Nurture Principles

It’s finally spring! What better way to kick it off then to have a healthy picnic? This may be one of my proudest recipe creations yet. I’m a little excited about this one. It’s so simple and delicious. It has just over 100 calories per serving and less than 2 g of fat! I was able to make 5 servings of tuna salad with only 1/2 tablespoon light mayo in the entire batch! I used a secret ingredient, which is identified below.

This makes an excellent low-calorie lunch or dinner. Here are some ideas:

- Try it with a high fiber tortilla shell or flat bread (There are a few brands out there that have up to 11 g per serving – a great way to bank up fiber for the day. You need 25 grams a day and chances are you don’t get it.) Add your favorite vegetables (lettuce, tomato, alfalfa sprouts would all be good low-calorie options. Wrap it up and enjoy with a small piece of fresh fruit or 1/2 cup cottage cheese.

- Try making a tuna melt. Use whole grain bread, tuna salad, tomato, and sharp cheddar cheese. (With sharp cheddar, a little goes a long way. You could shred a half ounce over the tuna and you won’t sacrifice any flavor but you will save 60 calories and 5 grams of fat – a win/win situation. One ounce is the size of your thumb as an estimate.

Ingredient List

• 2 cans chunk light tuna (no need to bother with albacore tuna – it is more expensive and has a higher mercury content)
• 2 tablespoons relish
• 1/2 tablespoon mayo (I used light, but you are using such a small amount you can also use full fat. )
• 1/2 tablspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup “secret ingredient” plain lowfat yogurt

Drain tuna. Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Measure out 5, 1/4 cup servings in a storage container. Lunch for the work week is served!

Nutrition Information (per serving – 1/4 cup)

• Calories – 104
• Fat – 1.4 g
• Carbohydrate – 4 g
• Sugar – 3 g
• Protein – 18.1 g
• Fiber – 0 g (this is why you need the high fiber bread or tortilla)

You can also use this recipe to do egg or salmon salad. It’s all about what you love!

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Part 2, By Amy

It wasn’t until the age of 24 that I decided I had had enough. I was tired of breaking a sweat just doing laundry. I was terrified of the threat of insulin injections. I was through with feeling sluggish and my new job unloading trucks and doing inventory wasn’t making it easy to be comfortable in my body. After a couple weeks of loading and unloading trucks, I lost 10 lbs without trying. It was then that I knew I could do so much more if I put my mind to it – and so I did. I dusted off the treadmill in my basement and stocked up on Lean Cuisine whenever they were on sale. I bought a Jillian Michaels DVD and a subscription to Women’s Health.  I made it a point to learn about portions sizes and raw, whole foods. I used smaller plates and bowls.  I did my own grocery shopping and had my own cupboards in the kitchen stocked with brown rice, whole grain pastas, and cans of green beans. When I ate out, I dropped condiments and never ordered anything fried or doused in sauces. I ate salads without dressing and learned the true flavors of food without Ranch!

Along with Jillian Michaels and my 5 lb free weights, I would run one mile every morning before my shift in the warehouse. Sometimes “running” meant walking fast on an incline, but no matter how I felt, I got it done. And more than a decade later, my brother was still there – still mocking the possibility of weight loss. Thankfully, I didn’t care as much then as I did at the tender age of 12.  It was that very attitude that carried me through the next three years and the next 60 lbs.  But I didn’t set out with a specific number in my head. I just wanted to love the way I felt in my own body – I wanted to see the potential of *my* body, not try to meet the potential of anyone else’s.

I didn’t care about fad diets and celebrities telling me how I should or could look. I didn’t care about looking good in a bathing suit. I didn’t care about the goofy looks my friends would give when I would put a server through 50 questions about the food on the menu. All I cared about was how great I felt every single day. I cared about working without discomfort – squatting down to grab something off of the shelf without falling backwards (talk about embarrassing)! And don’t get me wrong – I know very well that some people *do* care about looking good in a bathing suit and I think that’s totally valid.  But I have found that focusing solely on the end result (a product) rather than respecting every stage of the process is not the way to find ourselves in a place we feel we should be.

