Sasha White

So, it’s time to focus..on more than writing. Yep, I’m turning 40 soon, and I’ve let another year go by without putting much effort into getting healthy. Sure I tried, but I didn’t keep trying, and thats the key, isn’t it? When you have 100 pounds to lose, it’s not good to stop trying after only losing 5. Sort of like getting published. If you want it, you don’t give up after one rejection.

So, I’m back to trying real hard, and I’m happy to say that after one week, I’ve lost 2 pounds. And you know what? I even had bad days in the past week. I mean, Halloween is coming and there are all these bite sized chocolate bars around, and we had a family dinner for my brothers birthday where there was all sorts of deep fried yuminess. Despite falling off my health wagon a couple of times, I still lost weight. Why? Because I jumped right back on. I’ve been making a serious effort to change my eating, and one of the things is less bread.

Seeing as I work at a place that makes the best pizza in the world, it’s not easy. But here’s one recipe I found that helps me stay on track. Check it out.

From NEVER SAY DIET
You’ll never miss the pasta in this scrumptious, cheesy Italian favorite. Wrap and freeze any extra servings individually to thaw and warm for lunch in a hurry.

Ingredients:
2 large zucchini (about 1pound), ends trimmed, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 links (about 4 ounces each) lean turkey Italian sausage
1 red bell pepper or roasted red bell pepper, diced
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup low-fat marinara sauce
2 egg whites
1 (15-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2⁄3 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat an 8” × 8” baking pan with olive oil cooking spray. Set aside.
Lightly spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange the zucchini slices in a single layer on the baking sheet. Spray them lightly with olive oil cooking spray. Broil (or grill) the zucchini for about 8 minutes, or until tender and very lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the meat sauce, cook the sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Add the bell pepper,
onion, and garlic, and cook for about 4 minutes longer, until the meat is no longer pink. The juices should be cooked dry. Stir in the marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The sauce will be very thick. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the egg whites, ricotta, Italian seasoning, and black pepper until well combined.

To assemble the lasagna, spread half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Layer on half of the zucchini slices, followed by half of the ricotta mixture and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Per serving: 210 calories, 18 g protein, 17 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), 45 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 340 mg sodium

Reprinted from: The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps © 2009 by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. The Biggest Loser (TM) and NBC Studios, Inc. and Reveille LLC. Courtesy of Rodale, Inc.

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I found this on fitnessmagazine.com

Potato Chips vs. Pita Chips
Best Bet: Pita chips
When you’re dying for something salty and crunchy, potato chips are the first thing that come to mind. But a single ounce (that’s just 12 chips!) has 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. Add onion dip and your snack jumps to 212 calories and 15 grams of fat. Instead, slice a four-inch pita into wedges, brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle judiciously with salt, then crisp in a toaster oven. Add hummus, and you’ll take in just 167 calories and 7 grams of fat while adding 3 grams of hunger-taming fiber.

PS: I’m over at Genreality Blog today

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I’m over at GENREALITY today. I was going to post about something a bit more writing oriented, but after reading the other posts, I wanted to go with a bit more lighthearted, so I talked about Feng Shui. I redid my office again, and there’s pictures. LOL

Tomorrow, I’ll be blogging at the Aphrodisia Authors blog…probably about something naughty. LOL Not sure yet.

It’s laso Thursday, and I should do a Slim Camp post, but I’m just not into it. So, I’m suspending them for a while. I’m still doing my own plan, and its working, but I’m finding it hard to talk about, and do, and I really need to do…so the talking about it has to go for now.

I highly suggest if you’re still interested in Healthy recipies, and inspiration that you check out Laurie’s, Think Thin Thursdays. each week. She’s doing much better staying on top of it than I was.

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Okay, so I’m not completely away…but I did mention I’d do some Slim Camp holiday Treat tips.

Here’s what I made for CHristmas Baking this year.

I found both recipe’s here and tweaked them a bit:

Cornflake Wreaths

1/2 cup butter
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp green food color
4 cups corn flakes
red hot candies
silver dragées

Melt butter, add marshmallows, stirring until all marshmallows are melted. Add extracts and food coloring; stir until it is a uniform green color. When mixture is smooth, add corn flakes; mix well but gently so as not to crush the cornflakes. Form into wreath shapes on sheets of waxed paper, decorate with red cinnamon candies and silver dragées. Let cool.

