Green Smoothies!

Ingredients: 

2 cups frozen strawberries 

1/2 frozen banana 

2 tablespoons flaxseeds

 3 cups fresh organic baby spinach 

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 banana

2 tablespoons of water (can put more)

1 packet of Truvia

Herbalife!

Try these amazing herbalife products to get the results you've always dreamed of!

Herbalife is for everyone with any goal! Man, woman, weight loss, weight gain, maintaining weight, skin care, etc.

The shakes taste like ice cream, so yummy!

 Email me today to start your nutrition lifestyle today!
bdowtin46@gmail.com

Pep Talk

Howdy

I just watched this video today in my youth development class and wanted to share it with you.

Hope y'all enjoy this "pep talk" from kid president! He is so cute and truly moving! He speaks the truth for sure.

Going with the FLOW

FLOW

We've all heard the phrase, "going with the flow", but has anyone ever sat and thought about what the word flow really means?

Yesterday, I took my first introduction to recreation and leisure exam (yes, I know my major is awesome--I take exams on how people like to enjoy themselves). The exam covered basic definitions and history as most first exams do. While studying for the exam, one definition caught my attention when reading the definitions of leisure, recreation, play and flow.

According to my textbook, flow means a state of being, fully engaged, and an optimal life experience. This interests me, because I am one of those people that can only be focused on something for a short period of time and then I have to move on to something else. While that's okay if you are a young child or you aren't doing anything that allows you to change, but if you are trying to stick with a well balanced nutrition (I don't like to use the word diet, because the ultimate goal of dieting is to develop a habit of eating healthy food) then we have to learn how to "flow". As I continued reading in my textbook, it stated that "flow results in feelings of energy, focus, and success that often turns out to be the optimal life experience for that individual."

My personal flow consists of herbalife (nutrition), running/lifting, working to finish my degree, my primary groups (family & friends) and my new puppy. Thus, not only does this topic work for health and fitness, but in all aspects of life.

With this lesson I would like you to think about what keeps you focused and motivated with your nutrition plan, exercising, and your personal enjoyments/goals in life. Find what your flow(s) are and commit whole heartily. Find something that you personally enjoy and set goals to get there---use your flow and you will get that optimal life experience!

GO WITH YOUR FLOW!

Found this workout on pinterest, Tabata workouts are the best!

(you can get the 'tabata' app on your phone for free)

As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP)

use any excersises (pick 2-3) and set a time limit. (count how many rounds you do in that time limit) use exercises listed above or any of your favorites.

for example:

10minute AMRAP:

10 Wall balls

200 meter hill sprint

20 sit ups

(=1 round)

Cooking In Bulk-- Recipes

Howdy Y'all!

The key to a successful healthy diet is cooking in bulk. Cooking healthy foods over the weekend to have during the week really help maintain a healthy diet while having a busy lifestyle. Pick a day during the weekend to cook up some cood meals for the week. If you are always on the go like I am, this will make life so much easier.

Here are some recipes I have made and found on pinterest:

Baked Eggs 'n Turkey

Ingredients:

• 12 slices of turkey (free of preservatives)
• 12 eggs
• Salt, pepper, and paprika
• Line a muffin tin with slices of ham. Crack an egg into each muffin spot, and season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
• Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes!

Sweet Potato Hash with fried eggs

(I make egg whites with mine for healthier meal)

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs coconut oil, divided
• 1 medium sweet potato or yam, diced into 1/2" cubes
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 nitrite/nitrate free sausages, sliced
• 1 medium bell pepper, diced
• 4 eggs
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons coconut oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and sweet potatoes, and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add the sausages and continue to cook until sausages are browned and sweet potatoes are slightly softened.
4. Add bell peppers and 1 Tbs of water.
5. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are completely soft, stirring frequently.
6. Meanwhile, fried eggs in 1 teaspoon coconut oil.
7. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve over sweet potato hash.

Quinoa Con Pollo

Introduction

Delicious version of my favorite Colombian dish, arroz con pollo. The quinoa provides added protein & fiber, plus some fun mouth-texture, & with the veggies included this is basically a one-dish meal! Delicious version of my favorite Colombian dish, arroz con pollo. The quinoa provides added protein & fiber, plus some fun mouth-texture, & with the veggies included this is basically a one-dish meal!

