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Quick & Healthy Game Day App

by Megan Haubenreiser

 

healthy footballFootball season is upon us. Whether it’s setting up a tent at a tailgate or cheering for your team from your living room, having something to snack on is essential. My favorite NFL team was playing last night, and I was searching for something that I could munch on during the game. Traditional game day foods like potato chips taste great, but are loaded with fat. I wanted to try something different.

After searching I came across a recipe for sweet potato nacho fries online. Believe me- they taste and look as great as they sound; I had to snap a picture! The recipe was extremely simple, and only took around 20 minutes to prepare.

 

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  2. 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into sticks about 1/4 inch thick
  3. 1/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch, divided
  4. 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or reduced fat sour cream
  5. 1 tablespoon lime juice
  6. 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
  7. 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  8. 1/3 cup black beans, rinsed
  9. 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
  10. 2 scallions, sliced
  11. 1 avocado, chopped
  12. 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 °F.
  2. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, lime juice and the remaining pinch of salt in a small bowl.
  4. Top the sweet potatoes with corn, cheese and beans. Continue baking until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Top with tomatoes, scallions and avocado. Drizzle with the sour cream mixture. Top the nachos with cilantro (if using).
  5. Dive-in and enjoy!!

I Found My Waffle Iron

by Sarah Myer

 

healthy waffles

I recently reorganized my kitchen and I found my waffle iron! We don’t have too many quiet Saturdays but I really enjoy waffles and eggs on a Saturday morning. I have recently tried out a few other recipes in it as well.

What are some of your favorite weekend breakfast foods? 

The (Free!) 2016 Holiday Challenge

by Madi Johnson

 

holiday challenge

The 2016 Eat Smart, Move More, Maintain, don’t gain! Holiday Challenge

This holiday season, the only thing that should be “stuffed” is the turkey.  Many Americans gain between 1 and 5 pounds each holiday season. While it may not sound like much, most people never manage to lose these extra pounds.

Last year’s Holiday Challenge was the biggest and best ever. We had over 13,500 participants from across the state and country. Now it’s time for the 2016 Eat Smart, Move More, Maintain, don’t gain! Holiday Challenge!

You are invited to join the 11th annual Holiday Challenge. Rather than focusing on trying to lose weight, this FREE seven-week challenge provides participants with tips, tricks, and ideas to help maintain their weight throughout the holiday season.

The Holiday Challenge will begin November 14th and run through December 31st.

If the link is not working, please go to esmmweighless.com and click the Holiday Challenge tab.

 

Weekly Newsletters, Daily Tips, and Weekly Challenges with strategies to:

Survive a holiday party

Manage holiday stress

Be a healthy host

Fit physical activity into your day

Cook quick and healthy meals

Plus healthy holiday recipes and a virtual walking race through Iceland!

Follow us for Holiday Challenge updates, additional tips, and participant support:

                    

Last year’s Holiday Challenge:

 

In 2015, more than 13,500 people from all 50 states and Canada took part in the Holiday Challenge. ALL 100 counties in North Carolina were represented. At the end of the program, 93% reported maintaining or losing weight. 99% of participants said they were likely to participate in the Holiday Challenge again next year. For more results click here: Holiday Challenge Results.

The Holiday Challenge is provided by Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less, a 15-week online weight management program, and Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes, a 12-month online diabetes prevention program.

For questions or additional information, please email holidaychallenge@esmmweighless.com or call 919-707-5398.

Vegetable of the Week: Cauliflower

by Sarah Myer

My husband is a vegetarian and I cook a lot of vegetarian meals for dinner. We decided about a month ago to try cooking new vegetables. We keep a pretty stocked pantry of vegetarian items  that I have blogged about in the past.  However, we started tracking how many vegetables we ate and it was a lot lower than expected. So between friends suggestions, searching the internet and looking for deals in the produce section at Harris Teeter and Kroger- we are trying out a new vegetable each week.cauliflower rice

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is actually a pretty amazing vegetable. I had no idea that it was packed with Vitamins C, K, and B1, B2, B3, and B6. It a good source of dietary fiber and is chock full of potassium and magnesium. This is a great vegetable to replace refined white flour like rice or a pizza crust if you want to try something different. We will definitely be adding it to our grocery list!

