Happy New Year!

How will you be starting 2010? My options are a limited right now due to being 20 weeks pregnant. I think I have found just the program. It's called the Brazilian Butt Lift. Here's a quick video of it.

This looks like a fun workout that maybe won't seem like you're working out. I have already ordered this program so I'll let you know. If you would like to try it out click here.

Quinoa

If you have never tried quinoa go out and buy it today! I was first introduced to it in a book by Tosca Reno. This lady knows her clean eating. A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

It took me awhile to find it in the grocery store. It is found in the natural health section of most groceries. It comes in a package like this:

The recipe that I like is called

Quinoa with Butternut Squash Gratin

• 1 20 oz. package peeled and diced butternut squash or a 1-1/2 lb. butternut squash peeled and diced
• 1 cup organic quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. shallots
• 1/2 cup egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1 slice Italian bread ( I used regular bread crumbs)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 2-quart baking or gratin dish with nonstick cooking spray.

If using pre-cut butternut squash, pierce the package a few times with a fork and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until squash is soft and tender. If using a whole squash, peel and cube it, then put in a ziploc plastic bag and seal. Then pierce a few times with a fork and microwave as directed above.

Wash the quinoa in a fine sieve thoroughly (about 5 minutes) until water runs clear. This is very important, as quinoa has a bitter protective coating that can linger even after processing.

Transfer squash and quinoa to a large (2 or 3-quart) pot. Add water and salt to pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the quinoa blooms into little spirals. Remove from heat and let rest.

YUMMY!!! Here's a pic of the final product.

....and in the morning I'm making waffles!

Have I told you how much I love breakfast? It's my favorite meal of the day. If for some reason, I don't get to eat until lunch time, I will still need to have breakfast first. I could have breakfast for three meals a day. In fact in college that's what I usually did. And then I wondered why I had gained the freshman 15 from eating low fat pancake mix all day. Anyways, that's a whole other topic. Back to my love for breakfast....it starts with syrup. AHHHHH I love syrup. So much that I only keep sugar free maple sugar syrup in the house. Which once you get used to it isn't bad. I love pancakes, french toast, and especially waffles! However, all of that good syrupy food is not what you call clean eating. So to stay sane, I make healthy pumpkin pancakes, whole grain french toast, and healthy low carb waffles topped with sugar free syrup and strawberries. This is all easy to do when you are in your own kitchen with your own ingredients. But what do you do if you are out of town??? Last weekend I went to Portland, ME and had a fabulous time. I had planned ahead and decided that one day would be my cheat day and the next day on the way home I would have to behave myself. The trip home we started the day with breakfast at the hotel before we left. On the menu was the usual breakfast goodies. I REALLY wanted to get a waffle and a bucket of real maple syrup but unfortunately I had already had my cheat. I also knew that I had a long day ahead of me and I would not want to feel like I was in a sugar coma for hours. So I politely told the waiter I would like the 3 egg omelet with green peppers, spinach, and mushrooms, dry whole grain toast, with a fruit platter for my husband and I to share. While I was waiting for my food to come the guy beside me ordered a waffle. I gave him a dirty look. Our breakfast finally came and it was delicious! It was also beautiful and colorful. They mistakenly gave me homefries with my meal I quickly handed those off to my husband so I would not be tempted. I ate until I was satisfied and then we left. I felt great! I felt confident for following through with my commitment but my body also felt great. I had given my body the correct fuel to run. I know how I would have felt if I would have gotten the waffle. I would have had a moment of bliss with the first few gulps of syrup running down my face but after that I would have felt guilty and frumpy. A place I have been many times and IT IS NEVER WORTH IT. It felt so good to say NO. I no longer had remorse for not eating the waffle. I left with a big smile on my face.

Should you buy organic?

Not all of us can afford to go 100% organic every time we shop. The solution? Focus on those foods that come with the heaviest burden of pesticides, additives and hormones. According to the Environmental Working Group(EWG), consumers can reduce their pesticide exposure by 80% by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating only the cleanest. If consumers get their USDA-recommended 5 daily servings of fruits and veggies from the 15 most contaminated, they could consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. Those who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally grown produce ingest less than 2 pesticides daily.

EWG has been publishing guides to the "dirty dozen" of most pesticide contaminated foods since 1995, based on statistical analysis of testing conducted by the USDA and the FDA. According to EWG analyst Chris Campbell, the new dirty dozen only reflects measurable pesticide residues on the parts of the foods normally consumed (i.e. washed and peeled).

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peach	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apple	93
3	Sweet Bell Pepper	83
4	Celery	82
5	Nectarine	81
6	Strawberries	80
7	Cherries	73
8	Kale	69
9	Lettuce	67
10	Grapes - Imported	66
11	Carrot	63
12	Pear	63
13	Collard Greens	60
14	Spinach	58
15	Potato	56
16	Green Beans	53
17	Summer Squash	53
18	Pepper	51
19	Cucumber	50
20	Raspberries	46
21	Grapes - Domestic	44
22	Plum	44
23	Orange	44
24	Cauliflower	39
25	Tangerine	37
26	Mushrooms	36
27	Banana	34
28	Winter Squash	34
29	Cantaloupe	33
30	Cranberries	33
31	Honeydew Melon	30
32	Grapefruit	29
33	Sweet Potato	29
34	Tomato	29
35	Broccoli	28
36	Watermelon	26
37	Papaya	20
38	Eggplant	20
39	Cabbage	17
40	Kiwi	13
41	Sweet Peas - Frozen	10
42	Asparagus	10
43	Mango	9
44	Pineapple	7
45	Sweet Corn - Frozen	2
46	Avocado	1
47 (best)	Onion	1 (lowest pesticide load)

Note: We ranked a total of 47 different fruits and vegetables but grapes are listed twice because we looked at both domestic and imported samples.

