Taco Salad with Greek Yogurt

We know football season is right around the corner. And we thought it might be a good idea to post some yummy, healthy recipes in case you want to start planning your menu for the season opener. (And let’s be honest…we’ve all started thinking about that!) So whether you’re a Cards or a Cats fan, take a look at this awesome recipe.

(Thank you to Erin Brown, our very own Registered Dietitian, for graciously sharing her knowledge with us!)

Taco Salad – Greek Yogurt Recipe

Ingredients:

8oz Greek Yogurt
8oz Fat Free Cream Cheese
1 bundle of green onions, diced
Shredded lettuce to cover
2 tomatoes, diced
8oz of shredded 2% cheese
1 package of taco seasoning

Mix greek yogurt, cream cheese, and taco seasoning as a base. Then top with diced onion, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, and shredded cheese – in that order. Makes 8 servings.

Total calories/serving: 123 total fat/serving: 6g protein/serving:14 g

Greening My Thumbs

Warning: three months ago I would have just about killed everything under my watch. GARDENING, y’all, I’m talking about gardening. Don’t get wound tight. Seriously, though, I couldn’t understand how both of my parents and my sisters totally understood the science of simply keeping plants alive. I’d water too much, I wouldn’t water at all. I’d leave them out in the sun too long, I’d basically tie them up in a black garbage bag. I’d fertilize the right amount, or I’d just short of dump the whole container of blue chemical on them. What on earth was I doing and how come I couldn’t get it right? It just wasn’t my thing. I just wasn’t made to get along with nature, I guess. Plants were happier, more lively (understatement of the century), and just plain better off without my touch. Oh well, on to the next hobby.

…Then my husband and I bought a house. Enter hallelujah chorus. Suddenly my interest in gardening peaked. I wanted flowers and I wanted them badly. Our back deck needed some C-O-L-O-R. Homeowner’s pride, according to my Mom.

Housewarming gift(s) #1 were two gorgeous hibiscus bushes from my Mom and aunt B. Deep breath. I can do this. I’m not going to let these babies die (hibiscus are p-p-p-pricey!). The tag says full sun. Check! The deck gets nothing but sun. Hot, 12-hours-a-day, full-exposure sun. We’re on to something. The tag says to keep them moist. Mental note: water every day. The tag says fertilize monthly. They include a scooper for a reason, Joan, don’t get chemical happy. My hibiscus are gorgeous! Every day I notice a new bud and I’ve got the most amazing, coral pink blooms as big as my palms. Extra excitement: my hibiscus look even better than my parents’ (sorry Mom)!

Next up: planters. Don’t laugh, I’m not confident enough to plant in a ground bed yet. I found some perfect rectangle planters to sit on our deck banister, bought some Miracle-Gro potting soil (side note: Costco’s got an amazing deal on a giant bag of this), and went to town. Marigolds, Celosia, Vinca, Impatiens, Verbena, Zinnias, and Viola now litter our back deck and front porch. They’re blossoming, blooming, trailing, volunteering, and in all their glory are big, beautiful, but most of all, mine. And you know what? Caring for and watering our plants is quickly becoming one of the most enjoyable and relaxing parts of my entire day.

Me. This girl. The one with (remember?) zero gardening talent.

Celosia (Love these! I think they look like feathers.)

Vinca (These guys grow like weeds!)

Marigolds (Easy-peasy to grow and their blooms are, say it with me, vi-brant!)

Y VENDING GETS A FACELIFT!

Let’s face it, the vending machine has historically been a dangerous place for anyone trying to limit their heart attacks to one per lifetime.

“Hmm…should I go with the Snicker’s bar or the Doritos? I mean, it was a pretty tough workout, maybe I should go with something like that Honey Bun.”

But, fear no more! The Y is helping its members choose healthier snacks with less effort!  Not only are we applying a new, easy to read labeling system, but many branches are improving the very options they are providing. By decreasing the amount of total fat and added sugar in our vending machines and increasing the amount of natural energy sources like nuts, you will be provided with the nourishment you need during your daily visits to the Y!

Look for the green, yellow, and red labels coming to your vending machines soon! Stick to the green and yellow items for healthier choices!!!

Would You Like Some Milk With Your Sugar?

Newsflash: your mother was right. Eating breakfast really IS just that important.  In fact, we’ve been told that 20-25% of our calories for the entire day should be consumed within 30-40 minutes of rolling (or forcing yourself to roll) out from under those cozy covers. I love to eat, sounds like a party to me.

Oh, but wait. Eating breakfast is hard. Wait, scratch that. Rolling out of bed is hard. If I have to eat breakfast I have to set the alarm for 15 minutes earlier. Can someone invent something that can make my husband’s coffee, make my breakfast, pick out my clothing, pack my lunch (don’t forget to wash some grapes, please), pack my gym bag, oh, and give me a shower, all in, say, 10 minutes? That’d be great. Let me know when it’s available. I’ll be waiting right here.

