1600 Calorie Meal Plan

I've had a few folks ask what the meal plans look like from Beachbody so I thought I would post a day's worth.  This one in particular is based on a 1600 calorie slim down plan and is what I would eat.  In my opinion, they are easy to follow and simple to make.  I like that!  As a busy mom, I need simplicity.  

Breakfast

Oatmeal and Blueberries

• 1-1/2 cups cooked oatmeal
• 1/4 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

Snack

Raspberry Protein Smoothie

• 1 scoop Beachbody's Whey Protein Powder
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (unsweetened)

Mix ingredients in blender.

Lunch

Turkey Sandwich

• 2 slices whole wheat bread
• 5 deli slices turkey
• 4 leaves romaine lettuce
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 2 slices raw tomatoes
• 1 cup alfalfa sprouts

Snack

Cottage Cheese with Paprika

• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 tsp. paprika

Dinner

Salmon, Brown Rice, Asparagus and Salad

• 4 oz. broiled or baked salmon fillet
• 1/2 cup cooked long-grain brown rice
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 cup chopped steamed asparagus
• 1 cup sliced raw cucumbers
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar and oil Italian dressing

Today's Nutritional Index
Calories	1,604
Carbs	175 g
Protein	136 g
Fat	41 g
Fiber	28 g

Because we all have different lifestyles, likes and dislikes, there are custom meal plans that you can create.  The Custom Meal Plan option allows you to tailor your food choices to your specific needs. You can change the recommended foods and quantities, and create favorite meals so you'll always be satisfied.

When you become a club member, you have access to the meal plans, a 10 % discount off of all Beachbody products, tips and tools to help you reach your goals.  Want to learn about this and the other benefits of being a club member.  Click here.

Flax Waffles

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
4 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
3 cups skim milk
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients separately. Then, mix everything together and whisk until smooth. Pour about 3/4 of a cup of batter at a time onto waffle iron. Cook the waffles until they almost stop steaming. Makes about 11 waffles. If you don’t eat them right away, you can freeze them.

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Nutritional Information: (per serving) Protein: 9 gFiber: 4 gCarbs: 36 gFat Total: 9 gSaturated Fat: 1.5 g

Climbing Michi's Ladder: Artichokes

By Denis Faye

Considering how ubiquitous and fun to eat artichokes are, the amount of people who've never tried them is surprising. There are several varieties, the most common being the globe artichoke. The round, prickly thing with the thick leaves that you peel off and eat is actually the bud of an artichoke flower. And in addition to being a great source of fiber and minerals, that process of peeling off the leaves one by one slows down eating. Not only does this make digestion easier, but it can create a feeling of satiety from what's actually very little food.

The (nutrition) facts
A medium-sized globe artichoke has about 60 calories, no fat, 13 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein. They're a good source of vitamin C with 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA)*, vitamin K with 24 percent, folate with 22 percent, magnesium with 19 percent, iron with 9 percent, manganese with 16 percent, potassium with 14 percent, phosphorus with 14 percent, and copper with 15 percent. You also get a little thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, and zinc.

How do you eat this thing?
Although boiling is the typical way to eat an artichoke, you'll get a lot more flavor and a lot less sogginess if you steam it for about an hour. But before you do that, cut off the bottom right at the base. Some people also cut the top off each leaf, but you only need to do that if the tips are especially prickly.

Once it's cooked, eat the meat off the base of each leaf individually. Eventually, the leaves become wispy and inedible. At this point, cut off the remaining leaves and the fuzzy bit under them, revealing the heart. Some connoisseurs, including my 5-year-old, consider it to be the best part.

Artichokes themselves are nothing but healthy, but the sauces most people choose to dip them in? Not so much. Avoid butter sauces and mayonnaise. Instead, try vinaigrette with a few extra dollops of mustard, so it really sticks to the leaves. Hummus is another great option.

1 medium globe artichoke

Calories: 60
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 13 g
Fiber: 6 g
Fat: none

Source: www.nutritiondata.com

20 day Weight Loss Challenge

Have you hit a plateau or are looking forward to jump starting your weight loss plan? It will begin at midnight on Monday,Feb1 and ends at 11:59 pm Saturday, Feb 20. Just 20 days to a brand new you!

When you combine this challenge with a workout, your results are going to ROCK! Use this example for a time frame of how quickly you could see your results. For example, If you start a 6 week program, like Turbo Jam or Slim in 6, you could be fitting into a slimmer, leaner outfit in no time! Think of all of the fun stuff that you can wear! If you start a 90day program like P90X or Chalean Extreme, you could be a new you before summer!! It's right around the corner.....are you ready to put on your bathing suit? Just think, all the family you saw this weekend can be asking you what did you did to reach your goals!

I don't care what kind of exercise you do as long as you are active. Running, walking, the elipitcal, Beachbody programs, etc. Any type pf workout will do. My goal with this challenge is to help you get to where you want to be, the healthy way!!!

If you are looking for a good workout program that works for you, drop me an email (laura@exercise2day.com) or check out my website (http://www.exercise2day.com). Let's talk about your goals,the amount of time you can devote to an exercise routine, what you like, etc. If you have questions on your diet, drop me an email and let's talk. Take a look at Michi's Ladder. Next, if you are a club member, make sure to visit the website and look into all the health and fitness topics there!

