Christmas Cookies

Swedish Cresent Cookies
Grandama's Swedish Oatmeal Cookies
Spritz

Ginger Snaps

Trick or Treat Workout

Trick or Treat Workout

Brisk Walk 30 minutes 250 calories

Stroll Walk 30 minutes 100 calories

Halloween Candy Calories

Candy
1 Mini Snicker bar 42.5 calories 2.25 gm fat 5.5 gm carbs
1 Hershey’s Kiss 25 calories 1.4 gm fat 2.6 gm carbs
1 Reese’s Mini Peanut butter cup 44 calories 2.6 gm fat 5 gm carbs1 Starburst fruit chews 20 calories .44 gm fat 4.1 gm carbs

Halloween Mummy Dogs

Halloween Mummy dogs
1 can croissant rolls
10 hot dogs
Open can of croissant rolls and cut into strips, enough to cover each hot dog. Start at botton of hot dog and roll dough around hot dog like a Mummy, leave enough of the hot dog out the top to look like a head,
Follow directions on can for cooking. (375 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until light golden brown) after out of the oven you can decorate head with a face with ketchup and mustard.

1 croissant roll 110 caloies 6 gm fat 11 gm carb
1 hot dog 175 calories 15 gm fat 2.4 gm carb

September "How to lose a pound"

To lose a pound of weight per week you have to either expend more energy, though activities, or consume less food. Because 3500 calories equal 1 pound, the best way to lose weight is to have a deficit of 500 calories per day. Easiest way to do this is by burning 250 calories a day through exercise and eating 250 less calories per day, then you are eating now. Over 7 days you will lose 1 pound of weight. If you want to lose 2 pounds a week you would have to have a deficit of 1000 calories per day.
To determine if this is even possible you would have to journal your food to see what you are currently eating ( http://siftpersonaltraining.vitabot.com/login/siftpersonaltraining.html email for a free trial) Never go below 1200 calories a day of food consumption.

It seems simple but the discipline of it can be challenging. You need to set up a daily and weekly goal to keep you motivated and journal your food intake and exercise expenditure.

For example: when you are exercising you should focus on a Target Heart Rate to burn the most calories possible and keep yourself motivated and challenged. Because everyone is physiologically different, heart rates vary, but this will help give you an intensity baseline.


Target Heart Rate:


220 - age = Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)


MHR x 50%-70% Moderate-Intensity physical activity


MHR x 70%- 85% Vigorous-Intensity physical activity

Example:
220-40 age = 180 Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)

180 MHR x 55% = 99 beats per minute (BPM)

180 MHR x 65% = 117 bpm

180 MHR x 75% = 135 bpm

180 MHR x 85% = 153 bpm


If you are on any medications that will alter your heart rate you need to use a 1-10 Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale. Anyone can use this scale to make sure they are working at the proper exertion.

Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale: your goal is to be between 5-7 when exercising
0 Nothing at all
0.5 Very, very weak
1 Very weak
2 Weak
3 Moderate
4 Somewhat strong
5 Strong
6-7 Very strong
8
9
10 Very, very strong

Source: Borg, G.V. (1982) Psychological basis of perceived exertion. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 14, 377-381. American College of Sports Medicine



How long should you workout?

Center for Diease Control:CDC guidelines for Health Benefits of Adults:

Vigorous-Intensity

1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., jogging or running) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).


Combination of Moderate and Vigorous
An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Guidelines for Greater Health Benefits and Weight Loss:

Moderate-Intensity

5 hours (300 minutes) each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
Vigorous -Intensity

2 hours and 30 minutes (150 minutes) each week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
Combination of Moderate and Vigorous

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity and
muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).

Before any exercise program you should consult your physician.

August BBQ

Blue Cheese Hamburger and Sweet Potato Fries

August is the only month that doesn't have a major holiday so random backyard BBQ happen at our house.

I was watching Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, make hamburgers and discovered that if you treat the ground beef like whipped egg whites the burger melts in your mouth.

