LIQUIDS for your Protein Shakes and Veggie/Fruit Smoothies

I'm writing this post after finding that many Protein Shake and Veggie/Fruit Smoothie drinkers I know only use H2O as the liquid ingredient. 

Don't get me wrong, water is great to smooth out your shake but there are other beverages that you can use to add FLAVOR and ADDITIONAL HEALTH BENEFITS while adding NO or MINIMAL calories.

Some of my favorite mix-ins that my kids love too!

• Green Tea (home brewed of course)*
• Flavored Teas (home brewed, not bottled)*
• Coffee (Especially good for morning shakes!)*
• Coconut Water
• Almond Milk
• Skim Milk
• Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime and Orange Juices

* Of course, I understand that barely anyone has time to brew a cup of coffee or tea each time they want to use it in their shake! Myself included! So here's a friendly tip that will make it much easier...

Brew a large pot of coffee and/or green tea. Pour it into a 2 Liter pitcher (or whatever size you have or want to use), let it cool completely and store it in the fridge. Use as desired. I make a pot of coffee every  Sunday and use it for the week in my morning shake. This may not be ideal for everyone, but it works for me and I don't mind "stale coffee" especially since I can't even taste it.  


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

Healthy (and Filling) Lunch!

In this picture, something is missing...it's the baby carrot, radish and cucumber salad I ALREADY ATE! ;)

But to go with that super yummy and super healthy salad (dressed only with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of garlic powder, salt and pepper) is a piece of chicken breast and a sweet potato!

For the Chicken:
I turned a homemade dressing of 1/4 c olive oil, 2 tbsp spicy mustard, 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp minced garlic, pinch of salt and pepper into a marinade. 

Mix it all together in a cup and taste to make sure the flavorings are where you want them. Remember you can add, but can't take away so start light especially on the salt!
TIP: I buy regular thickness chicken breasts and slice them thin myself. It's a cheaper per/lb price so you get more for your money.

I put some chicken in this marinade overnight and put the rest in something else to mix up the flavors. I usually cook the entire package of chicken at once so I have it for the next few days. I EAT A LOT OF CHICKEN! 

Get a saute pan hot over medium heat, cook chicken for about 4 minutes each side. Shouldn't take more than that because it's cut thin but check with a thermometer if necessary. 
TIP: Don't keep flipping it or moving it around because it won't get that caramelized color. 

For the Sweet Potato: 
Wash off the skin, wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes (depending on size).

Let it cool for a few minutes, slice in down the middle, top with a bit of butter/spread, little bit of shredded 2% cheddar cheese, dollop of plain Greek yogurt, a few splashes of hot sauce and add your "greens" with some chopped cilantro.

ENJOY!

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

Upper-Body Routine

I have an absolute obsession with Super-Setting my workouts! I find that it allows me to make the most of the time that I can dedicate AND keeps my metabolism burning during- and post-exercise. 

Here's what I wrote up a couple of days ago for my "upper body" days: 

Warm-up: Jumprope 5 minutes

A1-Inverted Pull-Ups on Smith Machine
A2-Tri-Cep Push-ups Holding Dumbbells
10-15 Reps Each, 5 sets

B1-Flat Bench Close Grips
B2-Squating Concentration Curls
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets

C1-Decline Curls
C2-Tri-Cep Kickbacks
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets

D1-Military Press
D2-Standing Overhead Tri-Cep Extensions
D3-Jacknives 
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets

E1-Decline Lateral Raises
E2-Standing 1-Leg Rear Delt Raises
E3-Arnold Presses
10-15 Reps, 3 Sets

F1-Cable Curls
F2-Tri-Cep Cable Pushdowns
F3-Straightarm Cable Pushdowns

ADD 1-Leg Plyo Balances, Opposite Arm/Leg Planks, or another Core training exercise in between sets. This will help remind you to keep your Core engaged DURING working your upper-body which is critical to proper form and being able to lift heavier. 

My training weeks usually look like this:
Week 1 & 3: cardio/upper/cardio/lower/cardio/upper/rest
Week 2 & 4: cardio/lower/cardio/upper/cardio/lower/rest

(NOTE: On a cardio day I rarely do steady-state, mostly intervals and inclines. On resistance training days I will sometimes do about 10-20 minutes of steady state at the end of the sessions to maximize calorie burn.)

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

CORE Training

When you do crunch after crunch at the gym or while laying on the floor in front of the T.V. during commercials (that's a common tip to encourage you to stop laying on your ass as soon as you get home from your "busy day") what is your main goal? Are you trying to whittle your muffin top,  get a dreamy six-pack or strengthen your core?

I certainly think it's commendable that you are putting in effort towards whatever your goal is. BUT, what if I told you that you are likely making very minimal gains. It's kinda BS that you put in all that work for barely anything to show how hard you worked. AND you are not likely getting anywhere closer to your goal!

Having a STRONG CORE and a SIX PACK do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. And I would argue, without a doubt, that getting a strong core is WAY more important than pursuing the more visually appealing goal. 

A six pack is the ripped and defined abdominal muscles...but a strong core encompasses almost every muscles from your hips to your shoulders, front and back. That means you need to work on strengthening your back, hips, and multiple abdominal muscles. Doing crunches is not going to help much. 

So what DOES work????

You've likely heard it before and I am going to say it again...PLANKS! I have a love/hate relationship with planks! Mainly because I am crazy and always do tougher variations of them that make my body shake and burn (only temporarily, of course). Here are a list of different planks I have in my trainer tool-box:

Traditional Plank
Up-Down Planks
Side Planks
Stability Ball Planks
Plank Jacks
BOSU Planks
Side Twist Planks
Inchworm w/Planks
Opposite Arm & Leg Planks
Extended Arm Planks
For those just starting out: Knee Planks


Although I have a love for planks, they can get boring sometimes even when I switch up what type I do. Soooo I have a ton more CORE STRENGTHENING exercises that I fit into my workout on Cardio/Core days. 

• Wall Walks
• 1-Leg Plyometric Balance
• Weighted Overhead Crunch to Stand (killer but f*cking love this!)
• Reptiles
• Sit-up Toe Touches
• Goodmornings
• Inchworm
• Supermans
• Side Burpees
• Reverse Crunches
• Woodchops
• Side-to-Side Crunch and Weave
• AND THE LIST GOES ON!!!!! 

CORE TIP: You can work on strengthening your core everyday while just sitting in your car, at work, etc. AND during your upper- and lower-body training sessions. Focus on contracting your muscles and keeping a tight core and glutes when performing other exercises. This will also help ensure you are using proper form and activating the muscles that you are trying to train. :)

Healthfully,

Amanda Chubb

www.healthyathomept.com

www.facebook.com/healthyathomept

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