Turkey, Turkey Everywhere!

Leftover Turkey sandwich recipes
Use generous slices of moist and juicy turkey breast. Try turkey in ciabatta rolls, baguettes, between thick slices of warmed wholemeal bread, or sandwiched in toast. Pair the meat with other ingredients, such as:

• shredded salad leaves
• thinly sliced avocado or onion
• tomatoes and cucumber
• fine slices of cooked ham
• crumbled crispy bacon
• sliced hardboiled egg
• sliced blue cheese
• Add extra flavour with mustard, cranberry sauce, leftover turkey stuffing, pickles, mayonnaise, sliced gherkins, or radishes.

Leftover Turkey Hot dishes

• Turkey pasta Mix diced turkey into a rich tomato sauce and serve with rice or pasta.
• Curried turkey Turkey makes a great curry Serve with rice and naan bread.
• Tarragon turkey Add cubed turkey to a white sauce made with semi-skimmed milk. Flavour with tarragon, add sweetcorn and mushrooms. Put in a pie dish, top with pastry and bake. For an even easier version, top with mashed potatoes and brown in the oven.
• Leafy stir-fry Add shredded turkey to stir fries, made with shredded Chinese leaves, onions and other vegetables, and served with noodles.
• Chinese turkey Cook diced turkey with mangetout, onion, baby corn and beansprouts. Coat with sweet/sour sauce made from orange juice, soy sauce and a little honey, thickened with corn flour.
• Turkey hash This dish is a great standby. Saute chopped onions and peppers, add diced turkey and cook through. Make hollows in mixture, break an egg into each one and cook under hot grill or bake in oven until set. Serve with crusty bread and a tomato salad.
• Turkey soup Make a batch of warming turkey soup.

Pumpkin Pie Shakeology

The day after Thanksgiving...we are stuffed like turkeys and are in need of something healthy. This is the ultimate healthy, yummy meal replacement!!!!


1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1 cup rice, soy, almond, or low-fat milk (plain or vanilla)
½ cup canned pumpkin, unsweetened
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
Ice (optional)

Combine all ingredients in blender and combine until smooth. You can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon and nutmeg or add more pumpkin for a thicker shake. Makes 1 serving.

Nutrition Info: 284 Calories, 27g Protein,7g Fiber, 40g Carbs, 3.5g Total Fat, 2g Saturated Fat

Get Shakeology HERE.

Hump Day Humor

Who loves FREE stuff???

I do! I do! I do!

Even better is when the free stuff has to do with fitness! For the holidays, Beachbody is offering FREE GIFT WRAPPING & FREE SHIPPING/HANDLING on the following packages:

P90X DELUXE WITH P90X PLUS: Besides the P90X Training System, this package includes a month's supply of Results and Recovery Formula™, a delicious shake that helps refuel, reenergize, and reduce muscle soreness after workouts. Also included are three heavy-duty resistance bands to maximize results, and Tony's advanced P90X Plus program to take those P90X workouts to the next level! *S&H is free only with UPS Basic delivery.

INSANITY DELUXE RECOVERY PACKAGE: In addition to everything in Shaun T's INSANITY program, this package also includes two more extreme workouts—MAX Interval Training and Insane Abs—a 60-day supply of Results and Recovery Formula™ to maximize results, and a FREE workout, Upper-Body Weighted Workout. *S&H is free only with UPS Basic delivery.

SLIM IN 6 SUPER VIDEO PACK: This super slimming package includes Debbie Siebers' Slim in 6, her advanced Slim Series® program that combines intense cardio with greater resistance, and her Slim Series Express workouts for a lean, sculpted body. *S&H is free only with UPS Basic delivery.

Read about and order the gifts at:
http://tinyurl.com/P90Xholidayspecial

http://tinyurl.com/Insanityholidayspecial

http://tinyurl.com/Slimin6holidayspecial

I started my journey with Slim in 6, followed by Slim Series. This is the first time that it has been offered as a package!!!! Uber exciting!!!!! Give the gift of health!

