Fabulous Foods Super Fast

Being busy doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice eating your greens!  Juicing is one of my FAVORITE quick ways get lots of healthy stuff into my family’s diet, even when we are short on time.  Imagine how long it would take me to convince my kids to eat a a huge pile of kale, spinach and cucumber!  It could very well take me until the end of time.  BUT, if I juice it up with some apple and lemon, voila!  They can drink it down (with NO complaining!) in a matter of a few minutes!

Juicing takes no time at all, and it literally counts as a meal in a cup.  Chase it with a little protein and healthy fat, and you have a balanced and super healthy meal in minutes.  I have an inexpensive juicer from Costco that works great, and my kids enjoy helping me choose the fruits and veggies to throw in.  We have made so many awesome combinations, but this green juice (pictured) is definitely a family favorite.

Be creative when you juice!  Choose any colorful veggies that are in season, and you really can’t go wrong.  We love making concoctions with beets, carrots, collard greens, chard, romaine, celery, etc.  When you are juicing root veggies , throw in the tops as well!  The green part of the beet or carrot is an awesome addition to the juice, and is loaded with nutrients.  The sweeter the veggies are (ie. beets and carrots) the less fruit you will need to add to sweeten it up.  When you fall in love with juicing up your greens, be sure rotate your greens from time to time, to prevent a disruption in your thyroid that can happen when you eat too many of  a certain type of green (I guess there really CAN be too much of a good thing!).  There are so many awesome greens to choose from, so play around with it.

Anderson Family Favorite Juice Recipe:

5-6 kale leaves

1/2 bunch spinach

1 cucumber

2 apples

1 lemon

2 inches ginger root

Enjoy your greens!

xoxo,

Malea

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Zoodles – Fit Food Made FUN!

Serving up healthy and delicious meals that are ALSO family favorites can be a challenge, so when I come across a “gem” of a meal that is healthy, delicious, colorful, AND a crowd pleaser, I just have to share it with my fit & busy friends!  I recently purchased a Spiralizer from Amazon and I’m OBSESSED with it.  This is an inexpensive tool that is an absolute MUST in the kitchen of the fit & busy.  You can make “noodles” with just about any veggie you can think of.  Talk about a great way to make healthy food FUN and appealing to the entire family.  This was actually one of my first spiralized creations, and it was a huge HIT!  Yep, even my kids gobbled this one up.

This Zoodle creation was so simple to make.  Follow the easy steps below, or improvise by substituting veggies you have on hand.  Keep it colorful and you really can’t go wrong.

1. Roast cherry and/or grape tomatoes in a little olive oil and salt and pepper until they start to shrivel up just a bit.

2. Cook up some chicken breasts with your favorite method (I used grilled chicken)

2. While the tomatoes are roasting and the chicken is grilling, spiralize 4-5 zucchini and set aside.

3. Prepare the garlic lemon “cream” sauce:

    -sautee 2-3 cloves of garilc in 1 tsp olive oil

    -whisk in about 1/2c chicken stock or broth

    -in a magic bullet or blender, blend together 1/4c cottage cheese and 1/4c NF Greek yogurt with the juice from 1/2 lemon.

    -whisk yogurt mixture into garlic mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

    -stir in some lemon zest and a splash more lemon juice for a bright, fresh flavor.

4. Throw Zoodles into a skillet over high heat, top with sauce, and toss together until zoodles are coated and just begin to cook.

5. Plate up zoodles, top with sliced grilled chicken and roasted tomatoes.

I hope you and your family enjoy this quick, fresh & healthy meal!  Make sure to comment below with your results!

 xoxo,
Malea

*One of the great things about being in the health & fitness industry is that I am surrounded by healthy & talented people who inspire me on my quest to stay fit, busy & fabulous.  My wonderful friend Erin is an amazing healthy cooking goddess, and was the inspiration for this creation.  Check her out on instagram @livingleanwitherin or at http://www.livingleanwitherin.com.  While you’re there, make sure to sign up for her FREE “Lose 5 in 5” meal plan.  It rocks.

Strong is the New Skinny

Here’s the thing about muscles…they ROCK. No seriously, they do. They not only give your body tone & definition, but they ALSO burn a ton of calories. Sure, muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are focusing on building muscle while you lose weight, the number on the scale may not drop as drastically as you would like. BUT that heavy muscle actually INCREASES your rate of metabolism, and helps to burn your stored body fat. Isn’t that what we all really want…to burn stored body fat? Why is it then that so many women are afraid of lifting weights? I am a fitness instructor, and I can’t tell you how many women I see lifting very, very light weights because they fear “getting too bulky.” Let me be the first to assure you that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a woman to “accidentally” bulk up! It simply isn’t going to happen. Women who have very large muscles are doing incredibly intense and specific weight training, and follow a highly tailored diet to support that type of muscle growth. It does not happen by mistake. So please, take a moment right now to set that myth aside once and for all. If you incorporate weight training into your workout routine 2-3 days per week, you will start to see some tone and definition, you will start to notice your clothes fitting better, AND you will be training your metabolism to work more efficiently. Your muscle tissue is where your metabolism actually takes place, and the more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your rate of metabolism. Faster rate of metabolism = more calories burned all throughout the day! So, here it is ladies…DON’T be afraid of a little heavy lifting!!! If you want to shed fat, have a nice lean body, increase your metabolism, have less “jiggle,” have more energy, burn more calories, feel stronger, look better in clothes, reduce risk of injury increase your overall health, or any combination of the above, you MUST incorporate weight training into your life. You MUST lift weights that are heavy enough to cause a burn, you must do enough reps and sets to create muscle fatigue, and you must be consistent. Muscle is a GOOD thing!! Who wants to be skinny when you can be STRONG, anyway?? Strong is the new skinny, my friends, and I am SO, SO glad!!