Now, I used Hot tamales instead of Red Hots, (I like the chewyness, plus I found them in the dollar store. *grin*) I also used regular sprinkles instead of silver dragees. They’re smaller, and in my mind that meant less sugar. *shrug*

Next up was:

Chewy Chocolate Eatmore bars

3/4 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups mini marshmallows
3 cups rice krispies
1 cup salted peanuts

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the honey and peanut butter and bring to a boil. Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows, stirring until smooth. Add the cereal and peanuts. Blend well and remove from heat. Pour into a lightly greased 9×13 inch pan and pat firmly with spatula. Let cool slightly and cut into bars before hardening.

I used all natural honey, and low fat peanut butter. I made one batch with rice krispies (like the recipe calls for) and one batch with just peanuts, no cereal.

These are not “low calorie” recipes. but I like them because they don’t have any added sugar (Yes, the have honey and marshmallow, but hey, it’s not that bad) Plus, peanut butter, and peanuts are protein, and I used bran flakes for the cornflakes. (Nobody can tell by taste, because you also have almond extract, and they’re supposed to taste nutty and such.)

So, Tastey, somewhat healthy treats for the holiday season that are easy to make, and use minimal dishes.

Happy Holidays!

PS: If you want to see me, I’m over at Novel Thoughts Today

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The holidays are coming up fast, and that means goodies galore!

What are you going to do about it?

Me? i don’t plan on complete denial, but I am going to try and stay away from the cookies and chocolates. For me that means my snaking takes a more healthy bent, things like Chips and Salsa and guacomole. Fresh Veggies and Hummus. Yes, I love me some hummus. These are thigns that people often think are bad for them, and they can be if you go overboard, but they are considered healthy snaks. Especially if you make them yoursel instead of relying on store bought.

Now, I have a Magic Bullet. It is Fantastic for this sort of thing.

Then I stock up on the basics.
Cherry tomatoes
Green peppers
Jalepno Peppers
Garlic
Onion
Lemons or limes

Then there’s Avocodoes and Cans of Chick Peas
Really, that’s all you need. And some spices. Salt and pepper do it for me, sometims I add chili pepper flakes, depending on my mood. *g*

Just sort of throw it all in the bullet and blend it up. *g*

These are my recipes:

Salsa:
Blend Cherry Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Onions, Garlic, and Jalepenos togheter. Pour mixture into a bowl, then squeeze a lenmon in, add salt, pepper, and fresh chopped cilantro and stir.

Hummus:
1 can of strained and rinsed chick peas, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. (Sometimes I add chili peppers) The spices and lemons and garlic are flavored to your choice. Personally, I like alot of Garlic. LOL

Guac:
WHile you can easily do this inthe Magic Bullet blender, I like to do it by hand becasue I liek my Guacamole chunky. LOL
1 Avocado, halved and mushed in a bowl with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Dice a garlic or two, chop up 5 or 6 Cherry tomatoes, and some onion and cilantro. Add and mix together. Some people like way more tomato, some like less.

The best thing about these dips is that when you make them yourself not only can you control the ingredients for flavour, but for health content as well. They’re fresh, and healthy. (I use Half Salt in everything instead of real salt, it’s same flavor but less sodium)

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Last week I did the video blog telling you my mantra of “It’s All About Choice.” and saying I was going to keep some of my habits from the intense week, but not be as strict. Well, Like I figured, I gained 2 pounds back from the week before, which makes that one week intensive a weight loss of 8 pounds total. I’m happy with that. WHat I’ve noticed the most in the past week is my energy level dropping agian. Slowly but steadily.

Next week I’ll be doing the intesive thing again. Anyone want to join me?

My Intensive Plan:
1) Healthy Breakfast every day. (Eggs and eggwhites. I’ll share some recipes I liek that are easy to do up, and helthy)

2) Eat every three hours. 3 meals, 2 Snaks covers 12 hours of time. My first meal is at 10 AM, my last meal at 10 PM. For me, this is fine because I rarely get home form work before 2 AM, and got bed around 3 or 4. Basically, you have 12 hours to eat. If you eat Breakfast at 7 AM, your last meal/snak should be at 7 PM. This helps your body regulate…it knows that food/calories/energy to burn will be coming in on a regular basis and your metabolism will start to burn more regularly.

