Sweet Success

This is a great video about processed food to share with children.

A wonderful way to inform kids about the difference between whole foods and processed foods.

I love how the food processors are so evil!

4 days ago

1 #sweet success#food#whole foods#clean eating#kids#children#health#healthy eating#healthy cooking

Walk Out on Your Job

Yesterday 2,300 people in Kearney walked out on their jobs.

These employees walked 1.5 miles and ate a healthy lunch as part of Walk Out on Your Job, an event sponsored by Wellness Works.

I’m so excited that I got to be a part of the event this year. As the president of Wellness Works, a local non-profit organization that promotes workplace wellness, I got to help organize this huge event!

Although planning such a major event was a lot of work and quite stressful at times, it was all worth it when I saw all of those people out getting exercise during their lunch breaks.

According to the American Heart Association, walking for as few as 30 minutes a day provides heart health benefits.

For employers, promoting physical activity to employees can have huge cost saving benefits. Employers can save $16 for every $1 they spend on health and wellness, according to the American Heart Association.

5 days ago #sweet success#health#fitness#exercise#healthy living#walking#food#healthy eating

It’s grocery day! I love shopping for food.

Today I purchased lots of fresh produce (as always) - kale, spinach, green beans, organic apples, red pepper, orange pepper, Brussels sprouts, fresh ginger, garlic cloves, zucchini, cucumbers, asparagus, strawberries, grapefruit, avocado, pineapple and limes.

I bought frozen salmon - the best I can do here in Nebraska!

I picked up some tahini to make hummus, organic apple cider vinegar to make detox drinks and some unsweetened coconut.

Did you go grocery shopping this weekend? What did you buy?

1 week ago

2 #sweet success#food#groceries#healthy living#healthy eating#healthy cooking#health#cooking

Healthy brunch recipes that will impress your mom

Nothing expresses love better than a healthy, home cooked meal.

Make your mom a delicious brunch this Mother’s Day and she will know how much you appreciate her.

Try some of these healthy and delish recipes:

This Strawberry Fig Salad is perfect for brunch. The sweetness of the strawberries, coconut and figs is just so delicious.

Or serve this light Spring Salad with Poached Eggs. Absolutely amazing!

1 week ago

1 #sweet success#Mother's Day#health#healthy cooking#healthy eating#cooking#food#eating#healthy living

What I Eat in a Day: Tuesday, May 7

Tuesdays are my busiest day of the week. I teach three fitness classes - 5:30 a.m. cycle class, 5:30 p.m. deep water aerobics and 6:45 p.m. Piloxing.

What I eat is even more important on days like this because the food I eat helps me recover from my workouts and gives me energy to make it through the 2 hours and 45 minutes I spend exercising on Tuesdays.

I started the day with my cycle class. I don’t eat anything before class. I just don’t get up early enough. But I do drink some water before and during class.

For breakfast, I had a Protein Pancake. This recipe is from Tone It Up. I’m currently doing the Tone It Up Bikini Series, so I’ve been eating this for breakfast a couple of times a week. Yesterday, I topped my pancake with fresh pineapple, honey and unsweetened coconut. I change my pancake toppings every time I eat it - strawberries and pure maple syrup, blueberries and honey, diced sauteed apples with cinnamon, etc.

1 week ago

1 #sweet success#healthy living#healthy eating#healthy cooking#food#cooking#health#clean eating#whole foods

“According to food author Michael Pollan, you can sum up healthy eating in seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” While it may sound silly or too simplistic to some, this is great advice.
“Eat food” means a balanced diet of whole foods - fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and lean meats - rather than processed foods. “Not too much” means stop before you are full. “Mostly plants” means that most of your plate should be filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. Only about one-third of your meal should be comprised of animal protein.”

— Michael Pollan, “In Defense of Food”

2 weeks ago

4 #sweet success#food#health#clean eating#whole foods#healthy eating#healthy cooking#healthy living

Muscle Soothing Smoothie: Tart Cherry Banana Smoothie

When I stepped out of bed this morning, I was instantly reminded of the 13.1 miles I ran yesterday.

My glutes, hamstrings and quads were feeling the pain of the run.

After tough workouts, I always try to recover with protein, lots of water and stretching, but there are certain foods and drinks that can help prevent muscle soreness.

I started drinking tart cherry juice awhile ago to help prevent muscle soreness.

According to Livestrong, tart cherries or tart cherry juice has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and helps prevent symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage.

