S3 Winners Eating Ice Cream

Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown otherwise known as S3 successfully ended with many losing weight and making life-long changes. Winning our team challenge, the 6:15 crew in Epsom, enjoyed a cookout complete with summer’s favorite dessert – Ice Cream.

The menu they enjoyed looked like this:

Grilled Chicken

Marinated Steak

Greek Summer Salad

Watermelon

Spinach Salad with Cranberries

Veggie Platter

Peach Melba Sundaes

While they enjoyed being pampered with a meal Dean and I fixed, you can also enjoy these same foods. Don’t tell them, but this cookout was simple recipes. (What you can do though, is ask how it tasted. 🙂 )

Grilled Chicken

• 3 pounds chicken breast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning
• I put this in a ziploc bag for 2 hours before Dean put it on the grill

Marinated Steak

• 2 pounds Steak
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 -3 Tablespoons McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Steak seasoning
• This too went into a ziploc bag for 2 hours before Dean took it over on the grill

Greek Summer Salad

• 1/2 red onion, cut into small rings
• 1 tomato, diced (I use cherry tomatoes, cut in half)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Pepper to taste

In a glass bowl combine the onion, tomato, zucchini, and feta cheese. Add in vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and then refrigerate to allow the flavors to develop.

Spinach Salad with Cranberries  (this is one of my favorites, Thank you Helen from FLAG)

Salad:

In a large bowl, toss together:

• 10 cups baby spinach
• 1 ½ cups sliced celery
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Dressing:

Whisk together:

• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper

I served the dressing on the side but you can toss it lightly to coat if you’d like. Good news is that I now have this fabulous dressing for other salads! It made a ton.

Serves 4.

Peach Melba Sundaes, without any guilt!

• 1 cup of 1/2 and 1/2
• 4 cups of ice
• 3 scoops of vanilla UMP
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Congratulations Get Fit NH (and Coach Nancy)

We won! We all won.  

Get Fit NH was named First Place NH for Personal Trainer in Applaud Women’s Best in Beauty Contest. I was touched because we were nominated for this award. I wish I knew who to thank, so I’ll just say one big “Thank you.”

Applaud Women is a local online magazine that is dedicated to women in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Its purpose is to inspire, inform, and applaud local women.

The core of the magazine is inspirational women’s articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally are with national women who provide a unique inspiration.

Other articles cover topics of interest such as: food recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance, weddings, etc.

Each issue has a feature section as well. Many articles are written by local business people who provide information relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels.

You can see the results by reading their online magazine here.

Thank you again for the nomination for this award. I applaud you.  (I just couldn’t let that pun go, I am truly thankful)

Coach Nancy

No Name… but It’s Great!

I love seafood. Grilled, baked, sautéd, in some cases raw, seafood is yummy.  Of course you won’t find me on the ocean trying to catch them myself. (You might have to be in the ladies training at 9 in Epsom to get the reason). Oh sorry – too far off course – back to fish.

One of my favorite side dishes along with seafood is coleslaw. Ah, but coleslaw contains mayonnaise, and on a hot summer’s day, mayo will not last long. I came across this recipe and modified it just a bit to meet my needs. It’s cool. It’s refreshing. And it goes great in place of coleslaw.

Now to think of a name for this recipe. (Maybe someone could help me out?)

• “In Place of Coleslaw Recipe”
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 3 Tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon basil

In a large bowl, combine beans, cabbage, red pepper, onions, feta cheese and parsley. In a jar with a tight lid, combine the rest of the ingredients. Shake the dressing ingredients well. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss lightly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Remember this recipe needs a name. What is a snappy name that will fit the bill?

Coach Nancy

Greek Summer Salad Recipe

Salads and summer go hand in hand. Often the sun’s heat makes cooking dinner just too much.  Instead of heading out to your favorite take out, take time to make this dish. By adding it with grilled chicken, it can easily become an entire meal. Voila! You’re a summer sensation!

Greek Summer Salad

• 1/2 red onion, cut into small rings
• 1 tomato, diced (I use cherry tomatoes, cut in half)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Pepper to taste

In a glass bowl combine the onion, tomato, zucchini, and feta cheese. Add in vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and then refrigerate to allow the flavors to develop.

Every time I make this recipe, someone asks me to send it along to them. Give it a try. But don’t say I didn’t warn you – you’ll be sharing this link constantly!

Make it happen,

Coach Nancy

Ice Cream, We Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

It’s hot and it’s summer, so of course we are thinking of dipping up some of the cool stuff to enjoy.

Guess what? It doesn’t have to be bad for you! Try this delicious and easy to make recipe next time you need a cool treat.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 Tablespoon Cocao nibs
• 2 Tablespoons Natural peanut butter
• 3 Scoops of Chocolate UMP
• 4 Cups of ice

Add all the ingredients into a powerful blender. (we use a Vitamix) Using a dampe,  blend for 30-45 seconds. Going longer will melt your ice cream. Scoop this out and enjoy – it is really good!

Look for more new recipes soon. The S3 winners are going to enjoy their cookout, served up by none other than Coach Dean and I, on July 28th. At the cookout we are going to serve Peach Melba Sundaes with a recipe I created. Watch out, it is fantastic!

Enjoy your summer,

Coach Nancy

Judy is Stylin’ and You Can Too!

Remember this fantastic photo? Just two pieces of clothing but they tell a whole story, a transformation story. 

In fact you could be the next transformation story told in clothing. Our “Win A New Wardrobe” contest  runs until July 27th. Be creative as you tell your story. Don’t wait. Enlist the help of family and friends to help tell your clothing story. Take a look at Judy stylin’ in the new jacket she chose for inspiring this contest. Hey Judy, don’t forget to take the tags off of it!

