I love dried fruit! It makes a great snack on the go or a tasty edition to a salad or trail mix. I hesitate to purchase dried fruit from the grocery store because of all the added sugar and preservatives. At the same time, I do not have the money to go out and purchase a food dehydrator. I came across this great post on Pinterest that explains how to make your own dried fruit at home using your oven. No added sugar or expensive kitchen gadgets here!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 130-160 degrees F. Use lower heat settings for thinner fruit sliced fruits such as apples or peaches. Whole strawberries, etc will require a high heat setting.
Step 2: Prepare your fruit by first washing and drying. Remove and pits, leaves, stems, etc. You may want to peel some fruits such as peaches, nectarines, and apples. These fruits dry better without their skins. To prevent yellowing and browning of your fruit during preparation, soak your fruit in a combination of lemon juice and water for 10 minutes. Then drain and blot dry with a towel.
Step 3: Place parchment paper on cookie sheets and place your fruit in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheets. Place an oven safe screen or silicone pan liner to prevent the fruit from curling up. Your pans will been to be rotated every two hours.
When your dried fruit is ready, it will feel leathery yet still pliable. Let the fruit cure in glass jars without lids for about 4-5 days after drying. Shake the jar around every day or so. This will allow all the fruit to avoid sticking. After the 5th day, seal the jar. These dried fruits will stay good for roughly 10 months.
Because we currently live in an older apartment building with creaky everything, I'm always looking for quiet workouts. This chair workout is great for the belly, butt, and legs. Enjoy.
I just came across this great website that tells you how many servings of fruits and vegetables you should be eating each day based on your age, gender, and how much physical activity you do in a day. Here's the link to the calculator so you can see how many servings you should be consuming.
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/fruitsvegetables/howmany.html
According to this calculator, I should be consuming 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of veggies per day....Now I know!
I love smoothies! Especially when they allow me to consume healthy foods that I do not particularly care for without having to taste them. They make a great breakfast or mid-day pick me up option. One of my favorite smoothies is the green smoothie. Here is the recipe I follow:
1 whole banana, peeled, sliced, and frozen
4 cups raw baby spinach
1 tbsp Smucker's all natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup almond milk
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
Ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. To add sweetness, try adding apple to your smoothie. You could also try using vanilla flavored yogurt or almond milk.
It is becoming more and more difficult to find healthy beverages that satisfy my craving for flavor without adding dreaded calories, sugar, or sodium. Then I came across Naked Juice! It is made with only fresh fruits and veggies, no preservatives, and is even packaged in a recycled bottle. My favorite flavor is Mighty Mango. Each bottle of the Mighty Mango contains 1 1/4 mangoes, 1/2 an orange, 1 3/4 apples, 1/3 of a banana, and a hint of lemon. Every bottle tastes so fresh. Imagine what eating all of these fruits can do for your body...and now you can drink them!
Other tasty flavors include:
* Berry Blast (blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, apple, and banana)
* Green Machine (apple, banana, kiwi, mango, pineapple)
* Blue Machine (blueberry, blackberry, banana, apple)
* Pomegranate Acai (pomegranate, acai berry, apple, banana, red grape, white grape)
* Power C Machine (strawberry, guava, apple, orange, peach, mango)
* Red Machine (strawberry, cranberry, apple, raspberry, orange, banana, pomegranate)
* Pro-biotic Machine (apple, mango, orange, banana, pineapple)
** Note: I am not being paid by Naked Juice to advertise their products, I just really love drinking Naked Juice!
This is a great way to grab a cool and refreshing caffeinated pick-me-up without consuming unwanted calories or sugar. Summer is fast approaching and I now know which drink I will be sipping on next to the pool!
1 green tea bag
Juice from 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp agave nectar (you could also try using apple juice as a sweetener)
Ice
Boil water and steep the green tea for about five minutes. Add the lime juice and nectar and stir to mix. Add a handful of ice and garnish with lime slices.
