Roasted Beet Salad

Yields: 4 servings | Calories: 210 | Previous Points: 4 | Points Plus: 5 Total Fat: 12 g | Saturated Fats: 2 g | Trans Fats: 0 g | Cholesterol: 6 mg | Sodium: 228 mg | Carbohydrates: 17 g | Dietary fiber: 6 g | Sugars: 5 g | Protein: 7 g

Ingredients

• 2 medium fresh red beets, scrubbed and dried
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cups arugula
• 1 Belgian Endive, chopped (see below for selecting), optional
• 1/2 cup diced walnuts (provide healthy fats)
• 1/2 cup Feta Cheese crumbles, low fat or fat free
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher or Sea Salt to taste
• 
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush beets with olive oil and wrap individually in foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake approximately 1 hour, or until tender. Allow beets to cool at room temperature while still in foil, then peel the thin outer skin and cut into 1/4" slices. Store beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tip: Canned beets can be substituted for roasted beets, if preferred.

Layer salad ingredients by placing arugula and beets on a serving platter. Top with Belgian Endive, walnuts, Feta Cheese and top off with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with dressing.

Lemon Dressing

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine lemon juice and oil in a decanter and shake until combined. Refrigerator until ready to use

Margarita Chicken

Good for 4th of July! And you know I love anything with tequila (patron is my fav).

Ingredients

• zest from one lime
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice, from about 4 limes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tequila, optional
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• pinch salt and pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, 6-8

Directions

1. Place all ingredients, except for the chicken, in a gallon-sized zip top plastic bag. Squish to combine. Add chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
2. Coat grill pan (or grill) with cooking spray. Heat pan (or grill) to medium-high. Cook chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning breast a quarter turn after two minutes if cross hatch marks are desired. Serve immediately.

Chicken Lettuce wraps & Asparagus and Avocado Wraps

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Pack these lettuce leaves with chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots and any other veggies you want. Make ‘em Asian with a touch of ginger, rice wine vinegar and teriyaki sauce.
What You’ll Need:
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium Teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon reduced – sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Tamari
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup julienned green onions
12 iceberg lettuce leaves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Directions:
In a large non-stick skillet coated with 1tbs extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil, cook chicken for 3 minutes; drain. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger; cook 4-6 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and remaining oil. Stir in the carrots, onions and chicken mixture.
Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with almonds. If desired, fold sides of lettuce over filling and roll up. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving: 2 wraps
Per serving: 230 calories, 9 g fat

Asparagus and Avocado Wraps
What you’ll need:
24 spears asparagus
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cooked cold brown rice
3 tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt
3 (10-inches in diameter) whole wheat tortillas
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
Directions:
In a medium-sized saucepan over high heat, bring ¼ cup water to a boil. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus and immediately rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly.
In a small bowl, mash the avocado, lime juice, and garlic into a coarse puree; set aside.
In another small bowl, stir together the rice and yogurt to mix well; set aside.
Heat a large dry frying pan (not one with a non-stick surface) over medium heat. One at a time, heat the tortillas in the hot pan until softened, approximately 20 seconds per side.
Lay the tortillas flat on a clean work surface. Spread the avocado mixture equally among the tortillas. Top each with an equal amount of the rice mixture, asparagus, cilantro, and onion. Fold in both sides and the bottom of each tortilla up over the filling; then roll to close.
To serve, cut each wrap in half crosswise. Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving: 2 wraps
Per serving: 5.6 fat grams, 193 calories

Cristin's Story

Ladies, I wanted to share with all of you Cristin's Story of her weight loss journey. I am so proud of her and I am looking forward to her reaching her next goal. Awesome job Cristin!
 
Simply put I have struggled with my weight all my life- not an unusual story for any woman.  As a young girl I can remember being called fat-n-flat, then as a teenage..look out- I had curves that didn't quit- until college of course!  Throughout college I packed on the pounds, 15 freshman year...then another and another and another...at my heaviest I weighed in a hamburger shy of 200 lbs as I like to say, I didn't know who that person was... with a lot of hard work and diligence I lost about 60 lbs in 6 months, and was right back to having curves in all the right places, met my husband settled in and got...comfortable, fast forward to a year or so ago, which is when I met Debbie.  I was definitely a little scared of her workout program, not having known anything about "kettle-bells" but Debbie's genuine approach and demeanor were very appealing to me.. she told me her story and that she is a product of what she teaches... I was inspired.  

