Don't Be A Hater!

I am not big into scrolling through Facebook to see what people are posting but I was bored sitting in the doctor's waiting room the other day and indulged a little. 

There was a picture a woman took of her reflection, the old pose in front of the mirror picture, and it showed off her amazingly sculpted abs. I saw and thought "wow, she must eat clean and be dedicated to her workout". 

I scrolled to see others comments and saw that a couple people made some really ugly comments along the lines of insinuating that this woman doesn't eat, has a disorder, is disgusting, etc. Of course I looked at the profile pictures of those people and saw that they were WAY opposite of being "in shape". What's worse is that this was a page where women were supposed to be there to support other women.

I guess they were never taught that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all! STOP DRINKING THE HATORADE girls!

Everyone has their own specific goals and we should encourage each other in their efforts to achieve those goals. 

To those who are so ignorant to post mean comments, I ask, what does telling someone that they are disgusting do for you? Does it make you feel better about yourself?...if so, you have some serious problems!

Don't hate on someone else because you don't like something about yourself! Be supportive of others working hard towards their personal goals...or keep your mouth shut and your fingers off the keyboard!

Sorry if my irritation came through. I just think it's ridiculous what this world is coming to. Violence and demeaning others is becoming way too common in our society!

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/healthyathomept

Quick and Healthy Pork Dinner

I love eating chicken BUT there are just some days when I would rather go hungry than grill up another piece! Today I opted to make THE OTHER WHITE MEAT! And guess what...I got the bone-in kind of pork chops!

Now, I have to say that I do not eat the fat that they are trimmed with, nor do I eat the dark meat. But I almost always buy bone-in pork chops because they are much cheaper per/lb AND they get a ton of extra flavor cooking them with the bone. 

Did I mention that this took me no longer than 20 minutes to make once the water boiled for my sweet potatoes & apples?!

Made this for 3 people but the recipe can be altered to accommodate more.

Ingredients:
-3 bone-in pork chops
-Low-sodium Adobo seasoning
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 Shallot, sliced
-1 clove of garlic, chopped
-1 large sweet potato, chopped
-1 gala apple (peel on), chopped
-baby spinach
-1 radish, sliced
-2 tbsp shredded skim milk mozzarella
-Dressing of your choice (I used Ken's Light Options Parmesan and Peppercorn)
-Sea salt and pepper
-Cinnamon


How-To:
-Chop sweet potato and apple into small chunks, boil for about 15 minutes until tender. Drain. Mash with potato masher and season with a dash of cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste (you won't need much).

-Season each side of pork chops with adobe seasoning. Heat oil in sauté pan (with metal handle) or grill pan to medium to medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side until browned. Off to the side of pan place the shallot and garlic and cook until slightly translucent. Remove garlic/shallot and transfer the pan to a preheated oven (350 degrees). Cook for another 5 minutes to ensure they are cooked through.

-Serve with a spinach, radish, mozzarella salad lightly drizzled with dressing.

Looking at this picture reminds me of how yummy it was...if it wasn't almost 11pm I would make some more!!! ENJOY!

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/healthyathomept

My Favorite (Minimal- & No-Prep) Protein Sources

Ever wonder what kind of foods you can eat that are "healthy", "filling" and "satisfying"? Look no further than PROTEIN! 

Check out my list below for my favorites...BTW, they all require minimal or NO prep! 

- Quinoa: Make a bunch in advance and keep it in portion-controlled containers. Top with things you would put in oatmeal and/or savory seasonings and mix in veggies.

-1% Cottage Cheese w/fresh fruit and drizzle of honey

-Beef or Turkey Jerky (can be high in sodium so limit this option)

-Pumpkin Seeds, almonds or pistachios

-Hard Boiled Eggs (I just eat the whites with hot sauce)

-Deli Meat rolled with a string cheese 

-Celery with PB

-String Cheese & Fruit

-Protein shake

-Luna Protein bar or Muscle Milk Light bar if you need something packaged

-Edamame (you can buy a frozen bag, cook as directed, season to your desire put in portion-controlled baggies)

-Hummus & veggies

-Protein pancakes: (Mix 4 egg whites, ½ cup of rolled oats, ½ cup of 1% cottage cheese, ⅛ teaspoon of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Cook on a preheated griddle (medium low heat) until mixtures bubbles, flip and cook for another 60 seconds. Top with fresh berries or sliced banana and PB.)

