Friday, April 27, 2012

In Your Kitchen

Good Afternoon!

Last weekend I made a trip to Trader Joe's to stock up on things that I find more expensive at your typical Kroger or Giant Eagles. (almonds, peanut butter, cheese, chicken, everything) When I got to cooking later that night, I realized that I unintentionally bought a lot of chicken - hence, the recent influx of chicken recipes. Chicken sometimes has the reputation of being boring and bland and boring, but I'm really excited to share with you guys a very popular meal that can easily be recreated in your very own kitchen...

I was a superwoman blogger while making this dinner, so I have lots of pictures to share and more importantly, to take the place of my attempts to be smart and entertaining. 

So remember when I mentioned a popular meal that could be recreated in your kitchen? (2 lines above.... there ya go) well, that mentioned popular meal was.......

Chipotle Burrito Bowls! 

Cut up some chicken and peppers and then saute them with a little bit of butter and any other spices that your little heart desires. (I stayed pretty basic with some pepper and cumin)


I was a smart little cookie, and cooked up more chicken than I would need for my dinner and then placed what I wasn't using in a container for a quick lunch or dinner during the work week:


While my chicken and veggies were cooking, I made some brown rice with some shakes of cilantro. Had I been a real superwoman, I would have used fresh cilantro... but unfortunately it came from a bottle.
Once everything was good to go, I placed the rice in a bowl with the chicken and pepps on top and then sprinkled some cheese on top:
Followed by lots of fresh salsa from Trader Joe's:

Here it is close up.... yummmm!

And what's a Mexican dish without some avocado:
All together now!!!

This is an excellent meal that contains protein, whole grain carbs, healthy fats, and vegetables... all for a reasonable amount of calories!

Have you ever tried to replicate a favorite dish or meal you've had at a restaurant?

Have a good and healthy weekend guys!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

My Go-To Dinner

Morning!

I'll tell ya what, there is nothing worse than waking up at 5am for a morning spinning class, only to get there and find out that the class is already full! I decided to make the most of getting up early and ended up doing a few weight exercises, which are, not by any means, my favorite thing to do, but they sure are important when it comes to building muscle and preventing further skeletal problems down the road.

But anyway, I do have a few extra minutes this morning, and I wanted to share with you guys what I had for dinner last night:

Chicken, brussels sprouts and sweet potato rounds. Yum. 

When I'm not quite sure what I want for dinner, I usually turn to chicken, veggies and some sort of potato. My go to method for preparing chicken comes from a recipe I found years ago in a health magazine. It's easy, tasty and healthy. Check it out:
The topping on the chicken is a basic mixture of 
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • Pepper and garlic salt to taste
Mix all the above ingredients together, and spread, or pat, the cheese mixture on top of raw chicken. I either use 2 chicken tenders or 1 chicken breast and have the perfect amount of topping.
Place on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. 

When I have my oven going, I usually throw the other parts of my meal on the baking sheet as well:
I tossed the brussels sprouts with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and the sweet potato with some cinnamon and cumin. You can find the basic recipes of these right here

It's a good and easy meal! So next time you're stuck on what to make for dinner, try my go to chicken! 

I tried to play around with the natural light coming in from my kitchen window. I think I should probably stick to nutrition....


Have a good Wednesday guys!

Stay Healthy,

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The 411 on Protein.

Hello, hello! Long time, no talk! I'll spare you any sort of excuse as to why I've been MIA in the blog world, and get right to your main reason for visiting Everyday Eating; topics on how to better your health. 


Ready. Set. Here we go. 


This past Friday, I spent my afternoon at the Standard Process office in Westerville, listening to doctors and presenters talk about creative ways to improve the health of patients. (For those of you who aren't familiar with Standard Process, they are a supplement company that sells whole, natural food supplements). I share this little detail of my week with you guys because I left this forum with several ideas and topics that I can't wait to share and discuss on the blog. Awesome, right? Of course it is! So without further adieu, I bring to you, important information regarding.... PROTEIN!


Something that sparked my interest on Friday, was the topic of protein. The actual discussion probably lasted 2 minutes, at most, but it was enough to make me think.

Ask 10 people about protein, and I bet you a cup of coffee that at least 6 of those people will immediately think about protein shakes, bulging bicep muscles and the stereotypical "meat head" image.

Ask those same 10 people, and I bet you another cup of coffee that at least 5 of those people have no idea whether or not they're getting enough protein in their daily diet.

