Week 9.....Great Summer!

What a great weekend...being able to go from the big city..... Detroit River days festival .....

This is from the Detroit side of the river looking onto Canada

To the serene and peaceful float down Michigan's Rifle river ...life is good! .....Well, except for the part where I dropped my phone in the water...but it was all worth it, getting to spend a great weekend with friends.

Homemade Greek Dressing

One of my favorite salads is Greek and I decided to create my own homemade version of Greek dressing to try and keep it clean. I wish I had my own home grown oregano and basil for this recipe...maybe next year.

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 Tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 Tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 Tsp. pepper
• 1/4 Tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbls. Dijon-style mustard
• 1 Tsp. honey
• 1 Tbls. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Whisk together in a bowl or shake in a jar and enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters

I'm not a big fan of fried anything but this recipe only uses a small amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan and it was so yummy!

• 1 large zucchini, grated ( or about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs 
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp.garlic powder
• 1/2 c. fresh Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil  
• Non fat plain yogurt or sour cream

Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Heat a large non stick pan on medium and add olive oil. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2" patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown. Serve with non fat plain yogurt or sour cream.

Cheesy Chicken Quinoa 

Cook 1 cup of Quinoa in 2 cups of low sodium vegetable broth as directed on package.

Saute in 1 Tbls. extra virgin olive  oil till tender:

1/2 red or green chopped pepper

1/2  small chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 cup shredded carrots

(Or combo of your favorite sauteed veggies)

 Chop 1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken ( I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)

Add cooked Quinoa and chicken to sauteed veggies.

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Cheese sauce:

2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup whole wheat flour

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ( or your favorite)

Add olive oil to medium hot pan, whisk in flour then slowly add vegetable broth.

Add cheese and stir till melted. 

Add cheese sauce to Quinoa, chicken and veggies.

Mix well and transfer to a baking dish.

Add a sprinkle of more cheese on top.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

What should your heart rate be during exercise?

I was wondering this the other day while on the elliptical, so of course had to Google it. I was happy to find out I was right on target.

Q. What should my heart rate be during exercise?

Richard Weil, MEd, CDE, recommends calculating your target heart rate with a formula called the "heart rate reserve" method. Use a watch with a second hand to keep track of how many times your heart beats per minute. You can feel your heartbeat at the underside of your wrist or along the side of your neck.

Here's how to use the formula:

• Determine your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) by subtracting your age from 220.
• Then, subtract your resting heart rate (it's best to take this when you first wake up in the morning) from your Maximum Heart Rate to find your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR).
• Multiply your HRR by the percentage of your MHR at which you wish to train (60% to 85% is the usual range for people looking to increase fitness and health).
• Add your resting heart rate back to that result to get your target rate.

So, assuming an age of 27, a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute, and a desired training range of 70%, the calculation would look like this:

220 - 27 = 193
193 - 70 = 123
123 x .70% = 86
86 + 70 = 156

Remember, this is an estimate, not an absolute. Also keep in mind that athletes may exceed the training zone, and even the maximum heart rate, during high-intensity training.

Happy Journey,

Deb

Week 8......Eating healthy during summer

It's not easy to eat healthy with all the summer get togethers and outdoor eateries (especially when my fav is Mexican), so I find myself ordering the healthiest things I can and only eating half the order, saving the rest for lunch the next day. It's working great for not only my waistline but my wallet too!

Chinese Fried Quinoa

I love Chinese fried rice and now I can eat it guilt free using Quinoa.....it really does taste like the real thing....I think even better! The only thing I swapped was the Quinoa for the brown rice and I used olive oil.....Recipe

Soft Protein Cookies

I mixed up a healthy batch of soft protein cookies to eat after my workouts. They aren't overly sweet but they are really yummy! They would be great for breakfast too, but I still love my smoothies for breakfast.

3 ripe mashed bananas

1/3 cup all natural peanut butter

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup craisins

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 T cinnamon

1 T Stevia

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon the dough by tablespoonful onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool and serve. Leftovers can be frozen.

Salmon with Cashews &Yogurt Sauce

This recipe was really simple yet tasted like a gourmet meal. I paired it with a side salad and melon....Yummy!

1 serving of Salmon, salt, pepper and garlic powder placed in a foil pouch with a drizzle of olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, open pouch and broil for 5 more minutes.

While fish is cooking mix together in a bowl:

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 Tbls. finely diced red onion

2 Tbls. lemon juice

2 Tbls. chopped fresh cilantro or 1 tsp. of dried.

1/2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

In a dry saute pan toast 2 Tbls. of chopped raw cashews till lightly brown. Set a side.

Plate salmon, put a dollop of yogurt sauce on top and sprinkle with cashews.....Enjoy!

Lazy Girl Exercises

I love that these can be done at home or when you're out and about.......

lazy-girl-fitness

Clean Eating Zucchini Bread

This recipe is super moist and not overly sweet. I added the walnuts on top for some added protein and crunch. It made two medium loaf pans and only baked for 45 minutes instead of the 50-60 minutes, I also used pumpkin spice and cinnamon instead of the nutmeg because I didn't have it on hand. I may add some raisins or dried cranberries next time, but it was Delish as is! Hope you try it and enjoy!

Recipe

I'm so blessed to love my job...   http://debbysinteriorartwork.com/

Happy Journey,

Deb

Week 6......The Great Outdoors!

Just Finished this 4' x 5' painting for a client. Looks like a place I would enjoy kayaking. 

http://debbysinteriorartwork.com/

Went to Argo Park in Ann Arbor to kayak the beautiful Huron river on Sunday. I'm so excited and looking forward to our big trip to Pictured Rocks in August to kayak Lake Superior, we might hit the Porcupine Mountains also on that same trip for some great Michigan waterfalls.

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Core Strengthening for better Balance

I found this site showing some great exercises for strengthening your core. ....so important for  hiking.
Core Training

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Fruit and Nuts Chicken Salad

I just made a mayo free chicken salad with my favorite ingredients....fruit and nuts!

2 cups of chopped cooked chicken

1 cup of seedless grapes sliced

1 pear or apple diced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 stalk of celery diced

1 green onion diced

Dressing

1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. seedless blackberry jam

1 Tbs. honey mustard

1/2 Tsp. Stevia

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk in a separate bowl and pour over Chicken salad

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Substitution Chart

I was recently looking for a substitute for mayo in a recipe and came across this great site for all kinds of ingredient substitutions....Chart

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My Newest Favorite Wine

I've been trying to drink more red wine lately and found this one at Meijer on sale for $6.99, you can't beat it. Mellow, slightly sweet and very easy to drink.

Happy Journey,

Deb