Which “Whey” Do I Go?

There are about a kajillion protein supplements out on the market, some excellent, some not so much.

At Get Fit NH we have narrowed the choices down a bit to just 2 brands and 3 products.

We get quite a few questions on why you would want to choose one over the other, so we created a “Cheat Sheet” to help you out.

While we don’t want to rely on protein supplements for all our nutrition needs, they can be very helpful in a “Supershake” and on the go.  If you are going to supplement, quality is important!

Click Here To Download Your “Which Whey?” Cheat Sheet

Enjoy!

Fight For Yourself

Independence Day has just passed, but the daily battle is not over. Strike up your own war on nutrition at home. Healthy eating is not easy, but Get Fit NH makes it simple using the “Whole9”.

Healthy eating does not have to be such a hard battle. You know enough, the hard part is putting it into action.

Come see how to take that first step forward to a healthier you. We look forward to seeing you there!

You can learn all about Whole9 by clicking here

Whole9 Nutrition Seminar
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2015 This Whole 9 will be right after a Myzone Match in Concord
Time: 9:00am
Place: Get Fit NH Concord

Coach Meagan’s step by step meal prep

Step 1: Make a grocery list from your meal plan and hit the store. Stay out of the junk food aisles- temptation is cruel. Grocery shop on a day where you have some extra time to do some prep!  P.S. Extra credit farmer walk when you bring all your bags in at the same time! 

Step 2: Have your meal plan handy. Unload your bags and leave everything that you can prepare ahead of time on the counter.

Step 3: I like to take out every pot and pan so that I can cook as much as I can as quickly as possible. Mashed cauliflower was on the menu and that is what takes the longest, so I started there so that I could prep some more veggies while that boiled. Multi-tasking is a beautiful thing!

Step 4: Pre-heat the oven for roasted veggies and put those greens on standby until you hear the beautiful beep from the oven!

Step 5: Cauliflower is on the stove- check. Oven is pre-heated for roasted veggies- check. Next on the menu is cabbage noodles with peppers and onions. Chop up some cabbage and get that going on low while chopping up some peppers and onions.

Step 6: Cauliflower is boiling- check. Oven is pre-heated and veggies are in- check. Peppers and onions added to cabbage noodles on low- check. Time to get the protein cookin’.

Step 7: Brown ground bison. Stirring up veggies and meat as needed.

 Step 8: Cabbage noodles. peppers, and onions are done- toss those into a Tupperware and get the ground turkey on the stove. 

Step 9: As Coach Erin would say, “BAM!” There you have it. Easy accessible protein and veggies for the whole week. No excuses. You are prepped and ready tackle a great week.  This all took a tad bit over an  hour. 

Don’t say you don’t have time- you must make time. Results don’t just happen, they are earned with hard work, determination, dedication, and preparation!

So is it worth it? Well, I guess that depends if you want to feel better, look better, build muscle, and lose fat? If those things are on your to-do list then you better fit this piece into your life. You can make it happen, I know it!

-Coach Meagan

30 Challenges in 30 Days – The Finish Line!

Here is your planner for the last 9 days of our challenge – You Got This!

January 22: Eat Veggies at your first meal

January 23: Share your dinner plans on our Facebook Page or email them to your coach

January 24: Eat only raw vegetables today

January 25: No Caffeine today. – (big culprits: coffee and chocolate)

January 26: Eat 2 cups of vegetables at any one meal (salad doesn’t count)

January 27: Replace your bread/pasta/rice with a vegetable at dinner

January 28: Make a salad a main course for lunch or dinner today.

January 29: Eat lean protein and a veggie every time you eat today

January 30: Don’t eat any “sugar added” foods – check EVERY label

Big Changes Come in Small Packages

Big changes come in small packages.

SFH, Stronger Faster Higher, is changing the packaging of their fish oil. The 6 ounce bottle Get Fit NH currently has for sale in the coolers will be soon be 8 ounces. In addition, SFH will be improving the flavor profile of each current flavor. The 8oz bottle will have 48 servings for $42.00. It will be available with and without 1,000IU of added Vitamin D3.

It’s that time of year where our days are getting shorter and there is less direct sunlight exposure. The value of Vitamin D relative to the immune system and prevention of seasonal diseases cannot be stressed enough.

• Over 1 billion people are deficient in Vitamin D: Puts them at risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, MS and infectious diseases including season flu, tuberculosis and more
• Over 90% of Vitamin D found in the body is produced in the skin. Factors such as season, clothing, sunblock and time spent indoors all affect Vitamin D levels. Levels can be significantly lower in Fall/ Winter
• Vitamin D enables the body to produce over 200 antimicrobial peptides and is a leading factor in immune health
• D3 can improve immune system function by as much as 60%
• Vitamin D plays a vital role in the regulation of calcium needed for the contraction and relaxation of muscle during any athletic movement.
• Vitamin D deficiency can have a significant impact on athletic performance
• Fun fact: Vitamin D is a hormone, not a vitamin!

I’m a huge proponent of fish oil. The benefits of fish oil alone are staggering and now I can get some Vitamin D at the same time. Win Win!

