Video - How much water do you need to drink in a day?

If you want to know more on hydration, Jenn and I did this video on hydration for school. It is important to know how much to drink throughout the day whether you are an athlete or not so that your body is getting all of the nutrients it needs to function! Hope you enjoy our short and informative video!! :)

Nutrition Myth Buster: Sugar

What Kind Of Sugar Do You Prefer Using?

o   White granulated sugar

o   Agave nectar

o   Honey

o   High fructose corn syrup

o   Maple syrup

o   Natural sugar from fruit and milk

White Granulated Sugar:

Primarily found in baked goods like cakes, cookies, pies, and bread. This type of sugar is the most commonly used sugar, and is most frequently called for in recipes.

Agave Nectar (Syrup):

Most often produced in Mexico. This type of sugar has a high carbohydrate content which results in a high percentage of fructose (approximately 75-90% fructose). Because of its high fructose content, Agave is a lot sweeter than most sugars and therefore you can use less of it. Agave is used by a lot of Vegans because it excludes all animal products.

Honey:

Produced by honey bees. Honey is used to sweeten all kinds of foods and beverages. Honey has approximately 47% fructose.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS):

Also known as “corn sugar.” This type of sugar is composed of the same simple sugars found in table sugar and honey. HFCS is mainly found in sodas and fruit flavored drinks. HFCS has anywhere from 45-55% fructose.

Maple Syrup:

Produced from the sap of maple trees. This type of sugar is most often used on pancakes and waffles.

Natural Sugar:

Fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose) both contain natural sugar meaning no sugar is added to these foods, they are produced with sugar already in them.

So Which One Is Better?

The truth is....sugar is sugar!! Once it enters the body, the body cannot tell the difference. Regardless of what kind of sugar you choose to use, you should always use it in moderation because they all have calories and therefore can all contribute to weight gain.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!! J

Greek Yogurt Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of fat-free Vanilla Chobani Greek Yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups of whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of vanilla protein powder (brand of your choice)
• 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of chopped almonds

Directions:

1. Combine all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together until there are no longer any clumps.

2. Heat a large non-stick griddle pan or skillet to medium heat. Scoop out 1/4 cup of pancake mix onto the pre-heated griddle pan (you can cook 2-3 at a time depending on the size of your pan). Flip the pancake once the top starts to bubble and puff up (about 1 1/2 min-2 min per side).

3. Top your pancakes with your favorite toppings. My toppings included: sliced bananas, a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup, and a sprinkle of homemade granola! Enjoy!!

Note: This recipe was modified from Chobani's greek yogurt pancake recipe.

How Many Calories Do You Need In A Day?

Have you always been wondering how many calories your body needs in a day? Most of us want to know this number in order to lose weight or gain weight. This number is somewhat important, but it really depends on the day. If you are growing, pregnant, breastfeeding, sick, training for a particular sport, or just doing more physical activity in general your body needs more calories on a day-to-day basis. Below are the answers to some common questions asked about calories:

What are calories? Why do we need them?

Calories are what your body uses to produce energy. The body will not function the way it should on a day-to-day basis if you do not give it the proper amount of calories it needs.

How many calories should I eat per day?

The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) is an equation used to tell you the amount of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight. This equation is for healthy adults and it factors in sex, age, weight, height, and physical activity. This equation is on the USDA ChooseMyPlate website so you can insert your own information (age, sex, weight, height, and physical activity level) and it will tell you approximately how many calories your body needs per day. Click on the link below to find out how many calories your body needs:

Calculate Your Calories

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

Basic rule of thumb is to subtract 500 calories from the number you received from the ChooseMyPlate website. This allows for a 0.5-1 lb loss per week. If you are planning to subtract greater than 500 calories from your diet ask your doctor before doing so as this can be dangerous.

How do I know how many calories are in my food/drink?

You can look up how many calories your food or drink has on the following websites:

Calorie King

USDA Data Base

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash in Marinara with Turkey Meatballs

This was my first time to make spaghetti squash and it was sooooo...good!! Spaghetti squash has a little bit more of a bite to it than spaghetti noodles, and it is a bit more difficult to make, but it has alot less calories and carbohydrates than spaghetti noodles. The one difficult part about this recipe was cutting the squash in half. I got the knife stuck in the squash a few times and I was afraid if I tugged too hard the knife would come flying out at my face! Afterwards, I read that you can put it in the microwave to soften it a bit before slicing, which I think I will definitely try doing next time. Nevertheless, this recipe was delicious and I will for sure be making it again! Enjoy!