My husband and I don’t have children yet, but I can only imagine this whole hectic morning scenario escalates with some little tots in toll. Enter: The Top 10 Most Sugary Cereals.

Did you know, there are at least 44 cereals that contain more sugar in one cup than three Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies? One cup of the top sugar-containing cereal, Honey Smacks, contains more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie. Holy morning sugar coma.

Without further ado (ranked by percent sugar by weight);

1. Kellogg’s Honey Smacks (55.6%)
2. Post Golden Crisp (51.9%)
3. Kellogg’s Fruit Loops with Marshmallows (48.3%)
4. Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Oops! All Berries (46.9%)
5. Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch Original (44.4%)
6. Quaker Oats Oh!s (44.4%)
7. Kellogg’s Smorz (43.3%)
8.  Kellogg’s Apple Jacks (42.9%)
9. Ouaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries (42.3%)
10.  Kellogg’s Fruit Loops Original (41.4%)

So, what’s the dealio? Somehow reading a nutrition label and seeing that Honey Smacks has 20 grams (nearly five teaspoons) of sugar per serving doesn’t have the same impact as slapping a label on the box that reads “Warning: Equivalent to Eating a Twinkie.” Um. Gross. I’ll pass, thank you very little.

Oatmeal, anyone?

Choosing apples over chips

Chocolate and chips are a weakness of mine. I’m a snacker, and if I’m within six feet of either of these treats, there’s a good chance I’ll soon be munching on them. In trying to eat better these last few months, I’ve been looking for ways to make my snacking habits less hazardous to my health. Enter the apple!

This fall has been a great season for apples, and while you can find them at grocery stores year-round, it’s hard to top the taste of in-season fresh fruit. Apples serve as a great addition to breakfast or as an anytime snack–definitely a good post-workout snack to have in your gym bag. If you’re in a hurry or in a setting where crunching a juicy apple (apple juice running down the side of my mouth at work is something I’d like to avoid), then dried apples might be worth trying.

Using a food dehydrator, you can make sure your big bag of apples doesn’t go bad before you eat them by drying them out and making a tasty and portable treat. I’ve been carrying a little baggy filled with dried apples lately to munch on at work, and they’re just as addictive as chips! Dried fruit certainly does make a fine snack, but because some nutrients are lost and sugars are more concentrated, you still need to pay attention to just how much you’re eating. A serving of dried apples does still serve as a healthy snack in that one serving gives you 20% of your daily dietary fiber and 8% of your daily potassium.

So, if you’re a snackaholic like me, passing over the chips for dried fruit might be a good move for you. Home dehydrating is best, but if you don’t have access to a dehydrator, you can find a variety of dried fruits at most grocery stores.

What are your favorite healthy snacks? If you don’t have one yet, get to it!

A Calorie-Counter’s Buzz Kill

Guys. Grab a stable seat. I’d hate for you to fall out of your chair in excitement. (Or off your exercise ball!)

Are you ready? Are you sure?

 …Starbucks’ red cups are here. You know what this means don’t you? It. Is. Christmastime. I am BESIDE myself excited. All good things come with Christmas. Family, friends, snow, vacation days, Christmas trees, fireplaces, PEPPERMINT MOCHAS.

…Did you catch that last one? Yep, I said it, and I’ll say it again.

Peppermint mocha.

peppermint mocha.

peppermint mocha.

16 ounces of minty, chocolatey, warm goodness. Oh, and chock full of calories and sugar. Ugh. Way to ruin it, I know, I know. I sort of hate that I decided to write a blog post about the deliciousness that is this particular Starbucks’ holiday concoction, as I was forced to look up the nutrition facts. Lets (unfortunately) break it down;

If you were to walk into Starbucks and ask for a Grande Peppermint Mocha, it would be made with 2% milk and would most likely have whipped cream (with chocolate shavings, of course, does Starbucks ever do anything half way?) on top too. Fair warning: nutrition facts in next sentence.  Look out! This bad boy carries with it a steep 400 calories, 15 grams of fat (8 saturated), 60 carbohydrates, and 49 grams of sugar. Yipes!

Lets shape it up; try ordering it with skim milk (or soy milk) and no whipped cream. Hey, even try ordering a tall (12 ounces) instead of a grande. Making these simple changes decreases the damage to 210 calories (for skim milk, 240 for soy milk), 2 grams of fat (5 for soy), 44 carbohydrates (47 for soy), and 37 grams of sugar (47 for soy).

See?! Proof! You don’t have to totally give up the goodness, just make small, smart changes to create a more nutritionally dense beverage!

Now, if only we could remove the icing from that lemon pound cake…