-Chocolate milk

-GREEK yogurt, non-fat (TIP: if you buy the fruit-on-the bottom kind, don't mix it together. The yogurt will still have the fruit flavor but you will avoid the extra sugar and calories)

-PB & J on a bread-flat

-Tuna packet

-Protein Balls: Mix PB and protein powder with a fork until it forms a thick consistency (every PB and powder has a different texture so you will have to play with measurements). Once formed into balls, roll around in chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or cocoa powder. Or you can dip in melted dark chocolate and place on wax paper in fridge until set. Keep in fridge until ready to eat.

-Chicken breast (cut the whole pack of breasts really thin, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan. cook chicken 3 minutes each side medium heat. if it is not done in the center place in the oven at 350 degrees for roughly 5 minutes until cooked through. keep the chicken in the fridge and put in rice bowls, salads, pasta, sandwich, etc all week long!)

Best of Health,

Amanda Chubb

www.healthyathomept.com

www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/healthyathomept

No Need To Let Your Veggies Go To Waste!

As you make your healthy, veggie-filled meals have you noticed that the trash can fills up quick with the ends, leaves, and peels?

Or have you bought so many veggies they start to go bad before you can cook them all up?

How about fresh herbs? I know when I buy them they seem to start getting yucky in a couple of days.

Here's an idea to put them to good use!... 

As you go through the week put all the herbs, celery leaves, carrot ends, onion peels, etc. in a zip-lock bag that you keep somewhere in the fridge. By the weekend you should have a fairly full bag. If not, I'm sure some of the veggies in the drawer may be starting to wilt because veggies don't stay fresh and crunchy forever. 

Dump the contents of your bag into a large stock-pot, pour enough water over to cover them, add a couple of bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let it go for about an hour, turn off heat and let cool. 

Once it's cooled down you can place it in reusable containers and put it in the freezer for later use in soups AND you can use it in place of water when cooking rice, pasta, etc.!

Best of Health,

Amanda Chubb

www.healthyathomept.com

www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com

Facebook.com/healthyathomept

Two Biggest Hurdles In Reaching Your Fitness Goals

I am sure you have heard it over and over and over again...you have to eat right and exercise right to lose weight and get in shape! Yes, but there's a little more to it than that, especially since most people do not even know what "eat right" or "exercise right" means!

Deprivation is usually to outcome when people go from eating junk all the time to making the decision to eat better.  They may have every intention to be healthy but when you think simply cutting calories is the answer you are doing your body and injustice. Not to mention setting yourself up for long-term failure. You just cannot go from 0-60 without repercussions.

Lifestyle changes, such as selecting the steamed veggies as a side dish instead of freedom fries, pays off big over time. You may not see the impact right away but over the course of time several small changes like this will cut enough calories alone and keep you fuller resulting in eating less calories! 

All you have to do is ask yourself IS YOUR HEALTH WORTH 1-MINUTE OF THE TASTE OF GREASY, SALTY FRIES? If you truly care about yourself and your efforts you will make the right decision (most of the time). Remember I said you don't want to deprive yourself?...if you are truly craving something than by all means have a little something to satisfy that craving but maybe cut back and supplement with a veggie/salad. That way you are getting what you want without completely cutting out what you like, you're increasing your daily veggie count, and eating for nutrition not just satisfaction. 

As far as the right exercises, you have to make sure that, first, you know HOW to workout properly. I'm talking proper form here. Lifting heavy weights does nothing but cause injury unless you are able to use proper form and correct range of motion. Secondly, you have to challenge yourself by mixing up your workouts. I don't mean going from the elliptical to the recumbent bike than to the treadmill! I mean   including high-intensity exercises, varying the weight and techniques used to constantly shock your muscles. 

There's is much more to getting and staying healthy than you might think...but finding the RIGHT trainer and/or nutritionist can certainly get you started on the right foot!

For those of you who cannot afford a nutritionist, an informed trainer or even maybe a gym membership I HAVE GREAT NEWS! I am working on an online training program! I will provide you with an easy to use and budget friendly meal plan that can be adapted to meet your likes! AND an exercise plan that can be conducted in the comfort of your home! This plan is still in the works but I am excited and motivated to get it done and available to you ASAP!

Best of Health,
Amanda Chubb
www.healthyathomept.com
www.healthyathomept.blogspot.com
Facebook.com/healthyathomept