Jillian

A few health tips from Jillian Michaels 

How to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

(image source)

After my last post, a friend emailed wondering how the heck I was eating 7-8 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. It's a great question and a great topic for discussion. Here's my take:

According to Weight Watchers, serving sizes are 1 cup for leafy greens and 1/2 cup for all other vegetables and fruits. That means if you eat one large apple, you've got 2 fruit servings right there. Add to that a handful of baby carrots and a turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat bread (4 thin slices of lean, smoked turkey with one wedge laughing cow cheese on a 100 calorie whole-wheat sandwich round) and you have a 5-point lunch that includes 3 fruits/vegetables servings and you will be FULL.

But that's just an example. The point is to make sure you're getting 1-2 servings of fruits/vegetables (aim for 2) with each meal and then eating additional fruits and veggies for snacks. Smoothies like the Green Monster are also a great way to get your fruits/veggies count up.

Some of my favorites:

Baby carrots (with 1 tbsp low-fat ranch, 0 points)

Apples (For less waste, cut them off the core.)

Clementines (These are great and on sale in a lot of grocery stores right now. They're small and easy to eat.)

Bananas (Right now I'm really loving smoothies with bananas, ice, and 1 cup chocolate almond milk, 3 points.)

Tomatoes (Okay, I don't actually eat these things straight up, but using tomatoes to make sauce for spaghetti or pizza also counts.)

Red Cabbage (This one is new for me. Sneak a handful on tacos or fajitas to add beautiful color and a nice crunch, but don't worry, you can't really taste it.)

Spinach (I sneak this into everything. I've done so so much, I'm starting to think I don't really need to sneak it anymore, it's growing on me.)

Peas (I buy these frozen and steam them in the microwave. I season them with Smart Balance and salt and pepper. I could eat them every night of the week.)

Green Beans (I also buy these frozen and steam in the microwave. These a great vegetable for toddlers because they're easy to pick up with a fork.)

Potatoes (Yes, I count potatoes as a vegetable (as does Weight Watchers). They come from the ground, don't they?)

Fresh Herbs (Is this one a surprise? Herbs like basil and parsley are high in iron and Vitamin C, as well as lots of other goodies.)

These are my family's favorites (for now), what are your favorite fruits and vegetables?

Learning...

I've been bad.

My mom's birthday was this past weekend and I flew down to Miami to celebrate with her. 

(Me and my mom in Cinque Terre a few years ago)

Bad idea.

When I arrived, we had hot cocoa night (this is when my family and a few select friends get together and we have hot cocoa together. It  includes Cuban bread being dipped into the hot cocoa), which would not be so bad if we had not included two birthday cakes for my mom. Shame. 

The next morning Mom and I went to Starbucks and shared a banana chocolate low fat muffin thing and then went to Five Guys for lunch with my friend Laura and her daughter Abby. The day ended with us going to a Mexican restaurant with Laura's family (three appetizers, two desserts). 

The next day was breakfast at The Original House of Pancakes with my mom and my stepdad, lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, and dinner consisted of leftovers from lunch. Let's not forget that I had baked during the day and made cheesecake brownies and my famous Turducken cupcakes. 

Sunday was calm, normal breakfast, normal lunch and then dinner at my aunt's house, Chinese Fried Rice and egg rolls. And the brownies and cupcakes I made the day before. 

In all, very bad. 

You may be asking yourself why I confessing this all to you (I am asking myself the same question)...

I need to remind myself that I am not perfect (duh). There will be times that I slip up and there will be times when I will eat my feelings (both good and bad). And that's okay because I am human. This whole healthy living deal has to allow for this because if it doesn't, I am doomed to failure. All I can do is try.

The weeks and months that I eat really really well will be celebrated with manicures and haircuts and new clothes. But I cannot beat myself up for having a weekend of indulgence (although it will be extra painful when I tell my personal trainer). 

Moral of the story: do as I say, not as I do (but if you do do as I do, don't beat yourself up).

New Program

For all of you who follow Weight Watchers....

The changes are here.

For those of you who do not follow Weight Watchers, let me tell you about the changes that have been made to the program.

1. The points still exist, but food is valued differently. There is a push to have more fruits and veggies in everyday eating, so they are now zero points. This is in effort to have people snack on more healthy and sustaining foods than 100 calorie packs

2. Points values are found using more than just fat, calories, fiber. Instead, calculations are now based on protein, fiber, fat and carbohydrates.