I’m sure many people have read similar statements in several articles, blogs and newsletters: short-term goals bring long-term success.  But, you read these sorts of statements frequently because they are tried and true.  I tell my story not as a step-by-step guide or a how-to of weight loss and living well, because frankly, you have all the wonderful, well-established professionals in the field of Dietetics and fitness to give you the particulars. What I can offer is the proof that embracing your imperfections will find you successful if you mean to do well for your body and your mind. Nothing will ever be perfect – and that’s fine. In fact, your body will thank you for throwing it a curve ball now and again.  You can’t possibly tackle every obstacle of food and fitness in a short period of time – and you shouldn’t want to, because what wonderful things would you have left to learn every day?

Embrace the process of living well. Don’t look in the mirror thinking there’s some end-result, some ideal version of you hiding somewhere. The ideal versions of ourselves are molded by our families and our friends, by the love that we give and the knowledge that we share – and this ideal you is an evolving being who is never finished growing and never finished learning. The scale is a measure of mass, not a measure of success – let it be a compass, not a guide. You know your body better than anyone – listen to it, be honest with it and you’ll find that putting yourself first is easier than you think.

In Health,

Amy

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By Amy

My weight loss journey began at age 12. In the backseat of my Grandfather’s Chevy Suburban on the way back from a vacation in northern Michigan, I found myself reading one of my grandpa’s old issues of Prevention magazine out of pure boredom. I vaguely recall the article – something along the lines of “LOSE 10 LBS IN ONE WEEK- 8 EASY STEPS!” After reading through each step, I then asked my grandpa to turn down the radio so I could share with everyone my newly-found desire to lose weight.  As I began quoting the article, my 16 year old brother interrupted with a guffaw and exclaimed “Psh, yeah right, you can’t stay out of the kitchen for 10 minutes!” I hung my head and despite my grandparents’ scolding of my brother’s crass remarks, deep down I knew he was right.

I have a difficult time recalling my life before a dependence on food for comfort. Like so many people, I turned to eating to cure everything from boredom to anxiety to sadness. As a small child, food was offered as a pacifier and an alternative to not wanting to go outside and play. In middle and high school, food was solace from teasing and bullying for being overweight, slow, and “nerdy.” As a young adult with a full-time job and a full-time college load, food was a stress-reliever. And because I never drank soda or ate fast food very often, I never thought I was doing anything wrong. I had been convinced of what my family had been telling me for years; I was just a “big girl,” “broad-shouldered,” and a “bruiser.”

I don’t remember hearing the word ‘nutrition’ until I was in college. Is that strange? When I realized it, I certainly thought so. Sure, I remember seeing a poster of the Food Pyramid in the gymnasium of my grade school and if you asked me I could probably tell you that veggies were a good thing – but I was never told why and I certainly wasn’t provided any food that fit the criteria of that colorful, well-laminated poster on the gymnasium wall.   For most of my life, food was never something that provided sustenance for the body. Food was just something I loved and enjoyed whenever I wanted as much as I wanted. Eventually, I pushed my 5’8” frame to 220 lbs, borderline diabetes, and hormone imbalances.

Be sure to read part two of Amy’s journey to health tomorrow!

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What’s more fun than eating all-things-green on St. Patrick’s day? Try this out for a snack!

Guacammus

· 1 large avocado

· 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans

· 1 half small red onion

· 1 large tomato

· 1 lime

· 1 jalapeno and 2-3 cloves garlic OR store bought guacamole mix

Drain and rinse chickpeas and place in food processor. Blend with the juice of one lime until smooth, adding a couple tablespoons of water if necessary.

Seed and mince jalapeno and garlic and add to food processor to blend. Or add store-bought powdered guacamole mix and blend (I used the ‘spicy’ kind)

Scoop avocado from skin and add to food processor, pulse until incorporated.

Seed and dice the tomato, and dice the red onion. Stir into chickpea/avocado mixture.

Serve with fresh cut green peppers (to stay in theme!), carrots or pita chips.

This recipe is different from traditional guacamole by cutting the fat content with the chickpeas. The delicious avocado flavor is still there, with a hardier punch from the chickpeas!