So how much protein do we need on a daily basis?
What happens if you don't get enough protein?
Is there such thing as too much protein?
Lucky for you, I'm answering ALLL those questions...


Daily Protein Amounts.
The RDA suggests that for every kilogram of body weight, you should eat 0.8 grams of protein. For all you illiterate math people (me included) that's about 0.32 grams of protein per pound of body weight. A 120 pound female would need about 38 grams of protein a day. A 210 pound male would need about 67 grams of protein. And as always, more protein may be needed depending on your physical activity.

Not Enough Protein.
Protein helps build new cells and tissue - all cells and tissue - not just muscle. It's the building block for bone, muscle, skin, hair and blood. When your body doesn't get adequate protein, your immune system suffers. You get sick quicker and more often. You feel fatigued and lack energy. Your muscles begin to deteriorate, as will your sleep. In some cases, you may start to feel moody or even depressed if you aren't getting adequate amount of protein in your daily diet.

Too Much Protein.
Too much protein in our daily diets will cause stress on other parts of our body. The excess protein will cause build up of ketones in the body, which will cause the kidneys to be stressed and excrete more water, which will then lead to dehydration, and you don't want dehydration.

Over the weekend I took a look at my typical diet and realized that I don't eat nearly as much protein as I should. In realizing this, I decided to do a little experiment. I made sure to include a good source of protein in each of my 3 meals Saturday and Sunday. I took the less creative route and stuck with chicken, tuna and salmon (typical go-to protein sources). In those 2 days, I noticed I was more full and satisfied after each meal, I snacked less, I fell asleep faster, I stayed asleep throughout the night and I even felt more refreshed throughout the day. Try it! You'll be surprised how much protein you don't eat once you keep track.

I've rambled far too long to go into further info about protein, but I am planning an upcoming post about different sources of protein, and sources not just limited to meat. I know vegetarians sometimes have an awful time trying to enough protein into their diet without going crazy from lack of ideas... so sit tight, I'll have more info in the upcoming weeks :)

Until then.... get your protein in!

Stay Healthy,

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Banana Peanut Butter Soft Serve

Happy Hump Day guys!
Hope everyone had a great start to the week... it looks like we're going to have some awesome weather here in Columbus the next couple of days:

So in effort to be completely honest with you guys, ice cream might be one of my favorite foods special treats - and nothing tastes better on a warm spring afternoon, or evening, than a bowl of ice cream, right?

Well, looking up at that forecast for the remainder of the week, it looks like my special treat may be in the cards all 3 nights.... hmmmm. Probably  Definitely not the best of ideas.

Luckily, when that ice cream craving and weekend mentality bombards my brain come Friday night, I'll have this amazing treat to turn to:

Banana Peanut Butter Soft Serve:

Guess what's in this little bowl of goodness?
  • Potassium
  • Fiber
  • Vitamin C
  • Iron
  • Vitamin E
  • Niacin
  • Healthy Fats
  • Protein

Guess what's NOT in this little bowl of goodness?
  • Cholesterol 
  • Added Sugar
  • Unhealthy Fats

Here's how to make it:
  • Place a bowl of 1 banana chopped in the freezer and wait until pieces are frozen
  • Place chopped up banana into a blender
  • Add a splash of milk
  • Add 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter
  • Press blend
  • Scoop into bowl and enjoy!
  • Add any sort of toppings you want!
    • nuts, berries, coconut, or even a little bit of dark chocolate


The above pictures represent 1 banana and 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter. This mixture is about 150 calories.

Enjoy guys!

Stay Healthy,

Monday, April 16, 2012

Salad Dressing

Hellooo Kinetic Nutrition readers!!!

I apologize for my absence from the online world over the past couple days... it's been a whirlwind of a weekend! Dr. Alexander and I were up/down/over in Easton at the Women's Expo all weekend and at the Hoover Hustle 5K and 10K Sunday morning treating runners. Well, he was treating, I was just holding down the fort... literally... there were some gusty winds yesterday!

I have a fun post coming up in the next day or so, but until my flawless pictures are ready to be uploaded, or taken for that matter, I wanted to do a little post in the meantime just so you guys didn't have to go through the agony of yet another day without my wonderful words of wisdom.