xoxo,
Malea

A Smoothie a Day…

We all know that eating 5 small, balanced meals a day is the best way to stay fueled through our #fitandbusy lives. Well, HOPEFULLY we all know that, and, if not, stay tuned for upcoming blog posts on why this is so important!! In the meantime, let’s talk about a quick and easy “meal” solution that can be consumed on the run, and can be loaded with all sorts of nutritional “extras.” Smoothies, or protein shakes, are an AWESOME way to get a quick, balanced meal into your busy day. I usually like to have a smoothie as my mid-morning meal, at around 10ish, or after I teach my morning class. I love to experiment with different combinations of ingredients, and I ALWAYS try to sneak extra healthy ingredients in there, especially if I plan to share with the little people in my house.

Beware of the smoothie trap!  Not all smoothies are created equal.  Smoothies, such as the ones at the big chain smoothie stores, can be LOADED with unwanted sugar and calories.  Even “all fruit” smoothies can be sneaky little devils with WAY more calories than you expect, and who will take your blood sugar on a crazy ride!  When I am talking about smoothies, I am really talking about blended protein shakes.  It is important to make sure that your smoothies have all of the macros (protein, carbs and fat, in the appropriate ratios) represented in order for it to be a blood sugar friendly meal option that isn’t going to sabotage all your hard work.

Basic customizable smoothie recipe:

Protein powder of your choice (I prefer a whey option, but there are some great vegan choices as well.  You can also opt to add Greek yogurt or cottage cheese for additional protein)

Liquid (water, coconut water, almond milk, coconut milk, regular milk)

Healthy fat source (nuts, nut butter, coconut butter, avocado)

Fruit (½ banana, acai, berries, mango, etc.)

Veggie (spinach, kale, cucumber, etc.)

Healthy “extras” (chia seeds, flax, cacao nibs, shredded lite coconut, etc.)

Ice

Anderson Family’s Favorite Chocolate Smoothie:

Chocolate protein powder (we love Nutri Whey)

Almond milk

Peanut butter

Spinach and/or kale

Chia seeds

Hemp hearts

Bee pollen

Ice

This is a protein & superfood packed smoothie that I know will give my family the fuel they need to get through their busy days.  And, they LOVE it!  Have fun mixing and matching!

xoxo,

Malea

Superfood Salad

 

 

Are you always on the lookout for nutrient dense and calorie light lunch ideas?  I know I am, and, in addition to it being light and healthy, I also want it to be quick and convenient.  That’s not too much to ask from a lunch, is it?  Anyway, I love when I come up with new ideas to add to my lunch rotation, and what’s the fun of having a great new idea if you can’t share it with your fit friends??

 

 

 

Ingredients:

¼ C of uncooked quinoa

½ bag of Trader Joe’s “Cruciferous Crunch” salad mix (I’ve heard that they have a similar mixture of kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and green & red cabbage at Costco and Vons as well)

½ lemon

1tsp Dijon mustard

1tsp extra virgin olive oil

1tbsp dried cranberries

1tbsp slivered almonds

Optional toppings:

Goat cheese crumbles

Sliced cooked chicken breast

1. Prepare quinoa with ½C water according to package instructions

2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, Dijon, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste

3. Pour salad mixture into a medium skillet over med-high heat, pour lemon dressing over the top, and toss together for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is coated and just begins to wilt.  The kale should turn a bright shade of green.

4.  Turn off the heat, and add in your cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds.  Toss until combined.

5.  Place in a bowl, top with optional toppings if desired

 

This salad is light, fresh, and FULL of fiber and nutrients.  It also takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare.  Now THAT is my kind of lunch!  Enjoy!

xoxo,

Malea

Find Your Fit-spiration!

Do you have a “fit-spiration,” or someone who inspires you on your fitness journey?   If not, I highly recommend that you find one!  This could be a workout buddy, a fellow fit mom (or dad!), an instructor at your gym, a colleague, a personal trainer, a family member, a Facebook friend, anyone you know who inspires to you be healthy and fit.  Why is this so important?  Because staying on track with your health and fitness goals can be hard!  We all have moments in our lives where the “busy” gets in the way of the “fit,” and it is important to have someone to look to and/or lean on to help us get back on track.   Although it is awesome to have a celebrity fitness icon, I have several of those myself, your “fit-spiration” should be someone you actually KNOW who you can reach out to for motivation, ideas, etc.   Even when things are going great, this could be someone you can text with your newest healthy recipe idea, who will willingly be your partner in crime as you try a new workout routine, or who won’t let you miss a one day sale on Quest Bars.

Like attracts like, so being around people with similar health and fitness priorities will allow you to reach your own goals more quickly.  You need to be around people who value health and fitness just as much as you do if you want to keep it a priority in your own life.  People who don’t understand you, or why you want to spend the extra time, money, effort, etc. on working out and eating healthy, can slowly start to erode away at your progress.  Surround yourself with people who support you and celebrate your progress, and ALWAYS try to be that person for someone else.  Fitness is more fun with friends, and you become who you hang out with, so choose wisely!

xoxo,

Malea