Now, here are the rules of the challenge!

Challenge Rules:

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. You PRESS PLAY Five or Six Times a week, depending on your program. If you are unsure of what to do, let me know.

2. You EAT CLEAN six days a week. It's up to you if you want to stuff yourselves like a bell pepper on your cheat day. But, I recommend a cheat MEAL and not a cheat day. Read more on the EATING Clean Portion Below.

3. YOU ARE ALLOWED "ONE ADDITIONAL CHEAT SNACK" in this CHALLENGE PERIOD. That means, out of the 20 days of the challenge, you may treat yourself to ONE CHEAT SNACK (like a cookie or a glass of alcohol) in addition to your cheat meal.

4. This is a SELF MANAGED Challenge at this time so please hold yourself accountable. Feel free to email me (laura@exercise2day.com) or post on this group page your accountability. When you tell someone what you are doing, you usually follow through.

5. You have until next Sunday evening to take your measurements AND pictures. You don't have to post them but they will be great for you to compare to after the challenge ends.

THE PRIZE: A new You! Imagine what just 20 days will do for you and how good you will feel!!!

If you are not part of the BeachBody community, check it out at http://www.exercise2day.com. It's free! There are tools you can use to enhance your journey plus, you can log your workouts. Any type of exercise will do and you could possibly win a prize! Just think of what $1000 could buy!

If you would like me to coach you, click here and fill out the form. It's also free! You can also email me at laura@exercise2day.com

Okay, listen up! For some folks, eating clean might mean eating one meal a day. That's not eating clean, that's starvation. For others, it might mean having a bagel for breakfast, a fruit for lunch, and a salad for lunch and dinner. That's not really eating clean either. You could be eating little amounts of high fat, high calorie-foods.

So, let's define the EATING CLEAN GUIDELINES for the Challenge. Remember: this is a challenge. For 20-days you will eat an almost perfect diet with one cheat day per week because you are after REAL RESULTS. So: if you're ready to take your fitness to the next level, let's do this!! I'm in! I want a leaner, longer looking body!

EATING CLEAN RULES:

RULE 1: You eat 4 to 6 small meals per day, ideally breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner. That means that you are eating every 2 to 3 hours.

Your body needs to be fueled. Eating only breakfast, lunch, and dinner is not okay.

RULE 2: You eat at least 1250 calories (unless you are less than 5 feet tall). I am putting this down because this challenge is about eating clean and being healthy, not about starving yourself. (If you are a club member, you can use the tools to determine the number of calories you should be eating based on your fitness program! If you need help determining this, drop me an email and we can talk.)

RULE 3: This is more like a guideline than a rule. You follow something close to a 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat diet. For those of you doing carb manipulation or following a special plan for diabetics, that's fine, too. Again, I just don't want folks to think they are eating clean if they eat 4 bowls of cereal per day. Your meals have to be balanced. (You can can use Free online programs like Fitday.com or calorie_count.com to help you track your meals both for ratio of carbs, protein, fat and your calories eaten!)

Are you ready?

LET'S BRING IT!

Leek and Sausage Soup

4 to 5 leeks
3 to 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 lb. pre-cooked chicken sausage (preferably spicy)
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Cook potatoes in chicken broth. While potatoes are cooking, wash leeks well, and finely chop white and light green parts. Sauté leeks in a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth until soft, then add to broth and potatoes. Dice the sausage and sauté in pan and drain fat off. Add sausage to leeks and potatoes. When potatoes are soft, stir in parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8.

Preparation Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 to 45 minutes

Nutritional Information: (per serving)

Calories: 217Protein: 17 gFiber: 3 gCarbs: 27 gFat Total: 5 gSaturated Fat: 1 g

Ratatouille

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 small eggplant, cut into 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 1" pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 1" pieces
1 (14-1/2) oz) can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Parmesan shavings

Directions:

1, Heat oil in Dutch over over medium high heat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant and bell pepper, cook, stirring frequently, until peppers have softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in zucchini, squash, tomatoes, salt, oregano, and sugar; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and flavors are blended, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Nutritional Info per serving:

88 calories
3g fat
1g saturated fat
2mg cholesterol
444mg sodium
13g carbohydrate
5g dietary fiber
4g protein

Softball is here!

School is coming to a end for my girls and with that, comes girls softball. They have a great time playing it and I enjoy watching them. This activity is fun and helps keep them active and entertained through most of their summer vacation. The downfall of it, is that their games are typically a few times a week and right after I get off from work. This means that I have a limited amount of time to prepare and cook dinner for my family. It's not unheard of to hear of other families who are struggling to find something quick and easy to eat. I am always looking for ideas and suggestions to be able to share or implement within my household. Since I focus on eating healthy, I try to avoid fast food restaurants not only because of the "cheat" potential but because of the cost. I think you can find healthy alternatives but not as good as a home prepared meal. In general, planning is essential, just like with weight loss. Plan tomorrow's dinner tonight and even better the whole week's worth, ensuring that you have the ingredients and the time to not cheat yourself and your family of a delicious meal instead of a greasy burger and stale fries.