Eating with the Seasons!

Finally!! It seems as though summer has decided to arrive in Ohio...with a humid entrance! It is time to stock up on those wonderful fresh fruits and veggies we all love-leave the processed ones at the store! Head out to local farmer's markets & produce stands; support your local farmers, while possibly getting some exercise? Sounds good to me!

Our bodies crave the natural nutrients that are found within our fresh friends! I have read that our bodies should crave the season's produce. For example in the winter we should crave potatoes, squash, pumpkin, apples, oranges, cranberries-think starch! And in the summer -spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, melons-think waterbased! Do not ignore what your body is telling you!! Now some of you might take this another way-if I crave ice cream, then my body must want it...woo! Nope-wrong! What do you think is in ice cream that your body might be trying to tell you it needs-dairy! So put down that bowl and pick up a glass of milk or a piece of low-fat cheese! This can be applied to several of our naughty cravings! Anyways...back to produce!

If you find yourself in an overabundance of certain fruits & veggies-freeze/blanch them yourself! We do this with corn, broccoli, string/green beans, butternut squash, apples, & strawberries. Other possible items to blanch are potatoes, pumpkin, squash, lentils, dried beans, peas, & chickpeas, apricots, the berry family (black, blue, red,etc), cherries, melons, peaches, pears, & rhubarb. With veggies, it's good to keep in mind that starchy is good to freeze & waterbased is not so good to freeze (so stay away from lettuce, spinach, radishes, cucumbers, etc). When you freeze the foods yourself, you have the control as to how much salt or sugar you use-a healthier option than buying the store processed foods!! There is tons of info out there about freezing-check it out! Just be smart & make sure to eat them before they expire in the freezer!

Make it a goal this summer to eat healthy & to eat fresh! Add some color to your plates with summer's delightful array of fruits and veggies!

Check Out These Yummy Recipes!!!

I love getting creative with food!!! When Fitness Magazine came out with their May issue, I could not wait to see what recipes they recommended for the early spring time...let me just say delicious!!

The first recipe I tried was: Moroccan Chicken Thighs http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/healthy-summer-dinner-recipes/?page=4

Instead of chicken thighs, I used Chicken Quarters. I always cook chicken with the skin on, but then take it off before eating! This dish was quite delicious and unique...I have never had a mixture of apricots, chickpeas, and couscous before! The recipe makes 4 servings. Per Serving/398 Calories, 33g Protein, 31g Carbs, 13g Fat, 5g Fiber

The next recipe was: No-Stir Risotto w/Scallops http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/healthy-summer-dinner-recipes/?page=2

For this recipe I took the left over chicken meat, couscous, chickpeas, & apricots and added it to this dish! I did not have any more dry white wine, so I substituted dry red wine and the taste was amazing! I also replaced arugula with spinach. This dish was yummy, however not as creative as the Moroccan Chicken. This recipe makes 4 servings. Per Serving/478 Calories, 29g Protein, 63g Carbs, 9g Fat, 2g Fiber.

One of my husband's favorite activities is to hunt. With this interest comes a freezer full of Venison...yum!! Venison is a healthier substitute to Beef, and can also be healthier than ground turkey if grounded yourself (go us!) I have an amazing recipe for Venison Zucchini Boats!!
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1826,137181-225200,00.html
My recipe is very similar, except obviously subbing venison for ground beef. I also replace the tomatoes with mushrooms. I do not used bread crumbs either! After scraping the Zucchini, I chop the scrapes and add it to the filling...also adding a little pesto to the mixture as well! I also do not use American Cheese but grated Parmesan Cheese instead!! Overall, an excellent & healthy meal!!! One Zucchini boat is 197 Calories!!
***For a side dish try mixing whole wheat couscous or rice with black beans and a mango...OMG!!! I used this as a side with my Zucchini Boats!***

Burn Baby Burn!!

Here in Ohio it looks as though it has decided to finally be Spring...and I am not the only one who is saying "IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!" Well you know what comes with the change of seasons and improvement of weather=SPRING CLEANING! Did you know that housework is a great way to burn those calories? Besides going to the gym this was another way that helped me lose my weight! So if the weather is not motivation enough to get that cleaning done...here is some more info to get you started: These examples are based on a person who weighs 150 pounds. Remember, you will burn more if you weigh more, and burn fewer calories if you weigh less.

