What The Pho?

Went to Pho last night after a 90 minute workout.....

Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Vietnamese basil, lime, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is dining.

Me:  Person who is dining...

I get no meat.....
Just give me the broth and all the other stuff

Hot soup (spicy too) on a cool Fall day?
Sign me UP.

Basil, bean sprouts and fresh jalapeno 

SO GOOD.
If you've never tried PHO you are missing out.

Happy Friday!

The Egg McGrecco 240 Calories 7.5 Grams of Fat

Who needs McDonald's breakfast sandwiches when you can get the Egg McGrecco?  

240 Calories

7.5 Fat

 100% Delicious in 5 Minutes or Less

Use reduced fat cheese

PS - I got these earring for practically nothing this weekend.  They make me happy.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Sunday: The Day Of Rest......Sorta. Plus a New Healthy Recipe.......Sorta.

I like to reserve Sundays for being lazy.  However my version of lazy is kind of twisted.  

Sunday, September 25th 2011

8:30am: Taught a 1 hour Spinning class.  The spinner attendees really help in keeping ME motivated.  Who would've thought?

10:00am Kissed a dog and two cats for 15 minutes

Squiggy:
The chubby one who likes to wear my shoes

 

Lenny:
The mischievous ladies cat

Ruby:
The sweet snuggler who NEVER barks or howls

How could you pass up hanging with this???

10:30am - Grocery shopped (BORING but necessary)


12:00pm - Cooked healthy pasta salad while also catching up on DVR (SNL with Alec Baldwin).  I'm a total multi taker.  Doing one thing at a time just isn't for me...haha

I love Barilla brand pasta.  Especially the Piccolini. They have Mini Zucchini and Spinach Rotelle &
Mini Tomatoes & Carrots Farfalle
BRILLIANT!

Here is my recipe.  Really not a recipe.  I just throw stuff in a bowl that sounds good.  I promise it works.

Here are the ingredients.

This is the final product.

 

1:15pm - Lay around and watch football with my husband.  Read magazines, blog and pretend to watch football.


Have a RESTFUL Sunday!

xo
Sarah

Friday Book Review: Skinny Bitch

Ok, so I'm kicking off Friday with a book review.  But before I launch into Skinny Bitch can I just say I love the outfit I put on today?  Total cost of the outfit was under $10 including the shoes!  Not bad.  Plus I love mixing patterns..

Happy Friday!

XO,

Sarah

A few friends recommended the book Skinny Bitch....

After reading I now know I am definitely not a 

Skinny Bitch kind of girl.

This book was on the New York best sellers list and I'm not sure it's because of the content but more about the clever title.

Here are 4 things I found useful from this book:

• Carbs are GOOD - Thank goodness!  Giving up carbs is not something I care to do.  Whole wheat pasta rocks.
• Know what you are eating - The message around knowing where you food came from was great.  These women do a lot of research on the ingredients from the foods they are choosing to eat.  Love that.  They tell you to trust no one....not even them.  I tend to agree.  If there are too many ingredients in something I've never heard of I usually pass.
• Get rid of SODA people! - Soda both diet and regular are terrible for you and have NO nutritional value.  Transitioning out of drinking soda for good is a good idea.  Water still trumps all and not only keeps your hydrated but can aid in increasing metabolism.
• Meat intake - I'm not currently a vegetarian but was for about 5 years.  I don't think I can give up meat for good but seriously reducing my intake is something I am seriously considering.  A co worker of mine calls it a flexitarian.  So as of today I am now a flexitarian which means I'll try and skip meat at least 4 days a week.

Here are 3 things from the book I thought were a little too crazy:

• Give up coffee???!!  No thank you!  That was at the beginning of the book and I almost put the book down for good at that point.  They claim it wreaks havoc on your body.  I work in the coffee industry and am likely to NEVER give up coffee.  I'd be out of a job if I took a "no coffee" stance.  If you are drinking one cup a day like I am it is very good for you.  It's 98% water and has 0 calories!  If you need it to stay awake then you might have a problem on your hands.....but in general one cup a day has never killed anyone or hindered them from reaching their fitness/weight loss goals.
• Fake Food- In their "Let's Eat" chapter all foods begin with the word FAKE.  Fake chicken patty sandwich, fake egg sandwich, fake bacon, fake chicken caesar salad.  All foods that begin with "fake" freak me out.  I like to eat minimally processed foods or things that start with the word fresh.  Just a thought.
• They recommend you give up coffee, alcohol, dairy, meat and sugar.....BORING!  Have we heard of something called MODERATION!  Hello!?  

Have an amazing weekend!

Team Salty or Team Sweet?

I was pretty excited to find this Tahari white blazer and heart necklace for $3.00 each! My best friend Shana (from ColorBlind) was in town and we had a major thrift shopping extravaganza which I totally count as exercise.  Don't judge.

Ok.....back to regularly scheduled programming.....

Are you team SWEET, team SALTY or BOTH?

I'm totally on team sweet.  Sugar is the bane of my existence.  I mean, if you give me something salty I'll eat it (love Pop Chips) but if you told me I couldn't have it I'd be ok.  I don't get that salt craving. 

I try REALLY hard (not always successful) to mix my sweet tooth with something actually good for you like fruit.  So today I whipped out some chocolate covered bananas.  I blogged once before about frozen bananas in the summer but discovered that they are gooey and delicious when they are at room temperature.  I would have never known this if it weren't for my impatient step son Nick. 

He just COULDN'T wait for them to freeze.....thankfully his impatience turned my treat into something even more delicious.

