Kimberly Fitness

How to Keep Kids Healthy in a Fast-Paced Life

Being that I have two young children, I experience the daily "challenge" of feeding them.  I say "challenge" because it is difficult to give children nutritious foods when most of us don't have time to cook meals from scratch, have picky eaters, and can't even attempt to cook when little ones are constantly needing attention.  I am always on the lookout for better alternatives to the drive-thru, frozen meals, and take-out.  It is important that all people, especially children, get the proper nutrition including well-balanced meals and whole foods.  However, many parents don't know what to make, where to turn for ideas or even what to buy. In fact, most parents feed their children many unhealthy foods without even knowing it.  Here is a list of common ingredients found in many foods that it is best to stay away from:

* Partially hydrogenated oils (aka, trans fats)
* Food coloring (Yellow #5, Red #3, etc..)
* Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, Splenda, acesulfame potassium)

Now take yourself grocery shopping and I bet at least one of these ingredients is in almost everything you buy.  These ingredients are hard to avoid.  But it is possible to feed your family nutritious foods that are fast and easy to cleanup. Here are some tips:

+ Buy Store Brand items in a place like Whole Foods (usually just as cheap as what you would buy in a regular grocery store) or Trader Joe's (which I have recently discovered is even cheaper).  Some grocery stores now have their own brand of natural foods such as Nature's Promise, Stop and Shop's store brand of naturals and organics.   These store brands are great for convenience items as well as frozen foods and prepared meals-to-go.

+ Buy simple foods that are easy to make such as rice (simplest to make in a microwave), baked potatoes (again, fastest in the microwave), any meat such as chicken, fish or pork (throw in the oven and use aluminum foil for easy cleanup) and buy pre-made salads or frozen vegetables that come in the microwavable pouches.

+ Dinner doesn't have to be elaborate, just healthy and balanced. Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread, carrot sticks and applesauce makes a nice and easy balanced meal. Experiment with new foods and new ideas. 

+ When you need "kid-friendly" food that's fast try Ian's brand.  It's cheaper than McDonalds and a lot healthier.  They make kid "TV" dinners and more that are healthy and yummy without all the "bad" stuff that is usually in frozen meal products.

+ Get your kids to drink water...no matter what!!!  I know many kids dont like water, but for some, it is an acquired taste.  It is up to you, the parent, to get your kids to "acquire" it.  Stop buying the bad stuff and there will be nothing left for them to drink but water, milk and juice (in moderation).  Keep in mind, children should have no more than 4 oz. of juice per day, that is the same as 1 small juice box.  Serve them watered down juice instead.

+ Get label savvy.  Read labels and look for wholesome foods, not ones with a lot of junk.  The less ingredients, the better.

Most importantly, set standards for your children.  Teach them that being healthy is important for a fulfilling and happy long life.  Be the boss and don't let them be too picky.  It's up to you to ensure they're healthy.

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Gazpacho Chicken Wraps- Easy Meal!

1 lb. Boneless Chicken Breast, boiled and shredded
1 lb. Gazpacho Kit (sold at Whole Foods Market)**see note
5.5 oz. Can of Tomato-Vegetable Drink (like V-8)
4 oz. Mexican Cheese, shredded
6 Sundried Tomato Basil Wraps (I use Mission brand, but any brand will do)
Sour cream, optional

Place boiled chicken breast into a large bowl and shred using two forks (one for holding the chicken breast in place and the other for pulling, or shredding, the chicken).  Add can of tomato juice and stir.  Add contents of gazpacho kit and stir.   Add shredded cheese and stir.  Cover bowl and let chill in the refridgerator for 1 to 2 hours.  Note:  Marinating is always optional if time is a factor.  Marinating just makes things taste better!)

Preheat oven to 375.  Place chicken mixture in the center of each wrap.  Fold the bottom up about 1/3 of the way and then fold in the sides.  Place seam-side down into a  13x9 glass casserole pan sprayed with cooking spray (use stoneware if you have it available). Cook for 10 minutes.  Remove wraps from pan and place on broiler pan (or any pan safe for broiling) and broil in the broiler for 5 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!

**Note:  if you can not find a gazpacho kit, simply make a mixture of green pepper, red pepper, cucumber, olive oil (just enough to coat), salt (1 tsp), crushed red pepper (1/8 tsp), cumin (1/4 tsp), fresh cilantro (a large handful) and a couple of green onions.