Gardening- 49 calories/10 mins; Climbing stairs- 175 calories/10 mins; Cleaning Gutters- 60 calories/10 mins; Loading/Unloading Car- 18 calories/5 mins; Putting Away Groceries- 30 calories/10 mins; Ironing- 38 calories/15 mins; Rake Lawn- 90 calories/20 mins; Washing Car- 102 calories/20 mins; Mopping- 102 calories/20 mins; Push Mow- 148 calories/30 mins; Rearranging Furniture- 150 calories/20 mins; Remodeling- 198 calories/30 mins; Basic Housework- 99 calories/30 mins

If you are unable to get a workout in-start cleaning!! : ) If you're moving, you're burning!! Use calorie counters such as http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc to help you keep track! And remember output must be more than intake! : )

Master Class with Doug & Joan!

On Saturday April 2nd, I got the chance to attend a Master Class led by Doug & Joan Jones (owners of Studio Fitness) at the Newton Falls Community Center. This event was led by Heather Kovac-another wonderful Zumba instructor in my area. The Master Class was a great time filled with high energy Zumba routines! It is always inspiring to see a room filled with people who want to be more healthy. As I have said before, Zumba is a great way to sneak in a workout, but have fun doing it too~

Face of Fitness-THANK YOU!!

Hey Everyone! Thank you so much for your support this past week with the Face of Fitness Contest! I ended up 4th out of a whole bunch of women ( over 200!!). I feel extremely blessed to have made it so far in the rankings! I am happy that, through this contest, I was able to share my story with so many people. My whole goal from the beginning was, and still is, to motivate as many people as I can to live a healthy life. Thank you for helping me on my way to achieving that goal! Contest Photo: http://photos.fitnessmagazine.com/category/vote/photo/758114 Here was my complete album for contest: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/photos/fitness-photo-contests/face-of-fitness/3644000015/?photoId=3640100067

ZUMBA WITH THE STARS!

Here are some pix from the Zumba with the Stars event @ Fizek Fitness in Niles, Ohio!

From Left to Right-Aaron Thompkins, Ali Johnson, and Jesse Atkins.

Aaron & Jesse were on The Biggest Loser Season 10. The morning kicked off with a "Meet & Greet" with the two stars. Aaron and Jesse then gave motivational speeches where Aaron gave us a little insight as to how life on the the Biggest Loser was. This event was a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association and to make people aware of Aaron's new program Better Living 360.They also gave me the chance to talk a little about my weight loss success as well...it was a dream come true : )

I shared with everyone how I was about to go on a vacation cruise with visions of the buffet in my mind and all the cute little desserts when out of nowhere right before my foot touched our ship, I received the phone call from Aaron asking me to be a part of this event. That kicked those cravings, that's for sure! I shared my story of going from 190lbs to my goal weight of 125lbs, the bad choices I had made in my life, and what I did to correct them and transform into a healthy woman. I looove being a motivator : )

So then the ZUMBA began! The facility we were at had no idea how many people to expect...there were about 65-75 participants-so many,we had to wrap them around the room. Talk about a PARTY!!

Aaron & Jesse had never done Zumba before. Both did a fantastic job-and yes, they both know how to shake it : )

During the first water break, a young lady came up to me with a huge smile and said "THANK YOU!" I said, "Thank you for what?" She replied, "I have never been able to do more than 5 mins of an exercise class because they can never keep my attention. This class is fun and amazing. It doesn't even seem like working out" Ah, the beauty of Zumba...life truly can be a party!

Many ladies from my classes came out for the fun that day! Shown to the right are two girls from my University of Mount Union class. From Mount came an SUV full of students ready to Zumba! Other locations that represented were Deerfield Friends Church of Deerfield, First Federated Church of North Jackson, Boardman Curves, & Friendship Bible Church of Randolph. A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED AND TO AARON AND JESSE FOR THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY!!!

ZUMBA LOVE

LIVE DRUMMERS ROCKED IT!!!!

On Thursday, February 17th @ the University of Mount Union, our ZUMBA Class recieved a special treat from some staff of the university!! They came with congos, drums, shakers, and tons of energy!! This was surely a high impact class for participants and an "on-the-spot" moment for me just because I had no clue what rythyms were coming my way! All in all it was a huge success and the class cannot wait for them to return!! My favorite rythym the drummers played was a hypnotic-like belly dance-I could go on for hours with that beat!!

*CHECK BACK SOON FOR PICTURES OF "ZUMBA WITH THE STARS"!*