Nancy Carlson
Nancy Carlson
Deb Saks from Concord sent me this recipe. She knows I love a Mexican blend of foods. The colors are rich and taste are delightfully fresh. I can’t wait to try this one with fresh summer tomatoes!
Salad:
Salsa Dressing:
Mix all the salsa ingredients. The avocado will get cut into smaller pieces while you stir.
Line the bottom of large bowl or plate with lettuce greens. Add the chicken, avocado slices, tomatoes, cheese, and salsa dressing on top. Enjoy!
Thank you Deb for the delicious recipe. This fed my family of 5. I had some salsa dressing leftover but everything they devoured. My kids all asked for seconds.
No, Melissa is not Mean or Green!
Melissa from the early morning Epsom crew has created this delicious shake recipe to help her recovery from training. She is truly creative when it comes to recipes in her kitchen.
She’s kept in mind that her body needs healthy fats (avocado and flax seed). Her choice of berries are the best to add high nutritional value by way of vitamins and minerals but also a very high in fiber content. Melissa amped up the protein by adding UMP vanilla to it. You just have got to try this one!
Melissa’s Mean Green
Blend and enjoy! Melissa has also tried this recipe using Mangos and peaches instead of strawberries and blueberries. I love how versatile this type of recipe can be.
I can hardly believe it, but our son Drew is having another birthday. Many of you have met Drew and know he is not shy nor one to be left out. He is a go getter. He is persistent. When his sister’s started coming up with their own recipes for foods to be mixed in with yogurt he had to create his own version. Below is the recipe he came up with.
Now to all who are thinking what can an eight, now nine, year old boy make on his own that others will actually eat? This is it! Really we’ve had this.
Drew’s Birthday Blueberry Smoothie
Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Now I mentioned that Drew is persistent and a go-getter. That is important. He never gives up on an idea. Right now as a parent that is tough to listen to but I don’t want to stop his drive. He is determined.
As adults we need to have more Drews in our life. People who don’t take no for an answer. People who push to be heard. Those who take an idea and make it work. This can go far in our lives.
I see great things for Drew because of his attitude.
What if we took just one idea and see it to the end? Take one day and make it a great day for health. Take one hour and make your meal plans. Take one evening and finish that book you started over a month ago. Your New Year’s Resolutions, how are they progressing? Take time, be persistent, go after your dreams to Make It Happen.
Enjoy your shake,
Coach Nancy
By the way, “Joe” the Lego man, is visiting the Epsom facility. Did you notice he is lifting weights? He’ll soon be coming to Concord.
Get Fit NH Bootcamp is growing, literally.
Our bootcamp family is getting bigger as quite a few of our clients are expecting an addition in 2012. Coach Nancy, the resident supermom (and mother of 6) at Get Fit NH is hosting a prenatal workshop on Saturday, March 10 from 9:30-10:30 at Get Fit NH Bootcamp Epsom.
If you are expecting or expect to be expecting sometime in the future, you don’t want to miss this!
Think about it, carrying a pregnancy and giving birth is usually the most intense physical activity a woman will do in her entire lifetime, yet most don’t even think about training for it!
Learn how exercise is not just for you, but for your baby as well. You’ll go home confident of the “do’s and don’ts” of exercising while pregnant. Also included are tips on eating for two, samples of healthy foods and resources that keep your growing family healthy and feeling great!
This workshop is open to the public, so please spread the word, then let us know you are coming!
Motherhood is not for Wimps – Prenatal Workshop
Saturday March 10th 9:30am – 10:30am Get Fit NH Bootcamp Epsom
I love football – Go Patriots!
You can party and keep your waistline intact. If you don’t want to look like a lineman after Sunday night, try some of these healthier choices for the big game!
Black Bean and Corn with Salsa dressing
In a bowl combine the beans, corn, pepper, celery, cilantro. Combine the yogurt and salsa. Toss to coat. Top lettuce leaves with salad. Garnish with avocado slices. Serves 6
Using Hester’s Grillin Spice Rub Create your own Spicy Chicken Wings
The amount of wings is up to you.
Hester’s Grillin Spice Rub
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Rub wings with a little olive oil first. Add spice rub to a Ziploc bag and shake wings until well coated. Arrange wings on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and sprinkle with more spice rub. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Helen’s Pizza Crust
Here’s a pizza recipe with 1.7 grams of carbs! Well, that’s if it serves 8…. In our house, it doesn’t but you can do the math. And, the kids couldn’t even tell the difference! This is the only pizza in our house and I don’t miss the “regular” at all.
Combine above – this is the crust. Honest! Use a 13 x 9 pan.