Red Cabbage and Craisin Slaw

6 oz. bag  Red Cabbage, pre-shredded
6 oz. bag  Carrots, pre-shredded
1/2 Red Onion, diced
1/3 cup Craisins, Orange-Flavored
2 TBSP Sunflower Seeds
2 TBSP Buttermilk Ranch Dressing**
1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar

Combine all ingredients into a bowl.  Cover and chill in refridgerator for two hours.  Enjoy!

I love pre-shredded bags.  With this type of convenience there are no excuses for not making homemade slaw, which is much healthier and better tasting than that heavy mayonaise stuff they pass off at the grocery store deli.  And if you're lucky, your grocery store may also carry the pre-diced red onion.  Though onions are quick to dice on your own.

Nutrition Information:  Makes four, 4 oz. servings. 
Per Serving:  Calories:  125     Fat:  6g     Fiber:  2.5g     Protein: 2g.
**This recipe uses a full-fat ranch.  If you prefer a low-fat ranch dressing, reduce calories by 20 calories and the fat to 3.5g.

I Hiked a Very Big Mountain...Worth at Least Three Days of Exercise!!!

(the mountain on the left is Black Mountain)

Bill and I on top of Black Mountain in Lake George, NY.  We hiked 6 miles, total, and it lasted 3.5 hours.  It was steep, hot, humid and difficult.  My body ached for a few days, but I did it!!  Beautiful views up on top of the mountain.  You can see the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain, Hudson Valley, and of course, Lake George.

It was nice to do something different for a change.  I always run.... everyday that I exercise.  Mostly because I can get a good workout from it, yet it is easy for me.  It was great to do a different activity that challenged me.  I went up the hill pretty fast (so Bill tells me).  I think it was done subconciously as I was anxious to get the "uphill" part over with. :)  I even ran a little on the way down; to me the easy part.  Trail running is fun, but on such a steep incline you have to be careful not to trip.

The funny thing about the experience was that we passed only two people during the entire hike.  We did meet a couple of people at the top but they came from a different trail on the mountain that was much shorter and easier.  Bill and I commented on how it must be because most people on vacation don't want to exercise as sitting on the boat and drinking beer is the preferred activity, after all, it is a vacation.  That's unfortunate.

So today I would like to encourage my vacationers to step outside the relm of beach chairs and beers and take some time on your vaca to do a little hiking, walking, biking or anything else that will give you a good workout.  Then you can have beer later and know you already burnt the calories earlier that day!  A good deal!!   

Vegetable Ideas-Seasoned Zucchini and Yellow Squash

I  know many people have a hard time getting their "5 a day", so here is a suggestion for something tasty and easy.

1 Small Zucchini
1 Small Yellow Squash
Olive Oil Spray
Herb Seasoning of your choice (I like Italian Seasoning blend)
S & P, to taste
Aluminum Foil

Preheat Broiler to high setting, ensuring that the rack is about 4 to 5 inches below the broiler. Cut zucchini and squash in half, lengthwise.  Place flat part of each onto cutting board and slice, again lengthwise, into 4 to 6 slices, keeping squash intact.  Then slice by width.  This method will ensure you get pieces small enough to eat and they will all be the same size, meaning even cooking.

Place your vegetables on a large piece of aluminum foil.  Spray with olive oil.  Sprinkle with spices.  Take another piece of aluminum foil and place on top.  Fold in all four sides so that the vegetables will not fall out of the foil.  Place in oven, under broiler, for about five munutes.  Turn broiler down to low setting and continue cooking another 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove and serve.  They will be cooked, but not mushy, tasty and nutritious. 

And the best part of all; no pans to clean!

Wrap it up!- Recipes with Wraps

Grilled Chicken Wrap with Red Pepper and Feta in a Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Large (12-inch) Wrap
2 Chicken Tenders
1 TBSP Feta Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomato
1 Zucchini, small, diced and quartered
1/2 cup lettuce
a few slices of onion and yellow pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Garlic salt
Red Pepper Flakes
olive oil, spray

Grill chicken tenders in a pan sprayed with olive oil.  Sprinkle garlic salt and red pepper flakes on chicken (to taste). In a separate pan, grill zucchini for about 2 minutes.  Add onions and peppers and cook until soft.

