Avocado Salsa with Tomato & Fennel

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 avocado, pitted, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped tomato
2 tbsp finely chopped fennel
1 tbsp finely chopped fennel fronds
1 1/2 tsp EVOO
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Calories: 79, Total Fat: 7g, Carbs: 4 g, Fiber: 2g Sugars: 1g, Protein: 1g, Sodium: 65mg, Cholesterol: 0g

You can have this with grilled Salmon and place salsa on top, add to black beans and wrap in a tortilla, or add to your salad and ENJOY!

Time Management....

This is by far one of the hardest parts of my day! I struggle to stay on task. In my mind if I can do 10 things at one time then I'm getting more out of my time. Right!....
WRONG!
Multitasking doesn't make us as productive as we think! Our quality of work actually decreases and it can actually be wasting time instead of creating new time.
The simple reason multitasking doesn't work is because we can't actually focus on more then one thing at a time, our mind just thinks we can!

So imagine you are on the phone with someone and you are following up with a question from customer at the same time. Both of these tasks take communication, you can't talk to someone and write a focused well explained email at the same time, it's to conflicting. Your mind will get overloaded at this point. Now say you are writing an email and listening to someone at the same time. This task is a bit easier, but the person you are listening to will fade in and out. You simply can't focus on both tasks at once.

Another downside is the stress levels of dealing with multiple things at once. You feel overwhelmed  drained, and under appreciated. At the end of the day you don't feel like you really accomplished anything.

How do you stop multitasking??? Here are some ideas "m trying out to help me improve my time management skills:

• Plan your day in blocks. Set time aside for phone calls, emails, cleaning, etc...
• Keep a journal of what interrupts you the most. After one week look over your data and adjust what you need to in order to limit or take away these interruptions.
• Learn to focus on ONE task at a time. If you find your mind wondering take a 15 second break, breath and tell yourself "I'm in this meeting I need to focus on what I'm learning here!"

This is only a very small piece of time management! I hope this helps you have a more successful day!

Looking for a sweet treat for Halloween without the guilt??

How about a Healthy Shake that tastes like a Reese Cup??


1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup of Unsweetened Almond milk (or skim milk)
1 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp of PB2 (or 1 Tbsp of natural Peanut Butter)
1/8 tsp of vanilla extract
Ice to taste

Mix in a blender of 1 minute and ENJOY!

learn more at http://www.shakeology.com/agerber

Warm to your soul Chili!

Chili is one of the dishes that actually is fun to make and healthy to eat. I love trying different ways to make Chili!  Spice it up, or substitute your favorite lean meat or textured vegetable protein. Experiment with different beans and legumes. It's also great for using up those soon to spoil veggies.  Try to avoid certain popular mix-ins like cheese and sour cream that add more fat than flavor. 

1 lb. ground chicken/turkey, extra-lean (or make it without meat and use buglur wheat)

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

28 oz of fresh tomatoes diced

2 tbsp of tomato paste

1 bay leaf

12 oz of fresh tomato juice

2 cans (15 oz.) black beans or tri colored beans, rinsed

2 tsp. chili powder (or more to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, brown ground turkey. Spoon out any excess fat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and pepper,  and sauté until veggies about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer at least 30 minutes. The longer it's cooked the better! Can be served immediately (although leftovers are great, too). Serve with hot sauce to taste. Serves 4.

Who doesn't love pumpkin in the fall!

Did you know that pumpkin is an extremely good source of vitamins A and C, essential for maintaining good eyesight and a healthy immune system, high in potassium, manganese, copper and one of the B vitamins, riboflavin, considerable amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, iron, folate, vitamins E and B6, niacin, thiamin and pantothenic acid — and is low in salt, cholesterol and saturated fat.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-pumpkin-quesadilla/

So what are you going to do today?

Did you know exercise boosts brain power? Exercise increases energy levels and increases serotonin in the brain, which leads to improved mental clarity. All that makes for a more productive day. Improved productivity not only makes you a better worker, it makes things better for everyone in the workplace. Companies with less wasted work hours and less sick time end up with lower health care costs -- and an improved bottom line.

Veggie Chicken Burger

So one day I was trying to use some of my "end of the road" veggies up, and I came up with this awesome recipe that my family and I love! Let me know how you like it!


1 pound of lean ground Chicken
1/4 to 1/2 of very small chopped avocado
1/2 of a large sweet red pepper chopped very small
1/4 of a large red onion chopped very small
1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil
1 to 2 tsp of seasoning salt

Mix and patty up the Chicken into 4 4oz patties, cook on the grill until done, serve on romaine lettuce or with  whole wheat hamburger buns. Add light cheese and whatever you LOVE on your burger! ENJOY!

How often do you have your "treat" ??

So I learned a hard lesson this past week. I restrain myself and my family and we eat so perfect for a good 4 weeks....so I've taught my family that they don't need the willpower I have it for them, but when all my willpower is gone no one is there to help me fight against my cravings. So I fall down...and I fall hard! So after way to much Ice Cream and a few to many s'mores I have come to realize I need to "treat" myself a little more often and not take so much control of how my family eats. If they slip, I can't use all my energy talking them down. Hard lesson, but I'm glad I've learned it! I see the next 4 weeks being much more productive and a lot less stressful! What are you learning on your journey?