Previous Experience: Prior to this week, I really only liked cauliflower raw and as part of a vegetable tray, usually covered in hummus or a vegetable dip. I will also order it out at an Indian restaurant but I don’t cook it at home. I have always hated mushy, cooked cauliflower. But this week has shown me that it can taste quite yummy!

How to Pick a Good Cauliflower: Apparently, cauliflower can come in many colors. The purple one is really pretty but I was a little scared to start cooking with that. So I stuck with white. Similar to other vegetables, the leaves should be green and the cauliflower should be all white with no brown spots or mushy parts.

Prepping the Vegetable: It is a lot easier than I thought but it is messy! To be honest, I don’t think I have cut up many cauliflowers in my cooking experience. My first attempt scared my dog and my husband came in the kitchen to ask if I was ok. I kept part of the stalk and added that to some of the meals – so don’t think you have to throw that part away!

Ways I Cooked it: Chopped, Food Processor, Microwave, Saute, and Roast

My Top 3 Recipes:

Cauliflower Rice– Epicurious has a great article on all cauliflower pizzathe different ways you can make cauliflower rice. This was a great help! A food processor is essential for this. I have a small one and it took a little while and was messy, but it worked really well. I steamed some cauliflower in the microwave and also sauted it on the stove with other vegetables and it came out great! You can also now buy pre-made cauliflower rice (at Trader Joe’s), which will save time and reduce the amount of clean-up.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust– Our Med Instead of Meds website has great ideas for cauliflower. The pizza crust recipe was the best recipe I found. It is not necessarily fast, but it is tasty!

Roasted Cauliflower– WOW! This Delish Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin and Cheese ended up being one of our favorites. This is now a go to recipe instead of french fries for us.

LAST CHANCE: Registration Closing for October Series!

by Madi Johnson

 A lot can happen in 12 months. Your whole life can change.

diabetes prevention program

This October, fall into health with a new focus on YOU. One hour a week.

Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes classes are held online with a live instructor. Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes is an evidence-based diabetes prevention program recognized by the CDC. Classes beginning in October will be accessible on all computers, laptops, and mobile devices. To see a snapshot of how it works, please watch this video here: Overview video.

This is the LAST Class of 2016! 

Class will be held Mondays at 8:30pm

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: October 12th at 5:00pm ET

Diabetes CAN be prevented. We can help!

Plan to Prevent Diabetes

by Christi Clemons

Like so many when getting older, health awareness and prevention become more important.  A major genetic prevalence for me is type 2 diabetes, which puts me at an increased risk of developing the disease as well. Type 2 diabetes is preventable and there are ways to reduce risks for possible development or delayed development. To reduce my risks, I’ve decided to take full control of my lifestyle and behaviors that put me at high risk for type 2 diabetes.prevent diabetesMaking small changes now can ultimately mean preventing later development. The Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes program is helping me learn these small step changes.

First, I  learned exactly what my blood levels, body weight, BMI, and blood pressure values were after going to my doctor. The results showed that my body weight and blood pressure were slightly higher in comparison to normal values for my age. The good news was that these risks are modifiable and that by making simple changes my chances for developing diabetes are greatly reduced.

Next, I had to determine modifications that should be made to help me in my journey to prevent diabetes. I carefully examined my diet, activity, and overall lifestyle.  Although lifestyle changes are mostly considered difficult, these sacrifices are all well worth it!! I believe strongly in my plan and have decided to execute it without excuses. Ultimately, my plan is to take control.  This will enhance my overall quality of life now and possibly prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

  • Early food preparation for all meals
  • Make time to exercise (at least 30 min)
  • Eat healthy meals and snacks
  • Limit intake of salts, fats, and refined grains (white flour)
  • Eliminating stressors

Will you join me in this journey? Are you in the process of making small lifestyle changes? Share in the comments section below what you are finding to work well and what your goals are. We also have a private Facebook community to continue to share ideas with each other. The more support, the better!

