and weight gain.  Not eating breakfast pretty much sets you up for failure, making you more vulnerable to cravings and less likely to make healthy decisions throughout the day.  By mid-morning and lunchtime, someone who skipped breakfast is going to be starving and is likely to overeat at lunch and dinner.   Mindless munching (grabbing a bag of M&M's from the vending machine) is also common among non-breakfast goers.  Eating breakfast jumps starts your metabolism, reduces hunger throughout the day and may give you more energy which will increase physical activity!  Yay!

A few of my favorites in the morning:

Waffle (gluten free for me) with frozen blueberries on top and a glass of skim milk
Oatmeal with fresh berries
Banana or an apple with cashew butter
Eggs, bacon and whole grain toast
Egg whites or ham and part skim mozzarella cheese on an English muffin
Yogurt with fruit and granola
Fruit smoothies...Hint:  Low fat or skim milk, frozen berries, banana; add peanut butter for extra protein

Enjoy your breakfast and have a great day!

NNM

Did you know it's National Nutrition Month?  Well...now you know!  The theme this year is "getting your plate in shape".  Ok, so how do you do that?  Here are a few tips from Eatright.org to get your plate in shape:

-Eat a variety of vegetables
-Add fruit to your dinner or eat a serving as a snack
-Buy fat free or low fat milk
-Eat a variety of meats i.e. chicken, fish, nuts, lean beef... Hint:  make fish the protein on your plate 1-2 times a week
-Drink water instead of sodas
-Cook at home more

Check back for more tips from me and other health experts throughout the month.  I'll provide you with great nutritional ideas including healthy recipes, great grocery finds, snack recommendations, organic and local restaurants...etc.  Let your love of food be good for you!  Use March 2012, NNM, to jump start a healthier you!


 

23 and a 1/2 hours

Please take 9 minutes out of your day to listen to this great video sent to me from my client, Jim.

23 and a 1/2 Hours

23 and a 1/2 Hours explains why exercise is the single most important thing we can do for our health. After hearing all the statistics and health benefits, you'll want/need to take just 30 minutes out of your day to exercise.  

What are you waiting for?  Get going!

Gluten free, a fad?

By now I'm sure you're noticing Gluten free products in grocery store isles, on the menu at a restaurant and all over television.  Some claim going gluten free is just a fad and I'm sure some people eliminate gluten because so-and-so did.  However gluten intolerance is truly a growing medical problem.  I, among an estimated 18 million other Americans, have a gluten sensitivity and one in every 133 people suffer from an even more serious gluten intolerance called celiac disease.  This intolerance to gluten has become more common and gluten free brands like Glutino, Enjoy Life and Udi's are reporting incredible growth even during this crazy economy.  Still sound like a fad?  Nah.  Chex cereal is among many others you'll find down the cereal isle but if you're gluten intolerant you simply skip that isle...until now.  An article from The New York Times entitled Beat the Wheat says the volume of gluten free products sold in the past year is up 37% making it a $6.3 billion industry.  For generations General Mills has boasted about the quality of its wheat flour, but after seeing these numbers, General Mills reformulated Chex.  Chex arrived on the cereal isle as gluten free in 2008.  General Mills claims that the strategy is working:  retail sales for Chex cereals are up 29% in the first quarter of the 2012 fiscal year.  Smart move!

Gluten sensitivity symptoms include but are not limited to:

-stomach aches
-fatigue
-mouth sores and mouth ulcers
-bloating
-constipation
-diarrhea
-dermatitis herpetiformis (skin rash)
-headaches and migraines
-infertility
-nausea
-joint pain

If you suffer from any of these symptoms or symptoms not mentioned (google "gluten free symptoms" for a more extensive list) cut gluten out of your diet for 2-4 weeks.  You'll be amazed!  I was thrilled when I figured out I was gluten intolerant.  It's changed my life!