Gotta Love Me Some Zucchini

I love late August early September. The backyard garden is bulging with produce. One of my favorite growing plants is zucchini. I think it is because they are easy to grow, hard to kill, and produce fruit with little effort. I’m not much of a gardener but I do put get my hands dirty. Donna K. visited the Red Mountain Resort in Utah this summer and brought back this recipe.

Raw Zucchini Alfredo

8 – 1 cup servings

• 1 cup raw unsalted Cashew nuts, chopped
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup Pine nuts
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cloves garlic
• 8 cups zucchini

Blend all ingredients except zucchini in a high power blender until smooth and starts to warm up from blender, about 5 minutes to make the Alfredo sauce.

Cut top and bottom off of zucchini. Using the julienne blade on a mandolin cut zucchini length wise to create noodles. Pour sauce over individual portions.

Since zucchini are prolific I wanted to share this recipe from Paulette W. These are one of our family’s favorites year round.

Zucchini Fritters

• 5 medium zucchini, shredded (4 cups) with box grater or food processor
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (I used almond flour)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional (but yummy) and 1 teaspoon black pepper
• coconut oil or ghee for cooking

Shred zucchini and put into large bowl. Sprinkle with the sea salt and toss well. Walk away for 10 min. Scoop up a generous handful of zucchini and squeeze the living daylights out of them. You want the zucchini dry – nobody likes soggy fritters. Place in a different bowl. Add flour, egg, pepper, and baking soda. Stir to combine Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Melt a spoonful of oil or ghee in the pan. Pack a 1/4 cup of zucchini mixture out onto the pan and flatten until you get a patty. You can cook 4-5 patties at a time. Cook each side for 3-5 min or until brown. Cool on a cooling rack so they don’t get soggy.

Enjoy!

Coach Nancy

Learning (Relearning?) to Eat

About 129,000,000 results.

That’s the number of sites that “The Google” spit back at me when I typed in the word “diet”.

One Hundred Twenty Nine Million.

Is is any wonder confusion reigns when it comes to what we put in the hole under our nose?

The truth is that there is “no one size fits all diet plan” whereby we all have the lean, healthy, high performing body that we think is the answer to all our problems.

BUT (there is always a but)…

But there are principles of nutrition which apply broadly that if adopted lay the foundation for health, fitness, productivity and perhaps even longevity.

And that is where Whole9 comes in.

I am a big believer that you need to know why you are making certain food choices, or you won’t keep making those choices when it gets hard.

It’s not just a matter of of putting together a bunch of great recipes for a few weeks.

It’s about learning and applying the principles of nutrition, meal after meal, day after day that is going to make the difference over the long haul.

So run, don’t walk to one of our nutrition seminars this week.

This is not just another thing to “try”.

I have personally witnessed Coach Nancy read, study, and pretty much dissect the guide we are going to put in your hands. She has put dozens of hours into recipe preparation. But none of that matters to you unless you make it matter to you. (ponder that for awhile!)

We have continually worked hard to provide our clients the best that science and real world experience has to offer through our fitness practice.

We WANT you to succeed, to reach your goals, and achieve your best health.

Make an appointment to be there this Wednesday or Saturday, or both.

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

Whole 9 Nutrition Seminar 1
Get Fit NH Epsom
Wednesday July 30th
6:00pm to 7:00pm

Whole 9 Nutrition Seminar 2
Get Fit NH Concord
Saturday August 2nd
9:00am to 10:00am

To Buy or Not To Buy – That is the Question

There are a lot of good reasons to choose locally grown, organic produce when possible. Those fruits and vegetables that have traveled the globe to get here usually are picked early and ripened through a chemical process. Others have to be treated so they do not spoil before reaching your grocer’s shelves. The perfectly round peaches, straight as an arrow carrots, or no blemishes on apples have to be heavily treated to avoid the pests or disease that like to eat them right before being picked.

Organic food is admittedly more expensive. If you want to maximize the good you do to your body while minimizing the cost, you could choose to purchase organic produce for the fruits and vegetables which tend to have the most pesticides in the United States. It is estimated that if a consumer avoids eating non-organically grown produce in the top 12 (“Dirty Dozen”) on this list, pesticide exposure can be reduced by up to 80%. This list was compiled by the Environmental Working Group.  Bear in mind that there are many fruits and vegetables that are not on this list — these were chosen because they are most commonly eaten.

