Food for Thought Friday

Well tonight I am making a favorite and its a fav because it is so yummy and healthy too - which means I don't have to worry about having to work it off later!

So tonight I am making... baked salmon (msc certified for those that care), with green beans and applesauce on the side and of course I need more water (I'm a milk drinker) - so water to drink and I am even splurging for some No Pudge! Fudge Brownies. Let me break it down for you...

Wild Salmon 4 oz. = 100 Calories

Citrus Grill Seasoning = 5 Calories

Lemon Juice (from fresh squeezed lemons) = 13 Calories

Green Beans 1 cup (no salt added) = 40 Calories

Applesauce 1/2 cup (no sugar added) = 50 Calories

Water = 0 Calories

Total Meal Before Dessert = 208 Calories

With 1 Serving of No Pudge! Fudge Brownies (120 Calories) = 328 Calories

My salmon is super basic... I rinse the salmon, cut and squeeze lemon juice into the baking pan, sprinkle half the seasoning on the lemon juice in the pan and lay the salmon fillets in the pan, squeeze lemon juice on top of the fillets, sprinkle the remaining seasoning on top and bake. It recommends baking the salmon for 8-12 minutes, but I do mine closer to 20 minutes, BUT nothing is worse than dry or rubbery fish, so make sure it is plenty moist if you plan on cooking it longer.

Well its not super fancy, but 328 calories for a full meal including dessert isn't too shabby and you'll be surprised how delicious the salmon is especially considering you used two ingredients to get that flavor! Bon appetit!

Tune Up Thursday: Activity + Nutrition

Have you heard of PALA+? It stands for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. It's a program that incorporates BOTH physical activity and nutrition. AND it rewards you for making these changes over at least a six week period. Anyone can participate and these are the requirements:

Adults:
-30 minutes of physical activity for at least 5 days a week for 6 out of 8 weeks. (8,500 steps if tracking activity by pedometer)
-Focus on a new nutrition goal each week (while continuing each previous goal) for 6 weeks.

Kids & Teens:
-60 minutes of physical activity for at least 5 days a week for 6 out of 8 weeks. (11,000 steps for girls, 13,000 steps for boys, if tracking activity by pedometer)
-Focus on a new nutrition goal each week (while continuing each previous goal) for 6 weeks.

Approved activities include anything that gets you moving your muscles, EVEN activities like cleaning and gardening count. AND it doesn't have to be continuous activity to count. If it is difficult for you to do 30-60 minutes of activity at a time, then break it down into 10 minute increments.

You will need to pick a new nutrition goal each week of the challenge and you will continue with the previous nutrition goals (so in week 1 you will have 1 nutrition goal, in week 2 you will have 2 nutrition goals - the new goal for week two and you will continue the week 1 goal as well) until you have completed six weeks successfully. The nutrition goals to choose from are as follows:

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Make half the grains you eat whole grains.
• Choose fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk, yogurt, or cheese.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
• Choose lean sources of protein.
• Compare sodium in foods like soup and frozen meals and choose foods with less sodium.
• Eat some seafood.
• Pay attention to portion size.

I created an at-a-glance tracker, because I am a visual person and wanted to see my progress without all the fluff. Feel free to use it for your own tracking purposes.

 I also included the official Activity Log from the PALA+ website.

Be sure to go to www.presidentschallenge.org to register and to get tips and tools on how to make it fun and successful for you! Ready? Set! Time to tune up with The President's Challenge! 

Motivation Mondays

Photo Courtesy of Fitbe

Follow the link above to get your own free motivational poster

Ouch. Part 1.

I named this Ouch. Part 1. because I know there will be more pain to come. But you know what they say, right? No pain, no gain. Well I must have made some progress, because I am so sore. The funny thing is, all I did was wog. Yes, wog (the root of the word wogging, meaning to walk and jog within the same workout). According to my CardioTrainer app I wogged 3.4 km in 38 minutes and burned 218 calories. And since km means nothing to me I had to use my ConvertPad app to calculate that into something I can better understand and it looks like 3.4 km is 2.11 miles (I should have kept it in km, it sounds better).

