Low-Cal Spinach Dip

10 oz. fresh baby spinach, steamed until wilted
1 cup plain, fat-free yogurt, drained
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup reduced-fat Parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Place spinach in a colander and drain all of the excess water. Finely chop spinach and place in a medium bowl. Stir yogurt and cream cheese together until smooth, and then add to the spinach. Stir in Parmesan cheese, garlic, scallions, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 2 cups. Serving size is 1/4 cup.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 51
Protein: 5 g
Fiber: 1 g
Carbs: 5 g
Fat Total: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g

From Team Beachbody. Ask me how to get even more of these great recipes!

Half-hearted

By Tony Horton

We live in a society where being number one is all that matters. No one remembers the guy or gal who comes in second place. This mentality wiggles its way into everything we do. We have become perfectionists who hate to fail. We'd rather do nothing as to avoid doing something poorly. Frustration with our fitness plan occurs when we decide to skip workouts because we feel like we can't match the performance or level of earlier workouts. This is crazy because it will prevent you from obtaining anything. The hell with perfect. Do it wrong (not bad-form wrong) and halfhearted once in awhile. Half of a workout done with tons of modifications beats the pants off of the thought of a perfect workout.

Hump Day Humor

I'm STRONG. Are YOU?

Being a military wife is hard. No ifs, ands, or buts.

My husband has had "boots to the ground" for almost 3 weeks now. What does this mean? It means that he's getting ready for bed as I'm waking up. It means that I can't just call or text him when I need support or think of something funny that I want to share. It means that I have to wonder what he's up to. It means that I live by the calendar that we get to X off each day. It means that my partner is half-way around the world from me.

The toughest pill to swallow so far? That life goes on.

Last week, I, unexpectedly, found myself angry at the world...angry at everyone who doesn't have a loved one deployed. Rational? Of course not. It was how I felt however.

Here's the thing I want you to know about military spouses with deployed loved ones...

WE ARE STRONG

BUT

we have our moments...our moments where we are bitchy for no reason...our moments where we are consumed with our own situation and need you to simply understand and support us...our moments where you can't take our reactions personal.

Yes, life DOES go on for each of us, but it's OK to ask us how we are doing. It's ok to call us to check in. Deployment is NOT the elephant in the middle of the room...we are willing to talk about it. You just have to be prepared for our answers...which may very well be based in emotion at the moment. Many of us have become single parents overnight with the added worry about our partners in a combat zone.

So, yes, WE are strong. The question is are YOU? Are YOU strong enough to support us? Just some food for thought.

Mexican Frittata

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup skim milk
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cumin
1/2 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and onion; sauté until tender. Combine milk, eggs, egg whites, salt, pepper, and cumin; stir with a whisk. Pour into pan with vegetables. Cook, without disturbing eggs, until slightly set; flip eggs over. Place pan in oven; bake at 350 until eggs are cooked, about 5 minutes. Place frittata on a plate; top with salsa. Serves 1.

Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 371
Protein: 31 g
Fiber: n/a
Carbs: 25 g
Fat Total: 15 g
Saturated Fat: 3.8 g

Can You Feel the Heat?

TURBO FIRE...it's HERE!!!!!!! It was released 2 days early!!!!!!! Read about it and order here: http://tinyurl.com/GetTurboFire

Hump Day Humor

Salmon Burritos with Chili-Roasted Vegetables

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. lime juice
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1-1/2 tsp. ground dried chilies
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 pound salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick), boned
1 large sweet potato, peeled, quartered lengthwise, then sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced 1/3 inch thick
1 red onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges
1 fresh poblano chili, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
6 whole whole wheat flour tortillas (10 inches wide), warmed
Chopped cilantro, shredded cabbage, low-fat sour cream, and lime wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line two 12-by-15-inch baking pans with aluminum foil. Whisk the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, ground dried chili, and salt together. Rinse salmon and pat dry. Brush flesh side of salmon with 2 tablespoons of the lime-chili marinade. Set aside. In a medium bowl, toss the sweet potato, zucchini, onion, and chili with the remaining marinade. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on the baking pans. Roast vegetables for 10 minutes, then add salmon (skin-side down) to one pan and return to oven. Continue roasting until potatoes are tender when pierced and salmon is opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove skin from salmon and slice fillet into six equal portions. Spoon vegetable mixture equally onto warm tortillas. Top each with a piece of salmon and a little cilantro, cabbage, and sour cream*. Fold tortilla over the filling. Serve with more sour cream and the lime wedges. Makes 6 servings.

*Cut the sour cream from the recipe to remove all saturated fat from this meal.
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 325
Protein: 19 g
Fiber: 3 g
Carbs: 30 g
Fat Total: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g

Carbs: Friend or Foe

Carbs are good. Carbs are bad. Don't eat any. Eat a ton. Every day we are barraged with conflicting information about this particular food source. What is the truth?

The truth is...are you ready for this?

MODERATION!

Moderation should be a word that we all use in EVERY aspect of our life, but I digress as we are supposed to be talking about carbs.