EWG analyzed pesticide residue testing data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration to come up with the rankings for these popular produce items. All foods are listed from worst to best.   (lower number =more pesticides)

1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Nectarines – imported
9. Cucumbers
10. Cherry tomatoes
11. Snap Peas – imported
12. Potatoes
13. Hot Peppers
14. Blueberries – domestic
15. Lettuce
16. Kale/ Collard Greens
17. Plums
18. Cherries
19. Nectarines – domestic
20. Pears
21. Tangerines
22. Carrots
23. Blueberries – imported
24. Green Beans
25. Winter Squash
26. Summer Squash
27. Raspberries
28. Broccoli
29. Snap Peas – Domestic
30. Green onions
31. Oranges
32. Bananas
33. Tomatoes
34. Watermelon
35. Honeydew Melons
36. Mushrooms
37. Sweet Potatoes
38. Cauliflower
39. Cantaloupe
40. Grapefruit
41. Eggplant
42. Kiwi
43. Papayas
44. Mangoes
45. Asparagus
46. Onions
47. Sweet Peas – frozen
48. Cabbage
49. Pineapples
50. Sweet Corn
51. Avocados

If cost is a concern as you start your change to healthy eating and living. Use this list. If you purchase any items from the top of the list, pick these from the organic section of your store. Better yet support your local Farmer’s markets and buy fresh right from the source. You can talk to the farmer who grew your fruits and veggies for all the information about their products. Many of these farmers will gladly help you buy the best for your family’s needs.

To your best health,

Coach Nancy

Coach Meagan’s S3 Tips

Hi all, Coach Meagan here.

As I sit here planning my meals for the Six Week Sprint into Summer (S3) I thought I would share some of my strategies for the upcoming challenge. Many of you know how I am not a huge fan of cooking, but as you can imagine I have big goals that I am working toward- so I’m going to suck it up!

Here are the steps I take to make my nutrition go as planned:

1) Plan my meals for the following week Wednesday morning. From that create my grocery list.

2) Grocery shopping on Sunday- stick to the perimeter of the store to avoid temptation (with the exception of frozen veggies!) and stick to the list!

3) Sunday is my prep day. Remember how I said I don’t like cooking? Half the battle (for me) is prepping. If you don’t have it prepped and planned ahead of time there is a pretty good chance you will forget something or just skip it (like adding those extra veggies, because you didn’t want to cut them up!) “Prep day” entails primarily:

– Cutting up veggies and bagging them for each meal they’re going with.

– Prep meat- whether that means cutting it up or just taking it out of the package, adding the veggies, and sticking it in a freezer bag labeled “Monday Dinner”

You can add these tips to fit your schedule too. By taking the time do this you’re saving precious time during the week and there is no extra thinking involved.

Make sure you take into account days where you might be working late or getting home late. When you plan head you can mark those days down for dinner in the crockpot. That way when you get home your house smells amazing and you are eating your nutritious, planned, and compliant meal.

Here is a quick lunch idea…

On your prep day as you are cutting all of those veggies throw a handful of each into a pot. Cook a couple of pieces of chicken and scramble up some eggs and throw that in the pot with the veggies. Add water and a small amount of chicken broth (check the ingredients on those chicken broths!) and you just made yourself soup for the week for lunch. 🙂

I hope these tips were helpful to you- let’s Make It Happen!
-Coach Meagan

Some Green(s) Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

While these recipes might not be your traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare, they are easy, tasty, and streaked with lots of beautiful green.

Start your own traditions!

Start Your Day Off Green Shake

• 1 scoop of Raw protein powder (UMP or SFH also works great)
• 1 cup kale leaves, center rib removed
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 over ripe banana, frozen & cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 6-8 ounces of water

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately.

Green Egg Casserole

• 8 large eggs – beaten
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach – thawed and drained well
• 2 Tablespoons Jalapeno pepper, chopped
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare one large casserole dish or two eight-inch dishes with a light coating of oil. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into casserole dish and cook for 35 minutes or until eggs are fully set.

Crispy Green Beans With Pesto

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed and chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1/4 cup homemade pesto (store-bought is fine but just not as good and healthy as homemade!)
• 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook garlic on medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, remove from skillet and set aside. Add beans to the same skillet and sauté for about 6 minutes or until beans are cooked but still crispy. Return garlic to the skillet and cook an additional 30 seconds (just enough to quickly reheat garlic). Remove from skillet and cool down a bit. Toss with pesto, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve. This dish is also very good on a salad, in case you have leftovers!

Pesto

• 3 rounded cups fresh basil leaves (about 2 bunches)
• 1/2 medium garlic clove
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• salt, to taste

In food processor (I use a blender, but be careful not to overdo or you’ll end up with green slime instead of pesto), combine basil leaves and pine nuts. Pulse a few seconds. Add garlic and pulse again. Slowly add olive oil while the food processor is on. Stop food processor and scrap down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add a pinch of salt if needed and serve.

Salsa Verda Chicken

A bright, refreshing and spicy green salsa recipe served over grilled chicken.

• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 1 cup cilantro, packed
• ½ cup parsley, packed
• ½ jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small shallot ,chopped
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of ½ lime
• 3 Tablespoons orange juice (fresh is best)
• salt & pepper
• 1 pound chicken breasts
• extra virgin olive oil for grilling

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a blender. Blend until puréed. Combine chicken breasts with half the salsa mixture in a large bowl, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight. Heat a stove top grill pan (or outdoor grill if it’s not 8 degrees where you are) to medium heat. Grill chicken breasts for about 5-7 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through. This will depend on how thick your chicken is. Once cooked through, remove from grill, spoon remaining salsa over the top of each chicken breast. Serve with a lime wedge and garnish with cilantro.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!