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Last night the MeFirst Team had a great time chatting with Erin of FitMamaTraining . After checking in on last week’s sleep challenge we went over these questions:

Q1. What are S.M.A.R.T goals?
Q2. How can you change your current goals to be more SMART?
Q.3 How do you balance family and fitness?
Q.4 Does your family support your fitness and nutrition goals?
Q.5 How can you make sure you take care of yourself, while taking care of your family?

Q6 What is something that you will do this week that helps you balance family and fitness? (make it a SMART Goal!)

The #mefirst Challenge for this week is……

Try a new exercise! Try one thing you have never done before. yoga, pilates, dance, martial arts… just something outside your usual! Set a SMART Goal and Write it down-put it in the comment section or tweet @scritchfieldRD Then all week tweet what you got, or leave more comments here! We’ll keep up this challenge until our next  #mefirst chat,  April 6th!   (and don’t forget you can follow the hashtag all week long here)!

If you weren’t able to make it (or even if you were) we’d love to hear YOUR answer to those questions in the comments section! How are you finding sticking to your Me First Goals?

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By: Stephanie Horton of Guiltless

I want the glass of red wine and the slice of chocolate cake with whipped cream frosting. The need doesn’t fill a hole in my stomach…it creates one. But why? My Italian roots tease me and twist my brain, telling me over and over that wine is good for the heart and chocolate is good for the soul and eating is simply good. While the fear inside my veins tells me that if I drink the glass and have the slice, I’ll lose control and throw back the bottle and inhale at least 3 slices. The dietitian inside me tells me that 5 oz. of wine is good for my cardiovascular system (maybe) but go for a cup of fruit instead of the cake because it’s more calorie-friendly. But why? When all I really want is the damn glass of wine and a slice of cake. Why is this simple action so loaded with judgment and angst? Have I had traumatic experiences with these foods? Is there something about wine and chocolate that my subconscious hates? Nope! What I CAN say is that I have been programmed to think these foods are bad. And we’re long overdue for a change of heart.

Then the real me kicks in and says, “Enough, already!” and I feel empowered. And when I hear Lady Gaga sing “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen,” I remember how much more fun it is to be a queen than a drag. And if I were a queen, I would take my sweet time and pick the best wine in my apartment and pour a hefty glass, and I would take the sharpest knife in the kitchen and slowly slice through the cake until my perfect piece was gently placed on the dish surrounded by beautiful swiggles of chocolate syrup and loads of freshly chopped wild strawberries. And I would be calm. I would be thankful and excited to indulge. I don’t know if all queens think this way, but if I were a queen, this is what I imagine I would do. And then I’d go brainstorm solutions to bring world peace (of course.)

This thought process may be slightly on the crazy side, but that’s why I am writing about it. One thing I do know is that it’s not uncommon. How many of you struggle at least once a week with a food craving surrounded by guilt and anxiety? Conjure up that inner strength and say, “Enough already!” If you want it, take it – work for it – create it – and no matter if it’s food or a job or whatever your fancy is – DEVOUR it wholly and remember to always put yourself and your self-compassion first.

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I had been saving an e-mail from a PR firm about the new Pepsico “women’s inspiration network” social media community. I thought a pitch about “me first” may be in order.

It took about one minute of one video to change my mind and delete the e-mail.

Here’s the “mission”:

The PepsiCo Women’s Inspiration Network – PepsiCo WIN – is an online interactive network offering global female perspective, inspiration, and idea sharing through the involvement of experts, influencers and real women. It’s a network for all who are interested in listening, engaging, enabling and supporting women.

And now here’s the video I want you to watch and tell me:

- are you inspired?

- do you feel enabled?

- do you feel supported?

This video is supposed to be about juggling balance… and all we hear is diet, cleanses, and this guilt about if you’re getting married or going to prom don’t eat fast food. What about acknowledging genetics. What about don’t eat fast food because it doesn’t nourish you? Are we still trying to look like movie stars? I thought we outgrew that. Makes me sad. Makes me angry. Stop hatin’ on women.