So here we go... Salad Dressings.
It's Saturday night.
You and your girlfriends (or bros) are out to dinner.
You're on an awesome high from actually making it to the gym this morning, in time for the 8am spinning class, which you always seem to miss.
After a quick menu scan, the only words that seem to stick in your brain are: bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries. Yum.
You take a deep breath.
Gather your composure and further investigate the menu.
After much debate, and input from the peanut gallery sitting at your table, you decide against the burger and fries and opt for the salad in attempts to be healthy.
Congratulations on making a healthy decision! 
..................20 minutes later...................................
Food arrives.
Your large salad sits in front of you.
Without putting much thought into anything, you mindlessly drench your healthy salad with the 4 tubs of ranch dressing strategically placed around your salad plate.
STOP! Your healthy decision just turned TERRIBLE!


Sound all too familiar?

Let me just start by saying that, there is nothing healthy about ranch dressing. Yes, I know, you may hold ranch dressing dear to your heart, but keep eating it and you won't have a heart to hold anything close to (I ended in a preposition, sorry English majors) 


Here are the Stats on Ranch Dressing:
Keep in mind that's just 2 tablespoons. 

So what are some healthier options, you ask?
  • Opt for no dressing! A lot of the salads these days have tons of little extras on top. Between the nuts, craisins, avocado and veggies, I can almost guarantee you'll still get plenty of flavor. 
  • Cut your amount in half. Okay, okay, so you just physically aren't able to dump the ranch, in that case, use half of what you would normally dump on. 
  • Choose a vinaigrette instead. More time than not, it's going to have less calories, less fat and less sugar. 
  • Dining at home? Make your own! Dr. A highly recommends this homemade recipe that he always uses:  
    • 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
    • 4 Tbsp. lemon juice
    • 1 cup olive oil
    • 2 tsp. salt
    • ½ tsp. pepper
    • 1 tsp. sugar
    • 1 tsp. dry mustard
    • 5 cloves of garlic (or to taste) 
    • Combine all ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid.  Shake vigorously.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
Anyone out there have an addiction problem to ranch dressing? Your own special dressing? Let us know!

Stay Healthy,


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Dating World

I'll tell ya what, life as a 25 year old is tough...

But life as a single 25 year old in the active dating world is especially tough.
Allow me to elaborate.

I've been on many, many dates in the past couple years, and in effort to keep personal details, well, personal, we're going to keep that little insight into my life at that. I know, I know, juicy gossip is always fun, but this is "Everyday Eating" not "Everyday Dating."

Anyways, getting back to the topic of discussion.

On these dates I've been on, I can confidently say that 95% of those dates involved alcohol and/or food. Whether it's blamed on lack of ideas or the notion that a drink or two will ease any first-date jitters, at some point over the course of the date, calories are typically consumed. And while you all probably know by now that I am definitely, 100% in support of enjoying an occasional alcoholic beverage or two, or succumbing to an ice cream cone should the occasion arise, but what I'm not for is mindlessly "throwing back" multiple cheap beers over the course of a couple hours, multiple times a week, which, let's face it, has high probability of happening.

It goes without saying that everyone would benefit from a change of pace when it comes to dating activities, and this doesn't have to be strictly aimed towards couples. I can recount several occasions when my girlfriends and I wanted something to do and ended up getting drinks and inevitably consuming way more calories than needed. So with that being said, I was more than ecstatic when I opened my email yesterday morning and found this little gem sitting in my inbox:"20 Fun Date Ideas That Burn Calories."
girl power. 


I'll let you guys do most of the in depth investigating,
but here are the Date Ideas:
  1. Volunteer
  2. Go Dancing
  3. Play a Sport
  4. Learn How to Rock Climb
  5. Go Bowling
  6. Be Tourists
  7. Have an Active Game Night
  8. Visit an Orchard
  9. Play Laser Tag
  10. Make a Healthy Meal
  11. Run or Walk a 5K
  12. Take a Workout Class
  13. Plan Trees
  14. Walk a Dog
  15. Go Skating
  16. Go Window Shopping
  17. Go Fishing
  18. Play Bar Games
  19. Take a Hike
  20. Ride a Bike

And again, these don't have to be specifically for dating... next time you and your buddy are bored, don't always resort to happy hour. Go bowling instead. Play some tennis outside. Volunteer to walk dogs and hit two birds with one stone. The options are endless. 

Do you guys have any more suggestions?
Attend a sporting event. With the newer stadium downtown, the Columbus Clippers is an awesome date idea, and you can usually find special deals on tickets. Just remember to stick to 1 hot dog on Dime-a-Dog nights. 

What is the last active thing you did with a friend or significant other?
The driving range and throwing a football are always my favorite. 

Stay Healthy, (and Active!)

