Veggie Gyoza! Yum!

I just whipped this little meal up and it turned out to be great! 

I was really hungry and didn't feel like the big ordeal of dinner. So, to the freezer I went! I know, I know, FREEZER!? "EEEEWWW!" Don't worry, its not what you think, Trader Joe's has a great frozen food section with many healthy options which are fantastic when you are low on time, or just don't feel like cooking! 

Tonight, I pulled out their Thai Vegetable Gyoza. Super yummy, very healthy, vegetarian (and vegan!), and easy to make! What more could you ask for!?

These can be prepared three different ways: pan-fried, microwaved, or steamed. I chose to steam them because you do not have to add any extra oil to cook them, so no added calories! 

I got water boiling and topped the pot with a strainer/steamer and tossed the whole package in: 

It only takes about 10 minutes to get them steamed all the way through and you virtually do nothing else! It is helpful to rotate them around in the steamer so they cook evenly.

Just pull one out and cut it in half to make sure everything has cooked all the way, and you are done! 

While the Gyoza were steaming I did cook up some brocolini  to have as well. In a medium sauce pan, I heated up a tiny bit of Smart Balance cooking oil and some fresh chopped garlic and sauteed the brocolini until the Gyoza was ready (also very painless). 

Dinner is served!

Soy sauce is an obvious choice for the Gyoza, but I decided on Tapatio to give it a little more kick! 

This meal was packed with veggies, easy to make, and most of all tasty!

Stairway to....?

I HATE missing a workout for silly reasons! So, you can imagine how annoyed I was when my car wouldn't start yesterday morning!! First off, that's just annoying to begin with, and second, I was missing Fitness Kickboxing at Farley's!! I was NOT a happy camper (or should I say kicker!).

After getting a tow truck and realizing my car would be stuck at the dealership all day (and night!) I caught a shuttle ride back home and made the decision to not let this situation ruin my day OR my workout!

I headed out for a nice little run. P.S. Running is FREE, can be done at ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, and is a great work out! 

I am blessed because I have great scenery to check out during my runs :) but regardless of where you live, getting out into the nice, fresh, summer air is one of the best things you can do for yourself! 

Anyway, I realized I had not ran the "Capitola Stairs" in a while. Uh-oh. I had to do it now, I was out and about and running right past this famous, steep set of stairs so I went for it:

Painful? Yes, but also very fun and rewarding! I felt great when I got to the top:

No pain, no gain baby!

Stairs are a great thing to add to you exercise routine whether you walk up them, or can run them! It is a great cardio workout and really busts those glutes!!

Get out there, mix it up, try some stairs, and have some fun!

Happy stair climbing!

Healthy BBQ Idea

There are so many reasons to love summer! One of the being the great opportunity to BBQ!

BBQs are a great way to spend time with friends and family, but lets face it, no one wants the guilt of eating fatty hamburgers and hot dogs all summer long!

Here is a great healthy alternative to try at your next BBQ: Chicken, prawn and veggie skewers!

Chicken and prawns are lower in saturated fats than your typical burgers and dogs and the veggies will bring added vitamins and minerals you would be missing out on!

Sure, they take a little more time to prepare, but its relatively easy and fun!

I start by chopping up the veggies I decide to use. I usually go with ones that are on the heartier side so they can withstand the high heat from the grill. For our little BBQ on the 4th I picked, bell peppers (all colors!), broccoli, and mushrooms.

I usually cut them pretty big so they don't cook too fast!

Meanwhile, I cut up some white meat chicken and marinated it in a Island Teriyaki sauce and held that in the fridge. Depending on what type of prawns you buy, you may have to be peeling and washing those while the chicken is marinating.

Next, its skewer time!

You can arrange the veggies, chicken, and prawns any way you'd like! You can mix it up and make some skewers with both chciken and prawns or keep them seprate depending on people's diet preferences/allergies. All veggie ones are great too!

Once they are on the grill, make sure to rotate them with tongs so that everything cooks evenly.

Now they are ready to serve!

Yummy! These are a great healthy alternative to any summer BBQ! I encourage you to try different combinations, marindes, etc.

Happy Grilling!

 

Mango Madness

Mangoes are a yummy super fruit that are perfect for summer time!

They have a yummy, sweet taste that will satisfy any craving, but they are only 100 calories/cup! What a great snack to have mid-day or a healthy substitute for dessert! 

Not only are they low in calories, but they are full of Vitamin C (100 % of your daily value!) and have lots of Vitamin A. Both are very important in immune function and collage production :) Mangoes also provide lots of dietary fiber!