Ingredients:

• 1 large spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 lb. of lean ground turkey meat (93/7)
• 2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 cup of fresh italian parsely, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 jar of Prego Heart Healthy marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (Note: you will need a sharp knife to do this - please be careful. If it is too hard to slice you can place it in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften it). Place on greased baking sheet cut sides down. Bake for 30-35 minutes.  Let squash cool for about 20 minutes.

2. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. While the squash is cooling, place ground turkey meat, worchestershire sauce, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, dried oregano, italian parsely, garlic powder, and ground black pepper in a large bowl. Mix ingredients together with a large spoon or your hands until well incorporated. Once you are finished mixing, form meatballs by scooping meat out with an ice cream scoop and placing on a large greased baking sheet (you may need to use your hands a little bit to round the balls). Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes, flipping in between to brown both sides.

3. Use a large spoon to scoop out the spaghetti squash and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and add the spaghetti squash and marinara sauce. Bring to a slight boil and then turn down to simmer (low).

4. Place spaghetti squash and marinara sauce in a bowl and top with 3-4 turkey meatballs. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!

P.S. This is what a spaghetti squash looks like if you didn't know:

Spaghetti Squash

DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent

We had been hearing about this "Homemade" laundry detergent for months from friends and family members and so we finally decided to give it a try! I first saw this on Pinterest, where a woman said that her homemade laundry detergent lasted her 9 months and only cost her about $20! I said to myself, "If that detergent really works, that would save us alot of money!!" Anyway so we preceded to go and buy the ingredients, little did we know, we could not get all of the ingredients at Target or WalMart. We ended up buying the Baking Soda, Borax, and Oxy Clean at Target and the Super Washing Soda and Fels-Napatha soap at Ace Hardware Store. After we got all of the ingredients this is what we did:

Directions:

1. Add the baking soda, borax, oxy clean, and super washing soda to a large trash bag.
2. Unwrap the fels-napatha soap and cut it up into small rectangles.
3. Place the cut up soap into the food processor and process until it is broken up into very small pieces. Note: If you do not have a food processor, you can hand grate this with a cheese grater.
4. Add the soap to the large trash bag with the other ingredients.
5. Mix all of the ingredients together with a wooden paddle.
6. Store laundry detergent in a sealed container or jar.

Ingredients:

1. 1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) - Target
2. 1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) - Target
3. 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) - Ace Hardware Store
4. 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap - Ace Hardware Store
5. 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) - Target

Some Tid Bits:

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons of laundry detergent for each load (i.e. use 1 tbsp. if you are doing a small load and 2 tbsp. if you are doing a large load)

**This detergent does not make the water bubbly but it is still doing the job!

**This makes your house smell soooooo...good whenever you make it!

**I got this recipe from this blog: http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html

 

 

Crank your salad up a notch!

Spinach with Flank Steak, Feta, Cranberries, and Walnuts

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

I guess that's what you get when you marry a soon-to-be dietitian.....A LOT of salad! We do eat a lot of salad in our household, BUT they are not just your ordinary salads. I love coming up with different salad creations instead of just the plain ol' lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and onions. Salads are not only easy to make, but they are also very filling due to all of the fiber (vegetables) and protein (meat, beans, nuts)! Here are the recipes to the salads above....

Spinach salad with flank steak

• Flank or skirt steak (enough for 2)
• 1 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup of reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1/3 cup of toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 medium roma tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
• Vinagerette of choice (we used a low-fat raspberry vinagerette)

Directions:

1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Grill steak on medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes per side. Let steak rest for about 5-8 minutes once its finished cooking.

2. Toss together baby spinach, feta, walnuts, cranberries, tomato, and onion. Lightly dress the salad with vinagerette.

3. Plate the salad and top with grilled flank steak. Enjoy!!




Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2-3/4 cup wonton strips
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup of green onions (white and green part), diced
• 1/2 bag of baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 bag of romaine, chopped

Peanut Dressing

• 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 1/3 cup of rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of Splenda
• 1 Tablespoon of reduced-fat peanut butter or PB2
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, parika, and garlic powder. Grill on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side, or until the meat is no longer pink in the middle. Once the meat is finished cooking, set aside.

2. Combine spinach, romaine, green onions, wonton strips, dried cranberries, and oranges in a large bowl. Lightly dress the salad with peanut dressing (Note: you will not need all of the dressing in the recipe above).

3. Top salad with grilled chicken breasts. Enjoy!!