Monday, April 9, 2012

The Easter Weekend

Hi Guys!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter Sunday filled with lots of family and lots of friends - I sure did... and lots of food! Probably too much food now that I think about it, but that's what holiday weekends are for, right? Well, sort of ... but we'll get to that soon.

I spent my Easter weekend back home with my parents in Cincinnati, along with my brother and sister. Growing up it didn't seem like a crowded house, but tack on 10 years to everyone's age, plus a larger dog, and things seemed a bit more tight. Nevertheless, it was a great weekend filled with laughter and jokes, but never without the typical Gilliam kid scuffles over who was going to unload the dishwasher or who got to bring back with them the last box of Girl Scout cookies.

Lately, it's been rare to have all of us home at once, so when we all are home, it always seems like a special occasion, which is why I wasn't the least bit surprised when I woke up Saturday morning to the smell of my mom's crowd-favorite cinnamon coffee cake baking in the oven:
This coffee cake only comes out on special occasions, which is a good thing. I'm sure if my siblings and I grew up eating this everyday we'd be more concerned with looming diabetes as opposed to worrying (and complaining) about nagging allergies.

Over the course of the weekend, I was caught several different times with my camera, sneaking shots of the different food and activities we all my mom, sister and I participated in. While my mom was all worried about me smack talking all of the "holiday food" in the blog, my sister was more concerned with getting face time on the blog...so for kicks and giggles, here she is coloring eggs:

and here are my beautiful masterpieces:

Oh, and here she is with a scowl on her face after I yelled at her for throwing away the most nutritious part of the egg:
Remember what it is?
If you forgot, you can refresh your memory by reading  this post, or take a look at the picture below. My mom got her 5 seconds of fame by showing off a nice sized bite out of that most nutritious part: (hint, it's the yellow part that is hopefully always found in the center of the egg)

To finish up the holiday weekend, my mom prepared a delicious Easter linner (lunch/dinner) that included all of our holiday favorites:

Honey Baked Ham:
Edamame salad:
and of course Cheesy Potatoes and Pretzel Salad:
Definitely not the most healthiest meal, but then again it's nothing to feel guilty about when you only eat meals like this over the holidays.

And just to ease my mom's worry over me not "slamming" her food choices, there was plenty of very healthy options throughout the weekend, like this pretty bowl of fruit:
And also lots of exercise in the form of  walks and some tennis playing. 


So the moral(s) of the story?
  • It is A-OK to put healthy choices temporarily aside when choosing what to eat for your holiday dinner. This doesn't mean that you should eat an entire 13X9 pan of cheesy potatoes, or eat 3 chocolate Easter bunnies in one sitting - it means to have a serving of cheesy potatoes and enjoy it. 
  • Compliment your holiday meal with lots of fruit, vegetables, and physical activity. 
  • Eat your yolk!
  • Oh, and watch out for my sister's sudden change of mood.... eeek! (ha ha kiddingggg)

Stay Healthy,



Did any of you guys indulge over the weekend? 

What are you guys doing, if anything, this week to get back on track after the holiday weekend?







Saturday, April 7, 2012

Trivia Answer and Ballpark Eats!

Morning!

I apologize for not posting the answer to the hotdog question sooner... excuses aside, it just didn't get done - I'm partially blaming the person who guessed 75 million in the comment section because that number is a lot higher than the actual answer, and it's no fun revealing an answer that doesn't seem as grandiose as originally thought - right?

At any rate, beggars can't be choosers, and I am more than thrilled that someone guessed and even more thrilled to reveal the answer to Thursday Trivia:

The question was: 
How many hot dogs are Major League ballparks estimated to sell this baseball season?

And the answer is:
22.5 Million!

Which is still a whole lot of hotdogs... even when compared to the lonely guess of 75 million. I'm almost certain that if the Columbus Clippers' Dime-a-Dog night hotdog counts were included in the count... that 75 million would be pretty darn accurate...

Okay, okay... let's get down to business....
Ball Park food. 
What to eat?
How much to eat?
Should you indulge?

The Answers:
  • Hotdogs. Nothing beats eating a hotdog while watching a baseball game, so eat the hot dog. Sure the ingredient list may be longer than one of my rambling blogposts, and some of the ingredients could be questionable, but you're at a ball game - enjoy yourself. Typical hotdogs (bun included) will usually run you about 320 calories. With that being said, gon't go overboard. 1 hotdog will suit you just fine!
  • Cracker Jacks. 1 box will cost you 120 calories, a serving of whole grain and a cool souvenir to take home with you. Stick to 1 box and your sweet tooth and waist line will be more than satisfied. 
  • Peanuts. A 12 oz bag contains roughly 1,200 calories. Share with a friend and slash the calories in half while still enjoying one of baseball's timeless foods and also reaping the high counts of magnesium, heart-healthy fats and Vitamin E that peanuts provide.