Healthy Thanksgiving Foods

While many of us over-indulge this time of year, there are lots of traditional holiday foods that won’t throw you off your healthy diet. The trick is to make healthy choices, and not eat too much in general. Here are some foods you can enjoy guilt-free this Thanksgiving:

Turkey. If you are looking for a lean cut of meat, turkey is hard to beat. A 3-ounce serving of skinless white meat contains 25 grams of protein, barely 3 grams of fat, and less than 1 gram of saturated fat. Dark meat has more saturated fat than white meat, and eating the skin adds a hefty wallop of these bad fats. Turkey is also a good source of arginine. As with other amino acids, the body uses this one to make new protein. Arginine is also the raw material for making nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes and opens arteries. Whether foods rich in arginine help keep arteries open has prompted both research and debate.

Cranberries. The fruit that provides the base of this traditional side dish deserves to move from holidays to everyday. Cranberries are packed with dozens of different antioxidants. On a standard test that measures the ability of food to neutralize unstable molecules that can damage DNA, proteins, cell membranes, and cellular machinery, the cranberry is near the top of the list. The natural mix of antioxidants found in cranberries and other foods is what matters, not the high doses of single ones found in supplements. If you make your own cranberry sauce from whole berries, you’ll get a tastier and less sugary sauce than you can get out of a can.

Sweet potatoes. These un-potatoes — they’re related to the morning glory, not the white potato — are an excellent source of vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. And sweet potatoes make a delicious dessert. See below for our doctor-approved recipe for a sweet potato pudding dessert.

Pumpkin. Before this orange squash is made into pie, it’s just plain good for you. Pumpkin is low in fat, low in calories, and loaded with potassium, vitamin A, beta carotene, and vitamin C. Instead of pumpkin pie, try our recipe for Zesty Pumpkin Custards (below).

Pecans. Most nuts are great sources of heart-healthy fats. Pecans are no exception. Twenty pecan halves contain about 20 grams of unsaturated fat. Studies from around the globe show that people who routinely eat nuts are less likely to die of heart disease than those who don’t.

Although many of the foods that grace a Thanksgiving table are healthy on their own, they tend to lose their virtue by the company they keep. Brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows ease aside the goodness of sweet potatoes. The benefits of pumpkin and pecans are overwhelmed when these foods are baked into pies with cream, eggs, butter, and sugar. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re set on a traditional dinner, alternative recipes abound for healthier stuffing, vegetables, and desserts. You can also start your own traditions. After all, today’s Thanksgiving dinner bears little resemblance to the original feast.

Harvard Health Publications

You're Not Most People's Cup of Tea

This is from Chalene Johnson's blog. I loved this post so much that I'm reposting here. It has something for everyone, so please take the time to read it. I hope you take from it what I did.

"The truth of the matter is that most people aren’t going to think you’re “the bomb”. At best, most people will find you likeable, tolerable, nice, efficient, a good worker, decent person, helpful neighbor or maybe a friendly acquaintance. Yet when it comes to choosing their all time favorite, it’s probably not you. It ain’t me either! Don’t take it too hard. In fact, we should be contented. Think about it. We only have enough time in our day, week, month, year and life to devote meaningful time to a small group of amazingly important people. Too many people live their lives desperately controlled by their need to have, not just approval, but the adoration of everyone they meet. Some are certain others will reject them if they are “just” who they are. I suppose we’re all guilty of meeting someone so remarkable that we find ourselves in some small way longing to be more like them.

When we held auditions for the cast of Turbo Jam® I asked people who I know and adore audition for the director. I invited people who I would want to spend time with. I think 40 auditioned. There was room for 8. It was difficult to help those I know so well, understand it was “nothing personal" if they were not selected. I assured friends that we may have needed a certain look, a white 40ish female, a muscular black male, tall, but not too tall, a red head with pierced ears or a petite green-haired alien with high kicks. Yet, I found even the most self-assured of my fitness friends questioned their physique, their experience, the outfit they wore, their hairstyle or energy level that day. Quite simply, they weren’t what she (the director) was looking for and there was nothing anyone could have done differently to be selected.

The point is that most of the people who cross our paths in life have their own agendas. They are looking for someone other than us. For them, we are too short, too tall, too quiet or too loud. We are too young or too old, the wrong sex, or the wrong body type. They are looking for someone easier to dominate or someone less intense. They aren’t looking for us. The solution:

Get very good at being
exactly who you are.

