Green Monster Smoothie

The first time I saw this smoothie and read through the ingredients I said, " No way...I'll never be able to drink that." But as I started eating healthy and looking for more ways to add in vegetables to my diet, I decided to venture out and try this odd smoothie.

And boy am I glad I did! I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful this smoothie turned out! I was prepared for the worse and expected to be gagging down the spinach-y tasting drink, but I couldn't get it down fast enough! The fruit completely masks the flavor of the spinach so all you get is a sweet tasting, healthy (yet still somewhat odd looking) smoothie! :)


Green Monster Smoothie

• 2 cups fresh baby spinach (you can use Kale or another green but spinach has the mildest flavor)
• 1 cup frozen fruit of choice (I usually mix and match with pineapple, mango, and peaches..really anything works!)
• 1 medium banana (The riper, the better)
• 3/4 cup water

1. Pour the water into the blender. Always put liquids in the blender first.
2. Pack in the baby spinach next.
3. Then add your frozen fruit and banana.
4. Blend and enjoy!

Notes: You can always use milk or yogurt in place of the water...I just prefer the water plus it saves on calories! With the frozen fruit, there is no need to add ice. If you should decide to use fresh fruit, then you will need to add a 1/2 cup or so of ice. You can always add in flax seeds, protein powder, or nuts to really amp it up! The possibilities are endless!

The skinny:
This smoothie packs approximately 200 calories with less than 1 g of fat! And once you start to drink these regularly, you will definitely notice a difference in your energy level! Plus, your hair and nails will start to grow like weeds! Don't say I didn't warn you! And with a name like "Green Monster," that bright green color, and such a sweet taste, you might even be able to get your kids to try it!  Just don't tell them what's in it! :)

So go ahead and pour yourself another glass...and one for the kids, as well! :)

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Healthy French Toast

So many breakfasts foods are heavy, fried, or drowned in butter! This Healthy French Toast recipe is a lighter version of the traditional recipe and will give you a great start to your day without leaving you feeling weighed down and guilty!

Healthy French Toast (2 servings)

• 4 slices of bread (I used a 100% whole grain bread)
• 1/4 cup low fat or skim milk
• 1 whole egg
• 2  egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Cooking spray

1. Beat together the two egg whites, one whole egg, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl and then transfer to a shallow dish. (I found it was difficult to get it mixed really well if I did it in the shallow dish so that's why I mix it up in the bowl first and then transfer it to a shallow dish, like a pie plate)

2. Spray a nonstick skillet with the cooking spray and set to medium heat.

3. Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture, being sure to turn over to coat both sides well. Place the bread in the heated skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until browned on both sides.

4. Repeat for all slices. Serve with sugar free syrup, nuts, fruits, or your topping of choice.


I served this with two slices of turkey bacon, fresh sliced pineapple and sugar free syrup(not pictured)! If you have never tried turkey bacon, I encourage you to do so! You will be amazed as to how much it taste like regular bacon but without all the extra fat!

The skinny:
Two slices of this healthy french toast pack approximately only 150 calories! Just be sure not to totally ruin this healthy breakfast with fattening or calorie dense toppings!

Enjoy!! :)


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Abs are Made in the...Gym or Kitchen?

As much as I hate to admit it, this statement is true :(. My world would be in perfect harmony if I could just do 1,000 crunches and then go stuff my face with burgers, pizza, and tortillas and still have a great toned, tight, washboard tummy. However, it simply just does not work like that.

You can do crunches and sit ups and all kinds of ab exercises till you're blue in the face, but you'll never actually be able to lay eyes on all your hardwork if you have a layer of fat covering those muscles. The key to getting abs (and actually seeing them) is by controlling your caloric intake and burning that fat right off your belly. In actuallity, this applies to getting that toned appearance all over your body.

It is true that muscle burns more calories than fat does, so strength training is always a good thing. But you need to form a balance between strength training, cardio, and a healthy diet. If you have read the about me section here on my blog, then you know I was succesful in losing some weight with just exercising and not really paying attention to what I ate, but I soon hit a weight loss plateau. And truth be told, even though I was doing strenght training and cardio, you couldn't actually see any major definition in my body. It wasn't until I started watching my diet that I began to see definition and see some major changes in my body.