Congrats as Katie Wins in Epsom – S3 Individual 3rd Place

Katie Bean, who took the Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown 3rd place in the individual category, just got back from a three day kayaking adventure in Maine. She loved her trip but she did say she was thankful for a strong upper body battling a kayak loaded with gear and a dog!

She’s back at Get Fit NH and more determined to stick with S3. She lost 11.48% of her body weight in 8 weeks. Before Katie left for Kayaking she lets us know how the S3 habits changed her daily routine. You can read How Katie Rocks it here. As a side note Katie’s husband also benefited from the S3 challenge, to the tune of 20 pounds gone!

Katie will soon be wearing a new designer shirt too. She trains as part of the 6:15 training team in Epsom that took the overall team competition (again) this year! Their new shirt is being designed and we’ll see Katie in it soon.  She’s loving her new jacket and anxious to take part in FLAG.

Coach Nancy

“What S3 Was Like For Me” Prize Winner Katie Tells All

Katie Rocks!

The Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown was not always easy. Not much worth doing is. But as our 3rd place winner Kate Bean shares, it was so worth it. Fabulous job Katie, you look great!

Eating breakfast within an hour of waking ever single morning for 54 days straight = not something I’d normally do, but ok.  Oops, now I’m running late for work.  Most people would bring a cooler filled with ice to a bachelorette party in order to transport alcohol.  I brought one so I could bring my Dale’s Raw Protein Bar for breakfast, incase we didn’t get up, out, and eating within an hour.

Adding in a lean protein to three meals for 40 days = Hmm, now I actually have to eat breakfast and lunch everyday.  Sitting in my car, eating tuna out of a packet.  Yes, just tuna – no mayo or bread.  Coming home from work and not being ravenously hungry!  Learning that buying ripe avocados is a difficult task!  And actually being sad when I couldn’t put one in my smoothie (unripened ones create disgusting little chunks in smoothies)

Eating 5 cups of veggies every day for 26 days = This one was tough.  Husband:  “What’s for dinner?”  Me:  “Salad and *insert lean protein*”  Every. single. night.  Spilling olive oil on 3 different outfits, and two seats of my car in one week (I learned to put the dressing on at home), Having to use a serving platter instead of a dinner plate because my salad was so big..  Buying and cooking brussel sprouts for the first time in my life (I had to use Google because I didn’t know what to do with them).

Fantastic Recipes from Fantastic People for Fantastic People

Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown is almost over, and we have some amazing recipes to share from 4 amazing clients who are Making It Happen with their nutrition, and shared these healthy and tasty recipes with us.

Try it, you’ll like it!

Roasted Chick Peas

Kris in Epsom says this recipe is her ‘go to’ when she needs something quick.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 dash crushed red pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the oil, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper together in a small bowl; add the chickpeas and toss to coat or use a Ziploc bag. Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned and slightly crispy, about 45 minutes.

Be creative with the spices. If you don’t like it hot try a curry mix, or go a bit European with a coriander blend. Why not try them with only sea salt and pepper?

***

It’s So Easy, Its Like Cheating – bean recipe

Liz in Concord has this as a super easy dish.

• ½ cup kidney beans
• 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup of cottage cheese

Mix it all together. This is really good- and easy 😉

***

Anna’s Addicting Chickpea Salad

Anna said this recipe is addicting, hence the name, she wasn’t kidding. It is that good. She took that picture of her lunch when she sent me this recipe. Now doesn’t that picture look yummy?

• 2 cups cooked chick peas
• 1/2 c. diced celery
• 1/4 c. diced onion
• 1 c. diced carrot
• 1/2 c. diced red pepper
• 1 T. vegenaise (mayonnaise)
• 1/2 c.cilantro
• 1/2 c. toasted sunflowers
• 1 T Ume Plum Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 clove mashed garlic
• Pepper to taste

Mash the chickpea with a fork, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Salad taste best next day.

(For a different taste you can add mustard, use curry powder, or add 1/4 cup of raisins.)

Easy Ratatouille (with a beany bootcamp twist)

Veronica in Epsom made up this dish when S3 kicked in Habit 4. Great way to tackle veggies and replacing grains with beans all in one!

• 1 sliced summer squash
• 2 sliced zucchini
• 1 cubed small eggplant
• 1 diced medium onion
• 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (READ LABEL!)
• (If you use all the juice it will be more watery so I poured a little out)
• 1 can black beans rinsed
• 2 sliced garlic cloves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt/pepper to taste

Heat over to 375. Put everything in a dutch oven, cook covered for 30 minutes. Stir & cook uncovered for 15 minutes more. Delicious!

Keep those recipes coming. I love making new dishes. Adding new recipes keeps nutritional habits easier to incorporate. From the look of Anna’s lunch, foods can be yummy to eat, great to look at, and fantastic for you.

Coach Nancy

Recipes of the Week: S3 Veggie Salads

Debbie W from 6:20am Concord has conquered her 5 veggies each day. She sent in these salad recipes, along with the dressings that go with them.

Nice job Debbie. These are delicious!

Greek Salad:

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 red onion, diced fine
• 1 small can of black olives
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup feta cheese

Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl. Add the lemon dressing on top.  (there are approximately 10 servings of veggies in just the stuff she added to the romaine lettuce)

Lemon Dressing (great  Greek salad):

• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Blend together. Makes a thick, creamy dressing.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

• 8 cups torn spinach
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 Tbs finely diced onion (I like scallions)
• 1 Tbs sunflower kernels
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Enjoy the beauty of this salad before you eat. (Divide this salad into 4 portions for 2 servings of veggies and a fruit)

Dressing:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 tsp stevia
• 1 1/2 tsp snipped fresh dill or 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp ground mustard

Blend dressing. Pour over the salad before serving. If you have extra dressing, it keeps great.