This principal applies personally and professionally. When I set out to make a fitness program most people told me I needed to be more drill like, more like Billy Blanks, if my classes were going to have as much appeal as his. I tried for a while, but that didn’t fit me. I like to groove. I watched a hundred fitness videos trying to figure out which traits I could pick up on. I didn’t much look like any of the tall, lean, graceful beauties I had come to know in fitness videos. I’m short, stubby and a bit of a spaz. Each time I heard a critique of my programs or my style, I jerked to attention and wondered what I could do to appeal to that “one” person. I started to drive myself crazy. Somewhere in those early years I came to terms with the notion that I was not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

Have you ever taught a packed class, received praise from dozens, felt the joy and energy in the room, yet the one person who walked out early with a snarled look on her face still haunts you days later? Maybe you weren’t her style of instructor or maybe she had to leave?

You don’t need to be everyone’s cup of tea. If everyone was looking for you, then you wouldn’t have enough time to devote to the people important to you. If it were possible to please everyone, there would be no Pepsi, only Coke.

You need to know who you are not, in order to know who you are. Be you times two! Don’t doubt yourself, or hold back. Those who do are tolerable, nice, average, boring, or nondescript are also not memorable. I’d take the comments of a legion of critics; if it meant I could connect with a modest group of people that would find, in me or my programs, “exactly” what they were looking for. Hooray! We found each other. Think of your favorite people - those who really leave their mark on you. Picture the quilt of characters that forms in your mind, each person wildly different than the next, but each uniquely engaging. As amusing as you find them, you’ve probably introduced them to others who do not see the appeal. Don’t change to be more like anyone other than you; just get better at recognizing the best parts of you.

Boldly be you, the real you, even at the risk that many may not care for “your type”. Be the person you are when you’re around the people that find YOU amusing. Those who are looking for exactly what you have, need to be able to recognize you when they find you."

Today is THE Day!

Today is the day!

Once a month, I present a webinar about the Beachbody Coaching Opportunity. This is a completely NO-PRESSURE presentation. You simply sit back and watch/listen. Seriously, this 45 min webinar could CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

We have a VERY strong team consisting of several Diamond or higher ranked coaches, a $10,000 winner, and a Top Coach! Come hear what it's about...


Thu, Nov 19, 2009 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM EST
Registration Web Link: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/938587330

Hump Day Humor

No Time to Work Out? Work Out Anyway!

By Steve Edwards

Even if it's just for 10 minutes, you will absolutely benefit by elevating your heart rate. While this may not transform the way you look, 10 minutes is plenty long for your body to elevate its metabolism instead of staying in couch-potato mode. If you know that you're going to have a busy day, try to plan ahead. You want to elevate your heart rate, but not sweat too much. Try walking briskly to each destination that day—up the stairs to work, out to lunch, to the next meeting, etc. This will require enough planning to make sure you've got proper footwear for the day. If you have some other downtime, use it to stretch. Brisk walking on pavement can make your muscles tight, but a few minutes of sporadic stretching can do wonders.

Pumpkin-Hazelnut Tea Cake

By Mayo Clinic staff

MAKES 12 SLICES
Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup homemade or canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup whole-wheat (whole-meal) flour
1/2 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tablespoons flaxseed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts (filberts)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together the canola oil, pumpkin puree, honey, brown sugar and eggs until well blended.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, flaxseed, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and, using the electric mixer on medium speed, beat until well blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the hazelnuts evenly over the top and press down gently to lodge the nuts into the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out of the pan onto the rack and let cool completely. Cut into 12 slices to serve.

Nutritional Analysis
(per serving)
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories 176
Protein 4 g
Carbohydrate 28 g
Total fat 6 g
Saturated fat 1 g
Monounsaturated fat 3 g
Fiber 3 g

ChaLEAN Extreme Success Story

This is the program that I am currently doing... CHALEAN EXTREME!

The ONLY Diet I Advocate: A Sensory Diet!

Today is the day that we have the all day, in-depth evaluation for my son to determine if he, in fact, does have ADHD. Regardless of the outcome, we are extremely happy that we've opened ourselves up to occupational therapy. As a family, we have learned a tremendous amount about the importance of a balanced sensory diet.

Our son has different issues with his visual, auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive senses. The therapists are teaching us different ways to help our child meet his needs. You would be amazed at the amount of "stuff" available out there...thank goodness for the information highway.