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Are you on Twitter? Come join the Me Movement Team, and community for a Twitter Party on March 16th! Every Wednesday, we will be chatting about an aspect of the Me Movement from 9-10pm. Joining is very easy-all you have to do is log on to twitter and search for “#mefirst” Or you can you handy programs like TweetChat or TweetDeck to follow the conversation more easily. Our guest expert this week is Erin Brown, founder of FitMamaTraining

Meet the Expert

Having grown up battling depression and obesity, Erin Brown wanted to set a more positive healthy example for her daughter.  She set out to get healthy, lost 100lbs and changed her life.  Leaving behind 10 years of social work practice, Erin is now a certified personal trainer and lifestyle coach in Lawrence, Kansas. Through her website fitmamatraining.com she hopes to inspire others to live more healthfully for themselves and their families.Erin will be tweeting from @Fitmamatraining

Have a question you’d love to ask? Leave it below in the comments section and we’ll be sure to include it! Check back on Thursday for the best of the chat! We look forward to tweeting with you!

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By Carlene Helble

Can you think of a time in recent history when you’ve truly ‘unplugged’ to relax?

If you asked me that same question a week ago, I wouldn’t have been able to say yes. Since the Me Movement first started, I took this challange to heart, and made an effort to make more ‘me time’. After my winter break health meltdown, I knew I truly had to. So as spring break rolled around I made the most of my week vacation and unplugged (Well, mostly…it takes practice!).

The average American spends about 8.5 hours in front of a screen daily, roughly 1/3 of your entire day! Excessive (or even ‘normal’) amounts of screen time can alter sleep patterns, increase stress (bad work emails or gossip anyone?), and detract from the time you have with the real people in front of you.

Each day, and especially during vacation, make it your goal to eliminate screen time when you’re with a friend or family member. Checking your phone during a friend’s story, or locking yourself away in the office on your laptop during family visits is not only rude, but a poor use of leisure time. Love the ones you’re with in person. If you’re on vacation, enjoy the sights and scenery, not the ‘screenery’.

Remember, unplugging is temporary, and at all hours of the day you can do what you want to do there. But for the time you’re in need of some ‘me time’, be it a nap or coffee with your beau, put down the Blackberry and walk away.

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I was thrilled to have the chance to work with Avocados from Mexico this weekend at the Baltimore Health and Fitness Expo. It’s so fun helping people find fresh ways to eat well.

Everyone loved the food samples! We served an avocado citrus salad and avocado gazpacho!

Avocado Salad "Taste the Wow" Baltimore

Even the kids got into it!

A Baltimore girl tastes avocado gazpacho for the first time!

Watch me highlight the two recipes we cooked up at the Baltimore event.

Did you know all the amazing things Avocados from Mexico offer?

• Nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds that can contribute to the nutrient quality of your diet.
• Mono- and polyunsaturated “good” fats that are recommended as part of a healthy diet.
• Only 50 calories in each 1-oz. serving, (about one-fifth of an avocado) and offers nutrients, 3 grams monounsaturated fat and 1 gram of dietary fiber, all with zero cholesterol.
• Versatility: spread on a bagel, blend into a smoothie, slice into sandwiches, soups, and salads—there’s no limit to the amazing avocado!

Avocado Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 2 fully ripened Avocados from Mexico, halved, pitted, and sliced
• 2 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1.     In serving bowl, gently toss avocados and tomatoes

2.     In small cup, combine olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper.  Drizzle over avocados and tomatoes.

3.     Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

6 servings (about 1/3 cup vinaigrette)

Recipe available at www.theamazingavocado.com

Avocado & Chorizo Breakfast Tacos

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Mexican chorizo
• 9 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 six-inch corn tortillas, heated
• 1 avocado from Mexico, peeled, pitted, and sliced
• ½ cup pico de gallo salsa
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Instructions

In a skillet over medium heat, cook chorizo, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula, about 5 minutes or until cooked.  Drain off fat.  In a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat, cook eggs, stirring with a spatula, until scrambled.  Gently mix in chorizo.  Spoon scrambled eggs onto tortillas, dividing them evenly.  Top each tortilla with avocado slices and salsa; garnish with cilantro.

Serves 4

Recipe available at www.theamazingavocado.com

Avocado and Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 2 Avocados from Mexico, halved, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup diced jicama
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

Instructions

In bowl, gently mix together avocados, black beans, jicama, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño.  Add olive oil, orange juice, lime juice and salt; mix gently until ingredients are evenly coated.  Sprinkle with queso fresco.

Serves 4

Recipe available at www.theamazingavocado.com

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