Well it is that time of year again. For the past two weeks I have been taking summer classes and my schedule is back to being crazy! The first week of summer school I found myself resorting to unhealthy snack and drinks that could be conveniently purchased from the vending machines or the school's convenience store. My objective for this weekend is to purchase healthy snacks and drinks that I can bring along with me to keep me energized through class and help me avoid the salty, fatty snacks my school offers. Here is my shopping list:
1. Blue Diamond 100 calorie Almond Packs: Pre-portioned, 100 calories, low in sugar, heart-healthy fats, and filling protein...what more could you ask for in a snack? The all natural, no salt added is what I usually grab for, but sometimes I will grab the cocoa covered almonds for a burst of chocolatey flavor and antioxidants.
2. Chobani Non-Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt: This stuff is so great! It contains a few more calories than the typical yogurt, but it makes up for it by being packed with protein! Greek yogurt is thick and creamy so you feel like you're eating something that is really bad for you! I love making my own yogurt parfaits with Chobani, sliced strawberries, fresh blueberries, and slivered almonds. Chunks of mango and pineapple are also great in Greek yogurt! I will slice up my fruits and place them into little containers if I am using single-serve cups of yogurt so all I have to do is toss it together and enjoy. If you're using the larger bulk containers of yogurt, you can mix up your parfait before hand. Either way you choose do eat it, Greek yogurt is tasty and healthy!
3. Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Cheese: When I first started dieting, I thought I would have to cut out all of the cheesy things I love and crave. However, thanks to Laughing Cow, I can have my cheese and lose weight too! These mini babybel cheeses contain only 50 calories each and are super easy to toss into a lunch bag or backpack. Now Laughing Cow even offers different types of cheese in their mini babybel packages such as mozzarella and Gouda! I love pairing these with grapes or almonds for a healthy and filling snack.
4. Athena Roasted Red Pepper Hummus: This has become my new favorite go to snack! I loved hummus to begin with (I have been obsessed with Greek food ever since I found out my dad's side of the family is mostly Greek), but then I tried the roasted red pepper variety. As I have said before, I am a sucker for anything cheesy. Well, this hummus tastes very similar to that creamy gooey queso sauce from the Mexican restaurants. I will pack some of this in a container with some carrot sticks or whole grain pita chips. I do not particularly care for carrots, but I try to work them into my diet for the health benefits. The natural garlic, olive oil, and roasted pepper flavors of this hummus over power the taste of the carrots and make them easier for me to eat. I also love putting this on veggie fajitas instead of using cheese and sour cream, or instead of cheese or other condiments on wraps, sandwiches, or turkey burgers. A two tablespoon serving contains only 50 calories, 3g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 5g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, and 1g protein.
5. Subway 6-inch: I am fortunate enough to pass a Subway restaurant on my way to class. Sometimes I will stop in and grab a sub before my class. Because my classes last from 8 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, I often find myself tempted by unhealthy meal options that can be found on campus. Stopping at Subway before my class to grab a sub to toss into my backpack for lunch helps me stay on track. I typically order the oven roasted chicken breast on either wheat bread, flat bread, or honey oat. After toasting, I top my sandwich with lettuce, banana peppers, green peppers, spinach, pickles, and vinegar and oil. Yum! This filling lunch is under 400 calories, 5g fat, 5g fiber, and 23g protein. Pair it with some fresh fruit and a bottle of water and you have yourself a great lunch option!
6. Starkist Chunk Light Tuna in Water Pouch: Tuna is naturally high in heart-healthy omega 3's and protein. Add some chopped celery, non-fat Greek yogurt, and a dash or two of cayenne pepper (spicy kicks boost metabolism). I often will pack carrot sticks, whole grain crackers, or whole grain pita chips. A 2.6 ounce pouch contains 70 calories, 0.5g fat, 160mg potassium, and 17g protein.
7. Banana slices with Dark Chocolate Chips: This gives you a boost of potassium and antioxidants, plus curbs your chocolate craving. Slice up your banana a press a few dark chocolate chips into the slices.
8. Sargento String Cheese: Again, I love cheese! Sargento offers a wide variety of string cheese snacks including mozzarella, light mozzarella, pepper Jack, sharp white cheddar, Colby Jack, and sharp cheddar. Each range from 50-80 calories each. Pair with grapes for a tasty and satisfying snack.
9. Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce: 8 shrimp and 4 tbsp spoons of cocktail sauce makes a great snack when you are counting your calories. Just under 100 calories and full of flavor! This snack is also super easy to toss into containers and a lunch box!
