No Title 02/04/2012
 
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Looking for another "something different" to help you pack in some veggies?   This salsa is a great side dish served over grilled chicken or fish.  It also works well as a "salsa" with pita chips or tortilla chips, as a topping in chicken wraps, or simply with a bowl and a spoon.  We enjoy this often, but especially during the summer months, it's a weekly staple because it's very healthy, fast, easy, doesn't require cooking, and everyone loves it! 

Depending on how you plan to use it, this recipe serves 4.  I always double it for our hungry family of 6. 

Nutrition Info for 1/4 of this recipe (1 serving):
312 calories, 17% fat; 69% carbohydrates- the healthy kind!; 16% protein


1 cup  frozen corn kernels 
1  large (2-1/4 per lb, approx 3-3/4" long, 3"  dia) sweet red pepper
1  medium red onion- diced 
3  medium green onions, chopped 
1  cup  black beans, rinsed and drained 
1 1/2  Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2   Tbsp honey
1 1/2  Tbsp lime juice
1  tsp Mrs Dash Extra Spicy 
1/2  tsp ground cumin 
1/4  tsp salt (to taste- may need more)
1/2  cup  cilantro, fresh, chopped 
 
Remove corn kernals from the freezer and thaw on counter, or in microwave, being careful not to heat or cook them. You want them room temperature or slightly cold- not icy.
 
Chop the red pepper to about 1/4-1/2 inch size. Dice the onion. Pieces should be smaller than the pepper.
 
Slice the green onions- Use all of the whites and most of the green tops.
 
Place chopped vegetables in a 4 Qt. bowl.  Add the corn kernals and the rinsed and drained black beans.  Stir all of the vegetables until combined.
 
In a small bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, honey, Mrs. Dash and cumin. Drizzle dressing on the  vegetables and stir until combined.  Taste it. You may not want to add  salt. If you do, start with 1/4 of a tsp., and adjust from there to your preference. Mix well.
 
 Add chopped cilantro if desired.  Mix until combined.
 
Recipe Variation:  Diced avocado is delicious in this salsa.  You could also add diced tomatoes.

The salsa can be served cold or at room temperature.
It can be served right away, but if you let the salsa sit for 30 minutes or so before serving, the juices of the vegetables will combine with the dressing, and the flavor will be even better.
 
 Store leftovers in the refrigerator.  Keeps well for about 3 days.
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These little breakfast "omlettes" are tasty and nutritious.  Baked in a muffin tin, they are in little portion-controlled servings.  Make a full batch ahead of time for quick and  easy  breakfasts on the go. (This recipe can easily be doubled or divided.)  We make 24 at a time at our house, and the family enjoys them over the course of a couple of days.  That makes breakfast on Day 2 a no-effort event.  A few seconds in the microwave, and they're good to go!  They also make a fantastic snack.  I've seen my kids eating them cold after school.

Each "omelette" is only 69 calories.  The percent of calories from each one breaks down as follows:  26% fat, 28% carbohydrates, and 34% protein.  There is about 1/3 C vegetables in each one, so if you were to eat 3 of them for breakfast, you'd have 1 of your vegetable servings for the day.  And a 3 "omelette" serving would only contain 207 calories.  Paired with an orange or 8 ounces of orange juice (1 of your fruit servings for the day), it makes a nice breakfast!

Ingredients 
 
1  medium (2-1/4" to 3-1/4" dia.)  potatoes with skin, thinly sliced (about 1/8 inch or less) 
2  stalks green onions,chopped, white and green parts 
3  large  mushrooms, sliced 
1  cup Spinach, raw 
 1/2  cup, chopped sweet red peppers 
 1/2  cup grated carrot
1  cup  liquid egg 
1  cup (not packed)  cottage cheese fat free 
1  tablespoon  flour unbleached 
1  tablespoon  salsa or a couple of dashes of Tabasco Sauce
 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper 
 1/2  cup, shredded  low fat cheddar cheese 
 
 
Steps 
 
 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees,  and  spray a 12-muffin tin with cooking spray.

2  Place a slice of potato in  each  muffin cup. Follow with 1 or 2 slices of mushroom.

3  Place grated carrot and red  pepper in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on High for 1 minute.

4 Finely slice spinach.  (Chiffonade)

5  Combine all remaining ingredients (including vegetables) in a Quart-size measuring cup or medium size  bowl. Stir until combined. (Add salt to taste, if desired. Probably no more  than  1/2 tsp)

6 Fill each muffin cup with the  egg mixture until about 2/3 full.

7 Bake for 30-40 minutes, or  until  centers are set and the edges are beginning to brown.
  
Recipe Variation: Replace the  spinach with sliced baby asparagus. Delicious!
You can also add reduced  fat/turkey ham, bacon or sausage. **Adding meat will increase the fat and  calories.
 
Omlette Cups store well in  the  refrigerator for 2 -3 days.

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We've received weekly reports from just about everyone, and want to say again what a great job you all did last week!  We had a couple people join us at the last minute, so our total number of participants is now 34! 

Keep up the good work, continue to figure how this program works best for you.  It is an adjustment to make some of these changes.  Don't be discouraged if it's hard at first.  As you work on these healthy habits, it will get easier!! 

If you've come across something that has helped you be successful, we invite you to post on the blog and share with the group!
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We're in the home stretch of Week 1.  How did you do?  Hopefully each of you saw some success this week!  For those of us in Washington, it might have been harder than you thought this week!  Power outages, snowy, icy roads, and falling tree limbs definitely changed the normal routine for most of us. 