Oxygen Magazine No Bake Protein Bars

No-Bake Protein Bars

2 Cups of Oatmeal

4 scoops of natural vanilla whey protein

1 Cup of Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter

1/4 Cup of Ground flax seed

1/2 cup of water

Mix all ingredients well, and put into a wax paper lined bakeware...then freeze for 30 minutes and ENJOY! This recipe was from my OXYGEN magazine and its fool proof and awesome! I love it!!

3 Day Full Body Workout

3 Day Full Body Workout Plan

Full Body Workout Routine Not Only Builds Muscle But It Torches Fat … in Less Than 60 Minutes.

Can you spare 60 minutes, three times a week?

If the answer is “yes” I have the perfect workout routine for you: A “Full Body Workout” program that will get you in-and-out of the gym in less than an hour, will amp up your metabolism for the next 48 hours and — after about a month — will give you noticeable improvements not only in your strength, but also your physique.

Oh, and expect to drop some body fat in the process.

Why A Full Body Workout?

Full body workouts are probably the single most under-utilized workout routines in the gym.

Regardless of your experience level or existing strength, working your entire body in a single session is not only challenging, but an extremely effective way to build muscle, strength and burn fat in the process.

Before we actually take a look at a full body workout routine, let’s quickly discuss some of the advantages of working your entire body in a single session and the basics you need to know about before getting started.

The Benefits of Full Body Workouts

There are a number of benefits to performing full body workouts, including:

• Better core development
• Less overall time in the gym
• Improved recovery intervals
• Reduced risk of overtraining
• Greater training frequency per muscle group
• Increased energy expenditure during and after training
• Increases in beneficial growth hormones
• Highly customizable to different training goals, whether that is strength, muscle size (hypertrophy) , endurance or a combination of the three
• Better overall muscular development and symmetry
• Reduced risk of developing muscle imbalances, especially among smaller stabilizer muscles
• Secondary cardiovascular benefits
• Appropriate for all ages and levels of experience, from beginners to advanced trainees

Don’t Forget Your Exercise and Training Log!

To get the most out of this — and any workout — keep track of your progress with an exercise log. Increasing strength, mass and muscle endurance requires you to gradually increase the weight, reps and volume (sets) each successive workout to keep your muscles challenged and growing. Because this particular full body workout routine fixes your sets at three, progression will primarily be a function of increasing reps within the 8-10 range, as well as making slight increases in weight week-over-week.

To accomplish this, you’ll need to know how much you lifted in your last workout, as well as the reps. The only way to be sure is to write it down. Please don’t skip this step. Not keeping track of performance in the gym is one of the primary reasons people don’t progress in their workout routines and fail to hit their fitness goals.

So let’s get to the actual workout.

3 Day Full Body Workout

Unless otherwise indicated, for all exercises use a weight that causes you to “fail” between 8-10 reps per set. Perform 10 minutes of light cardio and stretching prior to the routine. Also, you can perform one light-weight warm-up set (not reflected in the sets in the routine below), and three working sets for each exercises.

Workout #1 (Day One) Exercises

Barbell Chest Press: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Pull Ups (Can be performed on a pull-up station with assist or a traditional pull-up bar): Perform as many pull-ups as you can for 3 sets.
Standing Military (Barbell or Dumbbell) Shoulder Press: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Barbell Squat: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Standing Calf Raise: 15 Reps for 3 Sets

Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets

Tricep Bench Dips: Perform as many dips as you can for 3 sets.*

Back Extensions: One Set of 15**
Swiss/Stability Ball Ab Crunches: 20-25***

Rest and Recover for at least 48 hours.

Workout #2 (Day Two) Exercises

Dips: Perform as many reps as possible for 3 sets*
Cable Rows: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Push Ups: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Wall Squats (can use a ball if you want): 15 Reps for 3 Sets
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Overhead Seated Dumbbell Tricep Press: 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Back Extensions: One Set of 15**
Hanging Leg Raises/Roman Chair (Abs): Perform as many as you can for 3 sets***

Rest and Recover for at least 48 hours.

Workout #3 (Day Three) Exercises

Dumbbell Chest Press (Vary the position of the bench from flat to incline across sets): 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Bent Over Dumbbell Rows (can be performed in a Smith Machine as well): 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Upright Rows (Dumbbell or Barbell): 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Step ups (step up on bench with 10lbs): 10 Reps each leg for 3 Sets

Bicep Curls : 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Lunges (can do these walking or stationary): 15 Reps each leg for 3 Sets
Lying Tricep Dumbbell Extensions (”Skullcrushers”): 8-10 Reps for 3 Sets
Back Extensions: One set of 15 **
Planks (Abs): Perform 3 sets for 60 seconds each set.

* As it becomes easier to perform dips with your body weight, add additional resistance by holding a light dumbbell between your feet (in the case of parallel bar dips), or have someone place a light plate across your legs on bench dips.

** Increase resistance on back extensions by holding a light plate or dumbbell over your chest during the movement.

*** Increase resistance progressively during ab crunches by holding a plate or dumbbell across your chest. For hanging leg raises/Roman Chair leg raises or V Crunches, place a light dumbbell between your feet.