2 weeks ago

1 #sweet success#food#cooking#health#healthy living#healthy cooking#healthy eating#fitness#exercise

I stopped at the grocery store yesterday to stock up on fresh produce and to pick up a few other items I needed.

I bought 2 zucchinis to make zucchini noodles, organic Fuji apples, fresh blueberries, lemons, roma tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, red pepper, green pepper, a red onion, bananas (not shown), an avocado, a pineapple, Spinach and spring mix.

I would have preferred to buy organic spinach and lettuce, but the Apple Market didn’t have any.

I also picked up chopped dates (my fave!), crumbled feta, pesto, walnut halves and Chobani plain Greek yogurt.

I’m planning to make homemade pizza this week, which is why I picked up tomatoes, pesto, peppers, spinach and feta. I’m very excited for that meal!

You may notice that I never have protein in my grocery photos. My freezer is pretty well stocked with chicken, fish and ground turkey. If I forget to thaw my protein, I’ll make a quick run to the store to pick some up. I also eat vegetarian a few days a week, so I don’t need to purchase a lot of meat. I also keep lots of cage-free, antibiotic-free eggs in my fridge.

I also don’t buy cheese that often. I occasionally buy Babybel for snacks or fancy cheese for cheese plates. I mostly use feta, Gorgonzola or shredded Parmesan.

My pantry is pretty well stocked with all my grains (quinoa, brown rice, millet, whole wheat couscous, barley, etc.), so my weekly grocery runs are usually to pick up fresh produce.

This is how I eat clean! How do you eat clean?

3 weeks ago

2 #sweet success#groceries#food#healthy cooking#healthy eating#health#healthy living#clean eating#whole foods

Cupcakes and Cocktails: Don’t let the weekend wreck your diet

Happy Monday!

I have been thinking about the food and fitness choices I make on the weekends compared to weekdays. I usually indulge a bit more on the weekends (see cupcakes below), but I always make sure to fit in exercise on the weekends.

The reason that I’m bringing this up is because we tend to relax our healthy eating habits on the weekends by enjoying cocktails (see margaritas below), eating out and eating treats. I’m totally OK with indulging a bit on the weekend, but I think it’s important to stay committed to your healthy lifestyle all the time.

To put it in perspective - if you eat whatever you want and skip workouts Friday evening through Sunday, that’s basically 10 days of the month (8 Saturdays and Sundays and 4 Friday evenings) that you are indulging and not being active. That’s 1/3 of the month! You will never reach your health and fitness goals if weekends aren’t as healthy as your weekdays.

I’ve decided to share my weekend with you - the good, the bad and the ugly…

Saturday, the BF and I had to do our last training run before the Lincoln Half-Marathon, which is this Sunday! We ran 10 miles together. I admit, it was a rough run. I started to struggle at about the third mile and wanted to quit at five miles. But I pushed through and felt stronger towards the end.

3 weeks ago #sweet success#weekends#food#fitness#exercise#healthy living#healthy eating#healthy cooking#cooking#cocktails

What I Eat in a Day

People often ask me what I eat. What I eat varies from day to day and week to week. But I always try to eat a variety of fresh produce, consume enough protein to help my muscles repair from my workouts and eat foods that will energize me. And, of course, have a special treat occasionally!

To give you an idea of what I typically eat, I will share a page out of my food and fitness diary once a week.

Check out what I ate on Friday! This is really what my meals and workouts look like on a typical weekday, although I did have a few treats toward the end of the day!

I started my day with CrossFit! Our WOD (Workout of the Day) was 5 rounds of 1 rope climb, 10 toes to bar, 20 lunges with a 45 lb. bar overhead and 30 jump rope double unders.

I had to modify a bit. Rope climbing gives me flashbacks of elementary school (when I was an overweight child) and could barely pull myself off the ground. I always felt so embarrassed. Well, I’m no longer overweight, but I still can’t pull myself up a rope. Luckily, I never feel embarrassed in my CrossFit class and always just do what I can. My CrossFit coach, Bryce, draped towels over the pull up bar and I did little jumps pulling myself up with the towel. It, surprisingly, made my arms burn.

The whole workout was tough and intense. I always struggle with toes to bar and lunges with a bar overhead always get my heart rate going.

When I got home, I made a cup of Traditional Medicinals Ginger Tea. Ginger is really good for digestion and having a cup of hot water or hot tea in the morning helps get your digestive system going.

4 weeks ago #sweet success#fitness#health#healthy eating#food#healthy living#healthy cooking#cooking#exercise#running#CrossFit