Minutes to Prepare: 30

Minutes to Cook: 20

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

Chicken Thigh, 6 thigh, bone and skin removed
Chicken broth, homemade, 2.5 cups
Shallots / green onions, 1/2 cup chopped
Carrots, raw, 2 large (7-1/4" to 8-1/2" long)
Peas, frozen, 0.75 cup
Roma tomato, 1 medium-large
Jalapeno peppers, 1.5 peppers, with or without seeds
Garlic, 2 cloves, minced
Salt, 1 tsp
Cumin seed, ground, 1 tbsp
Turmeric, ground, 2 tsp
Pepper, black, 0.25 tsp
Pepper, red or cayenne, 0.5 tsp
Quinoa, 1.5 cup

Directions

Cook thighs in 3 cups of water over medium-low heat, about 30 minutes. (Or cook in slow cooker, low heat, 6 hours.) Allow to cool. Cut chicken into 1-2 inch cubes (irregularity is fine). Put in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2.5 cups of the broth.

Chop shallots, carrots, and tomato in smallish (0.5-in) pieces; add to pot with peas. Mince jalapenos and add to pot along with as many seeds as you wish (or none if you can't handle hot spiciness). Mince garlic cloves and add along with spices and quinoa.

Cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. If all liquid hasn't yet been absorbed, you may want to add 5 or 10 minutes after that.

This is especially yummy topped with a favorite salsa and sprinkled with chopped fresh cilantro.

************

It is fun to add other veggies to this mix; of course you can use different chicken pieces too.

Note that SparkRecipes doesn't include homemade broth in its ingredient database, so for nutrient calculation I used the option with the lowest sodium (Swanson's Natural) and subtracted its sodium from that of a teaspoon of salt. If you do use a commercial broth, you may want to dilute it with an equal amount of water.

Serving Size: Makes 6 1-cup servings.

Number of Servings: 6

 Minutes to Prepare: 10

Minutes to Cook: 30

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
3 cups cooked black beans (or two
15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
2 large sweet potatoes, shredded
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1 tbsp ground cumin
Liberal pinches salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 cup salsa

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

 
Nutritional Info
• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 261.5
• Total Fat: 4.2 g
• Cholesterol: 63.1 mg
• Sodium: 315.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 41.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 10.1 g
• Protein: 15.7 g

Stepfanie's Quinoa-Black Bean Casserole
Submitted by: SP_STEPF


Introduction
An experiment with leftovers yield a delightful, filling vegetarian meal. An experiment with leftovers yield a delightful, filling vegetarian meal.

Minutes to Prepare: 10
Minutes to Cook: 30
Number of Servings: 8


Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
3 cups cooked black beans (or two
15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
2 large sweet potatoes, shredded
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
1 tbsp ground cumin
Liberal pinches salt and pepper
2 eggs
1 cup salsa
COUPONS

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Tips

I cooked up a batch of dried beans that I seasoned with onions, garlic, chilies and spices. If you use canned beans, you might need more spices.

Serve this with steamed broccoli or wilted spinach and a dollop of light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9” x 9”
casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, black
beans, sweet potato, 1⁄2 cup of the cheese, and
the cumin, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl,
mix together the eggs and the salsa. Pour the
salsa mixture over the vegetables, then pour
everything into the prepared casserole dish.
3. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top
and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Garnish
with the cilantro

My personal favorite,

Hope's:

Turkey Tri Bean Chili
Ingredients:
-1 pound turkey meat
-1 can black beans not drained
-1 can red kidney beans not drained
-1 can chickpeas not drained
-1 can green chopped chilies drained
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1 can tomato sauce
-1 tsp of chili powder
-salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, paprika<---use all, season to taste.

Toppings:
-red onion
-cheddar cheese
-cilantro

1. cook turkey and well season, drain and add to separate pot
2. in separate pot throw in all ingredients.
3. cover and simmer 20-30 minutes
4. serve topped with red onion, cilantro, and cheddar cheese

3 Questions to Ask Yourself

Today, I just want to share with you all with some thoughts to think about when you are working out or tempted by tasty fatty food.

Every Day

This past week, I noticed something I say to myself during my workouts and when I'm tempted with foods I probably shouldn't eat. I'm not saying it always works, but if you want it bad enough you will repeat these three things to yourself every day:

'Do I want to lose this weight?'
'Do I want to just maintain this weight?'
or...
'Do I want to waste what I worked for?'

It's up to you to decide which one you choose, but if you are really striving for a goal, don't let the devil get into your head. Go that extra mile(literally), speed up in the last few minutes of your workout, say no to a bad food, or whatever it is--- do it!  When you fall, a good thing to remember is that you can get right back up again and keep moving forward! 

WE CAN DO IT!

It is only yourself that you are up against.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks the day of mine and my boyfriend's 1 year anniversary since we officially began dating! I just want to give my lovely boyfriend, Andrew, a shout out of gratitude. He has been such an amazing best friend to me this past year and I cannot wait to see what 2013 brings to our relationship. We are more than boyfriend and girlfriend, we are best friends. He has only encouraged me to be better in every aspect of my life and wouldn't know what to do without him.

Friday night at his annual company(Outfit D2, Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M) formal.

Go Workout with your Partner! 