When I started her first 6 week challenge I could barely make it through the class with a 10 lb kettlebell...today I use a 35lb bell, I am stronger and fitter for it.  In my time in working with 4 Elements I have had many personal struggles that include loosing my father, and my own battle with cancer, I often say in jest that the only reason I am not back up at 200lbs is because Debbie keeps me in check, I know in that statement is 100% true... 

Again I say fast forward to this summer, I had again- gotten VERY lazy with my eating, that age old- I work out so much so I can eat whatever I wanted, then on August 5th I got on the scale and saw a # I swore I would never hit again...185lbs OH MY!  What a shock that was...I quickly sat down and opened up the files that Debbie supplied me with way back in the beginning, made my grocery list, and facebooked Debbie, and publicly told her I needed focus and I needed her to push me... and PUSH ME SHE DID! 

As I sit here today I weigh 159 lbs, I have lost almost 30 LBS! in just over 6 weeks, I made all the changes Debbie has been asking me to make, and guess what THEY WORKED!  Everything fits me differently, I am confident and have my GROOVE BACK!!!!  

With 9 lbs to go I have signed up for the Little Black Dress challenge in hopes that by 2013 I can be at my goal.

Debbie never gave up on me, she supported me through thick and thin ( pardon the pun), and she does this for each and every client.  Her program is inventive, and changes every single session...trust me you will never be bored!  If you do the work both in the studio and at home, you will see results that I promise you, it is about making the commitment to yourself!  

 Cristin  Before

 

 Cristin After

Yummy Fall Recipe & the Dets

The Big News is out! 4 Elements Little Black Dress Project is here and we only have 30 spots open, so register today! Check out all the details by clicking the Little Black Dress Project page.

Here is a great Fall Recipe for everyone, yes it is in the recipe book you get when you sign up to get your GROOVE back.

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Onions

 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, divided $
• 1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 2 cups Gala apple wedges
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided $
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided $
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth $
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour $
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. 2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Pat onions dry with a paper towel. Add onions to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring once. Add apple to pan; place in oven. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until onions and apple are tender. Stir in 2 teaspoons butter, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan; keep warm. Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1 minute or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Stir in vinegar and remaining 1 teaspoon butter. Serve sauce with pork and apple mixture.

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Here are the 2 recipes I talked about in class today. I made the Pumpkin Custard and it was awesome, only change I made was I used Almond milk instead of regular milk. 

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Custard Oatmeal

Minimum slow cooker size: 4 quarts

Nutritional Content Yield: Servings 8 1 serving = 1/2 cup

Nutritional Data for 1/2 cup Calories: 155 Total Fat: 2 g Saturated Fat: 0 g Trans Fat: 0 Sodium: 83 mg Carbohydrates: 30 Cholesterol: 2 mg Dietary Fiber: 3 g Sugars: 15 g Protein: 6 g

Ingredients

• 2 cups Old-fashioned Oats
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain, fat free
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1 1/2 cups ( 1%) milk

Directions

Add the first 4 ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl combine the remaining ingredients, pour over oat mixture and whisk just to combine.

Cover and cook on low 1 1/2 to 2 hours on low or until desired consistency. Garnish with toasted walnuts pieces.

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup old fashioned (not quick cooking) oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 2 cups water
• Enough water to fill Slow Cooker about 1/4 of the way full
• 1/2 small apple, chopped
• sweetener of choice, to taste

Directions

In a small heat-proof bowl (that can hold at least two cups of water), stir together oats, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. The apples can also be added in here. I chose to keep mine out to stir in after cooking, but this is up to you. Pour two cups water over oats.

Fill Slow Cooker about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way full with water (this will depend on the size of your Slow Cooker). Add the heatproof bowl with the oat mixture to the Slow Cooker. The bowl with the oats/cinnamon/vanilla has water in it, and also sits in the slow cooker surrounded by water. The water level should rise almost to the top of the bowl.

Turn Slow Cooker on low for 7-8 hours overnight. Using a large spoon, remove bowl from Slow Cooker (it will be very hot!). Stir in chopped apple and sweetener of choice. Devour!

1 serving| Calories 199| Fat 3g| Sodium 165 mg | Carbohydrate 39.2 | Fiber 7.1 g| Sugars 9.3g | Protein 5 g

PAIN is temporary!

Have you ever wanted to just stop during your workout? Just QUIT because you were in pain or it was too hard? You just could not go on; all you could think was, “I CAN’T!” With each movement, all you can think about is, “My quads hurt, my knee hurts, my shoulder hurts.” I have been there too, so I get it.