The primary role of carbs is to provide our body with energy. They are the ideal fuel for our body and help maintain the blood glucose level. There are two kinds of carbs: complex and simple. Complex contain starch and fiber. Simple contain simple sugar. Complex are the healthier of the two and preferred by our body.

It is recommended that we eat 2-5 servings per day of complex carbs. I say as low as 2 for those on a weight loss plan. Remember, 15 grams of carb equate 1 serving. Because the serving size has increased on many of our foods in the grocery store and restaurant, it is very important to look at the nutritional info. You may think that whole wheat bagel is 1 serving, but it could actually be 3!

I am not an advocate for low carb diets. Complex carbs are too important for our body's health. Fiber helps to prevent obesity, colon cancer, constipation, heart disease, and diabetes.

So, do you need to be afraid of carbs? Yes and no. Be afraid, be VERY afraid, of the unhealthy carbs: donuts, cakes, cookies, sugar cereals. Receive with open arms the healthy ones: whole wheat anything, green veggies, potatoes (yes, I said it,) nuts.

If you find yourself craving the unhealthy ones, it's time to sit down and look at your diet in general. You are lacking something. Now go eat an apple!

Hump Day Humor

If only it worked this way, right ladies?

Turkey Chili

1 large red onion, sliced or diced
1-2 peppers, diced (red, yellow, or orange are best)
1 stalk green onion, chopped
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. ground turkey
1 large can chopped tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 cup black olives, sliced
Salt, pepper, Italian spice mix, and chili flakes to taste

Lightly spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray, then brown ground turkey. Add onion, peppers, green onion, and mushrooms. Mix and simmer until veggies are soft. Add chopped tomatoes and black beans. Mix well. Season with salt, pepper, and spice mix. Sprinkle in chili flakes. Mix and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 281
Protein: 22 g
Fiber: 10 g
Carbs: 29 g
Fat Total: 9 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g

When it rains, it pours

Wow...haven't been here much lately. Life has been crazy. This past week has been crazier than my usual crazy.

My hubby has been gone from us for a total of 13 weeks this year for training. He came home this past week on a 4-day leave before finally deploying out of the country.

I had visions in my head of how the 4 days were supposed to go. In my vision, we would spend the 4 days relaxing out by the pool. My honey-do-list was very short and easy. We were going to have a mini-vacation at home...making memories.

Ummmm...yea...we made memories all right. Let me tell you how the 4 days actually went.

The afternoon before he flew in, my new iPad arrived. Awesome!!!! I couldn't wait to show him. The next morning, about 7am or so, my computer...my entire biz...DIED!!!! As in R.I.P. Hard drive gone. Go ahead...ask me the next logical question. Didn't I always back everything up?

No!!!!!! ***rolling eyes***

I don't have time to worry about it though...we head out to pick up hubby. YAY!!!!!

Picking him up at the airport WAS just as a I imagined. Seeing him walk down the corridor in his uniform towards us was an incredible feeling. I thought my child would bounce of the walls.

We get home in the early evening. Keith tries to fix my computer but can't. I get up early the next am and head to our computer guy. Yep, he confirms that the hard drive is VERY damaged, and he can't get any info off of it. If I want to get the info, I have to send it out to a special place...the kind of place where the FBI would send data to be extracted. HA!

Soooooo...new computer ordered. Fine.

Next, I ask Keith to put some boxes into our shed. Next thing I know, he's in our house on the couch and says "Something is biting me. Huh? It's fleas?"

WHAT? We DON'T have fleas.

He gets into the tub, strips off his clothes, fills up the tub. Not kidding...about 50 or so fleas were there!!!!!!! Apparently our shed is invested and he brought these little buggers into the house. UGH!

Yep...enjoying the vacation so far.

I jump into fix-it mode. My first thought is to vacuum right away and get the ones on the surface. Pull out the vacuum, plug it in, and...wait...why isn't it sucking up? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I look down...fleas are on my feet. GROSS!

So, I run out of the house to get flea stuff at the vet (who closed early that day...I didn't make it) and buy a new vacuum cleaner. Oh yea, and an external hard drive too.

We spend the next day getting everything cleaned, set, ready. We DID spend quality time together...just not the vision in my head.

To top off everything, on Friday am...the day that Keith was leaving us...he gets a call from his unit. He was supposed to be back the DAY BEFORE!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!!?! Apparently the orders had changed, and he didn't know. Funny cuz his itinerary...which had his return flight on it...had to be given in advance to his supervisor. Oh well, not much we could do.

I have to be honest...my eating was LESS than stellar this past week. In fact, it was bad. I only worked out 3x too. I'm not gonna beat myself up about it though. I was incredibly stressed and did the best I could.

Today is a new day and I'm starting anew. I've learned to be forgiving of myself and not let slip-ups define who I am.

Keith is on a plane right now...headed somewhere...don't know where...don't know when we'll hear from him. I'm incredibly proud of him and all of the other men and women serving in the Armed Forces...keeping us all safe.

In the meantime, I will keep our home running...flea-free darn it!

Hump Day Humor