This day leads me to a favorite health and fitness topic of mine, working out with your significant other.

 Take one or two days per week and workout together. Doesn't have to be an intense workout, you could go for a walk/jog, or just two a weight lift or two. Really take advantage of that time together, push each other to do things that you wouldn't normally do in your workouts. Like for example, Andrew and I have the typical male/female problem in that I love running and doing leg workouts and he loves to do arm and chest workouts. So when we workout together we make sure we do an arm and leg workout together teaching each other different work outs for our individual work outs. 

You can also make it a friendly competition, for example, see how many sit-ups each of you can do in 1 minute! 

None  the less, it is important for couple to have that healthy intense time together to push each other in a positive way and to stay healthy. 

NUTRITION accountability!

This can also be a good incorporation in nutrition as well. Who better to start eating healthy with than your significant other? You eat with them a lot during the week? Why not have a fun date at home  cooking up something together that you've never made and watch a good movie. 

Check out my previous post to find healthy restaurants to eat at and what to order!

Here is a delicious meal Andrew and I made this past weekend:

Hope Beel's Portabella Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients:

-portabella mushrooms

-light cheese (I used light Mozzarella) 

-low sugar tomato sauce

-spinach

-onions

-tomato basil (Mrs. Dash seasoning)

-(and whatever else you are craving: we both put a little turkey on ours)

1. pre heat oven to 400, bake for 20-30minutes

2. De-stem and rinse mushrooms, make sure you get excess water out before cooking. Use paper towel to damp dry.

3. add tomato sauce and toppings

4. add a little Mrs. Dash seasonings

5. Nom Nom

*we added some salad on the side. 

You Can Still Eat out Occasionally!

Dining out?

Here are a few healthy options to get you buy for awhile. There are plenty more healthy options in these restaurants and more restaurants that are healthy. You just need to ask yourself, what is worth the calories and what is not? Is it worth what you have been working for or to gain that extra pound? Healthy foods can be tasty and satisfying if you let them be and who knows, if you eat enough of it you may actually start craving healthy foods!

*If all else fails, get a salad with dressing on the side!

Jason's Deli: Craving a sandwich? order the half sandwich (whole wheat bread) with a side of fruit or healthy soup. Their salad bar is great, you can put all kinds of stuff in there to satisfy your cravings... sweet/salty/crunchy.

Genghis Grill: If you build your own bowl, put all meat and veggies and fill the sauce cup half way and either order brown rice or preferably no carb at all (especially if you are going out for dinner - don't do carbs). You can also choose do make the Genghis Grill "build a Genghis heart bowl".

Chipotle/Freebirds: order their salad and put meet and veggies in there - no cheese or sour cream. (if you must have one of those, tell them to put a LITTLE cheese). They also have whole wheat tortillas if you are craving a burrito, just make sure to only add meat, veggies and beans.

Jimmy Johns: You can order any sandwich at JJ and tell them to make it a LETTUCE WRAP. Make sure you make light on the cheese or none at all.

Tex-Mex Restaurants: Take it from someone who loves Mexican food, the fajitas are just as satisfying! Order fajitas with no tortilla. It is hard to go to Mexican Restaurants without eating some chips and salsa, so just make sure you stick with 5-8 chips before your dinner!

Smoothie King: SK has great healthy options for people who need something easy and quick, especially if you are going to be on the road.

BBQ Joints: BBQ is great for going to eat a tasty healthy meal! Order whatever meat you want, just no bread with it. For your sides, order all veggies - no carbs (like potatoes or mac and cheese....I know, I know... Sorry). Make sure to get the BBQ sauce on the side or ask them to be light on the sauce ( typically has lots of sodium and sugar in it).

Red Lobster: For all of you seafood fans, here is your solution and possibly going to be your favorite! Red Lobster carries a selection called, "the light house selection". Order off that and you will have a tasty, heart healthy meal! If you must have a roll (in which I don't blame you), only have on during dinner - NOT before or that will just make it more tempting to have another.

Epsom Salt Baths and Added Bonus runner workout!

About a year ago, I was introduced to the idea of Epsom salt baths for a solution to workout recovery, soften my chocolate cravings and for relaxation/stress relief/better sleep. Now you may be thinking, what is Epsom salt and how would it do all of that? Here is your answer: 

What is Epsom Salt?

"Epsom salts are made up of the compound magnesium sulfate, and they got their name because one of the earliest discoveries of magnesium sulfate took place in Epsom, England. Magnesium and sulfate both play essential parts in the ways in which our bodies function.

Magnesium is important in that it helps keep enzyme activity regular in your body, and it helps your bodily functions to run smoothly." - www.health.howstuffworks.com

How would an Epsom Salt help with chocolate cravings and relax me at the same time?