Here are some of the items that we are currently using:

B-Calm- This helps block out ambient noise. He's not super fond of wearing headphones, but it helps during desk work.


Hanging Seat: This swing helps our son focus and remain calm. I would have never thought that swinging would help someone's focus, but because the motion give him the sensations his body craves, it DOES help! We are using this at OT, but we are going to get it for our home too.


We are also getting him a trampoline and hoppity ball for at home use.

In addition, he is involved with karate and swimming. Both are helping him with his coordination.

Yes, each situation is different, but these are some things that have helped our child improve without having to introduce medication. As we discover new ways, I will be sure to post about it.

THANK YOU, Veterans!!!

Spousal Support

Chalene Johnson

Married 10 years, I know firsthand the importance of a supportive spouse. Even if your partner's healthy resolve leaves much to be desired, with the right approach you can find the support you need and improve your partnership in the process. Consider variations on these five phrases when cultivating the interpersonal support you need to reach your health and fitness goals and bring you closer in the process:

1. "I couldn't do this without you!" Let your partner know how important their help and support is to you. Everyone wants to feel needed.
2. "Want to work out with me?" Even if the likelihood of it happening is slim, frequently invite your partner to join you. Let him or her to pick the workout and you might just get a 'yes'.
3. "Thank you!" Express your appreciation for even the smallest gesture that helps you reach your goal, even if it's just keeping the kids busy so you can Push Play.
4. "Wanna get busy?" Even if your partner doesn't share your healthy resolve, you both profit from your commitment. Communicate the mutual benefits of fitness, including improved energy, a boost in self-esteem, a tighter body, better health, and yes, better sex!
5. "Let's make a deal." Don't expect your partner to abruptly change his/her dining habits because you do. No one likes to be forced into doing something. Make a deal. Offer to do something nice in exchange for his/her promise to "eat in" for the next 10 days.

Low-Fat Pumpkin Cookies

* 1/2 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
* 1/8 tsp. cloves
* 1/8 tsp. ginger
* 1 cup rolled oats
* 2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/2 cup white flour
* 1/2 cup raisins or dates
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, blend together first five ingredients. Mix in spices, oats, and baking powder, then fold in flour, raisins or dates, and nuts. Drop by tablespoons onto a nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Yields 2-1/2 dozen cookies.

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-12 minutes

Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 67
Protein: 2 g
Fiber: 1 g
Carbs: 12 g
Fat Total: 2 g

Fiber: 1 g

Saturated Fat: < 0.5 g

Beachbody Tip: Rest and Hydration: 8 & 8

Success requires rules and a plan. If you're struggling out there, you're probably breaking the rules and trying to wing it. Most of the information flying around today regarding how to get from here to there in life doesn't cover the basics because it's boring and not new. I believe that the self-imposed pressures of the modern world steer us away from the basic rules of life. One of those rules is rest and hydration. I call this combination the 8 & 8. I've see people follow these simple laws of nature and get their lives back. I'm telling you that if you get eight hours of sleep at night and drink eight ounces of water eight times a day, some of your problems will disappear and your life will improve.

Our bodies are 72% water, give or take, and this water circulates nutrients and hormones, distributes heat, and provides the medium in which chemical reactions take place. Most importantly, water flushes out the toxic substances and waste materials via the kidneys. It's how our basic balance of body chemistry is maintained. Proper hydration plays a huge role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50%, and can potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Eight hours of sleep every night restores the powers of the mind, body, and spirit. Proper rest combined with healthy food and supplementation is the best way to improve the immune system, restore cognitive and motor performance, and replenish your energy and enthusiasm for the day ahead. Countless studies have shown that people suffering from irritability, sadness, depression, and anxiety no longer needed medication for these aliments after discovering that proper sleep was the key ingredient to stabilize brain chemistry and improve cognitive performance.

Do yourself a big favor and try this experiment for one week. Hit the hay eight hours before the alarm goes off and drink water (nothing else) eight times in a day. Eight ounces is a small glass, so spread them out throughout the day. Don't try to drink large amounts all at once because you'll lose out on the benefits and stress out the kidneys. Follow this simple 8 & 8 plan every day and you'll find that life will get a little easier, a little less stressful, and a lot more productive. It also contributes to weight loss and better health.