Bake this ‘crust’ at 450 degrees until browned to desired crispness/doneness, about 25 minutes.
It does not stick to the pan.
Then top with ¼ cup pizza sauce, more or less to your taste or your carb load. Add any mix of toppings that you like. You can also add additional cheese on top. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted to just how you like it!
Round out your party with a veggie platter and hummus dip and you are ready to watch the Pats rock the Giants world!
Make it Happen!
No, they didn’t go “off the wagon”, what they did do is come up with a couple of really great options to cut down the starches and make a great tasting pizza that doesn’t have to be loaded down with a bunch of junk!
After all there’s a lot of great things to be said about a Pizza topped with fresh tomato sauce, loaded with veggies and topped with some fresh mozzarella cheese. The magic of these two recipes is they go a step further and add some unusual (and tasty) crust options.
Now don’t be fooled into thinking you can eat all you want, because calories still count, but put away your skepticism and give them a try – in fact we have had a number of clients who made Helen’s recipe and they could not believe there was no bread, and neither could their family – it’s that good!
Helen’s Pizza Crust
Helen, one of Get Fit NH’s finest, talked up this recipe so much we had her send it to us to make. Its a hit with our family too.
Helen said, “Here’s a pizza recipe with 1.7 grams of carbs! Well, that’s if it serves 8…. In our house, it doesn’t but you can do the math. And, the kids couldn’t even tell the difference! This is the only pizza in our house and I don’t miss the “regular” at all.”
Crust Ingredients:
Combine above – this is the crust. Honest! Use a 13 x 9 pan.
Bake this ‘crust’ at 450 degrees until browned to desired crispness/doneness, about 25 minutes.
It does not stick to the pan.
Then top with ¼ cup pizza sauce, more or less to your taste or your carbohydrate load. Add any mix of toppings that you like. You can also add additional cheese on top. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted to desired point.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
Melissa, a superstar in Epsom, found this recipe and tweaked it a bit to make it her own. Amy and I made this for our family at lunch. A hit enjoyed by all.
Ingredients:
To “Rice” the Cauliflower: Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). I used a Vitamix blender and placed the cauliflower in three small batches to achieve the desired grain appearance.
Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. I used peanut oil in a spray bottle and spread it around with my finger tips.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 to 1/2 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, and crushed garlic, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9″ round. I made three pizzas with 1 cup cauliflower in each. It was a bit too thin to hold the crust like a pizza without folding it over. Next time I am going to use the larger amount of cauliflower.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).
Melissa said she added spinach and mushrooms to her pizzas while we added a mix of peppers, mushrooms, olives, and red onions. The toppings are endless. next time I’d love to make tomato slices and fresh basil or spinach, garlic and feta.
Can anyone come up with other topping ideas?
Coach Nancy
Deb Saks of 5:00am Concord fame sent in the original recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Casserole. I revised it a bit to fit into PPW eating plan. (protein, produce, and water (a tall glass of water served with the meal is not included below)) Thanks Deb for another hit with our family! Drew said he loved this (and that’s saying something!)
Ingredients:
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large glass casserole dish (I used an 11 x 13).
Heat a frying pan on medium heat; add the ground beef and the onion. Cook until it is brown. Once done add the garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add both cans of tomatoes. Simmer until it is hot.
While it is cooking, cut the cabbage into coarse pieces roughly 1 inch.
Remove the tomatoes mixture from frying pan and set aside. In the same frying pan add the cabbage and cook until it starts to wilt. It will finish cooking in the oven.
Layer half the cabbage in the casserole dish, top with half the meat/tomato mixture, then repeat. Cover with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble.
Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot, and keep in mind leftovers can be frozen.
I love how easy this recipe is to make (Thanks Deb!). Most of the prep work was opening a few cans. The rest was easy to quickly chop and assemble. The variations of the toppings make this soup something for everyone in your family.
Ingredients:
Pick your favorite for garnish:
scallions, chopped cilantro, cheddar cheese, jalepenos, avocado slices, black bean dip, or salsa
To make the soup:
Sauté onion in a pan over medium heat until translucent and browned. Add the ingredients, except the garnish, to a crock pot in the order listed after with the onion. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Adjust the seasonings. Serve in bowls and top with your favorite garnish. Serves 6.
We are well into January, and our resolutions are being tested.
But how do you keep the focus and resolve that you had on January 1st?
Here are some helpful tips to keep you on track. Remember most of our New Year’s Resolutions were not something we could attain quickly but over time. Lets keep on fighting for our dreams.
