Sweet Potato Fries

I recently tried this recipe and it did not disappoint.  I absolutely love sweet potato fries... especially from Red Robin!  But let's be honest, those are not very healthy.  So I have found a solution to this problem.

This recipe comes from The Biggest Loser Cookbook.  And if you don't have this book, you should go buy it.  Right now.  I've tried about 15 recipes from this book and they have all been amazingly good and amazingly healthy!  Also, they are very realistic.  It's not a bunch of health recipes about these gourmet meals that include fish and ingredients you've never heard of.  They are good, simple meals.  I've already shared one recipe from this book for meatballs.  And I have several others I will be sharing.

So this recipe is great if you are craving those wonderful sweet potato fries!  And if you don't like sweet potato fries (gasp!), then just substitute with a normal potato.  But you should give sweet potatoes a try.  They are lower on the glycemic index and your body can process them better (so it does go to fat!).

Just thinking about these little babies is making me hungry.  I think I will have to make some right now!

Parmesan-Pepper Sweet Potato Fries

(makes 1 serving)

1/2 pound sweet potato fries, cut into 1/4''-thick sticks

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (I go for the cheaper route and use canola oil)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of cayenne

Salt, to taste

Pinch of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with all of the ingredients.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick backing sheet.

* Bake for 8 minutes, flip potatoes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes (or until potatoes are tender and browned in spots).

* I got this tip from Rachel Ray.  Place a cooking rack on your baking sheet and then put the fries on top of that.  This makes it so you don't have to flip the fries half way through.  They get crispy on both sides if you use this method.  (This is also a great tip for baking chicken!)

Delicious, Healthy Smoothie

I made this smoothie this afternoon... it was sooo delicious!  I just had to share it!  Once again, I didn't follow a recipe but this one was such a winner, I will making it again!

  

Berry Delight

1-2 heaping cups of fresh spinach, rinsed

1 banana

1 apple

1-2 cups of pineapple

1 cup of frozen berries (I used a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)

1/2 cup of ice

1/2 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of strawberry yogurt (I used Yoplait Light)

Mix it all up and enjoy!

    

Drink Up!

Green smoothies are definitely something worth trying.  They are basically a fruit smoothie with some added spinach.  I can't stand to eat spinach but when added to a smoothie, you don't even know that it is there!  Spinach has a very high amount of vitamin A and C, plus a ton of other things that are good for your body.  If you need away to get in your daily amount of fruits and veggies, than a green smoothie is definitely for you!

Usually I add some berries and I would definitely suggest this in the future.  The smoothie I made in the video was good, but the berries make it super delicious.  I would also suggest adding more milk or some yogurt to make the smoothie a little thinner (the one I made was pretty thick).

I found a recipe at Sing For Your Supper.  I think it looks like a really good one.  I'm going to try this recipe out next time I make a green smoothie.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Green Monster Smoothie
1 banana, roughly chopped
4 or 5 strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 small peach, peeled and roughly chopped
1 heaping cup (or more) fresh spinach leaves, thoroughly rinsed
splash vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup crushed ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
*this recipe makes a very large smoothie- two could easily share.

Eat Your Veggies

When I was little my parents and I had a constant battle over the vegetables.  My mother would always say, "When you grow up, you'll learn to like vegetables."

Well, I am pretty sure that I could be considered "grown up" now and I still hate vegetables!  Yes, I am a veggie hater.  But did you know that George Bush doesn't like broccoli either?  And I'm pretty sure he is "grown up" too.

Even though I hate veggies, I eat them.  They are so healthy!  They are one of the best foods that you can give to your body.  High in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, while being very low in calories.  They lower your cholesterol, boost your health and help you feel better all the way around.

So for you veggie haters... like me... I have some solutions for you to help you eat your veggies.

Sneak your veggies in - You can add chopped vegetables to dinners you already love.  Zucchini slices, chopped spinach, crushed tomatoes, or cooked carrots will go unnoticed if added into lasagna, omelets, quesadillas, hamburger helper, spaghetti sauce, soup, salads, or other types of food you may love.

Cooking vs. raw - Try different ways to eat your vegetables.  Try steaming, baking, grilling, anything in between, or just eat them raw.  Find which way you prefer.  For example, I prefer raw carrots to cooked carrots.  And I hate raw and steamed broccoli, but I love it when it is baked!  For a good recipe for baked broccoli check this post out.

Take a dip - If you need to use a little ranch in order to eat your veggies then go for it!  Yeah ranch is pretty fattening, but you can go for a low fat or fat free ranch.  You can also get fat free sour cream and season it with a ranch packet.  Overall it's worth it if it means you'll be getting the servings of vegetables you need each day.  (you can also try a little melted cheese on your veggies, just make sure there isn't more cheese than veggies!)

Drink up - This is my number one method of choice for getting the servings of vegetables that I need.  I suggest V8 vegetable juice - low sodium.  Doesn't taste as good as a milk shake, but they are small 5.5 oz cans that I can drink in less than a minute.  So a very healthy serving of veggies in a matter of seconds?  Yes please.  I'll take that over a plateful any day.

Make it fun - Going along with drinking vegetable juice, you can make green or monster smoothies!  These are amazing!  Who doesn't love a smoothie?  They are full of vegetables and fruits, very healthy and very delicious!

So give some of these tips a try and see if you can eat more veggies in your diet.  I am going to be making a monster smoothie later this week and I will post the recipe and tips for making a delicious smoothie so stay tuned!

Get Some Rest!

I apologize for my long absence.  School has just demanded too much of my time.  But I have now graduated and I am ready to start bloggin!

Going along with the start of the new year, I have a New Year's resolution for you.  Just about everyone promises to "get in shape" or " to be more healthy".  But did you know that you can't do either of those successfully unless you get enough sleep?

Yes, getting enough sleep at night can help you lose weight!  Your body has a system of hormones to help you stay fit and healthy.  But when you don't get enough sleep, these hormones can't work properly.  Ghrelin is produced by your body and it stimulates your appetite.  Leptin is also produced and it signals to your brain that you are full.

When your body sleeps it produces leptin and ghrelin levels go down.  If you don't get enough sleep, the opposite happens.  Your body starts to have a hard time signing to your brain "I am full".  This can give you the feeling of never feeling full or satisfied causing you to eat much more food than your body actually needs.

Lack of sleep also puts stress on your body.  Which not only can lead to weight gain, but it could lead to other health problems as well.

So if you have wonderful plans to lose weight this year, make sure that you get enough sleep!  It will keep your body running the way that it should so you can be a lean-mean fat-burning machine!

No More Trouble Zones Review

I know I've given examples of some great workouts that you can do in your own living room.  The problem for me with self led exercises is that sometimes I loose interest, I cheat and don't do the moves full out.  For those of you with this same problem, exercise DVDs are the solution for you!

The best part is, most exercise DVDs can be found at your local library!  So you'll never get sick of your exercise routine because you can switch out your DVDs for new ones every week!

My favorite exercise DVD is Jillian Michaels No More Trouble Zones.  Check out the video below for a preview of what kind of workout you will be getting!

ps, I actually loved this one so much I was checking it out from the library every week.  So I decided to buy it.  It's only $9 at most stores!  Good deal!

The Scorpion Flip

I recently learned this great full body exercise move and I just had to share it with you all!  This is such a great move!  It gets your whole body engaged.  It really targets your abs and your triceps.  Check it out!