With all that being said, the best thing to do when it comes to food temptations is to be smart. 5 hotdogs is not a good idea... but enjoying a hotdog every now and then will not hurt. Sucking down 7 beers is a bad idea altogether... for your waistline, liver and wallet, but enjoy 1 with your hotdog and you'll leave the game guilt-free. 

Additionally, like a lot of restaurants these days are doing - baseball stadiums across American are providing healthier options and even some vegetarian and vegan options as well. A number of cities offer up vegetarian hotdogs, sandwiches and even sushi! 

I recently read an article on health.com that highlights 30 different baseball parks and their top healthy food options. You can find it here: Healthy Eats at Major League Baseball Parks

Did anyone get the privilege of attending an opening day baseball game? 
My friends and I were originally going to attend the Columbus Clippers' opening day game... but we were scared off by the cold temperatures... those warm days in March really spoiled us!

Did your favorite team win?
Mine did! Go Redlegs!

Have a great Saturday guys and Stay Healthy,

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Thursday Trivia!

Good morning and Happy Opening Day!

Today starts the beginning of the Reds journey to the world series, er, I mean, baseball season! So in honor of opening day and keeping up with Thursday Trivia - today's trivia question is about baseball.

So here we go... for a shot at making me smile... answer the following question:

How many hot dogs are Major League ballparks estimated to sell this baseball season?


Alright, take 5 seconds and make a guess.


Answer will be revealed later this afternoon - along with some tips on how to keep it healthy at baseball games!


Go Reds!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Walking... Better Than You Think

Morning!

I think in a past life I was a short story writer, because I always find myself knee deep in a totally unnecessary intro story about a 2- maaaybe 3 minute occurrence that happened to spark an idea for a blogpost. So before I get too deep into this introduction.... I'm going to stop myself and (try to) get to the point....

So Saturday morning I had planned to attend an 8am spinning class at my local gym. I had all intentions of getting there early to start a new weight program my friend at work designed in order to prevent any summer wedding arm flabbiness... everything was going great... woke up early on my own, had some coffee, caught up on what I missed overnight on twitter and pulled into the parking lot with just the right amount of time to throw some weights around before class... only I pulled into the parking lot and noticed a large group of people milling around outside of the gym doors... after noticing some disgruntled faces, and further hearing bits and pieces of members' conversations... my worst fear of the morning was true - the gym was closed.

Something about a fire alarm and the fire department not being able to turn it off and because of this no one could go inside which met no spinning class for me.

No spinning class. No gym. No running.
With all my usual exercise outlets out of the picture I wasn't sure what to do. Initially, I was going to call the day a wash... but what kind of healthy blogger would I be if I did that! So instead of sulking around for the rest of the day, I dug deep and pulled out my inner Cathy Gilliam (that's my mom) and went out for a walk. I did 3 miles at a decent speed. Not only did I feel awesome about getting outside and getting my blood flowing, but surprisingly, I woke up the following morning... sore!

As a die-hard runner, opting to walk over run always seems like a failure... but is it?

The answer is no.
You can reap just as many benefits from *walking as you can from running.

Referring to calories burned... a person walking 5 mph and a person running 5 mph will burn the same amount of calories (given they weigh the same)  Check out this chart:



The thing to remember when exercising is that you will burn more calories at a higher intensity and you will burn more calories during a longer workout. A 45 minute casual walk will not burn as many calories as an intense 45 minute track workout, just as a ten minute walk won't burn as many calories as a 2 hour run. 

8 Benefits of Walking from Rodale.com
  • deflects diabetes
  • increased sex drive
  • saves on gym costs
  • decreased use of medication
  • can help fade fibromyalgia
  • can help beat breast cancer
  • reduces your risk of stroke
  • better mental health


So, the moral of my long-winded story?
  • Walking can be just as effective as running
  • Walking is 200 times better than sitting on the couch
  • Walking is a great form of exercise

So next time when you are kicked out of the gym, or your spinning class is filled up or you simply hate running... go for a walk.... you're doing more good for your body than you really think. 

Have a great Tuesday guys!

Stay Healthy,


*walking - this is not referring to a brisk pace... not a casual stroll in the park.