1. Get quality sleep
You’ve heard us say it many times but sleep is important. Getting 6-8 solid hours of sleep is essential for your body to rejuvenate, replenish, and repair itself. Your body is doing a lot while you sleep. Beyond the health benefits, think how much happier, smoother, and relaxed your day goes when you wake up ready to tackle the activities of your day.
2. Surround yourself with people that encourage you.
Most people are hard on themselves to begin with. We blast ourselves for not being perfect. Perfection in our diet, looks, actions, talk, relationships, and work will not happen. We need to be our best but don’t beat yourself up for a failure; learn from it and move on. The last thing we need to do is spend time with people that are critical toward us or people that are always bleak and downhearted. Spend time with people who see you and value you for who you are. They are the ones who make you feel like you can accomplish anything.
3. Exercise regularly
Exercise raises your serotonin levels. You know, the stuff that make you just feel good! The physical challenges you overcome in your training will boost your confidence outside of the gym as well. Exercise sends you a message that you are worth the time and effort you make for yourself.
4. Eat a clean healthy diet
Eating clean healthy food is another way of sending a message to yourself that you are worth it. You are worth the best foods, the time to plan your meals and prepare them. Avoid processed foods. Focus on foods fresh fruits and vegetables and a variety of protein. Remember a healthy diet keeps your hormones in balance, which helps activate the cycle of a happier, healthier you.
5. Finish what you Started
Something motivated you to start each and every action you do each day. An angry boss might motivate you to be on time each day to work, and your paycheck can be a motivation for you to show up to work at all. There are also motivations to do laundry, plan meals, and make bootcamp each time you are scheduled. Once you start something you will soon find there are often obstacles that get in our way. Laundry might be put on hold while dealing with a sibling dispute, dinner might be late on the table because an unexpected phone call interrupted your prep time. Each time you overcome an obstacle and succeed by finishing your task it adds to your sense of accomplishment. Taking the obstacles seriously will enable you to focus on it and then get back to your plan. It is a great feeling to start something and cross it off your daily list. It is even a bigger boost to cross things off your weekly or monthly to do list.
6. Eliminate “Can’t” and “But” from your vocabulary
Those obstacles that get in your way when working toward a goal will come. How we handle those obstacles define our success. When we start allowing those obstacles and life to get in our way we often start making excuses. You’ll start off by saying “ I can’t get the laundry done today because the kid were acting up.” “I didn’t get my workout but I did walk a lot while doing errands.” Those words are self-defeating. Turn those two little words into possibilities. You can do anything you truly set your mind to.
7. Focus on your strengths
All of us were created differently with special talents and abilities. They define us, they give us character and personality. We all have something we are really good at. Focus on those things. I’m not saying we shouldn’t stretch our selves in our weaker areas but comparing ourselves to others is unfair. You are unique. Enjoy that part of you that makes you special.
While we might have written our goals down on January 1st many of us had been dreaming those dreams for a long time. The dream to be better/change is worth the fight. You have already encountered some challenges. While the first few weeks of January might be over, our goals and dreams have all year to blossom and grow. Don’t be in it for the sprint but for the marathon.
To you being your best,
Coach Nancy
Christmas is a busy time of year for everyone. It’s not any different in my house. Family, friends, and extra fun work activities like the Jingle Bell Run have put me on the run, literally.
I’m not one to take excuses from my marvelous boot campers regarding their training time, so I don’t want to make excuses about my nutrition with the holidays either.
My faithful friend the crock pot has saved me many times from spending too much time in the kitchen but delivering a mouth watering meal for my family. I love the rich smells of food cooking slowly all day. I’ve listed just a few of my favorites for you to try.
Peppered Beef
2 pounds lean beef round steaks, sliced thin
Place onion and peppers inside crock pot. Place meat in criss cross patterns in pot, avoiding stacking meat directly on top of each other. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 on high.
Three ingredient pork chops
Combine all ingredients in crock pot in order listed. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.
Cajun Ranch Chicken
Spray inside of slow cooker with peanut oil. Combine the spices and place in a tray. Dip chicken first in the milk and then rub with the spice mixture. Place spiced chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle remaining spices over chicken. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or on high for 4-5.
As a bonus, Super Star Client Hester sent in this recipe. It is incredible!
Hester’s Grillin Spice Rub
I discovered this recipe this weekend. I think you can use it on anything that goes on the grill or under the broiler. We used it on salmon. Delicious. – Hester
(I mixed up this recipe for my family for a rub on steak at lunch. It was a hit. I have enough of the rub left over for several more meals to grill. I’m thinking I might make up a batch of this for a brother who loves his grilling time.)
Serving these recipes with a salad will keep you on track nutritionally, take just a few minutes to prepare, and are delicious.
No Excuses!
Coach Nancy
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