There's nothing that makes me feel worse for someone than when I hear them talk about how much they just worked out and all the time they spent in the gym and then see them sit down to a plate of fried chicken, chips, and a piece of cake. Don't get me wrong, I occasionally indulge also but this can not be an everyday thing. You are basically eating every calorie you just burned off...plus MORE! Having the mentality of "Oh well, I just burned 500 calories at the gym so I can have that fried chicken, " is not the correct way of thinking and will not help you achieve that toned look we all are going for.

I aim to do cardio at least 4 days a week and strength training at least 3 days a week. Now does this mean I work out 7 days a week? No, not at all! Some days I do just cardio...some days I do just strength training...some days I do both! You have to figure out what works for you and stick to it! But the thing to always keep consistent is your healthy eating! I track my caloric intake daily and it really helps me to stay on track. If you are interested in keeping an accurate count of your calories, fat, carbs, etc., I recommend signing up on the Livestrong website. You just enter in a few things about yourself, such as your weight, activity level, male/female, and how much you want to lose per week and they calculate for your how many calories you should shoot for each day. Keeping track of all the food you eat can also open your eyes to exactly how much you may be eating. A lot of us don't realize exactly how many calories we are consuming when we sit down with a bag of chips and mindlessly eat. But having the responsibility of having to go in and truthfully track what you just ate can be a huge wake up call! Livestrong also has lots of other neat tools and things to check out! I highly recommend it!

Now as I said, I didn't see major differences in my body until I discovered healthy eating. I went back and forth with myself when trying to decide if I wanted to post these pictures but as they say "the proof is in the picture," and if this helps someone to realize that they need to make a change, then I'll take one for the team! :)

Before Healthy Eating...Only Exercise

After Healthy Eating for 3 Months

I have more definition on the sides of my abs and on my hips and love handle area. My stomach is also much flatter as well.

 Three months passed in between the time the first and second pictures were taken. I am still a work in progress but as you can see, healthy eating not only helped my abs and midsection become more defined but my back and legs are thinner as well. (My dog felt like she needed to make an appearance as well :)

So before you lay down to do those crunches, I encourage you to evaluate what you have been eating and remember: ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN, NOT THE GYM!! :)

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Toned and Tight Tuesday: Side Plank with Twist

Today's move will hit all the muscles in your core, your upper body and arms, and will really put your balancing skills to the test!

I present to you the Side Plank with a twist:

Start in a side plank position with your left arm directly below your shoulder and your right arm bent behind your ear. Stack your feet on top of each other. If this is difficult for you to do and keep your balance, you may stagger your feet with your right foot in front of your left.

Twist your body to the front and down and try to touch your elbow to your hand.

Come back up to the starting position.(This is me coming back up...my husband thought it was necessary to get an action shot :P haha)

For a modified version, you may do this on your foreman instead of extending your arm completely.

Twist forward and touch your elbow to the ground just as was done in the advanced version.

Do 12-15 reps of whichever version you choose and then switch sides.

And that's it! Another great move to add to your workout! Let me know how you like it! :)

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Skinny BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

It's no secret. Anybody who knows me, knows I like to eat. And I like to eat a lot! And I don't enjoy eating things that taste skinny. So I'm always on the lookout for recipes that take your everyday, favorite foods and turn them into skinny/healthy recipes! When those recipes aren't available, I improvise and make my own! This is what I did with these BBQ Chicken Sandwiches we had for dinner tonight.

The original recipe came from Crockin' Girls but I substituted lower fat and lower calorie ingredients to make these a little more healthy!

Skinny BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (6-8 servings)

• 5 small chicken breast halves
• 1 16.25 oz bottle Light BBQ Sauce (I used Kraft)
• 1/2 cup Fat Free Italian Dressing
• 2 tbsp Low Sodium Worcestershire Sauce

1. Place the chicken breast in the slow cooker.
2. Mix together the BBQ Sauce, Italian dressing, and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Pour BBQ mix over the chicken breast evenly
4. Set to low and cook for 6-8 hours. (Or high for 3-4 hours)
5. Shred chicken breast and mix well with the sauce. Leave on the warm setting until ready to eat.