Lay wrap down and layer in the following order: cooked vegetables, cooked chicken.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar over chicken and spray one or two sprays of olive oil.  Add lettuce.  Fold bottom up, fold sides in and roll into a wrap.  Wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the base to hold the wrap together.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:  Calories:  375     Fat:  8g 
(information based on using a wrap with 250 calories and 6g of fat.  If you use a wrap with more or less calories/fat, the nutritional information will vary)

Cinnamon chips with Blueberry Dip

Dip
1/2 pint Blueberries
1/8 cup Sugar
6 oz. Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt

Chips
4 wraps (I use Honey Wheat, but any kind you like will do)
cinnamon-sugar mix (I  pre-mix cinnamon and sugar and keep stored in a sugar shaker)
olive oil, spray

Preheat oven to 350.  Take wraps and cut like a New York style pizza (8 triangle slices).  Place triangles on a stoneware cooking sheet or cookie sheet.  Spray with olive oil or cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.  Bake for 15 minutes if using white flour wraps or for 12 minutes if using whole wheat wraps.  Place triangle chips onto a cooling rack.

While chips are cooking, in a small food processor blend dip ingredients together.

Serve chips with dip!

Makes four servings. (8 chips and 1/4 cup of dip per serving)

Nutritional Information:  Calories per serving:   175      Fat:   3g

Weight Loss Tip of the Day- Get an Iced Tea Maker

One of the easiest ways to lose weight without trying is to cut back on the calorie beverages (fruit juice, fruit drinks, soda, etc..) and replace with water.  However, plain water isn't everyone's favorite drink and it can get boring after awhile, for some.  Especially if you are like me and tend to drink a lot of fluids throughout the day. 

Some may turn to drinks like Crystal Light or other powdered, low-calorie drinks, but consuming too much artificial sweeteners are believed to cause stomach aches (and after all are made from artificial chemicals, not something you want to consume in large quantities).  And then there is taste, and some would say the taste of diet drinks isn't very good as it can often leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.

So my Product Highlight of the day is Mr. Coffee's Iced Tea Makers. I love this kitchen gadget and I use it almost everyday!  it is easy to use, even easier to clean, and makes any kind of iced tea you can dream up.  And the best part is you get a refreshing, summertime drink with ZERO calories.

I like to use flavored herbal teas to make my tea.  The directions say to use 7 to 10 tea bags per 2 qt, but I make mine a little stronger at 12 bags.  You can mix and match different flavored teas that go well together, too.  My personal favorite is a Pomegranate Raspberry tea.  I like Bigelow Brand, but feel free to use any brand you like.  Bigelow has great flavors such as Perfect Peach, Taste of the Tropics, Berri-Good and much more...  Here are some recipes I came up with:

Pomegranate Raspberry Iced Tea:
6 bags Pomegranate Pizazz Tea + 6 bags of Red Raspberry Tea

Minty Green Iced Tea:
8 bags of Green Tea + 4 bags of Mint Medley

Tasty Tangerine Iced Tea:  (My other favorite)
12 bags of Bigelow Tasty Tangerine tea

Blueberry Lemon Iced Tea:
8 bags of I Love Lemon tea + 4 bags of Blueberry Harvest tea

Mango Iced Tea: (another favorite)
7 bags of Mango tea + 7 bags of decaffeinated black tea

The possibilities are endless.  These teas are refreshing in a tall, icy glass on a hot summer day.  There is all the flavor and none of the calories or artificial sweeteners.

If you are the type who typically prefers your tea sweetened, you can add a little sugar to taste, but I don't recommend it.  Try to enjoy the true flavors of the tea instead of having some tea with your sugar.  When I was younger, I didn't like my tea "straight" either, but I acquired a taste for it and now I much prefer it.  You can change your taste buds if you try :)

Weight Loss Tip of the Day

Eat a large apple before a meal.  When you are hungry, your body naturally craves sugar and fat.  This can cause you to make unhealthy choices for a meal. Apples have natural sugar and are filling thanks to the fiber in the skin.  This will help keep your calories low and will help give you a base in your stomach so that you do not overeat.

Healthy and Homemade "Taste like Spaghettios"

1 box Back to Nature Crazy Bugs Macaroni and Cheese  (You can find this in the health food section of your grocery store)
[1/4 cup low-fat milk and 1 tbsp. butter as called for on Mac and Cheese box]
2 Low-fat Hot Dogs of your choice
1/3 cup Amy's Cream of Tomato soup (NOT Condensed)

Cook Pasta according to package directions.  Slice hot dogs in half, lengthwise, and then cut into slices.  When pasta is half-way done cooking (after about 3 minutes or so) add hot dogs to the pasta.  Allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer until pasta is cooked. 

Drain pasta and hot dogs.  To saucepan, add cheese packet, milk, butter and tomato soup.  Whisk until blended.  Add pasta and hot dogs back into pan and stir until blended.  Serve and enjoy!