Serves 4

Blue Cheese Beef Hamburger
1 pound ground beef of choice
1 egg
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
blue cheese
sweet onion
baby spinach leaf
Mayonnaise

Loaf of Ciabatta bread

• Start BBQ- coals make it taste better, a smokey flavor
• Place ground beef in large bowl,with a fork very delicately stir in egg (best to whip egg before adding to bowl) and bread crumbs, try not to compress meat but blend well. Scoop out the meat with your hands and very carefully make a large ball not compressing meat and then make into a patties. (Not compressing the meat will make it come out delicate and yummy). Remember meat cooks better at room temperature.
• Cut up a 1/2 sweet onion per hamburger and put 2 tablespoons of butter in pan and saute till onions are caramelized. Set aside.
• Cut generous slices of blue cheese
• Slice fresh garden tomatoes
• Wash and dry baby spinach leafs
• Slice Ciabatta loaf to the size of the burger about 5 inches (to fit burger)

Place hamburger patties on grill when ready for 10 minutes each side take off and set to finish cooking (5 minutes). Place Ciabatta on grill to warm and create grill marks.

Build Burger

1 tablespoon mayo on each side of grilled Ciabatta bun then hamburger, blue cheese, grilled onion, tomato, spinach leaf and top with other bun.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato
Butter
Salt and Pepper

1/2 sweet potato per person, cut into large strips keep skin on. Place 2-3 tablespoons butter all over cookie sheet and put sweet potato slices on cookie sheet season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes turn potatoes over and cook for an additional 10 - 15 minutes, you want the potato to be soft on the inside and a little crispy on the out.


Total Dinner Calories

Blue Cheese Hamburger and Sweet Potato Fries

total calories (+-) 1354 total calories per serving

*I am not a chef or nutritionist. I just enjoy cooking and sharing it with others and very aware of how hard it is to eat good food and keep the weight off.

August Meal Total Calories

Total Meal Calories

Blue Cheese Hamburger and Sweet Potato Fries
Total calories (+-) 1354 total calories per serving

Blue Cheese Burger = 1100 calories
4 oz. beef burgers with egg and breadcrumbs = 358 calories
2 oz. Blue Cheese = 200 calories
5 inch Ciabatta bun = 200 calories
1/2 sweet onion = 21 calories
1 tablespoon butter = 102 calories
2 slices tomato = 8 calories
6 baby spinach leafs = 13 calories
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise = 198 calories

Sweet Potato Fries = 254 calories
1 sweet potato = 152 calories
1 tablespoon butter = 102 calories


*I am not a chef or nutritionist. I just enjoy cooking and sharing it with others and very aware of how hard it is to eat good food and keep the weight off.

August Workout

Blue Cheese Hamburger Dinner Workout

600 to 800 calories workout

45 minute hour walk heart rate 75% target zone - goal to burn 400 to 500 calories

20 minutes Circuit Strength Training - goal to burn 200-300 calories

1. Dumbbell Lying Chest Press
2. Stable Single Leg Lunge
3. Dumbbell Bicep Curl
4. Floor Crunch- abdominal - 25 reps
5. Lying Hip Bridge - hamstrings and glutts
6. Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks
7. Standing on one leg Cable Back Row
8. Shoulder dumbbell Side Raise

Perform 15 repetitions of each exercise and repeat many times through the circuit as you can in 20 minutes. Moving faster will keep your heart rate up to burn more calories, if you feel it is to easy chose heavier weights and do a 30 sec cardio movement like jumping jacks or running in place, in between exercises.

Cool down and stretch all muscle used in workout.

* These exercises are just suggestions to burn calories and give ideas. I am not responsible for outcome, do at your own risk.

Why this blog

One of the joys of life is sharing good food with family and friends. I want to share delicious recipes and fun fitness workouts to stay fit and healthy. It seems every month has a special occasion or holiday that make good food and drink the center of attention. When we think of Christmas cookies, parties, dinners we also think of gaining weight. So, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite holiday meals and a workout to burn the extra calories so we don't gain the weight. Don't feel guilty for indulging once in a while, just remember we don't always eat this way.
Entertain: invitations, party theme, table setting, decorations
Eat: Menu, recipes, calories
Exericse: Different Fitness workouts to burn the extra calories of the meal