You Ate It, Negate It!

Now I got this idea from Shape Magazine. I thought it would be a great thing to post on my blog every once and a while to remind people how many calories certain treats really are and what would would have to do to burn it off! So today I thought, since its Summer and all, that I would list a few things that may be at a Summer BBQ.

One Serving of Chocolate Ice Cream (1/2 Cup)

Calories: 143

Total Fat: 7g

Carbs: 18g

Protein: 2g

How To Burn It Off: Going on a leisure bike ride (under 10 mph) for 40 minutes.

One Serving of Lays Potato Chips (1 oz)

Calories: 150

Total Fat: 10g

Carbs: 15g

Protein: 2g

How To Burn If Off: Kick Boxing for 18 minutes

One Cup of Home Made Potato Salad

Calories: 358

Total Fat: 20g

Carbs: 27g

Protein: 6g

How To Burn If Off: Playing a game of Soccer for 55 minutes

Can I Have A Venti Passion Iced Tea Lemonade, Please?

I don't know you guys but where I live the Passion Iced Tea Lemonade is the new fad drink at Starbucks. I've had it and I loved it! But, then again I love any type of tea iced or hot! If your trying to watch your figure this is defiantly a drink for you. Its pretty low in calories for a Starbucks drink and it satisfies your sweet tooth! Its 190 calories for a Venti and zero fat. The only downside to this drink is its high in sugar, it has 49 grams! Eeekk, right?! Well, I was thinking and you can easily cut that sugar in half by ordering it in a different way. All you have to says it you don't want it sweetened. It will cut about 31 grams of sugar! Now, this won't change the flavor of the drink at all (in my opinion). Now, there's only 18 grams of sugar! If you've ever watched the Baristas at Starbucks make this drink, its quite gross. I watched them the other day and I realized they put six full squirts of this liquid sweetener in your drink and I'm not exaggerating, I counted! It made me wonder how much crap was in that sweetener that was going into my body! Gross, right?! Anyway, hope this quick little tip will help you out in the future! Have a healthy day! P.S I'm going to try to do a regular "Healthy Body Swap," this will be when I find a popular food or drink and explain the nutritional value of it. They will usually be pretty unhealthy but I'll find ways to make it healthier. Just like this post! I hope you guys will enjoy them!

Happy Fourth of July!

I feel that the Fourth of July really puts you in that Summer mood! I'm totally excited for fireworks (: I know that many of my readers out there are trying to stay healthy and not eat a lot of junk food! So, I wanted to share with you guys a couple recipes that I'm making with my dad today and a few tips on how to snack lightly! 

• First off, don't be too uptight on what you eat today, meaning, allow yourself so wiggle room. Just think, you can work extra hard on your workout tomorrow and be fine. The more you restrict yourself, the more likely you will binge!
• If you have already started munching on all the junk food and can't stop, don't beat yourself up about. There's always a new day tomorrow. I like to do a detox the day after I eat super unhealthy meaning drinking nothing but water the day after and munching on fruits and veggies all day. Also remember, one pound is equal to 3,500 calories.
• Before you eat, drink a glass of water it will fill up a little bit of space in your stomach and not make you over eat.
• If your craving something sweet, try adding a low-cal Crystal Light packet to your water to curve your sweet tooth. If your still craving whatever it is after 20 minutes, then go ahead and have a piece of the darn thing! Just make it a reasonably sized one!
• When at parties, try to stay away from the snack table. For instance, don't stand and chat by it that will make you more likely to grab things to snack on. 
• If you think that there won't be any healthy snacks, pack your own. ( I always pack a couple things just in case.) A few of my favorite things to pack are portion controlled low-fat chips, an apple or a kiwi, grapes, edamame, and a granola bar.
• If you want to snack on things go for things that aren't too sugary, fried, or grease soaked. So if you want chips, lean more toward the ones that have less grease.