These treats are SUPER easy.  All you have to do is buy the melting chocolate and some bananas.  You need popsicle sticks and parchment paper.  Follow the melting instructions, dip the bananas, set them on the parchment paper and voila.  They are done.  If you really want to make them perfectly look it up on Google.  I'm terrible in the kitchen......haha!

You know I'm serious when I've got the hair
pulled back and the head band on.....

My cat, Squiggy, loves to be in pictures.
He's is giving me the
 "I'm going to eat whatever you're making" face.

What else am I supposed to do while my lovely husband is planted on the couch watching football  ALL DAY?

My husband John in his typical Sunday position.
Looking up fantasy football on his phone while
also switching back and forth from game to game.

The T.V. that I don't watch on Sundays

He is supportive of the blog but not
amused by all the picture taking during the Redskins game.....OOOPS!

Increase Protein & Decrease Carbs

Mango Salsa

1 mango, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/4 onion (red preffered, any onion OK)

juice of 1 lime, zest of 1/2 lime

mix ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate

Zesty, Creamy Topping

Skip the sour cream and use this instead!

1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt, strained (Place a paper towel in a strainer and add the yogurt. This helps give the yogurt a thicker consistency like soft cheese. It needs about 2-3 hours in the refrigerator and you can skip this step if you don’t have the time)

1/2 tsp chili powder, taco seasoning, or fajita seasoning

stir and refrigerate

 Fish

about 2-3 pounds white fish (we used tilapia or shrimp)

 season with salt and pepper

squeeze juice from 1/2 lime over fish

broil or grill on low to medium heat for 6-8 minutes (don’t over do it or your fish will be tough)

You will also need…

 Corn Tortillas

1 cup cabbage, shredded (green or purple – whatever looks good)

Making the Taco

Add the a little of each item and voila!  You have easy, simple fish tacos!

Indulge in a healthy, nutritious lunch or dinner… and feel great!

Skinny White Sangria

Here is my solution to a low calorie summer beverage for the holiday weekend:

Skinny White Sangria

(Thank you Bethenny Frankel)

8 peaches, pitted and sliced
4 white plums, pitted and sliced
1 pound green grapes, cut in half
3 bottles Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine)
One 12-ounce can Fresca or diet lemon/lime soda
One 12-ounce can club soda

Below is a picture of my version.  I didn't exactly copy Bethenny's genius recipe but basically I put a bunch of fruit in some white wine with a bit of Fresca.  It turned out AMAZING!

It's Hot & I've Gone Bananas!

I'm melting.....literally.  I'm in Las Vegas and temperatures have reached 113 degrees.  Walking from the parking lot into a grocery store seems similar to trekking across the Sahara.

I'm staying with my sister and my genius mother brought over something that she used to make when I was a kid.  Chocolate Covered Bananas on a stick.....

Low calorie, satisfying and an easy way to cool you down.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 medium ripe but firm bananas
• 8 wooden craft sticks
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped lightly salted peanuts
• 6 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa solids), chopped

Directions

Peel, then cut each banana in half crosswise and insert a craft stick into each half. Place on a tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until frozen, about 3 hours.

Place the peanuts in a shallow dish or on a plate. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the top pan. Pour the melted chocolate into a tall glass. Dip each frozen banana into the chocolate, turning it to coat, and immediately roll in the peanuts. Place on a tray covered in waxed paper. Serve immediately or wrap individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Let's Get Nuts

Here is an awesome article I got from someone about nuts.  I eats nuts often but probably over do it with how many and how often.  

Health Benefits of Nuts

Nuts are heart-healthy. Eating 5 or more ounces of nuts per week can lower the risk of heart disease. Nuts are high in “good” fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They are low in “bad” fats like saturated fat and also low in cholesterol. Some nuts, such as walnuts, are very rich in the polyunsaturated fat, known as omega-3 fatty acid or alpha-linolenic acid. Nuts are a source of vegetable protein, magnesium, folate and fiber. This may help explain why nuts can lower blood cholesterol levels. 

Nuts have a lot of calories per serving. Therefore, you should limit the amount you eat. Aim for 1 to 2 tablespoons daily or up to 5 ounces weekly. Replacing other foods in your diet with nuts will help you avoid weight gain. 

Tips for Adding Nuts to Your Daily Food Plan 

• Sprinkle walnuts in a garden salad

• Add nuts to a high-fiber breakfast cereal 
• Make your own trail mix using nuts, pretzels, dry cereal and dried fruit
• Add cashews or peanuts to a stir-fry meal
• Snack on celery sticks or apples with natural peanut, walnut or almond butters
• Top salmon with crushed pistachio nuts 
• Roast pine nuts and add them to pesto or marinara sauce
• Top non-fat frozen yogurt with walnuts 
• Add almonds to green beans

Nutrients in Selected Nuts

Serving Size: 1 oz (28 grams) dry-roasted nuts

Nuts	Calories	Total fat (g)	Saturated fat (g)	Monounsaturated fat (g)	Polyunsaturated fat (g)	Fiber (g)
Almonds (22 pieces)	169	14.9	1.1	9.5	3.6	3.3
Cashews (18 pieces)	162	13.1	2.6	7.7	2.2	0.8
Filberts/Hazelnuts (12 pieces)	182	17.6	1.3	13.2	2.4	2.7
Macadamia nuts (10-12 pieces)	202	21.5	3.4	16.7	0.4	2.3
Peanuts (35 pieces)	165	14.0	1.9	7.0	4.4	2.3
Pecans (20 halves)	210	21.0	1.8	12.4	5.8	2.7
Pine nuts (167 pieces)	190	19.3	1.4	5.3	9.6	1.0
Pistachio (49 pieces)	161	13.0	1.6	6.8	3.9	2.9
Walnuts, English (14 halves)	185	18.4	1.7	2.5	13.3	1.9