3. The "Flex Points" still exist, but have now been bumped up to 49 points (because food now has higher point value, you need more points).

There are still a lot of new things, but these are the biggies. Weight Watchers says that due to ongoing research, they found they needed to revamp their program.

For those of you on Weight Watchers, what do you think of the changes??

that's sooooo cheesy.....

Fridays are my day with my little man, the Munch, the bambino, the Nugget - my son, Dylan. Every Friday, it's just us bonding and having a ball! (I work part-time as a Development Director, and Fridays are the day during the week when I am off the clock!)


We spent the morning in the Children's Department at the Main Library - A-MAZ-ING - and then surprised my husband by picking him up at his office for lunch. (OK...so we made an exception to the "us only" Friday rule...but we kept it in the family so it only half counts...)


The guest of honor got to choose our destination, and he made a fabulous choice - the Cool Moose Cafe and Bistro - a local eatery that offers breakfast and lunch...all with homemade goodness & a lot of organic goodies to boot! It was here that today's post came to fruition.


I dissected the menu, not for something I would enjoy as I find myself flipping a coin to make decisions, but rather to choose a nutritious meal my 6-toothed stud can manage. Alas, I came across my inspiration - grilled cheese.


But this wasn't just any grilled cheese. It was a grilled cheese made with Australian cheddar on Texas toast. It was not only multicultural, but one of the things I love most in life: a creative approach to a tried and true standard. 

Grilled cheese & blueberry muffins - yummmmmmm

Therefore, on this Friday evening I suggest trying this standby with a new twist! Here are some suggestions:

• Gruyere (you can really sass this up with a touch of truffle oil)
• Comte
• Appenzeller
• Fontina
• Munster 
• Swiss

If you want to live on the edge (please note sarcasm) combine multiple cheeses on the same sandwich...or get crazy and vary the bread from your mother's simple Wonder white. 

Some bread suggestions:

• wheat
• asiago cheese 
• sunflower seed
• multi-grain 
• marble
• rye
• a fresh, tasty original from your neighborhood bakery

Add one or more of the following for the cherry on top:

• basil
• tomato
• bacon (turkey bacon or meat-substitute bacon make for good options as well)
• roasted red bell peppers
• onion
• garlic
• pesto
• mustard

For a meal made in heaven, add a cup of tomato bisque. Bon Appétit!

A little peek...

Because I am officially "on track" with my lifestyle changes (I am going to be a bridesmaid in December, which is helping motivate me), I thought I would give you a little peek into my pantry and fridge to see what I eat to stay on track.

1. Peter Pan Whipped Peanut Butter
This stuff is so good! I like to spread it on 1/2 an English Muffin (more on that later) and eat it on the go. And it has less fat and calories than traditional peanut butter.

For 2 Tbsp:
150 calories
12g Fat

2. Cabot Cheese Snack Pack
I buy these at Costco and they come in a bag that can last me up to 2 months! I love to eat them with turkey pepperoni (which is up next) or cut them up and put them on corn tortillas with chicken. Or to eat with apples. Or grapes. Or alone. Go crazy!

For 1 Snack Pack:
70 calories
4.5g Fat

3. Hormel Turkey Pepperoni
I could eat turkey pepperoni every day. I already told you it makes a great snack with Cabot cheese (I use half a serving of the pepperoni), but the best is when I put it on homemade pizza. so good!!

17 Pieces:
73 Calories
3.5g Fat

4. Thomas Light Multigrain English Muffins:
I buy these every time I go to the store. Delish in a peanut butter/honey combo or in a homemade Egg McMuffin...

Each Muffin:
100 Calories
1g Fat

5. Weight Watchers Yogurt
I have a love affair with key lime pie yogurt. The Weight Watchers version is amazing, especially when frozen (have you tried freezing your yogurt? Heaven!).

Each Yogurt:
100 Calories
.5g Fat

6. Skinny Cow Chocolate Truffle
Whenever I am in need of a chocolate fix, this is where I turn. The ice cream is smooth, the flavor is delightful, and it is often on sale.

Each Truffle:
100 Calories
2f Fat

7. Madras Lentils
When I moved to DC, I fell in love with a restaurant called Kabob Palace. While the food is really good, the fat content is crazy! At the store, I found these lentils which almost taste like the rice and chickpeas from Kabob Palace and totally satisfies my cravings...

1/2 pack:
120 Calories
5g Fat

So there's your glimpse. What do you keep in your fridge to keep you on track?