Do you love fries??? Me too...try these

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-curry-parsnip-fries/

5 Breakfast Ideas for Busy Lifestyles

It's hard to eat healthy when you have a busy lifestyle! Breakfast is so important! After you have fasted through the night your body will be glad to have a healthy meal!

Oats: Many varieties! (rolled oats, steel cut oats, etc...) A quick cook oat will save you lots of time! You can add nuts, fruit, cinnamon, vanilla extract, nut butter, honey or whatever you want!

Quinoa: Great source of protein! It's similar to oats, you can add whatever you want!

Fresh Fruit: A fruit salad is a great breakfast! Be creative try new things!

Eggs: You can do anything with eggs! Make a sandwich, add spices, and veggies...endless ideas!

Shakeology Shake: Shakeology is by far the quickest healthiest breakfast you can have! It's very filling! You can add anything to it! I love almond milk and a tbsp of PB2! Lots of ice! Yummy! (let me know if you want more info on Shakeology!)

Enjoy your breakfast! Find something that works for you and stick to it!

Love being in a Good Mood!

So what are you waiting for?? That's is what I'm telling myself now! Going to do my workout right now! Join me!

Memorize it!

You can clean your eating habits up so much by just cooking your food different. If change is hard for you and you're wanting to start small...start here! Change how you cook and we can work on changing what you cook later!

Clean, Comfort Chicken Dumplings! At about 145 calories a serving!!!

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-chicken-dumplings/

Polar FT4! This is on my Christmas list!!!

Do you use a heart rate monitor to tell you how many calories you burn? If so, what are you using? Do you love it?

Quinoa and Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

                                                

http://keepyourdietreal.com/food/appetizerssnacks/quinoa-and-black-bean-lettuce-wraps/

Here's a few fun, healthy, and mostly free, activities you can do with your family!

http://www.ultrasoundtechnicianschools.org/100-fun-healthy-and-mostly-free-family-activities/

So what are you made of?

I get a lot of questions about what to eat and how much....yoyo diets, and gaining weight back!

When you talk about dieting you are setting your-self up for failure! You are not going to gain long term success from a diet. So instead of cutting out carbs completely or eating certain foods for a certain amount of time, lets CHANGE what we eat and how we cook it.
You eat eggs and bacon with butter toast for breakfast! Ok, so do I! I eat 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites (120 calories compared to 3 whole eggs at 210 calories!) I eat 2 strips of turkey bacon (50 calories compared to 100 calories) and I have one slice of whole grain or whole wheat bread with my egg and bacon on it! So I don't need butter .... that saves another 50 calories! So my breakfast is 280 calories and yours is  460!
You eat a bag of chips for a snack....try lightly salted cucumber or 100 calories bag of plain popcorn with light salt!!
For lunch you stop at a burger joint and get a triple burger and large fries !!! I have a turkey burger with sweet potato fries!
You may skip the next snack which makes you hungrier at supper time so you eat two plates instead a one. You double your calories right there! Portion your meals! If one portion is too high in calories try to fix the recipe in order to lower the calories!
I hope this helps you! Small Changes in you lifestyle can make a huge difference! Switch pop for water and you will see a huge change over a 30 day period! But don't go back! Start with one less pop today and one more water....then next week 2 less....and so on! 100 extra calories a day equals 10 pounds in one year! Start in small steps and you will see yourself GROW! And your pants size shrink!

So get out of your own way!!!

How many Calories should you Consume??

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!  Knowing your numbers is the key to not just losing weight but maintaining that weight loss! So todays a big day for you. You'll learn why calories count, and why, if you have a histroy of crash dieting you've probably diminished your body's ability to metabolize calories. Finally you'll learn to calculate those numbers! Yes there is some math involved!

So we know to lose a pound you have to create a deficit of 3,500 calories. Don't destroy your metabolism by focusing only on the deficit and work to create a dramatic deficit for as long as you can, the consequences of this approach, are weight gain, muscle loss, stored fat, and a slow metabolism.

So we begin with a calorie, a unit of energy. We get calories from the food we eat. Metabolism is the process by which your body converts food to energy.
So when I say I want you to know your numbers this is what I mean.

RMR (resting metabolic rate) The number of calories you burn while resting.
DAB (Daily Activity Burn) Calories burned outside of exercise.
DE (daily exercise) This will vary on your activity (I currently burn around 650 a day with Turbo Fire)
CD (caloric deficit) This is the number of calories you'd like to cut out. A deficit of 500 calories a day averages to a loss of one pound per week. (don't use more than 1,000 a day)
DCI (daily calories intake)  The calories you take in...all of them! Every bite...try to get within a 50 calorie range ( so know how many calories you eat as close as you can ...like within 50 calories of the right number)

So to figure out your numbers....

Your current body weight x 10 = RMR   ___

Sedentary RMR x 10%= DAB __
Moderately Active RMR x 10% = DAB __
Very Active RMR x 30% = DAB  ___

Add calories burned from your DE. Although this will vary, get as close as possible! (Use myfitnesspal or a heart rate monitor to help get this number more accurate!) ____

Subtract or add your CD. This is the number or calories you'd like to cut out or add to your current diet!

Put all those numbers together to find out how many calories you need!
RMR + DAB + DE - CD = DCI