This Forth of July my parents are trying to watch what they eat. Our family decided to make  kabobs on the grill, which is extremely easy and fun. Each person in our family is able to customize their kabob. There really isn't a recipe we use for this because we just pick out stuff that sounds good. All you need is skewers and your good to go. We like to put things like shrimp, scallops, lean mean, chicken, green and red peppers, mushrooms, and more! Of course, those don't all go on one. We usually pick three to four things we like and create a pattern on the skewer. Another great thing about kabobs is, you can make dessert ones too! We like to buy apples, pineapple, mango, and strawberries. Then you place them on the skewers and grill them until they get a nice golden color.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on them to add a little bit to the flavor. Then you can either allow them to cool and drizzle with a bit of white and milk chocolate or create a special dip for them. The dip is very simple, its just plain vanilla yogurt with cinnamon added to your taste. Once you've mixed that together, your finished!

Trying to lose weight or stay fit?

I have always been a huge water drinker, I love it! So naturally, I opt for water instead of soda or sugary drinks. For some other people, they don't show as much love toward water. If your trying to cut back on soda, lose weight, or just be healthy h2o contributes a great deal of help. When you drink water instead of soda that slices over half of your sugar intake plus it cuts out empty calories. Another way it helps you lose weight is if you drink water when your hungry it will sometimes make your hunger go away. The reason for that is because sometimes your body confuses thirst with hunger so you eat when really your just thirsty. Studies have been shown that people who drink more water than the daily recommendation have a lower body percentage, not to mention give you healthy, glowing skin! Now, if you have problems with drinking water because it is flavorless, I can help you with that! Sometimes when I get bored with my water, I like to spice it up and add either sliced of or zest of a lemon, lime, orange, or cucumber.(Surprisingly, cucumbers adds flavor!) Adding one of the items above to your water gives it a great appearance, which most likely will entice you to drink it! So remember, when in doubt, drink it out!

Are you trying to eat healthier?

A lot of New Year's resolutions to eat healthier or diet have probably already been broken, but don't worry there is still time to save it! I have found some great ways to get yourself out of a craving. All you have to do is distract yourself! It has helped me win over the TOUGHEST cravings like a hot fudge cookie sundae or a brownie!

Having a craving??? To get rid of it try...

Going on a bike ride
Taking a bath
Looking at a fitness magazine
Workout
Taking your dog for a walk(Fido will really appreciate it! (:)
Watching a movie
Looking at at Victoria Secret Swim Suits online
Brew a cup of tea
Drink a glass of water (sometimes when you feel hungry you really aren't your just thirsty, your body can get those too confused sometimes)
Turn up your music and start dancing like crazy
Go Swimming
Do your nails
Think of something gross about what your wanting to eat (Then it'll gross you out and you won't eat it)

Just think of anything to keep you distracted and sure enough you'll forget about your craving! Another thing I like to do is think of how bad I'll feel after I eat it and if its really worth it and if your STILL craving it then just go ahead and have a piece of the dang thing, but just make it a small serving.

Easter!

For Easter my family and my friends family are getting together, so I was looking up some fun recipes to make for dinner or dessert! Then I found this really yummy one that's great for Easter! Its actually made with a few Peeps, you know, those little bunny and chick marshmallows! Yummy, so if you want to check it out click here!

Fun Facts:

• In The 1950's it took 27 hours to make one single chick, now it takes only six minutes!
• Each Peep has 32 calories and ZERO grams of fat!
• There are enough Peeps made in one year that you could circle the Earth, twice!
• Yellow is the number one color sold of the bunnies and chicks Peeps!
• If you put a Peep in the microwave for 15-25 seconds it will expand over twice its size! Be careful though it could pop!
  

Bored With Your Water?

