Healthy Recipe: Sweet Potato Hashbrowns

Add some protein to your breakfast (or dinner)!

 

Ingredients:

• Peeled and grated Sweet Potatoes
• Coconut Oil – (can use other oil but we just learned how good Coconut oil is for us!)
• Salt & Pepper
• Garlic diced (optional)
• Onions diced (optional)

Instructions:

Grate peeled sweet potatoes over cheese grater, set aside.

In a frying pan, heat pan with oil to medium heat.  Add garlic and onions and cook for 2 minutes if you are using them.

Add sweet potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and let cook for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on how crunchy you like them.  Flip and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Then enjoy!

If you want a sweeter sweet potato, you could add cinnamon and a LITTLE brown sugar instead of salt and pepper.

 

This recipe was adapted from the blog Budget Paleo…Made Easy!

Benefits of Coconut Oil

This short video explains the benefits of Coconut oil.  There is a ton of information if you google it, too.

http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS

 

Monday Motivation

We recommend: MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal is a totally FREE online food journal (with the option of downloading an app for your smartphone) that can help you track what you eat and help you lose weight.

MyFitnessPal has been featured in prestigious publications like the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today.  They claim to have the world’s largest nutrition and calorie database.  It recognizes calories from specific food brands, restaurant chains, and even individual pieces of candy!  It helps calculate how many calories you burn from your workout and in addition to calories it counts carbs, fat and protein.

It helps you set goals when you sign up based on body weight, age and activity level.  AND it helps keep you on track because after you submit your day’s food entires the journal gives you a statement like this, “If everyday were like today, you would weigh X amount of pounds in Y amount of weeks.”

Matt from our office is using it and he’s lost almost 15 pounds in two weeks!  You can take it anywhere with the smartphone app or use it when you get home.  Check it out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

 

Remember to register for the Fargo Marathon!

 

Remember you have to register by March 1st, 2012 in order to get the dry fit t-shirt for the Weight Loss program. Click on the picture to go to the Fargo Marathon website and to register for the race.

Helpful Website

Our Safety Director Dave found this helpful website to assist everyone with the weight loss challenge this year.  It offers simple, easy to understand tips for weight loss and nutrition.

Good find, Dave!

 

CommonSenseHealth.com

 

8 Tips for a Thinner Thanksgiving

Here are eight tips to help you through this tempting holiday from WebMD.com.

1.  Get Active:  Staying active will help burn some of the extra calories you are bound to eat.  Get the entire family to bundle up and go on a walk!

2.  Eat Breakfast:  Eating a small but satisfying breakfast will make it easier to take control of portions or helpings at dinner.

3.  Lighten Up:  Normally deep fry your Thanksgiving turkey?  Try the oven this year.  Make your dishes lighter if you can.

4.  Portion Control:  Skip seconds on really fattening dishes.  Or maybe skip thirds?

5.  Slowly Savor:  Eating slowly helps you realize your full faster.  Plus you enjoy it more!

6.  Easy Alcohol:  Try drinking water between drinks to keep you hydrated.  Remember, there easily 100 calories, if not more, in each drink.

7.  Be Realistic:  Switch your mindset from “weight loss” to “weight maintenance.”  It’s Thanksgiving for cryin’ out loud!

8.  Focus on Family & Friends:  This is what the holiday should really be about.  Don’t let your weight loss goals make you unhappy or unpleasant to be around.  A happy mind makes for a healthy body so keep your head straight and treat yourself but just not too much! 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Healthy Veggie Chili

Maybe Greg will let me bring this to the Chili Feed this year? 

This is from Emeril Lagasse, of the food network, but we can simplify it a little.

(TIP: add more of what you like and eliminate what you don’t!  To make a traditional chili, just add cooked LEAN ground beef/chicken/turkey before you simmer for 20 minutes.)

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 Yellow Onion-chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper-chopped
• 2 TBSP minced Garlic
• 2-3 Serrano Peppers-seeded and chopped
• 1 Zucchini-can leave skin on-chopped
• 2 ears Corn  – can use frozen
• 5 big Portobello Mushrooms-wipe clean-chopped
• 1 can Black Beans (or your choice) – drain and rinse
• 4 Tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock or water
• 2 TBSP Chili Powder
• 1 TBSP Cumin
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Directions:
In  a large pot heat the oil over medium heat and cook onions, peppers, and garlic, stirring frequently until soft, about 3 minutes.

Add zucchini, corn, and mushrooms and cook about another 6 minutes until veggies get a little brown around the edges. (Brown = flavor)

Add chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant. 30 seconds to a minute. Add tomatoes and stir well. 

Add beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock (or water) stir well and bring to boil.  Once it is boiling, turn the heat back down to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes.

SERVING OPTIONS:
Serve over brown rice or Quinoa with sour cream, avocados, and/or green onions.  Sprinkle with Essence (recipe below) for added flavor and a crunchy piece of bread for dipping.

Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (for extra kick!):
2.5 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP Salt
2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP of the following:
black pepper
onion powder
cayenne pepper
dried oregano
Dried Thyme
(I bet they sell this premade at the store!)

 

Soups, stews and chilis are the best because you can add and subtract whatever you want.  Just throw a ton of stuff into a pot and you’re set.  There are no rules.  Be creative.

HEALTH CAN BE MEASURED BY WHAT YOU TAKE TWO AT A TIME:

PILLS     OR      STAIRS

A Weigh In Tip: Water Weight