Is Beachbody a Pyramid Scheme?

This is the most common thing that I am asked by people. A fellow coach found this PERFECT explanation. Unfortunately, I don't know where it originally came from to give the proper credit. I do THANK the person who took the time to write this!!!!!

“My fiance and I were having a discussion the other day over a remark that one of her friends made. That remark went something like this “oh, that (Beachbody) is just one of those pyramid schemes”.

One of our problems is dealing with the negativity surrounding the reputation of the phrases “pyramid scheme”, “network marketing”. “multi-level marketing (MLM)” or “direct selling business”.

First of all, the grand daddy of them all, Amway, went under very serious, expensive and prolonged investigation into this sort of activity back in the early 70’s. The results proved that Amway was not a “pyramid scheme” (which is illegal) and paved the way for the whole multi-level marketing industry that has boomed over the past 35 years.

In Quixtar’s (the current name used for the Amway distributor business) Business Rules and Regulations it states:

“A pyramid is a scheme in which an individual pays for the right to recruit additional persons into the scheme who, in turn, receive the same right to receive profits from recruiting others.

Three common elements of a pyramid scheme have been identified as: (1) a large, required initial investment or purchase of inventory: (2) direct payment for recruiting additional persons into the scheme; (3) heavy emphasis on recruiting additional persons, with little or no emphasis on selling products to consumers.”

Beachbody certainly has none of the above components of a pyramid scheme. Anyone who refers to Beachbody as a pyramid scheme is talking out of ignorance combined with obvious negative past experiences with MLMs in general or, perhaps, an illegal pyramid scheme. In fact, I was duped into one such scheme because the Chief Economic Advisor of the Reagan administration, Art Laffer of the infamous “Laffer Curve”, was on the Board of Directors of this company. That company did have several of the components mentioned above.

In fact, Beachbody is squeaky clean on this one as: (1) Beachbody has no required inventory, period; (2) there is no direct payment for recruiting in Beachbody, period; (3) Beachbody is all about products to consumers. In fact, on the last point, Beachbody is currently paying $90 million this year for new customers that it passes on to Emeralds and above. I am not aware of any other MLM that does this.

Another interesting fact is that Beachbody was not created to be an MLM. It was already a very successful company before adding a network marketing component. I am not aware of any other MLM company that has ever had such history before becoming a MLM. Are you?

There is no question that adding a coaching program was in the best interest of Beachbody’s customers. If you were the executive of Beachbody, would you have created a coaching program with all the overhead of adding a coaching division within the company (the salaries of the coaches, office space, additional phone lines, computers, etc) where the employees true incentive was to keep his job. Or would you opt for the brilliance of the network of independent coaches where:

1. There is no additional employees with additional salaries
2. The only way a coach can be successful is to be a product of the system
3. Being a product of the system he/she is a few steps ahead of the customers and any new coaches that he/she sponsors
4. There is a non-salaried advocate of the company to create new customer activity and to advise existing customers of different or additional products to improve their fitness goals
5. Because, in essence, coaches get paid to be fit through the system of sharing, existing coaches will help the whole system grow. As the coaching network grows Beachbody will have a tremendous impact for turning around the greatest epidemics in the history of the US - Type 2 Diabetes because of a grossly overweight society.

Our opportunity is unprecedented. There has never been a greater need for a fitness and health system that works. And I have never been exposed to a fitness and health company that works as well as Beachbody. Most people will not get involved because it is a network marketing (MLM) company and/or opportunity. I believe the reasons they will get involved will be one of these:

1. To personally improve their physical appearance
2. To look and feel healthier
3. They were convinced that Beachbody has superior products to achieve their weight and fitness goals
4. Because a medical advisor or doctor told them that they must lose weight (this will be big soon with the coming Type 2 Diabetes product)
5. That they needed a motivation or reason to be fit other than number 4 above (I was in this category)
6. They want to be part of society’s weight solution instead of part of the problem
7. They want an at home business that makes sense
8. They like the idea of getting paid to be fit

It is my opinion that after someone is involved and really understands this company’s vision, that they will stay in this program for most of the above reasons.

The company desperately needs additional active coaches to succeed in its mission. In my opinion, that is why they are having current recruiting contests and, most importantly, that is why they are going to get new coaches the same way they know how to get new customers - infomercials.”