And that's all she wrote! I put mine on in the morning before I leave for work and by the time I get home the house is smelling wonderful!

I served this on a 100% whole grain bun. I love the nutty flavor of the whole grain buns and since whole grains are a complex carb, it will take longer to digest and won't cause as much of a spike in insulin levels as would a white bun. Insulin spike=slowing down the fat burning process and storing fat...NOT good!

For a side dish we had a mix of frozen vegetables. This mix is called "Deluxe Stir Fry." It includes broccoli, Italian green beans, carrots, baby corn, water chestnuts, and red bell peppers. I also added some frozen corn kernels to bulk it up a bit more.

The skinny:
One serving of just the meat has approximately 130 calories and 1.8 grams of fat! Add in another 130 calories for the bun I used and you've got a 260 calorie sandwich with less than 5 grams of total fat! I'll take that over a traditonal BBQ sandwich any day!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! :) Pin It Now!

Friday Night Light...Eating That Is!

When I first started really getting into healthy eating, I would say to myself..."I'll eat good throughout the week and then just eat whatever I want on the weekends." This sounded good in theory but if you consider Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as the weekend, then that's basically HALF the week you are not eating healthy! After only a couple of weeks of this and not losing weight, I quickly realized this was not going to work. I needed to figure out a better way to eat healthy but also not feel deprived as I watched my husband wolf down down Mexican food (my favorite) on the weekends while I sat with my little salad in front of me.

So I finally found what works for me! I try to eat as healthy as possible everyday, but on Saturday I pick ONE meal to have as a "free meal." I don't eat junk all day long and cheat on my healthy eating ALL day Saturday...only on ONE meal! I've found this helps satisfy my unhealthy cravings and then I can just get right back on track!

For me, it's all about moderation and being realistic. I know I will get cravings and I know I will slip up...it's just part of it! The most important thing is GETTING BACK ON TRACK! Just because you slip up and eat one unhealthy thing you can't just say, "Oh well...I've already ruined my healthy eating for today so I'll just eat whatever I want the rest of the day and try again tomorrow." No! It won't work like that! As the saying goes, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today!" Can I get an amen?! :)

There will always be those special occasions where you will indulge a little more or not eat as well as you would like to, especially on the weeknds. Food is a way for us to connect to people and pretty much any gathering or event you go to, there will be food. Enjoy those times, enjoy the people, enjoy the food...just make sure once the event is over and your regular life continues on, get back to your healthy eating! If you find yourself at lots of parties or gatherings on the weekends and notice that your eating is getting out of control, search for food that you can fill up on that aren't too bad. Look for a fruit or veggie tray, pick out some chicken, etc. Or better yet, if you KNOW there won't be many healthy options where you are going, eat something before you go so you feel full and won't be as inclined to eat as much!

I'm sorry, I have to control myself! I just got off on another topic that will definitely get its own post another day... :)

Anyways, off the soap box and onto what I had for my Friday night dinner!

Omar wanted to go to a place called Fat Daddy's. It is a burger joint but has this AWESOME salad that I order sometimes! (I was so excited about it that I mixed it all up before getting a good picture LoL) It's called the Margarita salad and comes with lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, avocado, bacon, cheese, chicken, and ranch dressing. I order it without bacon and cheese to save calories and cut down on the fat. They also have the little bar with all the fixings to put on your burger so I add to my salad pico de gallo, jalapenos, and onions. Last night I asked for salsa instead of the ranch dressing but I usually take my own Fat Free Italian dressing in a little tupperware container :) Don't be embarrassed to do it! You will save so many calories and so much fat...there's nothing embarrasing about that!

What do you do to keep up your healthy eating on the weekends?!

