Banana Oatmeal Muffins and Some Exercise Moves...

Here is a link to a delicious Oatmeal Banana Muffin recipe.  They are only 93 calories!  They are really yummy and my kids love them too.  They are great for a quick on the go breakfast for you or the kiddos.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Also, I want to share a link to where I found some new exercise moves.  I just did these this morning.  The last one is especially tough.  I went through the routine 3 times and did about 15 reps for each exercise.  Except for the abs.  I did about 30-40 reps.  I feel like a got a pretty good all over body work out in a short amount of time.  I added a bit of jumping jacks in the routine just to get some more cardio.  Try it out and let me know how you like it...

Melanie's Favorite Moves

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie

Here is the link to the yummy smoothie that Deanne made at my house the other night.

http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/04/my-top-secret-diet-weapon/

Here is the recipe in case you don't want to follow the link:

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 frozen sliced banana

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt

1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)

4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:

350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

I know it says 'serves 1', but I made this recipe and I had half (it filled a glass) and my kids split the other half and it was totally enough for us. 

Asian Noodle Salad

OK, so I'm addicted to this stuff.  It's a great way to get your veggies in!  I chop up all the veggies, then put them in individual Ziploc bags.  I also put the cooked pasta in it's own bag.  Keeping the ingredients separate keeps them fresh all week!  I mix up the dressing too, and keep it in a container in the fridge.  It needs about 30 seconds in the microwave and a quick shake before using it, as the olive oil solidifies in the fridge.  Most of the calories come from the pasta and the dressing, so I measure out my serving of noodles and dressing, then toss in as many of the veggies as I want!  I also top it with soy nuts.  You can find them at king soopers on that rack of packaged sweets in the produce section ( like the chocolate covered pretzels, etc).  They add a nice crunch.  Check the back of your pasta box and soy nuts for nutrition info and serving size.  I use organic whole wheat linguine.  Here is the dressing nutrition info for 2 tablespoons-

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 28 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 128 Calories from Fat 125

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 13.9g 21%

Saturated Fat 2.0g 10%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 722mg 30%

Total Carbohydrates 1.2g 0%

Protein 0.8g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% • Iron 1%

Nutrition Grade D

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Asian Noodle Salad



Prep Time 30 Minutes
Cook Time 10 Minutes

Recipe Description :
Adapted from Jamie Oliver, this salad is a triumph. A total winner. An explosion of color, flavor, and texture. And the beauty of this salad is, you can just wing it, adjusting the ingredients of the salad or the dressing as you like.

  Preparation Instructions Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.
Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

Ingredients
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled
½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste
½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste
½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin
1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced
1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)
Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste
3 whole Scallions,


FOR THE DRESSING:
1 whole Lime, Juiced
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped
2 cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped
Chopped Cilantro

No-Bake Energy Bites.

This is one of mine and my kids favorite things to snack on.  They are all over pinterest and I've posted them on FB before but for those of you that have not seen them I'm posting the recipe here.

No-Bake Energy Bites

If you are really finding it hard to stay away from the treats or still feeling like you need a snack between meals this is a delicious option.  When I make them I replaced the chocolate chips for raisins and coconut for whatever I might have on hand(this makes them even healthier).  The coconut does help bind them a little better though.  Seriously though, these are delicious!  I made them for the Activity day girls and they LOVED them.

Question.  What has everyone been doing for their work-out?

<3 Happy getting fit,
Amy

Roasted Chickpeas

This is a really yummy snack. They have great flavor and a good crunch and are much better for you than chips if you are craving something salty!

Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 15-oz can Garbanzo Beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans in a large colander. Continue to rinse until all the foamy liquid goes away.

Line the counter with a few sheets of paper towel. Place the drained garbanzo beans on top of the paper towel and let them dry for a few minutes.

Once the beans are dried, place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle on the spices. Using your hands, toss the beans around so they are all fully coated.

Place the baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes to roast. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and give the beans a little shake and then place back into the oven for another 20 minutes.

Sweet Treat

You may already know this one, but it's become a favorite of mine.  I take bananas and peel them, cut them in half and store them in the freezer.  Then when I'm craving something like ice cream, I take them out and put them in my blender (we have a vitamix so it can handle the larger bananas...if you have a different blender, you might want to cut yours into smaller pieces before freezing).  Sometimes I add a few drops of water or vanilla almond milk, but in the end what I get is the consistency of ice cream in a guilt-free treat.

Protein Smoothie

This is one of my new favorite quick breakfasts.  It is a protein shake made of milk, greek yogurt, frozen banana, peanut butter and spinach.  It is not the most super tastey breakfast (I mean, how does any breakfast food compete with bacon?) but I feel good afterward and I am full all morning with no snacking temptations.  Plus, it is a lot cheaper to make this than buying those ready-made protein smoothies that are in the little cartons.
 
http://freckleberryfinds.com/2012/01/mean-green-protein-machine-recipe/

The recipe on the link makes a lot.  It is enough for both Chad and I for breakfast, or other times I just half it.  Halfed, the whole thing is 4 weight watcher points if made with 1% milk and no fat greek yogurt.  Enjoy!

Mandi

Baked Cauliflower Poppers

I made these today and they were SO easy and good! Just thought I'd share the recipe that I found on this blog.  Enjoy!