Good job doing your best with the resources you had available to you- wherever you live!  That's what this Challenge is all about.  Over the course of the 7 weeks, there will be things that come up unexpectedly, that challenge our commitment to continue, to push through, start again, or keep the goals we have set.  It might be an illness, travel, a crazy work week, or Mother Nature.  We may not have perfect numbers every week.  That's OK!!  Don't give up!  Do the best you can and continue to move forward.  Every step you take in the right direction makes a difference.  Every small success is a building block.  A new week is another opportunity to improve. 

And guess what.....  It gets easier!!  The first week is the hardest. 

Monday is our first reporting day!  Please remember to email, call the office phone and leave a message, or text us by midnight Monday night!  (please leave your name so we know who called/texted!!)  Reporting on time, will give you an additional point for next week.  

When you report your total, remember that this week, there are only 48 points possible.

A few reminders based on questions we've fielded this week: 

"Can we have cookies on snow days?" 
YES!  Of course you can.  On one snow day per week.  That would be your freebie day for the "No Sweets" category.

"If I exercise more than the required 150 minutes, can I get more points?"  (This would apply to drinking more water, eating more veggies, etc.) 
No- sorry.  There is a maximum of 6 points per category, per week.  And remember: Before you calculate your exercise points, read that section of your Rules.  Exercise is calculated differently than every other category.  You are accumulating the 150 minutes.  You can do it in 2 days, or 7- whatever works for you.

"If I don't use my "freebies" do I get extra points?" 
Nope.  But you get the benefit of consistency.  It's actually a great idea if you're an "all or nothing" type person, and essential in the "No Sweets" category if you're removing sugar from your diet entirely.

"I don't understand the "freebies."  Is it one "freebie" each day, or one entire day off?"
That depends on you.  You get one freebie per category each week.  You can use them one or two at a time, or take an entire day off each week.  Example:  I haven't used any freebies yet this week.  Tomorrow is my day off.  OR  Let's say you went out last night, ate dinner late, had dessert, and didn't get 7 hours of sleep.  You would have used up 3 freebies- one in each of the following categories- 7 Hours of Sleep, No Food 2.5 Hours Before Bed, and No Sweets.

"I feel too full.  It's hard to eat all those fruits and vegetables."
 If you are feeling too full, be sure that half of your plate at mealtimes, consists of fruits and/or vegetables.  Pay attention to the portion sizes of the other foods you are eating.  If you are snacking quite a bit, or consuming large portions of the other foods in your diet, you may need to make adjustments to those foods (eat less of them) to make room for the fruits and vegetables.  If you have already worked that angle, and you are still too full, adjust the portion sizes of your fruits and vegetables down slightly.  You still need to get the recommended servings each day, you're just going to make the serving size a little smaller.  This would usually apply to smaller framed people.  If you've got a smaller body, your caloric need is not the same as someone with a larger body.  You should be able to find a comfortable place that is close to the recommended serving size listed in the Rules.

Best wishes for a great week ahead.  We look forward to hearing from you on Monday!
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OK Everyone- Here we go!  We've got 31 participants and we're excited for the next 7 weeks of working together on greater health and wellness. (An email went out this morning to each participant.  If you did not receive it, let me know so we can figure out what happened!)  Tips in the email about fluids, fruits and vegetables. 

Here's the motivational quote for today.  Congratulations on stepping forward!!  You can do it!
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OK- So we're hearing feedback from would-be participants, that the "Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime" goal is a show stopper.  Work schedules, lengthy commutes, and after-work commitments are conflicting with some people's ability to make this one work- and still eat dinner. (and get 7 hours of sleep at night.) 

We're making a small change to the rules with the hope that it will enable more of you who want to, to participate.

New Rule:  "Stop eating 2.5 hours before bedtime."

Of course, any of you who don't need that extra 30 minutes can certainly stop eating 3 hours before you go to bed.  Remember too, that you do have one "freebie" day for this category each week.  If there's a certain night you tend to get home later- that would be a great place to use the "freebie."

Additionally, remember that you may still have fluids during that evening "no eating" time.  Water is always OK, a glass of milk, or any clear fluids (juices, tea) would be OK.  If you really need something to hold you over until morning, you could even do clear broth.  We're trying to avoid solid foods, smoothies, and soups that are creamy, thick, or require chewing (Rachael Ray calls them "stoups".) 

Hope this helps!
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Registration for the Healthy Habits Challenge is underway, and we're excited to begin the Challenge on Monday, January 16th, 2012.  We have enjoyed conversations, texts, emails and written notes expressing excitement over this opportunity!  It's great to see people encouraged, hopeful, and ready to make some healthy changes in their lives!   

We will be posting to this blog regularly throughout the Challenge, and beyond.  We will be sharing information, tips and recipes that we hope will help you in your personal quest to become healthier and more fit.  We'll also post motivational  and inspirational stories and quotes to help keep you going.  Visit the blog often!  We hope you'll benefit from, and enjoy our posts. 

If you have comments, or questions,please share!  If you have a success story, or something you've learned that can help others, we invite you to share those as well.  We're all in this together, and the support we give each other will increase the likelihood of success.

So-- There are only 2 more days to share with your friends and family and encourage them to join us in the Healthy Habits Challenge.  Remember that the more people YOU know who join us, the easier it will be for you to be successful!  (Not to mention the possibility of winning a bigger prize at the end!!)

Registration closes Saturday evening- January 14, 2012. 

The contest and a "New you", begin on Monday, January 16, 2012!

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please send a message or call.  We're here to help!
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