3) Fresh Foods. During my week intensive I cook, or eat raw foods. No microwave dinners, no frozen food, no canned food (Other than tuna). Fresh veggies and fruit, real protein.

4) No bread. I do use Whole Wheat wraps to have breakfast burritos or Tuna wraps. I only allow one wrap (tortilla shell) a day. And no bread or toast (I’m a sucker for peanut butter toast. I can live off peanut butter toast. LOL )

5) No Soda, or carbonated drinks.

5 Steps. Not a lot, but they work, when I stick to them. Oh, and a 6th step….Take a Daily Vitamin.

These are basically changing my habits. There’s nothing to drastic in there, but changing them all at once is Intensive. *I* Need this. It works for me, for my personality. It might not work for you. You might be better off changing one habit every 21 Days, as is suggested by HealthGal nutritionist Amy Hendel. The email tips from Total Health at iVillage has these suggestions to help you ease into a new lifestyle…..

Switch out sodas for iced tea, water and zero-calorie flavored waters.
· Introduce nonmeat proteins into your dinners—fish, eggs and egg whites, protein-based pasta, beans and soy products.
· Make your current high-sugar cereal a two-spoon “topping” on a new high-fiber/whole-grain cereal.
· Eat a serving of berries every day.
· Create healthier marinades and vinaigrettes with ingredients like 100 percent orange juice, fresh herbs and vinegar.

You need to decide what will work best for you , your lifestyle, and your personality. I NEED to see the results to stay on track. I NEED to do it all or nothing. That works for for me..but I Have learned I can’t do it all or nothing all the time..wich is why I’m easing in for three weeks of the month, then doing the intensive thing for one week each month to meet my goals.

If you want to do the intensive thing with me. I’m starting tomorrow- Yes, I start on the weekend because the weekend is usually the hardest part, so I like to get it over with. LOL

How about you? WHat do you think works for your personality? The Go Hard ccold turkey thing leik me..or the slow steady changes?

I think that this weight-loss/health journey is easier if I’m not alone. HOw abotu you? I’d love to see more of you sharing your stoires and journey’s…if you’re open to it, why not Sign Up with this SLIMCAMP widget, adn start posting on Thursdays with me?

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It’s All About Choice.

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Uhmm and ignore the fact that I put 2009, not 2008 in the date. LOl I mentioned that my eyes don’t open for a couple of hours after I wake up..right?

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YAY!!
It’s been 5 days since I’ve started my 10 Day Intense Start Up program, and I’ve lost 8 POUNDS!!

And I’ve not even been following as much as I should be.

Let me explain. One of the steps in my plan was to exercise every day. However, I overextended my elbow last week, and then after bartending on Friday night, I could barely use my arm for the next three days. Yes, I even put it in a sling, and iced/warmed. (One good thing about being an athlete who’s had various and multiple injuries is I know how to treat most of them) ANyway, point being I could’ve gone to the gym and got on a bike, or done some light cardio, btu I was lazy I chose not to. I chose to focus on the eating. I followed my eating plan to the letter for 4 days. I started to feel the difference on Day 3, but I restrined myself from weighing in or measuring. The point is to keep at it for ten days.

I slipped up last night and had myself a Rootbeer and some fries from McDonalds. . I couldn’t help it, I was soooo hungry and I was no where near healthy food, and I know that one MAJOR key thing is to not starve yourself. Starving yourself or cutting back on your calories too much puts your body into Starvation mode and it will start storing everything you eat, and you won’t be burning the calories you need to bur n to lose weight. ANyway, so I gave in, but all in all, that was the only soda I;ve had for 5 days (and I’m proud of that) and the only junk. And fries, while fired, and while salty, are still potato – a vegetable. (Yes, I can rationalize anything )

So this morning, feeling bad, I weighted myself. I knew I had to have lost at least 5 pounds, I can feel the difference in my clothes..and it’s 8 Pounds!!!

Tomorrow I start working out again, (My elbow joint is still tender, but I can work around it now) so I’m looking forward to continued results. And I won’t weigh in until my 10th Day. And I promise myself no more slippage.

Slippage is acceptable, but if it happens it’s not slippage anymore. It’s a bad habit.

I’ve been eating eggs and egg whites for breakfast, and I’m still nto bored of them. (And I’ve got smoe super fast easy recipes to share.)