I know its hard to get the recommended amount of water each day. Sometimes you just crave a sweet or tangy drink. I found a great way to light up your aqua! Its called True Lemon; now what it is, is its a salt like flavoring that you can put in your water, food, or anywhere you use lemon juice! There is more than just lemon, there is orange and lime too! Now when I say its a salt like powder, I don't actually mean its flavored salt; it tastes like the real thing! I was so shocked, none of that yucky after taste you get with overly sweetened flavored water. I was even more shocked when I found out you could use it on things like fish and chicken just as if it was a real lemon. It has zero calories, carbs, sugar, sweetener, sodium, and preservatives. So its very good for you! The way I found out about this product was in a fitness magazine, so I visited the website and I ordered free samples. They sent me a few packets of each flavor and some coupons for it. I highly recommend this product, I can't rave about it anymore, the taste is so pure and fresh. (Okay, well maybe I could rave about it just a little bit longer (;) Have a beautiful day!

Super Bowl Sunday!

I'm terribly depressed that the Cardinals lost. I wanted to cry ): They deserved to win! They worked so hard! Its been 61 years since they have been in the Super Bowl. Anyway, I was going to tell you about my delicious dip I made today. Its a lot more festive than the other dips such as French Onion and Ranch. Its called the Eight Layer Dip. Its from my Hungry Girl Cook Book which I absolutely love! The recipe is here. It was such a hit at the Super Bowl party. So many people came back for seconds! It was almost all gone. I was very pleased to hear that so many people liked it. Plus its very simple to make that even beginners can make it! So next time you need an appetizer for a party try this eight layer dip!

Negative Calorie Foods.

I bet right now you don't believe me. That there are foods that are actually negative calories. Well there is, the reason they are negative calories is because they take more calories to digest than what they actually are. For instance a piece of cake can be 400 calories but it takes about 150 calories to digest. Then you would only be taking in 250 calories. Make sense? Well I'm going to give you the list of all those negative calorie foods.

List of Negative Calorie Foods

asparagus beet broccoli green cabbage carrot cauliflower celery root celery chicory hot chili peppers cucumber dandelion endive garden cress garlic green beans zucchini	apple cranberries grapefruit lemon mango orange pineapple raspberries strawberries tangerine lamb's lettuce lettuce onion papaya radishes spinach turnip

This list was from this website.

Hint Water.

I've been trying to be healthier. I watch what I eat and drink. I've noticed that a lot of the calories I take in are from what I drink. I try to drink what but after a while I get sick of the bland taste. So when I was at the grocery store I was looking for flavored water and I found Hint Water. I checked the back of the bottle to see the nutrition label and it has zero calories, sugar, and sodium. So its really good for you. All the other flavored water's I've tried either have a lot of sugar in them, taste bad, or leave a bad after taste. Hint Water has many flavors. The flavor I tried was Raspberry-lime. When I took my first sip it had enough flavor that wasn't over-powering. I waited a while to see if there was an after taste but there wasn't! I was really happy to finally find a flavored water that tasted good. Hint Water has many different flavors, like Mango Grapefruit, Pomegranate-Tangerine, Lime, Raspberry-Lime, Peppermint, Pear, Tropical Punch, Strawberry Kiwi, and Cucumber. So you have a lot to choose from. There is also no sweeteners added so the flavor you taste is the real fruit. Also the bottle and the label are really unique. The label features a picture real fruit. This flavored water has been featured in magazines like Parents, Weight Watchers, Business Weekly, Prevention, and many more! To learn more about it click here! You can find it at your local grocery stores!

"Drink water, Not sugar..." -Quote from Hint Water.

Looking for a yummy drink?

I have found the best drink ever! I absolutely love it, its my substitute for soda. Its called Snapple! Ever heard of it? They have ice teas, juices, vitamin waters, and diet teas. There are so many flavors! My favorite is Peach Tea. There really isn't any flavor I don't like. The best part about Snapple is its actually good for you! There are some with antioxidants, hydration, Vitamin D, calcium, and much more! You can even choose ones with caffeine or no caffeine. The reason I like to drink Snapple is because I know it is better than soda. Plus I have braces and it isn't as hard on them as it is with soda. (Just remember to brush your teeth after you drink it if you have braces.) I also love how under ever Snapple cap there is a fun fact. Like for instance it could say "An ostrich has 3 eye lids," or "A crocodile can not move its tongue." There are drinks that are sweet and non-sweet. They just have some plain Green Tea's too which I also like. So if I were to rate Snapple out of 10 stars I'd give it a 9.5. Hope this helps improve your health.

