Healthy and on budget

My Body By Vi diet allows me to lesson my grocery bill while eating healthier than I was but I also like to cook and still eat dinner since I actually replace my breakfast with a shake and a snack since I drink one after my workout. I still eat lunch and dinner. Since my goal is more than 30 lbs the total I spend per day a month is about eight dollars. Not bad for two those two meals plus my omega's and my metabolic booster.

Since I am new to eating healthy and hate spending a ton of money I thought I would share a few recipes that I have found. I love pasta so the first one I am sharing with you Chicken Piccata with Pasta and Mushrooms.  This recipe you can swap the chicken for a mild fish like Talipa or Shrimp. 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 6 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 chicken cutlets, (3/4-1 pound total), trimmed
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons butter

• PREPARATION

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm.
  3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in parsley, capers, butter and the reserved mushrooms. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

  NUTRITION

  Per serving: 397 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 54 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 28 g protein; 5 g fiber; 544 mg sodium; 609 mg potassium
  I made this a few weeks ago and it came out great. The kids and husband love it. My husband loves steak so I haven't tried this second one yet but think when he comes home we are going to try it. 
  

  INGREDIENTS

  • 8 ounces 1/2-inch-thick steaks, such as rib-eye, trimmed of fat and cut into 2 portions
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

  • PREPARATION

    1. Sprinkle both sides of steak with chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook, turning once, 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a plate, cover with foil and let rest while you make the salsa.
    2. Add tomatoes, lime juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and any accumulated juices from the steaks. Serve the steaks topped with the salsa.

    NUTRITION

    Per serving: 192 calories; 8 g fat ( 2 g sat , 4 g mono ); 81 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 26 g protein; 1 g fiber; 359 mg sodium; 515 mg potassium.
    
    
    I hope you guys like these recipes. There are many more to be found on web if you just look. Although I am meeting most my needs with my shakes I still love good food.
    Are you ready to start your 90 Day Challenge? What can you accomplish in 90 Days?
    http://lanischweitzer.myvi.net

A few fruits you should add to your diet

I am lucky in that my kids love fruits. The other day after dinner my son came to the table with an apple. I started to laugh because generally my kids have to ask before they grab food and just start munching but it was an apple and not a piece of candy from the Halloween candy bag we have. I couldn't get mad but I became curious besides the usual fruits I buy is there one I should try.

I found an article on the 8 Healthiest fruits you should be eating from Ladies Home Journal. So here's the 411 according to this article.

1. Blueberries. This has been listed as one of the best super fruits for awhile. I have seen this on the cover of many magazines while in the checkout line. Rich in antioxidants helps in fighting cancer and in the prevention of muscle degeneration. Like cranberries they also help prevent urinary tract infections.

2. Oranges. A single orange has a full days worth of Vitamin C plus potassium. The scent is also supposed to be calming.

3. Apples. The skin of an apple is high in fiber both soluble and insoluble. These types of fiber help lower cholesterol and keeps you regular. It is also packed full of antioxidants.

4. Bananas. These by far are my sons favorite and have become my favorite thing to mix with my Body By Shake mix with a dab of peanut butter. Bananas are full of potassium and low in sodium. This can help reduce your chance of high blood pressure and strokes.

5. Kiwi. Kiwi has twice as vitamin C as an orange and is thought to help reduce risk of cataracts and might even help protect DNA from damage.

6. Red and Purple Grapes. For those of you with little kids these are always the easiest things for me to get mine to eat. At every party with a fruit platter I would find them stuffing their cheeks like little chipmunks. Grapes contain resveratrol. This antioxidants helps fight against heart disease. You can get this in a cup of dark grapes or a 5 oz glass of Merlot.

7. Strawberries. Another one of my favorites for my Body By Vi shakes. A handful of this yummy treat is expected to help control type 2 diabetes, help prevent heart disease, reduce inflammation, plus full of vitamin C and and other antioxidants.