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Greek Yogurt: A Gift from the Protein gods

I LOVE Greek yogurt! I was skeptical to try it at first basically just because of the name. Nothing against the Greeks...just to me, Greek equaled something I had never tried before. But come to find out, it has nothing to do with Greek style food or anything like that...it simply gets it's name from how it is made. Greek yogurt is strained three times as opposed to only two times as in regular yogurt, removing more liquid which gives it the thick, creamy texture.

Enough of this history stuff! Onto why I like it...

The thing that really got my attention about this Greek yogurt and made me try it was the massive amount of protein it packs into each container. In just a one cup serving of this yogurt, you can get up to 22 grams of protein! As we already know, protein helps keeps you feeling fuller longer and helps maintain muscle mass.

It also contains probiotics. Probiotics are a form of good bacteria that help to strengthen the natural bacteria living in your body that aid in maintaing balance in your digestive system and boosting your immune system.

The texture is much better than that of regular yogurt. That extra straining process which makes it so much thicker than normal yogurt makes it rich and decadent. The thicker,richer texture also makes you feel like you are eating more thus helping you to feel fuller while eating less.

It is very versatile! Greek yogurt can be used in savory and sweet dishes. You can use it as a substitute for butter or oil when baking a cake, use it instead of sour cream for a dip, or even on your sandwich instead of mayonniase.

Below is a conversion chart from Chobani showing you how to substitute Greek yogurt for other items and how much to use.

My favorite way to eat Greek yogurt is with fruit. Pineapple and Greek yogurt is my go-to breakfast.

Just a half a cup of Greek yogurt and a half a cup of pineapple holds me over for hours!

I originally got hooked on the fruit with the Greek yogurt when I tried the Chobani "Fruit on the Bottom" cups. But nothing beats having chunks of fresh, sliced fruit!

I will go ahead and give you one warning. Plain greek yogurt (which is what I eat with my pineapple) tastes nothing like the yogurt many of us are used to. It is tangy and a little tart but when mixed with fruit is the perfect combination. Or when I have used it in place of sour cream for a dip, I couldn't even tell the difference!

Try out some Greek yogurt and let me know what you think! Now that you know some of the benefits of Greek yogurt...what have you got to lose?! :) Pin It Now!

Cute Workout Clothes Alert!!

Thanks to Raining Hot Coupons, I just scored this super cute workout tank from Reebok for only $14.99! Regularly $40!

You can go here and get yours too! They also come in other colors!

Just make sure you enter the Promo/Coupon code SAH15 when you check out and it will bring the price down to $14.99! Plus free shipping! Doesn't get much better than that! :)

Let me know if you get one! :)



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Lunch time!

I have many people ask me what kinds of things I eat for snacks, lunches, etc so I will be occasionally posting different meals and snacks I eat on here.

This is my lunch for today!

It includes: a packet of Lemon & Pepper tuna, reduced fat wheat thins, an apple and of course water.

Now I'm not one to eat plain tuna straight from the can. I would usually need to add low fat mayo or advocado or something to it to give it some flavor. However, these Starkist Tuna Creations are excellent! They come in different flavors and there is really no need to add anything else to them! My favorite is the sweet and spicy flavor! I eat this straight from the package with the reduced fat Wheat Thins. This whole 4.5 ounce package of tuna also packs approximately 35 grams of protein!! If you read my post on Protein and Weight Loss then you know why I am so excited about this!

As for the Wheat Thins, I counted out enough to equal exactly one portion size. I track my calories daily on the Livestrong website so I'm pretty anal about making sure I get EXACTLY what the portion size says. (I'm weird like that!)

And last but not least, my little red apple. I eat an apple EVERY day for lunch. No matter what else I'm having I always make sure I have my apple. It's full of fiber and help keeps me full for hours! And you know what they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! :)

So as you can see, this is a pretty well-balanced lunch! I get plenty of protein and Omega 3's from the tuna, whole grains from the crackers, and lots of fiber from the apple. This entire meal equals to approximately 360 calories with approximately 5 grams of fat. Not bad!

What healthy meal choices are you making today?



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Toned and Tight Tuesday: Spiderman Pushup

Every Tuesday I will be posting a new move or exercise to add to your workout to give you a new challenge and spice things up a bit! This Tuesday: The Spiderman Pushup!