I Finally Found My Motivation – And Ran from Paris to Amsterdam!

by Steph Bryant

Why do you exercise? What is your motivation to break a sweat each day? Is it because you know you should walk every day to maintain a healthy weight? Did a doctor say you should exercise more since heart disease runs in your family? Maybe you heard that you should exercise to boost your mood and improve sleep quality. “You should exercise because this…” “You should exercise because that…” Should, should, should…

If you are anything like me, you might lose interest in an activity as soon as it shifts from being optional to mandatory, even when you know it’s good for you! I love running now, but I didn’t always. It used to be a chore for me to lace up my shoes and get outdoors, partially because someone else exercise motivationwas usually telling me to. While I voluntarily joined the cross country team in high school, you would be hard pressed to find me completing the summer training runs or weekend long runs required by our coach. Later in life I tried everything to maintain my motivation to run. I followed strict training plans, I started working at a running store, and even started coaching a youth running group. I paid for races to jumpstart my motivation, but eventually even shelling out $75 for a race was not enough to pressure me into exercising regularly. My well of joy for running had totally dried up.

After 5 years of hunkering down into my non-running funk, I finally discovered my magic bullet: virtual racing. I was invited into an online race through Racery.com, and it made running purely fun, social, and extremely motivating. I also uncovered a competitive side I never knew I had!

How it works:

  • Join a race, or start your own, it only takes a minute to register. Races can be for running, walking (or a combo of the two), swimming, biking, or rowing!
  • Walk or run according to your normal, daily routine. Every day you get an email from Racery asking if you were active at all. You simply respond to the email with the number of miles you covered, and your marker on the virtual race course advances. You can also log your miles directly on the Racery website.

My favorite features:

  • Racery serves as an amazing (and judgement-free) daily reminder to be active. You know that if you haven’t done something by 4 pm, their email will arrive and encourage you to get out and move.
  • You can be as fast or slow as you want to because speed does not matter. One racer can cover 3 miles in 25 minutes, while another can take an hour; all that matters is they both covered 3 miles.
  • You get an email letting you know when you’ve passed other runners/walkers, and vice versa. This often motivates me to run an extra mile or walk places instead of drive so I can pass people on the course.
  • The website is very interactive. You can “like” and comment on other racers’ activity, and you get a Google Street View of your virtual location when you log your miles.
  • It is really encouraging to see your progress on a map. Knowing I ran 300 miles does not mean much to me, but knowing I ran from Paris to Amsterdam is much more exciting!

The downfalls (but not many):

  • You have to manually enter your mileage – meaning the honor’s system is required! Racery does not link with any fitness tracking devices. HOWEVER, this is a good thing for two reasons: it does not discriminate against anyone who uses a particular tracking app, and 2) it does not discriminate against the technologically challenged (ie. Me) who do not use fitness tracking devices.
  • When you participate in a Racery race, you momentarily become frenemies with all your exercise buddies. (This may be a personal problem). Again this is also a positive, because while I want my friends to do well in the race, I want to do better! This leads to some fun banter and bonding all in the name of physical activity!

After participating in my first Racery race, I started one with my friends. We all ran from Paris to Amsterdam. (One friend was coincidentally in Europe during our virtual race, and ran on our actual course!) I ran more miles than ever before, and I didn’t need a strict training plan to do so. I was motivated by my peers, competition, and visual progress on a map. I learned to run based on what my body communicated to me, instead of feeling like I had to exercise just for the sake of exercising. Participating in virtual races has taken the dread out of exercise, and put the joy back in.

Leave a Trail of Pounds Behind

by Madi Johnson

Today we introduce our guest blogger, Susan Allison-Dean. Susan is a Registered Nurse and shares her love for nature and health below. Take it away, Susan!

 

Leave a Trail of Pounds Behind

What if I told you that there is something that could help you on your healthy journey that is so fabulous that it will leave you in a state of awe? Make you say, “Wow”!  What if I added that it is free or available for a minimal charge?  In addition it will calm and soothe you, and can help you burn calories. Hard to believe?

Guess what, it does exist: Nature!

Let’s look at three reasons engaging in nature is an important step in weight management.prevent diabetes

First: Reduces Stress

You know the drill. Your boss set a ridiculous deadline for a project you are the leader on, your child spikes a fever as guests arrive for a family barbecue, the highway sign flashes multi-vehicle accident ahead.  No matter how much we meditate, remind ourselves to breath, stressors are around us and can jump-start our hormones into fight or flight mode.  If our house is on fire, this fight or flight mode is a good thing.  These fast-hormones will help us get out of the burning house fast.  But when they are revved up to go repeatedly or for prolonged periods of time, they wear us down.  Many of us have learned to reach for a cookie (maybe even the whole box), a beer or other unhealthy stress reduction methods to calm us down.