8. Papayas. Papayas help in digestion. They are full of Vitamin C and a good source of folate.

My kids still won't eat Kiwi. Maybe later when they get over that it looks fury. I hope you all enjoy and find this information useful. If interested in the article check out http://www.lhj.com/recipes/healthy/eating/8-healthiest-fruits-you-should-be-eating/

Ready to start your own 90 Day Challenge? Pick a goal, pick a kit and lets get started. http://lanischweitzer.myvi.net

Why Diet and Exercise are Both important

I at one point have tried just dieting....than just exercising. Actually I just exercised while eating everything I wanted. I find that if I just diet but dont eat the right foods I am actaully starving most the day. I hope I am not the only one who has done this.....

So looking up other results I have found an article that discusses this. The article I found discusses a study she found that had 400 women participants between the ages of 50-75. They were broken down into four groups, diet only, exercise only, both, and those that did nothing. The study lasted a year which is I think great because how many of us loose weight in the first few weeks of our program just to turn around a quit long before we get to a year right.

The results were exercise only lost 2.4% of there starting weight, diet only 8.5%, both lost an everage of 10.8%.  Those that were the highest in that category also kept a food journal.

You dont have to make a big change to start but making one small change well lead to another. My small change was adding the Body By Vi protein drinks and than I slowly made another and than another.

Its not how you start but how you finish. Here's a link to the article if you want more information http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=both_diet_and_exercise_are_important_for_weight_loss_success

Ready to start the challenge?? http://lanischweitzer.myvi.net

Why Omega's are important to a healthy diet

So I am taking my omega pills from Body By Vi and I love them because no weird fishy burps after but when someone ask me why I take them I have no real answer other than I know they are good for me so I looked it up. This is what I found:
Omega 3 and Omega 6 are essential fatty acids that are cruicial for normal tissue function. These two forms of Omega are not made by the body. Omega 9 is made in the body and can be used to replace what you are not getting if you do not intake enough Omega 3 and 6 but it sort of like a cheap subsitute.

Part of Omega 3's role is to: Prevent blood clotting and prevent cancer cell growth, help decrease the risk of heart disease, help maintain good mood and fight depression, helps lower the bad cholestorol in body. This is just a few things it does.

Omega 6 helps maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails and healthy immune system.

Omega 9 helps in cancer prevention and helps fight heart disease and cholestorol.

Adding Omega 3 to your diet is supposed to help reduce the fatty food craving and also reduces insulin production which reduces hunger.

I love my Omega Vitals I get in my weightloss kit for my 90 day Challenge. For more information the article used to help explain why Omegas are so good for you can be found at:  http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Omega-3,-6,-9-Fatty-Acids-to-Weight-Loss&id=1912032

Ready to start your own 90 Day Challenge? 
http://lanischweitzer.myvi.net

Its not how often you fail. Its how often you get back up!!

Since I have started my 90 Day Challenge before the holidays with a few friends I have to admit I have eaten sweets and indulged in chips more than once. I have not given up on myself though and despite the occasional slip I realize that if I am going to make this a life style and not a "diet" than I just have to acknowledge its not that I had a cupcake last night or that one day last week while brainstorming what I am going to do about the current problem that I had that I splurged on chips and dips its the fact that the next day I go on like nothing happened. I mean, really, lets face it none of us have our weight problems because we sat down one night and had some ice cream or splurged while we were at a yummy restaurant.

We tell our kids all the time that practice makes perfect. Why do we constantly give up on ourselves if we "fall of the wagon" when we mess up on our new diet. Although I don't see me stopping from having the occasional cupcake at a party or chips and dips every once in a great while it doesn't mean that I am following back in my bad habits. It means I am human and thanks to yummy recipes like the Butter Finger Protein Shake I make with my Vi shakes they happen a lot less...espicially when I admit to myself that I feel way better with a Vi shake for breakfast and one for a snack later.

Start your challenge today and be amazed at what you can accomplish.
http://lanischweitzer.myvi.net

DID YOU KNOW: if your Insurance has a...

DID YOU KNOW: if your Insurance has a wellness plan, Visalus products may be covered with Dr.'s prescription! Gethealthy GetFit http://ow.ly/aR4Pj http://ow.ly/i/CxnI