What gets me to keep moving, keep pushing through it? I simply say to myself, “This PAIN is temporary; if I Quit it is forever”. Every time I hear myself thinking I can’t do it, I remember it is not forever. I turn around those negative thoughts and tell myself I can do it.  You would be surprised how positive thoughts can get you through some painful moments.

Recently, my shoulder has been giving me some trouble and I have been taking it easy on it. Now, by that I mean using lighter weights and not doing 4 classes in 1 day. In one class when we were doing my favorite, Turkish Get Ups!!!, I actually thought to myself,  “I can’t do it”!  But, of course, I kept going (stubborn)....kept pushing myself....repeating over and over...."this PAIN is temporary...but if you QUIT, that will be forever".... YES, I COULD DO IT!!! I had to dig deep and focus! I did not quit; I moved forward, and was so glad I did. 

 It doesn’t matter if you are frustrated during a Zumba class because you just can't quite get the steps down, or you are totally out of energy during a high-intensity Spin class, or you are battling fatigue after a long day and are trying to get some cardio in, or you are taking Kettlebell Boot Kamp and need to do just one more Turkish Get Up, or you are training for a Marathon and are struggling to get through a LONG training run...

Don’t just QUIT! Don’t think you CAN’T! Dig Deep and get through it! Whatever it takes! Why?

The PAIN is temporary, QUITTING is forever!

What do you want your forever to be?

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Most of you will think I am talking about back to school, although that is part of it for me it's not all of it. The other part of it is PUMPKIN! Most of you know how I love pumpkin, anything pumpkin: coffee, muffins, fudge(yes they had it in OC),ice cream, pie and on and on the list goes.......
I try my hard to stay away from it but it is so hard to resist! Right now it is even harder for me since I am trying to "drop a few pounds" (my pants are a little tight). The last few months have been a little to unstructured for me so I have to reel myself back in before it gets out of control!
I subscribe to a great blog snack girl and she post this "Pumpkin Pie Smoothie" so I thought great way to get a pumpkin fix! So I made it, I loved it, no surprise there! Here is the recipe if you want to try it.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe

(makes 2 servings or 3 cups)

1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup plain greek yogurt
1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 banana
maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar (to taste)
lots of ice cubes

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy! Pour leftovers into drink container for later consumption.

For one serving with lowfat yogurt and no syrup added = 142 calories, 1.4 g fat, 28.6 g carbohydrates, 15.7 g sugar, 5.5 g protein, 5.3 g fiber, 50 mg sodium, 4 PointsPlus

I should have taking a picture!

Then I saw this one and I thought great this has more protien in it so I need to try it.

2 scoops Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder
1 scoop Arbonne Fiber Boost
6 ice cubes

4 oz water
4 oz almond milk
1/2 - 3/4 cup of organic pumpkin puree (found at the grocery store)

2 dash cinnamon
2 dash of pumpkin pie spice
1 dash ground ginger
1 dash nutmeg
1 small dash ground cloves
adjust the spices to taste
adjust the water to almond ratio to taste...
sprinkle cinnamon on top and serve

Good Choices

We went over foods that are high volume and good choices for you to make to keep yourself from getting too hungry or too full. Now here are some foods that may confuse you – Carbohydrates! We have all heard about carb diets or the lack thereof, and protein diets or diets with way too much protein.  We see and hear many different articles or TV shows debating who is right and what you should do to reach your goals. It can become a bit confusing. 

So let’s clear up some things. About a month ago I was talking to a boot camper and I asked if she liked bananas, trying to figure out what could be a quick snack that could work for her. The response I thought was interesting: “Bananas are bad for you, aren’t they?” How can something grown and not processed be bad for you? Yes, it is on the high end of the glycemic index, so I normally say to eat it in the morning, not right before bed.  Carbohydrates in the diet are fine; the question is which ones?

Carbs can cause us to eat more and too much. Highly refined carbs causes blood sugar to go up and down suddenly, which makes your appetite go up and down like a roller coaster too.

Eating has a huge impact on weight loss and changing your body, so you need to figure out what your goals are, what you are willing to commit to. Eating a high protein diet with little or no carbs is great if you are building muscle, but you need carbs if you’re trying to build endurance. Body builders stick to that type of diet when “bulking up” and they don’t normally have much cardio in their workouts.  

Here are some GREAT choices when looking for good carbs:

Poor Choice                                              Great Choice

White Bread               Whole Wheat

Dehydrated Potato Flakes   ½ baked sweet potato 

Croutons                        Garbanzo Beans

White Rice                          Brown Rice 

Pastry                                  Whole Wheat Pancakes  

Apple Juice                         Apple with skin

White Pasta                      Whole Wheat Pasta 

Soda                                      Water