health-freeak:

Here are some great tips for a healthy breakfast:

1. Be consistent with your portions. For most people, a perfect breakfast has three components: one serving of a whole grain carbohydrate, one serving of a dairy or high-calcium food, and one serving of fruit. Together, that would add up to roughly 300 calories

2. Have a bowl of sweetened brown rice. Consider it a takeoff on prepared cereal. Brown rice is full of energy-providing B vitamins, as well as a great source of filling fiber.

4. Use organic eggs. They’re not much more expensive than regular eggs but are much higher in all-important omega-3 fatty acids, shown to benefit everything from your mental health (reducing risk of depression) to your heart health (reducing risk of atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation),

5. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of ground flaxseeds. It could be over your cereal, over your yogurt, over your smoothie, or over your eggs. Next to fish and organic eggs, flaxseeds are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

6. Use Benecol, Take Control, or Smart Balance instead of butter. These newly developed soft food spreads contain heart-healthy plant stanols. Just 2 tablespoons daily can significantly lower your total cholesterol level.

7. Have lunch for breakfast. Instead of butter or cream cheese, top your morning (whole wheat) toast with 2 tablespoons tuna prepared with low-fat mayonnaise. The tuna is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and an excellent source of energy-boosting protein.

8. Top your cereal with soy milk. Packed with potent phytoestrogens, soy has been credited with everything from protecting your heart to promoting stronger bones. But make sure that it’s fortified with calcium; otherwise you’re missing a great opportunity to get some bone-building calcium.

9. Hit the vegetarian section of the grocery. Soy bacon and sausage, gardenburgers, and soy crumbles make great sources of protein for breakfast without the saturated fat of their meat originals

10. Drink three cups of unsweetened orange juice every morning. The vitamin C in OJ not only boosts your immunity, but also improves your cholesterol levels. One study found that drinking three glasses of orange juice a day for four weeks raised levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol, by 21 percent

11. Choose these toppers for your (whole wheat) bagel or toast:

• Two tablespoons nonfat cottage cheese sprinkled with flaxseed
• One slice low-fat cheese melted over a slice of mango
• Two tablespoons soy butter with a sliced banana
• One slice of baked ham and one sliced tomato

12. Shave one ounce of dark chocolate over a cup of nonfat yogurt. Mix. The calcium-rich yogurt can actually help in your efforts to lose weight, while the antioxidant-loaded dark chocolate can help reduce the stickiness of “bad” LDL cholesterol and keep your arteries more pliable. Plus, who can resist starting the day with chocolate?

 Hope you enjoyed this one (: xo

gymorexic:

berryhealthy:

Baked Oatmeal Casserole
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup raspberries {any berries work}
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices


Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a 10-1/2 by 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal). In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.
3.  Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar.

omg

allergyfreefoods:

This is one of the few things I like to make over and over and it’s so simple.  1 red onion, 3 bell peppers, 1 can of white kidney beans drained, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme tossed together and broiled about 15 minutes (stirring once).  Once it’s done, toss it with some balsamic vinegar.  You can broil meat on the side (chicken, pork, flank steak, fish) and also double it for a party (as pictured here).  So yummy!

muffintop-less:

My Tips on Fitting Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule:

• Schedule it - Mark it on your calendar or planner and treat it as an important meeting, not to be missed!
• Wake up earlier - For a lot of people, waking up earlier than normal is a horrible inconvenience.. but it’s also a great way to get a workout in before your day has even officially begun! (Trust me, it’s such an awesome feeling walking out of the gym as all your fellow bleary-eyed gym-goers are just walking in!)
• Keep your workout gear close-by - By keeping a set of workout clothes in your car at all times, you give yourself NO excuse not to hit the gym after school or work. Just swing by the gym on your way home 
• No gym? No problem! - Bodyrocktv on Youtube has AWESOME, intense, at-home workouts that you can do for $0 and minimal time! There are also a massive amount of workout DVDs available online.
• Avoid the elevator - You can burn extra calories by skipping modern conveniences. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away, not in front of the store, skip the car and take your bike..
• Take breaks - Get up from your desk, stretch and go for a quick walk to the coffee machine or the water fountain. Sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy, so give yourself a break.
• Use time wisely - While you’re waiting for the shower to heat up or your ride to arrive, do jumping jacks, push ups, squats, burpees.. anything you feel like to get your body moving. At least it’s SOMETHING.
• Squeeze it in - Even if you don’t have one giant block of time, you can squeeze in 10 minutes here and there of something like Yoga, Pilates or Tabata style workouts.
• On the phone? Walk! - Don’t sit if you spend a lot of time on the phone. When given the opportunity, walk and talk.

If exercise and health is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse. You’ve only got one body, take care of it! =)

gettinfitt-er:

favorite.