Epsom salt gives back the lack of magnesium in your body, in which is why some people crave chocolate more than normal. Now, it does not guarantee to solve your cravings but it will help ease that craving. 

About three times per week you should poor 1-2 cups of epsom salt in your bath. Heat the water as much as your body can handle, then let the salt dissolve before getting into the tub. The hot water and the dissolved salt will soak into your skin helping your muscles relax and nourish your skin. *Do not get into the tub until salt is dissolved or you will come out with white powder on your skin (easy to wash off) and it will dry out your skin. 

Epsom salt baths are great for days that you've had a hard workout and don't want to have a hard time walking the next day or even just a hard day at work/school and just need some relaxing time and a good nights sleep. 

Go get some epsom salt at your nearest grocery store/walmart/target and search more info about epsom salt baths on the website provided above!

Need to start running or just need to get back in shape? Here is a great beginner/getting back into the swing of running workout!

- Workout made my by Dad! -good two week program that can get you back up to a 30 minute cardio workout. make sure to add in some weights or ab workouts after each cardio workout! that will help strengthen your core for a longer run. 

Day's 1-3:

Slow jog for 7 minutes

walk for 3 minutes

a little faster jog for 7 minutes

walk for 3 minutes

fast paced jog for 3 minutes

walk to cool down

Day's 4-6:

Slow jog for 10 minutes

walk for 2 minutes

jog for 10 minutes

walk for 2 minutes

fast paced jog for 3 minutes

walk to cool down

Day 7:

no jogging

Day's 8-10:

Slow jog for 15 minutes

walk for 5 minutes

fast paced jog for 5 minutes

walk for 5 minutes

Day's 11-12:

Slow jog for 20 minutes

walk for 3 minutes

fast paced jog for 5 minutes

walk for 2 minutes

Day 13:

slow jog for 30 minutes

Day 14: 

No Jogging

 Half Marathon - College Station, Texas 2012

Full marathon - Houston Texas 2013

Will (my brother!) and I running our half marathon and full marathon. 

Thank you dad for our good running genes and thank you mom for good nutrition genes!

After a good run on the cruise.. :)

How to Treat Yourself

Re-Cap to Intro

So, I failed to mention in my introduction about my latest journey in nutrition! Biggest part of why I'm starting this blog.

Over Christmas break when I went home, I met a couple by the names of Hope and Justin through my mom in Addison. They were awesome and welcoming in their new store, Top Shelf Nutrition. Hope and Justin introduced me to herbalife, which is a nutrition that basically gives you a start over or even a boost to a new beginning that already has been started! (I'll explain herbalife and programs later in the blog).

Follow Hope on her blog! - www.getfitwithhope.blogspot.com

I hope to have a before and after pic soon, just like Hope!

Treating  Yourself to what...food? No.

As I was writing a journal entry today for my youth development class, I thought about how sometimes parents reward their kids with sweets or food in general. And then I thought to myself, that is something that society does on a regular basis no matter the age or reason. Everytime we accomplish something or go out to celebrate, what do we do? We go out to eat or go have drinks. Why do we do that? What about food and drinks makes us feel rewarded?

Yes, I agree its the social gathering of the celebration that makes it fun, but why go eat?  Think about the next time you want to reward yourself, is eating really the best decision or should you just tell your children that they can go outside and play their favorite game, take them to a water park, regular park, aquarium, play the wii, etc. As for you, reward yourself with a massage, pedicure, manicure, shopping (if you have money to), hunting, fishing, biking, movie theater with your significant other or best friend --or whatever men like to do for fun---anyone for that matter.

This has been one of the biggest lessons I've learned in the past few years in college, that benge/emotional eating isn't healthy. Sometimes it's okay to go out and have drinks with your friends or eat a cookie or two, but not every time you are sad or feel accomplished for something.

retro workout at blackbox! miss that place already-- crossfit is amazing if you are looking to be apart of the community and get healthy (probably better to have a stable job to afford it though unfortunately).

My Introduction

First off, I'd like to go ahead and mention to you all that this is not going to be a well written document -- hints blogging. I apologize in advance for typos and incorrect grammer.

Anyways, before we get down to business I'd like to introduce myself to those who don't know me very well. My name is Brooke Dowtin and I'm a current Texas A&M student, class of 2014- WHOOP! I am a Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences major in which I specialize in Youth Development. It has always been a passion and enjoyment of mine to work with children. As I was telling my father today that I want my future career to have more purpose than to just make money. Both of my parents and step parents have jobs that are helping others in different ways and I would like to follow in their paths. I want to have a job that will help others in their life whether it was teaching or being a personal trainer for health and wellness.

This is going to be my first blog experience and it will mostly contain information on health and wellness, such as, exercising, nutrition and body care.

Stay tuned for some good entries! I'll post my first entry soon!