Today I want to share what I’m having for lunch with you. It’s TUNA SALAD and as you can see when I tried to take the pic, Scarlet likes Tuna.

*Can of Flaked Tuna in water (Drained)
*Chopped Romain lettuce
*Chopped Baby Spinach
*Diced Green Onions
*Mustard and Olive Oil Dressing

I think next time I’m going to add some cherry tomatoes, too. It’s not the best salad ever, but it’s good. And it healthy and full of flavor.

TIP:I always dice up the complete bunch of Green onions when I get them. I store them in a tupperware container in my fridge and the last 3-4 days (with the lid on) . I do this so I can just grab a tablespoon or two for my scrambled eggs in the morning, or salads, or whatever. It’s easy, and a good way to add flavor and vegetable to anything.

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it’s nothing too drastic. Basically these are my steps for the next ten days. Things I will not waiver on.
1) Eat a healthy breakfast every day.
That means more than just a banana, or a glass of juice. This means cottage cheese or egg (or egg whites) at every breakfast, as well as fruit or vegetable.

2) Eat protien at every meal.
Main sources of protein for me are eggs, egg whites, tuna, cottage cheese and chicken.

3) Eat something every three- four hours fro 12 hours of the day. (3 meals, 2 snacks)
This means if I eat breakfast at 11 AM, (Remember I work nights, I sleep late.) my last meal has to be no later than 11 PM. (Which is reasonable for me since I usualy got to bed around 3 AM.)

4) NO SODA.
No diet Dr.Pepper. No Coke. No Red Bull. *pout*
Coffe or tea is allwed, btu I don;t drink coffee. I occasionally like green tea, so I think I might be drinking mroe of that in the next ten days, as just water can get boring.

5) Keep a Food Journal.
This is something that I find really helps me stay on track. I have created a meal plan for myself with foods I like, and will eat.(Tuna, porkchops, chicken, peanut butter, the fruit and veggies I like) I’ve done my grocery shopping and gotten rid of the things I have no will power against. (Chocolate, soda, chips and pizza)

In my food journal, the first page is my plan. I have created 15 meals I can mix and match, that use a lot of the same ingrediants. Using a minimum of ingredients is important to me because I am single, and I cook only for me, so this means I don’t buy a lot of food at one time because it goes bad unless I eat it within a few days. So when I have a dozen eggs, I find multiple ways to incorparate them into meals. Same with a case of chicken breasts. Make sense?

6) Physical Activity Every Day.
This means more than cleaning my house, or waiting on customers for 8 hours. This means walk, jog, strength training, work out for a minimun of 20 minutes every day.

My plan is just to remind myself that this is for 10 Days only. Then I’ll ease back a little, and let myself eat some differnt things, and have a day or two off from workingout a week. But I will Always, for the rest of my life, have to work out at least 3-4 days a week. This is something I can not let go, not if I want to get, and stay, healthy.

This is MY plan, created from years of being an athlete, then being a couch potato. I know what I like and what I don’t like. I know what I need to do, I always have. I just haven’t always done it. Now I plan to do it.

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Lindsey Ekland was the random winner of a copy of ALLURING TALES 2: HOT HOLIDAY NIGHTS

Lindsey, please use the CONTACT button above and email me your snail mail address by Monday to claim your prize!

SLIM CAMP UPDATE:

As part of my personal plan I’m starting with a 10 Day intensive. This is a plan I found as part of a workout program. It includes a strict diet for 10 Days, as well as excerising every day…some cardio, some strength training.

This sort of thing is not right for everyone, as it is strict. But for me, I know it’s right. Not only will it help shock my system into paying attention, it’ll help me mentally shift gears so that I can stay on track. It’s sort of a “go hard or go home” mentality.

Anyway, I’ll outline the steps of what I’m doing tomorrow…and hopefully some of you might want to join me. I’m starting tomorrow, but I know most people like to start new things on Mondays. My reason for starting on Sat is because I’m really motivated right now, and I need to go grocery shopping tonight anyway. So This way I can buy what I need to stick to my meal plan (Which I created last night), and get started while I’m very excited about it.

It took me two days to get my plan together, so if you’re interested, you can start on Monday and I’ll be there to cheer you on!

If you do decide to follow me, I’ll give you a hint as to my plan. The worst thing for me is going to be 10 Days with NO SODA!

I’ll put up a post about what I’ll be doing and why… and would love to see if some of you want to join me.

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