This was a good experiment because it shows me that I have a long way to go before I am in shape and feeling fit. I also learned an important lesson on my wog. I would like to preface my lesson learned with the fact that I am NOT a runner. I cannot think of a time when I enjoyed running. It has always been difficult and painful and unenjoyable and so I am coming from a rookie perspective which is probably why I am just figuring this out (at the ripe old age of 28). But my lesson was this...

There is a proper way to breathe while running!

So, to explain... when I started jogging I was breathing like normal and was giving no thought as to how. Well, after about 30 seconds my throat was on fire, I was out of breath and I just couldn't run anymore, it was so painful. Well, I had to walk it off a bit and when I started jogging again I concentrated on my breathing and I was breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. I also made sure I was controlling my breathing. It was NIGHT and DAY! It was so much easier to jog and much more comfortable! I wouldn't say that I loved it, but it made it possible for my to continue and was an invaluable lesson that would help me in my future wogging efforts.

Have a wonderful day and don't forget to breathe!

-Lizzy

Motivation Mondays

Found via Pinterest (original source unknown)

Delicious & Healthy - Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I'm sure most of you out there are aware of quinoa's (pronounced keen-wa) status as a superfood. I've tried it prepared several ways and this is by far my favorite! For those of you who don't have time to soak you quinoa...no worries it is available ready to go...just be sure that the package says "pre-washed". The brand I have used is Ancient Harvest Quinoa® is organic, gluten free and 100% whole grain (and Kosher as long as we are bragging). Anyway the lovely recipe I want to share with you is found on the back of the box:

Image courtesy of Icing on the Cake

Makes 4 servings

1 c. Traditional Quinoa
2 c. Water
4 lg or 6 med Green Peppers
1 med Onion, diced
1/2 lb. Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
2 T. Butter
1 - 28 oz can Tomatoes, coarsely diced (reserve juice)
2 Garlic Cloves. crushed
1 - 12oz jar Mexican Salsa
2 T. Dry Sherry
10 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Pre-heat oven to 325°. Cook traditional quinoa following directions on package. Steam green peppers until soft but not limp. In a large skillet saute onion and mushrooms in butter. Add the diced tomatoes (reserving the juice). Add the crushed garlic and Mexican salsa. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the Sherry and simmer for 10 more minutes. Fold in quinoa. Place peppers in baking dish and fill with quinoa mixture. This will take about half the mixture. Thin remainder with reserve juice and pour around peppers. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over peppers and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes. Once you've tasted this you will have a staple for your Meatless Mondays!

While your waiting for your delicious peppers to bake here are some facts about Quinoa:

- Quinoa contains more high-quality protein than any other grain
- Quinoa provides all the essential amino acids to be considered a complete protein
- Quinoa was a staple in ancient Incan Civilization

Welcome to The Sweaty Sisters Blog!

We are three sisters - all currently living in different states and all wanting a couple things:

- to get in shape and improve our overall health
- connect with each other and share through this blog
- help motivate and inspire each other and others out there

BUT we all have different goals. I want to get in better shape before baby #2 comes along. Kitty wants to get her pre-baby body back & Jane wants to tone and strengthen her core.

So we all have different goals, but we can each agree on a few basic things that we all want to improve in:

- HYDRATION! We need to drink more water.
- ATHLETICISM! We want to improve our overall physical fitness.
- NUTRITION! We want to eat healthier.

We will be posting anything and everything we find helpful in our journey - workouts, recipes, obstacles, triumphs...all the many steps we take along our journey.

In the coming weeks we will each be posting more about our individual goals and where we are starting from. We are excited to do this together and hope you will join us on our journey!

Lots of Sweat & Love -

The Sweaty Sisters (Lizzy, Jane & Kitty)

Disclaimer: We are not professionals - simply real gals, with real goals looking to get fit and have fun doing it!