To enjoy I just cut mine right down the middle and then cute slices from there, and just eat it right off the skin! Its like a piece of tropical heaven!

(like so)

You can also prepare some slices to go for a healthy snack on the run!

Mangoes are also being used in many dishes (like salsas and salads) which is a great way to mix it up and add more fruits into your diet!

 
So, experiment, have fun, and get mad about mangoes! Enjoy!

Outstanding Orzo!

This is a great recipe that is super easy and can be enhanced any way you like! 

Only a few ingredients are necessary:

-Orzo

-Veggie broth or bullion (Chicken works too)

-Cooking oil 

-Any type of vegetables

This week I used brussle sprouts, green beans, and mini bell peppers. 

1) chop up desired veggies to be used.

2) start heating up a sauce pan with cooking oil, at the same time begin warming up vegetable broth (or chicken) in a separate pot.

3) add veggies (heartier ones first) to the warming skillet and let them begin to brown (in my case I added the sprouts first to give them more time to cook).

4) add the uncooked orzo to the pan with the veggies, by this time the broth should be warm enough to add into the pan with the orzo. 

5) once everything has been added make sure to keep mixing things around and cover the pan.

6) the orzo should only take about as long as pasta to be fully cooked so check it for done-ness.

7) ENJOY!

My Outstanding Orzo :)

  This is a nice versatile dish that can be used as a whole meal, a side dish, or a great thing to bring to a party or BBQ! I made a ton of extra for leftovers!

If you want to enhance it a bit you can add in some chicken or prawns or cheese on top when serving!

So, get creative with it and eat well!

Triumph Over Traveling

I have just returned back home from a week of traveling (to see my brother get married!!) so I want to share about staying on top of your game even when your schedule is turned upside down. 

We all know how hard it can be to stick with an exercise routine and eat healthy while away from home and always on the go. OK, yes, vacations are for relaxing AND indulging, but there is no reason why you should feel like an over inflated inner tube on your journey back home. 

Like I said, my trip was a week long and included a wedding (wine and cake, anyone?) so it is obvious that there would be plenty of room for error when it comes to eating and exercise. However, I must pat myself on the back here and say that I did a pretty good job staying on track. I was missing my gym and classes for circuit training and kickboxing, but while I was away I managed to fit in a few runs and lots of walking! 

This is a pic I took on one of my morning runs. I got to see a great view out of town and feel good for the rest of the day!

So, all I can say is: BRING YOUR SNEAKERS!! I don't care if you think you won't have time or will be to tired, or whatever! Bring them, and you will use them, that is half the battle! 

Also, if you have the pleasure of being at a wedding, please DANCE! This is a great way to have fun and burn tons of calories :)

Now when it comes to eating appropriately, its really hard, period. There is no special secret or crazy antibody that will allow you to eat whatever you want and not feel horrible afterward :( It is really hard to eat clean when you are away from home, I get that, but the point here is to make the healthier decision whenever possible. 

On this trip, we ended up eating out a lot, which is fine, but you just need to be aware of what you are putting into your mouth. For breakfast, I would try to choose something with eggs (egg sandwich, scrambled egg burrito) so that I was sure to stay full long after, and not snack on something I would regret later. For lunch, a salad. No matter where we were, a salad. That's what I got, who knows if you'd be able to get any veggies in later in the day so better fill up at lunch time! Dinners are more difficult because you may not have a choice in the matter so don't be too hard on yourself! 

This may seem like too many rules and too much responsibility during a time of fun and relaxation, but just remember how hard it will be to get back into your groove if you have fallen way off track!

Let me know if you have any good traveling tips!

Fave Healthy Dressing

Lately my friend Rose and I have been obsessing over this super easy, super yummy, and healthy salad dressing! 

You can make it on your own and all you need is 4 simple items:

-Olive Oil

-Lemon Juice

-Salt

-Pepper

The ratios really depend on your personal preference as far as how much citrus or salt or pepper flavor you like. For the olive oil, the point is not to drowned your whole salad, so a light drizzle along with the lemon juice should work just fine. 

This is a very tasty way to jazz up your salads of any kind without packing on too many extra calories or taking away from the flavor of a ice fresh salad.

If you have more time or want to mix it up a bit, try adding some parsley, basil, cilantro, or rosemary to have some more flavor. 

This can also be used as a marinade which works great with fish!

 Now you may be able to find similar stuff out there in the grocery stores, but please read the labels! It will be very hard for you to find something this fresh and pure because many companies have to add extra sugars and additives for flavor and to extend shelf life. So my suggestion is to make it on your own with all natural ingredients so there is no confusion!

Happy dressing! Enjoy!