Enter nature.  Countless studies have found that choosing to take a walk in the park, a swim in the ocean, plant a garden-any activity outside in nature will reduce stress allowing you to skip the impulsive, weight gaining behaviors.

Two:  Burns Calories

When we think of burning calories, many of us think of a hard workout in a gym.  Sweat pouring from our forehead as we run to nowhere on a treadmill.  A class of women wrapped in brightly colored tights and sports bras, that look like they were painted on, waving their hands every which way.  Sure, those methods work and maybe we use these options ourselves.  However, engaging in nature can be a great workout!  Let’s take a look at some calorie burning numbers, shall we?

Hiking: One Hour 350-600 Calories

Raking The Lawn: One Hour 250-400 Calories

Badminton: A half hour 130-200 Calories

Beach Volleyball: One Hour 400-700 Calories

Kayaking: One Hour 300-450 Calories

(Calories burned varies on individuals weight and intensity of exercise)

Go ahead, Google some activities you might want to do outside and see how many calories you can burn.

Three: It’s Fun!

Let’s be real.  The more fun something is, the more we will probably want to do it, right?  Nature is free entertainment and it is always changing. Even if you walk the same route everyday, you will notice something new to excite your senses.  The leaves changing color, the sound of ice chiming on freshly chilled branches, wildlife nestled in amongst the leaves, the first flowers that bloom in spring-all of this is going on right outside our doors.

Maybe you want to push yourself, try something new, adventurous?  Enroll in a scuba class and explore what lives below the waves, take your yoga practice to a new level and try it on a stand up paddleboard, or join a hiking group and make some new friends.

When we add “engaging in nature” to our self-health toolbox we do more than lose weight.  We enliven our senses, awaken our spirit, and maybe even have a few laughs.  Maybe best of all, we’ll leave some unwanted pounds on the trails we’ve traveled.

Susan Allison-Dean, MS, RN, AHN-BC

The Nature Nurse

www.thenaturenurse.com

LAST Class of 2016: Grab a Seat in the October Class!

by Madi Johnson

 A lot can happen in 12 months. Your whole life can change.

diabetes prevention program

This October, fall into health with a new focus on YOU. One hour a week.

Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes classes are held online with a live instructor. Eat Smart, Move More, Prevent Diabetes is an evidence-based diabetes prevention program recognized by the CDC. Classes beginning in October will be accessible on all computers, laptops, and mobile devices. To see a snapshot of how it works, please watch this video here: Overview video.

 Class will be held Mondays at 8:30pm

Registration deadline: October 12th at 5:00pm ET

Diabetes CAN be prevented. We can help!

YETI Cups – Worth the Hype?

by Cathy Thomas

Often we are challenged to drink enough water daily. Even Hillary Clinton has struggled to yeti reviewdrink enough water leading to dehydration. I too have had my struggles. That is, until I discovered the YETI brand products. You may be skeptical that YETI is just another insulated cup product that comes with a big price tag, I know I was. That is until I tried it. Within a week, I went from owning no YETI products and thinking they were hype to rushing to buy several sizes with my favorite size; the Rambler 10 oz. cup.

Yeti says in their ad “The Rambler™ 10 oz. Lowball is the ideal drinking companion at the deer lease or around the campfire. Whether it’s holding your first cup of coffee in the morning or that last nightcap, the double-wall vacuum insulation will keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold far longer than standard mugs or cocktail glasses. And unlike your favorite bourbon glass, this Lowball will never shatter or leave a ring on your coffee table.” Perhaps Yeti should redo their advertisement, though not quite as sexy as coffee or bourbon, it really does keep your water cold and delicious all day. I fill it up with ice water in the morning and when I leave work at least 8 hours later (after refilling with water many times) there is STILL ice left. A friend of mine even played a round of golf in North Carolina’s summer heat and there was still ice left over at the end of the day. By keeping my water ice cold throughout my work day, it is much more refreshing to drink. I now find I am surpassing my water intake goals of at least 32 ounces each day. I don’t have stock in YETI so have nothing to gain here. You do, however, if it helps you drink more water each day.