The ol' tried and true traditional push up itself can be challenging. Add in this spiderman leg lift and you will up the ante even more!

Disclaimer: I was trying to set the timer on the camera, run and do the move before it took the picture, and trying to keep my puppy out of the way all at the same time! So please forgive me if the pictures are less than perfect. Also, don't mind my bright red face...this was right after my run :)

Start out in a traditional push up position. Feet out behind you shoulder width apart and arms slightly further than shoulder width apart.

Press down as you would with a traditional pushup keeping your back straight. As you lower down, lift your right leg off the ground and bring it towards your right elbow. Make sure keep your leg off the ground. Hold and then push back up to come back to your starting position. Alternate between your right and left leg.

This move is definitely not as easy as it may seem! In addition to the muscles worked by doing a traditional push up, by adding in the leg lift you are losing one of your stabilizing bases which will engage your core muscles and add even more resistance as you are lowering up and down.

Add this move to your regular workout and you'll be scaling the walls like Spiderman in no time!

Just kidding! :)

But do try it out and let me know what you think!!

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Protein and Weight Loss

Protein. When most people hear that word, a huge, body building man guzzling down a protein shake after a 4 hour lifting session comes to mind. But in reality, you don't have to be a body builder to reap the benefits of an increased protein intake.


On one of my trips to the gynecologist (who also does weight management programs with his patients), he noticed I had lost a significant amount of weight since my last appointment. We got into talking about what I eat, what exercises I do and so forth. He then flooded me with questions such as: are you getting enough omega 3's, are you getting enough protein, are you taking supplements, etc. But the conversation we had about protein was what intrigued me the most. He was suggesting that each day I eat HALF my body weight in grams of protein! For example, at the time I weighed 145, so he suggested I eat 72.5 gram of protein per day! Now I knew that I wouldn't look like a male body builder from taking in lots of protein because I know women just can't get as big as men since we don't have that little thing called testosterone, but I did think that it would make me gain weight (not muscle weight) if I wasn't doing a significant amount of weight training. So this inspired me to do some research.


The RDA (recommended daily allowance) of protein for most women is around 46 grams per day. When you think about it, it doesn't take much to reach that number. One egg has approximately 6 grams, a 4 oz chicken breast has approximately 32 grams, and a 6 oz can of tuna has around 40 grams!


After even more research, I realized that many trainers recommend consuming 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for those looking to lose fat and maintain muscle! The average person does not take in this much protein so at first it can seem like a challenge to get that big of an amount per day. However, knowing which foods are protein rich can help you to achieve it more easily.

These are some of my favorite high protein foods:

Greek yogurt (my new favorite!)
Chicken breast
Tuna
Edamame
Turkey breast
Egg
Milk
Salmon
Nuts
Beans


And of course, one of the easiest ways to get a large amount of protein is with a QUALITY protein shake.

This is the protein powder I use after every workout. You can get it from the Vitamin Shoppe. It doesn't taste the best, but with 24 grams of protein per scoop, I make it happen!

For further reading on protein intake, here is a great article that breaks down how much you should take depending on what your personal goals are, how active you are, etc.

How will YOU make sure you get enough protein?? Pin It Now!

And this is where it all begins...

First and foremost, welcome and THANK YOU for checking out my blog! As you can read in the about me section , I'm simply just a girl who has had a change of heart in her career choice and desires to share all the info she has about leading a healthy lifestyle to all those willing to listen! My goal with Trainer in Training is to be able to share with people what I have learned about leading a healthy and active life, as well as what I will continue to learn as I prepare to obtain my certification as a personal trainer. Here I will be posting tried-and-true healthy recipes, effective workouts, as well as general tips and ideas relating to fitness and health.

I am always open to feedback and willing to answer any and all questions you may have! Suggestions on topics YOU would like to read about are welcome as well! You may leave me a comment on any post or visit my contact page to get a link to my direct e-mail.

I have high hopes for this new adventure and am so excited to share with you how fun, yummy, and rewarding it can be to get fit and stay healthy! :)

Stay tuned!!
Lindsey Pin It Now!