Click Here to learn more!

Feeling yucky? Eat a salad!

Hey everyone! Last night I felt so lazy and gross because I've just been lounging around eating junk food. My little brother is in the hospital so that's all I can do! My mom doesn't want me to go and get sick so I stay home. So tonight she came home and my dad spent the night at the hospital with my little brother. Me and my mom were just sitting watching tv when we were both hungry so I volunteered to make salads! I made a bleu cheese salad. It contains: Dole Classic Romaine Salad, Croutons, Bleu Cheese salad dressing, and Bleu Cheese Crumbles. It was really good and healthy! It made me feel alot better! If you don't like this salad here's a link for another! Cesar Salad Happy salad making!

Only 90 calories?! Wow!

I found a snack that is only 90 calories! They are called Quaker Oat Mini Delights. There are 3 flavors buttered popcorn (with actual pieces of popcorn), chocolate drizzle (my favorite), and cinnamon. They all have a nice flavor to them that isn't over powering. I like to keep these with me in my purse when I shop so if I get tempted to go buy some sweet I just pull them out and eat them! It relieves my craving! I hope this tip helps all! Thanks for reading my blog. Have a lovely day! (:

Emergen-c

Hi again! Sorry I've been posting so much about products its just that I use alot of them and I feel like they could help other people like they help me. Well anyways Emergen-c is a product that you take when you feel sick, are sick, or there is a sickness going around. Its a powder that you stir and put in your drink and it makes it sorta fizzy. Then you drink it and it helps you get over your sickness or prevents you from getting sick. They come in over 7 different flavors. They are all yummy too! Here is the website for them! Click here! They really work! I have been using them for a while now! Sometimes I have those groggy, icky days when I don't feel good and I drink one of these and it makes me feel much better! Please check them out!
Have a fabulous day!

Healthy Smoothies! So yummy!

Apricot Pineapple Smoothie Recipe

1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 fresh apricot, diced
6 strawberries
1/2 banana
1 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high- quality protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. flax seed oil (optional)
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In a blender, process fruit with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Banana-Strawberry Fruit Smoothie Recipe

1 banana, frozen
6 strawberries, frozen
1 1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high- quality protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. flax oil (optional)
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In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Tropical Fruit Shake

1/2 mango
2 tbsp. frozen pina coloda mix (or 1/8 tsp. natural coconut extract)
1/2 banana, frozen
4 strawberries, frozen
6 ice cubes
1 1/4 cup water
1 heaping tbsp. high- quality protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. flax oil (optional)
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In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Banana-Berry Fruit Smoothie

1/2 pear, cored
1/4 cup frozen blueberries or frozen mixed berries
1/2 banana, frozen
1 1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high-quality protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. flax oil (optional)
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In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

Banana-Orange-Strawberry Fruit Shake

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 banana, frozen
6 strawberries, frozen
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. skim milk powder
1 heaping tbsp. high- quality protein powder (optional)
1 tsp. flax oil (optional)
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In a blender, process all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed and serve.

I don't take credit for these I took these from this website!

Click here!

Just so you know (;

xoxo, Tori

Too much junk food? Try these!

Here are some healthy snacks you can munch on!

100 Calorie packs
Jello
Apples with peanut butter. (or low-fat yogurt)
Celery dipped in ranch
Salad with low-fat dressing
Baked Chips
Strawberries and Kiwi with low-fat yogurt
Fruit salad
Veggie tray
Grapes
Cottage Cheese with cubed fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, and honey dew melon.

Hope these helped also go to this website!
It will help you improve your diet!

xoxo, Tori